UCaaS supports British Medical Journal’s cloud-first ambitions

With a growing global business and a CIO intent on doing everything in the cloud, the British Medical Journal turned to unified communications-as-a-service provider RingCentral to make its comms infrastructure fit for the cloud era.
Under the direction of chief digital officer Sharon Cooper, the British Medical Association-owned organisation has undergone extensive upgrades to its IT capabilities. It has called on Google’s cloud-based productivity suite, and more recently refined a multi-cloud strategy that saw 200 on-premise servers move into the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud in 2017. It has also introduced Alibaba public cloud to support its growth in China.
According to Arron Townsend, head of service delivery at the BMJ, the business has benefited from its cloud-first policy in a number of ways. These include introducing a DevOps-centric culture to the organisation and enabling more flexible working by giving staff anytime, anywhere access to critical applications. It was this growth in flexible, remote working that forced the BMJ to address its unified communications (UC) needs.
Here, the BMJ’s IT team hit a snag, because with the wider BMA generally running Microsoft cloud services and the BMJ running Google, Microsoft’s UC package Skype for Business wasn’t going to cut it because any service it adopted would need to work across multiple cloud platforms to operate effectively within the whole organisation. This need ultimately led Townsend to UC-as-a-service (UCaaS) supplier RingCentral.
“I remember going to [sector trade show] UC Expo three years ago,” he says. “ I walked into Olympia looking for a UC provider that would work with Google and, other than one tiny corner, it was Microsoft across the board. I only talked to one provider who worked with Google, and that was RingCentral.”
For RingCentral’s Emea managing director, Sahil Rehki, the cloud has become a key driver behind customer buying decisions.
“On-prem [UC] deployments are declining 11-12% year on year, while cloud is growing at 21-22%,” he says. “RingCentral is growing at 34%.
“A good majority of our business is replacing legacy. If you look at the market 18-24 months back, you still had to go and educate as to why a move to cloud was beneficial, but I no longer have to have that conversation. Nobody is asking me why they should keep their existing Avaya or Cisco estate – they want to move to the cloud.
“The question now is how to do so, and how that move affects people and processes.”
The BMJ is almost a textbook example of such a customer. It used to use the BMA’s on-premise private branch exchange (PBX), but this was creaking at the seams and no longer fit for purpose, said Townsend.
“If I needed to work from home or was travelling on business, I would have to try to run an old-style version of Avaya one-X on my mobile,” he says. “I was running it without support and if I wanted it on my laptop, I had to VPN into the office and try to run an antiquated system that wasn’t designed for that. Every time my phone got wiped, I had to recall all my settings and set that up from scratch on a crashing app.
“As head of service delivery, I could work through those problems – but imagine being a general member of staff without a tech background using a solution like that. It was very messy.”
Compounding the problem, being a Google house meant it was nigh on impossible for the BMJ to use a common set of tools to talk to its colleagues in China, where Google services are largely banned. It could use Hangouts with its offices in the US and India, but for China it had to resort to the government-approved WeChat, which is widely used for messaging, social networking, and even mobile payments in China, but is virtually unknown in the West.
After extensive conversations with the supplier, and hearing the news that the BMA was moving ahead with a Skype for Business deployment and therefore planned to decommission the old PBX within six months, Townsend and RingCentral had to move quickly.
“We told them we’d be off in four,” he says. “We gave RingCentral two weeks to put their money where their mouth was, and they did everything from setting up the new exchange, setting up rules, and running a proof-of-concept [PoC] across our staff from executives to remote workers, sales and editorial.”
The BMJ’s executive team ultimately signed off on the RingCentral deployment after a global conference call made while a number of its key decision-makers were travelling to a conference in Mexico. This was facilitated by the PoC installation.
“It made it much easier to get sign-off when the solution I was asking them to approve was seamlessly running the session they were in,” says Townsend. “And because half the exchange was already set up for the PoC, it made going live a much easier transition.”
Since the full deployment, the benefits for the BMJ’s workforce have been readily apparent to Townsend, although perhaps not to everyone in the business.
“Because we have this flexible working policy, we see this as a nice benefit,” he says. “I’m just back from the US and I could just turn up, switch on my laptop, plug in my headset, and people could call me and not realise I was away from the office, let alone abroad. It just makes life a lot easier and people aren’t thinking about lots of different ways of doing things.”
For the BMJ’s IT team, the introduction to RingCentral has helped improve its support processes by enabling Townsend to transition some elements over to the BMJ from the BMA. Because his team has full visibility of the settings on the RingCentral service, they can offer more immediate point-to-point support, and BMJ staff feel more comfortable engaging with people they already know.
Source: computerweekly
Industry news: unified communication news

Latest Jobs
-
- Account Manager - IT Services
- Germany
- €90000 plus OTE and Car
-
Are you a deal closer with a hunter mindset? Do you know how to uncover business pain points, and turn them into long-term digital transformation partnerships? Our Client are growing their sales force across Germany and looking for an ambitious, straight-talking Account Manager to take the lead on new client acquisition. You’ll focus on mid-sized to large enterprises across Germany helping to shape their digital future with tailored IT solutions in Workplace, Cloud, and Security. • Drive Growth: Own the full sales cycle for new business across your region. • Solution Sell: Build bespoke offers in Security, Digital Workplace and Cloud solutions • Build Relationships: Establish a solid pipeline through smart prospecting, marketing-driven leads, and your own network. • Represent a brand known for trust, delivery, and tech excellence—with 4,000 employees globally and a growing team within Germany. What You Bring • Proven new logo sales experience in the IT services space (not hardware!) • Deep knowledge in one or more of: Cybersecurity, Digital Workplace, or Cloud • Confidence to lead enterprise deals and pitch directly to senior stakeholders • Fluent German and good English skills Sind Sie ein Abschlussprofi mit Hunter-Mentalität? Wissen Sie, wie man geschäftliche Pain Points identifiziert und in langfristige Partnerschaften zur digitalen Transformation verwandelt? Unser Kunde baut derzeit sein Vertriebsteam in ganz Deutschland aus und sucht eine ambitionierte, ehrliche Persönlichkeit als Account Manager, die den Lead bei der Neukundengewinnung übernimmt. Ihr Fokus liegt auf mittelständischen bis großen Unternehmen in Deutschland, denen Sie mit maßgeschneiderten IT-Lösungen in den Bereichen Workplace, Cloud und Security den Weg in die digitale Zukunft ebnen. Ihre Aufgaben • Wachstum vorantreiben: Verantwortung für den gesamten Vertriebszyklus im Neugeschäft Ihrer Region. • Lösungsorientierter Vertrieb: Entwicklung individueller Angebote in den Bereichen Security, Digital Workplace und Cloud-Lösungen. • Beziehungen aufbauen: Aufbau einer stabilen Pipeline durch gezielte Ansprache, marketinggenerierte Leads und Ihr eigenes Netzwerk. • Marke repräsentieren: Werden Sie Teil eines Unternehmens mit 4.000 Mitarbeitenden weltweit und einem stark wachsenden Team in Deutschland – bekannt für Vertrauen, Verlässlichkeit und technologische Exzellenz. Was Sie mitbringen • Nachgewiesene Erfahrung in der Neukundenakquise im Bereich IT-Services (kein Hardwarevertrieb!) • Fundiertes Wissen in mindestens einem der Bereiche: Cybersecurity, Digital Workplace oder Cloud • Selbstbewusstes Auftreten im Umgang mit Enterprise-Deals und Entscheidungsträgern auf Top-Level • Verhandlungssichere Deutschkenntnisse und gute Englischkenntnisse
-
- Senior SOC Analyst Level 3. Microsoft Security stack | Ability to achieve SC Clearance
- London
- To attract the right person
-
Job Title: Senior SOC Analyst Level 3. Microsoft Security stack | Ability to achieve SC Clearance Location: Hybrid remote | London / Berkshire Overview: Senior SOC Analyst Level 3 to join a specialist Managed Security Services business. You will be responsible for advanced threat hunting / triage, incident response etc with a strong focus on the Microsoft Security Stack. Key Responsibilities: Lead and resolve complex security incidents / escalations Conduct advanced threat hunting using the Microsoft Security Stack. Build, optimise and maintain workbooks, rules, analytics etc. Correlate data across Microsoft 365 Defender, Azure Defender and Sentinel. Perform root cause analysis and post-incident reporting. Aid in mentoring and upskilling Level 1 and 2 SOC analysts. Required Skills & Experience: The ability to achieve UK Security Clearance (SC) – existing clearance ideal. (Sorry no visa applications) Current experience working with a SOC environment Microsoft Sentinel: Development and tuning of custom analytic rules. Workbook creation and dashboarding. Automation using Playbooks and SOAR integration. Kusto Query Language (KQL): Writing complex, efficient queries for advanced threat hunting and detection. Correlating data across key tables (e.g., SignInLogs, SecurityEvent, OfficeActivity, DeviceEvents). Developing custom detection rules, optimising performance, and reducing false positives. Supporting Sentinel Workbooks, Alerts, and Playbooks through advanced KQL use. Deep understanding of incident response, threat intelligence and adversary techniques (MITRE ATT&CK framework). Strong knowledge of cloud and hybrid security, particularly within Azure. Additional Requirements: Must hold or be eligible to achieve a minimum of Security Clearance (SC) level. Nice to have certifications (e.g., SC-200, AZ-500, GIAC) are desirable. Strong problem-solving and analytical skills. Excellent communication for clear documentation and team collaboration. Please follow Wheaton’s Law.
-
- New Business Sales Hunter | Cyber Security (UK Based)
- London
- To attract the right person
-
New Business Sales Hunter needed | Cybersecurity (UK Based) Are you looking for uncapped commission, a fun and sociable team that drives success with no politics? If so...You must Be UK based - and able to achieve UK SC clearance. (sorry no visas) Have a demonstrable history of sales success in Cyber Security Follow Weatons law. The role: Seeking a proven New Business Sales Hunter to join an established, successful and expanding cyber security firm. New business focused - £1m GP year one target (ramped). Sell a blend of security services & professional services. Ideal experience selling some or all of the following Cyber strategy & risk management Managed detection & response (MDR) Penetration testing Compliance & audit support You: Strong cybersecurity/IT services sales track record. Confident selling into mid-market & enterprise. UK based - London commutable 1x per week. Hunter mindset, full sales cycle ownership. Don't just send an email to apply give me a call on 07884666351
-
- CyberArk Architect
- London
- Upto £110,000 plus bonus and benefits
-
Are you ready to lead from the front and drive innovation in the Identity & Access Management (IAM) space? We’re looking for a seasoned CyberArk Architect who has CDE-CPC ideally or experience with privilege Cloud, someone who can lead with vision, execute with precision, and inspire teams to deliver excellence. As a key leader in our organisation, you’ll bring your strong business acumen and a technology-focused, innovative mindset to the table. You’ll be driving strategic initiatives, shaping transformation programs, and empowering teams to think big and deliver even bigger. Acting as a subject matter expert in CyberArk Leading strategic transformations in: Identity Governance Privileged Access Management (PAM) Access Management Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) Building and maintaining strong, collaborative relationships within the team Communicating clearly and confidently — both written and verbal — to deliver updates, raise potential issues, and share insights If you are interested in the above position we are looking for people with: deep expertise and a successful track record in IAM strategy, delivery, or assurance with CyberArk Hold relevant certifications such as CDE in Privileged Cloud or Guardian Have experience in a client-facing role (preferred, but not essential) Thrive in a hybrid working environment and are available to work from our or client London office three days a week Lead with clarity, communicate with impact, and adapt quickly to changing priorities