The ShoreTel UC system is already enjoyed by more than a million end users in organisations of all sizes around the globe. With this validation, ShoreTel extends its feature-rich capabilities to organizations that use IBM SUT client and bridges the gap with seamless integration between the ShoreTel phone system and the IBM Sametime environment. UC features made available with IBM SUT include presence information so end-users can see if a contact is free to take a call, call alerts, and call routing for improved flexibility.
This interoperability testing marks yet another milestone in collaboration between IBM and ShoreTel to deliver UC solutions that offer flexibility, ease of use and efficiency enhancements to organisations of all sizes. In May, ShoreTel showcased its ease of integration with IBM Sametime for enterprise-level UC capabilities and, in July, ShoreTel announced an agreement with IBM to integrate with IBM Lotus Foundations Reach to offer an affordable, self-managed, brilliantly simple UC solution in a box for small and midsize businesses.
"ShoreTel recognises that every organisation has a different approach and a unique roadmap for its UC strategy," said Kevin Gavin, vice president of marketing at ShoreTel. "The ShoreTel UC system already offers this degree of flexibility with ShoreTel Professional Call Manager, but organisations that have already deployed an IBM Lotus Sametime solution with Lotus Sametime Connect across desktops may prefer to standardise on that application, rather than require end users to switch. As a result, organisations can leverage existing IBM investment and reduce their training requirements."
The demand for more efficient and productive communications has triggered major advances in unified communications, which involve the integration of what were once separate silos - information technology, communications, and application software. A key requirement of successful integration is to enable users to place an audio or video call, exchange instant messages (IM), check a user's presence, or make a conference call-all through a single integrated interface.