CEOs prefer telecoms for cloud-based communications

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

A recent survey by call-center software-maker Interactive Intelligence found the majority of CEOs think telecoms operators are the most qualified to provide cloud computing services.

According to the survey of 100 CEOs, 68 percent of respondents said they would likely choose a cloud-based communications service provided by a traditional carrier or hosted value-added reseller. Nineteen percent of respondents said they would prefer a communications company, while 13 percent indicated a Software-as-a-Service provider as their top choice.

"Telecoms providers are often the most obvious choice to make as they are already managing your communications systems, and contrary to popular belief, have been operating in some form in the cloud for years," said Richard Snow, vice president and head of contact center research at Ventana Research. "Nonetheless, decision makers should firstly look at the functionality their business requires to succeed."

Additionally, according to the survey, 64 percent of respondents said they currently use the cloud for communications applications or plan to within the next five years.

More companies are turning to cloud computing to meet their IT needs. According to a Gartner report, the worldwide cloud service market is expected to reach $148.8 billion in 2014.