The VAR Guy

In the world of VoIP, you can’t forget your most basic need: The telephone. It’s internals have evolved, but the purpose remains the same — reliable voice conversations regardless of the customer’s budget. Snom knows that, and is launching two new VoIP phones to give SMBs the power of enterprise phones, without the big price tag. The VAR Guy spoke to snom’s COO Mike Storella about the phones and snom’s channel focus…

ShoreTel recognizes one glaring byproduct of the consumerization of IT and the bring your own device (BYOD) movement is the need by companies to support a mishmash of devices and OSes. That’s why the company has upgraded ShoreTel Mobility to support the three major mobility platforms and an expanded number of devices.

Communications and collaboration company Polycom is eager to shed its reputation as a purely hardware vendor in favor of being a software-focused communications provider. To that end, the company has revamped and renamed its UC Intelligent Core product set and added to its partner ecosystem.

Logitech is a name well-known in the consumer space for its PC peripherals including webcams, mice and keyboards. Now the company hopes to delve deeper into the business market through its recently acquired videoconferencing technology and a partnership with Jabra to provide UC-enabled headsets and speakerphones.

Avaya is taking aim at non-unified unified communications with a set of enhancements to its one-X soft client that enables users of pretty much any mobile devices to access the features of the Avaya Flare Experience UC application.

Legacy Nortel users now have a clear path for migrating to updated and upgraded communications systems with the introduction of Avaya IP Office 7.0, which provides compatibility with Nortel Enterprise Solutions IP and digital phones.

Headset manufacturer Plantronics has introduced four new headsets to answer the call for styles that fit with the adoption of videoconferencing and other voice-centric tasks.

IP communications vendor ShoreTel believes unified communications has entered the realm of ‘must-have’ technology, and as such should be an integral part of the communications network.

UC and communications technology vendor Mitel has shown a whole lot of love for the mobility space, as proven by its recently announced Android OS support. The company is going even further, adding the new BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to its list of supported UC devices. Unified Communicator Advanced, built on the Mitel Freedom architecture, is coming to the 7-inch tablet.

Mitel is shaking up the unified communications space again, this time with a new offering for Android devices. It’s billed as a “bring your own device” solution that can allow Android users to access all of Mitel’s UC applications on their phones. Read on for the details …

A little more than a year after Polycom launched its Choice partner program for VARs, solution providers and distributors, the company is reworking Choice to reward those partners who focus on video solutions.

The VAR Guy knows big UC companies aren’t the only video players in town, and he knows interoperability is key to success in the videoconferencing/collaboration space. LifeSize is one of the vendors that understand that, and is now offering a solution that allows customers using Microsoft Office Communication Server 2007 R2 to integrate with LifeSize collaboration offerings. Read on for The VAR Guy’s HD-quality channel perspective …

Communications resellers serving the midsize enterprise space now have another arrow in their quiver of UC solutions, thanks to Avaya.

After spending a few years as the upstart technology in the channel, unified communications finally seems to be coming into its own. The VAR Guy has always had high hopes for UC as a great add-on technology for communications- and convergence-focused solution providers, which is why his ears perked up over Alteva’s new Unified Communications Certification (UCC) program. Read on for the details …

Avaya is looking to make its communication technology more than a series of cookie-cutter solutions. The communications platform vendor is singing the praises of its latest partner-developed applications developed through Avaya DevConnect, its partner development program, and designed to complement Avaya IP Office as ubiquitous and easy-to-use communication application solutions. Here’s the breakdown …

IP communications software vendor BroadSoft is filling out the features of its BroadCloud cloud-based delivery platform with the introduction of BroadCloud Video, a high-definition, SaaS-based videoconferencing service offered through service providers.

Siemens Enterprise Communications is making available its OpenScape unified communications platform and associated offerings as a cloud service, giving end users the full breadth and depth of the solution without having to invest in the necessary hardware. What’s more, the company plans to offer the cloud service only through its channel partners, in an effort to balance its percentage indirect vs. direct sales.

UC guru Polycom has expanded its UC Intelligent Core Platform in an effort to tap Cisco’s Telepresence Interoperability Protocol (TIP). TIP, which Cisco developed originally for multi-screen telepresence interoperability, was gifted in Summer 2010 to the International Multimedia Teleconferencing Consortium (IMTC) to be managed as an industry standard. Polycom is taking it a step further by using TIP to enable its systems to interact with Cisco technology. Here’s the deal…

Unified communications company Mitel is bringing its partners something special in the way of voice virtualization. Now, partners can access a unique multi-vendor program, the Mitel Technical Accreditation Program (TAP), that helps partners differentiate themselves in the channel. I spoke to Bob Anderson, VP of channel marketing programs at Mitel about the news …

Digium Asterisk, the open source IP PBX, seems to be building momentum with some channel partners and customers. But can Asterisk become a mainstream IP telephony platform — much in the way that Linux became a mainstream server operating system? Hmmm… Perhaps The VAR Guy will find the answer to that question at this week’s Digium Asterisk World — part of the larger IT Expo East conference — in Miami Beach, Fla. Here’s the update.

Those who monitor the unified communications and collaboration space saw a lot of action in 2010. Advances in technologies, a shift in standards and myriad partnerships have morphed UCC into a technology that many now consider a must-have rather than a nice-to-have, and the channel can bet there’s more to come in 2011. What did we see in 2010 and what can we expect to see in the next year? Read on …

IP communications vendor ShoreTel has found a new CEO in Peter Blackmore (pictured), former head of telecom services provider UTStarcom. Will Blackmore succeed in making ShoreTel even stronger against the likes of Cisco and Avaya? Here’s a bit of perspective:

Back in July 2010, we wrote about the Cisco CIUS tablet, which runs a custom version of Google Android OS designed to integrate with Cisco’s UC environment. We asked if it wasn’t DOA already with all the iPad adoption in the enterprise space. Now, Cisco is teaming up with Verizon for a January 2011 announcement that’s shrouded in some mystery. Here’s what we know, and here’s some speculation…