posted by: Mark Cortner
The viability of cloud-based UC took a significant step forward earlier this month with an announcement by BT and Cisco on the launch of a global cloud-based IPT service from BT’s Onevoice UCC portfolio. The hosted IPT solution will be the first global offering based on Cisco Hosted UC Services and is currently available in the UK. The offering will be available in the USA and EMEA in 2010 followed by Asia Pacific. BT is working with Cisco to build the virtualized infrastructure and leverage its cloud computing technologies to deliver a cloud-based UC service. The relationship between virtualization of telephony applications and cloud-based UC was highlighted in a previous blog post; BT and Cisco have taken virtualization to the next level to deliver a cloud-based UC solution including hosted IPT.
BT’s service offering will enable businesses to access services using a utility-based pricing model; the cloud-based services now include telephony, voice mail, unified messaging, and conferencing. The service is delivered over BT’s MPLS network service and can be blend the cloud-based telephony services with existing legacy TDM and IP voice infrastructures—enabling enterprises to migrate to cloud-based IPT services based on their business requirements and in consideration of existing investments. I look for BT to offer solid a SLA with these services, anticipate availability metrics between 99.9 to 99.99%, and to leverage the use of SIP-based connectivity introduced earlier this year. The ability to enable the cloud-based IPT solution to “integrate” with existing legacy TDM and IP voice infrastructure will be interesting to watch, and the terms “integrate” and “interoperate” often hold different meanings to service providers and customers. Furthermore, although large enterprise customers will appreciate the ability to support blended telephony solutions, they will also seek the ability to support hybrid unified messaging and collaborative application environments … the first step has been taken.
The viability of cloud-based UC took a significant step forward earlier this month with an announcement by BT and Cisco on the launch of a global cloud-based IPT service from BT’s Onevoice UCC portfolio. The hosted IPT solution will be the first global offering based on Cisco Hosted UC Services and is currently available in the UK. The offering will be available in the USA and EMEA in 2010 followed by Asia Pacific. BT is working with Cisco to build the virtualized infrastructure and leverage its cloud computing technologies to deliver a cloud-based UC service. The relationship between virtualization of telephony applications and cloud-based UC was highlighted in a previous blog post; BT and Cisco have taken virtualization to the next level to deliver a cloud-based UC solution including hosted IPT.
BT’s service offering will enable businesses to access services using a utility-based pricing model; the cloud-based services now include telephony, voice mail, unified messaging, and conferencing. The service is delivered over BT’s MPLS network service and can be blend the cloud-based telephony services with existing legacy TDM and IP voice infrastructures—enabling enterprises to migrate to cloud-based IPT services based on their business requirements and in consideration of existing investments. I look for BT to offer solid a SLA with these services, anticipate availability metrics between 99.9 to 99.99%, and to leverage the use of SIP-based connectivity introduced earlier this year. The ability to enable the cloud-based IPT solution to “integrate” with existing legacy TDM and IP voice infrastructure will be interesting to watch, and the terms “integrate” and “interoperate” often hold different meanings to service providers and customers. Furthermore, although large enterprise customers will appreciate the ability to support blended telephony solutions, they will also seek the ability to support hybrid unified messaging and collaborative application environments … the first step has been taken.
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