Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile
    • Networking

    ShoreTel Buys Agito, Expands Mobile UC Capabilities

    By
    Jeff Burt
    -
    October 21, 2010
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      ShoreTel is expanding its unified communications capability by buying Agito Networks and creating a product that lets users communicate anywhere, from any device and on any network.

      ShoreTel officials, who announced Oct. 21 that the company is buying Agito for $11.4 million, said the deal also will enable ShoreTel to reduce mobile and long-distance call costs, and let businesspeople use their smartphones as PBX phones.

      ShoreTel offers UC capabilities with its line of IP business phones, including voice, video data and mobile communications. Officials say the company’s open and distributed IP architecture helps drive the cost of its offerings below those of competitors such as Cisco Systems and Avaya.

      Agito’s products will expand what ShoreTel can offer in the mobile space, where Agito was helping businesses extend their UC capabilities and voice onto smartphones.

      Agito’s RoamAnywhere Mobility Router is designed to create a fixed mobile convergence platform that brings together WLANs, carrier cell networks, IP telephony and location technologies, enabling customers to use their mobile phones as they would their desktop devices.

      Using mobile phones as PBX extensions is becoming increasingly important as more workers become mobile and use cell phones as their primary phones, according to ShoreTel officials.

      ShoreTel will now be able to offer native support for such smartphone and tablet PCs as Research In Motion’s BlackBerrys, Apple’s iPhone and iPad, Nokia devices, and handsets that run Windows Mobile. Such support should lessen the integration issues that arise for businesses as more employees move to mobile devices of their choosing.

      “This is a key strategic investment that creates a significant differentiator for ShoreTel in enterprise mobility,” interim ShoreTel CEO Don Girskis said in a statement. “Dependence on smartphones continues to skyrocket, but many workers still struggle with poor coverage areas, inferior call quality, expensive international roaming fees and limited feature sets.”

      Integrating Agito’s technologies with ShoreTel’s UC system will “free users to use any network (WiFi or cellular), leveraging the power of the desk phone, and taking advantage of industry-leading call quality and call controls from their smartphone,” Girskis said. “This not only has a positive impact on productivity, but it also positively affects the bottom line with significant savings on mobile and international usage fees.”

      Businesses, the company said, will see improved employee production, reduced communications costs-Agito’s technology saved some companies up to 80 percent on their mobile and international calls, according to ShoreTel-heterogeneous PBX support that now includes mobility in ShoreTel’s Legacy Migration Program, and greater security.

      Through the deal, ShoreTel will get all of Agito’s IP and distribution network, and it will hire some Agito employees. ShoreTel also will get greater access to Fortune 1000 customers, according to company officials.

      Jeff Burt
      Jeffrey Burt has been with eWEEK since 2000, covering an array of areas that includes servers, networking, PCs, processors, converged infrastructure, unified communications and the Internet of things.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×