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For years, enterprises had to choose between monolithic enterprise apps and best-of-breed solutions. The former offers a one stop shop and integration, but force compromises. In the latter, individual programs may shine on their own but need to be cobbled together through duct tape, bubble gum and APIs.
 Why You Need to Know: Today, there's talk of microservices architecture and various cloud applications, but in reality, the discussion for enterprises and SMEs hasn't changed all that much. Debates of "Oracle, SAP or best-of-breed" have been replaced by debates of "AWS, Google, Azure or best-of-breed." The monoliths never disappeared; they were simply replaced by new ones. |
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Brands garner a significant rise in social media hype and brand awareness during the holidays, as a result of advertising and marketing campaigns tied to this time of year, which in turn, ultimately drive sales and ROI. However, brands that focus the majority of their efforts in preparation for the holiday season have the wrong strategy in place.
Why You Need to Know: If advertising and marketing efforts are solely focused around the holidays, the majority of brands' sales are driven within a few short months, meaning that ROI will drop over the remainder of the year. |
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Cities are deploying smart, safe and sustainable applications. Already today, municipalities around the globe are deploying a broad variety of innovative services and applications to streamline their own operations and to change the urban experience for city dwellers and travelers.
Why You Need to Know: A Nokia-sponsored report, "The Smart City Playbook" by Machina Research, groups smart city applications and activities under the headings "Smart," "Safe" and "Sustainable," the first combination to 'S'ucceed in the city transformation journey. |
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The last several years have illustrated a shift in thinking when it comes to communications. Enterprises and SMBs alike are realizing the power of the cloud, and migration is a major movement at the moment. Furthermore, as we all know, the contact center requires communications solutions up to the task – you only get one chance to make a first impression – and recent research illustrated how this customer service hub is due for a cloud makeover.
Why You Need to Know: Recently, 8x8 joined forces with the CCNG Contact Center & Customer Care Industry Professional Network to create the report "Cloud Contact Centers Gaining Share," which echoes the positive forecast the IDC laid out for the space in August – putting the overall contact center market at nearly $10 billion by 2020. |
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beroNet, a German manufacturer of cloud managed VoIP hardware, does just that. The company is focused on delivering advanced telephony solutions that combine the best of the Internet with the best of the existing fixed and wireless telephony infrastructure.
Why You Need to Know: The company, which was started by three engineers in 2002, will be present at the upcoming ITEXPO business technology event happening in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Feb. 8-10, 2017. There, it will have a chance to introduce the company to the U.S. market and will also be exhibiting its cloud-managed telecommunication appliance at booth #328. |
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