Looking Back at 2022

[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1592319283831{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 50px !important;}”][vc_column][boc_heading html_element=”h4″ color=”#172f44″ font_line_height=”1.4em” font_weight=”f400″ font_size=”20px”]2022 has been a busy year for Aura – and we wouldn’t have it any other way. But as things slow down for the festive break, now is a great opportunity to recap on the past 12 months – including industry trends, developments with Microsoft Teams, and some incredible events for Aura, our partners and our customers…[/boc_heading][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][boc_heading html_element=”h3″ color=”#172f44″ margin_top=”20px”]Industry trends[/boc_heading][vc_column_text]

Cloud migration

The big industry trends for 2022 started with cloud migration, which has been an ongoing shift for some time now. But at the start of the year, we noted that many organizations were still yet to make the move. Why? We put forward five hurdles, all of which Aura can help with:

• Security is a concern, though the idea that the cloud is less secure is actually something of a myth.
• Migrating to the cloud can be seen as an unnecessary complication for already complex multi-national regulations.
• Many organizations already have investments that they feel tied to.
• Others put it on the backburner given the seemingly more urgent issues of application development, customer relationship management, or just day-to-day maintenance and management.
• There’s also the cost, although the cloud is generally a more cost-effective option over time.

Of course, another underlying reason for an organizations’ cloud reluctance is that they simply don’t know whether it’s right for them. In June, we looked to address that with four key questions:

• Has your system become too complex?
• Have costs crept up over time?
• Is your provider cutting back on research and development?
• And is your organization’s performance below par?

If the answer is ‘yes’ to any of those, it’s likely that your on-premises solution isn’t working for you – and the cloud is the clear route forward.

Building a more adaptable business through composability

Next on the list is composability, which refers to building an organization with interchangeable building blocks to make it more adaptable. In terms of communications, we outlined three key areas for change:

• Thinking – Business leaders need to recognize how conditions can change and whether teams can be reformed to pre-empt potential new conditions.
• Architecture – Organizations should be structured for uncertainty and continuous change with adaptable systems, processes and workers.
• Technology – Rather than being siloed and rigid, infrastructure needs to support the quick integration of new systems or partners, supporting data sharing, collaboration and consistency.

Hybrid meeting rooms

While many organizations are thriving in the world of hybrid working, one hurdle that hasn’t been surmounted is the office meeting. Hybrid meeting rooms are a way to unify staff with the same great experience, whether they’re based in the office, at home or anywhere else.

We highlighted 4 key requirements:

• Display – Hybrid meeting rooms need an adequate display to show remote participants at all times, like their in-person counterparts
• Audio – Omnidirectional microphones are necessary so that those based remotely can hear everyone with the same clarity.
• Space – Hybrid meeting rooms need to be large enough to avoid acoustic issues and accommodate the bigger display.
• Scheduling – Synchronized scheduling systems are a must to avoid double bookings, rearrangements or further confusion for those working in different time zones.

Choosing suppliers and vendors

With technology changing at such a fast pace, one of the big trends in 2022 was organizations becoming frustrated with their existing vendors and looking to change suppliers.

Aura coined the term ‘vendor frustration’, which arises when multiple vendors are presented with a lack of integration. The result is hampered productivity, higher costs and lots of confusion.

Supplier selection is the clear solution to this. All too often, customers opt for big service integrators and service providers, only for parts of the contract to be outsourced. The alternative is small channel partners, who are more agile but often limited geographically.

In April, we urged customers to dare to be different. With a network of delivery partners in 145 countries, Aura offers the best of both worlds – global coverage with simplicity and agility.

Enabling cross-team collaboration

Finally, there was the issue of cross-team collaboration. Despite more and more different groups and departments cropping up within organizations, it’s become clear that working together is the best way forward. To achieve that, we highlighted a number of best practices:

• Selection – identify the best collaborators from each team to get the ball rolling before introducing new members.
• Leadership – be clear on who’s in charge and make sure they’re prepared to delegate.
• Time – make sure everyone knows how much time is required and that they have that time to spare.
• Goals – create shared objectives to keep everyone on the same page.
• Equipment – give employees the tools to communicate freely and monitor what they’re working on.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][boc_heading html_element=”h3″ color=”#172f44″ margin_top=”20px”]A big year for Microsoft Teams[/boc_heading][vc_column_text]2022 was a huge year for Microsoft Teams, with global daily users almost doubling from 140 million in 2021 to 270 million in 2022. In part, that’s down to several global brands choosing Microsoft Teams as their collaboration platform, including Barclays, Air France, Beiersdorf, Crocs and Aura!

However, this year has highlighted a few issues that need to be overcome…

The initial fallout

Following mass migration to the platform, many global organizations have been left with lots of loose strings in their IT and communications estate, namely:

• Remote or heavily regulated locations making it hard to deploy Microsoft Teams across the board.
• Legacy technology like fax and DECT which aren’t supported by Microsoft Teams.
• A mixture of isolated on-premises and cloud systems that need to be supported as you migrate.
• A fear that moving to the cloud will cause disruption to critical contact center applications.
• Siloed voice calling on a different platform, which makes day-to-day use, management and reporting more difficult.

Interoperability

Another issue comes through interoperability. This is the unrestricted sharing of data between different systems, allowing organizations to perform at the highest level. It’s hampered when proprietary technology doesn’t allow for collaboration with software from other vendors. Microsoft Teams is a case in point.

Aura’s Collaboration Hub helps you overcome this, with:

• Seamless integration
• Investment protection
• Simplicity
• Low maintenance
• Flexibility
• Cloud migration

Ways to level up your Microsoft Teams investment

Then there are the organizations for which Microsoft Teams seems to be plain sailing. However, all too often, they’re not getting as much out of the software as they could be. In September, we outlined six ways you can level up your Microsoft Teams investment:

• Voice in Teams with Aura Connect
• Call recording with Aura Clarify
• Monitoring and reporting with Aura Insight
• Native contact center with advanced functionality
• Hybrid meeting rooms
• Connecting legacy technology

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][boc_heading html_element=”h3″ color=”#172f44″ margin_top=”20px”]Events, events, events[/boc_heading][vc_column_text]No roundup of 2022 would be complete without looking back at the top events of the year, starting with…

Enterprise Connect

In March, three Aura representatives attended Enterprise Connect in Orlando. Dedicated to enterprise-level communications and collaboration, the conference was a great opportunity to hear from industry experts, learn about the latest technologies, and talk through customers’ strategies.

UC Expo

Come October, it was the turn of UC Expo Europe in London. With over 10,000 in attendance, including six of Aura’s team, it gave us another chance to help organizations with their global communications challenges. That was topped off by over 200 seminars, not to mention a keynote speech about team cohesion from none other than Jenson Button.

Partner Summit

Finally, at the end of November, we threw our own hat into the ring with Aura’s first European Partner Summit in Amsterdam. As well as recapping the last five years and exploring the current market status, we discussed our vision for the future with valued partners to plan for a successful 2023.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][boc_heading html_element=”h3″ color=”#172f44″ margin_top=”20px”]How was your 2022?[/boc_heading][vc_column_text]Over the last 12 months, we’ve helped countless customers overcome their communications challenges. But we’re well aware of the many organizations out there, still struggling to balance their requirements with multiple investments.

If you’ve had a challenging 2022 in terms of communication and collaboration, Aura is here to make 2023 a better year, with expertise and global resources for managed services, transformation and customer experience. Contact our team to set up a call, where we can talk through your requirements in more depth.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content” bg_type=”bg_color” bg_color_value=”#f6f6f6″ css=”.vc_custom_1592299673803{margin-top: 50px !important;padding-right: 20% !important;padding-left: 20% !important;}”][vc_column][boc_spacing height=”40px”][boc_heading color=”#000000″]More News[/boc_heading][vc_column_text]

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