5 Telecom Trends

I read this article about the top 10 trends in telecom. It's mainly about costs.

I think the top trend is to bring water to the desert. By that I mean, someone has to explain what Cloud means to the business owner. Ultimately, Cloud means High Availability of Data with Access from any connected device. To the business owner, it means that they can get the info they want, when and where they want it. The service provider takes the technology out of the way of the business owner. That's the number 1 trend: Education of the Market.

Number 2 is the move to SIP. Whether it is on the desk phone, the home phone or an app on the smartphone, the move is on to VoIP - and that primarily (except in the case of Skype) means SIP.

Security is the forgotten component in this puzzle. It's not easy to sell. It's not easy or cheap to deliver. It has liability -- but it also closes liability. But it will become a necessity for many businesses in 2011. Not just network security, but physical security (access to network connected devices, servers and the network itself) and data security. As data moves to the Cloud, more breeches will occur.

Choosing the right Cloud Partner. This is an opportunity for everyone in the IT/Telecom space. Be the one to help owners choose the appropriate cloud provider. Like anything else, there has been and will continue to be fast-buck providers in this space. Someone has to ask the hard questions about security, redundancy, reliability and financial stability. (Sort of goes with Education, but this is more.)

Mobile mobile mobile. I'm tired of it, but that's where we are. If you can't make money selling mobile, get some coin doing either telecom expense management (billing reviews) or telecom asset management (tracking all devices like phones, data cards, netbooks, laptops, VoIP phones and iPads).

Take a look at the slide deck I did for the TCA monthly call about where Agents need to be skating. HERE.