Regardless of the size or type of business you’re running, one thing remains sure – you’re going to want to prioritize server capacity when developing and designing your interactive voice response (IVR) system. A huge helper in this area are cloud-based IVR systems, such as that offered by Plum Voice, which hosts applications in the cloud where skilled engineers are able to build, deploy and maintain IVR systems seamlessly. By securing your server capacity, you’re simultaneously securing critical features such as long-term redundancy, fault tolerance, disaster recovery and scalability.

“The cloud is becoming the preferred method of data delivery for businesses globally, and technology companies are expanding their service offerings to accommodate these preferences,” Plum explains in this recent blog. “As cloud computing popularity has sky rocketed, two distinct types of companies have integrated cloud service delivery and storage capabilities into their menu of service offerings for potential clients.”

There are two different types of companies to consider when looking for reliable, hosted cloud offerings, start-up companies and what The New York Timesdeems “incumbent tech providers.”

“There [have] been a slew of startup companies that have emerged in the past several years with the explicit goal of offering hosted cloud services to companies adopting the software as a service (SaaS (News - Alert)) model of delivery for their hardware and software functionalities,” Plum explains, adding that these types of companies cater to any and every company looking for cloud integration, regardless of business size and type.

The reason start-ups may be so appealing is because cloud computing is their sole business function. Additionally, these types of companies offer horizontal integration, which encompasses a wide range of diverse software to ultimately offer customers more choice and flexibility. “Many believe that the best companies with the most diverse product offerings will lead to best-of-breed solutions that perform cloud functions with the highest degree of efficiency,” Plum adds.

The second type of company making a dent in the cloud market are “incumbent tech providers,” who boast solid portfolios, expertise and are seasoned players in the field. Additionally, they tend to also have “deep corporate relationships after years of selling products,” according to The Times.

Some examples of the latter are Oracle and Hewlett-Packard (News - Alert). These heavy-hitters found their niche by producing a certain product that became highly successful, which then enabled them to effectively develop additional products and services, Lisa Marquez of Plum Voice states.

So while start-up companies offer one robust service to help meet a variety of company needs, “incumbent tech providers” embrace vertical integration, which conversely expands their service and product offerings to better serve their clients and customers.

So when it comes to a very critical component of your IVR solution, server capacity, be sure to keep the differentiations between these two in mind.

To learn more about the specific advantages and disadvantages of each model, be sure to stay tuned next week!

To stay in-the-know about everything IVR, be sure to follow Plum Voice on Twitter (News - Alert) @PlumVoice.