There's good news for those looking to enhance business communications, as ShoreTel, provider of unified communications (UC) and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solutions, has announced its partnership with Applaud Services, a managed IT service desk vendor, according to ITWire. Applaud chose to work with ShoreTel because of its history of developing products from the ground up, rather than relying on legacy technologies. Although ShoreTel was in the running along with a number of providers, its premium services stole the show, said Ricci Danieletto, the managing director at Applaud.
VoIP and UC are mainstream
The partnership indicates that VoIP technology is hitting the mainstream, as more enterprises and vendors recognize its benefits. Applaud partnered with ShoreTel so that it could provide clients with UC and VoIP options. ShoreTel's UC offerings, which can be customized for 20 to 20,000 users, will complement Applaud's cloud-based offerings. "ShoreTel is an entrepreneurial, highly respected company experiencing robust market momentum. As a result, we felt there was a natural affinity with our own business and we look forward to working closely to build mutual success," said Danieletto.
Partnerships such as the one between ShoreTel and Applaud could benefit both companies, as well as their clients. By working together, the corporations can help businesses enhance communications for positive gain.
UCaaS is a viable option
According to FierceEnterpriseCommunications, the market for VoIP and UC has increased tension between smaller vendors and larger providers. As smaller companies begin advancing their products and offering them in the cloud, they will challenge large IT corporations, software companies and traditional phone offerings. The news source described UC-as-a-service (UCaaS) as an attractive option for businesses of all sizes.
"I might have to deal with a different provider at each location. With UCaaS, I collapse it all down. I have one provider, one point of contact, one billing source, one person I am negotiating with and trouble shooting with," said Diane Myers, principal analyst for VoIP, UC and IMS at Infonetics Research. "We see that as being a real sweet spot for UCaaS."
Flexible, reliable services
The news source reported that UC and hosted VoIP are good for businesses looking to increase their communication services through flexibility. Although UC and VoIP can offer cost savings, users are often more interested in flexible, reliable options that take pressure off of the IT department. Because UC and VoIP are hosted in the cloud, IT managers can focus on other issues rather than on managing phones and communication software.
By partnering with an IT provider like Applaud, ShoreTel could gain many new clients who are looking to benefit from reliable and premium VoIP and UC services. With implementation on the upswing, UC providers may see a boom in business. Business executives, sales teams and customer service representatives are using customer relationship management (CRM), VoIP and other UC tools to improve how people talk to each other in the enterprise.