Communications System Complacency Is a Risky Business

The well-known saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” was popularized in the mid-1970s by Bert Lance, director of the Office of Management and Budget in U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s government.

In many situations, the saying makes sense. We can all think of examples where the risk factors associated with trying to improve a perfectly functioning system would very likely outweigh the rewards.

This is not the case with your business communications system. In fact, the opposite is true, and the risks associated with maintaining the status quo are extremely high.

You Can’t Afford to Stand Still

It’s easy enough to be lulled into complacency. The best communications systems are virtually invisible in your organization. Your teams, customers and partners rely on the integrated voice, data and video capabilities these systems provide to stay connected, collaborate and work more efficiently.

But the system itself fades into the background, a silent business enabler that can perform for years without issue.

Unfortunately, even the most reliable communications systems become vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks if they’re not regularly updated with the latest system software and security patches.

Cybercriminals also work silently and invisibly, but they’re always improving their tactics. These bad actors are constantly introducing new attack vectors, unleashing more sophisticated threats and looking for systems with older, more vulnerable software they can target.

The longer the software has been neglected, the more likely it is that someone can find a way to exploit its vulnerabilities.

We’ve seen what can happen when businesses and business systems aren’t ready for unexpected events. When millions of workplaces around the world suddenly found themselves shifting to virtual operations and remote working in 2020, cybercriminals saw an opportunity they couldn’t resist.

And they struck with a vengeance. According to cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike cybersecurity intrusions around the world grew 400 percent in 2019 and 2020 combined. The term “cyber pandemic” was used in numerous online articles focused on the dramatic increase.

Proactive Software Updates and Security Fixes Protect Communications Systems

The explosive use of mass communications solutions was a major factor in the steep increase in cyberattacks. According to Devin Partida, editor-in-chief of ReHack.com, hackers target the tools people use most frequently because they offer the highest chance of success.

No doubt, we all remember the sudden spate of video call intrusions in 2020.

Maybe your communications system hasn’t been hacked, but why continue to take the risk? No business can afford for its vital communications system to be compromised or shut down by cyberattacks.

Internal teams lose productivity. Partners lose touch with your business. And perhaps worst of all, customers lose trust in your business.

A proactive service helps ensure your business is ready to smoothly handle unexpected events and cyberattacks on your communications system.

The Cloud Is Ideal to Support Remote and Hybrid Workforces

In addition to ensuring your system is fully up-to-date, you also need to start thinking about your next move.

Some of the changes you implemented to deal with the pandemic will likely remain in place as you and your teams take advantage of convenient and cost-effective new ways of working. That means it’s time to take a closer look at cloud-based communications solutions.

A purpose-built cloud solution makes it easy to provide unified and scalable communications to anyone, anywhere, on any device. Your entire organization benefits from increased mobility, richer team collaboration and better ability to deliver exceptional customer experiences.

And you no longer have to worry about managing, scaling or securing a premises-based system. Outdated technologies, obsolete systems and invisible vulnerabilities are no longer a costly IT issue or a risk to your business.

When planning your migration to the cloud, there are a number of factors to consider. Public clouds, private clouds and hybrid clouds each have their own benefits. And new cloud technologies are emerging all the time.

You’ll also need to consider which communications systems, programs and applications it makes sense to access from the cloud.

It’s a lot to navigate, but a certified partner can help you make the right decisions for your current requirements, long-term goals and budget.

With their experience and understanding of cloud-based communications, and our solutions, you’ll have everything needed to smoothly transition to the cloud in the way that makes the most sense for your organization.

And as new technologies become mainstream, our certified partners will help you integrate those technologies in innovative ways so you can unlock all the capabilities cloud communications has to offer.

Whatever Path You Choose, It’s Time to Get Going

Whether your next steps are to immediately start planning your migration to the cloud, or to simply get current and stay current with software assurance services, now is the time to make your move.

As we all know from bitter experience, making decisions in advance is far easier, and far more cost effective, than making panic-based decisions after an emergency has struck.

Or, to quote another old adage, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” While this statement was first made by Benjamin Franklin in the 1700s, it definitely applies to today’s communications systems.