Technology Trending Toward a Business VoIP System & the Cloud

2/4/2013- Votacall Hosted VoIP – Boston, Massachusetts- The Cloud is the leading trend throughout the world today. Between Cloud Computing and Cloud Communication, the industry has grown by leaps and bounds and does not appear to be done with the growth spurt any time soon. Most businesses realize its the next form of technology that is necessary if you want to compete with competitors. Business VoIP System's deliver a level of reliability, mobility and scalability not found with any old Legacy phone system. It is essential that businesses be early adopter with Business VoIP System's if they want to remain successful moving forward. Otherwise, just like the legacy systems, they will begin to be phased out.

BANKING ON THE CLOUD
Technology Integrator & Cloud Service Providers Bank on the Cloud

You don’t need an economist to understand what is going on in the economy. If you haven’t heard already, it’s bad, I mean real bad, and what that means is that the competition for businesses is more heated than ever. Whether you are a small, medium, or enterprise sized business, you have to be able to attract more customers and keep them happier for longer than the next person. Alternatively…that is who is going to get your business, and who you will eventually end up working for in the future.

Believe it or not, a new generation, both as employees and also as consumers, are entering the market. They are a generation of on-demanders who are looking for companies that provide tools to help keep them engaged and entertained. Has your business been researching and/or have you adopted these technologies? If not, you soon will. Believe me, you probably have but don’t even know it. These technologies will rule the market for years to come. Don’t know if it’s true? Well, let’s look at the writing on the wall and you can make up your mind for yourself.

Although cloud technologies appears to be a new concept, it may not be as new as you think. Yahoo, in 1995, implemented one of the first cloud technologies ready and available for use to the public. Yahoo mail was one of the first applications delivered over the internet for widespread use to consumers. Since then the idea has stayed the same, deliver Software Services or, as the industry categorizes it, Software as a Service (SaaS) for free or by monthly subscription so that an individual and/or company does not have to invest in the infrastructure themselves. That happened back in 1995…so why did it take almost 15 years for Cloud Technologies to take hold?

Possible Answer…Resources; back in 1995, less than 20% of the US had access to Broadband Internet. In 2000 it grew to 44% and in 2010, almost 77% of the population had access to Broadband Internet. Now with the explosion of the Internet Superhighway, we have access to on demand products and services so, over the past 3-5 years, there has been an explosion of service providers taking advantage of this new business environment.

So, is this just marketing fluff or is this the wave of the future? Let’s talk about it; companies like Microsoft who, for the most part, has made billions of dollars selling on premise software for businesses and consumers have adopted the Cloud. You might ask how a software giant like Microsoft stands to win with the widespread adoption of the Cloud.

Let’s unpack it…what the industry recommends is that you upgrade your software every 3-4 years. With the tough economic times, some people are holding on to their licensing for almost 7 years. What that means is that most businesses are running on technology that is almost 10 years old. WOW…are you serious?, almost 10 years old, how can you keep up? Well, there are two answers; 1) You go out and invest in the latest and greatest tools to improve your business’s communication and collaboration, you deliver a better customer experience and you squeeze out your competition for those rare customers that are buying. Or 2) you are squeezed. You see, for me it’s not an option. If you’re not growing, you’re dying and most people just don’t know it yet. The” hold and wait” won’t work. The rate at which smart business is growing will accelerate over the next 3-5 years to a point that will put most “hold and waiters”, as I call them, out of business. The good news is there are companies that are growing. They are investing on marketing, sales, and customer service tools. They are delivering better products and services and for all you “hold and waiters”, you can always go work for one of these agile companies that understand that the business world has transformed and it will continue to transform and accelerate.

Microsoft, the giant in software and the leader in business technology, understands business and they understand that they need to provide the tools businesses need or they too will fall to competitors like Google and IBM. So what do they do, sit back on their billions and continue to provide on-premise software services?…No, they invest eight billion (more than any other company) into building a cloud service environment, and they pledge to provide 90% of their software via the cloud. This is brilliant. What Microsoft did was trade a lump sum purchase every 5-7 years for a monthly service fee. They stand to make even more money by offering their software for less money to the consumer because everyone will pay each month and they will get all the upgrades at no additional cost so their business tools will always be up to date. Microsoft doesn't have to wait for the upgrade, they just subscribe you to it and watch the money roll in. It creates a win-win for businesses.

The new Microsoft business model dealing with the Cloud is a great example of how the industry could develop in the future. The Cloud is the next best thing and even super-power companies such as Microsoft are adopting it; meaning you should too. Think Big, Go Votacall!