As the communication landscape continues to evolve at an incredible rate, Unified Communications as a Service has emerged as one of the most valuable investments for brands. At present, the market for UCaaS is accelerating towards an expected value of $69.93 billion by 2028.

With UCaaS, companies have a unique opportunity to combine and align the various elements of their communication stack into a single, synchronised environment. This strategy can reduce technology costs, improve productivity levels, and pave the way for a higher-quality customer experience. However, business leaders will need to ensure they’re prioritising the right factors in their investment.

Having the right UCaaS solution in place today doesn’t just mean gaining access to the correct tools and software. Business leaders also need to ensure their end-to-end ecosystem is as secure as possible. After all, 85% of customers say they’re more loyal to brands that safeguard and protect their information. Here’s why UCaaS leaders should be consistently investing in security solutions for any UCaaS implementation.

UCaaS Introduces Multiple Tools for Communication
One of the biggest benefits of UCaaS is it allows companies to combine multiple different modes of communication into a single application. With a UCaaS system, businesses can connect video conferencing, messaging, SMS, and phone with email and various other conversational tools. However, while this combined platform can enhance productivity and business visibility, it also comes with multiple security threats to consider.

Each form of communication comes with its own risks, from call fraud on phone lines to the risk of “zoombombing” in video conferencing. Some organisations are even implementing APIs and integrations to expand the functionality of their UCaaS system. These tools have their own potential risks to consider, such as problematic code or gaps in security.

Having a comprehensive security strategy in place is the only way to make sure conversations remain secure across every channel as the business network continues to evolve. If even one part of the UC system isn’t secure, the rest of the cloud environment could also be at risk.

The Rise of Remote and Hybrid Work
In the last couple of years, remote and hybrid work practices have grown increasingly commonplace. While flexible working strategies deliver a host of benefits, from improved engagement and productivity to better work-life balance, they also pose a security threat. In the last 12 months alone, 39% of UK businesses reported some form of cyber-attack. What’s more, criminals are increasingly taking advantage of the vulnerabilities posed by hybrid and remote work.

Employees from outside of the office can easily log into insecure networks and put data at risk. Many have also been exposed to increasing instances of phishing and social engineering in recent years. As the transition to flexible work continues, companies allowing their teams to work outside of the office will need to ensure their employees remain secure.

This will mean investing more heavily in access control technology to ensure only certain people can access specific files. It may also involve looking at concepts like multi-factor authentication and employee training for secure business practices.

Improving Customer Experiences
Customer expectations have evolved significantly in the last few years. Today’s consumers expect their interactions with companies to be personalised, streamlined, and secure. Indeed, 53% of customers have suggested a business being the victim of a data breach was a reason for them to abandon their relationship with the brand. Implementing the correct UCaaS security strategy ensures businesses can adhere to the expectations of today’s customers.

With an end-to-end security strategy implemented into the UCaaS environment, companies can demonstrate their commitment to keeping data safe and protected. Companies complying with specific standards like SOC 2 Type 2 certification are more likely to attract customers in search of high levels of security and privacy.

Even sharing information about security policies with clients can increase opportunities for conversions and improve customer loyalty. Today’s clients will expect all companies they work with to monitor conversations for signs of potential breaches consistently, and have strong policies in place for keeping data secure.

Complying with Evolving Standards
Consumers aren’t the only groups with evolving standards in the communication landscape. As concerns about data privacy and protection continue to grow, new regulatory and federal statutes are being rolled out consistently to address how businesses manage data. The recent passage of regulations like GDPR and CCPA indicates we’re on a path towards continued data privacy developments in the years ahead.

All organisations interacting with clients, partners, and colleagues through UCaaS systems will need to ensure their strategies comply with the latest expectations. Certain organisations will also require additional safety measures in place for managing specific pieces of data. For instance, those dealing with payments will need to be compliant with PCI DSS, while healthcare brands should consider the guidelines of HIPAA.

Implementing a security strategy which includes everything from end-to-end encryption to multi-factor authentication and access controls should ensure companies can reduce the risk of falling victim to regulatory issues. For some companies, it may be necessary to work with vendors who can offer specific security services for their industry.

Handling Evolving Threats
Finally, though the evolution of technology in the communication industry in recent years has delivered countless benefits to companies, it has also allowed for the development of new threats and concerns. Call fraud and phishing scams have increased significantly in recent years, particularly among criminals attempting to take advantage of people during the pandemic.

The development of “deep fakes”, and AI systems for criminal activities is also on the rise. Companies in the UCaaS landscape planning on taking advantage of new technologies, like XR, IoT, and the Metaverse, will have a wider range of potential threats to think about in the years ahead. Each of these new technologies presents possible challenges with managing and preserving data.

To stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape, every business must ensure it has the right UCaaS security strategy in place. Implementing the right protections now should make it easier to adapt and update security standards as risks continue to evolve.

A few more notes about 8X8

• The #1 business voice, video, chat, and contact center platform, with more than 2.5 million business users globally.
• 8×8 is the longest running UCaaS vendor on the Gartner Magic Quadrant Leaderboard- 11 years running – 8×8 – A Leader in the 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for UCaaS, Worldwide
• 8×8 is the ONLY vendor that has a Microsoft certified UCaaS and Contact Center solution, to bring more advanced telephony to the Teams interface, such as SMS, call recording, contact center, advanced analytics and more
• 8×8 is chosen 4X’s more often than it’s nearest UCaaS competitor, to bring voice and more telephony capabilities to Teams
• 80% of end users are choosing a direct routing vendor to bring Voice to Teams, as they need more functionality than what Microsoft PBX offers today
• Integrates with 50+ other cloud applications, such as CRM or work order management applications – https://www.8×8.com/products/integrations.