Call Recording in the Cloud

Can we actually have cloud Recording?

First let’s look at cloud based services in general.  Vendors offer their solutions by hosting their application on their own servers which are then available and accessible by the customer at any time. The popularity of cloud-based applications has been growing exponentially in recent years because companies are quickly realizing the benefits of SaaS deployments.
 

So what is it about cloud-based applications that make it attractive to customers? With a typical pay-as-you-go subscription model and web-based accessibility, the risk when purchasing and implementing cloud-based applications is greatly reduced. Plus, hosted applications lessen the burden on IT infrastructure and personnel resources because the maintenance of the applications are managed by the vendor. Just install the applications and go.  But the benefits go much deeper than that. For instance, most hosted applications offer:
 

·         Low start-up costs – no capital expense and no software purchase

·         Fast and easy implementations

·         No upgrade costs to keep the software up to date - updates are made automatically by the vendor

·         Predictable software costs

·         Fast ROI

·         Flexibility to increase or decrease the number of users whenever you need to

·         Security - A vendor’s business is predicated on providing a secure, reliable data environment.

·         No hidden costs such as additional hardware purchases, annual maintenance fees, or internal support personnel

·         Seamless product updates and enhancements

In order to offer cloud based recording, the system must record the phone conversations at the customer’s location and store the recordings.  Then at a convenient time the call recordings are sent to a cloud based recording server.  The remote recording server has features for access, sorting, and playback; playback via the cloud.  When sending the recording files, which can be quite large, the local recording interface must wait until the network is available, at maybe 2 AM.  Thus the recordings may not be available immediately after the call is completed and cannot be live monitored.  However, this may be achievable in the future with a VoIP phone system.

Here are several factors that may prevent the evolution to cloud recording.

·         The hardware on site is required to interface to VoIP, legacy digital and analog phone systems and to temporarily  store the calls

 

·         Robust network availability

·         Delay in sending the files to the cloud server results in calls that may not be live monitored or be unavailable until the next day

·         Maintenance and support required for on-site hardware

·         The cost for the local hardware in addition to the cost for the remote services

The benefits of cloud based recording

·         Low cost to start recording

·         Easily cancelable

What is being done today to advance towards cloud recording?  For one, Oaisys is offering cloud recording with many of the benefits along with the weaknesses.  The system is installed, only for VoIP recording and is accessible only after the calls are transmitted to the cloud based server which is scheduled for early in the morning.  Oaisys offers a monthly cost and an annual contract option.

You can design your own local server with Intelligent Recording’s USB interface.  This might be practical for several locations reporting to a home based recording server, via the cloud.  However, this scenario does require a PC at each location; a PC that stores the calls and can be accessed from the web.

Passing your inbound calls through a service is currently available.  Here, your telephone number rings at the remote site.  The remote site forwards the call to you and records the call.  This service may be expensive; however it is flexible with low startup cost but at a higher overall cost.  This scenario doesn’t work to record outbound calls.

VoIP calls could conceivably be recorded and sent to the cloud based recording server without a local archive server.  However, it would require a robust network and available high speed web access.  There are no software or services for remote VoIP recording at this time.
 

There are cases where there are separate locations that are recording calls that need to be monitored and stored at a central location.  This requires robust recording servers at each location and access to the web.  In this case, Revcord, for example, provides software so the calls can be searched and played at that central location via the cloud. 

In summary, cloud based recording doesn’t seem to be practical at this time due to the need to store the calls at the local site.  While a robust network and fat web access are necessary for recording VoIP calls and for faster access to the calls over the cloud, the traffic congestion over the network may make this unpractical.  Alternative systems such as inbound call recording will not fulfill your overall needs of inbound and outbound call recording.  Since even a recording server is needed at the local site to temporally store cloud based recordings the local recording server continues to be the most practical solution at this time.