Once upon a time, movie night meant traveling to the local video rental store and surveying the aisles in hopes of finding the newest release in stock. Today, the combination of rental DVD delivery services like Netflix and movies on demand from your cable or satellite provider has created an entirely new and relaxing way to enjoy movie nights. The rental store is now literally at your fingertips. Netflix delivers DVDs by mail to subscribers via a rental queue created online. The greatest part of these new rental services is that there are no late fees. Subscribers pay a monthly fee for Netflix or a per-movie fee for on-demand services; back-end operations are handled by the provider. There is no more worrying about if the movie is in stock.

Telecom expense management (TEM) has evolved in a similar fashion. Enterprises that once used premise-based TEM software to handle telecom and IT expense management are now seeing tremendous advantages in utilizing Software as a Service (SaaS). By using on-demand TEM software, companies no longer have to be concerned with loading vendor billing data or dealing with the complex changes of vendor data formats. In the past this was a common cause of failures within premise-based TEM software solutions because it prevented companies from viewing data at the highest level of billing detail. With an on-demand TEM solution, companies can see their data loaded within 24 hours of it being received by the TEM vendor. Companies can then dedicate their full resources to analyzing their billing data rather than managing it. This stress-free solution allows companies to sharpen their focus on revenue-generating activities.

The Opening Credits – Implementation

Most Hollywood summer blockbusters feature action right at the start of the movie, immediately captivating the audience. In the same way, using SaaS for a TEM solution provides rapid implementation times, yielding a much faster ROI. Traditionally, companies with a premise-based software solution lacked necessary telecom expense management experience. Their TEM initiatives were prone to errors from the start – errors that were compounded throughout the course of the TEM program. Just like a summer movie that lacks innovative special effects or a great storyline, their TEM initiatives were doomed to fail from the very beginning. These premise-based TEM software solutions failed to deliver significant ROI after companies made a substantial investment.

The combination of expert knowledge and far less complex software installation can mean smoother transitions and a decrease in the need for troubleshooting. Furthermore, because there is less need for client participation from a technical standpoint during implementation, SaaS TEM providers can offer a project timeframe with a good degree of accuracy and configure the system specific to each company’s dedicated hierarchy. This benefits both clients and service providers by removing uncertainty in the deployment schedule.

In addition, scalability is never an issue. Companies do not have to purchase additional servers or hardware to increase the amount of data that is stored. More importantly, companies do not have to be concerned with developing new processes to handle new data feeds. That is handled by the vendor on the back end and is transparent to end users, allowing them to focus on analyzing data, disputing costs, or running reports.

Preventing Bootlegs – Data and Security in an SaaS Environment

We all know of Hollywood’s struggle to prevent bootlegs, an effort that entails deploying powerful encryption to deter pirating. In much the same way, organizations in the past were reluctant to have data stored offsite for fear of a security breach. With the advent of IPSec VPNs, this roadblock has been removed.

IPSec VPNs offer an extremely high level of data encryption, coupled with hardened data centers that offer economies of scale. Vendors routinely back up data and send it to an offsite disaster recovery facility. Uptime and disaster recovery services are built into SLAs, ensuring that the client can be up and running quickly and that the vendor adheres to the highest level of security standards. While it is understandable that organizations want control, the reputation and feasibility of SaaS depend on treating data with extreme sensitivity.

The Production – Maintenance

With an SaaS solution, any problems that do occur can normally be fixed faster because of the centralized nature of the service. Software-based solutions frequently require an onsite visit, which naturally delays any troubleshooting attempt. SaaS solutions circumvent this delay and reduce downtime. Moreover, SaaS solutions generally have 24×7 monitoring and management, meaning maintenance issues can be quickly and efficiently addressed because the majority of equipment is centrally located. To achieve the same service speed with a software-based solution would require a set of expert technicians onsite, and the resulting cost would most likely be prohibitive.

System upgrades can be managed more easily with an SaaS solution than with a software-based solution. The TEM vendor manages the upgrade and rolls it out when ready, making the transition pain-free. Furthermore, with an SaaS solution, operational expenditures are fixed and predictable, which in turn aids in planning cash flow. With software-based solutions, operational expenditures can spike unpredictably when issues occur.

Data Analysis – The True Blockbuster

The bottom line is that, in the world of telecom expense management, SaaS solutions allow businesses to concentrate on revenue-generating activities and areas of their business that they do well. In areas where their knowledge is limited – such as TEM — businesses can turn over the responsibility to vendors who have real expertise. Once an organization has implemented an on-demand TEM solution, they instantly gain enhanced visibility to their telecom spend and are up and running in a matter of weeks versus six to 12 months. This enables companies to begin analyzing their data to make more informed purchasing decisions and identify areas where more cost-effective services can be utilized. By using an on-demand solution, organizations are no longer struggling with loading data and maintaining systems, but instead spending time on true telecom cost control by drilling deep into data they never had access to before.

Just as Netflix and on-demand movies have changed the way we rent films, SaaS for TEM has pulled back the curtain for a next-generation TEM solution. TEM vendors can utilize their expertise in processing electronic data to provide companies with a truly comprehensive TEM solution that presents data accurately in a secure, easy-to-use interface. While software-based solutions provide companies with the comfort level of perceived control, a TEM environment offers true control, with the ability to analyze detailed data that can generate consistent savings. And that makes for the classic happy Hollywood ending.

Distances matter a lot in keeping the relations going strong or watching them fade away with time. Communication is the only mean by which we can reduce the distances to nothingness. At least, a regular verbal interaction is a must. Gone are the days when we had to think twice before making an international phone call. With the advancement in technology, it is not such a big deal now. Long distance calls have become cheaper than ever and this is due to the advent of new and innovative technologies which are not only befitting our budgets but are also our priorities.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a technology that has taken birth decades ago, in the year 1973 to be precise, but has gained popularity recently. Since it has found its usage in the telecommunication industry, it has swept everyone off their feet by its commendably affordable services and impressive performance. The IP telephony services have come as a reason to celebrate for all those who were sick and tired of the heavy phone bills. This technology has made way for almost free phone calls. Free calling which used to seem impossible few years back is now a matter of a few keystrokes.

If you still thing free international calls or international calls at local rates are over-hyped statements, you must subscribe to the VoIP services to believe in them. All you need is a high speed Internet connection and an efficient service provider. That’s it! Free calls are no longer impossible to achieve. Make unlimited calls to destinations all over the globe and experience the difference.

The traditional PBX (private branch exchange) is now a passé. The whole world has found a better mode of worldwide interaction. The VoIP technology scores over it in almost every aspect. The complexity factor which was involved in the traditional communication media has been ruled out for good from this new medium. The open source VoIP facilitates message exchange through the Web. It accepts the analogue signals from the phone to digital data that can be transmitted over the Internet.

The customer is charged for the monthly internet service and the calls he makes is practically free of cost. The free international phone calls are more of a boon to the customers as it was literally unthinkable to talk seamlessly to overseas destinations at such low prices some time ago.

VoIP has made matters unimaginably smooth for the large scale businesses and corporate houses as the communication expenses that took a large share of their revenue, have now been reduced by a mammoth percentage. Now the frequent international correspondences in a bid to achieve globalisation the businesses are within their reach. VoIP has given a boost to customer service agencies and has given an option for the companies to look for relatively less expensive and skilled labour in India or China, so that they can maximise their profits. The customer care executives assist the foreign customers from their own countries. The International calls no longer give us creeps as they are just nothing as compared to the previous phone bills.

VoIP technologies don’t consider the distances going by the fact that they work on the same principle in which the Internet technology operates. An Email or an Instant Message to a person abroad costs the same as that to some one in your vicinity. So, get, set and go with free calling as the VoIP craze is on an all time high.

The idea of free Internet calls is definitely lucrative and thus a large part of this interconnected world has switched over to VoIP telephony. It needs just a phone call to the service provider of your locality and you get instant VoIP activation. Get rid of the poor voice quality, numerous intervening telephone exchanges and the high call rates. The IP phone system is an ultimate respite from all these hassles. The voice quality is impeccable. All these advantages in addition to free phone calls, there is no reason why you should not switch over to VoIP.