Lync Migration Featured Article

Nectar to Provide Generation-e with Skype for Business Solutions

By Michael Guta TMCnet Contributing Writer

The available communications solutions in the marketplace can be overwhelming. This is because companies have to deploy different technologies in order to address the different platforms being used by employees, vendors, business partners and customers. Once the systems are in place, they have to be monitored to determine their effectiveness and whether the return on investment can be justified. Generation-e develops anywhere, anytime solutions with unified communications (UC) and cloud technologies in Australia. When it was looking for a comprehensive monitoring and diagnostics service for its Skype (News - Alert) for Business platform, it selected Nectar Services Corp.

Nectar (News - Alert) develops network monitoring and management software for voice, video, data, and advanced applications for the UC industry. In selecting its monitoring solution, Generation-e was looking to ensure best-in-class user experience for its customers. The company will be using Nectar's Unified Communications (News - Alert) Management Platform (UCMP) to accomplish this.

"We selected Nectar as they had the most comprehensive monitoring and diagnostics solution for Skype for Business and Lync. Their unique capabilities in the areas of network assessment, multi-platform visibility, real-time diagnostics, and root cause analysis set them apart in the industry," said Biagio LaRosa, Managing Director for Generation-e.

The Nectar UCMP is able to proactively monitor, manage, and measure the health and performance of the entire Microsoft (News - Alert) Skype for Business ecosystem. Service providers can access valuable insights, metrics, and root-cause analysis of issues that affect the user experience as well as the overall Skype for Business experience.

Several categories are used to determine UC application performance management, which include:

• Network Pre-Assessment – To ensure a user’s environment is ready for Skype for Business, during the planning and pilot phase, it is critical that a network assessment is completed.
• Monitoring - Multivendor UC application health and performance monitoring that provides complete visibility across the entire multivendor Skype for Business ecosystem. This includes reporting on Skype for Business/Lync management servers, Quality of Experience (QoE) database, IP PBXs, SBCs, voice gateways, routers, on premises Wi-Fi, etc.
• Reporting – Improved reporting and advanced analytics capabilities to provide business intelligence. The intuitive reports can provide user experience detail across voice, conferencing, video, and IM technologies.
• Diagnostics and Root Cause Analysis – It identifies, isolates and quickly resolves issues that can impact the Skype for Business management user experience.

“Our close alignment and relationship with Microsoft has enabled Nectar to develop a complete end-to-end monitoring and diagnostics solution that our partners and customers benefit from every single day,” said David Giangano, CEO at Nectar.

By supporting Generation-e in Australia, Nectar is expanding its services in the Asia Pacific region with partners that are serving New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and Indian markets. The services it provides deliver solutions from the leading UCC vendors, including Microsoft, Cisco and Avaya/Nortel (News - Alert) in the most populated region in the world.

Edited by Dominick Sorrentino