By Sunny Tan, AVP, StarHub’s Enterprise Solutions
For telecom operators rolling out cloud services, one obvious challenge is getting the apps out to customers easily, quickly and flexibly. Try doing it manually, or through multiple layers of authorisation, as is common with many legacy telecom services, and you risk losing a customer to the next faster, better player.
That is just one of the reasons why StarHub recently started using Parallels Automation to deliver cloud services for businesses. It has made the provisioning of commonly-used software, such as Microsoft Office 365, much simpler to customers.
When a customer signs up to use the subscription-based version of the office productivity software, he gets an e-mail to log in and start using the software. It’s as easy as getting an app on the phone or PC, just that it is delivered over the cloud.
Today, at StarHub, we offer a wide range of cloud services that are just as easily delivered. What we require are flexibility and cost efficiency. Importantly, too, simplicity is something we want for our customers.
With our upgraded cloud offerings, they will be able to “self-service” with common tasks like adding or removing apps, and customising the delivery for other users in a corporate environment. They don’t need to have any advanced programming knowledge.
At the same time, developers can make use of the available APIs (application programming interfaces) to apply their own business logic to the apps. This means they can easily provide customised, more powerful versions of stock apps without reinventing the wheel.
The improvements are key to StarHub’s cloud strategy, as organisations in Singapore turn increasingly to cloud-based apps besides on-premise installations. As a telco that already offers fast fibre broadband services to customers throughout the country, the speedy and flexible delivery of cloud-based apps complements our goal of providing a complete solution to customers.
Because of the robustness built in, our new cloud offerings will suit customers big and small. From small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to large enterprises, rapid cloud delivery is something that benefits a large base of customers.
In Singapore, where speeds of up to 1Gbps in broadband services are not uncommon, it’s not a question that cloud services will grow exponentially in the years ahead. From office productivity to enterprise resource planning, apps will have to be delivered more simply than before.
For telcos, providing the ease of use is now just as important as the scalability, security and availability that we have always been known for. It’s an important step in getting more users onboard the cloud model.