As the year 2000 approached, then Microsoft CEO Bill Gates -- who at the time enjoyed near-Nostradamus status --  was asked about the most important technology developments to anticipate in the new century. One thing Gates described seemed highly improbable at the time: the idea that as internet bandwidth approached computer processing speeds, actual data computation and storage would take place farther and farther from the user.

This, Gates said, would provide users with more flexibility. 

I remember reading that while waiting 10 minutes for a song to download via DSL (a vast improvement over the 30 minutes it took over dial-up connection) and hoping it was one Gates prediction that would not come to pass. I couldn't imagine internet-mediated software ever being fast enough to offer a better user experience than something installed locally.

It would be a few years before Gates' predicted paradigm shift gained a name: cloud computing, and a few more years before bandwidth speeds approached processing speeds sufficient to give it traction. Today, the cloud is increasingly how business is done. To an outsider, the difference between working with software installed on premises versus in the cloud may initially seem like one of degrees. Seeing the order of magnitude difference it makes in practice will change that opinion. 

With the decision to incorporate home-based agents into the our constellation of customer experience (CX) offerings, Everise made substantial investments in cloud-based platforms, placing Microsoft's Azure at the foundation -- with a well-deserved hat tip to Mr. Gates' vision. As predicted, this configuration provided Everise with maximum flexibility for converting centralized agents to home-based agents when Covid-19 was minimizing options for so many others in our industry.

VMBlog.com has been reporting on the cloud computing revolution from the beginning and today is a canonical source of information and insight into that fast moving space. 

I was recently interviewed by VMBlog.com on how Everise managed to move 90% of our agents, globally, to work-at-home, and in so doing, maintain our famously consistently high service levels to our valued clients. The short answer is: the cloud plus the uniquely Everise approach to problem solving made it possible. Read the piece to learn what some of those were.

Everise has made the transformational tech investment necessary to enable our people to work productively anywhere the internet touches. We can do the same for you. Send us a note at sales@weareeverise.com and let's talk about how the cloud has transformed how we do CX.