Once upon a time, long ago, a farmer with his plough, hoe and sickle would have looked at a horse-drawn harvester with suspicion. “It can’t do what I can do, surely?” Later, engine-driven equipment all but changed agriculture for good, fundamentally shifting the paradigm of what was possible.

The first Industrial Revolution harvested the power of steam to mechanise production. Our world was never the same again, but just when everyone settled into this reality, the second Industrial Revolution used electricity to drive mass production on a scale previously unimaginable. The third Industrial Revolution centred on using electronics and computing to automate functions and production.

Each epoch fundamentally changed the world, and every time the effect of each technological breakthrough had an increasingly more drastic effect on the world, industry and people. And so, when we speak about the fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), it must be seen in this context. It’s not a catchphrase to sell digital products. It’s the start of a whole new world, a world where digitisation blurs the lines between what’s physical, virtual and biological. It transcends geography and connects humans in ways previously unimaginable.

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For businesses, one of the most noticeable effects of the 4IR is the move from copper to cloud. Copper was foundational in the previous epoch. However, it is all but outdated today. A reliance on copper grounds a business in the third industrial revolution while its competitors hurtle forward into new paradigms of productivity, efficiency and customer service.

Regarding communication, which is the most fundamental aspect of a business’s operations and customer service, the move from copper to cloud facilitates synchronising fixed-line and mobile voice, video, and chat in one platform. This enables quality conversations through more context, speed and accuracy — at a massively reduced cost. In our experience, the savings on voice calls, compared to the national operator, when switching to a cloud-based platform are as much as 40%.

Most businesses have migrated to cloud, either completely or in a hybrid fashion. Unified communications and collaboration (UC&C) is non-negotiable in a modern business, and so, more than 80% of Telviva customers have moved to the cloud.

Goodbye, copper

Of course, the move to a cloud-based UC&C platform is not always easy for businesses that are beholden to a DSL Internet provider. However, the truth is that copper infrastructure is no longer supported. This should come as no surprise and is seen in a recent announcement by Telkom that it would not fix, replace or invest in new copper infrastructure. The revolution is well under way.

The benefits of moving to the cloud are not merely to say, “I am in the cloud and there are no copper cables.” If we remember that the 4IR blurs lines (or, breaks down silos) and connects like never before, it stands to reason that moving to the cloud will do this for communication. Once in the cloud, doors are opened for businesses that allow a new dimension of connection and collaboration. In the rapidly evolving space, new value-added services and features are constantly being added, meaning that cloud-based platforms such as Telviva One will continue to offer layers of services and tools to enhance a modern communication strategy.

The beauty of our new paradigm means that even businesses that are not in the cloud can start to enjoy the benefits of voice, video and instant messaging integration through the use of something called Session Initiated Protocol, or SIP. This is a building block for a business that has an on-premises system and wants to move into a hybrid cloud environment until they’re ready for a full migration.

Voice matters, and is a fundamental element of human communication — but it doesn’t end there for a business that needs to be fast, agile and relevant. Unified-communications-as-a-service enables businesses to work in an all-in-one communication platform, such as Telviva One. Here, the user can seamlessly migrate between and use voice calls, video meetings and instant chat. In terms of relevance for the end customer, this capability enhances the business model and improves customer experience. One need only look at customer experience as a business theme to understand the importance of this in the 4IR.

UC&C, by mere virtue of its name, is the opposite of fragmented sets of communication tools. Everything sits in a unified engagement environment. Tools today enable simple, one-click functionality where team members, no matter where they are in the world, can seamlessly and instantly connect with other team members and collaborate on live projects or documents in real time. For example, a Telviva One user will seamlessly change from an audio call to a video meeting, share the screen and collaborate with team members using a whiteboard feature.

No doubt the migration from copper to cloud, and then the exponential investment in cloud services, is being driven by better connection and more affordable data prices. This, alongside the realities of hybrid working and demanding digital customers, means all the pieces have come together like an elastic band that’s been released: the world is well and truly being catapulted into the age of the cloud, complete with communication and collaboration capabilities almost unimaginable a few years ago.

Every business has within its reach the ability to connect everyone and blur the line between physical and digital to unleash customer service excellence and internal efficiency like never before.

Is your business looking to switch from copper to cloud? Are you looking to improve productivity and efficiency while also standing to gain from being part of South Africa’s largest cloud free-call community? Partner with the market leader in cloud communications today.