5G’s networking splicing capabilities will help deliver faster and clearer communications, especially when it comes to video.
— Brian Peterson, chief technology officer, DialpadÂ
Brian Peterson, chief technology officer of Dialpad, first started at Google as a software engineer where he was the very first developer to join the acquired GrandCentral team, which eventually became Google Voice. And that’s where his initial interest in unified communications as a service (UCaaS) stemmed from. He joined Dialpad with big ideas for the future of communication, which pushed him to experiment and build with the team.
In this edition of Toolbox’s Tech Talk with Neha Pradhan, Peterson talks about how unified communications is poised to undergo further innovation with 5G and edge networking. He addresses how cloud communication providers can make security a priority. Peterson also touches upon the benefits of UCaaS for specific industries in a cloud-first world.
Key Takeaways on Why 5G Will Have a Major Impact on Unified Communications:
- 5G is underpinned by a new form of e2e encryption.
- 5G’s unique architecture provides visibility into various layers of network security.
- 5G is the perfect solution to keep hybrid and remote employees connected.
Here are the edited excerpts from our exclusive interview with Brian Peterson:
1. 5G connectivity is going to raise the bar for the AI cloud communication market. But there are some notable challenges that come along with 5G. How can compliance implications and increased costs be well-positioned to have a leg-up with the competition?
When it comes to cost, leaders need to think about why they require 5G so they can determine the ROI. 5G is the perfect solution to keep hybrid and remote employees connected, no matter where they are. So, if you are deploying 5G for your anywhere workers, you’re likely simultaneously decreasing the size of your office space while saving thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. The money saved from unused offices can be reallocated to employees who are now working from home to ensure they have the right setup. With better network connectivity, workers benefit from increased productivity.
Also read: Why Cybersecurity Should Remain a Priority for Businesses in the 5G Era
2. In what ways is unified communications poised to undergo further innovation with 5G and edge networking? How does the roadmap look post pandemic?
There are two main areas where 5G will have a major impact on UCaaS innovation, security, and speed. 5G’s unique architecture provides visibility into various layers of network security, giving decision-makers much more granular control to decide what can and can’t get through the network. Plus, 5G is underpinned by a new form of e2e encryption: IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) in addition to typical firewalling capabilities. This means that UCaaS solutions that are running on a 5G network, depending on configurations, should be inherently more secure.
In terms of speed, 5G’s networking splicing capabilities will help deliver faster and clearer communications, especially when it comes to video. Network splicing allows you to dedicate a piece of bandwidth to a specific application. That means that no matter if your kid is watching Netflix or your partner is also on a video call, you’ll always have reserved bandwidth for smooth, low latency video communications.
— Brian Peterson, chief technology officer, Dialpad
When connected to a 5G network, UCaaS solutions benefit from enterprise-grade network security. Post pandemic, as people continue working remotely and the hybrid work model increases in popularity, more and more businesses will understand the value of arming their employees with 5G-capable platforms and technology to keep them connected from anywhere in the world.
3. Telecom and business communication are no stranger to AI. With SD-WAN, which industries can drive the benefits of UCaaS in a cloud-first world?
Every industry can benefit from cloud-based, AI-powered UCaaS. From education and finance to healthcare and transportation, we’ve seen first-hand how AI can create more efficient and effective communications. One huge shift we’ve seen is the positive impact of real-time AI insights, especially in contact centers. AI can be used to detect sentiment, alerting supervisors to potential issues before agents even have a chance to escalate.
For example, ShipEx, a company in the transportation industry, has seen increased productivity with our instant coaching and sentiment analysis capabilities that Voice Intelligence (Viâ„¢) provides. With Vi, ShipEx can look at all calls and address any concerns within just minutes. ShipEx also leveraged real-time AI-powered transcriptions which allowed employees to read what callers were saying, increasing comprehension for team members who are non-native English speakers.
4. With remote work, more enterprises are leveraging cloud communications and that makes security a priority today. In your view, how can cloud communication providers address this pain point through their services and offerings to protect businesses from vulnerable systems and unprepared networks?
Because each business has unique needs, one-size-fits-all retention policies do not work. The best way to approach security is to give customers control to shape data policies within their communications platform, business unit by business unit.
UCaaS providers should implement transparent, easy-to-understand privacy measures and offer granular controls in a single pane of glass so admins can collect data, perform analytics, and reliably delete it at the right time.
— Brian Peterson, chief technology officer, Dialpad
Having one simple, intuitive platform for all messaging, voice and video communications can also reduce the risk of shadow IT (when employees deploy apps without approval and security testing).
5. Gartner predicts that service leaders are expected to increase investments on support technologies in the next two years. After being deployed, how soon can AI help deliver better ROI for customer service and support leaders? What is wise to expect and what caution must they exercise when setting expectations?
Deploying a communications solution with AI can have an immediate impact on customer support and service. One example is sentiment analysis. If customer service leaders can see call sentiment, positive or negative in real-time, they can see when a call with an agent is not going well and they need to jump in and provide additional support to save the sale and keep the customer happy.
When setting expectations around the benefits of AI, it’s important to remember that AI will get smarter over time. For example, if an automatic speech recognition engine has a tough time understanding certain words and industry-specific phrases, you may have to provide the proper spelling for those items. But moving forward, when those words and phrases are mentioned, a smart AI engine should be able to recognize them.
— Brian Peterson, chief technology officer, Dialpad
We build databases of company-specific keywords to enhance accuracy. For a user who spells her name ‘Kathryn’ and works at a company named Skribbl, our system would spell the proper names correctly, whereas other models would likely spell them how they sound (ie: “Katherine†and “scribbleâ€).
Also read: 5G Security: Simplicity and Risk Management Are the Key Constructs for Growth
6. Is a cloud-neutral strategy the key to cloud success? What should be the most important consideration for business services when choosing a provider?
I think it’s more a matter of ensuring redundancy versus making sure your strategy is cloud neutral. For example, we host most of our business logic in Google Cloud, while doing media handling in our strategically positioned data centers around the globe. Our rolling deployments, combined with geo-located redundancy, ensure we never need to take a customer down for maintenance.
Beyond reliability, global availability is another key consideration. Without a reliable, global cloud solution, running real-time communications across the world and across thousands of devices is difficult.
And, because there is less overhead than a self-managed or on-premises solution, the ROI is clear, you get more power to generate insights into how your business is running, helping people stay connected from anywhere in the world.
About Brian PetersonOpens a new window
Brian Peterson is the CTO and one of the co-founders of Dialpad, the leader in AI-powered communications and collaboration. During the past decade, he has overseen the development of Dialpad’s award-winning unified communications and contact center technology. As CTO, Peterson is bringing to life Dialpad’s vision of an integrated, future ready UCaaS solution that is prepared to meet the growing demand of a distributed global workforce. Previously, Peterson was a senior software engineer at Google for 8 years. During his time there, he was the first Google engineer transfer to the acquired Google Voice/Grand Central team.
About DialpadOpens a new window
Dialpad is the leading cloud communications platform for AI-powered calling, conferencing, and contact centers. Dialpad’s proprietary, real-time Artificial Intelligence engine, Voice Intelligence (Viâ„¢), helps businesses make smarter decisions by giving real-time insights on every call. Built on the Google Cloud Platform for unmatched security and reliability, Dialpad is easy to deploy, integrate and scale.
About Tech Talk
Tech Talk is an interview series that features notable CTOs and senior technology executives from around the world. Join us as we talk to these technology and IT leaders who share their insights and research on data, analytics, and emerging technologies. If you are a tech expert and wish to share your thoughts, write to [email protected]Opens a new window .
In what other ways, 5G will impact unified communications at your enterprise? Share your thoughts with us on LinkedInOpens a new window , FacebookOpens a new window , and TwitterOpens a new window .