Value-added services provider BCN Solutions Express is expanding its video and mobile capabilities with additions to its hosted IP PBX and SIP trunking portfolio, which includes a self-service portal for channel partners and end users to manage their own accounts.
BCN Solutions Express’ latest hosted IP PBX and SIP trunking offering is part of the company’s effort to bolster its unified communications and collaboration portfolio. It offers integrated mobile PBX extensions, robust video calling and a mobile VoIP option.
“Businesses are moving their critical communications to the cloud, and are embracing strategies that support the anywhere, anytime workplace,” explained Joe Fiorillo, vice president of BCN Solutions Express’ Cloud Products Division. “This addition to our portfolio gives our channel partners a differentiated solution to meet their customers’ complex, next-generation business requirements.”
The mobile PBX application for laptops and mobile devices allows workers to sign into the system and access their office calling features—including the local rate plan–anywhere they happen to be, even if they’re traveling internationally. That means they can take advantage of standard Class 5 features when on the go.
The video app meanwhile supports voice and video calls between one video phone to another, as well as video calling between computers using an optional video softphone. It also can wrap in smartphones using a mobile VoIP app add-on, which also offers lower calling rates. The mobility piece supports iPhone, iPad, Android smartphones and Android tablets.
“Mobile VoIP is projected to reach 139 million users by 2014 and grow to 640 million users by 2016, with the users of IP PBXs accounting for the majority of this growth,” explained Tom McCrosson, president and CEO at BCN Solutions Express. “Meanwhile, video is becoming an intrinsic part of business communications as enterprises look to streamline their operations and enable effective collaboration with partners, suppliers, and between geographically disparate groups of employees. This portfolio expansion will arm our agents and resellers with next-gen features that enable better collaboration on behalf of their customers.”
BCN Solutions Express is also launching a portal to go with the new hosted VoIP, SIP trunking, video calling and mobility offerings. Sales partners can log into the portal and gain full administrative rights to add and delete extensions and manage all features and locations from a single user interface (UI).
“This opens the door for sales partners to bring even more value add to customers by offering management and configuration services,” said David Luther, channel manager at BCN Solutions Express. “From within the portal, they can move from client to client to perform moves, adds and changes or turn features on and off. They can also opt to roll out administrative rights to a specific end user, if the company in question has sufficient IT in place to accommodate that.”
The portal also gives channel partners the option to deploy an end-user control panel, where the user can view/download call detail records, turn features on and off for his or her specific phone, configure call blasts and download user guides.
“Hosted VoIP and SIP have definitely become mainstream for businesses, especially for SMBs,” said Mike McCrosson, BCN Solutions Express channel manager. “But the ability to layer on mobility and video transforms these typical services into a more holistic collaboration suite, offering our partners a path to having a higher-level conversation about an organization’s broad-ranging communications needs. Combined with the portal capabilities, BCN Solutions Express sales partners can solidify their role as trusted advisors with all of the tools to meet any customer’s specific applications and management needs.”
