
By Rich DeFabritus | Article Rating: |
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January 8, 2017 05:00 AM EST | Reads: |
3,681 |

Five Reasons to Move Real-Time Communications into the Cloud
There are some enterprise applications that were born to be in the cloud. Customer relationship management (CRM) applications were an early favorite because salespeople (the primary consumers of CRM) are decentralized and mobile. Web applications and personal data storage are also ideal cloud applications because they allow enterprises to scale up easily while driving down costs. Enterprises have held on to their communications, however, making it one of the last applications to move into the cloud.
Enterprises are now waking up to the fact that some people were born to use the cloud - specifically, those born in the 1980s and known as millennials. Millennials will soon make up more than half of the U.S. workforce and, for them, mobility and decentralization aren't the exception, they're the rule. As employees, millennials don't want their communications tied to their office, their desk or even to a single mobile device. They want a communications experience that moves seamlessly between places, devices and applications - and cloud-based unified communications (UC) gives them that experience.
But the "millennial mandate" isn't the only reason to consider the cloud, as the following five reasons illustrate.
Reason #1: Clouds Give You Better Performance
Communications, in IT parlance, represent a dynamic workload. That is, it's not predictable from day to day, but can experience spikes of activity based on unique dates and events. An all-hands conference call is one example; holiday traffic coming into a call center is another. With on-premise communications, IT departments need to build this maximum capacity into their networks or risk performance issues. As a result, enterprises end up paying for capacity they rarely use. With a cloud-based communications system, enterprises only pay for the bandwidth they use and have almost unlimited scalability to handle peak demands when they arise.
Reason #2: Clouds Are Naturally Resilient
Internal and external communications are mission-critical applications; even lost communications for an hour can cost an enterprise millions of dollars in missed revenue. For that reason, nearly every enterprise that has an on-premise communications system also has a backup system, often located in the same data center. The problem with this strategy is that should disaster strike (e.g., a fire, flood or power failure), it will strike both systems at the same time. Cloud-based communications offer built-in redundancy at a much lower cost (because you're not buying twice the equipment, just extra capacity) and geo-redundancy that ensures a single disaster won't take your communications down.
Reason #3: Clouds Are Secure
For years, security was the number one issue for CIOs when they considered the cloud. But these days CIOs feel more secure about the cloud's security capabilities. Cloud providers are increasingly up-to-date with the latest compliance requirements (PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOX, etc.) and are building their cloud experiences around the unique security requirements of real-time communications, from "always-on" encryption to mobile identity management.
Reason #4: The Cloud Gives You More Features
The millennial workforce is app driven and mobility centered. If they can't get the features they want from their enterprise communications suite, they'll go out and add it, which has created a shadow IT problem for many enterprises. Cloud-based UC solutions typically feature a much more robust set of applications than premise-based systems do, and thus reduce the likelihood that employees will feel the need go into the shadows to mix and match their own apps.
Reason #5: The Cloud Provides More Insight
Legacy communications systems can generate call detail records (CDRs), but cloud systems can provide rich business insights by capturing, storing and analyzing more data around communications. This data can be used to improve customer service, enhance marketing efforts or even optimize the enterprise network for better performance.
Okay, I'm Sold on the Cloud. Now What?
When it comes to the cloud, enterprises have a host of options, literally: they can host the cloud themselves (private cloud), host it in someone else's cloud (public cloud) or split elements of their communications, such as their internal communications and their customer call center, across public and private cloud environments (hybrid cloud). Choosing the right cloud for the job often comes down to a choice of cost (Do I want to save money?) versus control (Do I want to control security and performance myself?).
Whatever cloud they choose, enterprises will also need a session border controller (SBC) to securely connect their network to the public cloud and/or their private cloud to the Internet. SBCs are a gateway to the cloud that supports the cloud experience including load balancing, security, intelligent routing, data collection and interworking between different devices and different networks. With the trend in data centers toward virtualization, enterprises would do well to consider implementing virtualized SBCs in their network, as this will allow them to centralize the SBC functionality in their data center (versus deploying an SBC at each physical office location) and deliver flexible capacity as SBC resources can be shared and shifted to handle changing workload demands.
For real-time communications, there's never been a better time to consider the cloud. Whether you choose to move everything into the cloud or just one aspect of your communications (e.g., call center), it's a move that more enterprises will be making over the next five years.
WebRTC Summit 2017 New York, co-located with 20th Cloud Expo and @ThingsExpo, taking place June 6-8, 2017 at Javits Center in New York City, New York, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world.
@WebRTCSummit / Cloud Expo / @ThingsExpo 2017 New York
(June 7-9, 2017, Javits Center, Manhattan)
@WebRTCSummit / Cloud Expo / @ThingsExpo 2017 Silicon Valley
(October 31 - November 2, 2017, Santa Clara Convention Center, CA)
Download Show Prospectus ▸ Here
WebRTC is the future of browser-to-browser communications, and continues to make inroads into the traditional, difficult, plug-in web communications world.
WebRTC Summit 2017 New York continues our tradition of delivering the latest and greatest presentations within the world of WebRTC. Topics include voice calling, video chat, P2P file sharing, and use cases that have already leveraged the power and convenience of WebRTC.
Sponsors of WebRTC Summit 2017 New York will benefit from unmatched branding, profile building and lead generation opportunities through:
- Featured on-site presentation and ongoing on-demand webcast exposure to a captive audience of industry decision-makers.
- Showcase exhibition during our new extended dedicated expo hours
- Breakout Session Priority scheduling for Sponsors that have been guaranteed a 35 minute technical session
- Online advertising in SYS-CON's i-Technology Publications
- Capitalize on our Comprehensive Marketing efforts leading up to the show with print mailings, e-newsletters and extensive online media coverage.
- Unprecedented PR Coverage: Editorial Coverage on ITweetup to over 75,000 plus followers, press releases sent on major wire services to over 500 industry analysts.
For more information on sponsorship, exhibit, and keynote opportunities, contact Carmen Gonzalez (@GonzalezCarmen) by email at events (at) sys-con.com, or by phone 201 802-3021.
The World's Largest "Cloud Digital Transformation" Event
@CloudExpo / @ThingsExpo 2017 New York
(June 6-8, 2017, Javits Center, Manhattan)
@CloudExpo / @ThingsExpo 2017 Silicon Valley
(Oct. 31 - Nov. 2, 2017, Santa Clara Convention Center, CA)
Full Conference Registration Gold Pass and Exhibit Hall ▸ Here
Register For @CloudExpo ▸ Here via EventBrite
Register For @ThingsExpo ▸ Here via EventBrite
Register For @DevOpsSummit ▸ Here via EventBrite
Sponsorship Opportunities
Sponsors of Cloud Expo / @ThingsExpo will benefit from unmatched branding, profile building and lead generation opportunities through:
- Featured on-site presentation and ongoing on-demand webcast exposure to a captive audience of industry decision-makers
- Showcase exhibition during our new extended dedicated expo hours
- Breakout Session Priority scheduling for Sponsors that have been guaranteed a 35 minute technical session
- Online targeted advertising in SYS-CON's i-Technology Publications
- Capitalize on our Comprehensive Marketing efforts leading up to the show with print mailings, e-newsletters and extensive online media coverage
- Unprecedented Marketing Coverage: Editorial Coverage on ITweetup to over 100,000 plus followers, press releases sent on major wire services to over 500 industry analysts
For more information on sponsorship, exhibit, and keynote opportunities, contact Carmen Gonzalez (@GonzalezCarmen) today by email at events (at) sys-con.com, or by phone 201 802-3021.
Secrets of Sponsors and Exhibitors ▸ Here
Secrets of Cloud Expo Speakers ▸ Here
All major researchers estimate there will be tens of billions devices - computers, smartphones, tablets, and sensors - connected to the Internet by 2020. This number will continue to grow at a rapid pace for the next several decades.
With major technology companies and startups seriously embracing Cloud strategies, now is the perfect time to attend @CloudExpo | @ThingsExpo, June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY and October 31 - November 2, 2017, Santa Clara Convention Center, CA. Learn what is going on, contribute to the discussions, and ensure that your enterprise is on the right path to Digital Transformation.
Track 1. FinTech
Track 2. Enterprise Cloud | Digital Transformation
Track 3. DevOps, Containers & Microservices
Track 4. Big Data | Analytics
Track 5. Industrial IoT
Track 6. IoT Dev & Deploy | Mobility
Track 7. APIs | Cloud Security
Track 8. AI | ML | DL | Cognitive Computing
Delegates to Cloud Expo / @ThingsExpo will be able to attend 8 simultaneous, information-packed education tracks.
There are over 120 breakout sessions in all, with Keynotes, General Sessions, and Power Panels adding to three days of incredibly rich presentations and content.
Join Cloud Expo / @ThingsExpo conference chair Roger Strukhoff (@IoT2040), June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY and October 31 - November 2, 2017, Santa Clara Convention Center, CA for three days of intense Enterprise Cloud and 'Digital Transformation' discussion and focus, including Big Data's indispensable role in IoT, Smart Grids and (IIoT) Industrial Internet of Things, Wearables and Consumer IoT, as well as (new) Digital Transformation in Vertical Markets.
Financial Technology - or FinTech - Is Now Part of the @CloudExpo Program!
Accordingly, attendees at the upcoming 20th Cloud Expo / @ThingsExpo June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY and October 31 - November 2, 2017, Santa Clara Convention Center, CA will find fresh new content in a new track called FinTech, which will incorporate machine learning, artificial intelligence, deep learning, and blockchain into one track.
Financial enterprises in New York City, London, Singapore, and other world financial capitals are embracing a new generation of smart, automated FinTech that eliminates many cumbersome, slow, and expensive intermediate processes from their businesses.
FinTech brings efficiency as well as the ability to deliver new services and a much improved customer experience throughout the global financial services industry. FinTech is a natural fit with cloud computing, as new services are quickly developed, deployed, and scaled on public, private, and hybrid clouds.
More than US$20 billion in venture capital is being invested in FinTech this year. @CloudExpo is pleased to bring you the latest FinTech developments as an integral part of our program, starting at the 20th International Cloud Expo June 6-8, 2017 in New York City and October 31 - November 2, 2017 in Silicon Valley.
@CloudExpo is accepting submissions for this new track, so please visit www.CloudComputingExpo.com for the latest information.
Speaking Opportunities
The upcoming 20th International @CloudExpo | @ThingsExpo, June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY and October 31 - November 2, 2017, Santa Clara Convention Center, CA announces that its Call For Papers for speaking opportunities is open.
Submit your speaking proposal today! ▸ Here
Our Top 100 Sponsors and the Leading "Digital Transformation" Companies
(ISC)2, 24Notion (Bronze Sponsor), 910Telecom, Accelertite (Gold Sponsor), Addteq, Adobe (Bronze Sponsor), Aeroybyte, Alert Logic, Anexia, AppNeta, Avere Systems, BMC Software (Silver Sponsor), Bsquare Corporation (Silver Sponsor), BZ Media (Media Sponsor), Catchpoint Systems (Silver Sponsor), CDS Global Cloud, Cemware, Chetu Inc., China Unicom, Cloud Raxak, CloudBerry (Media Sponsor), Cloudbric, Coalfire Systems, CollabNet, Inc. (Silver Sponsor), Column Technologies, Commvault (Bronze Sponsor), Connect2.me, ContentMX (Bronze Sponsor), CrowdReviews (Media Sponsor) CyberTrend (Media Sponsor), DataCenterDynamics (Media Sponsor), Delaplex, DICE (Bronze Sponsor), EastBanc Technologies, eCube Systems, Embotics, Enzu Inc., Ericsson (Gold Sponsor), FalconStor, Formation Data Systems, Fusion, Hanu Software, HGST, Inc. (Bronze Sponsor), Hitrons Solutions, IBM BlueBox, IBM Bluemix, IBM Cloud (Platinum Sponsor), IBM Cloud Data Services/Cloudant (Platinum Sponsor), IBM DevOps (Platinum Sponsor), iDevices, Industrial Internet of Things Consortium (Association Sponsor), Impinger Technologies, Interface Masters, Intel (Keynote Sponsor), Interoute (Bronze Sponsor), IQP Corporation, Isomorphic Software, Japan IoT Consortium, Kintone Corporation (Bronze Sponsor), LeaseWeb USA, LinearHub, MangoApps, MathFreeOn, Men & Mice, MobiDev, New Relic, Inc. (Bronze Sponsor), New York Times, Niagara Networks, Numerex, NVIDIA Corporation (AI Session Sponsor), Object Management Group (Association Sponsor), On The Avenue Marketing, Oracle MySQL, Peak10, Inc., Penta Security, Plasma Corporation, Pulzze Systems, Pythian (Bronze Sponsor), Cosmos, RackN, ReadyTalk (Silver Sponsor), Roma Software, Roundee.io, Secure Channels Inc., SD Times (Media Sponsor), SoftLayer (Platinum Sponsor), SoftNet Solutions, Solinea Inc., SpeedyCloud, SSLGURU LLC, StarNet, Stratoscale, Streamliner, SuperAdmins, TechTarget (Media Sponsor), TelecomReseller (Media Sponsor), Tintri (Welcome Reception Sponsor), TMCnet (Media Sponsor), Transparent Cloud Computing Consortium, Veeam, Venafi, Violin Memory, VAI Software, Zerto
About SYS-CON Media & Events
SYS-CON Media (www.sys-con.com) has since 1994 been connecting technology companies and customers through a comprehensive content stream - featuring over forty focused subject areas, from Cloud Computing to Web Security - interwoven with market-leading full-scale conferences produced by SYS-CON Events. The company's internationally recognized brands include among others Cloud Expo® (@CloudExpo), Big Data Expo® (@BigDataExpo), DevOps Summit (@DevOpsSummit), @ThingsExpo® (@ThingsExpo), Containers Expo (@ContainersExpo) and Microservices Expo (@MicroservicesE).
Cloud Expo®, Big Data Expo® and @ThingsExpo® are registered trademarks of Cloud Expo, Inc., a SYS-CON Events company.
Published January 8, 2017 Reads 3,681
Copyright © 2017 SYS-CON Media, Inc. — All Rights Reserved.
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More Stories By Rich DeFabritus
Rich DeFabritus manages product realization and life cycle with the Sonus Communication Applications business unit. Rich has more than 20 years of industry experience in product management and marketing, and previously worked for Avaya, Lucent Technologies, General Electric, and Telcordia Technologies. Rich holds an MS in Software Engineering from Monmouth University, and a B.S. in Accounting from Seton Hall University.
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