South Africa’s current woes, both real and imagined, appear to be coming in jumbo-packs of late. The uncertainties around the upcoming National Elections, severe weather conditions and ratings agency downgrades are all dealing body blows to our already struggling economy, says ICTGlobe.com.
The independent telco is, however, hopeful. It is perhaps echoing the sentiments of many in the South African corporate world when it says local business should always hope for the best, but remember that preparedness wins the day.
“Being prepared is the best antidote for uncertainty,” says Claudia York, ICTGlobe.com group financial manager.
She believes Cloud-based ICT products and services could offer a solution within the overall current climate of uncertainty. “No-one is suggesting things are as dire as they seemed 20-plus years ago, but if businesses are unsure exactly how things will pan out over the next couple of months, our advice is to invest in the Cloud, not in physical equipment.”
York explains that, while ICTGlobe.com’s SME and enterprise clients are reassured by the firm’s proven ability to deliver reliable voice and data services through double back-up generators, huge banks of batteries in offsite data centres, and a host of other measures aimed at Eskom-proofing, clients are still concerned about other aspects of the current economic climate.
Physical, desk-bound PBX equipment of yesteryear, makes little sense at the best of times and certainly no sense in these times. Cloud-based PBX solutions like 3CX offer nervous corporate clients the advantage of month-to-month contracts over large capital outlays. Hosted switchboard solutions from 3CX means any enterprise-class or SME firm can benefit from corporate-quality unified communications platforms.
As a Tier 1 operator, ICTGlobe.com owns its telecoms network meaning it has full control over roll-out and maintenance of this core asset. Operating its own interconnect and networking facilities means the firm can reliably offer voice calls at the country’s most affordable rates.
“Save capital for brighter times and use the Cloud as an uncertainty buffer for now,” concludes York.