Virtual Office Resource

Aptela's newly released Aptela 5.0 platform may be the answer some small businesses are looking for in terms of voice solutions.

As an innovator of hosted PBX (News - Alert) and VoIP, Aptela gives small businesses the tools required to intuitively manage and take control of their business communications.

'Aptela v5.0 answers the communication and collaboration needs of small businesses and mobile workers, who seek a robust and easy-to-use phone service that's reliable and affordable,' said Douglas Strahan, President and CEO of Aptela. 'With our new platform, we are empowering our customers with a solution that delivers a quality experience they can count on - one that allows them to focus on their business, not their phone system.'

In a telephone interview with TMCnet Strahan explained that Aptela v5.0 was built to operate in the cloud and has the functionality and features to reflect that.

The platform is written in Erlang/OTP, and using CouchDB as its data store and demonstrates the power of cloud-computing with horizontal scaling - including robust fault-tolerance and a remarkably high degree of concurrency. The platform delivers a robust set of APIs that unify communications for Aptela's customers by integrating calling into existing business processes.

From activating service to controlling call routing, Aptela v5.0 attempts to make it all easier for its customers.

With v5.0 Aptela is debuting its new online purchase process. Customers can order service and start making and receiving calls on the same day. 

"You can purchase online and immediately get the account set up and your credentials to log in," Strahan said. "Customers can be up and running in a matter of minutes for simple set-ups or certainly the same day for more complicated ones."

And once up and running small businesses will have the ability to make the system work for them.

Multi-entity businesses can now manage multiple auto attendants within a single account making it ideal for running multiple businesses or brands with a shared staff.

If a multi-entity business has shared staffs for some services the employees can see what company the call is coming in for so they can respond appropriately, Strahan said.

The enhanced auto attendant functionality delivers a customizable schedule and unlimited menus. Perfect for businesses that want to create and manage different greetings and/or options based on time of day, day of week and/or company holidays.

Aptela v5.0 also features a suite of plug-ins, applications and extensions - named Aptela AnywhereSM Apps - that allow customers to unify their communications by integrating calling into their existing business processes. Aptela Anywhere Apps includes an iGoogle gadget, the m.aptela.com mobile portal, mobile integration for the iPhone (News - Alert), Blackberry and Android, browser plug-ins and more.

A handful of Aptela's customers have already had the opportunity to experience Aptela v5.0 - and one credits the company with allowing him to do business.

"I could not have afforded to start my business without Aptela," said Sam Archie, owner of Gateway (News - Alert) Recovery Associates. "If I had required landlines, I would have lost money. With Aptela, I can manage my business communications simply and affordably."

Customers will find a user-friendly dashboard interface that features one-click access to common business needs and an administrator portal that allows for easy addition or removal of users and control over services.

In addition to launching Aptela v5.0, the company also announced its partnershio with Acrobits to release the Acrobits Softphone.

The Acrobits Softphone allows iPhone users to make calls over the Internet or via a WiFi (News - Alert) hotspot rather than through their mobile carrier voice network.

"In our increasingly mobile society, phone solutions, must be portable. Acrobits enables Aptela customers to carry their business presence with them," said Ann Santorios, vice president of product and business development for Aptela. "In addition to obtaining significant cost savings, our mobile customers can enjoy the powerful call management solutions, previously only available on their desk phone."

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