IT research firm Gartner (News - Alert) predicts cloud services brokerage will represent the single largest revenue growth opportunity in cloud computing through 2015. Consequently, service providers are feeling pressure to launch cloud-based offerings to help generate additional revenue. But, how can you monetize the cloud? As many companies quickly learn, it’s not as easy as simply racking servers or SKU-ing software.

Unfortunately, there is no “one size fits all” cloud solution for end users. Resellers and service providers must build a broad portfolio of cloud services and solutions so they can tailor solutions to meet the specific needs of each end user.

GENBAND, among other experts as part of a panel, recently outlined best practices for building a complete cloud portfolio at ITEXPO East in Miami. Service providers must create an end-to-end offering that includes hardware, software, services and consulting alongside access to private and public clouds.

TMC CEO Rich Tehrani recently had a chance to catch up with Natasha Tamaskar (News - Alert), vice president of planning and standards for the Office of the CTO at GENBAND, to discuss industry trends, monetizing the cloud and what service providers need to do to keep end users happy. Their full exchange follows below:

RT: What was the most significant technological advancement in the past 12 months and why?

NT: Commercial launches of LTE are among of the most significant technological achievements that have occurred over the past year, as it is the first step in moving cellular wireless to a pure IP architecture with the “speeds and feeds” needed to unleash new blended, high speed applications as well as paving the way for “connected anything.”

RT: What has been the biggest trend in your market segment and how is it impacting your customers?

NT: Enterprise Mobility is revolutionizing not only the way we live, but also the way we work. Having the ability to access the same personalized services ANY time, ANY place, on ANY device is key whether at home, on the go or in the office. Today being “in the office” doesn’t have to mean what it did even just a few short years ago. More and more, employees use their company-provided mobile phone as a primary device for communications and with this mobility they can turn their car, coffee house or mobile hotspot into their virtual office for the day.

We’re experiencing a great deal of interest in our GENBAND Mobile Office application, which allows end-users to use their mobile smartphones and tablets as if it were wired directly to their business office –  complete with the same robust enterprise features as their main office phone and encompassing blended Over The Top (OTT) applications as well.  

RT: What is the biggest challenge facing your customers today and how is your company helping address that challenge?

NT: One of the biggest challenges facing our customers today is competition from OTT players.  To help them more effectively compete against this aggressive competition and generate new revenue streams, GENBAND has created several programs. One of our most important initiatives is the GENFuzion Developer Community, which has created a thriving, collaborative ecosystem with open access to our Application Server sandbox. Numerous developers who may not have otherwise had the opportunity are currently leveraging GENFuzion to develop new and innovative applications.

The GENFuzion Developer Community has been an additional development resource for carriers to leverage while providing developers a new vehicle for reaching new customers. The applications range from consumer to retail to medical industries and all incorporate mobile functionality, while many combine a fixed and mobile experience.

For instance, the Cliniconex Stock Trader Alert application, which was developed as part of GENBAND’s GENFuzion Developer Challenge, has since been selected by Orange (News - Alert) Business Services/Trading Solutions, the leader in voice and electronic trading infrastructure and services for trading communities. Cliniconex’s innovative Stock Tracker Alert application automatically connects brokers and traders when web-configurable thresholds have been reached, allowing professionals to communicate faster than before to buy or sell stocks. Open Trade, which was developed by Trading Solutions as a next generation personal trading assistant and platform, utilizes the GENBAND A2 platform’s Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) embedded on its financial extranet as a private cloud-based application server.

The speed to market of this application was remarkable and illustrates the impact of the GENFuzion developer program, which is helping our customers increase productivity, reduce IT costs and function with maximum efficiency.

RT: How has the cloud impacted your business? How has it impacted your customers?

NT: We see many related trends that are shaping or reshaping different aspects of the global technology industry. For example, the recession has been credited with accelerating the initial corporate adoption of cloud-based services, a growth market we uniquely address with the GENBAND GENiUS and A2 applications platforms.

Our customers are increasingly understanding and requiring a transformation of their networks through IP infrastructure and applications. GENBAND is uniquely positioned to lead our customers to the feature rich networks of the future, while ensuring that regulatory, commercial and quality-of-service commitments are maintained through a transparent and cost-effective transition from legacy infrastructure.

We take our customers through network transformation, that includes upgrading from old technologies to all IP, we converge their networks across fixed, mobile and over-the-top (OTT) domains, and integrate the most cutting edge technologies available to realize the most optimized networks for them, while providing them ways to better monetize their assets.

As seamless interconnections are formed between telecom and web services and service providers continue on an IP network transformation path, we expect telecom centric networks will increasingly migrate to cloud-centric architectures. We will see more partnerships between broadband access providers and the OTT players, offering differentiation and new opportunities for both groups. Our services and solutions are helping service providers navigate these disruptive trends by simplifying their networks through IP infrastructure and applications.

RT: Will cloud-based communications expedite the end of the premises-based PBX market?

NT: While we do believe that cloud-based communications presents serious competition to the premises-based PBX market, in the end it simply provides services providers and customers with another option. But it’s very difficult to say that it will expedite or put an end to the premises-based PBX market.    

RT: What approach has your business taken to social media?  If you have implemented a social media program, have you been able to evaluate your program’s success?

NT: We have gradually ramped up our social media activities over the past year.   We are in the process of rolling out a new social media strategy and are very excited about its potential. We plan to track its success through a number of analytics, but ultimately by three key measurements – a) how well are we driving traffic to our corporate site, b) how effective we are creating informative and engaging content for our online audience and c) our level of engagement – (new followers, fans, subscribers).

RT: With Microsoft (News - Alert) touting tight integration between its mobile and desktop OS, can it become a major competitor in the enterprise mobile market?

NT: Microsoft and Google are already serious competitors in the enterprise market and we believe that this can actually be viewed as an opportunity for vendors such as GENBAND to add further value and provide tighter integration with other business tools such as Web collaboration, IM federation and voicemail. For example, our market-leading A2 Communications Application Server offers enterprises a single user interface that provides voice and video calling; instant messaging and presence; conferencing and collaboration; email; voicemail; and text messaging capabilities.

RT: Make one technology prediction for 2012 and consider its impact.

NT: As consumer trends continue to evolve, we expect to see an increased need for customized and unique broadband service offerings based on individual subscriber interest, behavior, preference, location and consumption patterns. Analyzing these trends, service providers will have the ability to anticipate the consumers needs and proactively deliver desired content that will create a premium user experience, thereby building customer stickiness and loyalty in a very dynamic marketplace.

Want to learn more about cloud communications? Then be sure to attend the Cloud Communications Expo, collocated with TMC’s ITEXPO East 2012, happening NOW, in Miami, FL. The Cloud Communications Expo will address the growing need of businesses to integrate and leverage cloud based communications applications, process enhancement techniques, and network based communications interfaces and architectures. For more information on registering for the Cloud Communications Expo click here.

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