Glossary
What is unified communications (UCaaS)?
Definition
Unified communications brings together voice, video, messaging, and collaboration tools into a single integrated platform. When delivered as a hosted cloud service, it is called UCaaS, or unified communications as a service. The goal is to let people connect across channels from one consistent experience.
01What unified communications includes
A unified communications platform typically combines phone calling, video meetings, instant messaging, presence, voicemail, and file sharing. Bringing these together lets users move between channels, for example escalating a chat to a call, without switching tools. Integration with other business applications is a common feature.
02UCaaS as a cloud service
UCaaS delivers unified communications from a provider's cloud on a subscription basis, removing the need to run the infrastructure in-house. It scales across devices and locations, supporting remote and hybrid teams from a single platform. The provider manages maintenance, security updates, and capacity.
03How it relates to phone systems
A cloud phone system provides calling, and unified communications wraps calling together with messaging, video, and collaboration in one place. Voice remains a core channel, so features like call routing and auto attendants often live within the UC platform. This makes it a natural environment to add automation such as AI-driven call handling.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between unified communications and UCaaS?
Unified communications is the concept of combining voice, video, and messaging in one platform, while UCaaS is that capability delivered as a hosted cloud subscription service.
How is UCaaS different from a cloud phone system?
A cloud phone system focuses on calling, while UCaaS bundles calling with messaging, video, and collaboration tools in a single integrated platform.
Related terms
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