NextPlane Brings Federated UC to Microsoft Office 365

NextPlane’s UC Exchange Service now supports Microsoft Office 365.

Federated platforms let people using different collaboration brands communicate as if they were on the same system.

When it comes to Office 365, NextPlane has built technology that gets around Microsoft’s refusal to establish an encrypted connection to a brand other than another Microsoft product. That means users on a range of platforms including IBM Sametime, Cisco products, Unify OpenScape;, Google Apps, OpenFire and more may easily talk with one another.

Adding Office 365 to the list comes as the products comprises one of the fastest-growing UCaaS platforms within the enterprise. To that point, Microsoft holds 47 percent of market share, according to stats issued this month by Synergy Research.

"Microsoft continues to gain share in UC collaboration and is closing the gap on market leader Cisco," said Jeremy Duke, founder and chief analyst of Synergy Research Group.

NextPlane sells through channel partners.