Description

Digital technologies are profoundly transforming the way businesses operate and create customer value. Mobility, cloud, Internet of Things (IoT), unified communications (UC) and collaboration, artificial intelligence (AI), advanced connectivity and other technologies are enabling operational efficiencies, greater employee productivity and competitive differentiation in all industries and business segments.

Frost & Sullivan customer surveys show there also exists a strong correlation between digital technology adoption and high revenue growth rates. However, the proliferation of advanced technologies is raising business communications and IT infrastructure costs and complexity, which creates challenges for IT/telecom staff. Routine management of increasingly sophisticated technology environments often prevents IT/telecom staff from focusing on important tasks—such as aligning technology investments with broader business objectives and optimizing key workflows. To achieve desired performance outcomes many businesses are moving their software workloads to the cloud to re-assign internal resources to more strategic projects, gain operational agility and become more responsive to evolving customer requirements.

A growing number of businesses are acknowledging the considerable benefits of cloud communications and are adopting hosted IP telephony and unified communications as a service (UCaaS) solutions. Frost & Sullivan research shows that most businesses choose cloud communications to gain greater flexibility at times of rapid growth or downsizing, as well as to access advanced features and capabilities. However, different businesses also face unique challenges and pursue varying objectives when moving their communications to the cloud. Business size and industry vertical often determine the priorities in a cloud migration strategy. Frost & Sullivan finds that UCaaS solutions offer most businesses a broad spectrum of benefits in three key areas, as follows:

• cost optimization and risk mitigation
• operational efficiency and agility
• enhanced customer value

Choosing a hosted IP telephony and UCaaS provider is an important decision that must be based on a robust evaluation methodology. UCaaS deployment success requires careful assessment of existing provider offerings to select the best fit for businesses’ specific needs. This Buyers’ Guide offers detailed profiles of 22 leading North American hosted IP telephony and UCaaS providers to help businesses make smart investments in cloud communications solutions. The provider profiles include valuable company and solution portfolio information to assist businesses in their strategic decision making. Businesses should compare providers on 10 key selection criteria, as well as any highly specific requirements that may be relevant to their particular circumstances. Sustainable, long-term UCaaS investments deliver superior value and can greatly enhance broader digital transformation initiatives.