Some things go better together and probably always will—it’s certainly true for Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) and Device as a Service (DaaS), a power duo driving the future of work.
It’s important to delineate between the two solutions and explain how each intersects to streamline communications, standardize device management, and most importantly, drive productivity gains at all levels.
The Communication Concoction
It’s no secret the way we communicate has changed greatly over the last few years. However, the work-from-anywhere mindset isn’t exclusively the byproduct of a pandemic; businesses have been incrementally moving toward an increasingly complex and digitized system for exchanging information for decades.
The hybrid cultures materializing around the world are a natural evolution of the global marketplace. The challenge is not in accepting that not all business is conducted in the same physical space, but rather the pace at which remote became the “new normal” and the new technology it necessitated.
Conflicting time zones. Distributed teams. You name it. Where there are physical barriers to in-person communication, there’s now an instant messaging or video conferencing tool to pick up the slack. Communication tools are not the only tech stack to go virtual—the infrastructure powering the platforms behind each conversation has also transitioned from traditional in-house servers to sophisticated cloud-based systems. By 2022, Gartner predicts 15% of organizations will rely solely on cloud office suites for their business communication needs—a 13% increase from 2% in 2019[1].
Where UCaaS Comes In
Think about those aches and pains teenagers experience when they go through a growth spurt. Right now, IT teams are up against the same discomfort, but for them, it’s the downstream effect of increasing usage tenfold overnight and spearheading multiple technology adoptions in tandem.
UCaaS is the glue that holds siloed communication tools together—think enterprise telephony, web conferencing, and instant messaging—and unifies usage metrics for a holistic view of what information is being exchanged and when.
With greater visibility into your communications, you can:
- Scale and automate billing more effectively
- Wrangle cost allocations and chargebacks
- Improve security and ensure compliance
- Quickly address legal disputes
- Analyze and report on usage
Among other fringe benefits. UCaaS is the difference between working smarter and working harder. But, what’s unified communication without a unified network of devices to transmit your team’s messages back and forth?
The Intersection of UCaaS and DaaS
Most organizations manage devices like a rental car company manages their car fleets—a new employee joins and each “rents” a device from their new place of work. They’re not responsible for repairs, upkeep, or maintenance, just making sure the device stays out of harm’s way.
Device as a Service is the invisible hand in this scenario, the “all-seeing” force that turns a disparate fleet of smartphones, tablets, laptops, and PCs into a feedback-driven network. For employers, DaaS increases the lifespan of devices and eliminates losses, and for employees, it’s a self-service alternative to using IT as the intermediary every time device must be returned or upgraded. Collectively, these advantages create a more agile strategy for organizations to scale quickly, but cost-effectively.
When we consider how DaaS and UCaaS coalesce, we’re faced with a “chick or the egg” dilemma—does unified communication drive demand for device management or vice versa?
A little advice: Skip existentialism and deploy them together. Well-managed communications stem from understanding exactly where devices are and how they are being used. When you keep tabs on which communication channels are most effective, you can better understand which devices are needed in your fleet.
One thing business leaders have (or should have) learned over the last two years is the work-from-anywhere world waits for no one. It’s here and here to stay. The ability to embrace both sides of the coin—UCaaS and DaaS—will draw a line in the sand between organizations that will succeed in the new normal and those that won’t.
[1] “Widespread Adoption Of Cloud Office Is Now Well Underway”, n.d. Accessed October 21, 2021. https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/widespread-adoption-of-cloud-office-is-now-well-underway.