The cloud communications landscape continues to evolve rapidly, with innovative companies reshaping how businesses connect, collaborate and serve their customers.
Unlike their general cloud company counterparts, cloud communications companies offer specialised and business-focused communications services and comprehensive, unified communications suites covering voice, video, messaging and collaboration.
This week, we take a closer look at 10 companies at the cutting-edge of cloud-based communication solutions, enabling seamless business communications and customer engagement through the cloud.
10. Vonage (Ericsson)
CEO: Rory Read (under Ericsson CEO Börje Ekholm)
Headquarters: Holmdel, New Jersey, USA
Founded: 2001
Vonage has carved out a distinctive position in the cloud communications sector thanks to its API-first approach that favours customisation and the ability to integrate communications directly into applications and workflows.
Since being acquired by Ericsson in 2022, the company has focused on programmable communications, offering businesses the building blocks to create custom voice, video, messaging and verification experiences.
Businesses ranging from startups to Fortune 500 enterprises rely on Vonage to power everything from two-factor authentication systems to customer service chatbots and video conferencing applications.
9. NetFortris
CEO: Gene Carr
Headquarters: Plano, Texas, USA
Founded: 2008 (as Star2Star Communications)
NetFortris focuses on a specific and often-overlooked sector – mid-sized businesses that need enterprise-grade communications solutions but lack the IT resources of larger organisations.
To satisfy this market it has crafted solutions that combine powerful unified communications with extensive managed services support. Its platform brings together voice, collaboration tools and security solutions in packages that make sense for growing companies.
Because of its ability to serve this niche sector, NetFortris has become the go-to choice for businesses that have outgrown basic phone systems but aren't ready for complex enterprise deployments.
8. Mitel
CEO: Tarun Loomba
Headquarters: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Founded: 1973
With decades of experience in business communications, Mitel has leveraged its deep industry knowledge to build a modern Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) platform for enterprises of all sizes and industries.
The company specialises in unified communications as a service, with particular strength in collaboration tools, contact centre solutions and enterprise telephony systems that scale from small offices to global enterprises. Mitel's USP lies in serving established businesses that need proven, enterprise-grade communications with the flexibility of cloud deployment.
Its solutions are particularly popular with organisations in healthcare, government and financial services where reliability and compliance are paramount.
7. GoTo (formerly LogMeIn)
CEO: Mike Kohlsdorf
Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Founded: 2003
Born from the merger of LogMeIn's communication products, GoTo focuses on delivering reliable, user-friendly unified communications that small and medium businesses can deploy quickly and manage easily.
Its flagship products, GoToConnect and GoToMeeting, prioritise simplicity without sacrificing functionality. GoTo’s platform combines voice, video and collaboration tools for businesses that need professional communications but don't have dedicated IT teams.
Its strength lies in meeting the needs of businesses that want their communications to work reliably and provide a solid foundation that enables productivity rather than becoming a separate IT product or programme.
6. 8x8
CEO: Samuel Wilson
Headquarters: Campbell, California, USA
Founded: 1987 (as Netergy Networks)
8x8 has built a solid reputation on delivering global cloud communications that work seamlessly across continents and cultures. As one of the pioneers in cloud-based business communications, the company has developed a comprehensive platform that combines voice, video, chat and contact centre solutions that enable seamless global communication.
8x8 focuses on integrated analytics and workforce optimisation tools that help businesses communicate more effectively. Its platform is a particularly strong proposition for enterprises with distributed teams or international operations, including companies in industries like technology, professional services and retail.
5. Avaya
CEO: Alan Masarek
Headquarters: Durham, North Carolina, USA
Founded: 2000
Through its OneCloud platform, Avaya has created a comprehensive solution that bridges the gap between legacy on-premises systems and modern cloud communications.
This hybrid approach is perfect for large enterprises navigating complex transitions from traditional phone systems to cloud-based communications.
Its platform excels in challenging deployment scenarios where businesses need to maintain some on-premise infrastructure while gaining cloud capabilities. Industries like healthcare, government and large manufacturing operations choose Avaya for the reliability and feature depth that comes from decades of enterprise focus, combined with the flexibility and innovation of modern cloud platforms.
4. Zoom
CEO: Eric Yuan
Headquarters: San Jose, California, USA
Founded: 2011
While everyone knows Zoom for video meetings that became essential during the pandemic, the company has rapidly expanded into unified communications with Zoom Phone and a growing ecosystem of collaboration tools.
Its video-first approach resonates with businesses that have embraced visual communication as a core part of their operations. In particular, customers favour Zoom’s ability to leverage its massive user base and brand recognition while building enterprise-grade telephony and collaboration capabilities through strategic acquisitions and internal development.
Businesses choose Zoom when they want communications that feel familiar and intuitive, backed by the reliability that has made the brand synonymous with video conferencing.
3. Twilio
CEO: Jeff Lawson
Headquarters: San Francisco, California, USA
Founded: 2008
Twilio has revolutionised how businesses think about customer communications by providing the programmable building blocks that let companies create exactly the communication experiences their customers need.
Unlike traditional communications providers that offer pre-built solutions, Twilio's platform gives developers the APIs and tools to build custom voice, messaging and video experiences that integrate seamlessly into existing applications and workflows.
This developer-focused approach has made the brand the backbone of customer engagement for thousands of companies across every industry, powering the custom communication experiences that modern businesses require.
Twilio stands apart through its scale and reliability – it handles billions of interactions daily while providing the flexibility that lets businesses innovate rather than settle for one-size-fits-all solutions.
2. RingCentral
CEO: Vlad Shmunis
Headquarters: Belmont, California, USA
Founded: 1999
RingCentral has established itself as the comprehensive UCaaS platform that enterprises trust for their most critical communications needs.
The company built this reputation by delivering the full spectrum of business communications – voice, video, messaging and contact centre – in a single, integrated platform that scales from small businesses to global enterprises.
RingCentral’s extensive integration ecosystem and global presence allows businesses to connect their communications with the tools they already use, while supporting operations across multiple countries and time zones.
It excels at serving established businesses that need reliable, feature-rich communications with the flexibility to integrate with existing workflows and systems. This includes customers in industries like financial services, healthcare and professional services.
1. Microsoft Teams
CEO: Satya Nadella (Microsoft)
Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, USA
Launched: 2017
Microsoft Teams dominates the enterprise collaboration landscape by doing something few platforms can match – seamlessly integrating communication tools with the productivity software that businesses already use every day.
As part of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, Teams provides voice, video, chat and collaboration capabilities designed to work as natural extensions of Word, Excel and Outlook rather than separate applications. This integration advantage has driven massive enterprise adoption, with Teams becoming the default collaboration platform for millions of businesses worldwide.
Teams is able to fit into existing business workflows without disruption, meaning companies don't need to retrain users or abandon familiar tools. Rather, the platform's advanced calling features and seamless workflow integration make it a natural choice for organisations already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem.
