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December 2008 | Volume 11/ Number 12
Industry News

ENTERPRISE NEWS

www.tmcnet.com/2547.1
Cisco (News - Alert) to Rent Out TelePresence Video Conference Rooms
Traveling to meet a client has always been a major part of business in the past. The time and energy that goes into logistics, planning and the actual meeting itself can be stressful but the bottom line is that it’s expensive. With today’s economic woes, corporations are looking for new and cost efficient ways to still meet with their clients or partners and still have a close relationship. Cisco’s TelePresence solutions afford users a meeting solution that combines video, audio and remote communication technologies over an IP network for a face-to-face experience. Cisco recently announced plans to rent out their TelePresence video conferencing rooms, which will have high-definition video screens with built-in microphones and camera lenses (rent for an hour ranges from $299 to $899). Officials at Cisco are hoping not only to broaden the use of their system, but also to help executives cut back on travel.
www.cisco.com

 


www.tmcnet.com/2546.1
Ricoh Integrates DocumentMall Solution with Salesforce.com
Ricoh Americas Corporation announced the internal deployment of their SaaS (News - Alert) document storage and management solution, DocumentMall with Salesforce.com. It is expected that SaaS solutions like DocumentMall for Salesforce.com helps reduce energy consumption by the efficient usage of computing resources when compared to traditional on-premise solutions.

DocumentMall for salesforce.com can result in reduced usage of paper and toner besides reducing fuel consumption associated with the overnight shipping of documents. Immediate access to information through online document management also goes a long way toward improving business processes.
www.ricoh-usa.com
www.salesforce.com

 


www.tmcnet.com/2549.1
Sabio Launches Thin Client CTI to Enhance Productivity in Avaya (News - Alert) Contact Centers
Sabio, a contact center services and solutions company, has launched the Thin Client CTI, the first in a series of Sabio applications that are designed to produce cost-effective productivity benefits for users of Avaya’s telephony and contact center platforms. The Sabio Thin Client CTI (News - Alert) is an entry-level desktop telephony software that is delivered across the network to provide contact center agents with core Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) functionality on their desktop PCs.

The Thin Client CTI integrates with Avaya telephony platforms and provides an opportunity for organizations seeking to use CTI within their customer service business, but who are reluctant to take on board the customization and costs normally associated with more expensive approaches.
www.sabio.co.uk

 


www.tmcnet.com/2548.1
D-Link (News - Alert), Cbeyond Team for VoiceCenter Phone Systems
D-Link said that it’s partnering with Cbeyond, as part of an aggressive effort to introduce more Value Added Resellers (VARs) selling to small businesses the benefits and cost-effectiveness of VoiceCenter, in particular, and VoIP phone services in general. D-Link’s VoiceCenter phone system is a feature rich small business phone system that is designed for small businesses requiring up to 50 phones and phone lines. VoiceCenter runs on Microsoft (News - Alert)’s Response Point software with Service Pack 1.

D-Link VoiceCenter 5- and 10-phone kits include the IP-PBX, IP phones and public switched telephone network (PSTN) gateway. The D-Link VoiceCenter phone handsets feature auto discovery and one-touch access to parking, retrieving, transferring, voice dialing other employees and voice dialing personal contacts.
www.dlink.com
www.cbeyond.com

 





www.tmcnet.com/2550.1
Black Box (News - Alert) Intros Multimedia, VoIP Products
Black Box Corporation, a provider of voice services, data services, and IT product solutions, has introduced new products to its line of networking and communications solutions, including multimedia, audio-visual, cabinets, racks and networking. The products will be featured in the company’s upcoming BLACK BOX Catalog, and will include CAT6 Shielded Modular Plugs in the cabling category, Video to PC/HDTV Switching Scalers with Audio, VGA Matrix Switches with Serial Control, VGA and Audio Matrix Switches with IP and Serial Control, Component Video Extender Kits and Component Video Extender Transmitters. In telephony, the new products include the ClearOne (News - Alert) MAXEX Expandable Conference Phone, ClearOne MAX EX Expansion Base and ClearOne Battery Pack.
www.blackbox.com

 


www.tmcnet.com/2551.1
Zoom Frees Skype (News - Alert) Users from PCs with New Phone Adaptor
Zoom Technologies, a manufacturer of communication products, announced that more than 2,000 Wal-Mart stores in the U.S. now carry its innovative Model 5900 Phone Adaptor for Skype. The adapter can be purchased at the select Wal-Mart stores, or online at www.walmart.com. The Model 5900 enables consumers to place Skype calls with any phone, even a cordless phone. By plugging a cordless base station into the Zoom Adaptor, consumers can use a cordless phone for Skype calls wherever it’s convenient. In addition, the Model 5900 allows cell phone users to remotely access their Skype service to make international calls. This feature can easily save frequent international callers hundreds of dollars per month.
www.zoom.com

 


 

SERVICE PROVIDER NEWS

www.tmcnet.com/2552.1
FlyCast Mobile Network for New BlackBerry (News - Alert) Smartphones
FlyCast says its mobile broadcast network will be ready for the BlackBerry Curve, BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Storm smartphones from Research In Motion (RIM) in November. The FlyCast network application delivers radio, video and podcasts over mobile broadband and WiFi (News - Alert) networks to mobile devices. It is viewed as a free alternative to satellite radio and the FlyCast network has seen an increase in users and content since its launch in January 2008.

The FlyCast Mobile Broadcast Network features over 1,000 stations from terrestrial and web broadcasters, like Entercom, Cox (News - Alert) Radio, AccuRadio, 977 Music, 1.FM, 1Club and radioIO. The network offers quality service and features, like StreamSlip, allowing users to continue to listen to a station even during extended periods without a connection.
www.flycast.com

 


www.tmcnet.com/2553.1
Broadvox (News - Alert) Reduces Prices, Offers Repackaged SIP Trunking Products
Offering cost-effective communications to SMBs at a time when many are seeking to operate more efficiently, officials at Broadvox announced the company has diversified its service options and reduced its product prices. The changes reportedly include simpler quoting and ordering processes — upgrades that stand to benefit value-added resellers as well as customers. With the product repackaging and restructured pricing, Broadvox is expecting to see further growth in its expanding SIP trunking market.

“IP communications has definitely come of age and these flexible,” company officials say. “And cost-effective SIP trunking products will no doubt continue to draw interest from companies that are recognizing the benefits of SIP trunking and unified communications.”
www.broadvox.com

 


www.tmcnet.com/2554.1
Covad (News - Alert) Intros SIP Trunking Service
Covad Communications has unveiled a new Covad Integrated Access service, an all-in-one phone and Internet service for businesses with up to 35 employees per location, delivered over a T1 connection, and offering new scalability.

“Covad Integrated Access service has been completely retooled for reliability and flexibility,” says Jake Heinz, vice president and general manager, Covad VoIP, allowing smaller businesses to start small and then add lines as needed.

Pricing start as low as $435 per month with no installation fees, depending upon contract length and services ordered, Covad says. The new service automatically allocates bandwidth dynamically to ensure prioritized voice quality.
www.covad.com

 


www.tmcnet.com/2555.1
Tilgin (News - Alert) Helps Swedish Operator Roll Out IP Services
Tilgin reportedly has landed a $1.6 million order from a major Nordic telecom operator who will use the company’s solution to continue rolling out IP services. Under the agreement, Tilgin’s Vood 322 IP residential gateways and Tilgin’s service and device management software VCM, will be deployed in Swedish households. Tilgin says the deal marks an important step in realizing the potential of the deployment volumes and geographic spread also in 2009.

The company says it’s already received many orders from this operator and is responsible for providing customized software to meet the operator’s specific requirements. By deploying the customized solution, the operator is able to decrease the operational costs and need for expensive support and helpdesk assistance.
www.tilgin.com

 


www.tmcnet.com/2556.1
Telcordia (News - Alert) Develops Security Solution for Fiber Optic Nets
Telcordia has reportedly developed an all optical code-division multiplexed (OCDM)-based photonic layer security (PLS) system to ensure security to fiber optic networks. The OCDM-based PLS system is designed to provide security for very high data rate systems where electronic encryption has been increasingly difficult and expensive.

The technology helps the company offer security consulting services to its clients with next generation security solutions for emerging 100 Gbps fiber optics networks. This protocol independent technology is also compatible with conventional dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) and optical networking.

In this new technology, Telcordia has devised a novel way of coding schemes and a compact, programmable coder. The coding and scrambling of the optical signal is done in such a way that the bits can neither be recovered nor be recorded for subsequent decryption. The technology uses a sophisticated optical processing, in which optical frequency and phases are manipulated with high precision.
www.telcordia.com

 


www.tmcnet.com/2557.1
ECI Telecom (News - Alert) Supports Growth of Next-Gen Services in Switzerland
Metrosystems, a system integrator in Switzerland, has chosen ECI Telecom’s 9700 Series Carrier Ethernet Switch Router (CESR) for its Carrier-class Ethernet solution portfolio. ECI has announced the completion of the first customer deployment with Datapark, a service provider for the city of Wil in St. Gallen, Switzerland. By delivering its 9700 Series, ECI Telecom is supporting the operator’s IPTV (News - Alert) service offering in the region. The solution is not only addressing the growing traffic demands but is also providing advanced Ethernet-based capabilities to the region. ECI’s CESR 9700 Series is providing Metrosystems and its customers with an end-to-end, carrier-grade packet transport solution that is MEF-certified.

 


 

WIRELESS NEWS

www.tmcnet.com/2559.1
Palm Launches Centro in Holiday Colors
Palm, Inc. (News - Alert), has unveiled two new colors for the Palm Centro smartphone. The colors – Olive Green and Vibrant Rose – will be available on all Centro smartphones launched for Sprint. The new Centro features twice as much storage space as the earlier model, and incorporates features like Facebook and Google (News - Alert) Maps with My Location. The phone will retail for $79.99 and will join the Onyx black Centro for the holiday release.

The Palm Centro also features an in-built MP3 player for music access. The available memory is now 128MB, with microSD card extension for memory addition of up to 4GB. Users of the new Centro will also get to watch Sprint (News - Alert) TV channels, including CNN mobile, FOX Sports, The Weather Channel and Disney Channel.
www.palm.com

 


www.tmcnet.com/2560.1
i2Telecom (News - Alert) Intros MyGlobalTalk Global SIM Card
i2Telecom International, recently announced the availability of its MyGlobalTalk Global SIM card service. With the new SIM cards, users can switch phones by simply removing the SIM card from one mobile phone and inserting it into another mobile phone or broadband telephony device.

According to Paul Arena, chairman and chief executive officer of i2Telecom, “…by creating this global SIM card, i2Telecom can offer now offer a ‘single number mobile solution’ that works anywhere in the world with GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) cellular coverage. “

When placing calls while traveling outside the U.S., the MyGlobalTalk Global SIM card helps customers save up to 90 percent in mobile phone charges, with prices starting at $0.29 per minute.
www.i2telecom.com

 


www.tmcnet.com/2562.1
Report: Higher-End Mobile Applications are Under-Used in the U.S.
Higher-end applications reportedly remain under-used by U.S. consumers despite the fast-increasing use of handheld mobile devices throughout the United States, according a new survey. The Accenture (News - Alert) survey, which included 5,047 U.S. adults, sought spending patterns and usage of more than 12 consumer electronics devices and applications, including cell phones, TVs, personal computers and the Internet.

In 2007, 38 percent of all respondents spent less than $500 on consumer electronics products, according to the survey. Spending was highest among those in the 18-to-34 age group during the time period. Seventeen percent of them purchased between $1,500 and $3,000 of consumer electronics, compared to just 11 percent of those at least 35 years old.
www.accenture.com

 


www.tmcnet.com/2561.1
Option Develops Embedded Module for Intel (News - Alert)’s MID Platform
Option is developing a new 3.5G HSPA embedded module for the “Moorestown” platform, Intel’s next generation Mobile Internet Device (MID) platform based on the Intel Atom processor. Option’s GTM501 is an HSPA embedded module available in the ultra-compact LGA package that measures just 25 x 30 x 2.5 mm.

Option defines MIDs as a new category of portable and pocketable Web-centric devices for consumers and business professionals. These products enable users to communicate with others, be entertained, access information or participate in online gaming — while on-the-go. A recent ABI Research (News - Alert) study pegged the market for ultra-mobile devices, which include Netbooks and MIDs, to reach 200 million units a year in 2013.
www.option.com
www.intel.com

 


www.tmcnet.com/2563.1
Sybase (News - Alert) 365 Intros Mobile Banking Solution with Natural Language SMS Capability
Sybase 365 announced the availability of Sybase mBanking 365 with an intelligent short messaging service (SMS) natural language capability. The new solution, which the company, is reported to automatically detect common misspellings, multi-part queries, slang and synonyms, enabling mobile users to request information using their own words. In effect, it is designed to improve the communication between banks and customers, the company said.

Sybase mBanking 365 uses a powerful agent network that can interpret each user’s free-form input and translate users’ own words into relevant commands. Using the new capability, users can access information using plain text, without worrying about grammar, spelling, syntax or memorizations of complex and cryptic keywords. The service offers support for information and service request in any language.
www.sybase.com/mobileservices

 


www.tmcnet.com/2564.1
T-Mobile Unveils G1 Powered by Android (News - Alert)
T-Mobile USA has launched the first Android-powered mobile phone in partnership with Google. The T-Mobile G1 combines full touch-screen functionality and a QWERTY keyboard with a mobile Web experience that includes the Google products available for the desktop, including Google Maps Street View, Gmail, and YouTube. The T-Mobile (News - Alert) G1 is also the first phone to provide access to Android Market, where customers can find and download unique applications to expand and personalize their phone to fit their lifestyle. In addition to the T-Mobile G1’s full QWERTY keyboard, another option for accessing the device is the trackball which affords users precise, one-handed navigation.
www.tmobile.com
www.google.com

 


 

TELECOM EXPENSE MANAGEMENT NEWS

www.tmcnet.com/2566.1
Visicom Provides Customers with Dual Benefits
Visicom’s latest TEM (Telecom Expense Management) solution is said to be one that can provide businesses with dual benefits in terms of cost reduction as well as supplier diversity. With this solution, Visicom aims to meet the requirements of businesses facing the challenges of the current economical situation where markets are falling at unbelievable rates.

“We’re excited to be able to serve these corporate enterprises and assist them with their supplier diversity initiatives and their efforts at cost reduction, especially during these tight economic times,” said Nancy Peckham, President and Chief Executive Officer, Visicom.

With over seventeen years of experience, Visicom has since 1991 provided clients with tailored solutions that could help them enhance their operational performance and control their financial expenses on telecommunications.
www.visicom.com

 


www.tmcnet.com/2567.1
Redwood’s Telecom Expense Management Solution Now Available to BlackBerry Users
Redwood Technologies announced that “momentem,” the company’s downloadable telecom expense management solution, is now available for BlackBerry smartphone users. According to the company, momentem enables users to manage their calls and mobile activities as well as tag (News - Alert) calls, e-mails, expenses and their activities in real-time.

Redwood officials say that users also can allocate the information to clients and projects, attach notes or action items for reminder email follow-up, while flagging billable time or cost, all to assist in billing clients and making sense of their monthly cell phone bill through their reporting function. Users can also generate on-demand reports of all of their tagged activity directly from their smartphone. The reports enable the user to bill or account for their time, generate timesheets and expense claims, recover their mobile costs from others, analyze their activity, search old call records, make more sense of their mobile bill and follow up on important calls.
www.momentem.net

 


www.tmcnet.com/2568.1
TnT Expense Management (News - Alert) Launches New Suite of Services
TnT, a announced the release of a new suite of services designed to assist companies undergoing mergers, acquisitions, or bankruptcy. TnT has packaged key components of TEM geared specifically for companies that are merging, acquiring, being acquired, spinning off, or in bankruptcy proceedings. These functions allow for a smooth transition ensuring that services are moved without disconnects, that costs follow the correct business, and that contracts are negotiated for optimal savings.

TnT’s suite of services for mergers includes-Contract Services; Inventory Services; Billing Services and Project Management/Analysis Services.
www.tntpartners.com

 


www.tmcnet.com/2569.1
Comstructure Partners with QlikTech to Enhance TEM Solution
As part of a strategic technology partnership, Comstructure will be using software from QlikTech as a way of adding analysis and visualization capabilities to its iCIRT Telecommunications Expense Management application.

iCIRT v.2.8 is a TEM application that provides a Web enabled application for the management of enterprise telecommunications expenses, contracts, provisioning, rate optimization and change management. This TEM application is effective in reducing the cost and management of communications expenses. This reduction will account for around three to six percent of the total annual revenue of an enterprise. QlikView makes associations by connecting data from many sources in a few clicks. This in-memory association is designed to bring faster results and better decision making to customers and industries.
www.comstructure.com
www.qlik.com

 


www.tmcnet.com/2570.1
Benefits of Enterprise Risk Management Touted During Global Economic Crisis
An international risk consulting firm has announced the formation of what it calls a “crisis team” to advise clients on how to respond to stressed market conditions, provide updates on market and regulatory changes and help them navigate the unfolding global economic environment.

Officials at Protiviti Inc. say they aim to help companies understand “the new landscape” in order to manage “uncertain times ahead.”

According to Carol Beaumier, a Protiviti executive vice president and leader of its “Financial Crisis Team,” there’s never been a stronger need than now for sound financial risk management.

“Even the strongest of companies will find themselves subject to increased market pressures and regulatory scrutiny,” Beaumier said. “Others may need to seek additional capital and liquidity or even merge with other organizations. The Protiviti Financial Crisis Team will help clients assess their current financial condition and help them navigate the uncharted waters of this economic turmoil.”
www.protiviti.com

 


www.tmcnet.com/2571.1
Integralis to Deliver Webroot’s SaaS Security Solution
Officials at Webroot — a provider of security solutions for consumers, enterprises and SMBs — said that Integralis will become a member of its so-called “Webroot Channel Edge Partner program.” The designation means that Integralis will deliver Webroot’s Software as a Service, or “SaaS,” product as part of its security and risk management portfolio.

According to Webroot’s chief executive officer, Peter Watkins, the selection by Integralis validates his company’s commitment to delivering network security in the cloud.

“Now companies of all sizes can benefit from a scalable enterprise-class security solution that is easy to manage and provides better protection and value than traditional appliances and software,” Watkins said.
www.integralis.com
www.webroot.com

 

 

CHANNEL/AGENT NEWS

www.tmcnet.com/2581.1
Meraki Announces Partner Program For Innovative Wireless Installations
Meraki, a provider of wireless mesh network solutions, has announced its Meraki Partner Program, which the company says is designed to help resellers and IT solution providers optimize Meraki’s wireless mesh networking technology. The program is aimed at offering Meraki partners to deploy cost-effective wireless networking solutions quickly and efficiently, and subsequently expand their reach and increase their revenue.

Meraki’s patented mesh technology comes with simple plug and play architecture, and its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) architecture simplifies network management and reduces operational expenses. Some of the key benefits of the currently announced Meraki Partner Program include dedicated account management, discounted pricing, training, lead distribution, technical support, and access to a partner portal.
www.meraki.com

 


www.tmcnet.com/2582.1
Veramark Signs MicroStrategy OEM Agreement
Veramark Technologies (News - Alert), Inc., a provider of Telecom Expense Management (TEM) solutions, announced that it signed an OEM agreement with MicroStrategy Inc., a provider of Business Intelligence (BI) software. According to the agreement, MicroStrategy (News - Alert) BI technology will be embedded into Veramark’s modular TEM software, the VeraSMART Communications Management Suite. Veramark will create BI components integrating with the VeraSMART suite, for actionable intelligence for expense management capabilities.

The product release is designed to help users analyze telecommunications carrier invoices, dispute incorrect charges, uncover credits, and finish off underutilized services. Productivity increases by automating the analysis, validation, allocation, and payment of expenses.
www.veramark.com
www.microstrategy.com

 


www.tmcnet.com/2583.1
CallCopy (News - Alert) Updates Channel Program to Boost VoIP-Compatible Product Sales
CallCopy, Inc., a provider of call recording and quality monitoring software, has updated its channel program to boost partner benefits and sales. The new program includes three tiered levels of reseller agreements — silver, gold and platinum — that are designed to allow CallCopy’s channel partners to customize their own degree of services, certification, and support levels.

CallCopy offers solutions designed to scale to meet the needs of small businesses and large enterprises – a range of offerings designed to increase distributors’ sales opportunities. One product, CallCopy Essential, is described as a cost-effective solution for small and mid-sized businesses looking for a effective call recording application – while cc: Discover delivers all the benefits of an enterprise-class call recording and quality monitoring system to enhance customer service, increase productivity and meet industry compliance standards.

The company’s solutions are compatible with both VoIP and TDM phones, and offer the ability to blend VoIP and TDM recording in a single server.
www.callcopy.com

 


www.tmcnet.com/2584.1
DataCore Signs Reseller Agreement with Prosper Intelligence for Eastern Europe
DataCore Software, a provider of storage virtualization software, has announced a distribution agreement with Prosper Intelligence, a software agent and a value added distributor specializing in virtualization and consolidation of business critical applications, servers and data storage pools, to resell virtualization products in Austria and Eastern Europe.

As part of the agreement, Prosper will act as a new value-added distributor to resell and support SANmelody and SANsymphony as storage area network (SAN) and virtual storage component of its virtualization portfolio. Prosper will also integrate the two virtualization products to its Virtualization Consolidation Academy (VCA) lab in Vienna. The Virtualization Consolidation Academy is an independent review platform that can be used to evaluate, test, train and showcase virtualization solutions and technologies.
www.datacore.com
www.prosperintelligence.com

 


www.tmcnet.com/2585.1
Allworx (News - Alert) Unveils New Sales, Training, Support Programs for Resellers
Allworx has announced a series of new sales, marketing and support programs in a bid to enhance its network of more than 1,000 Allworx Authorized Resellers in North America. The company says the move bolsters the advantages of selling and supporting Allworx’s family of communications systems.

Allworx also says it’s adding a significant piece to its reseller training program. In the fourth quarter of this year, Allworx resellers are expected to participate in a suite of newly programmed online and interactive training programs.

The new courses include three introductory modules. Officials said that these modules are Allworx Product Overview; Allworx System Installation Overview; Networking 101. Through these online programs, company believe, channel participants can obtain “valuable insights into Allworx’ award-winning communications systems.”

Moreover, resellers’ sales and technical staff will gain a working knowledge of networking and telecom principles. Officials said that this will enhance their overall sales and support goals.

Allworx also announced its new Return Materials Authorization process for authorized resellers. The new three-step process starts with an online request form and makes full use of automation.

And, the company unveiled its plan to release an IFrame Web content capability, which allows resellers to include a full complement of up-to-the-minute Allworx product information on their own Web sites.
www.allworx.com

 

» Internet Telephony Magazine Table of Contents



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