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BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS. SIMPLIFIED. ® 

5 Strategies for Successfully Migrating CommunicationsServices to the CloudBY SANJAY SRINIVASAN, TELESPHERE CTO

APRIL 30, 2012

The ideal cloud provider should be an enabler, not an inhibitor.These five strategies will help you choose wisely.

There’s a reason why global cloud revenues are growing five times faster than other IT products: businesses ofevery size understand that cloud communications slashes CapEx and OpEx while giving them access to cutting-edge technologies and the flexibility to scale their IT and telecom up and down as their business requires.At least that’s how it’s supposed to work. Alas, many CIOs and IT managers overlook or underestimate thetop five reasons cloud strategies fail when developing and executing a strategy to migrate their voice, video,conferencing, messaging, and other communications services to the cloud:

QUALITY. Can your cloud services provider ensure quality of service (QoS)? Get a detailed description up front,such as how quickly they implement vendor patches or how they ensure that their infrastructure has enoughcapacity and scalability to meet all of their clients’ needs. Can they ramp up quickly to match your busy periodssuch as the holiday shopping season or following the launch of a hot new product? Do they offer dedicated,private IP links to each of your offices instead of the public Internet? Do they automatically prioritize delay-sensitive, bandwidth-intensive traffic such as voice and video? What are the penalties if QoS ever falls short?Be sure to get all of this in writing.

SECURITY AND PRIVACY. How secure is your provider’s network? How do they protect your services andthemselves from traditional and new methods hackers use to gain unauthorized access and disrupt yourservices? At the very least, they should provide dedicated, private IP links to each of your offices instead ofusing the public Internet.

CONTROL AND COMPLIANCE. Are you losing too much control by moving to the cloud? Look for providersthat let you have the same amount of control of your communications services as you’d have if all of theinfrastructure were in-house. For example, the ideal cloud provider should offer a Web interface so you can

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quickly and easily make changes to your services. If you prefer to be hands-off, ask the prospective providers ifthey have a 24/7 team that can make those changes for you. Don’t forget that control includes compliance withyour policies.Ensure up front that a prospective cloud provider can meet general best practices for cloud, as well as anyvertical-, country-, and company-specific regulations and requirements. Finally, make sure that they have any

third-party audits your business may need your providers to have either completed or planned at the very least STANDARDIZATION. Avoid providers that use proprietary protocols to ensure that your investments in telecomapplications and services -- and your customers -- aren’t stranded if you switch providers. It might soundcounterintuitive, but selecting a cloud provider is an ideal time to lay the foundation for your move to the nextone. Keep your options open. You wouldn’t buy VoIP desk phones that work with only one operator, so why lockyour telecom services into a single cloud provider?

COST. Which type of savings is the most important: CapEx or OpEx? Either way, look for clear-cut pricing andavoid providers that want to nickel and dime you. If a bid comes in unexpectedly low, scrutinize it to make sureit doesn’t omit key services and features. On the CapEx side, don’t feel pressured to get rid of a PBX that still

has years of service left. Instead, look for a provider that can offer SIP trunking to add the latest IP features tothat PBX, maximizing your investment and further extending its service life.

Above all, remember that the cloud is supposed to be an opportunity, not a problem. It shouldimprove your bottom line, not saddle it with unexpected expenses -- including fines for non-compliance. Itshould improve employee productivity rather than undermine it by forcing users to learn complex new waysof communicating. It should enhance your ability to communicate with customers and business partners, notforce them to choose from a narrow list, such as voice and IM but not video calling and videoconferencing, too.It should scale elegantly and cost-effectively as your business scales.

Put simply, the ideal cloud provider should be an enabler, not an inhibitor. Use these five strategies to choose

wisely.

Sanjay Srinivasan is the chief technology officer and head of operations of Telesphere where he is responsiblefor all engineering, product development, and operations. Mr. Srinivasan comes to Telesphere with over15 years of experience and expertise in the areas of data networks, voice services, and hosted applicationservices. He has served in all aspects pertaining to a service provider including network design, VoIP, softwarearchitecture and development, service provider process engineering, product marketing and development, andnetwork and service operations. You can contact the author at ssrinivasan@telesphere.com.

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BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS. SIMPLIFIED. ®