Tata Extends Cloud Portfolio

By Maurice Nagle
TMCnet Web Editor

What does the future hold for Unified Communications (News - Alert)? Is the forecast cloudy—minus, the meatballs—or should we expect hardware to make a comeback? Whether the enterprise chooses an on-premises solution or strictly software-based, it must be interoperable and customizable to meet the firm’s need.

One company leveraging a cloud-based future is Tata, as it announced three new additions to its unified communications portfolio. The InstaCC Global, Click2RTC and Hosted Lync help provide greater interoperability to Tata’s offerings by enabling the integration of features like voice, chat, video and presence—all easily managed through the cloud.

Anthony Bartolo (News - Alert), President, Unified Communications and Mobility, Tata Communications, said: "As businesses grow and expand domestically and internationally, they need a sophisticated way to manage their communications and collaboration - however the ability to connect instantly is both a benefit and a challenge."

Tata is not the only company harnessing the power of the cloud to deliver UCaaS solutions to its end users. Another company of note is Tadiran (News - Alert), and its award-wining Aoenix solution.

According to a recent report from IDC (News - Alert), the UC market is expected to grow from $26.2 billion 2014 to nearly $40 billion in 2016, with the impetus being providers scaling solutions to enterprise need. The enterprise realizes the value in seamless communication regardless of channel or device, and as providers like Tadiran and Tata make adjustments to best suit its end users these projections should be yet another stepping stone.

Something to note when choosing a UC solution is the ability to update and manage your solution via the cloud. The cloud allows easy updates/upgrades to the solution and its functionality. A recent report from TechNavio notes the UC & C market in the EMEA region is projected to grow at a CAGR of 12.31 percent from 2014-2020—noting the emergence of cloud solutions as market driver and the trend, the adoption of UCaas Technology.

Moving forward, the adoption of more cloud-based and hybrid solutions will continue to grow. The ease of use and simplification of implementation make solutions like Aoenix, with its pooled licensing, software-based, cloud model make it stand out a bit from the field.

A recent study by Tata noted that 85 percent of those surveyed felt the cloud has lived up to the hype and 23 percent stated it has exceeded expectations. Though telling,  the number that popped out for me was the 83 percent of respondents noting benefits from the cloud that were unexpected—i.e. increased productivity, better access to data and reductions in cost.

The power of the cloud is not new, but many for the first time are experiencing what it can do for them—and their business.  Only time will truly show what the future holds, but when it comes to UC, make it UCaas. Don’t worry, no umbrellas needed for this cloud.