IT-Business: Interview with SAVECALL CEO Nikolaus von Johnston
Trusted Advisor for IT & Telecommunications Sourcing
Renaissance of infrastructure: Interview with Nikolaus von Johnston
IT Business in conversation with the Managing Director of SAVECALL
A perspective from independent IT & telecom consulting
In an interview with the trade journal IT Business, Nikolaus von Johnston talks about the growing importance of modern IT infrastructures. The cloud is no longer hype, but a tool. But without stable connections, every cloud solution is ineffective.
In a nutshell:
- Focus on fiber optics: Copper is becoming less important, while demand for fiber optics is growing rapidly.
- Multi Service Access (MSA): One line for all services: flexible, scalable and efficient.
- New opportunities for system houses: Migration from hybrid to universal infrastructures creates new business areas.
- Cloud remains relevant: Direct access such as Microsoft Direct Access ensures stable communication.
- Simplified administration: one provider, one system, one invoice: clear advantages for companies.
The solution: SAVECALL sees the future of corporate communication in networked, flexible and powerful infrastructures that intelligently combine cloud and connectivity.
What this article covers: Why the classic leased line is becoming more important than pure cloud hype, how the multi-service access (MSA) opens new opportunities for system houses, and what the switch to All-IP means for existing telecom contracts.
The question: How is your company preparing its IT infrastructure for the next step in digitalization?
From cloud hype back to the line
The renowned trade journal IT-Business interviews ICT expert Nikolaus von Johnston, Managing Director of SAVECALL GmbH, and dedicates an article to his assessments entitled “The renaissance of infrastructure”. The cloud is coming down to earth from its hype status. Companies see cloud solutions as good tools. However, they also know that not all problems can be solved with the cloud. The focus is shifting back to infrastructure and, above all, to the connection to the internet: “The old, bare, simple line, as unattractive as this topic sounds, is as sexy as never before,” says Nikolaus von Johnston. At the same time, the demands on the available bandwidth are growing: “The copper line is largely dead for us who serve business customers. Fiber optics will be exciting. There will be great demand for it.”
Good future for system houses
Johnston sees the secret weapon in the multi-service connection, or MSA for short. Customers get one line and can use it to handle all services. This solution allows companies to react quickly and activate necessary voice channels or services in the backend. “You help customers migrate from a hybrid to a universal infrastructure. And that’s where customers need help,” says Nikolaus von Johnston. “(…) And who can provide this? Someone who can bring all the issues together. Business that used to be done by the PBX manufacturer is now a great opportunity for system houses.” The cloud itself has not been written off, on the contrary. In many cases, companies are relying on cloud offerings and replacing traditional services such as a locally installed Exchange server. A reliable connection is essential for companies to be able to access communication services reliably. This is where offerings such as Direct Access come into play, providing direct access to Microsoft’s cloud.
All-IP as an opportunity: one provider, one bill
Von Johnston sees the current situation as a great opportunity for companies. The conversion of connections to All-IP makes a switch interesting. Existing contracts can be renegotiated or switched over completely. “If, as a company with six or seven locations across Europe, I only need one provider, operate one telecommunications system and receive one bill for everything, that’s definitely appealing.” You can read the full interview from IT-Business 1.2017 here.
How SAVECALL supports you
This is exactly where SAVECALL steps in as a vendor-independent consulting partner: we compare fiber optics, multi-service connections and cloud access independently of any single provider, secure the failure resilience of the connection, and support companies on questions of network sovereignty as well as the shift to hybrid working models. The result is a single point of contact for infrastructure, communication and cloud, instead of many separate provider relationships.
Conclusion
The IT-Business interview with Nikolaus von Johnston shows: the line is once again topic number one. Companies that now invest in fiber optics, multi-service access and a clear cloud strategy gain a head start, while the shift to All-IP is renegotiating many existing telecom contracts anyway.
Written by
Frank Frommknecht
Key Account Consultant, SAVECALL
Has been supporting companies for over 20 years in selecting and optimizing their connectivity solutions. His focus: making complex telecommunications understandable from the customer’s perspective and finding the right strategic solution.
Why
Telecom & IT sourcing. Worldwide. Carrier-independent.
Selection & operation of worldwide connectivity & cloud infrastructure. Without vendor risk & unnecessary costs.
- 80+ carriers worldwide
- One point of contact
- One SLA
- One portal: mySAVECALL
- Min. 20% savings
25+
years of experience
40+
Employees
80+
Partner
1400+ Clients
Sources
- IT-Business (Vogel Communications Group), issue 1.2017: interview with Nikolaus von Johnston, Managing Director SAVECALL GmbH, “The renaissance of infrastructure”
- SAVECALL Consulting – vendor-independent advice on infrastructure, migration and contract management
- SAVECALL WAN – the multi-service connection (MSA) in detail
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions about the IT-Business interview with SAVECALL
A multi-service connection (MSA) bundles several communication services such as voice, data and internet on a single line. Customers can flexibly activate voice channels or additional services in the backend instead of ordering a separate line for every service. Nikolaus von Johnston sees this as the secret weapon for the shift from hybrid to universal infrastructure. Companies react faster to growing requirements, save on administration and significantly reduce the number of contacts and invoices.
According to SAVECALL Managing Director Nikolaus von Johnston, copper lines are largely outdated for business customers because they can no longer reliably handle the growing bandwidth demands of modern cloud and communication services. Demand for fiber optics is growing rapidly instead, since it delivers higher and more stable bandwidth. For companies this means anyone still relying on copper should actively plan the switch to fiber before capacity bottlenecks slow down digitalization projects.
The cloud remains central according to the interview, but has lost its pure hype status. Companies use cloud solutions as a tool, while knowing that not every problem can be solved with it. Without stable connections such as fiber optics or Direct Access, every cloud solution is ineffective. Direct cloud access, such as Microsoft Direct Access, ensures a reliable connection to communication services like a cloud-based Exchange server and sensibly complements the physical infrastructure.
According to Nikolaus von Johnston, migrating from hybrid to universal infrastructure creates new business opportunities for system houses. Tasks once handled by traditional PBX manufacturers are now a chance for providers who think infrastructure, communication and cloud together. Whoever supports customers through exactly this migration positions itself as the central point of contact for corporate communication, taking on a business area created by the shift away from rigid PBX systems.
According to the interview, the switch to All-IP makes changing provider particularly attractive, because existing contracts can be renegotiated or switched over completely. Companies with several European locations benefit if they only need one provider, one telecommunications system and one bill for all locations in future. This considerably simplifies administration and cost control, turning the switchover into a strategic opportunity rather than a mere compliance task.
SAVECALL advises as a vendor-independent consulting partner on the choice between fiber optics, multi-service connections and cloud access, and supports the shift from hybrid to universal infrastructure. This includes an assessment of failure resilience, support with network sovereignty and advice on hybrid working models. Companies get a single point of contact for infrastructure, communication and cloud instead of coordinating separate topics and contracts with different providers.
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