News

News

• November 01, 2018 01 Nov'18

  Genesys improves workforce management software with AI

  Genesys has developed new workforce management software to help contact centers with forecasting and scheduling.

• October 30, 2018 30 Oct'18

  8x8 buys Jitsi open source video conferencing from Atlassian

  8x8 has acquired the open source video conferencing company Jitsi from Atlassian in a bid to improve its online meetings platform, 8x8 Meetings.

• October 26, 2018 26 Oct'18

  Microsoft releases Skype for Business 2019 server

  The Skype for Business 2019 server includes several new hybrid cloud features and simplifies the migration path from the on-premises product to cloud-based Microsoft Teams.

• October 25, 2018 25 Oct'18

  Cisco Meeting Server 2.4 increases capacity, adds controls

  The Cisco Meeting Server 2.4 release increases HD video call capacities and gives customers more in-meeting controls and branding tools.

• October 24, 2018 24 Oct'18

  Twilio Autopilot looks to simplify contact center AI

  Twilio Autopilot gives developers the building blocks for creating contact center AI that businesses can use to improve customer service and save money.

• October 24, 2018 24 Oct'18

  UCaaS Magic Quadrant shows IT leaders ready for transition to cloud

  The latest Gartner UCaaS Magic Quadrant found that large enterprises are making the jump to cloud as fewer dollars are spent on on-premises infrastructure and development.

• October 22, 2018 22 Oct'18

  NEC launches InfinityBoard collaboration hardware for meeting rooms

  In UC news, NEC Display introduces new meeting room hardware, MTD uses NewVoiceMedia to improve its contact center, and Fuze announces new mobile upgrades and analytics tools.

• October 19, 2018 19 Oct'18

  Interoperability could help 8x8 Team Messaging stand out

  8x8 has added a team messaging app to its cloud-based unified communications and contact center suites, joining a growing list of vendors in a market kick-started by Slack.

• October 18, 2018 18 Oct'18

  Twilio buys SendGrid for email APIs

  Twilio will acquire SendGrid, a maker of cloud-based email APIs. The deal follows email-focused acquisitions by Slack and Workplace by Facebook.

• October 17, 2018 17 Oct'18

  RingCentral the latest UCaaS vendor to acquire a cloud contact center

  RingCentral is the latest UCaaS startup to push more heavily into the cloud contact center market with its acquisition of customer engagement vendor Dimelo.

• October 12, 2018 12 Oct'18

  Workplace by Facebook app adds multicompany chat

  Businesses can now use the Workplace by Facebook app to instant message and video conference with partners and customers.

• October 11, 2018 11 Oct'18

  BlueJeans-Dolby meeting room service focuses on UC audio

  In UC news, BlueJeans launches a UC audio offering with Dolby Voice, Talkdesk gets $100 million toward CCaaS, and Silver Peak's SD-WAN platform earns a VoIP performance certification.

• October 11, 2018 11 Oct'18

  Zoom enters UCaaS market with new cloud PBX service

  Zoom will expand beyond its roots as a video conferencing startup and enter a crowded UCaaS market, with the release of a cloud PBX service in early 2019.

• October 09, 2018 09 Oct'18

  Video communications startups Pexip and Videxio to merge

  The merger of startups Pexip and Videxio will give service providers and enterprises a one-stop shop for video conferencing software, analysts said.

• October 05, 2018 05 Oct'18

  Symphony messaging app gets DLP, Microsoft integration

  The Symphony messaging app now has native data loss prevention and integrates with Microsoft Office. The startup is looking to expand beyond its base in the financial sector.

• October 05, 2018 05 Oct'18

  Embedded communications have business embracing CPaaS

  In the UC blog world, analysts discuss how businesses are embracing CPaaS for embedded communications, why SD-WAN and MPLS make a strong team, and why Cisco is losing focus on collaboration software.

• October 04, 2018 04 Oct'18

  Partner gateways connect endpoints to Microsoft Teams video conferencing

  Businesses can now use third-party endpoints for Microsoft Teams video conferencing through cloud services from BlueJeans, Pexip and Polycom.

• September 28, 2018 28 Sep'18

  Microsoft and Cisco diverge on UC interop amid customer complaints

  Despite sharing many of the same customers, Microsoft and Cisco are unlikely to cooperate on interoperability between the latter's collaboration apps and Microsoft's Office 365.

• September 28, 2018 28 Sep'18

  Slack acquires Astro for email AI interoperability

  In UC news, Slack acquires AI-powered email platform Astro, while CounterPath launches a team collaboration platform for SMBs.

• September 28, 2018 28 Sep'18

  Microsoft Teams migration supported by partner services

  Unify Square and AudioCodes introduce call quality monitoring for Microsoft Teams, while Crestron and Yealink launch audio and video devices for Teams meetings.

• September 26, 2018 26 Sep'18

  Microsoft blocks cloud Skype sign-ups for small businesses

  Microsoft will soon block new small-business sign-ups for cloud Skype for Business, as the vendor is getting more aggressive in its campaign to transition customers to Microsoft Teams.

• September 25, 2018 25 Sep'18

  Microsoft readies hybrid Skype for Business to ease Teams migration

  Microsoft is working on a hybrid Skype for Business that would provide a stepping stone toward using the IP communications software on the Microsoft Azure cloud.

• September 25, 2018 25 Sep'18

  Microsoft intros Cortana Skills Kit for app developers

  Microsoft has unveiled the Cortana Skills Kit, a platform comprising Azure AI services developers can use to leverage the Cortana voice assistant to improve worker productivity.

• September 24, 2018 24 Sep'18

  Microsoft Teams app takes aim at vertical markets

  Microsoft is adding secure messaging tools for healthcare workers and a schedule management system to the Microsoft Teams app, which is now used by 329,000 organizations worldwide.

• September 20, 2018 20 Sep'18

  NewVoiceMedia acquisition adds contact center to Vonage cloud

  The acquisition of NewVoiceMedia will add a contact center to the Vonage cloud portfolio, which already includes telephony and developer tools.

• September 20, 2018 20 Sep'18

  Cisco Webex Edge connects data centers to the cloud

  Cisco Webex Edge could help large companies reduce PSTN costs, while also improving audio and video connectivity through Webex.

• September 19, 2018 19 Sep'18

  New Cisco headsets, room displays integrate with Webex

  Cisco expanded its endpoint portfolio this week with the release of new wireless Cisco headsets and room displays.

• September 13, 2018 13 Sep'18

  Ytica acquisition adds analytics to Twilio Flex cloud contact center

  Twilio has acquired startup Ytica to improve the native analytics and workforce optimization tools of its Twilio Flex cloud contact center.

• September 12, 2018 12 Sep'18

  Slack encryption will soon include enterprise key management

  In a bid to close deals with more large organizations, Slack will soon give customers greater control over the encryption of their data with a new enterprise key management feature.

• September 07, 2018 07 Sep'18

  AT&T revives Office@Hand UCaaS deal with RingCentral

  AT&T has recommitted to its partnership with RingCentral after telling customers earlier this year that it would soon stop supporting the startup's Office@Hand UCaaS platform.

• September 06, 2018 06 Sep'18

  LogMeIn enhances GoToWebinar with analytics, on-demand viewer

  LogMeIn has added interactive analytics and a video editor to GoToWebinar. The vendor also made available to all users a new website for publishing on-demand videos.

• August 31, 2018 31 Aug'18

  Zoom audio feature could reduce PSTN costs for large enterprises

  Zoom has expanded a service that helps large organizations reduce PSTN costs by establishing SIP connections to the Zoom audio cloud.

• August 30, 2018 30 Aug'18

  Polycom VVX series adds four new desk phones

  A new cloud-based device management service will help Polycom partners provision and troubleshoot the vendor's devices, including four new Polycom VVX series phones released this week.

• August 29, 2018 29 Aug'18

  Nice inContact adds analytics, omnichannel support to CXone

  Nice inContact has enhanced the cloud contact center CXone with new analytics and quality management tools, while also expanding omnichannel support for social media.

• August 24, 2018 24 Aug'18

  Amazon Chime app adds dial-out, single sign-on features

  The Amazon Chime app has new dial-out and single sign-on features, but the cloud-based messaging and meetings platform still trails rivals, including Cisco Webex and Zoom.

• August 23, 2018 23 Aug'18

  Mitel targets enterprises with MiCloud Engage contact center

  MiCloud Engage, an over-the-top cloud contact center, could help Mitel better compete with Avaya and Cisco in the enterprise market.

• August 22, 2018 22 Aug'18

  Cisco wants to help developers build Webex integrations

  Cisco has revamped the Cisco DevNet page for Webex Meetings. The development of additional Webex integrations should make the platform more attractive to businesses.

• August 17, 2018 17 Aug'18

  Microsoft and Amazon sync AI voice assistants Alexa, Cortana

  The integration of the AI voice assistants Alexa and Cortana combines Amazon's familiarity among consumers with Microsoft's adjacency to office productivity software.

• August 15, 2018 15 Aug'18

  Microsoft Skype for Business update fixes Mac bugs

  Microsoft has released a semi-annual Skype for Business update for on-premises users that includes several bug fixes and feature enhancements for the platform's Mac client.

• August 14, 2018 14 Aug'18

  SAP Concur creates Slack bot for booking flights

  SAP Concur has created a Slack bot for booking travel and reporting expenses, as Slack doubles down on an approach to team collaboration centered on third-party integrations.

• August 10, 2018 10 Aug'18

  Avaya earnings show cloud, recurring revenue growth

  The latest Avaya earnings report shows the company is increasing cloud sales and hitting revenue targets, even as it continues to operate at a loss.

• August 09, 2018 09 Aug'18

  Facebook targets WhatsApp business messaging at large enterprises

  WhatsApp business messaging is the latest social channel to enter the contact center, coming on the heels of Apple's beta release of the consumer-to-business iOS messaging service Apple Business Chat.

• August 03, 2018 03 Aug'18

  Cisco and Google deepen collaboration partnership

  Cisco and Google have committed to creating seamless integrations between Webex and the productivity apps in G Suite, which should help both vendors compete against Microsoft.

• August 02, 2018 02 Aug'18

  Gartner UC Magic Quadrant ranking belies Avaya's challenges

  Avaya was once again named a leader in the Gartner UC Magic Quadrant. But analysts say the vendor could struggle to add customers given the growing dominance of Microsoft and Cisco.

• August 01, 2018 01 Aug'18

  Cisco lays groundwork for augmented reality in Cisco Webex app

  This month, the 135 million Cisco Webex app users will get access to a refreshed UI, as the vendor is ramping up to support more advanced video use cases, such as augmented reality.

• July 27, 2018 27 Jul'18

  Atlassian-Slack deal marks end of HipChat, Stride

  Slack, which is facing more aggressive competition from Microsoft, bought Atlassian HipChat and Stride. The Atlassian-Slack deal marks the start of a strategic partnership.

• July 27, 2018 27 Jul'18

  Skype for Business 2019 nudges users to cloud

  Skype for Business 2019, released in preview this week, will extend support for on-premises unified communications deployments through at least 2023.

• July 26, 2018 26 Jul'18

  Vendors race to adopt Google Contact Center AI

  Google has entered the contact center market with the release of an AI platform supporting virtual agents and call analytics. Leading vendors, including Cisco and Genesys, were quick to adopt Google Contact Center AI.

• July 25, 2018 25 Jul'18

  Apple Business Chat adds Cisco as partner

  Apple Business Chat is now compatible with Cisco's contact center platform. Apple has closely guarded access to the business-to-consumer messaging service since its beta release this spring.

• July 20, 2018 20 Jul'18

  Microsoft adds live broadcasting software to Teams

  Microsoft has added live broadcasting software to Microsoft Teams and Yammer through a new integration with Microsoft Stream.

• July 19, 2018 19 Jul'18

  Missions acquisition will simplify Slack integrations

  Slack's acquisition of Missions will help users without coding knowledge take full advantage of its platform by making it easier to build custom Slack integrations and workflows.

• July 18, 2018 18 Jul'18

  8x8 X Series combines UC and contact center

  The cloud delivery model has made it easier to combine unified communications and contact center technologies into a single platform, as evidenced by the release of the 8x8 X Series this week.

• July 13, 2018 13 Jul'18

  Microsoft Teams free version takes on Slack, Cisco Webex

  The new Microsoft Teams free version takes advantage of Microsoft's online Office suite to lure customers that might be considering competing products from Cisco and Slack.

• July 13, 2018 13 Jul'18

  Team collaboration secondary in Workplace by Facebook app

  Organizations are deploying the Workplace by Facebook app to build community among large and geographically diverse workforces. In that sense, the platform is more like an intranet than a team collaboration platform.

• July 11, 2018 11 Jul'18

  DHS, SecureLogix develop TDoS attack defense

  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and vendor SecureLogix are making 'rapid progress' in developing a TDoS attack defense. The technology is expected in the coming months.

• June 29, 2018 29 Jun'18

  Ribbon Communications boosts UCaaS portfolio with Edgewater buy

  Ribbon Communications' acquisition of Edgewater Networks is expected to add analytics, security and service-assurance capabilities to Ribbon's UC portfolio.

• June 29, 2018 29 Jun'18

  Slack outages raise reliability concerns

  Slack outages are becoming frequent enough to make some analysts wonder whether companies would trust the collaboration startup for business-critical communications.

• June 29, 2018 29 Jun'18

  Ex-Cisco exec Rowan Trollope promises to be different CEO at Five9

  In May, UC and collaboration exec Rowan Trollope left Cisco for a nimbler Five9. As CEO of the contact center vendor, he promises to be more product-focused than his predecessor.

• June 26, 2018 26 Jun'18

  GoToMeeting client adds business messaging to chase rivals

  LogMeIn has added instant messaging and automated transcription to the GoToMeeting client. The new features bring the platform more in line with rivals Zoom and Cisco Webex.

• June 22, 2018 22 Jun'18

  Alexa for Hospitality brings AI voice assistant to hotel rooms

  Alexa for Hospitality will let hotels equip guest rooms with an AI voice assistant familiar to consumers. But Amazon will have to assuage concerns about privacy.

• June 20, 2018 20 Jun'18

  Avaya adds real-time speech analytics to contact centers

  Avaya updated its workforce optimization suite to include real-time speech analytics and automated agent evaluations, playing catch-up with vendors such as Cisco, Genesys and Five9.

• June 15, 2018 15 Jun'18

  Microsoft Teams e-discovery enabled for hybrid clouds

  Microsoft is giving businesses with on-premises Exchange servers a new tool for Microsoft Teams e-discovery, as the vendor seeks to help large enterprises transition to the cloud.

• June 13, 2018 13 Jun'18

  Google Hangouts Meet adds interoperability with competitors

  Interoperability with Skype for Business and video conferencing systems from Cisco and Polycom should help Google Hangouts Meet gain more traction among enterprise buyers.

• June 12, 2018 12 Jun'18

  Polycom, Crestron expand Zoom room video conferencing partnerships

  At InfoComm 2018, Polycom deepens its partnership with Zoom, Crestron debuts a whiteboard camera, and ViewSonic introduces interactive flat-panel displays.

• June 08, 2018 08 Jun'18

  Microsoft Teams mobile app matures, but interoperability lags

  Microsoft has been quickly building out the capabilities of the Microsoft Teams mobile app, but businesses could find it clunky to use in conjunction with Skype for Business.

• June 07, 2018 07 Jun'18

  Avaya Equinox gets online UC and team collaboration for SMBs

  Avaya has refreshed Avaya Equinox with online team collaboration and has integrated the software into IP Office. The changes are part of Avaya's strategy to attract more SMBs.

• June 06, 2018 06 Jun'18

  Logitech video conferencing kit targets large meeting rooms

  A new Logitech video conferencing kit offers advanced features at a relatively affordable price. Logitech also previewed automatic framing software that's planned for later in the year.

• May 30, 2018 30 May'18

  Lifesize looks to make outfitting huddle rooms cheaper

  Lifesize has released a cloud-based device for wireless screen sharing. The vendor also previewed a video conferencing kit designed for outfitting huddle rooms for video conferencing.

• May 24, 2018 24 May'18

  Polycom cloud service simplifies device management

  A new Polycom cloud service will help businesses manage and monitor Polycom desk and conference room phones. The vendor plans to expand the service to cover video endpoints later this year.

• May 22, 2018 22 May'18

  Slack app integrations are made a two-way street

  Slack has designed a shortcut to convert Slack messages into content within business tools like Zendesk and Jira. The company said more than 90% of paid teams are using Slack app integrations.

• May 18, 2018 18 May'18

  Five9, 8x8 and Dialpad accelerate push for contact center AI

  Cloud contact center vendors are getting more aggressive about artificial intelligence. Five9, 8x8 and Dialpad made headlines this week with new contact center AI initiatives.

• May 18, 2018 18 May'18

  RingCentral, SD-WAN vendors team up to deliver UCaaS

  SD-WAN services can improve the flow of cloud-based communications across the network. Now, one UCaaS vendor is looking to capitalize on the software-defined technology.

• May 17, 2018 17 May'18

  Zendesk bundles customer support services as cloud contact center

  Zendesk has combined its products into an omnichannel cloud contact center offering. The CRM vendor also released a new tool for sending automatic alerts to customers.

• May 16, 2018 16 May'18

  Microsoft hopes for smooth rollout of Surface Hub 2 after previous snags

  The Surface Hub 2 will feature tight integrations with Microsoft Teams and other cloud collaboration tools. The vendor plans to release the product in 2019.

• May 11, 2018 11 May'18

  Avaya cloud revenue grows, but profitability remains elusive

  Avaya reported a net loss of $130 million last quarter, but the vendor still appears largely on track to hit its annual targets. Avaya cloud revenue rose modestly as a percentage of total earnings.

• May 10, 2018 10 May'18

  Microsoft Teams app expands developer toolbox

  Microsoft is giving businesses new tools for building custom integrations within the Microsoft Teams app. The vendor is also enhancing native ties between Teams and Office 365.

• May 09, 2018 09 May'18

  Number of Slack users soars, but Enterprise Grid adoption unclear

  More than 8 million people use Slack every day, and 3 million people are paid subscribers. The startup now has paid Slack users in two-thirds of the Fortune 100.

• May 04, 2018 04 May'18

  Cisco loses Trollope, acquires relationship intelligence startup

  In a surprise announcement, Cisco said Rowan Trollope was leaving to lead Five9 and would be replaced by the CEO of the relationship intelligence startup Accompany, which Cisco expects to acquire.

• May 03, 2018 03 May'18

  Why going private should help grow Mitel cloud

  A private equity firm plans to acquire Mitel for $2 billion in the second half of 2018. The move should give the vendor more flexibility, as it pushes adoption of Mitel cloud.

• May 02, 2018 02 May'18

  Workplace by Facebook integrations broaden app's appeal

  Facebook added dozens of business tools to a newly created app directory in its platform for businesses. The Workplace by Facebook integrations should broaden the product's appeal.

• April 27, 2018 27 Apr'18

  Avaya partners with Afiniti for intelligent call routing

  Avaya will add intelligent call routing to its contact center platforms. The vendor is partnering with Afiniti, which uses artificial intelligence to match customers with agents.

• April 26, 2018 26 Apr'18

  Cisco Spark to Webex Teams integration follows Microsoft's footsteps

  The integration of Cisco Spark to Webex Teams is similar to Microsoft's move to compete against Slack team collaboration and Zoom meeting services, according to analysts.

• April 25, 2018 25 Apr'18

  BroadSoft diversifies Cisco's cloud contact center portfolio

  Cisco's cloud contact center portfolio now includes BroadSoft's CC-One. The vendor will use the multi-tenant platform to target small and midsize businesses.

• April 20, 2018 20 Apr'18

  Twilio SIM cards simplify IoT connectivity

  Twilio has released programmable SIM cards for IoT connectivity. The Twilio SIM cards connect to the vendor's APIs for voice, text and data communications.

• April 18, 2018 18 Apr'18

  Cisco Webex Teams to replace Spark platform

  Cisco plans to combine Spark and Webex to provide a single platform for team collaboration and web conferencing. Cisco Webex Teams and Webex Meetings will rely on the same cloud infrastructure and user interface for online meetings.

• April 18, 2018 18 Apr'18

  Google Cloud speech-to-text service gets revamp

  Google Cloud speech-to-text service has been updated for improved accuracy through machine learning. The company is also releasing a tool for automatically adding punctuation to transcripts.

• April 13, 2018 13 Apr'18

  Cisco eyes blockchain messaging for better security

  The decentralized data storage method of blockchain could make enterprise group messaging more secure. Cisco is among the vendors investigating the promise of blockchain messaging.

• April 12, 2018 12 Apr'18

  Slack Enterprise Grid adds security, compliance tools

  More than 150 large companies are already using Slack Enterprise Grid. The vendor views scalability and security as key to winning more customers for its premium product.

• April 11, 2018 11 Apr'18

  Microsoft Teams roadmap includes tighter Skype integration

  Microsoft has tightened interoperability between Skype for Business and Teams. So far, the vendor has largely kept pace with its Microsoft Teams roadmap for 2018.

• April 10, 2018 10 Apr'18

  Polycom acquisition helps Plantronics against Cisco, Logitech

  In recent UC blogs, analysts discuss the Plantronics-Polycom deal, the convergence of cloud contact center services and UC, and the new AV1 video codec.

• April 06, 2018 06 Apr'18

  IBM Watson Assistant offers flexibility, data privacy

  IBM has released a toolkit for building enterprise-grade virtual assistants. The IBM Watson Assistant is highly customizable and lets businesses keep their data private.

• April 05, 2018 05 Apr'18

  New Microsoft Teams features on deck, but more work needed

  Microsoft has made progress, as it moves Skype for Business features into Microsoft Teams. But more capabilities, especially enterprise voice features, are needed.

• April 05, 2018 05 Apr'18

  Apple Business Chat taps consumer comfort zone

  Apple is partnering with a handful of large businesses for the beta release of Apple Business Chat. The messaging service should help Apple compete with Facebook and Google in the enterprise market.

• April 04, 2018 04 Apr'18

  Cisco Jabber client gets multiline calling, bot developer kit

  The latest version of the Cisco Jabber client supports multiline calling and includes developer tools for building bots. The upgrades demonstrate the vendor's continued commitment to its on-premises UC product.

• March 30, 2018 30 Mar'18

  Google releases cloud text-to-speech service for developers

  A new Google text-to-speech service generates natural-sounding speech in 32 voices and 12 languages. Developers can integrate the software with most enterprise apps and devices.

• March 29, 2018 29 Mar'18

  Polycom acquisition expands Plantronics endpoint portfolio

  Less than two years after going private, Polycom is preparing to become a part of Plantronics. The $2 billion Polycom acquisition will expand Plantronics' endpoint portfolio.

• March 27, 2018 27 Mar'18

  Team collaboration app Atlassian Stride adds 20 integrations

  Team collaboration app Atlassian Stride announced 20 new third-party integrations. The vendor is urging HipChat users to switch to Stride, as it concludes an early access program.

• March 23, 2018 23 Mar'18

  Slack still seen as leader in team communication apps market

  Facing growing pressure from Microsoft and Cisco, Slack is expected to remain competitive in the team communication apps market because of its loyal customers and strong reputation.

• March 16, 2018 16 Mar'18

  Twilio Flex provides a customizable cloud contact center platform

  Twilio Flex offers a customizable interface that sits atop the vendor's application development platform. The offering could appeal to large enterprises looking for a flexible cloud contact center platform.

• March 15, 2018 15 Mar'18

  AWS attacks rivals with Amazon Chime pricing

  Amazon Web Services is switching Amazon Chime pricing to a usage model to lure businesses away from rivals Slack, Microsoft Teams and Cisco Spark. The new pricing starts in April.