Migrating to the Cloud with Best Practices
Many businesses find that their old, on-premises telecommunication system is rapidly becoming outdated. It lacks capabilities that would make the organization more efficient. It’s cumbersome to manage a hybrid workforce with some on-site staff and others remotely. And adding features can be difficult, costly, or sometimes impossible.
The Government is passing new laws that will require certain 911 operations. For example, Kari’s Law ensures direct access to emergency services and Ray Baum’s Act requires all location information to be included in calls for help during an emergency.
The benefits of moving your telecommunications system to the cloud are immense—and making the switch as seamless for you and us can be a cinch.
Benefits of a Cloud-Based System
There are a number of benefits that come with using cloud-based systems rather than on-premise ones.
Cloud-based systems are the best way for remote or hybrid workers to communicate with each other and access all their organizations’ features, wherever they may be. These platforms allow everyone in an organization to take advantage of a world-class UCaaS system no matter where you’re located – literally giving them Ulrich Baeckmann’s connected workplace.
The flexibility and accessibility of a cloud-based system is unparalleled in comparison to traditional on-premise solutions. This not only guarantees business continuity but also allows for easy disaster recovery plans should things take an unexpected turn.
Cloud-based systems are a more efficient way to provide the necessary tools for your company’s growth. With these, features can be seamlessly added at minimal cost and with little disruption-rolling them out across multiple offices becomes easy as well. For example:Â
- Call recording
- Omnichannel integration of calls, texts, emails, and web chat
- Collaboration among workers in multiple areas
- . . . and more
Questions to Ask Before Moving to the Cloud
When you’re evaluating a move from on-premises systems to the cloud, these questions will help determine whether it is right for your business:
- What features does our existing system lack? Would adding those features boost our productivity?
- Does my current phone system comply with Kari’s Law and RAY BAUM’s Act?
- Are we paying for a maintenance contract on an existing system? Would it be better to allocate those funds towards a cloud-based system, which doesn’t require a maintenance contract?
- How much are we spending on private connections to remote offices? What does it cost us to add users or locations? Cloud-based systems take advantage of your existing internet connections, resulting in cost savings.
- Does our system help or hinder a remote or hybrid workforce?
How to Choose a Technology Partner
The right vendor can help you make the process of moving your company’s information into a cloud-based system seamless and ensure ongoing satisfaction. To choose wisely, ask these questions:
- Will the solution provide the robust features needed, such as contact centers, softphone integration, and collaboration tools?
- Does the solution offer geo-redundancy via diverse data center failover? The redundancy of multiple data centers helps ensure business continuity.
- Can we purchase our own phones, or will we be perpetually renting them?
- Who will be responsible for the project management, installation, and on-site support?
- Where will service and support be based? Will you speak with service engineers in North America, or will your calls be routed overseas?
- Can you come on-site to troubleshoot issues if necessary?
- Do you have different levels of service? If so, what does each one include? You want white-glove service and shouldn’t have to pay a premium for it.
- How many projects have you managed similar to ours?
- Are you proposing a solution that will group us with other clients (a multi-tenant system), or will we have a separate, multi-instance system? A multi-tenant system costs less, but a multi-instance system provides much more security and control.
In order to find the best cloud services, it is important that you do your research and check out what kind of company they are. Look at their customer reviews on websites like Yelp or Google Local – these can give an idea about how reliable a certain vendor has been in business over time as well provide some insight into potential problems with service quality (like if many people experience outages). You also might want to ask around within tech circles; other companies may be happy referrals.
Finally, ask about costs. On-premises systems can be very expensive to maintain in comparison with cloud-based ones. You won’t have the expense or hassle of refreshing hardware and updating features when they’re already installed; plus you’ll never need new servers because these will just keep getting used as old ones break down over time – saving money on initial investment too. The output should include ALL possible angles.
Contact BluWyre for a consultation about how to improve your communications system and cut down on costs.
