CIO Review - 20 Most Promising Unified Communications Solution Providers 2015

In the modern world where enterprises are spread out in different geographical locations there is necessity for a collaborative media experience across any workspace. Since business communication plays a vital role in the growth of organizations, several companies are adopting Unified Communications which enables a firm to communicate seamlessly via a wide range of integrated components and would arguably better facilitate all types of communication. On the other end of the spectrum, UC is evolving continuously with new trends to empower new correspondence modules for a superior client experience. Presently, companies are deploying and leveraging UC for automation of processes, voice over LTE (VoLTE)/voice over Wi-Fi, voice, video, and messaging services, amongst others to enrich productivity. Moreover, UC vendors are trying to integrate more features into wireless devices to better serve the users, who mostly depend on tablets and mobiles for everyday tasks.

With so much under the UC banner, we at CIOReview looked at scores of solution providers and have shortlisted the ones that are at the forefront of tackling challenges faced in the UC landscape. In our selection we have looked at vendors offering a wide range of UC suites that will help in setting up a strong communication platform for businesses.

The companies featured have showcased in-depth expertise in integrated and innovative technologies to streamline operations across the Unified Communications field. A distinguished panel comprising of CEOs, CIOs, VCs, industry analysts and the editorial board of CIOReview selected the final 20.

We present to you CIO Review’s 20 Most Promising Unified Communications Solution Providers 2015.

CallTower - Designing Hosted Enterprise-class Unified Communications Solutions

The current networking landscape is resonated with myriad of communication tools that continues to grow across telephony, conferencing, messaging, and social platforms. Organizations in the networking industry are making strenuous efforts to cater the needs of their end-users, who demand to get access of their resources from any location and device. CallTower, an UT-based company tackles these challenges by offering best-of-breed web-based platform/portal, “CallTower Connect” for administrators and users. “With many businesses developing a cloud first mentality, providers like CallTower offer value differentiated services to increase addressable market, improve relevance, and enhance monetization opportunities,” begins Bret L. England, President and CEO of CallTower.

CallTower Connect is a powerful tool within an easy to use application. With a few clicks individual users can customize many phone features such as: call or email directly from the corporate directory, forward any extension to an outside number, add or edit speed dials, manage multiples Microsoft settings, and manage mobility. Administrators can manage a number of functions across numerous company locations, add or delete users and devices, assign phone numbers from available inventory of numbers within a few minutes. The CallTower Complete 2013 for Lync, now Skype for Business, provides clients with an efficient and secure way to connect with contacts in real time.

In addition, William Rubio, Chief Revenue Office at CallTower explains characteristics of the emergence UC features is the growing mobile workforce demands. UC providers need to accommodate to those enterprise mobile requirements. “At CallTower we offer a wide range of best-of-breed hosted communication services that includes, Hosted Microsoft Products: Skype for Business with Voice Communication Suite of Products, Office 365, and Hosted Exchange. Also, Hosted Cisco Products such as Cisco Unified Communication Suite, Cisco CallManager (currently 10.5) and Cisco CallManager with Integrated Microsoft Unified Messaging now Skype for Business,” opines Rubio.

CallTower Connect has the ability to integrate different platforms/services by using a robust user-friendly web based portal. The solution provides a rollup aggregation of the existing and future platform/services. “CallTower Connect also provides the ability to pull call detail information, reporting metrics, service and implementation items inventory updates and other administration related functions,” says Rubio.

For enabling Private Branch Xchange (PBX) replacement solution, CallTower offers a unique voice-enabled Skype for Business. With Microsoft’s approved multi-tenant platform, this architecture provides a cost-effective vehicle for customers to enjoy the benefits without premise based equipment costs. This solution helps customers to obtain a competitive advantage through additional benefits, such as faster implementation, no fixed hardware costs, zero maintenance costs, 24/7/365 live support, and software upgrades at no additional costs. Additionally, CallTower has integrated the Cisco CallManager 10.5 platform with the Microsoft environment.

CallTower has leveraged its extensive industry experience to help many notable clients across the globe. For an instance, a client outgrew their current PBX and vendor as they opened new offices in different states. The customer tried to comply with the business continuity requirements placed upon them by their customers. CallTower deployed voice services to approximately 215 users across four office locations. “We leverage the customer’s existing dedicated Internet service to connect to CallTower's Data Centers,” says England. The customer also experience productivity gains by leveraging the collaboration built into Microsoft Voice enabled Lync.

Going forward, CallTower will continue to stay ahead of the competition by providing innovative, state of the art solutions that will be unrivaled in the industry.

Access full magazine issue here: http://magazine.cioreview.com/June-2015/Unified_Communication/