Thanks to cloud-native communication, operators of buildings are no longer limited to in-house IT equipment when it comes to building communication and security. Instead, they can easily manage the networked communication components across multiple sites for potentially many thousands of tenants in locations all over the globe - instantaneously, with just a few gestures on their mobile device.

Cloud support also takes the hassle out of deploying security updates and adding new functions to intercom stations. Newly deployed software releases and firmware updates by Commend instantly raise the security or functionality of every connected device to the next level - without any interruption for users.

Even updates of the entire Symphony platform itself are a breeze. Gone are the days of system update downtimes that had to be scheduled carefully to minimise interruptions for users. Cloud natives like Symphony perform their updates in the background, with new functions (instead of interruptions) as the only clue that an update has taken place.

Cloud services come with the crucial advantage of being easily and instantly scalable to virtually any size. For customers, this means that they only have to pay for what they actually use. Unified communication easily and instantly scales up or down to anything between single-tenant arrangements to global multi-site complexes with 100,000 tenants. In terms of consumer costs, these are good weather clouds indeed.

Characteristically, cloud services like Symphony Cloud communication can be accessed anywhere, everywhere. Where you install your Intercom stations doesn’t matter – whether it’s here or on the other side of the globe. You can always rely on them running the latest software. And since that software is maintenance-free, there is no need to bother with user rights management either. So in terms of administration, the clouds are lifting as well, thanks to cloud services.

This is another cost-saving factor to take into account. Symphony's IT is all managed and maintained by Commend and its infrastructure partners. After all, you wouldn't expect to drive a hired chauffeur-driven car yourself, would you?

Symphony cloud services are natively designed to conform fully with ISO/IEC 27001 information security standards on security risk management and security controls.

Data privacy is a hot issue - and a top priority in the design of Symphony cloud services, from the concept stage through to development and implementation. "Privacy and security by design" (and not as a half-hearted add-on) is crucial when it comes to meeting data protection legislation (e.g., the EU's General Data Protection Regulation).

It's also essential for fortifying cloud services against cyber threats of various kinds.