BroadSoft, Inc., a provider of service delivery systems for enhanced telephony services, introduced extensive product enhancements that move service providers closer to being able to offer their customers true unified communications. The additions to the BroadWorks product suite focus on four key areas:
* Integrating multiple business communications devices and functions;
* Adding new enterprise services;
* Enhancing service creation tools; and
* Expanding wholesale and resale capabilities.
BroadWorks, including the new features and capabilities, was demonstrated last week at SuperComm 2001 in Atlanta.
BroadSoft is building on its commitment to simplify the use of business communications devices by integrating some of the most popular business communications tools used today. New capabilities now enable BroadWorks to link users' Microsoft Outlook, Palm OS-based handheld devices, web browsers, IP Phones, and mobile devices. At the simplest level, this means users need only maintain one database for their phones, wireless phones, computers, and hand-held devices. More importantly, in addition to being able to create and manage personal preferences for their communications devices via the BroadWorks CommPilot graphical user interface, users now have ability to control and manage their preferences from multiple devices, even remotely via a Palm OS-based hand-held device. For example, one of the features of BroadWorks is the ability to forward calls. Now, if a user is traveling, the forwarding can be managed remotely via a hand-held device.
Many traditional Centrex features are not commonly used because they are too complicated. BroadWorks' easy-to-use web interface that manages a wide range of enterprise telephony services such as call forwarding, call waiting, conferencing and voice mail. With the most recent enhancements, BroadWorks expands these offerings to include even more productivity-enhancing features such as instant messaging, presence management, unified messaging, simultaneous ringing, and instant meet-me conferencing.
Another important new feature is BroadWorks' ability to support voice virtual private networks (VPNs). Now, service providers can offer enterprises cost-effective private line services that may not have been possible either due to cost or technology limitations.
BroadSoft's enhanced service creation tools enable service providers to increase profitability by rapidly delivering a differentiated portfolio of services. BroadWorks offers the ability to create and customize services using standards-base simple CPL scripting (an XML-based language) and integrating third-party applications via the SIP protocol. BroadWorks offers great flexibility as services can be created by the service provider, a third party developer, or BroadSoft's professional services group. Further, BroadWorks is architected so that new services can easily be integrated into the service providers other product offerings.
BroadSoft enables service providers to take advantage of resellers to sell BroadWorks services. The ability to manipulate the system via a portal gives resellers the visibility and control they need to provision services. The services are secure, as the BroadWorks architecture guarantees that resellers have visibility only into their customers' services. The architecture also allows for the addition of customers so resellers are not required to interface with the wholesale provider for each new customer. BroadWorks can also help service providers with Class 5 networks, as it is faster and less expensive for resellers to provision services via BroadWorks.
All of the BroadWorks' services are managed via a web-based portal, CommPilot, for easier service provider and end-user control and management. CommPilot allows enterprise users to manage their own communications services from a standard web browser - even the more complex ones. With BroadWorks, service providers can offer these new features that can easily and quickly be utilized by the user.
About BroadSoft:
BroadSoft, Inc. is a provider of service delivery systems for next-generation telephony services. For more information, visit www.broadsoft.com.