Sharpen UCaaS Focus  

Cloud-based IT solutions have been on the rise for years, but there’s nothing like a global pandemic to shine a bright light on the importance of cloud-powered, work-from-anywhere solutions. COVID-19 set the Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) and collaboration markets on fire last year, but that doesn’t mean it’s winding down by any means, according to Zane Long, senior vice president of global channel sales for RingCentral.

In fact, solution providers are just scratching the surface of the cloud-based UC opportunity, with a market penetration of about 14 percent, Long told CRN. Now is the time for partners to learn and then lean into UCaaS, he said.

Despite the pandemic, RingCentral’s enterprise, midmarket, and channel business increased significantly in 2020 – a sign that many RingCentral partners were already excelling in the UCaaS space. Now, the provider will continue to reinforce and strengthen its channel programs to help partners keep their focus on communications strong.

CRN caught up with Long about the current UCaaS market, technology partnerships, and what solution providers should set their sights on in 2021. Here are excerpts from the conversation.