The great on-premise vs private cloud contact center debate.
Both options have their unique strengths and challenges. On-premise contact centers, with their promise of control and customization, appeal to businesses with specific regulatory or operational needs. Cloud contact centers, on the other hand, offer scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness that align with the demands of modern businesses. Neither is right or wrong – it’s about finding the most effective and appropriate solution for your business. The flexibility to switch between the two is a bonus.
One of the main reasons a business chooses to stay on-premise is because of data security. Many call centers, especially ones that service sectors like the government or financial institutions, handle a large amount of private information. To keep this data confidential, some of these institutions prefer to keep their data stored in their own data centers.
Legacy systems also keep contact centers tied to one approach. For businesses on legacy systems that must deliver CX, on-premise solutions may be easier to integrate into their existing workflows and CX ecosystems. However, solutions like Bright Pattern can integrate any record management system and be integrated within any CX ecosystem seamlessly, making it the perfect solution for businesses that want to maintain their complex workflows and legacy integrations.
Many businesses have invested a lot in their necessary hardware and infrastructure and have set complex workflows that need this existing structure. They simply want a contact center platform that can complement this existing infrastructure while giving them access to the latest key features and communication channels.
Legal and Regulatory Constraints
This is one of the primary reasons for contact centers to stay on-premises.
Some governments require certain industries to adhere to specific requirements around data security and privacy, and forbid public cloud deployments for data security and privacy reasons. It’s commonly the case in sectors like finance, healthcare, insurance, public sector, and government, especially in non-USA geographies.
Bright Pattern’s platform offers full data sovereignty through several features:
- Data Residency: Bright Pattern allows customers to choose the geographic location where their data is stored. This ensures compliance with data sovereignty regulations that mandate data to be stored within specific jurisdictions.
- Data Encryption: All data, whether in transit or at rest, is encrypted using robust encryption standards like TLS 1.2 and AES-256. This ensures data confidentiality and protects against unauthorized access, even if data is transferred across borders.
- Data Retention and Deletion: Bright Pattern allows customers to control the retention period of their data and provides tools for data deletion upon request, ensuring that data is not stored longer than necessary.
- Transparency and Control: Bright Pattern provides customers with transparency into their data processing practices and allows them to control their data through various settings and configurations. This gives customers the autonomy to manage their data in accordance with their specific requirements.
As Michael McCloskey, Bright Pattern CEO, asserts: their “underlying advantage” is the fact that their software is identical for both cloud and premise deployments. He explained: “one of the advantages of our architecture is if someone if a customer wants to go from on-prem to cloud, the transition is seamless – there’s no issue, whereas with other vendors they need to change platforms.” No agent retraining is required, all the data can be transferred, and this move can be done without any interruption to your business.
The Best of Both Worlds
Choosing between an on-premise or private cloud approach is a pivotal decision that can significantly impact your business and its growth trajectory. However, this choice doesn’t have to be a rigid, one-time, either-or scenario.
Bright Pattern exemplifies how businesses can achieve the best of both worlds. With a platform that ensures robust data security, compliance, and seamless scalability, organizations can transition between on-prem and cloud-based systems without compromising operations or customer experience. The ability to adapt as business requirements evolve – while maintaining performance, security, and flexibility – is a game-changer in the contact center industry.
Ultimately, the choice comes down to understanding your organization’s regulatory environment, operational priorities, and long-term goals. By prioritizing a solution that aligns with your needs today and offers adaptability for tomorrow, your business can stay competitive, compliant, and customer-focused in a rapidly changing landscape.
Find out more about Bright Pattern here: https://www.brightpattern.com/
