At the NEC Operation: Rainmaker Conference, NEC shared much deserved information about their NEC Unified Cloud service. This service was first announced at the Enterprise Connect conference in the summer of 2012. NEC has developed three base options: Basic for $20/mos, Standard for $40/mos, and Premium for $50/mos (excluding necessary equipment, install service, fees etc.). The Basic package includes one licensed phone with emergency features like E-911. The basic package is best for most users, office workers and receptionists. The Standard package includes the same as Basic with the addition of 1 device license (hard or soft phone), the desktop application, unified messaging, and a 125 minute limit ID. This Standard package is best for mobile workers, telecommuters and executives. The Premium package includes the same as Standard with the addition of UF messaging and video conferencing. The Premium package would theoretically be best for everything above Basic or Standard.
For those who are unaware of NEC’s products and services, NEC is a very professionally reliable telecommunications corporation. NEC uses two Data Centers in Denver Colorado and Columbus Ohio to provide consistent redundancy. In preparation for a stable cloud service they have regulated a 47% payload in which if one Data Center fails it will transfer the contact onto the second Data Center. NEC showed much pride with their multiple server architecture which supposedly provides a self-healing attribute to their systems. Their technology is so profound that our Federal Gov’t is spending $20 Billion in IT spending to create cloud agencies by 2015. In accordance to this endorsement, the NEC architecture of Unified Communications must support a 99.999% uptime service level agreement. The Federal Gov’t also provides an E-rate program in which eligible schools are funded discounts for telecom services through NEC exclusively. NEC has enthusiastically stricken interest in Canadian and Latin American telecom business following the present US telecom development.
As a consumer level, NEC’s Unified Cloud service provides true enthusiast grade technology. Albeit, the Basic package seems limited; but the E-911 is actually quite useful. E-911 provides emergency security, call recording to SMS and smartphones as well as Emergency Region Location (which one ERL is given and additional ERLs would be available by additional purchases). The Standard package enables one licensed device which would normally be the client’s hard/soft phone with access of the desktop application, unified messaging and 125 limited minutes. The integration of Unified Messaging with the desktop application allows unification of all your phone calls, fax and emails with call recording. The Premium package provides UF messaging, video conferencing and 250 limited minutes. The UF messaging includes features like voicemail email attachments, web access to message management, and IMAP4 which allows 3rd party email integration (like Apple mail and GMAIL). This package should really be a business’ first choice because the UF messaging really completes the integration. The video conferencing is very similar to a conferencing client like Skype but adds all the integration as well as providing additional redundancy and security features (IMHO NEC is the better bet). As for veteran NEC users, the Adtran wireless router that will be included in each package will support 802.11e and will work with 8100, 8300 and 8500 equipment (may require flashing) as well as support for Polycom systems natively. Multiple routers and servers may also be used to increase redundancy in establishments like hospitals. The real beauty of these packages is that any level of consumer can choose a base package and add features at the time of purchase or in the future.
NEC has really hit communications on the tip of the nail. As a consumer we can now answer a call in the parking lot, transfer the call to our desktop application then go to the backyard and take the call on an Ipad (or any mobile device) without a PBX switch in one fluid transition. The cloud is no longer for just computing and storage, but for unified telecommunications. The folks at NEC definitely didn’t leave us empty-handed because while we were being debriefed, some hints were given on additional features coming in the near future. The hints included: a contact center, extra hospitality features, fixed mobile converging, collaborations (document sharing), as well as Speech to text. Text to speech was noted as being a current feature although; this feature will only be able to read 50 words of an email or message. The NEC Cloud service will definitely innovate telecommunications forever, with our Federal Gov’t jumping on board I suggest any business owner to do the same immediately. The support for integrated cloud telecommunications is here and the more who endorse NEC, the more who will be integrated into a unified telecommunications system. Cloud telecommunications will surely improve productivity and increase efficiency immensely. If there has ever been a time to upgrade your telecom systems, the time is now.
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