2021 Collaboration Trends

How businesses collaborate has shifted dramatically over the last year.

2020 saw many businesses that were considering using video choosing to adopt and embrace the technology.

At The KR Group, this changed how our collaboration partners have consumed our services. Even internally, we’ve pivoted to implement new trends in collaboration.

Businesses have reached the point where they’ve realized these tools are more than a fad and that they will benefit from them.

Since virtual meetings are here to stay, collaboration technology is evolving to catch up with the ubiquitous reliance on video meetings.

When it comes to collaboration, some of the trends The KR Group’s  team anticipates include:

1. Continued focus on video call security
2. More cross-vendor integrations
3. New innovations within calling applications
4. Other notable changes to keep in mind

Overall, we’re excited about the direction collaboration is going because it will empower businesses to communicate more effectively internally and externally.

 

Continued focus on video call security

Not only has COVID-19 been a global pandemic, but it’s also classified as the largest-ever cybersecurity threat. 

At the beginning of this year, we saw problems with some video call platforms and their security measures due to the unforeseen surge of video call users.

Regardless of each platform’s pre-pandemic security measures, all will continue to look for ways to provide more robust security features for their customers.

For example, starting in April 2020, Cisco automatically locked personal rooms after 10 minutes of use and required passwords from participants joining conferencing systems.

These changes were added to the existing security features Webex already had in place.

Cisco Webex also released a list of best practices for secure meetings to address cybersecurity at the host and participant level.

Since video calls aren’t going away – and neither are cyberattacks – continuing to provide security for meetings is something we can expect to see from all video call platforms.

 

More cross-vendor integrations 

Scheduling a virtual sales meeting with a prospective customer is not a luxury some businesses offer. It’s now a necessity.

In some ways, it is easier to schedule virtual meetings as technology has become more widespread. However, another challenge has emerged.

Different businesses use different virtual calling platforms.

Regardless of why your business chose the platform you’re using, you still need to connect with customers who may use a different platform.

On the vendor side, they can no longer ignore each other. They must add capabilities to integrate with each other.

Earlier in 2020, Cisco and Microsoft announced that Webex devices could join Microsoft Teams Meetings and Microsoft devices could join Webex (and other third-party) meetings.

We expect more integrations like this from various platforms to follow in 2021.

 

New innovations within calling applications

The way the workforce now uses virtual meetings has made luxury features a godsend for many users.

For example, audio improvements to reduce background noise in a loud environment are something many users benefit from while working at home with other family members.

Background image blur in video meetings serves a similar purpose.

Other features, such as lower application CPU requirements, allow users to make more calls on a mobile device before their battery runs out.

 

Other notable changes to collaboration

While the continual evolution of virtual calling platforms is undoubtedly something to look forward to in the coming months, it’s not the only collaboration advancement to keep on your radar for 2021.

1.   Increased focus on cloud-calling platforms

The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent increase in a remote workforce meant many businesses have already moved to the cloud or are considering the migration soon.

We don’t expect this trend to change even when we enter a post-COVID world.

Cloud-hosted calling’s versatility allows businesses and their employees to use technology to expand remote workforce features.

Additionally, Cisco suggests customers consider a cloud or hybrid environment by slowly phasing out on-premises licenses and introducing plans like Flex 3.0, which we’ll discuss next.

2.   The implementation of Flex 3.0

Introduced in October, Flex 3.0 changes the way Cisco provides collaboration licensing.

Much of the new plan builds off of the features of Flex 2.0. However, there are a few notable differences:

• The ability to mix-and-match between on-premises, hosted, and cloud calling in a single contract
• More favorable pricing for new and existing users
• The ability to add on specific modules on a per-user basis

These are all designed to make collaboration packages have increased flexibility and simplicity.

3.   End-of-sale notices for perpetual licenses

The changes with Flex 3.0 is big news. As of Jan. 21, 2021, customers can no longer purchase perpetual licenses for Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

All new on-premises licenses will need to be a part of a Flex Plan from this point forward.

4.   End-of-sale for BE6K 10.X licenses

Along with Cisco Unified Communications Manager licenses entering the end-of-sale stage, Cisco BE6K 10.X licenses will reach the end of sale on Jan. 23. You can also no longer add new licenses for BE6K  version 10.X.

This means there is no more availability for BE6K software, and all that remains is the hardware platform.

As Cisco moves their focus to cloud and hybrid collaboration solutions, organizations will need to consider their long-term plans for business call systems. Ideally, it would be best if you decided within the next year.

Your business’s collaboration plans for 2021 

Collaboration has always been important for businesses, and as organizational needs changed throughout 2020, this has never been truer.

As businesses continue to rely on video services, vendors will add the features users want and need. This includes:

• Security improvements
• Integrations with other platforms
• Releasing new features

Video isn’t the only trend to pay attention to in 2021, however.

Other changes you can expect with specifically Cisco collaboration include:

• Increased focus on cloud-calling
• Implementation of Flex 3.0
• End-of-sale dates for on-premises collaboration licenses

As you consider collaboration updates for your business, please, reach out to us for a free consultation to address your specific needs.