Guest Blog: Dodging Obsolescence Through the Cloud

Considering Moore’s Law, most technology will outgrow itself within two years and many technologies won’t make it that long. But, constantly shuffling your budget to adopt the next generation of networks and technologies on the market hurts your bottom line. “Rip and repair” costs are not cheap, especially for companies with multiple locations and extensive networks and systems. By the same token, the cost of downtime and inefficiency from inadequate systems come with a price of its own.

This can be especially true in a company’s telecommunications system. As data networks reach new levels of intricacy, innovation and evolution, companies are more dependent on a solid telecommunications network for day-to-day operation.

To avoid the costly impact of telecom obsolescence, you need to outsource to the cloud.

Outsourcing to the Cloud

While traditionally desired for their ability to deploy instantaneous access to data without borders, as cloud and hosted systems mature in the marketplace, they have evolved into real, viable solutions to ease the pain of obsolescence.

When data networks, unified communication systems and even IP telephony are utilized through the cloud, the heaviest burden for both equipment and service upgrades fall on the external provider rather than the business itself.

Companies are freed from the constant pressures to purchase expensive new equipment or deal with costly repairs, and they still receive continual product upgrades. It’s a “win-win” situation.

To best avoid long-term costs from obsolescence through the cloud, companies should implement this four–step strategy:

• Say no to new hardware: Simply put, you don’t need it. When accessing and using data through the cloud, the data processing component is transferred from your equipment to your provider’s equipment. This means, your hard drives are doing far less work, so your current, and even legacy hardware will achieve roughly the same performance as any new equipment. This is also where you’ll achieve the bulk of your cost-savings. Purchasing new equipment for faster processing requires the most up-front capital expense, overhead and repair costs.

• Maintain networks and equipment: Make your current equipment last as long as possible by scheduling regular audits and software updates. Doing so will keep your systems agile and functional as they age to remain able to access cloud data with ease.

• Increase bandwidth: While you don’t need to invest in new hardware, you will need an excellent Internet connection for a fully functional cloud service. Adding more bandwidth will allow for a faster connection to the cloud, making its ROI even more fruitful to your bottom line.

• Always think 3–5 years ahead: When planning your telecom network through the cloud, always forecast your business needs at least three to five years in the future to address two cycles of network changes. Consider how your company is planning to grow, what telecom solutions and services you may need to support that growth? By doing this, you can adequately prepare for scalability so that your network and equipment will bet meet your business’s needs and avoiding any substantial changes.

As cloud providers continue to improve security measures and reliability, I expect to see more businesses deploy hosted technology to avoid obsolescence. Its off-premise, cost-effective features can provide the backbone to a company’s entire telecom solutions through years of technology lifecycles.

Melinda Curran is the founder and CEO of RCG, a single-source telecommunications provider based in Franklin, Tenn. Learn more about her company at www.myrcg.com.