Tag: Unified Communications

Aura Alliance rebrands as a multi-vendor alliance

Unified communications outfit Aura Alliance is rebranding as a multi-vendor alliance .

The company said that things have changed since it was founded in 2009 and it was now offering a wider spectrum of corporate communications solutions and services. Those services are available to a growing number of countries and the alliance of unified communications specialists supports a bigger range of vendors.

As well as the usual logo change, the outfit has restructured with its  recent acquisition of the Unified Communications Alliance (UCA) with the idea of creating an open, multi-vendor global alliance.

Tony Parish, Aura Alliance CEO said: “To help support our partners in adopting new technologies, we’ve implemented a comprehensive 3-year strategy, geared up with skilled engineers. Thanks to our collaborative nature, our more experienced partners are helping to make the transition as smooth as possible.”

He added that the company partners across the globe are adopting new technologies to broaden the Aura skillset.  The big idea is to provide truly comprehensive UC solutions to business in every location around the world. This rebrand is yet another keystone moment in the transformation.

 

Ingram Micro strengthens UC position, Avnet bows out

IMIngram Micro is continuing its investment into the unified communications (UC) market announcing that it has partnered with Sangoma.

The distie has said the new partnership will add Sangoma’s NetBorder Lync Express, which it claims is the only All-In-One Lync Server appliance with built-in Gateway/ SIP Connectivity,  to its growing portfolio of products and services in support of Microsoft LyncTM.

It has now developed a bundle around Lync Express including an on-boarding tool for new resellers wishing to learn about deploying Lync, with training and professional services options.

In addition to Lync Express, Ingram Micro will also bring Sangoma’s VoIP Media Gateway and Session Border Controllers in to the rapidly growing SIP Market.

Jon Bunyard, Director of the Advanced Solutions UK Division at Ingram Micro said the  addition of Sangoma to the company’s lineup, combined with proposition being developed through  partnerships with ShoreTel, Microsoft LyncTM, Cisco, OAISYS and Jabra, leant “significant weight to [the company’s] value proposition in the Unified Communications space.

“We consider UC a growing market and will be showcasing our existing vendor ecosystem at this month’s Convergence Summit North in Manchester where we look forward to talking to resellers about the opportunities these partnerships represent in the voice space,” he added.

The disties further moves into the UC market are a contrast to its rival Avnet, which last month announced that it had decided to shut up shop in the this sector.

At the time it said it would cease taking orders for these products in the UK by the end of March, shunning resellers such as Avaya, Lifesize and Audiocodes who it had worked with to bring these items to market.

Avnet decided to make the moves claiming that UC technology was not core to its overall strategy. However, it promised that it would be working with its partners and suppliers to ensure the transition runs smoothly.