ShoreTel goes big in hosted VoIP: A Q&A with CEO Blackmore

02.10.2012

Every engagement. And the interesting thing is our connect rate on desk phones has stayed rock solid. In other words, it's not like new customers are flipping from desk phones to mobile devices. They're keeping roughly what they would have bought in the past in desk phones, but they're then adding mobile devices so people have a choice. But very rarely do we get a sale now without the option, and people can pick an or or even BlackBerry for that matter, but it's almost all Apple and Android.

Is the Agito code what is powering your mVoIP capability, which, if I understand it right, lets someone on a cell call walk into an office and have that call handed off via Wi-Fi to the VoIP infrastructure?

Yes, and that is one of our biggest selling capabilities, because it's a very good handoff, and the competitors don't always have such a good handoff. I use this every day. My home happens to have a pretty weak 3G signal, so I tend to use the Wi-Fi device in my home to support my mobile device, which is an . So if I'm on my cellphone at home and connected by Wi-Fi, when I leave to get in my car it flips to 3G, and when I get to the office it will flip back to Wi-Fi. So that is a big plus. It lowers your roaming charges and makes it very simple to use, and if you travel internationally at all it saves you a fortune.

It also gives you flexibility. Sometimes in hotels people are using a lot of data and the 3G circuits get overloaded so you can't get a signal or you get dropped. I just hook up to Wi-Fi in the hotel and then I'm up and running. So I'm often having a great conversation and I can see everyone else around me getting angry with their cellphone because they can't connect. It's a great app.

In terms of collaborative capabilities, where does video fit in?