Enterprise “Communications as a Service” (ECaas)
New strategy. Leverage your existing IP infrastructure with SIP and become a service provider to your Enterprise for Telephony and Unified Communications services. Enterprise’s are shifting their strategies from building a voice over IP network with a single manufacturer to building an open standards network, capable of leveraging many devices, many networks, and integrating with many applications, agnostic of manufacturer.
What brings this strategy to light are Hosted VoIP providers. A single SIP based system hosting thousands of small businesses leveraging the Internet providing superior service at a lower cost.
Some change in thinking must take place:
No need to forklift existing systems. Deliver a SIP trunk from your Enterprise SIP system/architecture and provide system integration with at the circuit level for unified communications features like presence and mobility.
The complexity of managing and maintaining IP Telephony as it evolves into ECaas Unified Communications requires a different approach for Enterprises. We believe that approach is one of a Service Provider tasked with maintaining SLA’s to the organization versus having to maintain and integrate multiple manufacturer’s proprietary technologies.
For those of us who were around before divestiture of AT&T one truly understood the meaning of a service provider. If you wanted a phone, you called the telephone company and they would deliver you a working phone with dial tone. It did not matter where you were or what network you were on. You really were not sure what went on behind the scenes but you were very happy with the results. This is the model most Enterprise telephony users expect but few receive.
The ability to deliver Unified communications to any employee at anytime no matter location or device at a lower cost, with less complexity, more flexibility and significantly more functionality in supporting collaboration and mobility is completely within the realm of the Enterprise. Abtech is leveraging Siemens new OpenScape platform which evolved as an IP Softswitch out of Siemen’s “Service Provider” business. It is fully SIP based and provides the openness required to support Enterprise Communications as a Service (ECaaS). Siemens “subscription licensing” enables ECaas, as the Enterprise only pays for what they use in a per seat/month licensing model. Without such a licensing arrangement Enterprises would be required to purchase all the licensing up-front which contradicts with the Service Provider business model.
Working with Enterprises to build a business case for this model has demonstrated significant savings for Enterprises with Break-Even analysis measured in months, not years.
