VOIP application specialist BroadSoft, based in
Gaithersburg, Md., introduced product enhancements to its BroadWorks VOIP
application platform that it says will allow telecommunications service providers
to simplify the deployment of hosted business communications solutions and
drive unified communications (UC) adoption in the small to medium-size business
(SMB) space.
The new device management functionality enables service
providers to pre-configure end-user access devices. This capability solves what
BroadSoft says is one of the most complex and time-consuming phases of
delivering VOIP services — provisioning end devices. Traditionally, providers
need to either pre-provision devices before shipment, rely on standalone FTP
servers to store files or provision each phone at the customer site, all of
which can take considerable time and require technical expertise.
"BroadSoft has eliminated the complex staging and
configuration process for service providers. 'Plug-and-play activation' over a
secure interface was important to our customers, so we took action," said
Broadsoft co-founder and CTO Scott Hoffpauir. "We are committed to not
only helping our customers scale their business by simplifying service
deployment, but also expediting the delivery of critical business
communications solutions to end users."
A recent global study sponsored by Siemens Enterprise
Communications and conducted by SIS International Research finds midmarket
companies with 100 employees could be losing more than $5,000 per employee per
year by not addressing inefficient communication issues, including host
business communications services and UC.
The researchers also confirmed that SMBs are increasingly
using various communications technologies, including phone, instant messaging
and video conferencing, in an effort to increase productivity. However, they
found that the proliferation of these technologies has created multiple points
of presence for individual employees with which other employees must contend.
The resulting fragmentation of the SMB communication fabric can create a
barrier to effective communications and collaboration.
BroadSoft’s Device Management offering allows providers to
provision analog terminal adapters (ATAs), IP phones, integrated access devices
(IADs) and IP PBX equipment.
The company also announced a deal with Polycom to introduce
a phone-based login capability for Polycom IP phones. Leveraging BroadSoft's
Xtended Services Platform, Polycom developed a "Quick Setup" key that
is activated when the phone is powered up. This new key enables users to
directly retrieve their phone's configuration files from the BroadWorks
platform via a one-time secure phone login. This capability eradicates the need
to individually match physical Polycom phones to users.
"Polycom and BroadSoft have a long history of bringing
high-quality, user-friendly VOIP solutions to market," said Polycom’s vice
president of marketing for voice communications solutions Jim Kruger. "Our
goal is to make it as easy as possible to do business with Polycom, and
BroadSoft's approach to BroadWorks Device Management does just that. We're
delighted to deliver intuitive products to market that our joint customers can
leverage in their UC environment."
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