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Unified Communications Week in Review: Pexip, Cisco, Toshiba

By Ken Briodagh
Editorial Director

It’s a foggy day in UC-town here for your Unified Communications Week in Review, but in the industry, the news is as clear as a summer’s day: the UC industry is using its expertise to take the Internet of Things (IoT) by storm.

In our first story this week, Pexip announced that it has given its Infinity software the capability to provide a universal location where all employees can collaborate through videoconferencing and file sharing. This latest news confirms that the company has extended its flagship product under the umbrella of the Microsoft Azure cloud computing infrastructure.

Meraki is a subsidiary of Cisco (News - Alert) since 2012, and the systems giant has been moving the company in the direction of the IoT, where all hardware and software can link to each other in the cloud. This week, Meraki announced an expansion of its product line to include new Ethernet and fiber switches that compliment its new cloud-based management software-as-a-service, designed to handle the inner workings of those hardware units.

In contact center industry news, this new age of omnichannel customer experiences and much more informed consumers is changing the game every day. Companies are scrambling to find ways of making the contact center, and the customer experience, better. Toshiba America Information Systems is doing just that with a major new update to its UCedge client systems, offering a slate of new capabilities, particularly the ability to log in and manage calls from mobile devices.

And now for some feel-good news of the week, Philadelphia not-for-profit Intercommunity Action Inc. (Interact) is leveraging UC technology to help its constituents get better health care. The organization provides health and senior services for people with intellectual and development disabilities, and because Interact’s 400 staff members frequently rotate and work from five locations, multiple satellite offices and community housing, it can be difficult for clients to reach the right employee. Interact is now using a cloud-based communications system to manage the systems at each of the five locations through one centralized website, improving quality of care and easing the way for patients.

It’s always sunny in the UC, as technology makes businesses better at serving customers and customers happier in their daily lives.