Cloud-Based UC Provider PanTerra Introduces Clientless, Browser-Based Solution

PanTerra (News - Alert) Networks Inc. today at the ITEXPO East show in Miami unveiled WorldSmart 4.0, the latest version of its software-as-a-service-based unified communications offering.

 

“WorldSmart 4.0 attaches now to our 100 percent cloud-based deployed backend,” Arthur Chan, PanTerra’s CEO and president, told TMCnet. “It now provides a 100 percent browser-based user UC client front end. So now you can get access to all your communication in the cloud with just a broadband connection and a browser.

 

“You don’t need to download any software on your client,” he emphasizes, adding the previous release of WorldSmart had a software-downloaded client. “That means administrators at companies don’t have to manage any downloaded piece of software, or deal with security issues of a downloaded piece of software, or deployment issues of a downloaded piece of software. That means you can now get your communications identically on Windows machines, Macs, Linux machines, smartphones, Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome.”

 

Adds Chan: “That’s powerful. And we’re the first, we believe, in the market to do this.”

 

Also new with this major release of WorldSmart is a multicolumn IM interface, allowing users to see essentially their entire organizations as they expand their screens. Chan says it enables users to interact with anybody using a microbrowser, which allows users to see all of their recent communications with other individuals. That also lets them compose any communication to any person.

 

“It’s completely new with this release,” says Chan.

 

He says IM solutions typically are of the single-column, narrow-format variety, requiring users to scroll down to find their various contacts. With this new release, however, the interface allows users to expand the screen horizontally to create multiple columns.

 

In addition, Chan continues, most IM browsers allow users to participate in just one communication mode at a time and through a separate window, which results in a cluttered desktop when multiple communications are going.

 

“With this [WorldSmart 4.0] you can open up different microbrowsers within the browser and check voicemail, compose an email, send an email, send an IM, set up a desktop conference, share your desktop,” he says. “Everything can be done in this unified command center.”

 

The new release, which is generally available now, also allows users to set up multiple and private groups.

 

“I could have, for example, location-based groups,” he says. “I could have functional [groups] – marketing, sales support. I can have expert-based groups, like IT people, collateral people or whatever I want. And I can get access to those groups and set up conversations with essentially anybody out there.”

 

The real-time presence with this release also is enhanced so it’s more graphical and includes more types of presence. Previous versions offered IM only for presence, but the new release – which is all icon-driven -- supports presence for a wider variety of communications, including Web conferencing and voicemail.