Opportunities in the SME market

Providing cloud services like remote desktop management, unified communications, storage/back-up, security and mobile device management are not enough. Operators must also provide a series of customer support tools to aid the transition of SMEs from on-premises solutions to cloud solutions. Keep in mind that one of the largest challenges of SMEs is the lack of technology support. Even fairly sophisticated SMEs rarely have enough IT staff to effectively choose, test, implement and manage their IT solutions. As such, operators must provide customer support tools to aid technology transitions for SMEs.

We advise clients to address at least these three requirements when making available cloud services to SMEs.

Education and awareness creation -- Operators must supply carefully created educational and awareness tools that effectively explain the value of cloud services to SMEs. These include detailed comparisons of the total cost of ownership of cloud vs on-premises solutions; marketing descriptions of the business value of the cloud solutions; simple guides on product features; and guides on what to expect during implementation.

Implementation - Operators must have a dedicated SME cloud implementation team. This team will facilitate the implementation process of transitioning an SME from its current on-premises solution to a cloud-based solution. This team must also be adept at training the SME’s IT department on the use of the solution. This team should also be available for the first 30-90 days of the cloud service to answer questions and provide guidance. This personalized service is important because many of the problems experienced by SMEs occur within the first 90 days of adopting a new cloud solution.

Selling ancillary services - Operators must have a dedicated SME cloud team available to contact SMEs when new services are offered. This team can provide extensions to the existing cloud services (e.g., the mobile enablement of a particular cloud solution) or can offer additional core telecom services like dedicated internet access, higher bandwidths of non-dedicated internet access and VPN services.

As operators bundle cloud offerings with traditional communication services, we anticipate seeing more innovative offerings that include customer support services to ease an SME’s transition from on-premises solutions to cloud services.