Three quarters of UK businesses are adopting cloud-powered unified communications (UC) models so they can offer more innovative services, a report by Mitel has revealed.

These businesses don’t believe the same scope of services is available with traditional models and so are moving to the cloud to offer a more diverse product selection.

Almost 90% of businesses think access to UC services such as presence, secure instant messaging, voice and video calls are vital to their success and so are so turning to the cloud to provide this flexibility. Nearly a third of companies also insist that audio and video conferencing and seamless content sharing is a key part of their offering.

However, before migrating to a cloud-first model, businesses feel it’s crucial they explore the cost of the move, with 88% saying cost considerations are their primary concern. They are particularly interested in the cost of data reversibility, with almost half of businesses saying this played a big part in deciding whether to make the jump.

“Cloud communications accelerate digital transformation, enabling companies to improve their productivity and deliver a better level of customer experience,” said Jeremy Butt, senior vice president, International at Mitel.

“European countries are at different stages of maturity but the common point is that businesses already have a clear idea of which cloud model – UCaaS, hybrid or private cloud – will work for them based on their business needs.”

Businesses are increasingly turning to partners to help them move to the cloud, with 71% opting for advisor-level support, indicating firms aren’t worried about spending more to get the right advice regarding their implementation.

“The important thing is to give [firms] a cost-effective and low-risk migration map as well as the opportunity to choose between public or private cloud,” Butt added. “Mitel is uniquely positioned to offer customers that choice.”