How Unified Communications Has Paved the Way for Remote Working

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Many professionals today are familiar with standard UC (unified communications). It has been around for a while and was traditionally used for in-office communications. On-premise PBX allowed you to call up your boss’ office or email a request for printed documents to your secretary. With VoIP (voice over internet protocol), people had calling, messaging, and collaboration capabilities all over an internet connection.  

Today, with this change in the way we “go to work,” unified communications has adapted to meet our remote needs. Taking it a step further, it’s evolved to provide the capability for instant messaging across the globe, instantaneous file sharing through the cloud, and reliable video conferencing to help connect people wherever they may be working. Thanks to UC, we now have better options when it comes to “going to work.”  

 

How Unified Communications Enables Productive WFH Results 

With many companies opting in for UCaaS (unified communications as a service), they are experiencing the best of VoIP without the need and cost of infrastructure. When working from an office, UC depended heavily on fiber connectivity. Today, anyone can work from anywhere given a good internet connection – even wirelessly.  

This UC development means employees are able to bring their own devices (BYOD) and leverage their own computers and mobile devices. This can save employers expensive equipment costs, reduce ramp up periods and time needed to train new hires on equipment, and eliminate the need for installation of fiber or other infrastructure. More importantly however, it’s causing employees to become more efficient and productive. It makes sense that people perform better on the devices they already know how to use. With the ease of use and the effortless adoption, this remote working norm is set to be the #1 thing to stick around from the changes the COVID pandemic made to how we work.  

Not to mention, modern UC is more scalable than traditional data centers. Without the need for servers, telephony equipment, or phone lines – growth is only limited to bandwidth of a user’s internet connection. This makes it easier for hiring managers to grow their workforce by hiring people remotely. In turn, providing UC options really widens the potential candidate pool when hiring.  

 

How Unified Communications Enables Safer WFH Results  

What many people don’t realize is that leveraging UC when working from home actually has benefits that extend beyond working hours. With encrypted communication channels and the endpoint security that comes standard with most UC, people feel more secure sharing their data over personal networks because their work’s unified communications system helps safeguard their network at home. Cybercrime has increased 63% since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, making network safety a top priority.  

benefits of unified communications

What This Means for the Future of UC 

In simple terms, unified communications is here to stay. It’s estimated that the UCaaS market will surge past $100B by 2024. In order to stay ahead of the game when it comes to the digitization of the workplace, businesses need to consider switching from traditional PBX to UC. In the same effort, those that are early adopters should further build out their UC strategy.  

When it comes to implementing and developing unified communications in any business, Blue Signal has the talent it takes to be successful in this evolving space. Whether you’re looking to support and build out remote teams and WFH policies, or you’re just curious what your first step should be in your UC journey, Blue Signal has your back. Contact our qualified unified communications recruiters today to get started.  

The War on Cybersecurity

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Cybersecurity risks pose the most serious economic and national security challenges of the 21st century. The importance stems from businesses’ inability to fight back in the cyber war. They are simply ill-equipped.

Recent breaches, including the “Russian Yahoo” login breach, disclosures of NSA surveillance, and the widely publicized hacking of retail stores like Sony, Scottrade and Target have catapulted the high-profile discussion of online security on a global scale.

Cybersecurity - cyber war

2016 Internet Security Threat Report, Symantec (Graphic: Symantec). View the full Smart News release here.)

Attitudes about privacy, security and identity form the opinions on social trust. Former CIA Director Michael Hayden pointed out that, “Rarely has something been so important and so talked about with less and less clarity and less apparent understanding.”

The centrality of computers to our lives is almost impossible to comprehend. As of July 2016, there are over 4.75 billion webpages. The internet is no longer limited to compiling and sending information online. We are living in a new digital era. In this very short history in computers, we have reached a defining point. Just as the upside of technology is expanding every day, so too is the risk.

Every single second, 9 new pieces of malware are discovered. Half a billion personal records were stolen or lost in 2015. Cybersecurity breaches with more than 10 million identities exposed have increased by 125% since 2014, and 97% of Fortune 500 companies report at least one hacking. More than 100 different nations have created some kind of cyber military command.

A recent poll by Pew found that Americans fear cyber attacks more than Iranian and North Korean nuclear weapons, climate change, the rise of authoritarianism in China and Russia. This has led to a massive industry, arguable the fastest growing in the world.

Here at Blue Signal, we have built relationships with the people who are collaboratively developing the next-generation solutions to combat the cyber war around the globe. Doing it together takes knowledge and understanding. We know the experts and innovators who will come up with the next generation security solutions. There is no better time to invest in information security safeguards to protect sensitive company and client information.

 

Contact us at info@bluesignal.com to discuss your cybersecurity needs with a specialized recruiter.