The last couple of years have asked a lot of business communications.  Systems have had to quickly get smoother, slicker, more streamlined and with infinite remote capabilities to deal with both dispersed staff and remote customers. Comms systems have been shifting into the cloud for around 7 years.  The shift gathered speed of course during the pandemic. More staff working from home and some customers housebound during lockdowns, both needing more cloud based solutions to keep things ticking over. As the world gets back to normal, the demand for more agile communication systems continues to grow.  With staff requiring more flexible working patterns and customers buying habits changing beyond all recognition –  are our old office based systems now defunct? 

The chances are that – in a pre-pandemic world – businesses have invested a significant amount in high functioning office based communications solutions which provide excellent telephony capabilities on site. The worry is that these are now redundant in a newly cloud oriented world but do we really have to lose that investment in favour of flexibility? In reality, figures from consulting firm MZA demonstrate that 54% of communications systems are currently on-site vs 46% being based in the cloud.  So contrary to being defunct, office based systems are still a significant part of the picture and the rise of remote workers means that cloud communications also have their place – we need solutions that allow the two systems to work side by side.  

Industry leaders NEC have an elegant product that brings together hard wired systems and those that exist in the cloud – Univerge Blue and Univerge Connect Bridge bring together office based and hybrid systems seamlessly allowing businesses to set their own pace for switching to cloud based, or indeed sticking with their onsite set up. The important thing is businesses now have ultimate control, allowing the move towards virtual tech at whatever pace suits. 

Business customers can now choose from a comprehensive portfolio that extends from fully on-premises infrastructure to a 100% cloud-based solution and anything in between in a hybrid working model. Customers experience seamless service, staff have optimum communication capability whether in out of the office, the benefits are endless. 

If you’d like to explore integrating an office based system with Univerge Blue’s innovative hybrid approach, or would like a review of your existing systems, please contact the Equations Team today.