Cloud communications set to transform Australian business

By Optus Wholesale

The future of work has arrived. Going to work used to mean physically travelling to an office, sitting at an allocated desk and repeating this process day after day. Working remotely was unthinkable for most people.

How quickly this has changed. In an increasingly mobile business world, businesses that embrace the mobility trend are leaping ahead of the competition.

Unified Communications (UC) is a core component of mobile working. Big business has been using it for years but the introduction of cloud-based solutions mean it’s now an affordable option for Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs).

The potential for improved collaboration and productivity, talent retention and cost reduction means cloud-based UC is set to reshape the way we work in Australia.

Why cloud-based UC?

Despite the benefits that stem from untethering the workforce, businesses can be hesitant to embrace new technology.

But the tide is turning. The cloud has become the primary enabler of digital transformation. For service providers to meet the needs of customers and stay relevant, they must meet the increasing demand for cloud-based services.

The National Broadband Network (nbnTM) is improving access across the country, while advances in storage and networking are making these services more cost-effective. Researchers at Frost & Sullivan predict SMB adoption of Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS) will help drive the Australian UC market above $1 billion by 2021.

Reaping the benefits

So what’s going to drive this increased adoption? The benefits fall into three main categories – cost reduction, increased productivity and talent retention.

Cost reduction: The availability of cloud-based UC means SMBs no longer need to invest in expensive hardware to unlock the advantages of workforce mobility. They can also start small and scale as business growth demands.

Increased productivity: Cloud-based UC enables workplaces to run smarter. Employees can access shared resources and communicate more effectively regardless of location, seamlessly shifting between devices as it suits them. This improves their ability to deliver an exceptional customer experience.

Talent retention: Employees now expect workplaces to deliver the same levels of functionality they experience in their personal communications. Providing an agile workplace is essential to attracting and retaining top talent. Businesses need to enable strong, secure and flexible connections.

Finding the right fit

Sophisticated cloud-based communication and collaboration technologies will become standard and continue to drive increasingly digital workplaces. As the market matures, the diversity and quality of available services is on the rise.

As a Service Provider, you need a good understanding of how the market is evolving. Your goal is ultimately to provide clients with secure, flexible and reliable services that suit their business needs.

Partnering with Optus tier-one carrier network in this space is a critical component of migrating your clients to this new way of working. Optus Wholesale is supporting its service provider network with Cloud-UCX, a cloud-based unified communications and collaboration platform powered by BroadSoft that is designed to futureproof Australian business.

Many of your clients are yet to realise the full potential of their communications systems. Optus Wholesale can help you empower your customers and make them more competitive in this mobile business world.

Download discussion paper: Competitive advantage with cloud