IDC said this week that its research shows cloud providers can utilise the telecommunications world’s proven approach for charging to help “monetise” the service. The research firm also claims that certain billings software vendors are already well placed to support cloud providers through their telco billings offerings.

“Leveraging a system to put a value on the transaction – “rate” in telecom language – will be a critical first step for cloud computing infrastructure projects.” says IDC. It argues that telecom billing vendors like Amdocs, Comverse, Convergys, CSG, Intec, LHS and Oracle include rating as a core component of a holistic billing system, which also includes capabilities such as customer care, partner billing, promotions, and payments and collections. 

“The business and consumer experiences of complex bills for technology services is often tightly associated with voice and, increasingly, data services, thereby making the telecommunications example instructive. A new generation of business and consumer customers mean that cloud providers need to take a critical look at the options.”