Johannesburg, August 15, 2011 -- Using hosted call centre technology does not mean surrendering control of data or business processes to someone else, says Jed Hewson, director of 1Stream.

Security concerns are often cited as a reason why businesses are reluctant to adopt hosted and cloud-based strategies, but hosting might actually improve security.

This is according to contact centre experts who point out that some of the security concerns stem from misconceptions about hosting.

"The moment you start to look a little deeper into security, you realise that many of the serious concerns actually have nothing to do with where a service is hosted," says Jed Hewson, director of telephony vendor, 1Stream.

"In fact, cloud-based suppliers tend to have better security systems and processes in place – partly because they're big enough to afford the best and partly because their business depends on their services being secure."

Dennis Usle, senior network engineer for Evolve IP, agrees saying while hosted call centres can provide cost savings and other benefits, security concerns often deter businesses from making the switch.

"To alleviate concerns your customers might have over security, communicate the protections and security protocols you have in place," she urges.

Drew Kraus, Gartner's research director, says the market for the hosted contact centre for the enterprise is still developing. "The large enterprise usage of the hosted contact centre is for the most part still in its infancy," he says.

Hewson argues that using hosted call centre technology does not mean surrendering control of data or business processes to someone else.

"It means buying the services you need to run your operations – from networking through telephony clients to voice recorders – from a supplier whose job it is to keep all those services running smoothly and securely.

"Banking is a good analogy," says Hewson. "Your money isn't safer under your bed than in a bank account – we've all come to understand that there are huge advantages of security and convenience in delegating the storage of our money to a bank.

"We're still in control of it – in fact, it's much easier to manage money that way. The tin under the bed doesn't record transactions or issue statements, and it's not available when you travel away from your house," he adds.

Posted by Veronica Silva Cusi, news correspondent
Source: http://www.itweb.co.za