For some businesses, the implementation of unified communications has been a bit of a disappointment. When companies first heard about the benefits of UC, they envisioned seamless integration of voice, video and data across platforms and devices. But, because of a combination of factors, companies that did not have the proper deployment and management solutions often found that UC had let them down. For these companies, though, there is another option on the horizon that could make their UC deployments more successful. That is, of course, the cloud.

Companies that were afraid to implement on-premise solutions because of investment costs or the need to hire or train staff were reluctant to take the plunge into the unified communications pool. But cloud UC may be just the solution that these companies are looking for, giving the communications and collaboration advantages of UC while at the same time reducing the costs and challenges of implementation.

Traditional, on-premise UC is based on local equipment with an occasional remote user. In this day and age, though, with more and more employees working remotely, cloud UC is the best choice to meet this need. And with cloud UC, the IT department can provide different services to different users – or different departments – based on need. Also, cloud UC does not require a full-blown deployment. It is far more scalable than an on-premise solution and, for most companies, ends up being less expensive, since it does not require lots of equipment or staff training.

For companies that are looking for more traditional, on-premise UC technology, it is important for them to find the right deployment and management solutions. A company like VoIP Integration can provide custom or boxed software to help make any on-premise deployment of Cisco Unified Communications easier and more efficient.

For more information, click here.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2012, taking place Oct. 2-5, in Austin, TX. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. For more information on registering for ITEXPO click here.

Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO. Follow us on Twitter.