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Cloud Communications Week in Review

By Rory J. Thompson
Web Editor

The Cloud Communications community grew again this past week with acquisitions and expansions galore.

To begin with, building on an acquisition agreement approved by stockholders, Birch Communications has finalized its buyout of cloud communications powerhouse Cbeyond (News - Alert), Inc. The combined companies create a giant provider of cloud communications and managed services. Birch made the all-cash purchase for about $323 million and took Cbeyond’s common stock off the trading listings. The acquisition marks an astonishing 21 buyouts for Birch spanning back to 2006, through which the service provider has been steadily building a nationwide network of services comprising around 200,000 business customers throughout the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

In other news, it was reported that small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) in the U.S. have been growing and expanding at an aggressive rate, and cloud technologies and adoption are directly fueling that trend. New research from Oxford Economics conducted in tandem with cloud communications provider Windstream (News - Alert) Communications shows four major trends surrounding cloud technologies and their contribution to SMB growth. More than half of the 350 senior IT and business executives queried during the second quarter of the year for the research stated the cloud will be critical to their innovation and growth strategies during the next two years. And 57 percent professed cloud adoption will enable them to expand into new geographic markets.

Overseas, Indian cloud communications services provider Ozonetel Systems Ltd. has announced global expansion plans and just under $1 million in revenues for the last fiscal year, an impressive figure for the relatively new business, which was launched in 2007. The company specializes in helping enterprises manage their sales, support and marketing campaigns, with a specialization in cloud-based contact center and IVR solutions. The service provider also recently launched a hybrid deployment model to help its U.S.-based BPO clients handle their international voice processes. That initiative provides access to more than 65 countries, spanning Europe and Southeast Asia, through which Ozonetel rents its software platform and products to enterprises for a monthly charge. According to founder CSN Murthy, Ozonetel is also planning to open offices in the U.S. and Singapore this year to accompany its service expansion.

There’s always news happening in the Cloud, so be sure to check in with us daily.