To Deliver True UC Solution

by Ray Horak, Technology Editor

Unified Communications (UC) is the next level up from what we once referred to as convergence. Alteva, Microsoft and Broadsoft have converged, so to speak, to create a true hosted UC solution for small businesses. Microsoft is actively promoting the capability of a fully integrated communications platform by partnering with a select group of companies including Alteva, Comcast and Go Daddy to increase employee productivity and enhance office efficiency through improved communications. Alteva has developed a way to interconnect its hosted voice and messaging services with the Microsoft Communication Services product suite, including Microsoft Exchange Server, Windows SharePoint Services and Microsoft Office Communication Server (OCS) for SMB and enterprise customers, alike. That development led to Alteva’s selection as one of a very few hosted voice service providers to offer the complete suite of Microsoft Communication Services with integrated voice services. Alteva relies on Broadsoft and Level 3 to provide the highly secure carrier class VoIP network infrastructure, including SIP trunking.

Microsoft Communication Services enables employees to access critical business information from any location, at any time, on any device. When working remotely, employees can access e-mail and customer information, view and edit documents, manage calendars, and collaborate with coworkers as if they were still in the office. Integration with Alteva’s hosted VoIP solution adds the benefits of presence and voice-enabled Outlook calendars and e-mail. Microsoft Office Live Meeting supports real time Web-based screen and document sharing, as well as voice and video conferencing. Alteva also offers the advantages of vendor bill consolidation, scalability, increased control, business continuity and mitigation of technology obsolescence. The Alteva solution can be implemented in minutes vs. weeks or months, as would be the case with a premises-based system, thereby enabling smaller organizations to realize the fairly immediate benefits of integrated voice, messaging and collaboration systems.

The solution is priced beginning at $15 per user. Organizations can purchase the complete UC solution, or Alteva also offers a la carte purchasing options for those who seek only to purchase Exchange email, OCS or Alteva’s hosted VoIP. Alteva is recruiting telephony agents, data VARs and system integrators nationwide to resell its Hosted VoIP and SIP trunk services. Alteva offers referral partnerships, traditional agency and master agency programs. Programs are based on volume and the resources that the particular partner has at its disposal. Alteva also offers wholesale and private labeling for its complete suite of products. For more: http://www.altevatel.com/