Communication Platform as a Service refers to cloud-based communication platforms that makes it simple for developers to add API based communications with zero effort in building back end infrastructure. According to IDC, CPaaS market segment is expected to grow from $3.3B in 2018 to $17.2B in 2023. Increase in the market is complemented by CPaaS vendors expanding the scope of their products and services to target more use cases focused on industries, customer service, Internet of Things and marketing.
SAP Digital Interconnect has integrated its communications platform as a service (CPaaS) capabilities into other software solutions that are popularly deployed by enterprises. The initiative began with the company adding CPaaS functionality to parts the wider product and ecosystem within SAP, but the activity is not limited to SAP products and has been extended to similar providers or other solution software vendors.
“We have certain communication channels which can be purchased as a standalone but also can be set up as multichannel, and now it's about connecting the CPaaS platform and solutions with other products like SAP Marketing Cloud or SAP Success Factors or Customer Data Cloud,” explained Felix Heckmann, Director of Solution Management at SAP Digital Interconnect.
“Many of the products in SAP are now extended using our CPaaS solutions and SAP is therefore the starting point for adding channels”
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Felix Heckmann[/caption]
"At the end, customers have the full suite of all our CPaaS enabled channels in their portfolio. And that's how we started building solutions around the CPaaS, saying let’s use what we have within the wider SAP portfolio and beyond that.”
The integration of CPaaS solutions into other products creates consistency across enterprises and brings additional functionality to previously deployed systems. “It makes it easier to have it all integrated and there’s no need for additional contract management and procurement processes,” added Heckmann. “Support is also much easier and that was an important aspect of basically bundling the solution into another product. Of course, it's always a matter of choice and there are definitely customers who have got their own providers and they can use them, of course.”
Bhomik Pande, Product Manager at SAP Digital Interconnect, added that the goal is to make the CPaaS functionality widely available and easily integrated with other solutions. “Over time, we have addressed the relevant current types of developer usages, such as sample code, snippets and documentation,” he said.
