Representatives from Cable & Wireless Worldwide, Cisco Systems, Verizon Communications and Net Evidence Ltd shared their perspectives on cloud brokerage in this morning’s Driving Business Innovation Forum.
The message was simple: successful cloud brokerage needs to involve ease of use, speed of use and reduce cost to customers.
Timothy Hancock, Head of Integrated Communications Services, Cable & Wireless Worldwide and Alfredo Nulli, Head of Cloud Computing Marketing and Service Creation, Cisco Systems, gave their views on closing the gaps in your go-to-market and architecture.
Hancock believes that customers are now pushing the limits of what they can use cloud services for and that onboarding, confidence building and a strong business case are essential. Nulli said that the most successful implementers of cloud so far are those who make it easy for the customer to understand and advised companies to build a strong, internal cloud team from employees who have a 360º view of their organization.
Bob Yorke, Area Vice President, UK & Ireland, Verizon Communications and Richard Thomas, CEO, Net Evidence Ltd drew on case studies to demonstrate the increasing use of cloud and application-based services in retail. Yorke explained that retailers now need seamless engagement with their customers and that ease of use in using cloud is essential: “When cloud becomes too low-level,” he said, “it turns into fog.”
Both Yorke and Richard Thomas described their companies’ work with fashion retailer Burberry, where they streamed a live, 3D fashion show in real-time to customers around the world – a venture which needed the technology to be perfect in order to maintain the reputation of the Burberry brand.
Thomas said that cloud brokerage comes into its own when companies want to accelerate their ability to push into the market by using complex strategies, such as the live show. As the business outcomes of such projects are highly visible, building complete trust between provider and customer is essential, as is service assurance – delivery is as vital as content. Along with the rest of the panel, Thomas made clear the need for simplicity of communication: “The whole concept of cloud is ‘I’m pushing away the IT, I’m not interested in the nuts and bolts,’” he said. “IT has come out of the back office and is now customer facing.”