Choices and Challenges At the most basic level, choosing the best UCaaS solution would seem to be the same as selecting any other technology product or service: Consider the differentiators, analyze the cost, (along with the total cost of ownership), evaluate usefulness and compatibility with legacy systems, check for any landmines in the paperwork, and forge ahead with the migration. Not so fast, however. Part of this scenario runs just a little bit differently because of some unique dynamics inherent in UCaaS, as well as in many other segments of the “as a Service” market. And that has a lot to do with who is providing the “Service” component of UCaaS (or any other “X”aaS). A lot of the products get commoditized quickly, said Eclipse Telecom’s Dyson. A vendor can release a new, differentiating feature and three months later all competitors have a similar capability, he added. “And I think it’s a good thing that commoditization happens so rapidly because that gets us to the product sets that are driving value. That makes us compete based on flexibility, customer service, contract terms, prices, rollouts, implementations, and all the things that really matter,” Dyson said. “In general, there are multiple providers who can fit any given use case. But not everyone has built out their fabric on a global basis, so sometimes locations can make a difference.” Where a partner is – or is not – can be critical. “Location is a consideration so if you have offices around the world, you want to use a provider that has POPs in those areas because that reduces latency.” “Location is a consideration so if you have offices around the world, you want to use a provider that has POPs in those areas because that reduces latency,” agreed Karczewski. There are quite a few UCaaS providers that have an international presence. Also consider the applications you are using. Are you a Google shop, a Salesforce shop, or Microsoft? There are providers that integrate really well with different solutions, so planning that correctly can increase your organization’s productivity?” The degree to which platforms fit together is one of the prime concerns customers and Trusted Advi- sors examine during the initial search process. 22 Copyright © 2020 AVANT Communications, Inc.