PRESS RELEASE — WAUKESHA, Wis.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SoftwareONE, a leading provider of Technology and Software Portfolio Management solutions and services, today announced it has completed the acquisition and integration of House of Lync, a Microsoft High Touch Partner and part of their Skype Operations Framework. This integration enables SoftwareONE to deliver a comprehensive Skype for Business Unified Communications solution to global enterprise customers.

The acquisition is a direct response to rising demand for Microsoft Skype for Business services across SoftwareONE’s global customer base and will strengthen the company’s robust offerings of managed solutions. The combined capabilities, which streamline Skype for Business migrations for IT decision makers, will now be available to the market as SoftwareONE’s SkypeSimple offering. SkypeSimple is an end-to-end professional services offering for On-Premise, Hybrid, Private or Public Cloud environments. Customers can accelerate their adoption of Skype for Business through a unique Proof of Concept (called “ProtoSkype”).

Front Porch, a company that provides affordable housing communities to the changing needs of retirees, low-income families, and those diagnosed with chronic mental illness, has been leveraging the combined capabilities of the companies. “Having been both a SoftwareONE and House of Lync customer for many years, we have leveraged their combined resources and expanded our utilization of their offerings significantly. The acquisition has made it possible to expedite our decision making on the blended software and technical services required to continue our company-wide Skype for Business migration. This included all modalities of Skype for Business including IM/Presence, AV conferencing and mobile along with the replacement of multiple legacy phone systems and high-availability across geographically dispersed datacenters,” noted Winston Hughes, VP of Information Technology at Front Porch. “The integration has been a resounding success and complete game changer for Front Porch. Our employees are now able to collaborate in ways thought unimaginable just a couple years back.”{ad}

“This acquisition brings extensive knowledge of Microsoft’s Unified Communications offerings together with the existing broad service and solution capabilities of our SoftwareONE worldwide team,” said Sean Nicholson, Global Director of Technology Services for SoftwareONE. “It reflects a larger trend as business leaders look to provide a communications platform for the connected workforce. We are thrilled at the opportunity to enhance our Microsoft Enterprise Voice offerings, providing new ways of working anywhere, any time, on any device.”

House of Lync worked with organizations around the world to deploy Skype for Business, specializing in collaboration, enterprise voice, cloud, on-premise, managed services, customer application integration, Contact Centers, Conferencing, hybrid integrations with traditional PBX’s, and Office 365.

“As a member of the Communications community for over 30 years, I am excited for the next chapter with SoftwareONE,” said Carol Eastman, SoftwareONE’s Skype for Business Leader and founder and CEO of House of Lync. “The acquisition gives our talented team and growing customer base access to a robust global services team that provides 24/7 support. Together, SoftwareONE and House of Lync are supporting IT decision makers through the entire communications journey, filling a void in the marketplace by offering a complete UC services offering.”

The availability of SkypeSimple accelerates SoftwareONE’s delivery of Microsoft’s flagship Unified Communications solution, Skype for Business, into customer environments. As a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider, SoftwareONE has the global expertise to deliver a consistent and streamlined customer experience.