PanTerra Combines File Sharing and Unified Communications in SmartBox

File sharing is a vital part of today’s work environment, which benefits from being tied in with Unified Communications. That being as it is, PanTerra Networks has released a new file sharing service, SmartBox, which comes with built-in Unified Communications services.

SmartBox is capable of storing, sharing, and syncing files and data with PanTerra’s established Unified Communications offering. It provides an online workspace for viewing, modifying, and commenting on content, as well as secured control sharing, so documents can be shared with whoever may need them when they’re needed, and can be accessed and shared from any device. On top of the file sharing capabilities, SmartBox can be used to call, instant message, email, or make a videoconference with others.

What SmartBox does is consolidate multiple cloud services into one, providing an integrated service with high reliability, security, and quality of service (QoS), with a lower TCO than one would normally get with multiple, separate solutions. Data is shared and synced automatically across an organization, so real-time sharing, monitoring, and discussions can be performed quickly from a single device anywhere.

When a user shares content through SmartBox to a group or individual, the user is shown the recipient’s real-time presence, and is alerted when the file is downloaded. From there, they can use the same application to communicate with them. This provides a full service that aims to improve upon the store, share, and sync features that are normally separate offerings from UC products.

According to Arthur Chang, CEO of PanTerra Networks, “There has been little innovation in the file-sharing and unified communications spaces in recent years. Collaboration happens on multiple levels, and while new store, sync, and share technologies have added some enhancement features, there’s still a huge gap in the market to create IT solutions that impact the top line and truly give businesses a competitive edge. With SmartBox, we’ve combined the best of both the cloud file sharing and unified communications worlds to create a truly powerful, game-changing solution for mid-market enterprises.”

Blair Pleasant, co-founder of UCStrategies, notes, “Solutions such as DropBox and Box have been gaining in popularity due to their file sharing and synching capabilities, but these are separate from organizations’ UC platforms and services. By combining UC capabilities such as presence, telephony, IM, and conferencing, SmartBox makes it easier for colleagues and coworkers to collaborate using a single cloud solution.” She adds, “I was surprised at how easy it was to join a real-time file sharing session with UC capabilities as a guest using SmartBox. One impressive feature of SmartBox is the business class security and two-phase authentication so that your files can’t be accessed, even if your device is lost or stolen.”

PanTerra’s SmartBox offers end-to-end management of its cloud services. Because it combines multiple cloud services, it can help companies save money by reducing expenses that would be spent on several different services. Its pricing starts at $15 a month for new SmartBox users, though existing customers can upgrade for a third of the cost, while the pooled cloud storage costs $10 per 100 GB each month.