Using cloud-based solutions for telephony and unified communications (UC) is becoming more accepted in IT departments, according to a survey.
The study from Mitel claimed 80% of the 650 IT managers it interviewed earlier this year saw the benefits of moving these business-essential functions into the cloud, with cost savings or predictable costs named as the biggest draw.
This was up from 68% when the company conducted the survey in 2011. Just 4% of respondents said they would not consider a cloud-based option for their UC and telephony.
However, even with these high levels of positivity, only 42% offered their workers access to UC applications when working at home or on the move, and just 39% provided telephony, showing the cloud models were far from reaching wide-scale adoption.
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“Work is fast becoming an activity and not a location, but our survey reveals a disconnect between access to business applications from anywhere, compared with access to telephony or UC apps,” said Bas Baars, European marketing manager at Mitel.
“IT managers are clearly starting to recognise the flexibility and cost saving benefits that a cloud-based approach to communication can offer, but need to bridge this divide and enable employees to embrace new working practices,” he added.
