By Chadwick Kinlay, Director, Marketing & Communications, Epsilon

Platforms are now directly shaping consumer experiences. Leading companies such as Uber, Spotify and Snapchat all offer reliable cloud-based services that consumers know they can trust. Consumers have come to expect that cloud platforms will work every time and from just about any location.

Of course, this demand is putting a great deal of pressure on data centre businesses, enterprises and network operators in general, particularly those that are in their infancy on the road to digital transformation.

To remain competitive, many businesses today are choosing to streamline cloud performance and connectivity by investing in Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solutions. In fact, the global Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) market could reach $7.5 billion by 2020.

Suffice to say, there is a tremendous opportunity for service providers of all kinds to capitalise on the PaaS trend. However, success will depend on choosing the right platform. It’s vital for service providers to choose a platform that supports cloud-centric networking in order to generate sustainable revenue streams.

Here are four things to consider when investing in a networking solution provider:

  1. Select a trusted provider: Service providers will need to put unwavering faith in their network providers. No business should move forward with an online and automated solution without being completely confident that the provider has the expertise and the premium infrastructure required to sustain carrier grade applications.
  1. Don’t underestimate reach and destinations: On-demand connectivity is critical for success, but global reach is just as important. Netrality Properties, for instance, is now offering the Infiny by Epsilon platform, enabling seamless regional and global connectivity solutions from its facilities at 210 N Tucker and 900 Walnut Street in St. Louis. St. Louis is a major hub for traffic and is a principle interconnection point between carriers, service providers and enterprise customers in the region, some of which require global reach.
  1. Capabilities are very important: It’s important to invest in a simple solution that allows for continual service deployment where and when it’s needed.
  1. Put a premium on customer service: Partner with a provider offering intelligent networking technologies, along with guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE).

With these points top of mind, enterprise decision-makers are strongly encouraged to be selective when choosing a connectivity platform. Success will depend on choosing an on-demand connectivity platform that can seamlessly deliver cloud-centric networking on a global scale.