Open-Xchange and eZuce Partner for Unified Communications

Messaging provider and aspiring Microsoft competitor Open-Xchange has inked a partnership with eZuce Inc. to provide enterprises with a unified communications solution built on open source code. The offering can be deployed on-premises or from the cloud. Here’s the scoop.

According to Open-Xchange’s press release, the so-called openUC solution is designed to provide enterprises with between 50 and 10,000 seats “voice, video, instant messaging, presence, conferencing, collaboration, unified messaging, e-mail, call center, calendar and task management, and smartphone support.”

The openUC solution seems to have a strong focus on migrating legacy phone systems to a twenty-first century model, and since it’s software-only, Open-Xchange says it doesn’t require costly infrastructure upgrades or new hardware to run.

Both companies employ the VAR and managed services communities for sales, service, and support of their respective products, so it’s no wonder that Open-Xchange and eZuce single out openUC’s potential for the channel — from hosting the UC suite to deploying it to monitoring and maintaining it.

The timing on this announcement makes perfect sense in light of the buzz that Microsoft Lync, Redmond’s own UC product, has been generating lately. Open-Xchange competes directly with Microsoft when it comes to messaging, and as a unified communications provider eZuce may well feel pressure to compete with Lync’s integration with Microsoft’s product line.

I’ll be attending the Open-Xchange Partner Summit in early November, so watch The VAR Guy for more updates.

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