Hybrid workplaces are a new type of work model where physical, virtual, and mobile technologies are deployed to enable individuals to be productive wherever they are.

In simple terms, it mixes remote work and in-office for employees and other members of an organization.

Many companies see hybrid workplaces to support both the traditional 9-to-5 workforce and the growing contingent workforce of freelancers, teleworkers, and remote business partners. Some businesses believe that the setup enables them to adapt to changing needs quickly. Since the model combines the agility and speed provided by modern technology and information technology resources of an established corporation, this ultimately leads to an organization with a dynamic, skilled, and fast-paced culture.

Cloud-Based Communications

Communication is essential in any workplace. It can help your company operate more smoothly and achieve more than your targeted bottom line. However, not all employees or even company cultures are great at it. Thus, it's management's responsibility to make sure communication gets better. They may do this through office emails, shared files, and the availability of chat and phone systems.

If you're looking to boost communication in your hybrid workplace, cloud-based communications may be your go-to solution. It may start from moving your files to shared drives to having cloud-based services like those offered by websites.

With big players and technology giants making their cloud solutions available to the public, this type of communication is becoming more of a norm these days.

Cloud-Based Communications And Hybrid Workplaces

In this day and age of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), it's the norm for everyone to be using their own devices, even at work. With this in mind, many companies have adopted cloud-based communications for employees to receive communication, store, and send messages to each other.

Other benefits of employing such are listed below:

1. Encourages Collaboration

Collaboration is essential to the success of every organization, and cloud-based communications help facilitate it. In the workplace scenario, this happens between coworkers, such as chat, file sharing, instant messaging, contact center functionality, and other automated and bulk notification tasks, such as voicemail and email.

Nowadays, video conferencing and real-time social updates have also been included in the cloud. There are many collaboration tools, but they're all geared to making collaboration with colleagues inside and outside of an organization more accessible.

Aside from its benefits of sharing information between all the team members and across different locations, it also allows data to be accessed by multiple users simultaneously. However, it's important to note that cloud-based communication is just one part of a larger plan for collaboration. It's still important to look for other venues and media for employees to work together effectively.

2. Provides Flexibility

The cloud is a virtual platform that can be accessed from anywhere. That means any time a person is on the go; they can continue working as if they were in the office. One of the other excellent features as people may have an easier way of informing their supervisors about concerns since data is available for their access.

In addition, this type of tool also allows timely updates since everything is done in the cloud. There's no need for physical visits to do manual upgrades of specific programs or software which have plagued communication tools before. It’s suitable for companies to operate in a hybrid setup since these solutions help companies have the best of both worlds without choosing sides.

With the ability to integrate cloud-based communications solutions into their on-premise software, they can enjoy two-for-one of very different things without compromising on quality.

3. Reduces IT Infrastructure Costs

When an organization grows, it's common for Information Technology (IT) departments to invest in additional servers and storage to accommodate more users and devices. Cloud-based communication takes this burden away from the IT department since it reduces the number of workstations and the amount of on-premises infrastructure required for employees to be productive.

This benefit provides a scalable environment that can be adjusted based on user demand, allowing short-term cost savings and long-term cost reductions. And this is why some businesses don't need costly upgrades when expanding or working with multi-regional websites to make their communications platform accessible to any employee, anywhere, at any time.

Moreover, some of these tools don't require a subscription to any service but may pay minimal fees for additional storage and upgrades.

4. Offers A Comprehensive Yet Simplified Access To Business Systems

Cloud-based communications offer new capabilities such as unlimited users, higher call quality, and flexible integration from instant messaging and video conferencing to file sharing and collaboration tools. Some can also manage the complexities of multi-device usage and data synchronization in hybrid workflows and ensure complete privacy, control, and compliance.

5. Prepares Work Place For Future Crises

There can be many crises, such as natural disasters, terrorism, fire and security threats, violence, and accidents. Emergencies are bound to happen, and there's a high probability of them happening in the workplace. The occurrence of workplace crises would cut organizations' production and hit their profits.

One way to stay prepared for any occurrence of a workplace crisis is to use cloud-based software. If an emergency happens, the software can enable companies to share documents, contact clients, and keep in touch with their teams despite their IT infrastructure being compromised. However, its benefits will only be maximized if a company has a disaster recovery plan and a communications strategy with stakeholders.

6. Provides Security

Cloud-based communications allow hybrid businesses to maintain their on-premises infrastructure and ensure safety and security. That's because the cloud enables them to keep control of their sensitive information. This security can be attained since businesses can use encryption to protect their data and set policies to prevent unauthorized access—resulting in transparency, making it easier for people to work seamlessly across time zones and geographical areas.

Also, since the cloud isn't a physical location, it's less vulnerable to natural disasters or terrorism. However, with so much sensitive information being transmitted and stored over the cloud, IT executives must understand the steps businesses can take to keep sensitive data safe and secure.

Conclusion

Cloud-based communications are a massive shift for many workplace models and setups. But the change results from the value many companies see as its benefits, just like what was mentioned above. These are what are fundamentally changing the nature of workplace communications.

Hybrid work benefits from cloud-based communication as it allows remote and on-premises infrastructure and workloads in one management and governance solution. It also reduces costs and troubleshoots issues much more quickly. As more and more companies switch to a hybrid work model, the benefits of cloud-based communication will only add more momentum to the adoption.