On September 29^th, we hosted another IPECS Insights session, bringing together our global partner community to share market experiences, ideas, and practical examples from across the IPECS network.

This month’s session came from Australia, with ARIA Business Development Manager Michael Strzelecki and Head of Engineering Philip Hongkyung Jung sharing how the business is responding to changes in the Australian communications market. Their presentations explored both the commercial and technical sides of that change, from new channel models and cloud migration to AI, APIs, customer experience and locally developed solutions.

A communications market in transition

ARIA has worked with IPECS for 27 years and built a strong position in the Australian on-premise communications market. Today, the business is adapting that experience to a market increasingly focused on cloud services and recurring revenue.

Michael explained how purchasing models are changing, with partners moving away from long-term financed agreements towards subscription and recurring revenue models. The channel itself is changing too. Alongside traditional telecommunications businesses, ARIA is seeing growing opportunities with managed IT and managed print providers that already understand the value of recurring services.

Local hosting is also an important differentiator. ARIA hosts its services within Australia through Equinix Tier 4 data centers, with redundancy remaining onshore. Combined with hands-on local support, this gives ARIA a point of difference against larger global providers. ARIA also operates exclusively through its partner channel, with no direct sales model.

Together, these capabilities are helping ARIA create what Michael described as a ‘cloud migration factory,’ making it easier for partners to move existing customers towards cloud services while developing recurring revenue opportunities.

Making cloud migration work for more customers

One of the strongest themes from the session was that cloud migration needs to reflect the circumstances of individual customers.

ARIA has introduced BYO SIP to allow customers to retain existing carrier relationships and SIP trunks while adopting IPECS Cloud. For larger managed service providers and carriers, it also creates an opportunity to combine their own connectivity with IPECS Cloud as part of a wider service proposition.

A similar principle sits behind ARIA’s Hybrid Edge Service.

Organizations such as hotels, hospitals, aged care facilities, and schools can have hundreds of endpoints that see relatively low usage. Moving every endpoint immediately to a full cloud subscription may not always be commercially practical.

ARIA’s approach combines IPECS Cloud with on-premise deployment to provide a more practical transition path. Customers can benefit from cloud services and management while retaining cost-efficient local infrastructure where it makes sense.

It is a good example of how flexibility can remove barriers to cloud adoption rather than forcing every customer down the same migration path.

Extending IPECS through local innovation

Philip’s presentation focused on how ARIA is building around IPECS Cloud to address requirements specific to its market.

Microsoft Teams is one example. ARIA continues to promote the IPECS ONE Teams plugin, while also developing an SBC-based direct routing solution with a local technology partner for customers that specifically want to use the native Teams dialer.

IPECS APIs are also creating opportunities to respond quickly to more specialized requirements.

Philip demonstrated this with an on-call application originally developed for another communications service. The application automatically changes call forwarding based on predefined schedules, routing customer calls to the appropriate mobile users. CTI integration with IPECS Cloud was developed in just three days, showing how partners can use the platform to create solutions for specific industries and workflows.

ARIA plans to build on this approach through its Apps Marketplace, bringing together integrations and locally sourced applications that can address customer requirements and help partners take new capabilities to market more quickly.

Taking a practical approach to AI and customer experience

AI was another important part of the discussion, but the focus was firmly on practical outcomes.

Philip highlighted three requirements shaping ARIA’s technical development: easier access to existing carriers, systems, devices, and tools; AI that delivers measurable improvements; and broader market coverage across vertical industries, customer experience, and multinational organizations.

ARIA is now working with a local Australian technology partner on a locally hosted AI solution using IPECS Open API. The aim is to combine voice AI with CRM integration and business process automation while addressing requirements around local support and data sovereignty. ARIA also discussed the potential for IPECS transcription data to become part of wider CRM, ERP, and business workflows.

Customer experience presents another growth opportunity. ARIA outlined a dual approach, using existing IPECS Cloud capabilities for organizations that need better customer engagement without a full contact center, alongside more advanced omnichannel and AI solutions for customers with more complex requirements.

Building growth around the IPECS platform

Throughout the session, a consistent idea emerged: IPECS Cloud provides the communications foundation, while partners can build around it to solve broader customer challenges.

For ARIA, that means simplifying cloud offers, supporting partners with pricing and solution design, developing local integrations, introducing new commercial models, and automating more of the quoting, contracting, and renewal process. The goal is to make IPECS easier to sell while helping partners build stronger recurring revenue streams.

It also demonstrates the value of combining a global communications platform with local market expertise. ARIA understands the commercial, technical, and operational requirements of its market, while IPECS provides a platform that can be extended to meet them.

After 27 years of partnership, that combination continues to create new opportunities. As the Australian market moves further towards cloud, AI, integrated customer experience, and recurring services, ARIA is showing how partners can adapt IPECS Cloud around the needs of their customers and use it as the foundation for continued growth.