Business broadband provider Consolidated Communications has announced that it is expanding its business cloud services to the Sacramento, Calif. and Dallas areas.

"We are very excited to bring enterprise-class, cloud solutions to business of all sizes in our Sacramento and Dallas markets," said Bob Udell, president and chief executive officer of Consolidated Communications (News - Alert). "We understand the complexity of the cloud and are able to provide businesses with reliable and scalable cloud solutions that simplify their operations and reduce capital expenses."

CCI (News - Alert) is offering Unified Communications, cloud computing, data protection and cloud Wi-Fi to customers in these areas.

Unified Communications is becoming a must-have technology in modern businesses because it allows them to consolidate phone calls, instant messaging, email and videoconferencing in one centrally managed connection.

Along with Unified Communications (News - Alert), CCI offers cloud computing, letting business move more IT services from their own data center into the company’s managed hosting environments. The appeal to businesses is that they can move from expensive on-site hosting to only paying for the services they use. As most smaller businesses will have low traffic, they will pay less in turn.

More companies are turning to cloud data protection to handle their increasingly complex security needs. CCI offers data protection, including offsite backup and disaster recovery. The company also offers support, training and continuous management to ensure assets stay safe and compliant with regulations like HIPAA, PCI (News - Alert) and Safe Harbor.

Cloud Wi-Fi allows businesses to centrally manage their Wi-Fi networks through a web-based dashboard. Larger offices can use multiple access points while having them managed from one location. The solution is geared toward businesses with BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies. It also offers enhanced security compliant with both HIPAA and PCI.

Dallas and Sacramento are important markets. The Dallas/Fort Worth area is an economic engine in its own right, and Sacramento is the capital of California, the home of Silicon Valley. The company will have a lot of customers to choose from in these areas.