Cloud-Based Hosting: Regus Partners with 8×8

Just Monday, 8×8, Inc. announced closing a deal with Regus to provide Regus’ workspace locations with cloud-based telecommunication services and solutions.

Switching to cloud-based communication is a growing trend in the serviced office industry. Although most centers are not yet willing to make the transition to cloud-based hosting, new centers — and those whose contracts with premises-based providers have expired — are taking advantage of this new technology and implementing it in order to provide clients with more flexibility in terms of their telephony and communications services.

Not wanting to be left behind, it appears Regus is planning on changing their premises-based telecommunications to cloud-based by striking up this deal with 8×8. Frank Cottle, from Alliance Business Centers Network, suggests “this move by Regus is a major accelerator in the industry’s momentum to head into the cloud-based hosting direction.”

This definitely puts pressure to business center providers that were waiting for prices to come down to transition to cloud-based services sooner rather than later in order to stay competitive. However, it’s not just about staying competitive within the market; cloud-based hosted telecommunications can offer great benefits both to office providers and users.

Some benefits include:

• Personalized email and voicemail options
• Flexibility and scalability — particularly noticeable when growing or downsizing
• Access to office number from anywhere, anytime
• No cables
• No upfront capital costs
• You only pay what you use
• Stability, VoIP systems offer a failover measure, which means you always have a backup

8×8 is a provider of cloud-based unified communications and contact center solutions that started out its operations in Santa Clara, and they have grown since their begginings. 8×8’s services now target medium-sized enterprises which makes the serviced office industry an ideal market.

According to Cottle, “8×8 is not as specialized in the services office industry as other cloud-based solutions companies — like essensys — but this deal with Regus could be an opportunity for them to enter a global market.”

8×8 is a provider of cloud-based unified communications and contact center solutions, and it’s Regus’ US and Europe locations that will be the first to benefit from 8×8’s Enterprise Communications-as-a-Service solutions, with future plans to roll-out the service to all of Regus’ global locations.