Arrow and 8x8 Form UC Cloud Partnership

By Michael Guta
TMCnet Contributing Writer

Having a clear communications line eliminates confusion when two parties are trying to get their point across. While this is important for everyone, it is that much more critical for businesses as they carry out their daily operations.  This requires deploying communication solutions that are able to integrate the latest technology with existing systems to ensure everyone is on the same page at all times. Unified communications (UC) and cloud computing are two technologies that are making this possible by delivering a comprehensive solution that can be accessed from anywhere, along with the flexibility to scale with virtually no limitations. The new partnership between Arrow Systems Integration and 8x8 (News - Alert) is going to increase the portfolio of both companies as they bring their UC and cloud technologies together.

With hosted communications solution increasingly becoming the preferred choice for many organizations, service providers are forming partnerships with businesses that have key talents to help them address the new market place. As the Chief Marketing Officer of 8x8, Enzo Signore said in an interview with CRN, “The on-premises market is rapidly declining … and many customers are very intrigued by the transformational value and the compelling financials that cloud communications can offer.”

According to Arrow, provider of specialized UC and contact center solutions, this new partnership will give the company the extended cloud communication specialization of 8x8 so it can increase its cloud portfolio. It will now be able to offer its partners a wide range of communication solutions in the cloud so they can give their customers more options. This includes, 8x8's virtual office telephony, cloud-based unified communications, VoIP and virtual contact center services, and analytics and reporting tools.

The analytics and reporting tools deliver added value by evaluating the services, extensions and devices in the communications network with detailed and customizable real-time and historical information. Based on this analysis, businesses are able to improve different areas of their communications ecosystem, including their workgroup collaboration performance, sales campaigns effectiveness, customer experience management and staffing requirements.

The 8x8 cloud communications solutions are integrated over a single cloud platform and externally with third-party CRM solutions. Leading market vendors such as Zendesk, NetSuite, Salesforce, Zoho, Microsoft (News - Alert) Dynamics and Microsoft Lync can be integrated seamlessly to give companies the best available option.

By offering everything under one umbrella, Arrow and 8x8 customers will now have a one-stop shop to address their communication needs on a single consolidated invoice.