The pandemic has been credited with accelerating the migration to cloud computing; but well before March 2020, there were companies with enterprise cloud solutions on their short list of priorities. For those that had already replaced on-site technology with cloud-based solutions, the pandemic was a pivot, but for those that had only it on their radar, the pandemic required a shift in priorities.
One of the areas that made the transition to work-from-home settings easier was cloud-based communications technology. Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) solutions like unified communications as a service (UCaaS) offered company agents the ability to work from anywhere. If they had an internet connection, they could access a consistent work experience.
For many companies, the switch to cloud computing and cloud-based communications also meant an upgrade to network infrastructure. Many networks were not equipped to handle the bandwidth-hungry requirements of UCaaS, and features like videoconferencing and voice calls fell prey to factors like latency and congestion on overcrowded pathways. A shift to virtualized networking through software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) allowed for traffic prioritization over a variety of pathways, depending on the mission critical nature of the transmission.
The result is that work-from-home employees now have the communications technology they need to not only match productivity but exceed it due to improved collaboration and shared workspaces. With improved networking solutions, they can enjoy videoconferencing sessions without any dropped packets or latency.
But for all these seemingly perfectly-timed technology advances that were available when the pandemic hit, IT teams had yet another challenge to sort out: compliance. Alongside the development of technologies like UCaaS and SD-WAN, there has been another development occurring: GDPR.
The General Data Protection Regulation is a set of compliance rules issued by the European Union, but it has helped to shape many of the regulations for privacy compliance around the globe.
If you are planning a migration to enterprise cloud solutions like UCaaS, it is important that your planning stages include measures to account for compliance in cloud computing:
Licensing: Enterprise cloud telecommunications solutions providers, such as those for UCaaS, must secure the statutory rights to provide telecom services in each geographical area they serve. If you are trying to expand at a global level, be forewarned that this process can be long and difficult.
Emergency Numbers: It doesn’t matter how fancy your UCaaS solution is or the features it offers; most local governments will require that it allow every number to call national shortcodes for emergencies. They must be able to call 911 in the United States or 112 in France, for example.
Lawful Interception: This is the ability to allow access to communications records for the purpose of police use or that of national security. It’s important to verify that your provider has the technical infrastructure to allow lawful interception.
Investing in enterprise cloud solutions for communications can be a disruptive change for your company, improving productivity and speeding decision-making. But it can also create immeasurable challenges if compliance is not part of the process from the initial planning. Contact us at Safari Solutions to discuss a comprehensive view of your technology planning, including your potential shift to cloud communications.