This Week in Telecom: May 5th
This Week in Telecom is a weekly news round-up on VoipReview.org that aims to give our readers a fast and easy way to catch up on the latest news and top stories that are trending in the voice and telecommunications space. Check in each and every Friday to find out more about stories you may have missed in regards to new companies, mergers, trends, and other telecom advancements.
Let’s take a look at some new items you may have missed this week:
Cisco Announces Plans to Acquire San Jose-Based SD-WAN Vendor Viptela
Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) technology has become increasingly popular in recent months due to its ability to simplify the management of dispersed enterprise networks as well as improve the delivery of cloud communications services. Worldwide technology leader Cisco understands the value and benefits that SD-WAN solutions offer to today’s modern enterprise. That is why the company has ramped up its efforts to expand its presence in cloud-delivered services as it recently announced its intent to acquire Viptela for $610 million in cash and assumed equity awards. An SD-WAN vendor based in San Jose, Viptela offers a compelling SD-WAN solution that is easy to deploy and manage. Cisco said that their latest acquisition enables them to expand their SD-WAN portfolio, which already includes Cisco Intelligent WAN (IWAN) and Meraki SD-WAN solutions. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2017.
Dialpad Lets Users Call Contacts Via Alexa
Driven by their mission to “kill the desk phone,” Dialpad has introduced yet another feature that helps them fulfill their goal: integration with Alexa. Amazon’s intelligent virtual assistant service, Alexa, now makes it possible for Dialpad users to complete business communication tasks instantly through voice commands--no physical access to smartphones, tablets, laptops or computers required. This hands-free access to a cloud-based phone system is a step in the right direction and showcases how business can be tied into the Internet of Things (IoT). Brian Peterson, the Co-Founder and VP of Engineering at Dialpad, said their newest integration with Alexa helps their users complete work faster and achieve true mobility. The feature will be available to select users starting on May 15, 2017, with general availability to be announced soon after.
Former Polycom Chief Marketing Officer Appointed as New Intermedia Marketing Lead
Possessing a driven team of executives to drive a company is critical to the success of any organization. In a recent move, Intermedia, a leading cloud business applications provider, recently hired Jim Kruger, an established name in the telecom industry. Kruger previously served as the Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President at Polycom, a leader in Unified Communications and Collaboration. During his stay at Polycom, Kruger helped to lead and content and demand strategy frameworks and also helped to lead marketing efforts. He also championed Polycom's global marketing efforts which include Channel Marketing, Marketing Intelligence, and more.
Intermedia has brought Jim Kruger on board as the company’s new Chief Marketing Officer in an effort to drive their brand and presence in the industry even further. In a release, Michael Gold, the CEO at Intermedia, said that Kruger’s successful track record and broad and extensive knowledge in the industry will be a tremendous asset to the company and will help to accelerate their growth. "Jim’s experience is perfectly aligned with our approach. He is a smart, analytical, creative, and impactful leader with experience marketing to, and through, the channel," said Gold. "He has an extremely successful track record with both large enterprises and SMBs, across a wide range of vertical industries. In addition, he has scaled a Unified Communications business and, like Intermedia, works closely with Microsoft® as a preferred Office 365® partner."
Fuze Raises an Additional $30 Million in Funding
Fuze, a Cambridge-based provider of integrated communication software and solutions, continues to prove that massive market opportunities await them in the global unified communications space. On Wednesday, the company announced that it has raised $30 million in additional capital from an undisclosed top U.S. public pension fund. The company, which has raised upwards of $134 million in its recent financing round, said that it will use the additional investment to “accelerate product innovation for Fuze’s enterprise customer segment and continue international expansion in Asia Pacific and Latin America.”
With the company’s total funding now at $334 million, market watchers believe that Fuze will be one of the most likely IPO candidates in Boston tech.
Zang Launches “Call Mom” Service for Mother's Day
Zang unveiled that they are not only are they looking to transform business and cloud communications, but they’re also committed to improving all conversations--even with moms. Just in time for Mother’s Day, Zang, an Avaya company, launched its “Call Mom” service that lets users from anywhere in the world send a message to their mom.
“Mother’s Day is very important for all of us, and with families spread out across the globe and across time zones, it can get challenging to connect with Mom on her special day,” said Mohammad Nezarati, GM at Zang, Inc. "Technology can help close the divide. Zang’s ‘Call Mom’ is a fun way for people to connect to one of the people who matters most to them, no matter where they are in the world.”
In order to send Mom a message on her special day, users simply have to go to Zang's website and follow four simple steps.