On April 3, 2018, there was an opinion piece posted on the Channel Partner’s blog titled “9 UC Trends Your Customers Are Talking About” written by Rhonda Trainor. The 9 trends were:
- Communications shift away from email.
- The rise of BYOD.
- Wired hardware is almost nonexistent.
- Web-based communications systems.
- Collaboration goes beyond the conference room.
- Video: Not just for conferencing anymore.
- IoT adds more devices and increases collaboration.
- Beefing up security.
- Say hello to WebRTC.
The article brings up some really strong points, and we could not agree with them more. So, here is our response to the points mentioned in the article:
- Communication is seeing a gigantic shift away from email. While some people may prefer it, chat had evolved as the premier messaging format. Not only internal, but external chat has become the premium for reaching and contacting partners, suppliers, and vendors.
- As far as BYOD is concerned, it is only a problem when your users have to download disparate or multiple applications or use a VPN. True flexibility comes when the user can simply open a browser and securely sign in from anywhere. While we agree that it can be a headache for IT teams to insure security, using a BYOD with a secure-by-design platform such as Wildix, can alleviate this headache.
- Traditional wired hardware is no longer the future of telephony. With BYOD, employees can use any device they’d like, such as their mobile. While mobile phones are good, what users want is the ability to fully engage as though they’re at their desktop, from anywhere, and this requires flexibility. Using a browser makes the user mobile and available from anywhere, thus eliminating the need for the wired hardware.
- When it comes to web-based communications systems, the article says, “As mentioned earlier, BYOD and mobile workplaces translate to users expecting to conduct business from any location. This means cloud-based applications and programs will be even more important, not just to consumers, but customers’ employees as well. VoIP-hosted systems and cloud-based email servers provide the flexibility users need — the web browser is the only requirement.” We fully agree, but web-based communications should be used to handle all of the communications and collaboration requirements both internally and externally in an organization.
- For far too long Collaboration has been a conversation about internal teams and internal requirements, however, we all know business is conducted externally with partners, vendors, suppliers and CUSTOMERS. You need the ability to communicate, collaborate and engage with these people where they are – On The Web!
- Video has evolved over the years. It’s not solely for conferencing anymore. Video is great for live streaming, showcasing testimonials, demoing products, you name it. Another great feature of video is the ability to record. Miss a conference call meeting? That’s ok, because now you can be send a recording of the video conference to play back when you have time.
- IoT isn’t going away. As the article states, “Partners need a plan to have the Internet of Things connect all those devices and help them work more efficiently together — that’s vital to business communications.” Allowing multiple devices to be synced up allows for better, faster communications, and thus, better out put.
- Security is of the utmost importance in business and truly, in our daily lives. We like to keep ourselves protected from fraud and theft, and be sure that crucial information isn’t getting leaked. Paper files are a thing of the past, so be sure that whatever communications system you are using is secure by design.
- Say hello to WebRTC. Something we could not agree more with. We’ve been saying hello to WebRTC ever since we developed a WebRTC solution back in 2013. The internet is the future, and it just makes sense to take advantage of browser-to-browser communication. Click-to-call, sms, email to fax, video conferencing, screen sharing, and so much more, can all be available in one platform, that is easy to use, without needing any downloads or clients to install – and better yet, it’s cost-effective.
Wildix makes using WebRTC easy and secure, with a secure-by-design platform that doesn’t need any VPNs or 2-factor authentication. Wildix embraces the changes in the industry, and is a step ahead of the trends now facing the US industry.
Wildix is the only vendor to pull all of these trends together into a simple, easy-to-use, secure platform. It’s not just a platform for Millennials, but a platform for businesses of today.
If your a system integrator looking to revamp your traditional telephony offerings, reach out to us for a demo at www.wildix.us/contacts