This year saw a lot of changes or business technology, chief among them being the massive expansion of cloud computing in the enterprise. As organizations and their employees began to realize the benefits of utilizing the cloud for communications, adoption continued to grow. In 2015, the applications that make the best use of the cloud for business communications will reach a larger number of companies due to the following trends:

Consumer-driven demand for enterprise technology
Individual consumers are already able to experience the future with the most agile and efficient cloud-based communication applications available. As a growing number of employees demand the ability to use the same apps in the office as they use at home, more enterprises will take the necessary steps to make those services available. Part of the acceleration for the adoption is the rising number of Millennials entering the workforce, according to TMCNet contributor Craig Malloy. These individuals have grown up with mobile devices and the Internet as a part of their everyday lives, and demand for that same amount of accessibility will grow as they become more prominent in the business world.

Video communications earn a bigger foothold
One of the communications features quickly gaining popularity is video. Driven by the widespread availability of smartphones and other mobile devices with video capabilities, employees are increasingly interested in video calling and conferencing. Again, Millennials are spearheading this shift as a generation more comfortable with video than possibly any other.

Reduced cost of computing bringing down communication prices
While many organizations lagged behind in terms of the communication solutions they were able to provide, consumer IT was getting cheaper and therefore more readily available. Because of the reduced cost of computing, bring-your-own device policies were made possible, bringing down enterprise costs even further. Communication solutions like voice-over-IP utilize the Internet to make phone calls. Because dedicated phone lines are no longer needed, calling capabilities are broadened, international communications are easier to facilitate and overall costs are dramatically reduced.

Cloud UC providers must strengthen infrastructures to meet increased demand
With the growing popularity of cloud-based communications solutions comes increased demand on network resources. Providers that are not prepared for the influx of users will experience an unacceptable level of downtime that companies will not tolerate, UC Strategies pointed out. In order to defend against such a reality, vendors in 2015 will have to work to enhance their network infrastructures to maintain competitive advantage.