Switch Telecom contracts Rackspace for its critical offshore hub hosting

Alternative telecommunications service provider Switch Telecom has contracted international managed hosting services provider Rackspace Managed Hosting for the turnkey offshore management, maintenance, support and servicing of a dedicated server providing critical hub services for international telephone calls.

Switch Telecom offers services that save costs on local, national, mobile and international telephone calls using technology that integrates with existing conventional telephone infrastructures and switchboards to save 30% to 40% on overall monthly telephone bills.

Switch Telecom business development manager Shannon Duffin said that while their services achieve significant telephony cost savings, their solution is business focused and therefore does not compromise on call quality.

"We analyse a company`s telephone usage and calculate how much can be saved by implementing our solution. The solution runs independently of any existing data networks and does not affect incoming calls. This means current telephone numbers do not change," said Duffin.

"Calls are directed to our local switching hub from where they route to their various destinations. International calls are transported to our UK switching hub located at Rackspace from where they are switched via various international carriers to the end destination."

Rackspace provides Switch Telecom with a fully outsourced managed server hosting solution. The server equipment, environment and bandwidth is supplied and managed by Rackspace allowing Switch Telecom to remotely administer the software functionality.

Being Johannesburg-based without staff in the UK, the servicing, monitoring and maintenance of the switching hub equipment was the most crucial factor for Switch Telecom. The hosting solution had to provide ultra-high availability because for every second the hub is down, Switch Telecom and its clients lose money instead of making it.

"Another key benefit is that we pay a monthly fee to Rackspace and have not had to make a large capital investment in hardware, a factor that strongly differentiated Rackspace, setting it apart from other hosting service providers," said Duffin.

"We approached a number of hosting service providers and it soon became apparent that the Rackspace service is on a different level, making the selection decision very easy. It has been smooth sailing all the way.

"Another critical factor for us is voice delay and quality on the international call itself. By setting up the hub in the UK, delay on calls is minimised and quality improved. We simply could not cut any corners with our network and Rackspace understood our needs. Our service experience with them is simply unparalleled."

Typical of the companies that use Switch Telecom`s services are businesses with large call centres, businesses that trade internationally or are members of international groups, hotels, freight forwarding companies and others with local, national, mobile or international call volume.

"In future, developments in wireless network technology and the evolution of dual GSM-WiMax handsets will open up opportunities for savings on calls made from mobile phones," concluded Duffin.

Rackspace spokesman for the South African market, Geoff Dowell, said the company provides offshore hosting services for a growing number of South African companies that offer Internet-based solutions.

"The turnkey managed hosting service offers companies a totally outsourced solution in return for a monthly fee and this is proving a popular solution for South African companies where local service providers are limited by a lack of true broadband facilities."