One of the challenges of organising effective corporate relationships is choosing a unified communication system. It is not easy because each employee has his or her own preferences regarding the messengers and social networks, gadgets and software used. But even if a company manages to establish a unified communication regulation, there is no guarantee that the chosen set of tools will be really convenient, technologically advanced and, most importantly, provide a high level of information security.
Best UCaaS solutions on the Russian market
For this reason, UCaaS, which provides access to unified communication systems tailored to the needs of customers, is gaining popularity around the world. In essence, they get access to a unified communication network with a wide range of possibilities, which combines tools for communication, joint solution of work tasks, file sharing and planning of current work. In most cases, these are cloud-based services with Internet access that are managed through the servers of development companies. Here are the top 10 unified communications platforms that are suitable for solving corporate tasks.
eXpress
The eXpress corporate communications platform is a development by the Russian company Unlimited Production and the first product certified by FSTEC. It has a three-level data encryption protection system. Among the options available to clients are –superapp, secure calls and corporate messenger, the ability to exchange documents in various formats, hold conferences with more than 250 participants. The presence of a scheduler and a screen sharing option, convenient contact search, the ability to customize both an individual and corporate profile, and call recording make it much easier to manage work processes.
To use the platform you need to purchase a licence, which depending on the set of options will cost 3000 or 5000 rubles per corporate user per year with installation of the software on the customer's servers. There is a public version of the software freely available, which is installed on a computer and allows you to make calls within the corporate network, exchange files and messages.
MTS Link
A communication service for business with a wide range of functionality and a high degree of protection. It allows you to hold business meetings online, is indispensable for organising webinars and corporate training events. Users have access to chats, IP-telephony, shared calendar and task scheduler, interactive whiteboards for teamwork, and its own digital platform that allows video recording of online events. A demo version with limited functionality allows users to familiarise themselves with the service; there is no free trial period.
The cost of an annual package of services per user depends on the scale of the company and the number of licences to be purchased. For a small business interested in unified communications as a service, a licence for one employee will cost 12,000 roubles, for a medium-sized business - 15,600 roubles annually. The cost of a licence for employees of large companies is calculated on an individual request.
VK WorkSpace
A communication platform from the social network of the same name that allows you to effectively organise teamwork. Users have access to corporate email, messenger, calendar, task scheduler. It is possible to exchange documents, hold video conferences, and use an interactive whiteboard for teamwork. The platform offers two options for placing corporate information - in cloud storage and on the company's servers. Among the disadvantages is the lack of the ability to organise webinars for external users without registration, but the ability to invite them to corporate meetings online is provided.
The service has a demo version and a test period for each package for 30 days. The prices are quite democratic for those who need a well-protected unified communications platform. A licence for companies with up to 500 employees costs 199 roubles monthly for one employee, while the On-premises tariff for companies with more than 500 employees is calculated individually.
MANGO OFFICE
A service created by Mango Telecom for efficient teamwork. It allows the use of corporate IP telephony (there is its own virtual PBX), messenger, SMS distribution. It is possible to create a personal mobile account, which provides tools for data analytics. Suitable for organising online meetings and webinars to which external users can be invited via a guest link without registration.
However, this communication platform also has its disadvantages. For example, it is not possible to exchange working documentation. MANGO OFFICE also does not have internal corporate email.
The platform has a wide range of tariffs for users of various categories. The packages are formed depending on the individual needs of clients and their field of activity. For example, you can choose the option of a virtual PBX for a small company or connect software for a large call center with the ability to simultaneously receive more than 50 calls. There is a demo version, each package provides a 30-day trial period. The cost of using the service varies from 1,000 to 37,390 rubles per month for the entire company, tariffs are selected taking into account the number of users of the service.
PROTEI-Unicom
This platform focuses on a corporate messenger that allows you to exchange information and make calls using IP telephony. The indisputable advantage of such a communication network is that it can be used offline. But at the same time, there is a video conferencing option for quickly and effectively solving corporate problems. Among the disadvantages are the lack of SMS messaging service and the ability to collaborate on documents, there is no function for connecting third-party users to webinars and online meetings. PROTEI-Unicom does not provide cloud file storage, there is no ability to create encrypted private chats.
The platform's services are priced individually, depending on what options the company plans to use. However, today it is one of the most expensive unified communication networks for business in Russia.
IVA ONE
A fairly productive platform that combines a messenger, video communication, IP telephony, and a number of innovative solutions based on artificial intelligence (for example, a speech recognizer). The service allows you to jointly plan tasks, maintain a calendar, work on projects, exchange documentation, store important information in the cloud, and invite external users to video meetings and webinars using guest links. Among the disadvantages, we can note the lack of the ability to create personal encrypted chats.
This project does not provide a free trial period when purchasing a license, but there is a demo version with limited functionality that allows you to familiarize yourself with the platform. The cost of services is unknown, since this information is protected by NDA.
Kontour.Tolk
Another multifunctional platform with unified communications, which allows you to create a single space for completing team tasks. The service focuses on high-quality video conferencing, but Kontur.Tolk users get access to corporate chats and interactive boards, can create a common planner or organize a separate meeting room. Another interesting option is the ability to transfer the company itself to a virtual space with the creation of personal files for each employee and the distribution of roles. Platform developers claim that all information will be reliably protected from outsiders.
To evaluate the capabilities of the platform, you can use the free starter package. But you need to keep in mind that its functionality will be limited. For example, when using Kontur.Tolk for free, you cannot make video recordings of meetings or use a meeting room. Tariffs depend on both the number of participants and the number of online meetings. For small companies with up to 100 employees, it makes sense to order the "Pro" package for 990 rubles per year. A license for a company with up to 200 employees will cost 18,700 rubles, and a large corporation can use a package for 23,100 rubles per year. Separately presented are package solutions for holding webinars, which will cost 34,000-74,000 per year.
MiniCom
A product of the company "Informtekhnika i Svyaz", which quickly gained popularity among users. The company has been working with unified communication networks for several years and offers universal solutions for various business tasks. The MiniCom service combines IP telephony, instant messenger, e-mail and a single address book, integrates with mobile devices and is suitable for organizing virtual meetings. Among the disadvantages are the lack of an option for exchanging documentation and cloud storage of information, there is no possibility of sending SMS messages.
You can use the service only after contacting the company, which provides a demo version and the opportunity to evaluate the quality of services during the trial period, which is designed for a year. After that, the developer will offer to use the paid version of MiniCom, the cost of packages in which is calculated individually. At the same time, the prices are democratic, which allows both large businesses and small companies to use the unified communications service.
Compass
This corporate messenger has proven itself to be excellent for teamwork. It allows you to create general and group chats, exchange documentation, negotiate with clients online, there is a video conferencing option, and a well-organized search for messages and documents. Among the advantages of the service are regular updates, a fairly high level of protection, the ability to record calls, guest access, connection via a cloud service or a service located in the company's office. At the same time, Compass has its drawbacks. For example, the service does not provide the ability to use an interactive whiteboard.
The minimum set of options can be obtained in the free Compass package, which allows up to 10 project participants to connect simultaneously. It is also possible to use a free period for large companies with over 300 employees. The cost of paid packages is quite affordable and is 299 or 399 rubles per employee per month, depending on the selected tariff.
MCN Telecom
In essence, this is a virtual AS with advanced functionality that allows you not only to make secure calls within the corporate network, but also to connect voice robots to work, organize the sending of SMS messages, use a joint calendar and scheduler, there is an option for joint work on documents. However, the service has a number of disadvantages, including the lack of cloud storage and the ability to organize webinars, meetings with the participation of external users. That is, the platform is designed for use exclusively within the corporate community, where the equipment regularly undergoes security checks, and the data is reliably protected.
MCN Telecom service pricing is tied to telephony and depends on the number of connected channels. Moreover, you can get both mobile and landline phone numbers for use. The minimum package will cost 79 rubles per month, but when using all the service features, the cost of services for a company can be up to 3-5 thousand rubles per month. Most services come with a free trial period of up to 30 days.
Conclusion
Thus, the choice of the optimal UcaaS platform depends entirely on the size of the organization and the tasks facing the employees. An important factor is also the cost of the services provided, depending on the capabilities of the product. The choice of a high-quality and, most importantly, secure platform depends entirely on you.
