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Telesphere, Broadview Network and Spiceworks Talk Cloud Communications at ITEXPO
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Telesphere, Broadview Network and Spiceworks Talk Cloud Communications at ITEXPO

September 19, 2011

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By Carrie Schmelkin,
Director of Content Marketing, Content Boost

Who’s afraid of the big, bad cloud? Small and medium businesses (SMBs), according to a panel discussion at ITEXPO West.

Last Thursday, executives from Telesphere (News - Alert), Broadview Network and Spiceworks took to the panel floor to present a session at titled “Top 10 Reasons SMB’s Need Not Fear the Cloud.” And, according to the executives, there are a few main reasons why SMBs run away from the “big, bad cloud.”


“What we find is that there are a few things that scare the SMB,” Sanjay Srinivasan, CTO of cloud communications company Telesphere, said during the panel. “Number one is confusion about what the cloud is about. The biggest thing we hear is will it cause the loss of my job. The biggest thing that comes in terms of whether to adopt the cloud is the guy or gal worrying about their job asking, ‘Am I becoming redundant?’”

“There is the irrational fear of, ‘Will I be firing myself if I present this option to the CEO?’” he added. “Companies like us have to do a good job of presenting stories of why they become the hero as opposed to the villain for proposing a move to the cloud. It’s just the fear of the unknown.”

Telesphere, a nationwide cloud communications service provider with customers in more than 44 states, works to provide SMBs with services and features typically available only to larger corporations. And, according to Srinivasan, Telesphere is tasked with quelling concerns surrounding the cloud.

Another issue that arises with regards to the cloud is concerns about security.

According to Nicole Tanzillo, IT marketing manager for Spiceworks (News - Alert), SMBs that are concerned about security should remember that there are organizations out there that were built to specifically focus on security.

“It’s about finding those vendors that you can trust,” she said.



The perceived lack of security when it comes to cloud communications is fallacy, according to Srinivasan as most breaches surrounding security happen simply because of human engineering errors as opposed to the technology behind the cloud.

Moreover, most people today are already using cloud communications whether they realize it or not. For example, activities like online banking all rely on the cloud.

“It’s always interesting to think about why we are okay there but when we do it for our business we think about security,” Srinivasan said.

“Cloud is inherently more secure because service providers like us protect the perimeter with all the latest and best gadgets and firewalls,” he added. “We track our security and what’s going on. There is an irrational fear with regards to the cloud but if they really looked at it and what is causing this, it’s their own behavior.”

While security is a concern of SMBs, Tanzillo said Spiceworks also sees that SMBS are struggling with whether cloud is all a myth and just marketing hype.

“As a marketer I know we have contributed to some of that confusion, but cloud is being applied to everything,” she said. “What we are seeing is that despite that myth and frustration that it’s a myth, it’s being adopted. Budgets are shifting, services are shifting, and we are seeing that move towards trusted vendors.”

Echoed Joe Corvaia, vice president of solution engineering for Broadview Networks (News - Alert), “A lot of folks we are talking to out there, particularly the folks in IT who are embracing the cloud, have recognized that cloud won’t replace anyone. What it does is it moves some of the IT drudge work off of the IT person so that they can be more effective.”

For those SMBs who do decide to adopt the world of cloud communications, the rewards can be plentiful.

“The first foray into the cloud opens up minds and experiences,” Srinivasan said. “… It is important for the service provider to know that if someone is doing cloud for the first time and it does well, then it opens up the customer’s mind in to what else can I do with the cloud.”


Carrie Schmelkin is a Web Editor for TMCnet. Previously, she worked as Assistant Editor at the New Canaan Advertiser, a 102-year-old weekly newspaper, covering news and enhancing the publication's social media initiatives. Carrie holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and a bachelor's degree in English from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Juliana Kenny
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