Digital transformation has been around for decades. But, as technology keeps changing, the type of transformation businesses are striving toward keeps changing. Today, whether you’re running a small or large enterprise, if you want to future-proof your operations and compete, you need a cloud-first digital transformation.
The thing is, the cloud has drifted into IT infrastructures so completely, there’s no way around it. Nor can you just take a half-in, half-out approach. Like what happened with the internet in the late ’90s, businesses need a complete cloud overhaul to keep up.
But before your business dives into the cloud, you need to know why it has become so crucial to help you decide what you want from your transformation journey. Let’s look at what cloud transformation is and the top three reasons cloud communications are crucial to digital transformation today.
What Is a Cloud-First Digital Transformation?
Digital transformation is the journey a business takes to achieve fully digital processes, experiences, and operations. From the way your company interacts with customers to employee workloads and executive insights – everything shifts online.
With a cloud-first transformation, you’re not just adding a new layer of technology. You’re adding a whole new dimension of IT capability. Your data and systems are hosted in the cloud, which makes it possible to connect all of your IT in a fluid, efficient, flexible way.
When successful, all your digitally transformed processes and systems speak to one another. Data is integrated, updates happen in real-time, and users have a single source of truth.
And because all systems – and people – are connected, you can pivot seamlessly. Whether you want to scale up by adding new users, integrate a new business app, or start automating certain functions, everything can happen quickly and without interrupting business operations.
Why Cloud Communications Is Essential for Digital Transformation Success
Gartner is predicting an IT spending surge in 2022 as businesses move full steam ahead post-pandemic. And the largest IT spending market is communications services – it’s projected to reach $1.46 trillion this year.
What’s behind the focus on communications?
A lot of things. But all the drivers boil down to necessity, the greatest driver of innovation. Cloud communications enables businesses to increase flexibility, business intelligence, and security.
Reason #1: Cloud Communications Makes Work Location-Agnostic
Probably the most significant change to the business world over the past two years has been the growth of remote work.
Now that over half of U.S. employees spent a year working from home, we all know that operating with remote and hybrid teams doesn’t reduce productivity.
But it does offer a long list of benefits, including lower office costs, less time wasted commuting to work, and more flexibility. And, it’s what employees want – 68 percent prefer remote over in-office work.
Because of the success of remote working, many organizations are opting for some type of work-from-wherever arrangement, whether that’s offering some location flexibility, increasing remote work, or even giving up the office space completely.
The bottom line: it looks like hybrid work models will be the norm from here on out, not the exception. And to keep employees connected when working from wherever, cloud-based communications are a must.
With cloud communications tools such as UCaaS (unified communications as a service), CCaaS (contact center as a service), video conferencing, and cloud phones, everyone – employees, clients, shareholders, and other stakeholders – can meet, collaborate, and share information from any location, without sacrificing communication quality.
In a work-from-wherever world, cloud communications is step one to getting your business ready for the future – which is what digital transformation is all about. Your communications technology becomes the hub of all your other systems.
Reason #2: With the Cloud, Your Data Is Always Synced
When choosing cloud providers for your digital transformation, it’s critical to find one that offers easy integration with your other business apps. This way, your teams can make decisions based on real-time information because all of your data updates across the board simultaneously.
This offers far more than convenience and clarity. It gives employees the data and insights they need to offer exceptional customer experiences. And it enables executives to make informed business decisions.
How do your customers feel about your product? Your contact center reports, CRM data, and sales insights will all work together to piece together a clear, comprehensive picture, and to reveal how that picture changes over time.
What marketing strategy will appeal more to your audience? What can your company do to boost your brand’s reputation? What’s the best time to make that business move C-suite has been planning? With cloud communications software that integrates with your business collaboration and productivity tools, decision-makers have analytics that draws upon multiple systems to show them the way.
Reason #3: A Cloud-Based Transformation Is More Secure
With cloud-based IT, complexity goes up a few notches. But this doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice security or struggle more with data management and compliance.
In fact, with a cloud-first digital transformation, your data is safer and compliance is simplified.
Because data is stored in the cloud, your business won’t implode if a fire, power outage, or other event damages your servers.
There’s also less to worry about when it comes to lost or stolen devices. With cloud systems, vital information is only accessible through a log-in – not the device itself.
As long as your users are following cybersecurity best practices, such as two-factor authentication, and your provider uses top-notch security, your data is more protected.
And, with a cloud provider that offers built-in security and compliance controls, such as role-based permissions, and robust storage and retrieval, you can say goodbye to your data regulation headaches.
Learn More About Transforming Your Business with the Cloud
Cloud communications can unlock your business’s potential. It lets you run a more flexible business, empowers your teams with business intelligence, and removes some of the challenges that come with data protection and compliance.
Learn more about how the cloud and cloud communications can help your business transform. Browse our reports on Cloud Trends or learn more about our cloud communications solutions.
The Intermedia Team
Intermedia helps businesses of all sizes connect better – through voice, video conferencing, chat, contact center, business email and productivity, file sharing and backup, security, archiving, and more – from wherever, whenever. And, as a partner-first company, Intermedia goes to work for our channel partners to help them grow their revenue and maximize their success.
March 2, 2022
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