CaaS Week in Review

By Steve Anderson
Contributing TMCnet Writer

More and more businesses are discovering the value inherent in not keeping the means to accomplish communications totally in house, and in turn are finding great value in communications-as-a-service (CaaS) systems and technology. With plenty of new developments happening in the field, however, it's good to take a step back and consider the wider implications of what happened in the week, and the arrival of the weekend means a great time to do so. So settle in, and let's run down the biggest events in CaaS with our Week in Review coverage!

First we had a look at Cerium Networks, who launched a new cloud-based communications platform that connects to a host of devices currently available to augment said devices' capability when it comes to communication and collaboration purposes. Working with a host of current Cerium partners like Microsoft (News - Alert), VMWare and Cisco, the new Cerium platform allows for a complete bring your own device (BYOD) environment, a host of customized solutions, and even a video-as-a-service (VaaS) mechanism along with several other points.

Then we had a look at the upcoming Interactive Intelligence (News - Alert) event, Interactions 2014. While this event will be widely recognized for its bringing together of industry figures and opportunities for networking, it will have one more draw in its lineup to get interested users on board: Andrew Luck. Yes, the Indianapolis Colts quarterback will be on hand for the All-American Tailgate-themed party at the Lucas Oil Stadium on Tuesday, June 3, giving interested parties one more reason to show up for the big show.

Polaris Library Systems brought in the next piece of news, bringing a live chat feature to its line of library automation tools. With this new feature, those who use Polaris tools and have questions about said tools can quickly connect to Polaris itself, asking questions or lodging complaints directly from the chat feature. With this, Polaris expects to get access to more visceral feedback in a more rapid fashion, putting those points to work more rapidly.

Then we had another bit of news come in from Interactive Intelligence, who released a list of groups receiving grants from the company in several different fields. Among those groups receiving grants were Staten Island's AR Inc, a group which offers hands-on learning projects for at-risk youth, and the Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana in Indianapolis which offers distribution efforts of donated food to hunger relief agencies throughout Indiana. With 426 applications, though, it was clear many would need to be turned away.

Finally, SimpleSignal (News - Alert) brought out the SimpleSignal Cloud Portal, a system that offered a nearly universal user experience regardless of device used, allowing users easy access to desktop systems from most any platform. The Call Center Reporting system within this offers several useful features like reports of activity on the queue, details per agent, and a complete summary of a 24 hour period. Call center supervisors even get the opportunity to generate reports as well as receive reports, making SimpleSignal Cloud Portal a tool with impact on several points of the overall process.

That was the week that was in CaaS, and there was plenty to be had this week. A host of new products and the upcoming Interactions 2014 event made for a lot of news, and our global online community was in the thick of it, bringing back all the biggest stories the field could offer. So be sure to join us next week for all the latest news in CaaS, and of course, every weekend for our Week in Review coverage!