What Is CPaaS?

Technology has become an integral part of the modern business world. Any enterprise that doesn’t employ innovative features in one way or another is bound to fail because of ever-changing consumer demands. The fact that other companies are adapting to these changes makes the business environment quite competitive.

One main advantage of these new tools is that they create a cohesive environment and improve efficiency. Communications platform as a service (CPaaS), for instance, is one popular innovation employed by businesses and developers to enhance their profitability. This fast-growing technology is designed to improve connectivity between people, objects, and applications. (1)

So what is CPaaS? And why should you consider it for your business? This article aims to answer these questions in detail. Read on to learn more!

What is CPaaS?

Communications platform as a service, commonly known as CPaaS, is a cloud-based platform used by developers and various businesses to improve their applications by adding real-time communication features. Before going into the nitty-gritty, let’s first define the phrase ‘platform as a service’ (PaaS).

You’ve probably come across the abbreviation PaaS many times whenever you’re reading or discussing anything related to modern technologies. As the name suggests, this is a cloud-based environment that allows you to carry out complete development and deployment of applications without having to invest in high-end hardware and software.

This platform is very powerful in that you can use it to develop any sophisticated enterprise apps. So how and where can you access this environment? There are many cloud service providers specialized in this area. They offer you the resources you need on a pay-as-you-go basis. Once you’ve made the purchase, you can access the service over a secure internet connection.

CPaaS uses this methodology, and that’s what has made it quite popular. As a developer or business owner, you can integrate real-time communication features into your system without building back-end interfaces and infrastructure. Initially, this technology was only accessible to enterprises looking to the future. However, with more businesses adapting to the market, stronger universal connections have become more attainable. (2)

What is a CPaaS provider?

As mentioned earlier, you can access this environment from a specialized provider. But what exactly is a CPaaS provider? This is an enterprise that offers specific applications, code snippets, and application programming interfaces to any interested provider. You’ll use these tools to add all possible real-time communication channels and features to your ecosystem.

It’s safe to say that a CPaaS provider is essentially an API platform because it lets you choose from a wide range of APIs. Whether you want team messaging, SMS, fax, or voice, you can get all these features in one location. These providers also provide you with software development kits (SDKs) and product documentation so you can make the most out of their platform.

The building blocks of CPaaS

As you’d expect, CPaaS comprises many key functions that enable it to meet its objectives. Any working platform will have at least one of these APIs:

Voice

Online meeting

Team messaging

Analytics

All these APIs are designed to offer unique functionalities to your application. For instance, you can enable your business mobile app to support both voice and video calls on top of normal live chatting. So now that you know about CPaaS and what it entails, let’s have a look at some benefits of this technology.

Advantages of using CPaaS

Integration

Have you ever wondered why you can’t video-call your favorite brand’s agent via their company’s application? That’s because video and voice calls weren’t really part of the initial infrastructure. In the past, RTC was only possible in applications built specifically to offer related functions. For instance, Skype and FaceTime are designed with the objective of enhancing real-time communication through voice and video calls.

Adding these functionalities to your brand’s application would’ve been a complicated project until recently. The idea of building your own framework and then integrating it into the app would’ve sounded quite expensive and demanding. However, with the advent of CPaaS, you can easily build these RTC features without having to start from scratch.

Most service providers will give you a set of pre-built applications and sample codes on top of other tools. This makes your project easier and saves you a lot of time and manpower. Another benefit is that you can integrate these features without necessarily having to alter the original structure of your application.

Easy customization

CPaaS also offers much-needed flexibility for your developers, given what the modern consumer demands. This technology enables those working on your application to add more features or customize existing ones according to your needs.

This opens up a whole new world of possibilities, especially now that there are a lot of innovative ideas that could change how your business operates. For instance, rather than depending on voice and video calls, you could also add chatbots and automated messages to improve customer experience.

As earlier mentioned, CPaaS providers allow their customers to purchase various products on a buy-as-you-go basis. With such a system, you’ll only purchase those services that you need rather than investing on features you don’t. In the long run, you’ll save a lot of cash and still achieve your goals.

cloud stack combination of IaaS PaaS and SaaS Platform Infrastructure Software as a service vector

Conclusion

Communications platform as a service (CPaaS) has gained a lot of popularity in recent years, thanks to the benefits it provides. As said, CPaaS basically refers to a cloud-based platform that offers developers and businesses an easier way to build and customize their communication-based applications. With a wide range of RTC features, anyone can develop just about any sophisticated application that meets any business’s current demands.

One advantage of using CPaaS is that you pay for the services on an as-you-go basis. As such, you can add what you need rather than investing in features that might not be essential to your project. This makes it a very affordable system, not to mention that it gives you and your developers or business a wide array of possibilities.

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