ShoreTel [NASDAQ:SHOR]: Integrating Business Communication

Don Joos, CEO

United Communications, though a buzzword in the 90s, is becoming priority due to its ability to carry voice over a data connection and integrate telephones within IT framework. According to Infonetics Research Report, the UC market is expected to reach $12 billion market value by 2018, where cloud UC services will boom in double digits while on-premise may witness single digits growth. Contributing to both cloud-based and on-premise UC services, is California based ShoreTel [NASDAQ:SHOR] known for providing Internet Protocol (IP) phone systems, cloud services and UC solutions that reduce complexities, costs and builds a comprehensive communication system.

ShoreTel unites internal and external communication of companies by designing, developing and deploying IP based UC solutions that include voice, video, data, mobile communications, messaging and management software. “The evolution of our company to a communication platform is the power of marrying voice with data. It’s how we connect with business applications and allow businesses analyze and derive better business intelligence decisions,” describes Don Joos, CEO, ShoreTel.

The firm’s unique business phones, application integration, collaboration tools, mobility, and contact center applications integrate multi site enterprises in a single platform that facilitates communication irrespective of geography, technology or time. “Whether one prefers cloud service, invests in onsite system, or deploys a combination of two, there is a single UC solution that delivers the same user experience and outstanding capabilities to the entire team,” explains Joos.

For sophisticated business communication, ShoreTel Connect is a common platform with single software code base. Applications can be managed both from cloud and onsite in ShoreTel Connect. One click of the user shifts an Instant Message (IM) to a call, to an online meeting to a web desktop share and video. Easy communication among internal and external teams is possible without plug-ins, multiple application windows, passwords or complex specifications.

The evolution of our company to a communication platform is the power of marrying voice with data

ShoreTel on-premise UC, Connect Onsite service corresponds to traditional phone systems and offers facilities like call transfer, extension dialing, and conference directly from phones. Clients get access to IP PBX telephony services, ShoreTel desk phones, mobility applications, collaboration suite, and a browser-based administration portal that improves their present work pattern. UC features of this solution include ShoreTel Connect Desktop App with built-in collaboration tools that connects people and devices for free flow of communication. During online meetings with external teams, ShoreTel Connect Web Collaboration App opens automatically on participants’ devices.

Offering the same features and services, Connect CLOUD is a cloud based end-to-end UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) solution that scales and secures telephone systems with robust reporting capabilities. Simple plug and play deployment adds portability to its features. In case of calls and videos, Connect CLOUD improves sound quality up to 7 octaves. Clients can subscribe for Connect CLOUD in three different packages where Connect CLOUD Fax and Connect CLOUD Interaction Center are a la carte applications delivered along.

“ShoreTel’s ability to tailor services that enhance our business processes and their responsive customer service differentiated them from other companies. They worked around our needs,” comments Kimberly Warrick, Director of Client Service, NJ SHARES. To equip call centers with modern UC facilities, nonprofit organization NJ SHARES deployed Connect CLOUD service and acknowledges the difference it added to their existing ecosystem.

Presently ShoreTel serves a wide range of vertical markets and believes a combination of virtual PBX applications and on-premise phone systems, hybrid business telephony as the future of UC. “ShoreTel 2.0 is our first offering in the hybrid ecosystem that transforms all aspects of the company to be positioned for growth in the hosted market, while continuing to be competitive in the premises market,” concludes Joos.