Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • 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
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • 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 Applications
    • Applications
    • IT Management
    • Networking
    • Servers
    • Small Business

    IBM Announces Office in a Box Appliance

    By
    Nathan Eddy
    -
    July 20, 2009
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Technology giant IBM announced a self-managing, “office-in-a-box” appliance for small to medium-size businesses that combines the unified communications and collaboration tools critical to running a business, along with the ability to connect to telephony in one solution.

      The new Lotus Foundations Reach solution customizes and extends the IBM Sametime UC(2) capabilities in a single appliance IBM said is designed specifically for SMBs that have limited IT skills and smaller budgets. The company claims that in about an hour, a business can install and configure its entire UC environment in a system small enough to fit under a desk. The self-managing technology that automates IT tasks such as adjusting to workload demands, conducting proactive system checks for security and reliability of the network, and detecting and repairing potential issues.

      “Until now, the complexity and cost of creating an IT solution combined with UC and IP telephony capabilities have been a deterrent for small businesses,” said Caleb Barlow, director of Lotus Foundations, IBM. “With Lotus Foundations Reach, IBM enables telephony partners to combine their technologies with IBM’s UC solution to create a comprehensive offering that is affordable and simple enough for the smallest of businesses to use.”

      Lotus Foundations Reach combines UC features such as instant messaging (IM), presence awareness (to see who is online and available), email, calendars, contacts, office productivity tools, network security, remote access, file and print sharing and backup and disaster recovery. IBM argues the ability to access these capabilities from a mobile device makes it easier for users that travel or work remotely, and by communicating and collaborating virtually, midmarket companies can reduce costs by decreasing the need for travel, supporting remote workforces to cut down on office space, and decreasing long-distance telephone expenses with VoIP capabilities.

      Lotus Foundations Reach enables IBM’s telephony partners to extend the company’s self-managing capabilities and provide features such as click-to-call, click-to-conference, the ability to see if someone is on the phone or not, and voicemail access. By enabling small businesses to communicate in real time and by using an open approach, which allows them to incorporate their products with IBM’s to reduce the costs and complexity of IP telephony, IBM argues it can increase employee productivity and efficiency and offer comprehensive communications solutions that were not previously available to SMBs.

      IBM pointed to a growing number of business partners are choosing to build solutions based on Lotus Foundations, including NEC, whichis creating a version of its Univerge Sphericall communications software that can be downloaded to Foundations to create a complete UC and business collaboration solutions designed for SMBs, and ShoreTel, which is incorporating its IP telephony platform with Lotus Foundations on UC solutions for midsize companies.

      Nathan Eddy
      A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Nathan was perviously the editor of gaming industry newsletter FierceGameBiz and has written for various consumer and tech publications including Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, CRN, and The Times of London. Currently based in Berlin, he released his first documentary film, The Absent Column, in 2013.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      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

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      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.

      ×