News

News

• 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.

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• 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.

• March 14, 2018 14 Mar'18

  New Masergy UCaaS feature helps avoid overpayments

  Masergy UCaaS customers can use their human resource applications to automate adding and deleting UCaaS users. The new feature can avoid overpayments.

• March 14, 2018 14 Mar'18

  Ready for artificial intelligence in speech recognition?

  Artificial intelligence in speech recognition is transforming the technology, but are enterprises ready to employ these new tools within their operations?

• March 14, 2018 14 Mar'18

  Avaya Mobile Experience could lower contact center costs

  The new Avaya Mobile Experience helps contact centers manage incoming calls from mobile phones. Analysts said the latest service could help reduce costs.

• March 14, 2018 14 Mar'18

  Users share team collaboration software strategies

  Many companies are pursuing a team collaboration software strategy to consolidate messaging on one platform to streamline IT and end user communications.

• March 14, 2018 14 Mar'18

  Putting the contact center in the cloud blurs lines with UC

  The line between unified communications and the contact center is blurring as organizations look to bring both technologies together via cloud adoption.

• March 13, 2018 13 Mar'18

  Cisco-BroadSoft cloud PBX to bring telephony to Spark

  Cisco plans to use the BroadSoft cloud PBX to open Spark to the public telephone network. The PBX came with the Cisco-BroadSoft acquisition completed last month.

• March 13, 2018 13 Mar'18

  Team collaboration tools see different adoption strategies

  Team collaboration tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams can be deployed in different ways. The options include focus on end-user choices or greater IT and executive control.

• March 12, 2018 12 Mar'18

  New Microsoft Teams features include Cortana integration

  The latest Microsoft Teams features include foreign language translation of messages, recording of meetings and integration with the Cortana voice assistant.

• March 09, 2018 09 Mar'18

  Enterprise Connect 2018 to showcase latest UC innovations

  The latest UC products will be on display at this year's Enterprise Connect, including mobile unified communications platforms and team collaboration workspaces.

• March 09, 2018 09 Mar'18

  RingCentral Meetings offered as stand-alone web conferencing platform

  RingCentral has expanded its cloud portfolio with the release of RingCentral Meetings, a stand-alone web conferencing platform. Other recent product upgrades should make it a stronger player in the contact center market.

• March 07, 2018 07 Mar'18

  Microsoft Teams guest access made universal

  Microsoft is chasing competitors Slack and Cisco Spark with the expansion of Microsoft Teams guest access. More enterprises are using team chat apps to collaborate with external partners.

• March 07, 2018 07 Mar'18

  Enterprise Connect 2018 conference coverage

  The unified communications industry is seeing significant changes. Read the latest news in our comprehensive coverage of Enterprise Connect 2018.

• March 07, 2018 07 Mar'18

  New vendors, trends crash Enterprise Connect 2018 party

  Slack and Facebook are making their first appearances at the unified communications conference. Plus, contact center technologies could take center stage at the show.

• March 05, 2018 05 Mar'18

  Huddle rooms help fuel audio conferencing endpoint market

  Despite recent economic struggles, the audio endpoint market is benefiting from the newest trend of smaller collaboration spaces in enterprises.

• March 02, 2018 02 Mar'18

  Avaya revenue growth depends on success of cloud products

  New cloud products are expected to drive Avaya revenue growth in 2019. Meanwhile, revenues in fiscal 2018 are forecast to be almost the same as last year.

• March 02, 2018 02 Mar'18

  Blue Jeans integrates AI-powered transcription technology

  Blue Jeans has integrated an AI transcription service powered by Voicera's virtual assistant, Eva, while Slack deepened its GitHub integration to support developer collaboration.

• March 02, 2018 02 Mar'18

  Google Hangouts Chat team collaboration app released

  Google is continuing to aggressively target the enterprise market with its release of Hangouts Chat. The team collaboration app will compete with Slack, Microsoft Teams and Cisco Spark.

• March 01, 2018 01 Mar'18

  CEO lays out roadmap for Mitel Cloud after ShoreTel acquisition

  In 2018, Mitel is looking to capitalize on its large install base and a strong mix of public and private cloud offerings. But Mitel Cloud will have to compete with both pure-cloud startups and legacy UC vendors.

• March 01, 2018 01 Mar'18

  Genesys acquires Altocloud sales analytics for contact center cloud

  Genesys acquires analytics vendor Altocloud to help businesses find sales opportunities in online customer interactions. Genesys will integrate Altocloud into omnichannel contact center products.

• March 01, 2018 01 Mar'18

  Avaya Zang upgrades workflow, IoT tools

  Avaya Zang has upgraded its CPaaS platform with new workflow and IoT tools. The vendor is also making it easier to integrate Zang apps with Avaya UC hardware.

• February 23, 2018 23 Feb'18

  Orion Labs releases push-to-talk app for enterprises

  Orion Labs has made its push-to-talk app generally available to enterprises. The voice-powered platform offers benefits beyond the mimicking of walkie-talkies.

• February 23, 2018 23 Feb'18

  Slack competitor Atlassian Stride releases tools for developers

  Atlassian Stride, a Slack competitor, has released an API platform. The ability to integrate with business apps and workflow tools is expected to fuel the growth of the team collaboration market.

• February 22, 2018 22 Feb'18

  Many enterprises need better conference room technology

  Enterprises are taking action to ensure they have the conference room technology necessary to support the latest collaboration tools.

• February 16, 2018 16 Feb'18

  Email collaboration evolves in the modern enterprise

  Messaging apps are great for team collaboration, but bridging the gap between internal and external communication remains a hurdle. That's why vendors are developing tools to improve email collaboration.

• February 15, 2018 15 Feb'18

  Enterprises given clarity on cost of cloud services

  Enterprises are gaining greater clarity about the cost of cloud services for UCC, as many IT departments are discovering that cloud deployments don't usually save them money.

• February 13, 2018 13 Feb'18

  Adopting business messaging apps requires changing corporate culture

  To successfully adopt business messaging apps in the enterprise, organizations must put end users at the center of a messaging strategy crafted to prevent shadow IT and collaboration silos.

• February 09, 2018 09 Feb'18

  Jive acquisition takes LogMeIn into UCaaS midmarket

  LogMeIn plans to acquire UCaaS provider Jive Communications for $357 million. The Jive acquisition, expected to close next quarter, will send LogMeIn into the UCaaS market.

• February 08, 2018 08 Feb'18

  Avaya adds AI voice assistant to desk phones

  Avaya has created an AI voice assistant application for desk phones. AI voice assistant platforms could make mundane tasks easier for office workers.

• February 08, 2018 08 Feb'18

  Mitel products revamped post-ShoreTel acquisition

  In UC news, Mitel's product portfolio has rebranded for the integration of ShoreTel's UCaaS products, while the new Logitech SmartDock accessory supports meeting interoperability.

• February 07, 2018 07 Feb'18

  Automated transcription services could be integral to web conferencing

  Automated transcription services are expected to become a must-have feature for web conferencing. Zoom made its version of that service available to its subscribers on Jan. 31.

• February 02, 2018 02 Feb'18

  How Apple Business Chat could change contact-center market

  The Apple Business Chat release comes as many businesses are rethinking the role of the contact center, which could turn the platform into a market disruptor.

• February 01, 2018 01 Feb'18

  Spoken acquisition the highlight of Avaya Engage 2018

  The standout announcement at Avaya Engage 2018 was the acquisition of contact-center-as-a-service provider Spoken Communications, which will bolster Avaya's cloud strategy.

• February 01, 2018 01 Feb'18

  Microsoft Teams updates streamline search, sharing features

  In UC news, new features in Microsoft Teams look to improve how users share and access information, while Verizon and Ribbon Communications partner for virtual SBC services.

• January 31, 2018 31 Jan'18

  Smartphone push-to-talk apps poised for enterprise growth

  Smartphone push-to-talk apps are a viable option for enterprises because of the improved reliability of 4G and LTE networks. Their automation and integration tools could be key to future growth.

• January 30, 2018 30 Jan'18

  Private Slack shared channels look to boost security, admin controls

  With the addition of private shared channels, Slack looks to broaden its external collaboration tools. However, interoperability issues still nag team collaboration apps.

• January 26, 2018 26 Jan'18

  PGi releases GlobalMeet 5.0, as demand for web conferencing grows

  PGi has revamped its flagship virtual meeting platform with the release of GlobalMeet 5.0. Many enterprises now prefer web conferencing over traditional dial-in calls.

• January 26, 2018 26 Jan'18

  Cloud, mobility, telephony to fuel UCC market growth, report says

  In unified communications news, one industry report issues a bullish outlook, a new group messaging platform has launched and Plantronics expands its headset offerings.

• January 22, 2018 22 Jan'18

  Midmarket enterprises push UCaaS platform adoption

  Cloud communications is growing in popularity among midmarket enterprises. UCaaS providers and enterprises must work together for successful adoption and deployment.

• January 22, 2018 22 Jan'18

  Avaya UC headed for SMB product bundles

  Avaya plans to grow its customer base with SMB-friendly technology. The bundles will include Avaya UC and other features from the company's enterprise portfolio.

• January 11, 2018 11 Jan'18

  Businesses slow to embrace products like Samsung Flip board

  Samsung hopes to heat up the tepid digital whiteboard market, but the new Samsung Flip board will face tough competition from small vendors, as well as Cisco, Google and Microsoft.

• January 05, 2018 05 Jan'18

  Unified communications vendors continue consolidation carousel

  Several unified communications vendors rang in the new year with mergers and acquisitions, as Star2Star merges with Blueface and Polycom picks up Obihai Technology.

• December 29, 2017 29 Dec'17

  Video conference tools spread among buyers and sellers

  With the help of cloud-based technology, video conference vendors can roll out more options for potential buyers, who now face a mounting array of use cases.

• December 22, 2017 22 Dec'17

  UC trends revealed in top news stories of 2017

  Take a look at the top UC news stories that affected the industry in 2017 -- from the growth in the team collaboration market to vendor mergers and acquisitions.

• December 21, 2017 21 Dec'17

  Many challenges ahead following Avaya bankruptcy proceedings

  With the Avaya bankruptcy proceedings over, the company will need strong sales, marketing and customer service to win deals in a highly competitive market.

• December 19, 2017 19 Dec'17

  Microsoft Teams calling, Cisco Spark security get updates

  New Microsoft telephony tools put some pressure on Skype for Business users to switch to Teams. Meanwhile, Cisco Spark security gets a key certification.

• December 14, 2017 14 Dec'17

  Free phone service could boost Dialpad's UCaaS status

  UCaaS provider Dialpad is offering a free cloud telephony service that integrates with G Suite, while a new partner program offers Workplace by Facebook support.

• December 08, 2017 08 Dec'17

  Alexa for Business sounds promising, but security a concern

  Amazon's enterprise virtual assistant connects Echo devices and voice commands to conference rooms and business applications as the service looks to ease meeting complexities.

• November 30, 2017 30 Nov'17

  Third-party E911 services expand call management tools

  In UC news, organizations are deploying third-party E911 services for additional call management capabilities, while Genesys announces a chatbot integration with Amazon.

• November 10, 2017 10 Nov'17

  Level 3-CenturyLink merger could open doors for UC partners

  In UC news, business partnerships are in question after CenturyLink's merger with Level 3. Meanwhile, RingCentral announces third-quarter revenue.

• November 03, 2017 03 Nov'17

  Avaya, Talkdesk dial into contact center AI technologies

  Bots, analytics and artificial intelligence tools are booming. Contact center AI, in particular, could enhance employee productivity and improve customer service.

• November 02, 2017 02 Nov'17

  Cisco Spark app to get voice-powered virtual assistant

  A voice-powered assistant will soon be available in the Cisco Spark app. Early next year, the company plans to offer the virtual helper to a limited number of customers.

• October 31, 2017 31 Oct'17

  New RingCentral app integrations include Google, Slack, Alexa

  Application integrations are becoming almost mandatory offerings among many cloud-based communications providers, and RingCentral just unveiled a bunch of them.

• October 30, 2017 30 Oct'17

  Genband, Sonus merge to become Ribbon Communications

  After finalizing a merger, Genband and Sonus will become Ribbon Communications. The combined company will focus on security and real-time communication tools.

• October 27, 2017 27 Oct'17

  Microsoft Teams roadmap introduces telephony, interoperability

  New Microsoft Teams features, ranging from telephony to advanced meeting tools, are coming down the pipeline, as Microsoft prepares for the migration from Skype for Business Online.

• October 26, 2017 26 Oct'17

  Cisco UCaaS gets more complicated with BroadSoft buy

  After the BroadSoft acquisition, Cisco UCaaS will have overlapping products that will need sorting and services that could cause conflict with service providers.

• October 20, 2017 20 Oct'17

  UCaaS market share report details industry's upswing

  In UC news, RingCentral extends its UCaaS market share lead, Fuze introduces a web-based collaboration tool, and Vidyo releases a VP9 codec for real-time video communications.

• October 13, 2017 13 Oct'17

  Arkadin unveils Cisco integrations for cloud telephony

  In UC news, Arkadin announces integrations with Cisco Spark and WebEx that support cloud-based telephony, while Box unveils machine learning tools to digitize and automate workflows.

• October 10, 2017 10 Oct'17

  Symphony collaboration takes on Teams, Slack team messaging

  Symphony Communication Services says it's ready to compete with Cisco, Microsoft and Slack. Experts point to security as a strength of the Symphony collaboration platform.

• September 29, 2017 29 Sep'17

  Facebook, IBM, Microsoft collaboration developments released

  Microsoft opting to swap Skype for Business for Teams topped this week's collaboration news. But Facebook, IBM and Zoho also had noteworthy product developments.

• September 29, 2017 29 Sep'17

  New Skype, Microsoft Teams integrations focus on video

  Microsoft Ignite yielded a slew of partnership announcements focusing on Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams integrations based on video support and interoperability.

• September 28, 2017 28 Sep'17

  Could Microsoft Teams replace Outlook and Yammer?

  For years, workers have lived in Microsoft's Outlook email as a primary communications tool. But with the emergence of Microsoft Teams, it could replace Outlook.

• September 27, 2017 27 Sep'17

  Zoom video meetings get Facebook Workplace integration

  Zoom video meetings can now be streamed to Facebook Workplace. Zoom announced the integration this week, along with a new transcription service for video recordings.

• September 27, 2017 27 Sep'17

  Microsoft Teams deployment to reshuffle UC strategies

  Microsoft Teams deployment will force enterprises to rethink how they want to restructure their current unified communications strategies. Executive buy-in will be crucial.

• September 26, 2017 26 Sep'17

  Cisco, Microsoft take diverse tacks for virtual reality collaboration

  Microsoft demonstrated its virtual reality collaboration technology and mixed-reality workflow app, used by Ford, this week at Microsoft Ignite. Cisco invited customers to experiment with Cisco Spark in VR.

• September 25, 2017 25 Sep'17

  Microsoft Teams to replace Skype for Business Online

  Over the next couple of years, Microsoft will gradually replace Skype for Business Online with Teams, which will become the communications client for Office 365.

• September 21, 2017 21 Sep'17

  UCaaS Magic Quadrant shows maturing, fragmented market

  The latest Magic Quadrant for UCaaS shows a maturing market with capabilities that exceed on-premises UC and UCaaS providers with greater global reach.

• September 14, 2017 14 Sep'17

  8x8 and Atlassian integrate team collaboration tools

  In UC news this week, 8x8 and Atlassian integrate their team communication tools, while AeroFS and Redbooth merge on collaboration and task management software.

• September 14, 2017 14 Sep'17

  New Slack shared channels, Microsoft Teams adds guest access

  New Slack shared channels and Microsoft Teams' guest access features, introduced this week, provide collaboration tools for workers in different companies.