A guide to hybrid cloud deployment for innovation without disruption

Contact center platform vendors are bringing more cloud offerings to market, but not every organization is ready to transform with a move completely off-premises:

• Some prefer to keep certain workloads nearby (ex: 40% prefer to keep analytics and data deployment on-premises, according to new research from Ventana).
• Others – especially large enterprises that operate in multiple verticals, global regions, or verticals with strict governance – navigate complexities around compliance, data privacy, and IT that being fully cloud-based can complicate. 
• Pace, costs, and other looming concerns stall – if not stop – cloud consideration, especially when cloud is made to be an all-or-nothing decision. 
• Some existing investments still work well (on-premises call routing systems, for example, can have a very long lifespan with a low total cost of ownership). 

The question is: how do organizations balance these preferences and requisites with the crucial need to innovate? Cloud-powered tech – like artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and machine learning (ML) – is required for bringing deliberate, scalable solutions to market that deliver new value, retain loyal customers, and reach new audiences. You don’t have to move your contact center completely off-premises, but you do need what the cloud provides to competitively grow.

As contact center transformation explodes– from virtual agents to biometrics to conversational AI – hybrid cloud enables organizations to chart a clear-cut path toward innovation without the disruption of throwing away what works. 

Hybrid cloud creates a single environment in which companies can operate both private, on-premises resources and public cloud resources like those offered by AWS, Microsoft, and Google. Certain functions can be kept on premises and others can be moved to the cloud at a pace that works for each business’ unique needs. Larger enterprises in particular benefit from an innovation model that safeguards existing operations while overlaying innovation by tapping into cloud-powered tech like AI, automation, and ML. 

There are advantages and disadvantages to hybrid cloud, like with any deployment model, but the pros clearly outweigh the cons. Aggregated research shows hybrid cloud generates 2.5 times greater business value [EJC(1] than a single cloud platform approach, 15% faster time to market, and 40% total cost of ownership savings. Overall, IBM expects hybrid and multi-cloud spend to increase by up to 17% in 2023 across all industries.

Is your curiosity piqued? Here’s what to do next…

Avaya just published its latest sponsored report with Ventana Research on hybrid cloud migration for contact center innovation. It’s a crucial asset for organizations motivated to cut through the noise of cloud debate, understand clearly what a hybrid approach offers, and build an effective migration strategy:

• Inform your best decisions with a clear view of the current state of cloud contact center operations. Better understand what organizations are doing in today’s cloud landscape and why.
• Understand hybrid cloud inside and out to lead crucial conversations with your organization’s key decision-makers. 
• Create an effective business use case for hybrid cloud following three simple steps. 
• Define your organization’s desired outcomes by asking five tough but critical questions. 
• Visualize your hybrid cloud environment using expert insights and best practices. 
• Move your migration forward by charting a clear-cut course.

Hybrid cloud proves digital doesn’t have to be disruptive. Start doing things differently and delivering new value without ‘ripping and replacing’ what’s already in place – our new research report with Ventana shows you how.