Why Evolve IP Is Set For Lift-Off, As A Bright New Era Begins
New leadership, fresh focus — Evolve IP gears up for global impact.
25 Nov, 2013
... Or Risk Perishing By Joseph Marion, president, Cloud Communications Alliance Let me put this plainly: IT managers at enterprises are buying
cloud solutions, not
cloud communications solutions. This is something that cloud communications solutions providers still have a difficult time understanding. That’s because most of these providers – including those that offer VoIP, UCaaS, and other similar types of technologies – are, at heart, old school telecommunications folks, used to dealing with specific challenges relating to that industry. But we’re dealing with a new cloud-based reality here, one that goes far beyond simple communications. Enterprises are embracing the cloud, but they’re not doing it piecemeal; they are looking at every possible cloud deployment, from communications to storage to disaster recovery and beyond. That’s why, according to Gartner, spending by enterprises on storage systems and software and professional services will represent a $12.2 billion and $14.0 billion market, respectively, by 2016. Cloud communications providers, on the other hand, have been content to focus on offering a single, albeit highly valuable, piece of this pie. But, as pointed out by
Michael Quinn of
Q Advisors during the most recent Cloud Communications Alliance quarterly meeting, it’s not nearly enough. Not if they want to expand their reach into the enterprise, where cost-effectiveness and consolidation is on the mind of many IT managers. These managers are being tasked to do wholesale cloud deployments across their entire system. As such, they are increasingly looking to single vendors who can fulfill their many needs. After all, going with one managed service provider (MSP), rather than several, can greatly simplify their operations in a number of ways. They can ensure that everything works well together, keep costs under a single PO, and forfeit the hassle, cost and time associated with having to manage multiple vendors. Given this, why would an IT department choose to go with a company that provides only cloud communications? Simply stated, they would not. As such, cloud communications providers should greatly consider broadening their offerings and expertise to include additional cloud components that managers are looking for. These include support for:
- Critical business needs, including storage, integration with business software, even social networking and GPS or location-based information
- The “bring your own device” movement through full UC functionality across all mobile clients and platforms
- Vertical industries, exemplified by deep expertise or specialization in a particular market, particularly those that might feature highly distributed organizations (healthcare, legal, retail, etc.)
