When TMCnet had the chance to sit down with cloud communications company Telesphere (News - Alert) in San Jose, Calif., earlier this summer, one message came across loud and clear – the year of the cloud is finally here.

This week, TMCnet decided to follow-up with Telesphere’s CEO Clark Peterson and find out a little bit more about why this is the year of the cloud, who can benefit from cloud communications and where the industry is headed. Telesphere, a company that prides itself on providing small and medium businesses with the service and features generally available only to larger corporations, offers VOIP business solutions, key phone systems, IP PBX (News - Alert) phone systems, IP PBX VOIP and virtual PBX systems. Check out the conversation with Peterson below.

TMCnet: Tell us a little bit more about why this is the year of the cloud.

Peterson: There is a monumental shift happening that seems to be hitting that tipping point this year where we will look back later and realize that business communications began the main shift to the cloud in 2011. We are seeing it at the customer level where not only SMB companies are migrating more and more to cloud communications, but this year we are seeing large companies send out RFP’s asking only for hosted providers to respond. We are seeing government agencies asking for cloud based communications for the first time in a major way.  We are seeing the Indirect Channel embrace the cloud and at the various channel shows all of the booths have changed in a matter of six months from traditional services to everyone trying to “claim the Cloud” and position themselves as operating in this space.

TMCnet: What are the main benefits of the cloud?

Peterson: Having content and services at the cloud level allows for multiple advantages to businesses:

robust UC features and services that would be very expensive to duplicate at an office on premises level and integration and collaboration among various cloud services. We have seen data and voice come together at the cloud level and now you will see video join the party. At the user level, it will facilitate single sessions and easy mechanisms to have a video call using presence to invite those available and a single click on a mouse to have HD voice on your desk instantly serve as the audio for a video call with full collaboration, for example.

No need for out of pocket CapEx. The ultimate PBX and video bridging platform is already built in the cloud and you simply have to connect to it versus purchase your own.

The cloud combined with an IP network makes any IP device an equal end device.  This will allow ubiquity of services rather you are on your desk phone, PC, or cell phone.

TMCnet: Why are SMBs in particular well positioned to adopt cloud technologies?

Peterson: SMBs have always wanted the productivity tools of the Fortune 500 companies but could not afford the costs. Now with cloud communications they are on equal footing with the big guys. It changes the game when an SMB can have a private secure network with all of the UC features and services of the big guys and they didn’t pay for any CapEx but simply got a seat on the cloud platform and held on!

TMCnet: What other verticals can greatly benefit from the cloud that may not know it?

Peterson: Telesphere specializes in multi-location customers across the United States and we have seen this as a vertical that clearly recognizes the benefits of cloud communications. Over the past 10 years of being a leader in the cloud, we have seen the space evolve from small single location SMBs to large corporations with hundreds of offices across the country. These companies not only avoid having to buy hundreds of PBX’s but greatly reduce their OPEX (News - Alert) in not having to fly IT professionals between offices and have interconnectivity and private VPN functionality inherent in our cloud communications solution.  They also now have video integrated in to the voice platform to help further reduce travel costs. We also see medical and legal emerging as big adopters of cloud services and enjoying cloud services like call recording and dictation from cell phone calls for lawyers to fully wireless hospitals for the medical industry.

TMCnet: What are some trends going on with cloud communications right now that excite Telesphere?

Peterson: Right now the excitement is around integration of cloud based services to create completely new products and services that have never been available before. For example, combining powerful CRMs like SalesForce.com at the cloud level with voice producers to have pop-up screens and user information inbound and click to dial outbound. Having speech to text engines tied at the cloud level to your company directory in the cloud so you can throw away your list of employee phone numbers and not even need to know their four-digit extension.  Voice and video are now combined all at a HD level in the cloud and will soon be ubiquitous among office and mobile devices.  Like Yogi Berra said, “the future ain’t what it used to be” and it is changing in a very quick and exciting direction toward the cloud!

Want to learn more about cloud communications? Then be sure to attend the Cloud Communications Summit, collocated with TMC’s (News - Alert) ITEXPO West 2011, taking place Sept. 13-15, 2011, in Austin, Texas. The Cloud Communications Summit will address a growing need of businesses to integrate and leverage cloud based communications applications, process enhancement techniques, and network based communications interfaces and architectures. To register, click here