Before a COVID-19 lockdown was imposed, I was working with a client to get their contact center agents up and working from home. Now, a project that would normally take weeks/months to finish had to be done overnight, a challenge to say the least.
It was made worse by their ancient premises-based phone system architecture, which seemed to be designed twenty years ago with the intent of keeping contact center calls within its walls. Everyone involved was greatly frustrated by the limitations, and I kept thinking about how much easier the whole process would have been with a cloud solution.
However, there is a lot to think about before deciding to move your communications infrastructure to the cloud.
Is moving to the cloud even possible for your organization, from both a technical and a financial perspective? Even if it’s possible to move to the cloud, is that the right choice? For a deeper look at the factors that make it impractical to move to the cloud, check out my Enterprise Connect virtual session, “
Cloud to the Rescue: Will it Work for You?”
Here are some other considerations:
- Reliability — With all the cloud outages in the news, can you tolerate the risk of an outage?
- Change control — Do you have a strict change control process that required advance notification and approval? Can you tolerate continuous updates in a cloud solution?
- Business continuity — Do you need a more robust solution, or is your existing plan working well?
- Security and compliance — Can you trust others to take on these critical tasks for you?
- Custom integrations — Do you have proprietary or niche applications that must integrate with your communications technology? If you create a custom integration, how will it be impacted by upgrades and changes?
- Scalability — If you have peaks and valleys in your staffing, how will you accommodate peak loads, and what will it cost?
- Support for remote workers — Recent events have made it essential to be able to support remote workers easily.
If you do decide to move to the cloud, you will need to determine what type of cloud architecture is right for your organization. Definitions can get fuzzy, and the architecture of your cloud solution does make a difference. You can learn more during the Enterprise Connect Virtual session “
Cloud 2023: The Era of Cloud Modernization,” where Zeus Kerravala will discuss the different options and what to look for in a cloud solution.
"SCTC Perspective" is written by members of the Society of Communications Technology Consultants, an international organization of independent information and communications technology professionals serving clients in all business sectors and government worldwide.
