The early, groundbreaking decision to offer their software products as cloud solutions as well is paying off in grand style for ASC Technologies AG: In 2018, ASC – a worldwide leading provider of software for recording, analysis, and quality management of corporate communication – wants to add to its 20 percent growth from the previous year and also create 40 new positions. This expansion will be driven primarily by the market launch of ASC neo cloud in October 2018. This will make the entire solution portfolio available as an independent, public cloud solution.
“The decision made a few years ago to move our products into the cloud was correct,” says Dr. Gerald Kromer, the CEO of ASC. “Cloud technology is having a positive effect on our professional lives, reduces investment costs, and increases availability. ASC is among the first companies in the industry that are recognizing this and implementing accordingly. Now, ASC neo cloud is the next important milestone in our company development.”
The numbers behind this strategy are supplied by analysts from Gartner: According to a study, the cloud telephony market will grow by just about 16 percent in the next three years, while investments in classic telephone systems will decrease by about 10 percent – a fundamental change. The overall global market for cloud solutions is supposed to grow over the same period from just about 190 billion US dollars to over 300 billion US dollars.
The dynamic power of innovation
“For many years, we have been investing about 15-20 percent of our revenue each year in research and development at our locations in Hösbach and Saarbrücken,” says Dr. Kromer. “In this way, we have developed a clear competitive advantage in the cloud business in recent years. We have already implemented many private clouds for our customers – for example, a highly secure cloud for S Direkt-Marketing, a service provider of the Sparkasse financial group, and mobile voice recording for a leading European mobile provider. Starting immediately, with ASC neo cloud we are also developing new markets in Europe, the USA, and Asia. This cloud strategy is the engine for our future growth.”
ASC currently serves more than 5,000 customers in 70 countries all over the world. We are close to our customers with subsidiaries in Europe, Dubai, the USA, Brazil, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore. Solutions are sold through alliances with leading telecommunications companies and local business partners. With its strategic technology partnerships with Microsoft and Salesforce, ASC is actively shaping the working world of the future.
Corporate communication from the cloud
With the groundbreaking, customer-oriented services of ASC neo cloud, companies can record and analyze communication regardless of the communication channel, e.g. telephone, chat, or video chat. The solutions are used in contact centers in order to improve the quality of customer service and consultation. At banks and insurance companies, they are used to ensure security and compliance. With the financial market directive MiFID II, which came into effect at the beginning of 2018, there are finally clear specifications for the documentation of conversations in bank. Public and private administration centers, such as the police, fire departments, and airports, also rely on recording by ASC. With the analytics solution, ASC continues to increase its use of artificial intelligence (AI) processes so that contexts can be recognized and the intentions of the communication can be properly classified. Obtaining these services from the cloud means a high level of availability and flexible scalability for corporate users, while keeping overall costs low.
A hidden champion
For over 50 years, ASC Technologies AG has enjoyed success as a mid-sized, family-owned company. “As early as the 1980s, ASC was already focused on the growing market for voice recording, and since then, it has rigorously emphasized internationalization. In the meantime, exports make up nearly 60 percent of turnover. For more than 30 years, ASC has not made use of any bank loans and finances its growth from the cash flow generated,” says Günter Müller, Chairman of ASC. “Our cooperation with customers and business partners is characterized by trust, which has enabled us, a mid-sized company with over 250 employees now, to become a global player. With our cloud strategy, we will continue to expand this position significantly.”
Günter Müller explains: “With Milestone Venture Capital GmbH (MVC), the investment company of ASC, the owner family’s involvement extends beyond ASC, ensuring access to the newest trends and technologies. Since 2010, MVC has invested more than 30 million euros in young, promising software companies in the ICT industry that have products with high growth potential and that want to expand into international markets. Above and beyond just the investment, the portfolio companies benefit a great deal from the excellent network and decades of experience provided by ASC. Among the most important shareholdings of MVC, with a participating interest of more than 30 percent, is NFON, a cloud telephony provider located in Munich and formerly listed on the stock exchange.