Neutral Tandem to Launch New Cloud-Based Collaboration Service through Cisco Channel Partners

Neutral Tandem (News - Alert), a provider of global interconnection services, announced it is introducing the first cloud-based collaboration service in the United States specifically developed to be resold by Cisco's (News - Alert) Value-Added Reseller (VAR) community and System Integrators (SIs).

Based on Cisco's Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS), its next-generation Unified Communications (News - Alert) infrastructure, the new cloud-based service will leverage Neutral Tandem's extensive expertise in operating and managing IP networks, the company said.

The new cloud-based collaboration service will enable VARs/SIs to deliver a full suite of unified communication and collaboration applications, including Single Number Reach, Integrated Messaging and Presence, Video Calling and WebEx integration.

“Cisco has a range of go-to-market strategies to meet the growing demand for cloud collaboration services and Neutral Tandem's white label offering of HCS is one model that presents a significant business opportunity for channel partners,” said Richard McLeod, senior director for Cisco's Worldwide Partner Collaboration Sales and Practice Management, in a statement.

“As the first U.S.-based partner to bring a white-label HCS offering to market, Neutral Tandem will help VARs and integrators drive growth and profitability while providing end customers with a proven collaboration solution,” McLeod added.

Neutral Tandem has entered into HCS Trial agreements with select Cisco authorized VARs and is trialing the service with them. HCS provides support for single site, multi-site and hybrid premise-basedimplementations that allow significant flexibility to business customers.

VARs/SIs will be able to sell a monthly subscription based solution under their own brand. They can also provide customized solutions to their client base by overlaying HCS with their own managed services, enabling them to grow their revenue predictably and without heavy front-end CAPEX costs for themselves or their customers.

The new service is also designed to integrate with a VAR's/SI's existing unified communications and collaboration services provisioning and management processes. Reselling Neutral Tandem's wholesale HCS offering will allow VARs/SIs to meet the growing market demand for hosted unified communications and collaboration solutions.

Nexus IS, a Cisco Gold Certified Partner that offers collaboration, data center, borderless networks, business video, and managed services, is the first Cisco channel partner to trial NeutralTandem's new HCS offer.

“Our customers have been asking for a solution like this and Neutral Tandem's network neutrality is what drew us to their offer,” said Mike Heiman, VP of Engineering of Nexus IS, in a statement. “This is a great program that will provide us the ability to differentiate ourselves while competing more effectively.”

Earlier in September, Neutral Tandem announced the deployment of a PSX voice softswitch from Sonus Networks (News - Alert) in an interconnection hub, the Telehouse Docklands North location in London. The new world-class data center in London provides Neutral Tandem's international carrier customers with the ability to interconnect via Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) or Session Initiation Protocol (News - Alert) Internet Protocol (SIP/IP).