In the interview with Boris Bernardy, CEO of BBCom

BBCom is an independent system house for telecommunications and information technology. With over 30 years of experience in solution-based business, particularly with strong partners such as Alcatel, Gigaset, Samsung, nfon, Peoplefone, Plusnet, Siemens/Unify, Terra, Xelion, Yealink, the company is a creator for UC, video and cloud solutions. In addition, the company offers corresponding solution approaches for data networks, carrier connections, high-performance data lines, voice recording and, of course, flexible office solutions.

Through years of, in particular, manufacturer-independent consulting and planning as well as the associated implementation of IT and communication projects, we speak with Boris Bernardy, Managing Director of BBCom, especially in times of home office, about the all-important telecommunications infrastructure for medium-sized companies.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: For the layperson, the technologies offered today by providers in the field of telecommunications are no longer distinguishable. What do you see as the most important criteria for optimally selecting the right telecommunications infrastructure?

Boris Bernardy: This is an area where a lot has changed in recent years. In the past, selecting a manufacturer meant being tied to many standards predetermined by that manufacturer. For example, it was almost unthinkable to use a telephone system from provider A and end devices from B, C or D. Today, many providers offer a wide range of options. There are also very fair solutions in terms of contract design and terms.
When making a selection, it is important that the newly chosen solution fits the company perfectly; not every solution presented in a technical article will necessarily work equally well in your own company. This can be determined, for example, through analyses and test installations.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: First, we would like to clarify the difference between a completely new system in a company from scratch and integration into an existing infrastructure. How do the selected systems differ in these scenarios?

Boris Bernardy: From scratch, all necessary standards can of course be coordinated in advance to quickly and flexibly integrate an innovative solution.
When encountering an existing infrastructure, many things first need to be analyzed and coordinated. In principle, everything is possible here as well, and this is precisely where BBCom’s particular strength lies: being able to respond to all technological requirements in the most innovative way possible at the best price-performance ratio.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: What difficulties typically arise when a new system needs to be integrated into an existing infrastructure? How does your approach work in such cases?

Boris Bernardy: Due to the recent switch from ISDN to ALL-IP, many companies have resorted to "tricks" to save money in the short term.
This means that while the Telekom invoice shows ALL-IP, the company itself often still has the old structures in place. These need to be cleaned up first in order to make good use of the flexibility now required for home office, smartphone telephony, and full UC integration.
What is interesting here is that most customers are convinced they have a very good phone tariff under contract. However, so far, we have been able to significantly improve most of the conditions we have reviewed in terms of both cost and performance.
This is usually because providers rarely offer any price improvements when migrating from ISDN to IP.
Today’s SIP contracts, however, are structured very differently and offer much more flexible services at a significantly lower base cost.
In times of Corona, it has become very clear how important redundancies and location independence are. Today, solutions can be created that ensure availability virtually anywhere and at any time.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Now, in times of home office, employees must also be optimally connected to the company from home. What elements such as laptops, fast internet, etc. need to be considered? What are your recommendations?

Boris Bernardy: The internet connection in the home office should be faster than DSL 16,000, as connections up to 16,000 typically still use the old ADSL technology. While home office is possible with these connections in principle, there may be quality fluctuations.

In the home office, modern IP telephony today offers numerous connection options…from a simple desk phone, individually supplemented with a wired or wireless headset, a DECT cordless phone, or directly from the PC via a telephony client. Fax machines can also be connected or converted directly to fax-to-mail.
The options are therefore very extensive.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Managers demand that their employees be optimally reachable everywhere, meaning in the office as well as in the home office. How can such a service be ensured?

Boris Bernardy: A home office or field service employee no longer needs multiple phone numbers or relies on popular external call forwarding, but instead uses a single fixed-line number and is reachable under this number everywhere…in the office at their desk or team phone, on the go via smartphone app, or at home on their PC. Since up to 9 end devices can be registered under a single extension, you can be reached wherever you want. Team functions naturally move into the cloud, so a colleague can take calls if you are unavailable.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Ultimately, it's also about the security of the data, the security of phone calls, and the security of shared documents. What strategy do you recommend to your customers in this regard?

Boris Bernardy: Every single user within an IT network, whether employee, managing director or technician, relies on the company's security strategy. By behaving correctly, they can already make an important contribution to greater IT security. Often, it is the user whose behavior allows data to fall into the hands of unauthorized persons or systems to be compromised. This usually happens out of ignorance or carelessness.

Data should of course always be secured using the latest standards. The voice channel is already encrypted by many SIP providers by default. Other data services should definitely be secured with appropriate firewalls and VPNs. Increasingly, so-called managed service solutions are being chosen here, which are kept up to date in real time. This achieves a very high level of security.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Lastly, we are interested in an outlook on the future. Telekom CEO Timotheus Höttges expects hybrid structures in the future. What is your assessment and how can medium-sized decision-makers optimally position their companies?

Boris Bernardy: First of all, we need a solution that can deliver what is promised in the prospectus! The year 2020 clearly showed who still has reserves and which network was already operating too close to its limit beforehand. Here, each location should actually be checked individually. Often, a combination of regional and larger providers makes sense. Regional providers offer personal and direct service. Hybrid solutions then complement this very sensibly, and working really becomes even more enjoyable.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Thank you very much for the interview.