Resources from Unified Communications

Solgari Brings Cloud Communications to Aztec Exchange, Without Capital Expense

By Steve Anderson
Contributing Writer

One of the worst parts about bringing in a new system for business is the capital expense (capex) that's required to put it in place. Whether buying a new computer, or a new network, or anything else, there's that point where a check must be signed and cash must leave the system. With some of the new cloud-based systems, however, that's changing, and capex is often becoming the much smaller—though recurring—operational expense (opex) instead. That's what happened when Solgari brought a new cloud communications system to Aztec Exchange recently.

Basically, the move allows Aztec Exchange to bring all of its needs for global communications together onto one single cloud-based platform offered by Solgari. Since it's cloud-based, there's not a lot of hardware that needs to go into place—outside of maybe some new endpoints, if not already there—and Solgari can offer up much of this as a service with a recurring bill.

This is a great move for Aztec Exchange, known for being a low-cost provider of invoice services and similar financial products and services. Its PayMe system allows users to offer early payment, and that makes it a popular service worldwide. To accommodate that popularity, Aztec has had to open branches worldwide—including Los Angeles, Miami and Dublin, Ireland—which makes keeping in touch a difficult task. Throw in the extensive traveling staff must undertake to sell and administer products, and that made conditions tailor-made for a cloud-based system.

Now, with its communications systems all under one umbrella and readily accessible from anywhere with a decent Internet connection, the various arms of Aztec Exchange could more readily keep in touch and make sure everyone was pulling toward the same goal.

The greatest benefit of the cloud isn't its cost savings, either at the start or on an ongoing basis. The cloud's real benefit is its flexibility, offering just what's needed in a situation. Whether it's an easy way to store and access some files remotely or a complete communications option, it's all available in the cloud. That's the point of Aztec's seeing first-hand with its new Solgari connection, and it's now able to connect its globally-spread operations with one platform. It didn't have to buy a ton of hardware and run the job in-house—it certainly could have—but by handing over the job to Solgari, Solgari can handle a lot of the heavy lifting while Aztec runs normal operations, and does it better.

Cloud systems offer a lot of advantages, and we're getting a great look at just how cloud can help a business run with this new Solgari / Aztec connection. Whether keeping users connected, storing files or doing anything else, cloud-based systems mean value for businesses.