There is no doubt about it; cloud telephony is the future of business telephony. This statement is supported by cloud’s continual increase in market share, and our own customer base steadily and voluntarily moving to a cloud platform. But cloud telephony is not one-size-fits-all. You need to know which is the better fit for your business. If you are considering moving to a cloud telephone system, then you should be aware of the two different models; public cloud and private cloud. Neither can be said to be better, just more suitable.

Public Cloud

Public cloud telephone systems can only be rented, normally on a price per user, per month. This reduces the initial investment required to gain access onto such a telephone system, and provides affordable, scalable telephony for start-ups. It is not just appropriate for start-ups though; OSV Cloud is a cloud installation of Unify’s OpenScape Voice, an enterprise-level telephone system that is now available on a price per user, per month model, starting at £8.95. Owning your own OpenScape Voice system would start in the region of £350,000, and you wouldn’t consider it with less than 500 users, so you can see how public cloud allows access to otherwise inaccessible technology.

Public cloud telephone systems are low maintenance as your rental costs typically include system upgrades. You can expect the upgrades to be carried out with consideration to the standard user, so out of hours, typically overnight. You won’t have a choice about the upgrades; you cannot opt-out.

System maintenance is included in the rental price, but that covers telephone system only. The vast majority of public cloud telephony resellers do not provide maintenance themselves, so your routers, network switches and handsets are without maintenance. All changes to the telephone system would be chargeable. Traditional telephone system maintenance includes all of this, so it can come as a surprise. If you need that former level of maintenance and support, you would need to find a public cloud reseller who can add that extra level of cover themselves with their own in-house engineers.

Features on public cloud telephone systems are usually similar to owning your own telephone system, but customisation is normally less accessible. Not all public cloud telephone systems allow you to have your own personal music on hold, some do not allow hunt groups (ring groups) or bespoke auto attendants. Customisation is standard in traditional telephone systems; many businesses want a telephone system that will bend to meet the needs of their business, not the other way around, so spend time defining your specifics if you are considering a public cloud telephone system. There are exceptions to this rule, such as OSV Cloud, which allows full customisation.

Be wary of the location of the public cloud telephone system. There is a whole article that could be written on the subject, but it can be summarised by recommending you only buy from a trusted reseller who has done the research for you. A public cloud telephone system should always be managed in a data centre with redundancy, QoS and SIP-exchange. Anything less and your telephone calls run the risk of quality degradation or frequent total failure. No one likes mis****g out on importa** ****mation and ****** ** repeat*** ****** over and over again. There are new public cloud systems appearing every week; those racing to the bottom on price will have bugs and poor customer service.

Private Cloud

Anything held in private cloud is yours and only yours. You can still pay monthly, and prices are often comparable to that of a public cloud telephone system. The key difference is that you are not sharing the telephone system with anyone else. This is much more like traditional telephony, but with the benefits of cloud.

Depending on your package, system updates may not be included in the monthly price, though most providers now have software assurance options. The key point is that you can choose when your system is updated. It can be planned, managed, and rolled back if necessary.

Private cloud maintenance is more akin to traditional maintenance; a comprehensive service that covers system, handsets, changes and advice. Maintenance should still be customisable to your specific needs, but begins as a more comprehensive service out of the box.

Delivery times on private cloud telephone systems tend to be slightly longer as the telephone system is not already active in use by others. That said, most cloud telephone system lead times are dictated by the lead time to transfer existing telephone numbers into the cloud. Provisioning the system itself can be done in a matter of days private or public.

You may be surprised to learn that, in our experience, Microsoft’s Skype for Business is actually more commonly installed as a private cloud telephone system. This variant allows greater functionality and customisation, but the reasons tend to be more for peace of mind on security and control. Our news article here will explain more.

Skype for Business, Skype4B, SfB…the names get shorter the more you read into it, but the product itself is no clearer to many small businesses wondering if it is the right fit for them. Researching which product is the right fit can be a mammoth task, so here is a guide to help.

If you are wondering how Skype for Business fits in with Lync; they are the same product. Formerly called Lync, the platform was re-branded along with a user interface refresh to move closer to the well-known Skype. The word on the street suggests this was because Skype is a known brand; it does not make sense for Microsoft to market a new brand for their voice platform when they already have a household name available.

Skype vs Skype for Business

Most of us are familiar with Skype – on our mobile phone, laptop, PC and Xbox. Free calls and instant messaging, to keep in touch with friends and family. Free calls are only on Skype-to-Skype calls though; if you want to calls via PSTN (the public phone network) then you will need to pay, and the call rates are currently about twice the rate that a business typically pays. Skype is not intended as a business product, so don’t expect much in the way of call handling features, such as transferring from one person to another. And don’t expect any business grade support on Skype; if your telephone system is down, then all you can do is wait. If you do find yourself in that position, you should spend that time understanding what the loss of telephony is costing you in direct lost revenue and brand damage.

Skype for Business Options

A moment for definition is required. Skype for business can come in three flavours:

1. On-premise – as per traditional telephony, a telephone system installed at your premises (or within your network of premises)
2. Private cloud – your telephone system in a data centre, exclusively for your own use
3. Public cloud – a telephone system in a data centre, shared by all other public subscribers

There are two routes to fulfilment: buy directly from Microsoft, or buy from a reseller.

Option 1 – Buy Directly from Microsoft

This is only available as public cloud, already launched in America and shortly coming to the UK. The word ‘buy’ is misleading; you will never own the telephone system if you go directly to Microsoft. Consider it rental; sign up to an annual contract and pay per user, per month, for a telephone system that is always on the latest software level, maintained in the cloud and supported directly by Microsoft. As with any public hosted system, you can expect security to be very high. Resiliency at the data centre will be equally capable.

A word of caution though – you will be on a public cloud telephone system. Think of it as catching a bus instead of driving your own car. You can’t choose bus times, the route, the speed, the wheels or the colour; nor when it is fixed, upgraded, serviced or retired. You will have to fit in with what is provided. No choice, no bespoke configuration. If you don’t like the out-of-the-box Skype for Business then don’t buy directly from Microsoft.

Microsoft’s SLA is 99.9% (reference link). For every 1,000 minutes, 1 minute of failure is acceptable.  That’s 1.44 minutes of lost communications per day; 8.76 hours per year, considered as acceptable by the vendor.

Option 2 – Buy from a Reseller

The reseller market can provide you the choice of on-premise, private cloud, or public cloud. On-premise and private cloud are both installs of the same telephone system – your own car, not the bus – the difference between the two is where you park it. On-premise is your own garage; private cloud is a secure car park with chauffeur service. Having on-premise or private cloud gives you total control over what features you want and how you want them configured because it is your own, private telephone system.

On-premise and private cloud systems need ongoing attention though – you will need to plan for upgrades, security, a firewall and maintenance. The costs of these may not be included in your price plan; a trusted reseller would be expected to let you know what is and is not covered. You have the authority to choose when the planned maintenance takes place.

The main difference between on-premise and private cloud is resiliency. A data centre will have multiple routes to the National Grid, onsite diesel generators, multiple fibre ethernet connections, fire suppression systems that won’t stop equipment working, 24/7 security and very effective access control. Data centres are amongst the most secure places to access in the country. You won’t find their location advertised, they won’t be in a flood plain and they won’t be under a flight path. It might sound expensive, but you only rent the rack space or power you require; costs are well worth looking into.

A reseller’s SLA is 99.999% (or should be – check before you choose a reseller). That is an enterprise level SLA, usually reserved for the likes of the BBC and the NHS. That’s an acceptable downtime of 5.25 minutes a year.

Other Considerations

Maintenance

Who is maintaining the handsets, headsets, local switches and cabling infrastructure? Microsoft will never visit your site; handsets may only come with a manufacturer warranty; and a reseller’s contract may only cover the telephone system itself. That may be what you prefer, but it is quite a change from traditional telephony maintenance contracts. Make sure you discuss the maintenance level you require with your trusted reseller to avoid unpleasant surprises in the future.

Headsets or handsets

This is often considered an afterthought, but employee acceptance is a significant factor when adopting new technology. If you invest in a better way to work, you need your company to use the tools you provide. Many people are resistant to change, but some roles are better served by headsets. An engaged workforce will always perform better, so it may be easier to let your teams make their own individual choice. Ask to visit a demo facility for testing.

Competitors

It is worth reviewing other products within the marketplace to see how they stack up. Unify, for example, have their carrier-grade telephone system – OpenScape Voice – in the cloud, providing voice for £8.95 per user per month, and full unified communications for less than £15 per user per month. This is an enterprise level telephone system, used by HMRC, The BBC, Scottish Parliament and Oxford University, now affordable to any size of business.

Telecoms Technology Extends Your Office, Letting Employees Work from Home

It’s National Work From Home Day, and 4.2 million Britons have permanently left the office to do just that. Over a third of those are employed by a business that has chosen to take a flexible approach and reap the rewards.

Working from home has become incredibly popular over the last decade; businesses that embrace collaborative and cloud technologies have been able to reduce their premises (and associated costs) and massively improve productivity among their work force. The TUC reports that a massive 1.8 million workers dream of working from home to improve their life/work balance – offering this option could help to recruit a higher calibre of employees, from a much wider geographical area.

Working From Home Improves Productivity

While trust is a major issue involved in working from home, studies have shown that home workers are actually much more productive. A 10-month long study at CTrip.com (a billion dollar company) showed that teleworkers were far more productive, answering more calls, working more hours, and using less sick leave. The workers themselves also reported being happier and the staff attrition rate was far lower compared to office staff. By the conclusion of the study, home workers saved the business an average of $2,000 each.

Home Working Technology

So, you want your employees to work longer hours, take fewer sick days, and still be happier. It’s important to make sure that they have the tools they need to do their job efficiently, without incurring costs that would outweigh the financial benefits of home working.

Collaborative tools such as Skype for Business means that home workers can still attend meetings without having to travel in to the office. Business packages allow desktop sharing, document sharing, instant messaging and presence, while Skype Manager allows you to maintain control of the accounts and products such as Voicemail, subscriptions, and Skype Connect.

If you’re more concerned about cohesion than the occasional meeting, VoIP technology can be a huge help. Handsets can just be plugged in at home and treated like a standard office phone. If you don’t want to buy additional handsets, you can even turn employees’ mobile phones into softphones with an app, which means that clients can call them directly on a business number and you can seamlessly transfer calls from the office to your homeworkers.

Businesses increasingly understand the importance of offering a good life/work balance and reduce infrastructure costs. Offering home worker positions can help boost recruitment, improve productivity, and even increase profits. Is your business ready?