The modern work space has transformed from what it used to be.  Gone are the days where your entire department sits in a large conference room, reviewing last month’s sales report on a large projector, while the single employee in the West Coast office is on speakerphone in the center of the table.  There was almost always coffee and donuts on the side table, and an assistant running in and out with updated copies for everyone.  These days, a typical meeting is much more collaborative, with many of your employees joining the meeting from individual desk tops, and several dialing in on Skype for Business from home, and sharing information electronically.  Though this scenario sounds a bit fragmented at first look, most businesses are finding it’s anything but, and embracing the new way employees come together to share information, planning and collaboration with Skype for Business.

Collaboration with Skype for Business

Team collaboration is more important than ever. With companies increasingly offering their employees work-from-home capabilities, and with mobile sales forces on the rise, great importance is placed on being able to reach these employees in order to share information timely.  Businesses need a solution that unites communication on many different platforms, including chat, email, shared documents, and Skype.  Being able to efficiently communicate can improve collaboration, teamwork, and employee productivity.

Implementing collaboration with Skype for Business can be an expensive venture if done with on-premises deployment. New servers, employees who can manage the solution, costs for upgrades, troubleshooting and more add to your bottom line. By hosting Skype for Business in the cloud, and having a team of experts to provide support that you contract with on a monthly subscription level, you eliminate most of those expenditures. Microsoft’s announcement of eliminating their Skype for Business online product and merging it with Teams has many wondering where to turn to for a hosted solution, and/or weighing the benefits of deploying on their own. With a Teams/Skype for Business online merger lacking some advanced features, especially advanced calling features, many are wondering … what does the future hold?

The future of UC is now. By utilizing a fully managed communications service, you get the benefit of seamless integration of Microsoft products (Office 365) with Hosted Skype for Business, which eliminates the need for costly implementation and management and includes the innovative Cloud Contact Center and Advanced Cloud PBX functions you need.  A hosted solution lowers costs by eliminating expenses on hardware and other technological investments, provides support on-site or via the cloud, all while providing security for your corporate data while ensuring business continuity. In the world of corporate collaboration, where seamless communication is essential, consider using a fully managed service from Altigen, and enjoy the flexibility and convenience of Unified Communications.

Learn more about Collaboration with Skype for Business and Altigen Solutions here.