DiVitas Ups the Mobile UC Ante

There’s a new Web client for smartphones and desktop PCs: nothing to download. There’s secure use of social networking tools, one business number and a common LDAP directory. And it runs in the service provider cloud or on the corporate network.

Despite the economic climate, smartphones are a runaway success, which means that they have become the preferred device for conducting business. Ninety percent of business professionals in North America use their personal phones for business. This trend is known as BYO, or “bring your own,” and it indicates the need to integrate business voice with IM and social-networking applications such as the status and mobile presence – availability, location and network. When implemented, users can employ these personal devices for business communication and collaboration without compromising company policies.

 

DiVitas has responded to this need by adding support for Android (News - Alert), Blackberry and iPhones: support that is realized with minimal IT overhead. DiVitas’ solution has been available on Nokia Eseries and Nseries as well as some Windows Mobile devices for some time. When implemented, the solution moves the desktop phone number to the mobile and this allows the client software to provide PBX (News - Alert) features on these devices. Thus, there is a single, unified environment, which in turn provides a consistent user experience across handsets and desktops. Moreover the experience is the same on any network, i.e. there is seamless VoIP roaming on GSM, CDMA, Femto, Wi-Fi and WiMAX networks.

 

Web client software is currently available for the iPhone (News - Alert), as well as Android and Blackberry devices. The new 3GS 32GB iPhone is America’s favorite cell phone. One million units were sold in the first weekend of availability.  The new Web client allows service providers to customize and brand the smartphones they market and in addition they and IT departments can add vertical applications. Everything is managed via the DiVitas (News - Alert) server, which supports both the new Web client and the native client simultaneously. 

 

 

DiVitas employs the term “enterprise social network” for the integration of business voice with IM and social-networking applications. The idea here is to convey the fact that there is a secure community – colleagues within the organization – and that one-click access to the organizations integrated LDAP directory is enabled directly from the smartphone interface.

 

Individuals within the secure community can check one another’s availability in order to make more intelligent communication choices, for example, choosing to call or IM depending on a person’s stated preferred mode of contact. This proactive approach reduces missed calls by increasing the probability of connecting on the first attempt.