Virtual Office Resource

What percentage of companies are still using legacy phone systems? Statistics vary, depending on the research, but the general answer is, “A surprisingly high number.” A report from Accenture (News - Alert) found that as much as 70 percent of the typical company’s global transactions are running on legacy applications.

Why on earth should this be so? Companies are resistant to change.

“Too many employees are attached to the old silos, and the old ways of doing things,” wrote Furturum Research’s Daniel Newman in a blog post. “Moving to a new platform would be time-consuming—and would likely encounter a lot of resistance amongst employees. Thus, many companies avoid it altogether. Another reason: Many companies assume it’s too expensive.”

In fact, some research has suggested that companies will waste 60 to 80 percent of their IT budgets just to maintain older and outdated infrastructure. This includes their phone systems. A surprising number of companies have yet to switch to unified communications-as-a-service (UCaaS) solutions that could be saving them money and giving them far more features and flexibility.

“There are fewer reasons than ever to avoid moving to cloud communications solutions, as providers deliver feature-filled communications applications that not only provider every department the capabilities they need, but are easily integrated into business processes,” wrote Erik Linask, Group Editorial Director for Technology Marketing Corp.

Solutions providers such as Phone (News - Alert).com offer a complete portfolio of cloud-based services that make it easy for businesses to communicate and collaborate with colleagues, partners, customers, and suppliers – regardless of where they are.  With a broad range of communications options, users have a toolset that allows them to remain productive at all times, whether in the office, in a meeting room, over a mobile device or from home. The ability to build a “virtual office” is one of the most noteworthy benefits of communications as a service platforms.

In many cases, CaaS providers will provide other built-in benefits, such as HIPAA compliance for companies in the healthcare realm, or call logging and recording for those organizations that are required by law to record and keep calls.

To determine which CaaS system works best for you, make a list of your needs and your wants (and understand the difference between them), take your employee concerns into consideration, do a reckoning on your existing network, and look for recommendations or reviews. There are many CaaS platforms out there: be sure the one you choose is a good fit.