A joint technology and marketing offering between cloud communications provider Covista Communications (News - Alert) and full service distributor, Forerunner Telecom, will provide value added resellers with a one-stop solution for all their telecommunications needs.

Forerunner will now offer Covista’s cloud-based phone system, Select Choice, with its ADTRAN (News - Alert), Polycom and Professional Service expertise, creating a turnkey, cloud-based solution for SMBs, according to company officials.

Chris Caffera, vice president, sales and marketing at Forerunner, observed that Select Choice will enable new and existing VoIP customers the ability to stand out with this plug and play offering.

Select Choice offers the features of an on-premise PBX (News - Alert), advanced functionality at an affordable price and enterprise-quality telephone service with unlimited calling and faxing anywhere in the US and Canada, while Forerunner's ADTRAN offers carrier class reliability with enterprise features.

It is a win-win for both companies. While Covista can cement its leadership position in the SMB market with a full-featured, cloud-based PBX VoIP solution, Forerunner will provide a feature-rich high-end PBX that has the convenience and cost savings of a cloud-based service.

With the availability of communications as a service, users now not only have an alternative option for their communication requirements but will also benefit from greater connectivity and increased productivity.

The alliance is also expected to spell good news for dealers and agents as they can now move beyond the traditional on-premise solutions to a pre-configured, cloud-based alternative.

Kevin Nicholas, vice president, sales and business development at Covista noted that the partnership would enable value added resellers extend their reach and generate “residual commissions that are connected to high revenue per sale.”

In other industry news, GFI Software – a leading provider of cloud communications solutions – as part of National stress Awareness Month, conducted the first ever IT Admin Stress Survey, which found that 67 percent of IT administrators have considered switching careers due to job stress. The leading causes for stress? Managers, employees and pressing deadlines.

“IT is a critical component of a company’s success, yet many SMBs, particularly those with between 50 and 100 employees, are not equipping IT managers with the budget, staffing and resources they need to be effective,” said Phil Bousfield, general manager of GFI Software’s Infrastructure Business Unit. “Not only is this creating a high stress environment for IT admins to operate in, but as evidenced by the survey results, it’s also resulting in long overtime hours and impacting their professional and personal lives.”