Cloud IT Community Week in Review: Office 365 and Infonetics Research

By Rory Lidstone
Contributing Writer

It was a pretty busy week for cloud IT, one with a heavy focus on industry analysis. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.

Kicking the week off, contributing Editor Susan J. Campbell made the argument for why companies can’t afford to ignore cloud IT. Not only are the benefits of cloud IT significant, but the IT industry is making the migration at a rapid pace, making cloud IT the biggest and most disruptive trend today, according to analysts at Deutsche Bank. In other words, unless you want to be left behind, the cloud is where your company should be headed.

Continuing the exploration of cloud migration, Campbell went on to examine the common assumption that Office 365 migration is quick and easy. Even though the migration can and should go smoothly, factors can often stand in the way of this, factors like unrealistic design decisions, selecting the wrong support plan and going with a less-than-ideal Office 365 migration ‘expert.’

Moving things along, Infonetics Research (News - Alert) released excerpts from its new Business Cloud VoIP and UC Services market size and forecasts report, which tracks hosted PBX and unified communications revenue and use. Put simply, these areas are extremely popular, thanks to a prevalent surge in overall VoIP technology. As UC hardware and software sees steady adoption, however, businesses should focus on security, particularly cloud and hybrid security solutions—especially for businesses that operate in multiple sites.

Finally this week, contributing writer Peter Scott discussed the importance of listening carefully when selling the cloud. Many value-added resellers approach selling the cloud by pitching it as a replacement for private infrastructure. A better approach is to zero in on the main concerns and pain points of the customer, then positioning the cloud as a solution to address those issues.

That wraps up this week in cloud IT, but be sure to check out the Cloud IT Community for more news in the space.