ShoreTel has announced the global availability of ShoreTel 13, the latest software release, which includes enhanced capabilities for video communications and instant messaging.
Through ShoreTel Communicator, the call manager application within ShoreTel 13, users can participate in room-based video conferences using industry standard H.264 AVC technology. This enhanced video support enables users to communicate from their desktop or laptop, whether in the office or working remote, adding a new level of simplicity to productive collaboration.
ShoreTel 13 also introduces instant message capability for ShoreTel Communicator with Personal Access, giving every ShoreTel user access to IM at no additional cost for users. ShoreTel 13 also offers extended enterprise contact center agent capabilities based on services enabled from SIP trunking service providers. In keeping with the brilliantly simple approach, enterprises can leverage standards-based IM servers, such as ShoreTel XMPP IM server, or protect existing investments in already-installed technologies, such as Microsoft SIP-based Lync, for ShoreTel Communicator.
“Video is becoming mainstream – moving out of the board room and into the everyday workflow. People need the flexibility to connect by video from their desktop not only into the corporate boardroom but also with customers, partners and others with varying system types from Polycom, LifeSize and others” said Kevin Gavin, chief marketing officer at ShoreTel. “By the same token, IM is now conventional for communicating with colleagues regardless of where they’re located. ShoreTel fully embraces the complete circle of unified communications by integrating video, voice, and data across any device to streamline collaboration and enhance productivity with IM, presence, audio and Web.”
ShoreTel embraces open standards and continues to deliver new products based on SIP, XMPP and H.264. ShoreTel is among the first UC leaders to join the Unified Communications Interoperability Forum (UCIF), a non-profit alliance of worldwide technology leaders working together to fully realize the potential of unified communications. As UC systems have become more mature in the past few years, existing and prospective customers are anxious to see new standards that will provide the best possible experience for users. ShoreTel is now working closely with video partners for wider adoption of video standards including H.264 SVC.
“For the past few years, ShoreTel has consistently led the industry in UC licenses sold worldwide to the SMB market, beating out both Avaya and Cisco,” said Jeremy Duke, founder and chief analyst at Synergy Research Group. “ShoreTel Communicator’s easy to use interface and ability to integrate with open standards based UC systems has led to widespread adoption of UC among ShoreTel customers.”
With a distributed architecture for resiliency, the ShoreTel 13 unified communications software release continues to ensure ease of deployment, ease of management, ease of scalability, and ease of use, across a single-image system around the globe and is available in 48 countries around the world. The software upgrade is included at no charge to all existing customers with a maintenance agreement.