Unified Communications Integrated in the Cloud

First is that cloud-based UC services are offered as "all or nothing." It is usually difficult and expensive (if possible at all) to bring your current e-mail and/or phone service to a cloud provider and "mix and match" these technologies with new cloud services for a hybrid UC approach.

In a way, it makes sense that cloud providers will not integrate with pre-existing in-house technologies –– they've already done the heavy lifting by creating an integrated UC bundle that works perfectly with industry "best of breed" technologies. Why would they jeopardize their offering just so you can keep your current business VoIP solution?

Secondly, outages can still be an issue as they are for any service. The cloud is not infallible, as Google's (GOOG) downtime experiences demonstrate. In theory, with a cloud-based solution a company should never be totally out of the communications game due to the sheer number of separate functions (if e-mail is down, VoIP may still be up and so on). The only "cloud killer" would be if Internet connectivity is lost – there’s just no way around that.

Another concern around UC-in-the-cloud is bandwidth. Companies need to have fat pipes so all of the services function properly at the same time. The bigger the bandwidth, the better. Bandwidth not only helps speed up the delivery of the UC services, but can also combat some common problems with VoIP, like "tinny" voices.

Serious consideration when it comes to UC in the cloud

Bandwidth is a serious consideration when it comes to UC in the cloud, so if your Internet provider is unreliable or struggles with high data loads, you should consider investing in a faster Internet circuit, implementing a QoS router, or other alternatives to cloud-based UC.

Additionally, taking UC to the cloud allows all businesses, regardless of size, to enjoy the flexibility and production improvement of unified communications, benefits previously only available to enterprises that could afford integrated in-house systems and upkeep.

Apptix is a provider of hosted unified communication services including business-class e-mail, voice, and collaboration for 300,000 users worldwide. For more than a decade, the company has specialized in providing hosted communications and collaboration services such as Microsoft Exchange e-mail, Microsoft SharePoint document management, VoIP phone services, and Web conferencing to businesses of all sizes.