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In today's digitally driven entertainment landscape, instant content delivery is essential. Users want to access their media entertainment on an on-demand basis, viewing video and other forms of content on an as-needed basis. This type of flexibility and agility has led to a content-viewing revolution, of sorts. People watch movies, television and other forms of digital media at their own leisure now, and do so on various devices and in different locations.

"Billing is becoming a cornerstone for corporate innovation."

The same type of flexibility should also be afforded to the way businesses and consumers pay for content. Billing is becoming a way for companies to differentiate themselves in an increasingly competitive marketplace, giving viewers various options in terms of how they pay for content. According to a recent article written by MGI Research for Forbes, agile billing is a monetization process that's defined on multiple business levels, including business agility, IT agility and product agility. Billing is becoming a cornerstone for corporate innovation.

The cloud has dramatically changed the way companies operate. Critical business infrastructure now sits in the cloud, including sensitive data and financials. These solutions are now mature and secure enough for any sized organization to utilize. Today's billing infrastructure requires the same type of flexibility in that businesses have to offer more than just subscription-based services. Today's hyper-competitive marketplace requires that type of flexibility as well as room to scale and seamless IT integration.

A new generation of billing

Cloud-based billing solutions integrate well with legacy systems and are able to deliver what companies desire today:

• Seamless and fast implementation
• Inexpensive alterations
• Quick configuration

Forbes says these are a few qualities large companies find attractive because they can improve margins. Corporate-sized firms likely have multitiered sales, complex pricing models and various distribution channels, so the ability to scale and remain agile in billing can act as a competitive differentiator.

Switching to an on-demand billing model is a viable business option for companies of any size, as long as it's in the cloud. Configuration, integration and system improvements are made easier, saving both time and money on the back end. A priority for interested businesses in creating a cloud-based billing structure is security, Gigaom says. While cloud-based systems are mature enough for any sized organization to implement, it's still critical to protect sensitive and financial information. A data breach of any type is costly and severely damages brand reputation.