This IDC study discusses the emergence, benefits, and considerations of next-generation networks (NGNs) designed to handle today's demanding workloads on a simpler, more efficient platform. Organizations are facing the constant challenge to minimize cost and yet provide and improve the infrastructure that delivers the multitude of applications and services including voice, data, and multimedia.

"As with any new technology and business model, there will be skeptics who avoid it and early adopters who capitalize on its benefits. There is little doubt that cloud technologies and services will change the way organizations do business and the business models currently in play in the market. Pay-per-use has a strong appeal in this downturn, and those companies, whose initial reason to adopt such a service is to lower IT costs, may stay on as users become accustomed to it especially if providers can adapt effectively with changing requirements. Speed of deployment and instant scalability, in addition to capex minimization, will appeal to organizations," says Kenneth Liew, senior market analyst, Communications Research, IDC Asia/Pacific.