Globe Telecom is migrating its technology infrastructure to Amazon Web Services' (AWS) cloud storage and computing to speed up systems and improve customer experience, it said recently.
Carlo Malana, Chief Information Officer of Globe Telecom, said that from big investments in traditional physical servers, moving to cloud services will provide for smooth and speedy changes in technologies.
He said this is in line with Globe's goal of "virtualization" to better serve customers in the new normal.
"There are certain things you can do that you were never able to do before. With the cloud, as we approach peak periods like the holidays, you can scale things up and prepare a lot more for the demand, and then be able to downsize this when the demand is no longer there," Malana said in a briefing on Monday.
"In the past, these decisions are done a lot more carefully because you're stuck with your investments when you do that."
Some processes which take months to days before can now be done in "minutes, even seconds," he said.
For Globe, he cited Globe One, and fintech applications such as GCash as having improved customer experience with the use of cloud, as it enabled real-time transactions to pay bills, powers chatbots to attend to customer concerns, and provide other services accessed in seconds.
Globe used AWS' Amazon Connect, a cloud-based contact center for more efficient customer service, and Amazon Polly, which turns texts into lifelike speech, helping customers with their queries.
AWS' Amazon Lex also helped Globe build their artificial intelligence (AI)-powered customer service chatbot named Gie of Globe in only two weeks.
Malana noted the use of cloud is needed for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and businesses to help them grow their business fast, enabling them to expand reach to millions of customers globally and "scale up virtual capabilities."
This is advantageous compared to systems 10 years ago where businesses need to "gamble to invest in a big server" in order to expand their business and reach, he said.
Globe earlier acquired Cascadeo, which served as its center in IT and communications. Cascadeo is a partner of AWS and Google Cloud, an expert in Microsoft Azure, and recognized as a top cloud center in both the Philippines and the US.