Communications as a Service

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What Does Communications as a Service Mean?

Communications as a service (CaaS) is a collection of different vendor services that facilitate business communications. Organizations may use these and similar services to lower costs and increase efficiency for business processes involving audio or video telecommunications.

Techopedia Explains Communications as a Service

CaaS is part of a larger category of services known as software as a service (SaaS), in which vendors offer software products and services over the Internet. It is also an alternative to the traditional model of buying and installing licensed software on site.

The core concept of CaaS is that accessing these services over the internet is extremely convenient. The client businesses do not have to worry about maintaining servers and connections, uploading different kinds of content or doing all of the administrative work involved in keeping a communications platform functional. Business users just sign in and use the services. Types of CaaS include Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) or internet telephone solutions, and video conferencing services.

Businesses have designed specific video conferencing products in which users can sign via the Internet and participate as necessary. Vendors can then bill the business according to its participation. The convenience and utility of CaaS and similar services are rapidly expanding the business world. It is part of a greater trend toward cloud computing services and other remote services used by businesses to reduce overhead or optimize business processes.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.

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