We live in an age of remarkable advances in healthcare technology, including such breakthroughs as genetic sequencing, 3-D-printed prosthetics, robotic-assisted surgery and AI-powered imaging systems. However, research shows that outdated and inefficient communication technologies create persistent challenges in the industry.

Educators today have a wealth of digital teaching tools at their disposal, but that has become something of a double-edged sword. While teachers can use the tools to enhance the classroom experience in many exciting ways, maintaining a working knowledge of multiple rapidly evolving technologies can become exasperating.

Unified communications (UC) plays an essential role in supporting hybrid and remote work by enabling a seamless and cohesive communication experience across various devices and locations. However, implementing UC presents some challenges. Integrating voice, video, messaging and collaboration applications requires careful planning and configuration to ensure seamless interoperability and minimal disruption to ongoing operations.

In a popular tune from the 1930s, legendary jazz artist Fats Waller sang, “find out what they like, and how they like it, and let ’em have it just that way.” Nearly a century later, that message is right on the mark for business communication providers.

People are a company’s biggest expense. Wages, benefits, payroll taxes, training and equipment expenditures account for as much as 70 percent of total business costs. However, successful businesses understand that employees are also their most valuable asset.

Analysts say the market value of cloud-based Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS) solutions will more than double by the end of the decade. Organizations are adopting UCaaS to create a cohesive communication and collaboration strategy to support increasingly decentralized operations.

The ability to deliver advanced communication and collaboration services to increasingly distributed workforces is driving rapid growth of cloud-delivered unified communications solutions. Analysts with Metrigy predict that 70 percent of businesses will be using UC-as-a-Service within two years.

In response to pandemic-triggered distancing mandates, businesses across the globe moved quickly to adopt cloud-based communications and collaboration solutions for their suddenly remote workforces. Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS) adoption surged by 86 percent at the start of the pandemic, according to one survey of U.S. enterprise organizations.

Lacking a coherent collaboration strategy, many organizations adopt multiple collaboration solutions from multiple vendors, and don’t have much of a grasp on how much it all costs. The subscription and license fees are only the tip of the iceberg. Network and IT support costs and a poor user experience add to the TCO of collaboration.

Many organizations focus all of their energy on growing the business but fail to adequately prepare for the challenges that business growth can bring. Growing pains are commonly felt in the areas of communication and collaboration, which become even more important with business expansion.