SkyStone Video Revolutionizes Business Communications Using Skype

The increasing demand for video conferencing solutions is motivating providers to develop competitive solutions that offer high quality services. StoneVoice, a company that designs applications for Internet Protocol (IP) communications environments, today announced the latest version of SkyStone, the first software-based Skype gateway that interconnects an IP telephony solution or traditional PBX (News - Alert) to the “Skype world.”

 

StoneVoice, a Cisco technology developer partner, created SkyStone as a Cisco (News - Alert) unified communication solution with an aim to enable all users in a company to call any public switched telephone network (PSTN) phone or Skype account directly from an IP phone. The technology uses standard protocols such as session initiation protocol (SIP) and H.323, to interoperate with PBX's and a Skype (News - Alert) connection to the Skype community. It is completely software-based and provides vendors, channel partners and end customers the chance to experience video to the desktop.

 

The latest SkyStone supports video, enabling the convergence of the Skype world and business video communication solutions.

 

The new solution enables employees to do video calls and conference calls from their desktop to any geographical location in the world, StoneVoice said.

 

SkyStone with video support is expected to make a profound impact in communications business including contact centers, where video support has been one of the crucial topics of discussion for years where complexity of installing video communications and the cost involved in the infrastructure were of a main concern.

 

With solutions from SkyStone Video, customers calling the call center can use Skype's free client and Webcam, if needed, making cheap video communication a reality.

 

Also, call centers need not invest in additional infrastructure because they can set up SkyStone video on the existing standard IP contact center infrastructure and enable a video call center by just deploying SkyStone Video.

 

Also, SkyStone Video, in conjunction with Meetnow, StoneVoice’s branded software MCU, allows users to conduct conference calls with internal and external parties without the security or virtual private network (VPN) barrier, providing a Web 2.0 service accessible from anywhere with any device.

 

 “Video has become a fundamental need in the day-by-day communications,” said Christian Bongiovanni (News - Alert), CEO of StoneVoice. “The technology is now ready to handle video calls and conference calls; however, one fundamental element was missing to take it to the next level: simplicity – today, ahead of competition, StoneVoice, has demonstrated its technical excellence and strategic thinking by releasing a unique product worldwide: SkyStone Video that allows standard based video solution interfacing with the Skype world, bringing excellent quality, rich and mobile communications, with extreme simplicity!”