For years, companies have rapidly switched away from old-fashioned business phone systems focused on agility and scale. The demand for “UCaaS,” or Unified Communications as a Service, has evolved rapidly as workplaces become more flexible and communication standards change.
The UCaaS market is predicted to reach a value of $240.17 billion by 2030, and virtually every leading communications vendor is taking notice of the space. In the future, as trends like hybrid and remote work continue to proliferate the landscape and companies search for new ways to enhance and optimize collaboration and communication, UCaaS vendors will continue to thrive.
But with so many UCaaS vendors to choose from, it isn’t easy to know where to start searching for the best provider. Here are some of the top, most innovative vendors worth watching right now.
Microsoft
Now recognized as a “UCaaS leader” in the Gartner Magic Quadrant, Microsoft has made major strides with its technology in the last couple of years. Not only has the Microsoft Teams platform grown increasingly intuitive and versatile for collaboration, but Microsoft is consistently introducing new tools and features to make its platform more communication-friendly too.
Today’s Microsoft customers have many ways to connect the extensible Microsoft Teams platform to their telephony strategy. Operator Connect makes it quick and straightforward to connect a PSTN service within a few clicks. There’s direct routing for more flexible business phone solutions and a range of Microsoft Teams calling plans to choose from too.
RingCentral
RingCentral’s comprehensive platform of UCaaS solutions makes it a clear leader in the marketplace today. The company offers tools to match virtually every business need and use case. The leading “MVP” platform from RingCentral even provides companies access to a fully unified environment for meetings, video, collaboration, and calling, with a range of bonus features like in-built analytics.
RingCentral also allows organizations to align their contact center and UC strategies in one end-to-end cloud environment. This makes it a powerful tool for businesses searching for a single pane of glass communications ecosystem.
Intermedia
Intermedia focuses on bringing simple and convenient cloud communications to businesses of any size. The Intermedia “Unite” solution combines contact center functionality with chat, phone, video, and file management. There’s state-of-the-art business phone technology, HD voice, unlimited domestic calling, and HD video conferencing from any device.
Intermedia also has many helpful features to boost communications efficiency and control, such as a built-in auto-attendant, hunt groups, and endless integrations. Companies can even access in-depth analytics and a fantastic 99.999% uptime SLA.
Cisco
For years, Cisco has held a consistent spot at the top of the communications pillar. The company delivers a wide variety of different communication tools to business leaders from around the world. Not only can organizations access a comprehensive communication and collaboration environment with the Cisco Webex Suite, but they can also host events, create webinars, and more.
The Cisco UCaaS environment is flexible and customizable, with easy-to-use and intuitive applications to serve employees wherever they are. There’s access to Webex apps and a central Unified Communications manager to help admins oversee the deployment and provisioning of UCaaS tools and boost mobility.
Windstream
Promising seamless collaboration and communication in a convenient ecosystem, Windstream brings teams together wherever they are. The cloud-based UC and productivity suite ensures business leaders can maintain absolute visibility into their operations. There are various tools for organizations to choose from, including the Office Suite UC environment for managing cloud-based communications anywhere, virtual meeting tools, and CCaaS.
