Connectivity for Enterprises: Mapping Your Communication Journey

Connectivity is not only the driving force of today’s enterprise communication, it’s also a critical foundation for harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. As AI continues to grow and transform businesses across industries, organizations must ensure their communication infrastructure is optimized to support the bandwidth-intensive demands of these cutting-edge technologies. However, navigating connectivity for enterprises can be a complex challenge, even for the most experienced IT professionals. 

To truly thrive in an AI-driven future, business owners and corporate decision-makers are increasingly recognizing the importance of mapping their communication journey—a process that provides clarity, identifies inefficiencies, and enables informed decision-making. By investing in the right technologies and services that bolster connectivity, organizations can fuel growth, inspire innovation, and ultimately drive business success in a fiercely competitive environment.

How Mapping the Communication Journey Helps Optimize Connectivity for Enterprises

Communication journey mapping helps align your connectivity decisions with business needs and expectations, optimize workplace collaboration, and integrate multiple touchpoints impacting connectivity across your communication infrastructure. 

Effective mapping can also help identify areas where enhanced network access is needed to support bandwidth-intensive applications like AI, big data analytics, and collaboration tools that are critical for staying competitive in the digital age. The map you create is not a goal in and of itself. Organizations keep their maps “alive” by updating them as needed and adding additional criteria over time.  

Mapping a communication infrastructure takes time, and the process may initially feel a bit overwhelming. However, your efforts will help reduce service redundancies, identify technologies no longer in use, and reveal the possible causes of workplace inefficiencies, communication silos, and potential security concerns. In the end, you’ll have a roadmap that represents your current capabilities and a path to get your communications from where they are to where they need to be.

Getting Started with Journey Mapping: An Overview

Before embarking on the process of journey mapping, it’s essential for IT professionals to acquaint themselves with the fundamentals. This proactive approach can save significant time and mitigate potential frustrations. 

Prior to initiating the mapping process, thoroughly research the methodology and familiarize yourself with the common challenges and pain points associated with optimizing enterprise connectivity. Then, consider practicing with a simple map, such as connecting a printer to the internet, after reviewing the following suggestions:

• Learn the basics of map creation and formatting options
• Build a cross-functional team to work collaboratively across departments
• Highlight positive and negative findings on your map
• Research existing journey maps and case studies for inspiration

Once you understand the basic principles and are comfortable mapping a simple journey, you’ll have a much easier time navigating the following steps involved in mapping your organization’s communication journey.  

Define Your Objective

Every journey map has a purpose. Consider defining your objective as the first step. Ideally, your goal should be clear and concise. Experts suggest stating your project goal as a specific question that requires an answer. Then, outline the purpose of creating your map. Your objective should include a detailed list of the groups or individuals impacted by the results of your investigation and an overview of the departments most likely to be involved in your research.

• Start with mapping a small segment
• Set expectations for how the data collected will be utilized
• Define clear expectations for your anticipated outcome

Understand Your Communication Needs

Once you’ve defined your objective, the next step is to have a clear understanding of the business communication tools you’re currently using. This should take into account not only your current needs, but anticipated requirements over the next few years as your business grows and adopts new technologies. For example, applications like AI and machine learning will likely drive significant bandwidth growth and require a more robust, flexible network. Your approach should be tailored to the needs of each stakeholder by communication types, such as voice, email, chatbots, and video conferencing. 

As you’re mapping your current inventory, include all your internet services, private branch exchanges (PBXs), and public switched telephone networks (PSTNs) used in all departments across each location. Then, be sure you’ve included the following communication tools often missed when evaluating connectivity for enterprises.

• Desktop phones
• Computers and laptops
• Intercom systems
• Elevator phones
• Alarm systems,
• Analog fax machines
• After-hours services

Assess Your Connectivity Options

Modern connectivity for enterprises is scalable, flexible, and mobile. The best options streamline communication, support collaboration, and optimize workplace efficiency by consolidating business communication solutions into a user-friendly interface accessible from just about anywhere on an internet-capable device. Critically, they also provide the performance and reliability needed for demanding applications.

Related: Connectivity IT Solutions You Need to Know About

As you compare cloud-hosted connectivity options, consider the price per active user, the cost of any hardware upgrades your business may need, as well as network reliability, system security, and the service provider’s backup solutions. Take a look at their geo-redundancy and failover systems, for example. Then, consider which of the following connectivity options might be the best fit for your needs.

SIP Trunking

SIP Trunking is a digital alternative to legacy telephone service that eliminates the need to maintain an on-premises private branch exchange (PBX). Instead of connecting calls through a complex network of cables and copper wire, session initiation protocol (SIP) technology converts your incoming and outbound calls to digital packets transmitted over the internet. IP telephony is a cost-effective connectivity option that modernizes business communication without costly hardware investments.

Enterprise Voice

Enterprise voice combines the power of SIP and voice-over Internet protocol (VoIP) to modernize business communication with an impressive number of in-demand features, including auto attendants, call queues, and advanced call routing. With enterprise voice, your organization can count on exceptional call quality, service reliability, and the flexibility to supercharge popular communication and collaboration platforms like Webex, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom.  

Unified Communication as a Service 

Unified communication as a service bolsters connectivity for enterprises by providing a comprehensive suite of advanced features, including enterprise voice, video communication, messaging services, collaboration features, and remote file sharing. When you choose a service provider with a standard API platform, you can integrate just about any customer relationship management (CRM) software, workflow automation, and advanced data analytics software into your communication interface.  

Select Your Solutions

Once you’ve identified the connectivity option best aligned with your communication needs and budget, consider the terms and conditions of the service providers competing for your attention. Many network providers specializing in cloud-hosted connectivity for enterprises expect business owners to switch broadband carriers, a requirement that’s not ideal for many companies under contractual obligations. As you’re comparing, look for providers offering the following advantages.

• The ability to choose your own broadband providers
• An expansive global network supporting multiple communication protocols
• Support for next-generation technologies, even in areas where demand is high

Optimize Your Connectivity Infrastructure

Optimizing connectivity for enterprises strategically improves communication network performance, efficiency, and overall reliability. This is achieved by enhancing network speed and bandwidth, strengthening security measures, and implementing backup systems to minimize the risk of service interruptions and costly downtime. 

It also involves proactively monitoring the network to identify and resolve issues before they impact the business. Before full deployment of any changes to your connectivity infrastructure, test any adjustments in a controlled environment.

Choose a Partner to Manage It All  

Investing in expertly managed connectivity ensures around-the-clock network monitoring, simplifies carrier management, and streamlines business connectivity across all your locations. Partnering with a managed service provider (MSP) at the beginning of your journey ensures you’ll have an experienced team of connectivity specialists in your corner to help make the best use of your resources. 

The right team can provide valuable insights into the network access services your business needs to support critical applications now and in the future, including 5G, SD-WAN, SASE, and more. They can also provide valuable insight into your current technological assessment, help you identify additional opportunities for improvements, and ensure the seamless integration of your communication solutions into your workflow.

Why Modern Enterprises Are Investing in Fully Managed IT Services

There’s no shortage of companies offering cloud-sourced business communication solutions to enhance connectivity for enterprises. The service provider maintains the technology, and business subscribers are responsible for monitoring and managing that service on their own. MSPs offer the same solutions and services, but they also implement, monitor, and maintain the communication technologies on the client’s behalf.

Enterprise-level organizations across multiple industries invest in MSPs to compensate for knowledge gaps, reduce the risk of human error or oversight, reduce the stress on their IT teams, and more. They recognize the critical importance of having a robust, reliable network to support today’s bandwidth-intensive applications and the distributed workforce. 

As you’re mapping your communication journey and assessing your needs, you may also consider which of the following managed IT services would be the best fit for your business.

Fully Managed Connectivity – a Single Point of Contact

Managing a diverse communication network across multiple locations can be a challenge. When your business relies on multiple carriers to ensure connectivity across a vast network, security and reliability risks can escalate quickly. Your investment in managed connectivity is one of the best ways to keep your business protected and prevent the costs of monitoring, troubleshooting, and maintenance from getting out of hand.

With the right provider managing your connectivity, your business is protected by proactive monitoring, customizable service levels, and multi-vendor support. You’ll also have a single point of contact for all invoices, monitored devices, and carrier contracts. Look for 24/7 network monitoring and stick with providers with experienced engineers to resolve connectivity alerts before they’ve had the opportunity to impact your business.

Network Monitoring and Management – Service Level Flexibility

Achieving connectivity for enterprises merges thousands of individual technologies. When your company invests in the right network monitoring service, your IT teams have access to real-time reports and actionable data accessible from a customizable, user-friendly dashboard. The charts and graphs provide critical insights in a format that’s easy to understand. The service helps ensure the optimal functionality of everything from your switches and routers to cloud applications, third-party circuits, and websites.

Although services vary from one MSP to the next, some companies providing network monitoring and management services allow end-users to select from several service levels. One option is choosing a fully managed service fortified with notification features, service remediation, and proactive on-site field services that eliminate the need to assign labor-intensive issue resolution to your staff.  

Managed SD-WAN – Bandwidth Optimization Technology

The technology supporting our collective embrace of the work-from-anywhere business model often requires remote and mobile workers to access your organization’s private network through multiple channels. As your organization’s bandwidth needs increase, your workforce, suppliers, and clients could experience reduced call quality, slow data transmissions, or disruptive video lag.

Related: Complete Guide to SD-WAN

Software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) technology helps ensure every connection is fast, secure, and reliable by analyzing circuit performance and prioritizing incoming and outbound transmissions according to their service level agreements (SLAs), QoS settings, and priority policies. SD-WAN provides the flexibility and performance enterprises need to support bandwidth-hungry applications like AI and data analytics across multiple locations. Investing in managed SD-WAN ensures reliable connectivity for enterprises. 

Your business can count on optimal broadband performance and the ability to support all applications and devices. You can benefit from greater security with enhanced firewall functions and the latest encryption technologies.

Managed Secure Access Service Edge – Secure Remote Access

SD-WAN is a cost-effective way to maximize bandwidth and ensure system security. With secure access service edge (SASE) added to your list of managed services, remote workers have secure connections to company computer systems from any location, whether protected by an SD-WAN box or not.

With the right MSP, business decision-makers have the option of layering SASE over SD-WAN or using SASE with SD-WAN built in. Regardless of which option proves best for your enterprise, you’ll be able to apply enhanced security across your entire organization. This is critical for protecting sensitive data as more applications and workloads move to the cloud. You can also provide access to a limited number of users without your IT team having to navigate complex system integrations or network configurations.

Technology and Expense Management – Identifies Potential Invoicing Issues

Technology expense management automates billing verification, identifies potential issues, manages payments, and saves money. Enterprise-level organizations leverage the service to reconstruct historical spending, prepare an in-depth analysis of their commitments, and compare their current communication expenses to market averages. Discrepancy alerts can help identify where you might be paying too much.

That crucial bit of information could give your organization a considerable advantage when negotiating contracts or searching for alternative service providers. While offered by a limited number of MSPs, many organizations find they spend up to 20% less on technology because they’re paying only what is legitimately owed, staying on top of supplier contracts, and making informed decisions.

Discover How Harnessing the Power of Connectivity for Enterprises Can Drive Success—Now and in the Future

Mapping your organization’s communication journey provides a visual representation of your current communication capabilities, helps identify your organization’s strengths, and reveals where inefficiencies could negatively impact business growth. It also highlights areas where enhanced network access is needed to support the demanding, data-intensive applications that are now essential for business success.

Many of those inefficiencies could be caused by the disconnect between disparate communication technologies. The right MSP can help you overcome these challenges by providing end-to-end network management, from strategy and design to procurement, deployment, and ongoing optimization. They can ensure you have the bandwidth, reliability, and flexibility to support critical applications and a hybrid workforce while also controlling costs. 

At the end of the day, investing in expertly managed network services is about much more than just “keeping the lights on.” It’s about gaining a true partner that will help you harness the power of connectivity to drive innovation and growth. By streamlining your network infrastructure and providing access to the latest technologies, an experienced MSP can position your business for success in the digital age, now and in the future.

At BCM One, we don’t believe in a one-size-fits-most approach to connectivity for enterprises. That’s why we’re committed to helping mid-sized, multi-site organizations plan and implement cutting-edge, cost-effective IT solutions for their unique business needs. Contact us today to learn how our managed services fit into your journey toward enhanced connectivity.