News

News

• January 16, 2019 16 Jan'19

  Avaya follows Cisco into market for UC headsets

  Avaya has begun manufacturing UC headsets, following the lead of rival Cisco in a trend that is shaking up the market for such devices.

• January 11, 2019 11 Jan'19

  G Suite for business faces uphill battle against Office 365

  Google continues to invest heavily in G Suite for business, adding new features, but the collaboration platform struggles to keep pace with Microsoft Office 365.

• January 08, 2019 08 Jan'19

  Cisco adds Webex Teams integrations for OneDrive, SharePoint

  New Webex Teams integrations with Microsoft's OneDrive and SharePoint are the latest in a series that link the Cisco collaboration suite with Office 365 productivity tools.

• January 04, 2019 04 Jan'19

  Amazon contact center now supports real-time voice streaming

  The Amazon contact center, Amazon Connect, now supports real-time voice streaming, a feature that opens the door to several emerging applications of AI.

• January 03, 2019 03 Jan'19

  Ex-Cisco exec Jonathan Rosenberg named CTO of Five9

  Jonathan Rosenberg is now CTO and head of AI for the cloud contact center vendor Five9. Rosenberg was previously a top executive in Cisco's collaboration division.

• December 21, 2018 21 Dec'18

  Nixing of Skype Meetings App for Mac irks Microsoft customers

  Microsoft is delaying plans to eliminate the Mac version of the Skype Meetings App after customers complained the move would make it harder for external guests to join meetings.

• December 20, 2018 20 Dec'18

  Cisco collaboration group loses another top executive

  Tom Puorro left the Cisco collaboration group this week to become an executive vice president at Plantronics. He is the latest in a series of top executives to leave the unit in recent months.

• December 19, 2018 19 Dec'18

  Microsoft Teams room system ecosystem expands

  Polycom and HP have partnered to release a Microsoft Teams room system. Meanwhile, Microsoft has announced it will bundle the licensing for conference room products into a single bill.

• December 14, 2018 14 Dec'18

  Lifesize Icon 700 series delivers 4K video conferencing

  Lifesize has overhauled its cloud infrastructure to support 4K video conferencing with use of the new Icon 700 series room system.

• December 13, 2018 13 Dec'18

  Businesses can now rent Avaya phones

  Businesses looking to reduce large one-time capital expenditures can now rent Avaya phones for a monthly fee.

• December 12, 2018 12 Dec'18

  Online store launched for Avaya cloud products

  Organizations can now buy multi-tenant Avaya cloud products through a self-service website targeted at small and midsize businesses.

• December 07, 2018 07 Dec'18

  Oculeus unveils cloud service for toll fraud prevention

  Oculeus-Protect, a toll fraud prevention service, automatically ends phone calls determined to be the result of PBX hacking -- a threat that costs businesses billions of dollars annually.

• December 06, 2018 06 Dec'18

  New Microsoft Teams calling features narrow gap with Skype

  Microsoft will complete its Microsoft Teams calling roadmap in the coming weeks, with the release of four advanced call controls targeted at enterprise users.

• December 05, 2018 05 Dec'18

  Avaya earnings show growth in contact center, decline in UC

  Avaya earnings began to level off in fiscal 2018, as the vendor began to grow its contact center business again. However, Avaya's UC products continued to struggle.

• December 04, 2018 04 Dec'18

  Cisco brings Webex Teams messaging to Jabber client

  Cisco is bringing Webex Teams messaging, file sharing, presence and search features to the Jabber client as part of a broader effort to streamline its UC apps.

• November 30, 2018 30 Nov'18

  WeWork reportedly halts rollout of Amazon Alexa for Business

  WeWork, one of the premier early adopters of Amazon Alexa for Business, has reportedly shelved plans to deploy the AI voice assistant after a two-month pilot.

• November 30, 2018 30 Nov'18

  Tango Networks acquisition expands enterprise mobility services

  In UC news, Tango Networks acquires Simetric Telecom to expand mobile telephony, Speechmatics and Clique partner for transcription service and Jabra intros wireless enterprise earbuds.

• November 29, 2018 29 Nov'18

  Videxio MeetingConnect uses QR codes to join meetings

  Weeks before its planned merger with Pexip, Videxio has unveiled a new cloud service, Videxio MeetingConnect, which seeks to simplify the process of joining online meetings from a conference room.

• November 28, 2018 28 Nov'18

  Microsoft Teams app adds controls for IT admins

  Microsoft has released a set of APIs for automating the creation and archiving of teams within the Microsoft Teams app.

• November 21, 2018 21 Nov'18

  BroadSoft cloud calling begins to eclipse Cisco HCS

  Cisco is pushing BroadSoft service providers to sell into the midmarket and above, raising questions about the future of Cisco HCS.

• November 16, 2018 16 Nov'18

  Cisco pushes BroadSoft partners to sell Cisco phones, displays

  At BroadSoft Connections, the sponsors of which included Polycom and Yealink, Cisco wasn't shy about encouraging BroadSoft partners to begin selling Cisco phones and displays.

• November 16, 2018 16 Nov'18

  New RingCentral platform, UC mobile app and AI partnerships

  RingCentral introduced a new customer engagement platform, mobile app and AI voice analytics. Learn how the new offerings improve the user experience.

• November 15, 2018 15 Nov'18

  Cisco folds BroadSoft UC-One into Webex cloud

  Cisco is looking to streamline its portfolio of UC apps, starting with the merger of BroadSoft UC-One and Webex Teams in the Cisco Webex cloud.

• November 14, 2018 14 Nov'18

  Cisco targets huddle rooms with Webex Room Kit Mini

  Cisco has launched the Webex Room Kit Mini. The video conferencing kit is for rooms that seat as few as two people and competes with products from Logitech and Lifesize.

• November 13, 2018 13 Nov'18

  Cisco brings BroadSoft cloud PBX to Webex Teams

  The integration of the BroadSoft cloud PBX with the messaging and meetings app Webex Teams gives midsize Cisco customers a clearer migration path to a cloud-only UC environment.

• November 09, 2018 09 Nov'18

  In strategic shift, Avaya expands portfolio of open SIP phones

  Avaya is doubling down on a decision to open its hardware to the software of competing UC vendors with the release of more than a dozen new open SIP phones.

• November 08, 2018 08 Nov'18

  Talkdesk iQ provides AI analytics, monitoring in contact center

  Talkdesk iQ, the cloud contact center startup's new AI platform, includes an analytics dashboard and bot development tools. The vendor also announced a new 100% uptime SLA for enterprise calling.

• November 07, 2018 07 Nov'18

  Microsoft fixes flaws in Skype Meetings App

  Microsoft announced upgrades to the Skype Meetings App to ease installation and setup. The vendor plans to eliminate the Mac version of the product in favor of the desktop app.

• November 02, 2018 02 Nov'18

  Amazon opens Alexa for Business to third-party devices

  Amazon's AI voice assistant platform for enterprises, Alexa for Business, is now compatible with third-party devices from vendors including Polycom.

• 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.