Toshiba America Information Systems Telecommunication Systems Division has announced the company's VIPedge cloud-based business telephone solution is now eligible for the national E-Rate Program, which helps U.S. schools and libraries obtain affordable telecommunications and Internet access.

Dan Kobialka, Contributing writer

October 15, 2014

2 Min Read
Brian Metherell vice president and general manager of Toshiba America Information Systems
Brian Metherell, vice president and general manager of Toshiba America Information Systems

Toshiba‘s VIPedge cloud-based business telephone solution is now eligible for the national E-Rate Program, which helps U.S. schools and libraries obtain affordable telecommunications and Internet access.

Toshiba America Information Systems Telecommunication Systems Division has announced VIPedge is available to schools and libraries via the E-Rate Program, with discounts ranging from 20 percent to 70 percent of the cost of eligible voice services.

“Thousands of schools nationwide currently have Toshiba’s IPedge and Strata CIX on-premises business telephone systems. Toshiba’s VIPedge cloud-based solution is now eligible for the E-Rate program and is available to schools and libraries at a significant discount,” Brian Metherell, vice president and general manager of Toshiba America Information Systems, said in a prepared statement. “All of the Toshiba systems can be networked together for a hybrid cloud solution, enabling a comprehensive, integrated solution for schools, school districts and libraries.”

VIPedge delivers the advantages of Toshiba’s IPedge business telephone system in the cloud without requiring an entire telephone system, according to Toshiba.

The VIPedge cloud-based business telephone solution features:

  • Find-me/Follow-me call routing

  • Unified communications (UC)

  • Voicemail with unified messaging

E-Rate, also referred to as the Universal Service Fund (USF) Program, is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) under the direction of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

This program provides $2.25 billion annually to public and non-profit K-12 schools and all public and many private libraries.

How can VIPedge help organizations save money?

Toshiba pointed out BookPal, an Irvine, California-based enterprise book seller, exemplifies how organizations can save money with VIPedge.

Ketara Gadahn, BookPal’s director of operations, noted her company’s operations team uses VIPedge to remotely manage its telecommunications systems, which has helped her organization save more than $3,000 annually.

“[The] VIPedge cloud-based business telephone system has exceeded our expectations,” she said in a prepared statement. “We rely on Toshiba’s VIPedge cloud-based business telephone solution to help us better communicate with our customers and partners.”

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About the Author(s)

Dan Kobialka

Contributing writer, Penton Technology

Dan Kobialka is a contributing writer for MSPmentor and Talkin' Cloud. In the past, he has produced content for numerous print and online publications, including the Boston Business Journal, Boston Herald and Patch.com. Dan holds a M.A. in Print and Multimedia Journalism from Emerson College and a B.A. in English from Bridgewater State College (now Bridgewater State University). In his free time, Kobialka enjoys jogging, traveling, playing sports, touring breweries and watching football (Go Patriots!).  

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