The telecom industry got a jolt of excitement in December 2024 when Alianza, a nimble cloud communications company, swooped in to buy Metaswitch from Microsoft. The deal promises to breathe new life into Metaswitch’s legacy soft-switch technology while giving telcos a clear path to cloud modernization. For this episode, I’m talking with Brian Beutler, founder and CEO of Alianza, about why Alianza made this bold move and what’s next for Metaswitch customers. Listen now to hear:
Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring.
Brian Beutler is the founder and CEO of Alianza, the leading cloud communications platform for telco service providers. He is passionate about transforming the telecommunications industry by empowering service providers to deliver modernized, cloud-native core communications solutions to supercharge growth, simplify operations and reduce costs. Under Beutler’s leadership, Utah-based Alianza has forged a strategic collaboration agreement with AWS and counts Lumen Technologies, Brightspeed, Viasat and Xplore among its tier-one and nationwide customers.
The Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes!🎉 We’ve also won a 2024 MarComm Award and Hermes Award, and are recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast.
If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!
Get my FREE newsletter, delivered every two weeks, with curated content to help telco execs across the globe move to the public cloud.
Set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring.
Alianza pursued the Metaswitch acquisition for three key reasons. First, customer demand was overwhelming—service providers needed a safe landing zone and true market leader after years of uncertainty. Second, controlling both the legacy platform and cloud destination allows Alianza to streamline the complex migration path for telcos with tentacles into OSS, BSS, and billing systems. Third, Alianza saw tremendous opportunity to integrate Metaswitch’s talented team and expand together. Read more about the acquisition in industry coverage from Fierce Network, Light Reading, and UC Today.
Alianza is taking a multi-phase, customer-first approach focused on stability. The company immediately paused Microsoft’s end-of-life notices for products like MaX UC and Perimeta, removing urgency and panic from the market. Alianza is launching a customer listening tour to let service providers “choose their own adventure” for cloud migration at a pace that minimizes disruption. This approach acknowledges that telcos plan in years, not quarters, and have complex back-office systems requiring thoughtful modernization strategies.
AI is central to Alianza’s vision for modernizing Metaswitch’s portfolio. The company plans to leverage its strategic relationship with AWS while also tapping Microsoft’s investments in Copilot and AI capabilities—one reason Microsoft selected Alianza as Metaswitch’s new home. This dual-hyperscaler approach gives customers greater optionality and access to cutting-edge AI innovations. As host Danielle Rios notes in the episode, telcos need public cloud access to AI chips, foundation models, and hyperscaler execution capability to become AI-first and remain competitive.
Alianza prepared for this moment by building out its leadership team years ago when market conversations shifted from “if” to “when” regarding cloud migration. The company strategically added C-suite executives and attracted talent from industry leaders like Cisco, RingCentral, and other major telco and cloud providers. Alianza’s approach focuses on alignment—a core value—ensuring both employee bases unite with common vision and purpose. The company emphasizes moving fast but thoughtfully, like the childhood game Operation: working with urgency while being purposeful about integration decisions to avoid having to backtrack.
In her Telco in 20 takeaway, DR emphasizes that the question is no longer “if” but “when” telcos move to public cloud. She points to major operators like Telefonica Germany, Comcast, and DISH already making the shift. With rapid AI advancement, telcos need public cloud access to AI chips, software, foundation models, and hyperscaler execution capability to become AI-first. DR invites telecom executives to connect with her at MWC25, where Totogi is sponsoring the GenAI Summit and hosting demos in Hall 2 and the AWS space.
While this episode focuses on Alianza’s acquisition, host DR mentions that Totogi specializes in helping telcos leverage public cloud and AI for business transformation. Totogi is showcasing its products at MWC25 in Barcelona, with demos available at its booth in Hall 2 and the AWS space. The company is also sponsoring the GenAI Summit where DR is delivering a must-see talk. Telecom executives interested in tapping the business value of AI and public cloud can set up meetings with the Totogi team.
Apple Podcasts 
Spotify 
YouTube 
