There’s lots of buzz around the cloud these days, and cloud communications is no exception. 

Smart businesses are asking what’s driving the rush to the cloud. So, according to our key partner Mitel, why are so many businesses moving communications to the cloud today? Here’s 10 reasons why. 

1. Cost

Predictable monthly costs. This may seem like old news, but many companies don’t realise just how much they can save by moving their communications to the cloud. By hosting a phone system over the Internet, businesses are charged on an “as needed” basis, meaning you only payfor what you use. That makes cloud-based communication systems particularly cost-effective for small businesses — eliminating the need to pay for the installation and maintenance of a traditional phone system. 

2. Management

Outsource IT support to the provider. The management of an on-site solution can be very expensive. Because of the complexity of today’s communications systems, it can often take an entire IT department to manage. Cloud-based communications can help alleviate this burden by removing maintenance, IT workload and some of the more costly internal infrastructure, including servers and storage systems. 

3. Scalability

Scale up or down based on users. Anyone who has moved or expanded an on-site phone system knows just how difficult it can be. Whether your business is growing, moving or sizing down, the cloud provides the flexibility and scalability you need now and in the future. And with cloud-based systems, businesses can access and add new features without any new hardware requirements. 

4. Vendor Management

One vendor for everything. With cloud communications, a vendor such as TalkTalk Business manages communication systems off-site, freeing IT departments up to focus on other high-priority issues.  

5. Technology

Instant updates. With cloud communications, service is outsourced, and upgrades are deployed through automatic software updates. This allows organisations to stay focused on their business and leave the upgrades to us. 

6. Quality of Service

Maximise uptime and downtime coverage. For many businesses, uptime is pivotal. To keep things running, they rely on the ability to scale and leverage remote work teams or serve customers from anywhere.  For these kinds of businesses, cloud communications maximises uptime and coverage through multiple, remotely hosted data centres, helping them avoid costly interruptions and downtime. 

7. Affordable Redundancy

Leverage shared resources. With an on-site communication system, hardware and software geographic redundancy can be challenging to deliver. But when multiple businesses share resources in a cloud environment, they get access to a level of redundancy that would be too expensive to procure with an on-site solution. 

8. Disaster Recovery

Business continuity made easy. Businesses are using the cloud to protect themselves from the effects of disasters. If the worst happens and your business falls victim to a disaster, with cloud communications, you can get up and running quickly. In fact, in some cases, you might even be able to continue running the entire time. Some reroute calls to remote locations and cell phones. Others rely on remote access to voicemail or use cloud-based auto attendants continue taking calls and providing information. It’s a hard-to-resist combination of reliability, resiliency and redundancy. 

9. Cloud-Based Applications

Access customised applications in the cloud. When businesses are connected to a cloud communications platform, they get access to the latest communications applications and developments, such as MiCollab. These applications help boost productivity and revenue streams for your business in ways that traditional communications programs cannot. 

10. Future-Proofing

Digital transformation is here. Most companies have started transitioning to the cloud in one form or another to future-proof their businesses, as most applications today are being constructed in the cloud. Making the most of new applications requires the ability to integrate fluidly with business communications system. Integrating cloud-based applications with a cloud-based communications system is significantly easier than integrating cloud-based applications with an on-site one, so businesses looking to future-proof their operations are moving to the cloud. 

Thousands of organisations rely on our cloud communication technology day in and day out to meet the demands of modern business – and it could help your business do the same. 

To find out more about our Mitel-based Cloud Communication offerings, you can call us on 0808 163 3868 or visit https://www.talktalkbusiness.co.uk/products/voice/business-phone-systems/hosted-voice/.