Many advancements in technology have been direct responses to the health concerns of the time, and we aren’t exaggerating when we say that these advancements have historically been the ones to trigger massive societal and cultural changes. Today, we have a virus completely dictating the way that we interact with one another: necessitating social distancing, halting travel, shutting down businesses, and otherwise isolating us as we all work to avoid becoming another casualty. Hospitals and other healthcare facilities are now the busiest places, and the economy has taken a major hit.

What Are the Benefits of Remote Work?

The average business owner typically prefers to have their workforce located in their place of business, and are not afraid to spend a hefty sum to do so. Utility costs alone for a brick-and-mortar location can range in the thousands of dollars each month. However, with a staff that can work from home, the many of these costs can be reduced (or even removed). The costs of a business’ location will typically outpace even the cost of the computing infrastructure and software, as there are often discounts for these essential business needs and services.

The point is, there comes a point when it is time to buckle down and get things organized. This can cover nearly all facets of your business (and possibly your life in general), such as:

• Organizing/revamping your workspace
• Reviewing and improving processes
• Establishing better habits
• Writing content to automate touchpoints with clients and prospects
• Scheduling regular training sessions with staff to hone in production
• Trimming the fat when it comes to vendors, software licenses, hardware, etc. 

We like to talk about the major security problems that could come from using public Wi-Fi networks. Data security can be severely compromised by using some unsecured wireless connections. Then you have the issue of unpredictable (and often unreliable) network speeds and the need to routinely give over your personal information to sign in that can be plenty annoying. In the future, these considerations should dissipate as 5G technologies and new ways of sharing information begin to take hold.

There are three technologies looking to change wireless network access forever. They are Wi-Fi 6, 5G, and Hotspot 2.0. 

5G

5G just stands for the fifth generation of wireless technology. 5G, which started rolling out in 2019, is promising gigabit speeds to every user. For reference, gigabit speeds are approaching (and sometimes surpassing) the speeds delivered by fiber optic cable. By being able to broadcast wireless signals at those speeds will allow for an unprecedented level of innovation.

In fact, the capabilities are virtually endless with this type of networking speed. At the very least, it will highlight the capabilities of emerging technologies that require fast data speeds such as augmented reality and autonomous cars/trucks as viable technology for the very first time.

Wi-Fi 6

Wi-Fi 6 is the newest version of Wi-Fi. It is said to provide up to 40 percent higher available network speeds as compared to current Wi-Fi. For the vast majority of people, the data caps, data speed throttling, and overage charges are unfortunate realities when purchasing wireless platforms. Wi-Fi, therefore, is needed to bridge the gap to help us all avoid the major costs associated with wireless networking delivery. Wi-Fi 6, like Wi-Fi 5 before it, will be an essential part of doing business in the future.

Hotspot 2.0

So unfortunately 5G won’t eliminate the need for Wi-Fi. As a result, Wi-Fi hotspots will continue to be an important part of computing on the go. Hotspot 2.0, also referred to as Wi-Fi Certified Passpoint, removes a lot of the agita from using unsecured wireless networks by improving security and taking the actual connection out of the network deliverer’s hands. Essentially, when your phone comes in contact with a Hotspot 2.0 connection it will connect your phone automatically, using encryption to keep your data and the connection more secure. 

Over the next few years you will begin to see public places switching over to Hotspot 2.0. It will become the standard for wireless hotspots, limiting the need for third-party software that often confronts users of today’s hotspots or hospitality visitors. 

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How the Cloud Helps Businesses Communicate

Having a strong communications strategy for your business can go a long way. With the options that are now available through the cloud, your business can significantly cut your communications costs by utilizing technologies like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and video conferencing. Today, there are complete communication platforms that integrate all necessary communications into one easy-to-control solution.

This comprehensive platform, called Unified-Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS), combines your business telecommunications and messaging with your web and video conferencing and collaboration. UCaaS gives your business the technology it needs along with the following options:

• Disaster recovery
• Managed support
• Thorough analytics
• Management software integration
• Regulatory support
• Global service delivery
• Available support 

...and more!

Available Technology

Below are some of the technologies a UCaaS platform offers:

Telephone

A powerful and feature-rich telephone system is one of the most important parts of a business’ communications platform. A VoIP system uses your organization’s bandwidth to deliver reliable voice services at a substantial cost reduction. Each VoIP platform can offer a whole cache of features, including:

• Call Management/Auto Attendant
• Call Queue
• Call Routing/Screening/Transferring
• Call forwarding/Voicemail
• Call Park/Presence/Pulling
• Call Recording
• Custom In-Call Music
• Custom ringtones
• Do Not Disturb
• Three-way calling
• Extensions
• SIP Trunking
• Find/Follow Me
• Voicemail services

...and more.

Aside from these features, a hosted VoIP platform offers users the ability to use the system on their own mobile phones through the use of a mobile app, effectively making any smartphone a work phone. 

Text and Instant Messaging

The UCaaS also integrates a lot of other useful messaging features. Many people would rather get a text than a call, and with a UCaaS, your organization’s messaging will integrate with other software to provide a useful collaborative option.

Video Conferencing

Today, having a video conferencing solution is a must. With more people working outside of the office, and with businesses outsourcing work to remote contractors, having a solution to run meetings over the Internet is extremely useful. 

Collaboration/File Sharing

Collaboration is the name of the game in the information age and a UCaaS can provide a solution for secure file transfer and document sharing. 

With integrations with CRMs and other management platforms a UCaaS can make your business be more efficient and productive. To talk to one of our IT professionals about the possibility of integrating a unified communication solution into your business, give us a call at (604) 513-9428 today.