ShoreTel, IBM partner with UC solution for SMBs

Peter Dinham
Thursday, 16 July 2009 15:31

IT Industry - Strategy

ShoreTel and IBM have collaborated to deliver an ‘all in one’ communications and IP telephony offering for small and midsize businesses (SMB).
 

Incorporating all of a user’s communication tools, the ShoreTel/IBM offering includes email, calendars, contacts office tools, network security, remote access, file and print sharing and instant messaging and VoIP telephony in a single ‘office-in-a box’ or ‘out-of-the box’ solution.

Unified communications vendor, ShoreTel, today announced its agreement with IBM to deliver the Unified Communications (UC) and collaboration offering combing a small business appliance, presence awareness, instant messaging and VoIP telephony in an ‘out-of-the box’ integrated solution for SMBs.

ShoreTel says its offering leverages the newly announced Lotus Foundations Reach, which customises and extends the IBM Sametime UC and collaboration capabilities, in an appliance designed for SMBs that does not require an enterprise administrator.

Under the agreement, ShoreTel says it will integrate the IBM Lotus Foundations platform with its intuitive Director Management platform in a single “office in a box” appliance.

According to ShoreTel’s president and CEO, John W. Combs, the result is designed to be a tightly integrated solution that delivers on ShoreTel’s commitment to “brilliantly simple solutions and lets SMB customers quickly realize the productivity gains and simplicity associated with UC solutions.”

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