CounterPath Changes the Face of Unified Communications with Bria X
As today’s workforce becomes increasingly connected and mobile at the same time, communicating simply via email or a phone call doesn’t always cut it. Therefore, it is now crucial for businesses to equip their employees with a solution that seamlessly integrates a broad range of communication methods to allow businesses to communicate and collaborate more efficiently. And a Unified Communications (UC) solution is the answer.
In this article, Todd Carothers, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at CounterPath, explains why enterprises should start using a UC solution and how CounterPath’s newest offering, Bria X, stands out from the other solutions on the market.
Unified Communications - From a Commodity to a Necessity
UC solutions were not as popular as they are in today's business world. According to Carothers, “Historically, the UC has been nebulous and poorly defined, with any communications tool in the enterprise falling under the umbrella of UC. Recently, however, the definition, particularly to end users, has become more stringent, and communications are finally becoming unified within a single experience.”
Today, UC solutions have turned from a “nicety” to a “must have” business tool. With a UC solution, everything (from voice and video to messaging and screen sharing) is in one place, providing a seamless communication experience for users. “Instead of having a Cisco WebX, an Avaya phone system and a DropBox repository, for example, everything is (or is finally becoming) integrated into a common application that seamlessly achieves all of that across mobile, desktop, tablet, you name it. That’s the making of a good, true UC solution,” says Carothers.
Reasons Businesses Should Start Using a UC Solution
Convenience and cost efficiency are two of the highly cited benefits of UC. But according to Carothers, “UC has a host of direct, tangible benefits to the core of business processes that are often overlooked. Perhaps it is because they are not as apparent or because they are more difficult to measure.”
These benefits include the following:
- Shorter project times - With a UC solution, the amount of time needed to complete projects can be reduced because the workforce now has a tool that facilitates quick and effective communication and collaboration among team members. This can, therefore, increase the overall productivity of the company.
- Increased customer satisfaction - Thanks to UC’s multi-device connectivity and multi-channel communications, businesses can reach customers in a timely fashion, thus improving the overall user experience for clients and customers.
- More sales - According to Carothers, “a UC solution that allows for a more integrated sales process opens the possibility of decreasing a closing time, which, in turn, allows for more sales leads to be processed, vetted and followed upon.”
Why Bria X is Perfect for Modern Businesses
CounterPath, a trusted provider of over-the-top (OTT) UC solutions as well as desktop and mobile Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) products and solutions, understands that modern businesses need more than what traditional telecommunication solutions and standard UC tools can offer. With this mission in mind, they developed Bria X, a feature-rich UC tool designed to provide a seamless communication experience to enterprises.
Centrally managed from the cloud, Bria X incorporates team messaging, presence, and screen share features that can be accessed on desktop, tablet, and smartphone devices. According to Carothers, although Bria X may appear similar to CounterPath’s previous offerings, it is actually a much improved and feature-rich version that’s perfect for SMBs and enterprises. Some of the significant differences Bria X has over other offerings from CounterPath include:
- Improved web-based managed tools
- Integrated desktop screen share
- Hosted team messaging and presence
- Simplified user experience
- Subscription pricing model
Bria X also stands out from the other available options on the market as it’s “the only solution that provides a complete overlay to any call server, whether it be Cisco, Avaya etc. It instantly adds the capabilities of HD voice, video, messaging, presence and screen sharing.” “Whilst the likes of Broadsoft or Cisco may offer similar solutions, their offerings are vertically integrated. Bria X can overlay to any solution on the market, regardless of vertical,” Carothers added.
In addition to being feature-rich, CounterPath's Bria X also puts a premium on security. The platform uses standards-based security protocols, such as TLS for signaling and SRTP for media. "This means every call can be delivered securely without risk of being compromised. Other solutions, including Skype, use proprietary protocols, making them a risk for potential security vulnerabilities," says Carothers.
CounterPath also recently announced that Bria X is now certified interoperable with Plantronics Hub for Windows/Mac. Carothers explains that “this accreditation further solidifies CounterPath’s commitment to providing the best user experience across any device, any network, and any platform by ensuring that the full UC experience – from software to headset – is optimized and functions with little to no effort on the user’s part.”
For more information on Bria X or to try the solution for free, please visit CounterPath’s website.
About CounterPath
CounterPath is a VoIP solutions provider that designs, develops, and supplies innovative VoIP and UC products that are designed to change the face of telecommunications. Founded in 2002, CounterPath specializes in the operator, enterprise, and channel markets. Their suite of products and solutions power the voice and video calling, messaging, and presence offerings of leading telecommunications providers such as AT&T, Avaya, BroadSoft, NEC, Verizon, and more.
