VOSS Solutions recently announced the general availability of VOSS 8.0, the next generation of its fulfillment management technology that enables companies to deliver collaboration and mobility services in the public and private cloud.
The VOSS technology allows service providers and large enterprises to centralize their communications architecture, upgrade their dial plan, rationalize their trunks and gateways, implement new collaboration services, including video, support the latest smart devices with mobility services; all without having to rip and replace their existing investment. This can be achieved in a private cloud or with a service provider in a public cloud, deploying new Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) virtualized data centers; and the full suite of collaboration services can be managed from a central point of control. This brings unprecedented empowerment to distributed organizations, within a secure, centrally defined and consistent management framework.
In addition, VOSS enables companies to activate and manage an array of best-of-breed collaboration services – such as advanced telephony, messaging, mobility, collaboration, presence – in real-time; and centrally administer the key components of the environment from a single pane of glass. End users benefit from a secure, online, multi-service self-care portal with role-based access, allowing them to self-manage all of the latest collaboration settings, change their single number reach settings, modify their messaging notification settings, etc.
VOSS 8.0 introduces a significant advancement in management technology for cloud collaboration. There are five key areas in which VOSS 8.0 is more powerful than ever before:
• Enhanced Provisioning
o Cisco HCS – VOSS 8.0 supports the fulfilment requirements for the latest release of Cisco HCS, the world’s leading cloud solution for service provider.
o Cisco Contact Center – VOSS 8.0 enables companies to provision the configuration required to integrate with Cisco’s Unified Contact Center enterprise and hosted solutions. This includes the system level call routing, CTI integration, and user/device level configuration to support contact center applications. The enhancement means that setup and configuration can be automated, which speeds time to market and radically reduces the risk of manual error.
o LDAP – VOSS 8.0 further extends application setting support for customers’ self care interface, to utilize external LDAP services for authentication, which allows end users to access existing credentials.
o Cisco Cross Cluster Extension Mobility – VOSS 8.0 provides an interface to set up and manage the Cisco Extension Mobility Cross Cluster (EMCC) functionality introduced in UCM 8.X. This interface provides a simple way for administrators to enable EMCC in their solution, and orchestrate configuration between devices across their global footprint.
o Cisco Auto Attendant – VOSS 8.0 supports the Unity Connection IVR capability. The auto attendant service can be created and assigned to a location, with full automation of the IVR pilot number. The Unity Connection Auto Attendant GUI can also be cross launched from VOSS.
o Advanced Username Management – VOSS 8.0 enables administrators to specify a user group for large customers (or departments) to ensure unique usernames across their platform. This granular control allows organizations in different parts of the system to avoid having to modify their usernames for the UC application space, where usernames may overlap.
o Advanced IP Subnet Management – VOSS 8.0 enables the support of overlapping IP address provisioning and subnet management for: IOS Voice GW, IP Edge Devices and Location Subnets. This allows VOSS to support zero touch Auto Registration when overlapping subnets are assigned across customers.
• Proactive Device and End Point Support
o VOSS 8.0 supports the latest devices and clients specified by Cisco UCM in HCS (including the full suite of Cisco IP phones and telepresence devices, as well as iPhones, iPads, plus Android and Windows 8 devices etc.). In addition, the latest product-specific settings can be imported from Cisco UCM, to be displayed and supported by VOSS. This dynamic feature ensures that the latest product-specific device settings are always supported, without requiring a new release or upgrade from VOSS.
• Advanced Connectivity
o VOSS 8.0 introduces an advanced connectivity management interface to provide administrators with the ability to build trunks and call routing configuration in a single interface, to support the integration of external applications and devices in UCM. This includes support for the latest IMS trunk types from UCM, for interfacing with third party mobile networks. This greatly simplifies the deployment and administration of call trunking, but also provides much greater flexibility to organizations when they grow or contract their business, since trunks are automatically managed for the changes.
• Dial Plan Customization
o The VOSS 8.0 location dial plan customization feature enables administrators to define location-specific dial plan additions, as required; such as site-specific translations of key numbers via the location administration. This is a simple and controlled method for non-technical administrators to manage key dial plan elements, and compliments the PBX model definition of location dial plans.
• Platform Strength
o CLI Interfaces – VOSS 8.0 provides improved CLI interfaces and reconfiguration tools which enhance the ease and efficiency of managing the collaboration platform. With increased security and SNMP updates, VOSS 8.0 provides a high quality best of breed infrastructure service.
o Performance and Scale – VOSS 8.0 increases the overall productivity of the collaboration architecture, with the introduction of parallel loaders and improved UCM serialization.
VOSS 8.0 is fully integrated into the recently announced User Deployment Services, allowing integrators and enterprises with existing MCS, UCS or TDM deployments to quickly and efficiently migrate to unified communications and also gain the benefits of fulfillment management.
Bill Dellara, VP Product Management at VOSS, commented; “With the advent of IP, virtualization, central SIP trunking and advanced collaboration, a distributed, on-premise architecture doesn’t always suits the needs of advanced telephony and collaboration. VOSS 8.0 empowers companies to select best of breed collaboration services, and then centrally manage them in the deployment model that best suits their needs; be that public cloud-based, private-cloud, or hybrid. Regardless of the deployment model, or platform, VOSS provides users with a business portal to run their communications services and deployment tools to accelerate user migrations.”
• Download the VOSS 8.0 Brochure here: http://www.voss-solutions.com/Downloads/Brochures/Docs/
VOSS will be attending Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, February 27 – March 1 and exhibiting at Enterprise Connect in Orlando, March 26 – 28 (booth #1237). To book a meeting with VOSS at these events, please email: [email protected]