Nortel (NYSE: NT) unveiled three new network products which cut costs, simplify unified communications and improve productivity for SMBs.
The Business Communications Manager (BCM) 450 is a product aimed at companies with 300 employees or less and can be used with existing Nortel BCM Hybrid-IP solutions.
The Hybrid capability will save medium-sized businesses up to 70 per cent, said David Wilkinson, vice president of Nortel’s North American channel strategy.
“Nortel has a pretty good product share in the SMB market, and we’ve got folks out there with a lot of existing Nortel products. The 450 will allow customers to reuse what they have and leave the ability to expand,” Wilkinson said.
The BCM450 offers unified messaging — consolidates fax and e-mail messages in one device, Meet-Me Conferencing with teleconferences for up to 120 people, Computer Telephone Integration, allowing the use of third-party applications to control telephone services, and has Intelligent Contact Center functionality, which directs clients to the appropriate contact.
The 450 also has SIP compliance, allowing medium-sized businesses to expand with applications developed by third parties certified by the Nortel Development Program.
All of the 450’s features in one device are 45 per cent less expensive than purchasing each feature separately, Wilkinson said.
“The 450 offers a true branch office solution and it can provide remote gateways,” he said.
The 450 can be used with the other two products released today, Nortel’s Business Service Gateway (BSG) 8 and BSG12, which are designed for small businesses with 40 employees or less, and can be scaled up to accommodate 300 users.
In a situation where a retail chain has retail outlets, they can centralize the 450 and use the BSG in remote retail offices, Wilkinson said.
The BSG8 and 12 are a single platform with a router, advanced security with firewall VPN and intrusion detection, wired and wireless switching, an SIP Gateway with integrated Analog Telephony Adapter and application-aware Quality of Services.
“The BSG combines all products in one box and it’s easy to install and manage,” eliminating the need for small businesses to have IT staff on hand, Wilkinson said.
The BSG8 and BSG12 also serve as a client-side data infrastructure platform for carriers who deliver hosted VoIP services to SMBS with Nortel’s IP powered business solutions. SMBs will be able to save 45 per cent by leveraging their current products and outsourcing management to the carrier, Wilkinson said.
Small businesses can also customize their network to their needs, Wilkinson said. The BSG prioritizes voice, video and data, giving the company’s most critical communication applications higher priority.
The 450 will give immediate revenue to channel partners when it hits the market Oct. 14, with 500 resellers already trained on the product.
The BSG8 and BSG12 are already available on the market through the channel.
“SMB is a high growth segment and is recognized by the channel as being competitive,” Wilkinson said. “The worldwide SMB communications market is valued at US$11 billion and is growing annually.”
The market opportunity for SMB unified communications is real with more SMBs seeing the advantages of having unified communications.
“With the economy in the state that it’s in, there is a need for more video collaboration and the ability to access experts, work form home, seamless integration. This thinking is starting to cross organization size.”
