Transcript Slide Title Goes Here

Leveraging Your
Business Assets to
Find the Future
Sue DeFlorio
GTA Annual Convention
June 22, 2010
About FiberCloud
• FiberCloud is an IP solutions company, incorporated in
2001.
• We are a wholly-owned subsidiary of Whidbey Telecom,
incorporated in 1908, and family-owned since 1953.
• Our focus is to provide outstanding service with a
personal touch, and the highest level of service quality.
• We provide a secure computing
environment, multiple top-tier data
centers in Western Washington,
connected by a highly redundant Cisco
powered MPLS network.
Cloud-Hosted Solutions
• In 2009, we introduced a software platform that enables
telephone companies to offer cloud-hosted solutions to their
customers using their own brand and retaining customer
control.
Microsoft Email
BlackBerry & ActiveSync for mobile devices
SharePoint (collaboration)
Online backup
File Transfer
(improved communications)
Unified Messaging functions
(increase productivity)
OPASTCO
My Goal Today
• What is Cloud Computing?
• How can Cloud-Hosting help generate
bandwidth usage & revenue?
• How are customers affected by the
Cloud?
• Can a Cloud-Hosting Partnership
“Leverage my Business Assets” to
define a better Future?
Sense of Urgency
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Significant industry change
Technology changes
Revenue pressure
Increased competition
Many choices…and more on
the way
• Not enough to be “the pipe”
• Narrow window of time to take
action…fighting for the future
Cloud Computing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Cloud computing is a style of computing in which dynamically
scalable and often virtualized resources are provided as a
service over the Internet.[1][2] Users need not have knowledge of,
expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure in the
"cloud" that supports them.[3]
• Other recent (ca. 2007–2009)[4][5] technologies that rely on the
Internet to satisfy the computing needs of users. Cloud
computing services often provide common business applications
online that are accessed from a web browser, while the software
and data are stored on the servers.
• The term cloud is used as a metaphor for the Internet, based on
how the Internet is depicted in computer network diagrams and
is an abstraction for the complex infrastructure it conceals.[6]
What’s in the Cloud?
• Platform as a Service: Provider offers hardware & software to
facilitate applications. Defers capital cost for users. (Paas)
• Software as a Service: Provider licenses use of software
accessed over the Internet. Users pay only for what they need;
avoid hardware, software and operating costs; gain access to
solutions that might be too expensive if deployed for only one
company. (Saas)
• Infrastructure as a Service: Providers offers computing
infrastructure, typically in a virtualized environment. Users
purchase a fully outsourced service, rather than purchasing
servers, software, data center space. The service is typically
billed on a pay for use utility basis. (Iaas)
Cloud-Hosting:
Hardware,
Software
and/or
Applications
Delivered
via the Internet
Cloud-Based Applications
What can Cloud-Hosting
Do for My Company?
• Drive broadband usage - Internet
• Strengthen customer stickiness
• Diversify revenue streams
• Get more with less - no need
for add’l CAPEX, technology staff
• Add progressive services quickly
• Cement your Company as the
local technology leader
• Expand new revenue opportunities
Growing Revenues
With Hosted Services
• Business Sector
– Small Business: 5-20 Seats
– Mid-size Business: 21-100 Seats
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Add $5-$300 per application, per month
Initial sale - typically 2-3 applications
Typical user bills $15-$25 per month
Rural market pricing (=value, education)
As customers grow, so will you
Applicability to Residential markets
Growing Revenues
With Territory Expansion
Retain...
Suburb
Metro
Extend...
You
SMB
Expand
Changing
Competitive Landscape
• Competition
– Google (broadband,
too)
– Microsoft
– Amazon -- EC2
– IBM, HP
– Comcast
• Telco’s can win at
this…understand
– Subscription
(monthly) services
– Utility Products
– How People
Communicate
“Information technology and
business are becoming
inextricably interwoven. I
don't think anybody can talk
meaningfully about one
without the talking about the
other.”
Bill Gates
Microsoft
The Opportunity
Small and medium sized business is the
core of the local economy
• Small business have many of the same
communications needs as larger companies.
• Their resources are limited (money and time).
• Enterprise-level software helps companies grow (“look
larger”, reach beyond the local community).
• Outsourcing is a growing trend.
• Best-in-Class communications,
quickly deployed, help meet these
needs.
• Customers are accepting “the Cloud”.
Customer Benefits
Cloud-Hosted solutions enable:
• Focus on core business
• Business applications (iphone)
• Power to grow (no bounds)
• Match unique business needs
• National/international presence
• Protects business intelligence
• Trusted local support, if serviced by local telco
No Boundaries
City of Darien, Georgia
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You have discovered Georgia's
second oldest city, founded in 1736.
Downtown Darien is thriving and
new developments are assisting the
city in a community-wide
revitalization effort.
This is one of the last unspoiled
places on the Atlantic seaboard, rich
in history, the beauty of nature,
hospitality— and welcoming to new
opportunities.
Linda Tucker
[email protected]
Why Does the
Cloud Matter?
• Future needs to be more than “just a pipe” to be
sustainable
• Competition is changing
• Customers can be in business without boundaries;
choices in providers & services
• Individual customers may need different solutions,
can’t be all things to all people
• Customer control is a key to success
• Telco’s have customer control today
• Leverage Your Assets…
“Use it Before you Lose It”
Partnership Program
FiberCloud provides the applications
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Best-in-class software service architecture
Back-end technical expertise
Monitoring
Initial marketing support
Single point of contact for partners
Easy ordering and billing
Product expansion
You maintain end-user relationship
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Sales and marketing
Market-specific packaging
First-line customer support
Local branding
Billing & collection
Key Questions:
Partnerships
• Is this something we can do better, faster, or cheaper with
a partner?
• Does the solution take us in the right direction?
• Is it right for our market? Are clients asking for the
service?
• Is the technology changing or new?
• Do we have staff or infrastructure to manage the solution?
• Does it require a large up front investment of time or
money?
• Will it integrate with our business processes?
• Can we make money as we build/protect market share?
• Can we afford to wait?
Find the Right Partner
• Choose a partner whose
products advance your
strategy
• Complements your strengths
& augment your weaknesses
• Make sure it fits your customer
needs
• Technically competent
• Offers business terms work
• Matches your company values
Hosted Services Platform
Benefits for Your Company
• Strengthen customer relationship; improve stickiness
• Higher margin products
• Local solutions for your market
• Add progressive services quickly
• Diversify company revenue streams
• Increase broadband usage
• Lower technology staff costs
The Challenge:
Which Best Direction?
Many technology initiatives
compete for attention and
funding.
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Fiber to Home
Soft Switch
Over the Top
VoIP
Content
Cellular Services or CATV
Cloud-Hosted Solutions
Finding the Future
• Use your assets, strengths and dreams to define
strategic direction for the future of our companies
• Meet customer needs and market conditions
• Recognize many types of assets
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Unique long-term relationship with clients
Local - know your business community needs
True service based companies
History of technology leadership
Drive economic development in the community
• To serve the company & customers, partnerships
bring solutions & flexibility
Leveraging Assets
• Assets
– You have the
customer’s trust
– For now, you control
the customer…great
power
– Offer Internet
products
– Truck rolls
– Respected service
organization
– Brand recognition
• Opportunities
– Focus on solving
customer needs
– One solutions
doesn’t fit all
– Not all technology
needs to be selfprovisioned
– Use outsourcing to
achieve quicker time
to market and
manage technology
change
Is Cloud Computing Right
for Your Company’s Future?
Does a Cloud-Hosting partner?
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Advance your vision
Serve your customers
Aid your timing to market
Advance community success
Preserve capital for other needy
projects?
Jump In!
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Simple and Easy!
New Revenues
High Margin
Low Risk
No CAPEX
OP EX is per seat (Pay as you Grow)
Competitive Deterrent
Brings Benefit to Your Customers
The Cloud is here…
Thank you!
[email protected]