|
Mitel, Sun Deliver Converged Voice and Data Applications |
|
|
|
Written by PRESS RELEASE
|
|
Wednesday, 20 June 2007 |
Ontario, Canada, June 19,
2007 - Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNW) and Mitel®
Networks Corp. today announced they have entered into a global OEM agreement
that will help drive the use of converged voice and data applications in
multi-tenant environments. Mitel's unified communications call control
software will be integrated into industry-standard Sun Microsystems servers for
enterprise and carrier hosted and customer premise environments. Sun and Mitel
have also created a unified solution offering with Mitel's award winning
contact center(1) software on Sun Ray ultra-thin client
hardware.
The Multi-Instance
Call Server (MICS) allows as many as 200 compartmentalized instances of the
Mitel 3300 IP Communications Platform (IPC) call control software to run
simultaneously within Sun Fire X4200 and X4600 servers.
The MICS allows
multiple businesses, departments and offices to share the same server, but use
a specific version of call control software and use the features and functions
that meet their particular needs.
For example, tenanted on the same server, one
customer can run version 8.0 of Mitel Call Control with Mitel Customer
Interaction Solutions applications, while a second customer can run version 7.1
of Mitel Call Control with Mitel Your Assistant and Mitel Mobile
Extension unified communications applications.
"Customers
are looking for applications that enable people to work smarter, faster, better
and more collaboratively to drive business performance improvements,"
said Stephen Beamish, vice president, business development and strategic
alliances at Mitel.
"By working with Sun, we have been able to introduce
unique new solutions that allow businesses to upgrade at their own pace to
protect their existing infrastructure investments including servers, data and
voice systems, not because the multi-tenant softswitch is being
upgraded."
Current and
traditional multi-tenanting softswitches or PBXs force all tenants to use the
same software version, meaning that IT managers must think of how their
integrated business applications will be impacted by an upgrade to the
multi-tenant softswitch.
In today's environment, as IT managers seek to
integrate with their business applications they also seek to control software
versions and implementations with more rigor than ever before while also
considering security related issues. In addition to providing a new means of
addressing tenanting and hosting, this multi-instance approach opens the
opportunity for new business continuity / disaster recovery services, while
simplifying the management of the solution by having one management system for
multiple call controls / customers.
"Our work
with Mitel blends proven technologies to create a unique value proposition
that, since lifting the veil on the solution at VoiceCon in March, has received
tremendous interest from customers and partners," said Peter Ewens, VP,
OEM Group, Sun Microsystems Inc.
"Through Sun's integrated services,
Mitel is now in a position to source the entire solution package for the end
customer. This presents a great professional service opportunity for systems
integration partners to configure and install the solution
package."
Tele2 in the
Benelux (www.Tele2.com), a competitive
communications network operator and a leading alternative to the former
monopoly telecommunications carriers in its target market of the Benelux, plan
to select the Sun-Mitel MICS to consolidate its hosted voice services onto a
single server and one management tool. The result is lower power consumption,
one piece of hardware, and a single management tool to add / change
applications on a per customer, per request basis.
"We
currently have racks and stacks of 3300 ICPs in a room each having it's
own management system to service our various hosted customers," said Theo
van Dongen, senior business consultant voice of Tele2. "Having up to 200
3300 ICPs on a single Sun Server allows us to differentiate our offering by
unlocking versions of the call control functions for each tenant and update,
change, and add features according to each customer's unique
needs."
Sun and Mitel have
also announced the planned integration of the Sun Ray IP Phone Bundle. This
solution allows for a single hot desk sign-on for both the Sun Ray ultra-thin
client terminal and the Mitel IP phone. The Mitel stand, portable to any Mitel
set, has a Java CardTM technology slot to allow for Sun Ray and Mitel IP phone
hotdesking.
This small footprint device delivers all of the traditional Sun Ray
features with lower power consumption than a separate phone and thin client,
delivered at an attractive price. The Sun Ray IP Phone Bundle is particularly
well-suited for cost and security-sensitive environments such as contact
centers, education, healthcare, service providers, and financial
services.
The companies are
also collaborating to deliver the Sun Ray VoIP solution whereby the Mitel
Contact Center application will reside on the server, allowing contact center
agents to securely "hot desk" into the phone at any available
terminal using their personal profile Java Card. The Sun Ray VoIP application
can be easily adapted to other vertical markets, including healthcare. As
doctors conduct their rounds, the accessibility offered by the hot desk feature
ensures they can be quickly and easily reached on the phone in any room, in
case of emergency.
"One of the
keys to increasing the proportion of enterprises that choose managed and hosted
services is delivering management tools for both the service provider and the
end user company," said Sheila McGee-Smith, president and principal
analyst, McGee-Smith Analytics, L.L.C. "With this announcement, Sun and
Mitel are easing the management burden for service providers, enabling them to
more easily support hundreds of customers, as well as providing enterprises
that use their services application flexibility and improved business
continuity."
Sun and Mitel
partners will source the entire solution package (Sun Fire servers, Sun
software, the Solaris 10 Operating System (OS), and Mitel software) and
deliver to the end customer as a starter kit. All software application /
telephony licenses will be acquired by channels through standard practices from
Mitel and from the Sun Customer Ready Program that will activate the solution.
Product will be generally available in the fourth quarter 2007.
About Mitel
Mitel, a leading
provider of unifying IP communications solutions and applications for business
customers, is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, with offices, partners and
resellers worldwide. For more information, please visit www.mitel.com.
About Sun Microsystems, Inc.
A
singular vision-"The Network Is The Computer"-guides Sun
in the development of technologies that power the world's most important
markets. Sun's philosophy of sharing innovation and building communities is at
the forefront of the next wave of computing: the Participation Age. Sun can be
found in more than 100 countries and on the Web at http://sun.com.
Related news items Newer news items
Older news items
|
|
|
|
