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ShoreTel (News - Alert), a provider of unified communications solutions, announced it has developed a hybrid UC solution that allows customers with on-premises UC environments to access UC applications via the cloud on a monthly basis.

The new offering, called ShoreTel Connect, is expected to be available in early 2014. Prior to that ShoreTel will begin testing the solution with customers and partners beginning this summer.

ShoreTel has been aggressively focusing on cloud-based UC capabilities since its acquisition of M5 Networks (News - Alert) in February 2012 for $146 million. As a result ShoreTel got the ability to sell cloud-based hosted solutions to go along with the company’s traditional on-premises offerings.

In continuation with this strategy, ShoreTel launched the ShoreTel Connect project in November 2012, aimed at enabling customers with on-premises UC environments to access UC applications—such as ShoreTel Mobility, Conferencing and Contact Center—via the cloud on a monthly basis.

These efforts will open new ways for customers to choose between premise- and cloud-based UC solutions, said ShoreTel president and CEO Peter Blackmore (News - Alert). It will also give them the ability to choose both in an integrated solution leveraging the combined advantages of cloud and premise.

ShoreTel Connect in fact will combine both the company's on-premises offering and its cloud-based ShoreTel Sky offering, Blackmore said.

"If a business prefers to remain with an on-premise solution, ShoreTel Connect will offer a path that allows the enterprise to enable specific cloud-based applications or services that will augment their existing premise-based solution," Blackmore said. "The two different delivery models are no longer an either/or equation. The customer can achieve the best of both."

ShoreTel recently announced the release of a new cordless IP phone, which provides the same telephony features and quality of a desk IP phone in a cordless, mobile package.