Cloud Computing is an emerging hot business support technology for the future; and as analyst firm Gartner puts it, it is one among the top-10 strategic technologies for the year 2010. Advantages like low-cost business systems, easy installation, low productivity lead-time and quick roll-out of services talk in favor of this futuristic business model. It addresses the evolving needs of communication service providers like on-demand and web-enabled systems that are service-provider oriented, technology solutions to adopt new business models that are economical, and single-point responsibility for supporting business systems and effective risk management. These advantages attract the attention of communication service providers (CSPs) to cloud computing and keep it in their focus, while they think about strategic technology solutions. These high expectations ultimately increase the responsibility of cloud service providers to meet the needs of the CSPs, even to a minute level.

This world of business is driven by the ever-demanding customer, and customers in turn, are driven by their convenience. While they can get things done anytime, anywhere, they wish to do so with their payments too. As mobile phone technology evolves and improves, consumers from all walks of life are making the most of the trends. Mobile users are on an exceptional rise the world over, and Gartner expects 103.9 million mobile payment users by 2011.

Pricing is a key attribute that initiates decisions in the case of service providers, manufacturers or customers. Across industries, pricing of products or services is seen as a double-edged sword since it can win as well as lose customers. When uncertainty prevails, it becomes so important that even a minute change in price will affect the top line and bottom line of companies. With the current chaotic state of the economy, companies across industries are looking for solutions that can help them address the issues in pricing, and in turn, enable them to win and retain customers.

In the days of yore, customers had to search for ten different service providers to avail ten different services. It’s almost passé now! Customers of transaction-based services such as banking, communications, utilities, logistics, etc. have plenty of options today, wherein the new-age multi-service enterprises pamper them with almost every service they require, under the same umbrella. Which means, service providers are now graduating to one-stop-shop enterprises, by offering wide range of services cutting across verticals. For example – say a bank – may soon choose to grow out of its ‘financial services provider’ bracket and begin to offer a plethora of services including communications, utilities and logistics. Or a telecom operator may soon start offering insurance, banking and utilities services apart from their regular communications, media and entertainment bouquet; in yet another scenario, a leading logistics provider may decide to diversify operations into retail, banking and entertainment services. In all these cases, the divergence in the focus of services will enable single service providers to offer the best value for money to their customers and thus retain their loyalty and major wallet share.

Market is converging with telcos, banks, utilities, retail all targeting one single customer segment. As providers cross their vertical boundaries and make themselves adept with an umbrella of services to include banking, insurance, gas, water, electricity, communication, retail – they are more positioned to be a virtual organization. Here the only game is branding and customer ownership is the only objective.