NEC Launches UNIVERGE Unified Communications as a Service

NEC Corporation of America has announced its plans to launch UNIVERGE Cloud Services, a set of enhanced Software as a Service (SaaS) offerings designed to help improve business IT operations and worker productivity.

UNIVERGE's initial offering is Unified Communications as a Service, a suite of voice, data, and video services with a web-based end-user client deployable on computers, smartphones, and tablets. At its core is UNIVERGE 3C, NEC's software-based unified communications and collaboration solution. It will be offered in three packages in the second quarter of 2012: basic, standard, and premium, each offered through NEC's network of authorized dealers or directly from NEC's enterprise sales group. 

There are a variety of capabilities for UNIVERGE Cloud Services UCaaS, such as IP telephony, unified messaging, web collaboration, and audio and video conferencing. These are all provided in a service-based model, built to replace capital costs with a monthly fee.

"In addition to providing new UC-enabling technology for any size organization, what was most impressive to me was NEC's practical approach to offering cloud based services or 'UCaaS,'" says Art M. Rosenberg, UC Expert for UCStrategies. "They have rightfully recognized that, because UC is not a simple technology change for premise-based solutions, offering cloud services selectively will be a key requirement for their customers. NEC also had to make the reselling of UCaaS a worthwhile and simple effort for traditional VAR channels, so they have changed the revenue opportunities accordingly to incent selling such service sales. Their marketing strategy appears to be spot on for the rising role of UC solution providers and SIs in supporting customer UC application integration needs, as well as minimizing any equipment cost considerations for customers who must slowly migrate their different applications to a UC-enabled environment. Although coming into the UCaaS a little late, they have done it well!"

According to Blair Pleasant of UCStrategies, “NEC developed a dealer-friendly model for its UCaaS, providing its channel partners with both upfront commission as well as recurring revenues, and giving partners various revenue opportunities so they can be successful with the cloud model. The channel partners have lots of choices as to how they want to provide the services, such as running their own cloud service data center, or relying on NEC for the data center. Partners should appreciate the flexibility and the thought that went into NEC’s approach to this.”

For more information, visit www.necam.com.