Aastra Launches BluStar Client

At Enterprise Connect, Aastra has announced the launch of Aastra BluStar, a unified communications client made for improved collaboration and customer service across a variety of devices. With the expansion of Aastra's BluStar portfolio, customers can use the communications tool that suits them best for instant messaging, video, and voice.

With the launch of the BluStar client, Aastra is extending its collaboration offering to any location and device. It provides businesses with a UC solution that has a neutral collaboration experience, allowing a similar experience on any device to support Bring Your Own Device trends.

BluStar can be used on its own with its Application Server, or integrated with other Aastra call managers. It also integrates with third party solutions, such as Microsoft Lync or IBM Sametime.

"Aastra is joining other major telephony system providers by offering a software client that can be used on any networked computer device to support UC enabled applications," says Arthur Rosenberg, UC Expert for UCStrategies. "Their BluStar client will not only accommodate inbound/outbound calls and voice conferencing, but also ad hoc videoconferencing. The BluStar client also integrates with text messaging solutions from Microsoft (Office Communicator/Lync) and IBM (Sametime) using presence-based  information. Although Aastra indicated an imminent availability of a BluStar client for mobile iPads and iPhones, Aastra's offering is focused on desktop computers and portable laptops with premise-based technology, with no mention of 'cloud' service offerings.  It is also not clear if their video capability will exploit UC enablement to allow mobile end users to individually choose their mode of conferencing participation (voice/video)."

Aastra BluStar client will be made available in the second quarter of 2012.

For more information, visit www.aastra.com.