The Future of ICT Services

Zsolt Kemendi, COO for enterprise services, Invitech.

It’s been two years now since Microsoft launched M365, an integrated suite of apps and services that support the transformation of workplace collaboration, the modernization of business processes and the protection of critical information.  

The system’s market-leading software package is Office 365, a central element of which is Microsoft Teams, a teamwork solution that offers chat, video conference, phone call and file storage capabilities in one integrated application.    

Kemendi says that businesses with Office 365 subscription may now reconsider their strategies and opt for the implementation of a completely new technology besides their existing systems.  

“Users of the teamwork software can assign tasks, communicate, and share information simply and swiftly,” Kemendi explains. “Furthermore, as a part of the service, Invitech provides a complete solution customized for the needs of the clients, including the phone numbers, the whole integration system operation, and optionally the telephone devices or the integration of other locally installed systems too.”  

Microsoft Teams now has more than 20 million active daily users. The platform, available in 53 languages on 181 markets around the globe, can be used independently from geographic location. The solution has been adopted by large corporations such as Emirates, FedEx, Lexmark, The Adecco Group, KONE, and McCann Worldgroup.

Long-standing Cooperation

The collaboration with Microsoft is an example of Invitech’s excellent relations with several big manufacturers and businesses, with cooperation often resulting in the involvement of these firms’ solutions into complex IT products.

“Invitech’s corporate services business has similar products and capabilities as the largest player of the market, but we do not strive for a leading system integrator role, nor do we focus on application development and related integration tasks,” Kemendi says. “Invitech basically develops the appropriate services on its own telecommunications, IT and data center infrastructure.”

He adds, “The company generally does not develop unique or industry-specific solutions, but instead provides a customized, secure IT and telecommunications background tailored to the customer’s business needs.”  

The cooperation between Invitech and Microsoft is not new: the ICT solution provider has received the software-maker’s “Cloud Service Provider Partner” certificate, earning the right to sell Microsoft’s cloud-based business solutions. Kemendi notes that, while cloud-based solutions are in high demand among mid-sized businesses, larger enterprises are still careful about using the new technology.  

Still, Invitech has a lot to offer when it comes to cutting-edge cloud tech. One of these solutions is the multicloud approach (the use of multiple cloud computing and storage services in a single heterogeneous architecture) utilized by the company during the development of cloud-based products. Kemendi says that this approach is beneficial, as a number of clients require a combination of services rather than a single one.

While the most sought after solutions are still related to network services, the internet, and virtual private networks, as well as traditional voice services, the trends indicate an incoming change in the 2020s. That said, however, many customers are still looking for telephone services based on traditional ISDN technology.

Real Potential

“On the other hand, considering Invitech’s business areas, network services may grow at a maximum rate between 3-6%, while voice services are already clearly declining. The real potential, meaning 30-40% per year, can be found in cloud and security services,” the expert argues.

Joining Invitech in 2012, Kemendi has been in his current position since last June. Products and services delivered by his unit include connectivity, cloud, voice, security and full-range end-user support services. The focus is to design and deliver ICT information and communications technology solutions that create value for customers and accelerate their digital transition.

Kemendi says that the company has created a number of internally developed solutions to achieve this focus, involving technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, which can save a lot of time, according to the expert.

“We have created an AI-based system which may result in a more effective and successful client management, thanks to the integration of robots. Requests arriving via email are handled automatically by this system. The AI utilizes the entirety of the Hungarian Wikipedia as a knowledge base in order to determine which human expert should receive the message,” he says.