Glossary > Cloud communication platform

Cloud communication platform

Published: July 27, 2018

A cloud communication platform lets developers quickly and easily integrate voice and calling features into applications using a set of communication APIs rather than building their own telephony infrastructure.

How is Bandwidth involved with cloud communication platforms?

Bandwidth owns and operates one of the largest All-IP Voice networks in the nation. On top of that network, we have built a full suite of APIs to give our customers the power to communicate. With services like voice, messaging, 911 access, and phone numbers, Bandwidth aims to fulfill all of the ways a business might need to communicate with their customers. Bandwidth makes integrating these services into an application easy with our cloud communication platform.

What are the benefits of Bandwidth’s cloud communication platform?

Since Bandwidth owns and operates the network, our customers are given an experience that differs from other cloud communication platform providers. Whether you are a small tech start-up or an enterprise giant, Bandwidth offers a network that is built to scale.

Our services will grow with you as you grow, fitting you with quality services for all of your communication needs, big or small.

Another benefit of partnering with Bandwidth as a cloud communication provider is avoiding the middleman. We own the network, and we’re built to scale, which results in cost savings for you. Bandwidth has mastered cloud communications with products like Maestro and Webex, so you can focus on mastering what matters most to you.

Cloud communication platform FAQ

How do people typically communicate in the cloud?

People can communicate in the cloud in a wide variety of ways.

Here are a few common enterprise solutions :

PBX

PBX stands for private branch exchange. It replaces a telephone operator and directs incoming and outgoing calls through a particular trunk. With the cloud, PBXs are hosted by VoIP (voice over internet protocol) systems.

Voice

Whereas calls used to be transmitted via soundwaves on actual copper wires, voice calls on the internet get translated from soundwaves into data packets, and transmitted via the internet to their destination, where they’re translated back into audio waves we can hear.

VoIP

Voice over internet protocol, or VoIP, is the technology that’s used for voice calls placed over the internet. This protocol governs how voice signals are turned into standardized data packets. VoIP calling makes it possible to have a conversation with someone with the click of a button on any internet device.

Messaging

Messaging is easy on the cloud, and many providers have built-in instant message platforms for employees to collaborate. Cloud technologies can also power external messages, which businesses can send for operations, customer service, and marketing purposes.

SIP trunking

SIP Trunks are the connection between a user’s phone, and the ITSP (internet telephony service provider) that a business is using for VoIP telephony. They’re a necessary part of cloud-based calling.

Video

Easy breezy video calls are a main selling point of business cloud communications. In an era when more and more people are working from home, having a reliable video conferencing system is even more important.

How will cloud communications change in the future?

37% of enterprises have already moved their org comms to the cloud, and more are in the process. A pandemic-era shift toward remote work made an obvious case for cloud-based communications. And in the future we expect to see the continuation of mobilization with enterprise-level tools and solutions, increasingly aided by AI technology.

What’s Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) or Cloud Communications as a Service (CCaaS)?

UCaaS refers to unified communications, while CCaaS refers to cloud communications. Both have the “aaS” that signifies “as a service” meaning they’re available on a subscription basis, rather than as a one-time physical equipment purchase.

Global expansion, a need for flexibility, and the search for cost-effective operations leads companies to migrate their communications to the cloud. As companies scale, it can be challenging to maintain and furnish their departments with on-premise equipment. Meanwhile, better cloud solutions are coming on the market every year. Some enterprise comms solutions allow many different specialty tools to play well in one unified system.

One of the most popular use cases for cloud migration is contact center operations. Cloud-based contact centers make it simple and easy for calls to be handled with VoIP technology, routed to appropriate endpoints, and resolved by AI bots and virtual agents.

Another use case is taking a company’s internal employee communication systems entirely online. This makes it easy for teams to talk via voice, messaging, email, and video instantly and smoothly, whether they’re working for small businesses or massive global enterprises.