Heath Properties Selects Unified Communications from Whaleback Systems

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Chooses CrystalBlue Managed Voice Services for Increased Reliability and Superior Customer Support

 

 

PORTSMOUTH, NH (August 8, 2011) –Whaleback Systems, Inc., the leader in managed voice services, today announced that Heath Properties, a property management, marketing, leasing and sales company has selected Whaleback’s CrystalBlue cloud-based managed voice service to provide reliable and robust communication services for their employees.

 

Heath Properties offers property management, marketing, leasing and sales managing diverse portfolios including luxury residences, corporate housing, student housing, project and voucher based subsidized apartments and efficiencies. Heath needs to respond to customers 24/7, 365 days a year. They were forced to look for a new system because their old system and their vendor were not reliable. Their voice system would go down for 24 hours or longer at a time, and Heath’s previous telephony vendor was not very responsive.  Support calls were continually passed around within the company and problems were difficult to resolve.

 

“We have not had any outages since we started using Whaleback’s services,” said Keith Beardsley, Chief Operating Officer for Heath Properties. “One of the reasons we chose Whaleback’s CrystalBlue Voice Service was because it automatically integrates all voice mail with email. This enables our support staff to review messages while taking phone calls, easily organize messages, and get them to the right person quickly. We know that our messages will get to us wherever we are in the field, and we are able to resolve our tenant’s issues in a timely manner.”

 

CrystalBlue cloud-based managed voice services gives customers a feature-rich, high quality, enterprise-wide communications system without the expense or headache of installing and managing an on-premise PBX. Its features can be accessed anywhere, anytime from the Internet, mobile network or public telecommunications network. CrystalBlue integrates business-class telephony features, high-definition voice, network services, IP desk phones, messaging, collaboration, mobility, service guarantees, and redundancy with the simplicity of a cloud-based service and the quality and reliability of a robust enterprise system.

 

 

About Heath Properties
Heath Properties was formed in 1980 as a real estate office. Over the past 15 years the Company has expanded and currently offers property management, marketing, leasing and sales. Heath services most downtown neighborhoods including Back Bay, Beacon Hill, South End, Bay Village, Fenway, Mission Hill, Jamaica Plain, Allston, Brighton, Dorchester and Roxbury. Heath has been instrumental in improving leasing standards and processes in the local real estate community. The team has vast experience managing diverse portfolios including luxury residences, corporate housing, student housing, project and voucher based subsidized apartments and efficiencies, making them a leader in the industry.

 

About Whaleback Systems

Whaleback Systems is a leading provider of cloud-based managed voice services for small and medium enterprises.  Whaleback Systems’ end-to-end, business-class voice services enhance productivity and reduce operational and capital expenses by offering flexible, feature-rich VoIP calling packages, proactive, centralized monitoring and management, and high-touch customer service.  Whaleback cloud-based managed voice services are used by customers with single and multi-site environments in industries including retail, legal, financial, real estate, service, medical, construction, food, tourism and more. For more information about Whaleback Systems visit www.whalebacksystems.com

 

Channel-Friendly Cloud VoIP Providers

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–> By Chris Talbot
As the VoIP market continues to grow, so too does the cloud computing market – and it’s probably of little surprise that the two have converged and started growing together. Businesses of all sizes are beginning to make the choice to move their on-premise voice systems into the cloud and use hosted voice services rather than manage the systems within their own facilities. Naturally, a growing market means growing opportunities for the channel, but cloud VoIP services are still in their infancy compared to more traditional forms of telephony. It’s a market that’s growing, and several vendors are turning to the channel to help get their services to the customers that need them the most. According to the Telecommunications Industry Association’s (TIA) (http://www.tiaonline.org/) 2011 ICT Market Review and Forecast, cloud computing will be the biggest driver of voice-centric spending over the next four years. Cloud VoIP only represented 16 percent of voice spending in 2010, but by 2014, TIA expects cloud VoIP spending to grow by $5.6 billion. That’s a substantial portion of the market, as the TIA report indicated that incremental spending on voice systems, voice messaging, unified communications, conferencing and contact centers combined will grow by $5.9 billion in the same time period. Distributor Synnex’s (http://www.synnex.com/) numbers indicate the cloud UC market in total will be valued at $3 billion by 2014. Although Synnex’s and TIA’s projected total revenue from cloud VoIP and UC are somewhat different, they both agree that the cloud VoIP area is growing substantially.What can VARs and MSPs do right now to get in on the growing cloud VoIP market while it’s still young? Simple. They can check out the following channel-friendly cloud VoIP service providers.

Whaleback SystemsCrystalBlue Managed Voice Services

http://www.whalebacksystems.com/ Service Launched: 2010List Price:$29.95-$69.95 per user per monthWhaleback’s focus is on managed voice services, and its cloud offering launched in 2010. Whaleback recently updated its channel partner program to give partners the ability to sell its cloud-based VoIP services to SMEs.

Whaleback Expands Channel In Managed Voice Space

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Posted April 22nd, 2011 by John Moore

Whaleback Systems Inc., a managed voice provider, plans to expand its channel and geographic reach this year. The company, based in Portsmouth, N.H., provides an IP PBX appliance that incorporates a remote access capability. The latter feature lets Whaleback provide cloud-based management and monitoring. Whaleback Systems can keep tabs on both wide-area and local-area networks. The company’s Managed Services Center serves as the hub for minding customer networks and other support activities.

Whaleback Systems’ go-to-market strategy has involved the channel since 2006. Since then, the company has built relations with more than 30 reseller partners. The company now aims to scale up its channel presence. Whaleback Systems this week boosted its partner program with mobility, contact center, and unified communications solutions, vertically oriented marketing programs, and new quote tools. The program works with carriers, ,VARs, and sales agents.

Melodye Mueller, Whaleback Systems’ VP of sales and marketing, said to expect additional channel announcements this year. “We are looking to significantly expand the channel and geographic coverage throughout North America,” she said.

Seeking Managed Services

Whaleback Systems’ channel initiative comes at time when telecom agents and consultants are looking to bolster margins through managed services. Margin pressure in carrier services and on-premise gear contribute to this trend.

Chuck Garabedian, president of Intelliphone, has experienced shrinking margins in the Andover, Mass. company’s traditional voice VAR business. Years ago, on-premise equipment sold at a pretty good profit, with additional margin stemming from labor and new systems, he said. But over the past eight to 10 years, the Internet changed the voice market. The newer systems afforded customer access, which reduced administration work a VAR would otherwise have.  In addition, customers would buy additional phones on the Internet, cutting the VAR out of the sale while increasing the population of devices requiring support. Most support calls required an expensive truck roll.

But Garabedian said partnering with Whaleback Systems has improved the margin situation. Previously, 80 percent of the incoming service calls required a truck roll. Whaleback Systems’ diagnostic tools, however, have reduced the slice of calls demanding a truck roll to less than 10 percent, Garabedian estimated.

Garabedian said he set up a separate corporation to pursue the Whaleback Systems business. He’s found that business to be 5 to 6 times more profitable than his traditional on-premise operation.

Revenue comes from two different sources, Garabedian said. He said he gets a piece of the activation fee Whaleback Systems charges customers. He said that fee arrives upfront, enabling his company to break even on installation.Whaleback Systems partners also earn a residual every month — a recurring revenue stream over the life of the customer’s contract.

Whaleback Systems offers voice and data VARs a path to telecom that’s lies somewhere between on-premise and hosted VoIP solutions. It’s another option to consider for companies seeking better telecom margins.

Whaleback Enhances Partner Program

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SOURCE: Whaleback Systems

Apr 19, 2011 08:00 ET

Whaleback Systems Enhances CrystalBlue Partner Program

Program Gives Carriers, Resellers and Agents End-to-End Cloud-Based Managed Phone Services That Enhance Productivity, Reduce Capital and Operating Costs for Small to Mid-Size Enterprises

PORTSMOUTH, NH–(Marketwire – April 19, 2011) – Whaleback Systems, Inc., the leader in managed voice services, today announced enhancements to its CrystalBlue Partner Program, a channel partner program that gives carriers, value-added resellers (VARs) and sales agents the ability to sell end-to-end cloud-based managed voice services to small and medium size enterprises.

Designed to expand its current reseller partnerships across the US, the CrystalBlue Partner Program enhancements include:

  • More robust feature set — Mobility solutions that include “find-me-follow-me” options with time of day routing; Contact center solutions to quickly route callers to the right queue, with the right priority; Unified Communications solutions with presence
  • New flexible quote tools — Designed for both unlimited and “a la carte” usage plans to match customer needs
  • New marketing programs — Solution-based vertical market programs designed to drive lead generation and increase reference selling

Whaleback Systems’ cloud-based managed voice services enable small and medium-sized enterprises to enhance productivity and reduce operational and capital expenses with its combination of flexible, feature-rich Voice-over-IP calling packages, proactive centralized around-the-clock monitoring and management, and top-notch customer service. The CrystalBlue Managed Voice Services frees businesses from the expense, hassle and feature limitations of hosted VoIP services, or installing and managing their own IP PBX systems. Organizations can take advantage of modern telephony technologies and leverage voice over broadband cable or DSL connections to optimize bandwidth costs.

The CrystalBlue Partner Program offers channel programs and packages designed for a variety of partners including enterprise cloud and voice managed service providers (MSPs), telecom carriers, interconnect companies, telecom and datacom VARs, IT services firms, network systems integrators and sales agents. These packages offer partners:

  • Combined upfront and annuity revenue plans tailored to meet a variety of channel partner profiles
  • Successful go-to-market programs that include leads, marketing tools, and sales support, with Whaleback Channel Managers devoted to building and enhancing the “Partner Experience” and success
  • Extremely competitive managed voice solution offers
  • Minimal installation effort
  • Reduced support requirements through centralized management and monitoring

Benefits of Whaleback’s Managed Voice Services include:

  • Companies use and pay for only what they need, when they need it
  • Centralized proactive monitoring and management
  • Enterprise class features and technology
  • Organizations can easily adapt to changing business conditions
  • Redeploy support staff to focus on core business

“I liked the fact that Whaleback offered the managed services and took responsibility for the end-to-end service as well as for the phones and PBX. My customers don’t want to deal with multiple vendors, and Whaleback takes responsibility for everything and monitors the service 7x24x365,” said Chuck Garabedian, President of Intelliphone, a long-time interconnect company based north of Boston and early member of the Whaleback CrystalBlue Partner Program. “By taking advantage of a managed voice service, our business can do more for less. We get a fee upfront for each service activation as well as a monthly check from Whaleback as a recurring revenue stream. We have customers who have been with us for 20 years, and we continue to convert many existing customers to CrystalBlue Voice and uncover new sales opportunities at the same time. By being a Whaleback partner, I run at a much higher profit level and our monthly commission check will only continue to increase.”

About CrystalBlue Voice Service
Whaleback Systems’ CrystalBlue Voice Services is a cloud-based managed business phone solution that includes advanced telephony, Unified Communications and mobility features, high voice Quality of Service (QoS) levels, and around the clock monitoring and maintenance backed by Whaleback’s unparalleled customer service and support. Whaleback’s flexible, pay-as-you-go pricing plan makes it immediately affordable for small and medium sized enterprises.

About Whaleback Systems
Whaleback Systems is a leading provider of cloud-based managed voice services for small and medium enterprises. Whaleback Systems’ end-to-end, business-class voice services enhance productivity and reduce operational and capital expenses by offering flexible, feature-rich VoIP calling packages, proactive, centralized monitoring and management, and high-touch customer service. Whaleback cloud-based managed voice services are used by customers with single and multi-site environments in industries including retail, legal, financial, real estate, service, medical, construction, food, tourism and more. For more information about Whaleback Systems visit www.whalebacksystems.com

Whaleback Systems, CrystalBlue Voice Service, and the Whaleback Systems logo are trademarks of Whaleback Systems, Inc. All other trademarks used or mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.

ESI Names New CEO and COO

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ESI announces management changes, names George Platt new President
Company founder Suder to serve as Chairman of the Board

Plano, Texas, April 18, 2011 — Estech Systems, Inc. (ESI), an innovative leader in digital and IP-based telephone systems, has announced management changes that become effective May 1, 2011.

Eric Suder will step back from his day-to-day role as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and serve as Chairman of the Board. In addition, Suder, the company’s founder, will continue leading the product direction of ESI.

Doug Boyd has been promoted to CEO. Boyd began his career with ESI 17 years ago as Vice President, and quickly thereafter took on the additional responsibilities of Chief Operating Officer (COO). In 1998, Boyd was promoted to President while retaining his COO role.

George Platt joins ESI as President. Platt has more than 25 years of experience in the telecommunications industry.

“George brings a wealth of management experience and knowledge to ESI, and we look forward to his leadership and insight,” said Boyd, adding, “We are excited to have George on our team.”

During his 11-year career at Intervoice, Platt gained extensive experience in reseller channel distribution and VAR development. Platt also led a team to transform the Intervoice Enterprise Strategic Business Unit from a proprietary IVR company to a company specializing in open systems and promoting a more effective customer experience. In his last position at Intervoice, Platt was Senior Vice President of Global Channels and Sales Operations. Platt has a strong background in sales management, national and international channel management, and enterprise sales and sales operations. Most recently, Platt served as Executive Vice President of WS iNet, a call center hosting company.

“I am thrilled to have the future of ESI managed by these two fine men,” said Suder. “George brings a vitality and focus that, coupled with Doug’s experience and leadership, will expand our track record of success.”
About ESI

ESI (Estech Systems, Inc.) designs and manufactures high-performance phone systems for businesses and organizations. ESI uses advanced technology to design IP and digital communications systems that integrate built-in capabilities, advanced features, and highly differentiated applications into flexible products that are easy-to-use and keep employees productive. ESI has sold over 250,000 business communications systems through hundreds of factory-trained Certified Resellers. Founded in 1987, ESI is a privately held corporation with headquarters in Plano, Texas. Any registered trademarks of trade names mentioned herein are the property of their products’ or services’ respective owners. ESI communications systems are protected by numerous U.S. Patents, granted and pending. Product details are subject to change without notice.

ADTRAN Recognized for Best Small and Medium Business Solutions

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ADTRAN Recognized for Best Small and Medium Business Solutions

NetVanta Ethernet Switches and Unified Threat ManagementSolutions Named Best of Show at IT Expo East 2011

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Mar 23, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) –

ADTRAN(R), Inc., (NASDAQ:ADTN), a leading provider of next-generation networking solutions, announced today that it received the “Best of Show Award” in the Best SMB Solution category at TMC(R)’s ITEXPO 2011, held recently in Miami.

ADTRAN was recognized for advancing the state of IP communications with its NetVanta(R) 1544 and NetVanta 1534 high-density, managed Layer 3, 28-port Gigabit Ethernet switches and its NetVanta 2000 Series of Unified Threat Management (UTM) Solutions. These award-winning products meet the IP-based networking needs of almost any small- or medium-sized business (SMB) or enterprise.

ADTRAN’s NetVanta 1544 and NetVanta 1534 switches are access layer or network backbone switches for businesses of all sizes. With the combination of the advanced, multi-layer switching fabric, high-bandwidth capabilities, and enhanced Quality of Service (QoS) features, these NetVanta switches are ideal as aggregation switches for VoIP, Gigabit-to-the-Desktop deployments, and converged voice and data networks.

ADTRAN’s purpose-built NetVanta 2000 Series of UTM solutions includes four security appliances each with Continuous Threat Protection to guard against the latest threats, in addition to SSL and IPSec VPN clients, anti-virus and anti-spyware clients. All of these are managed under a centralized global management system.

“We are pleased to be recognized by Internet Telephony for bringing innovative switching and UTM products to market that will enable customers to reap the benefits of IP Communications,” said Tim Saunders, vice president of product management, ADTRAN Enterprise Networks Division. “These powerful, yet easy-to-use, products redefine branch office connectivity and security, and introduce a new level of value in network operations.”

“Outstanding companies like ADTRAN with their award-winning solutions, help to validate ITEXPO’s status as the leading forum in the communications industry,” said TMC CEO and Conference Chairman, Rich Tehrani. “Service providers, enterprise buyers, developers, and resellers come to ITEXPO, because they know they will find solutions from innovative companies like ADTRAN that can help their businesses today.”

The ITEXPO Best of Show Award recognizes innovative products and solutions that were featured in the Exhibit Hall during the event. This designation serves to highlight the technological achievement and creative product features that set these winners apart from the rest of the crowd. INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine editorial staff evaluated the pre-show nominations, and met with vendors to inspect and review the displayed products on the first day of the Expo.