BroadSoft, a VoIP application software provider, and Polycom, Inc., a provider of telepresence, videoconferencing and voice communications solutions, today announced a new solution that integrates voice and video technology that can be delivered over a common infrastructure.
The product, called V2Connect, uses Polycom's (News - Alert) Open Collaboration Network strategy with BroadSoft's BroadWorks VoIP application platform. Together, the two companies, can help service providers offer a unified voice and video solution as a hosted service.
Brent Kelley, senior analyst and partner at Wainhouse (News - Alert) (News - Alert) Research, said that this partnership differs from the ones that Polycom recently announced with Siemens (News - Alert). The Siemens deal, he explained is a premises-based play, while Broadsoft is a service play.
“This is a different model from what you see with Siemens,” Kelley told TMCnet in an interview. “This gives service providers a bigger scale. It increases the opportunity to sell more products to the same customer and also gives them the opportunity to have additional hosted service revenue.
““For Broadsoft, their channel has the opportunity to have additional premises-based sales and services-based sales,” he added. “It gives Polycom a whole new channel through [Broadvox’s (News - Alert)] service providers.”
Enterprises typically operate an IT environment where voice and video run independently over disparate networks. And until businesses move to all IP-based networks, end-to-end connectivity is still a challenge. But Polycom and Broadsoft officials said the companies’ new solution can resolve that obstacle.
V2Connect offers a common feature set for voice and video terminals, as well as a single numbering plan that can be accessed through private dialing. With V2Connect, users can take a call from their mobile device, transfer it to a video call and then enhance it to a multi-party conference call. The service is designed to reduce travel costs, improve efficiency and create more effective teleworking, the companies.
Other features for enterprise users include:
* Instantly delivered communications. The solution removes the complexity and redundancy of multiple PBXs, lowering CAPEX and delivery costs.
* Simplified management and administration of the service.
* Carrier-grade scalability, reliability and call quality.
* Standards-based applications programming interfaces.
* The extension of PBX (News - Alert) features to mobile devices, regardless of the network.
V2Connect features Polycom's network infrastructure and endpoints, including the Polycom RMX 2000 real-time media conference platform, the company’s high-definition HDX Series video system, the Polycom VVX 1500 business media phone and Polycom SoundStation and SoundPoint IP phones.
“We are excited to extend our partnership with Polycom to include a fully integrated voice and video communications solution,” Michael Tessler, president and CEO of BroadSoft (News - Alert), said in a statement. “Our hosted service delivery model enables businesses to more efficiently collaborate using visual communications and eliminates the need to invest significantly in capital. BroadSoft and Polycom developed this joint solution to meet a growing market demand by both large enterprises and the vast and underserved small and mid-size business market.”
Robert C. Hagerty, Polycom chairman, president and CEO, called V2Connect “an innovative business model.”
“The V2Connect CaaS model, which highlights Polycom's Open Collaboration Network strategy, benefits all parties in the value chain,” Hagerty said. “End customers will experience multimedia UC in a new, innovative manner; VAR and SI partners can enhance their UC offerings, increase their margins and improve customer service; and service providers can deliver innovative services to their customers in a faster time to market.”
In addition to V2Connect, BroadSoft and Polycom are introduced a new go-to-market program, that will let value added resellers and systems integrators host and manage V2Connect on behalf of the enterprise. The program will be available early in the second quarter, officials said.
By partnering with service providers, system integrators and resellers can deliver V2Connect to mid-to-large size businesses and sell voice and video customer premises equipment packaged with network application. This, in turn, will give system integrators and resellers the chance to boost revenue and profitability by selling, delivering, and supporting an integrated communications offering direct to enterprises, company officials said.
Amy Tierney is a Web editor for TMCnet, covering business communications Her areas of focus include conferencing, SIP, Fax over IP, unified communications and telepresence. Amy also writes about education and healthcare technology, overseeing production of e-Newsletters on those topics as well as communications solutions and UC. To read more of Amy's articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Amy Tierney
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