Unified Communications as a Service, or UCaaS, is widely-used as a platform to manage communications and collaboration needs in the workplace, which makes it a core driver for future of work.
The importance of UCaaS will only grow as Work from Anywhere becomes the norm, and workers need an integrated platform that supports all of their applications, especially those that enable collaboration.
AI is further intensifying the need for UCaaS, as features such as Copilot and Generative AI become core to everyday workflows. Together, all of these capabilities produce new sets of data that AI can use to make teams more effective, to develop better knowledge bases, and to improve decision-making.
At Future of Work Expo 2025, part of the #TECHSUPERSHOW, a panel session, “Why UCaaS Is the Future of Work,” explained why UCaaS is so central for the future of work. The panel featured moderator Jon Arnold, principal, J Arnold & Associates; Leo Boulton, head of product solutions and industry marketing, Zoom Video Communications; Luiz Domingos, CTO, Mitel; and Sheena Vojta, Director of Digital Experience, CDW.
There are many companies out there that are not quite there yet when it comes to UCaaS. So, the question was asked: “How do we bring them in?”
“UC standard offerings are mainly driven by video conferencing,” said Domingos. “But the world is hybrid. We take what is invested before and add to it, for example cloud.”
“It’s really to understand what are the business outcomes businesses are trying to achieve,” said Vojta. “There will be pressure to push more people into the cloud, but we also have to help with security as well as help with the value of that solution.”
UCaaS is basically a Swiss Army knife, for better or worse. It is feature-rich. This makes it a driver for future of work. Is there a point where innovation eases up to where it becomes a commodity?
“Speed of innovation is a main UCaaS characteristic,” said Boulton. “If vendor stops providing value, the subscription stops. So, it has to keep changing and evolving. AI for example, developed a system of action that can do things for you. This is where the power of UCaaS comes in. And that innovation will continue.”
So, where can UCaaS take us to the next level?
“Companies, for one, should take a tactical approach,” said Vojta. “Sensors that count people in a room or understand temperatures in a physical space are examples. The consistency of the experience for all in the company is something I don’t have to think about. That is what drives the whole reason for evolving into a UCaaS platform.”
Edited by
Greg Tavarez
