Unify Square Rolls Out Lineup of Cloud Services to Increase Adoption of Skype for Business in the Enterprise

BELLEVUE, Wash., Sept. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Unify Square, the leading provider of software, consulting and 24x7 cloud managed services for Skype for Business, today announced its newly extended lineup of Skype for Business (SfB) cloud and hybrid services to help enterprises transition from on premise, to hybrid or full cloud deployments. The services are headlined by its new PowerAssurance™ Special Edition, which is fully aligned with the new Microsoft Skype Operations Framework (SOF), and will be available in conjunction with Unify Square's existing software and services. This launch helps further Microsoft's goal of facilitating hybrid and cloud migrations of SfB among large enterprises, and accompanies related news from Unify Square, announcing new Cloud PBX support and integration capabilities in its PowerSuite™ operations software product for SfB. Unify Square is now the first SfB partner to launch software and services that support Skype for Business Online, and is among a small handful of launch partners invited to join Microsoft's new SOF partner program being announced today.

According to Transparency Market Research, UC cloud deployments are expected to see a year-over-year annual growth rate of over 23% through 2022. Despite this rapid uptick, many large-scale UC deployments are still on premise, and full enterprise UC cloud adoption is still in its infancy. This is due in large part to the lack of management and monitoring tools for enterprises seeking cloud-based UC, which is especially true for Microsoft SfB customers. Unify Square's new set of cloud-centric offerings helps enterprises assess network bandwidth, meet data security and regulatory compliance requirements, and develop a detailed plan to migrate towards a hybrid or cloud environment over time. With these steps, enterprises lay the groundwork to eventually transition to a Cloud PBX-based Skype for Business Online deployment.

"As with all cloud deployments, a move to Skype for Business Online comes with inevitable unknowns and a need for extra planning and specialized deliver/operate services to be successful, as all IT environments are unique," said Sonu Aggarwal, CEO of Unify Square. "Our new cloud software and services offerings are based on years working in the field with Microsoft's largest Skype for Business customers.  They encapsulate this knowledge, and make it broadly available to others who are just now making the transition from on premise to the cloud, and various stages in between."

Unify Square is one of the first Microsoft partners to create comprehensive cloud solutions that help enterprises plan, deploy and run Skype for Business Online. The company's cloud managed services offering, PowerAssurance, is one of the only pure-play SfB managed services available to customers today. The services bundle provides 24x7 SfB expert IT staff to support, monitor and operate on premise, hybrid and now full cloud deployments.

The newly announced "Special Edition" bundle of PowerAssurance, which is available for customer utilization immediately, offers the existing PowerAssurance hybrid managed services system along with the following additional services: 

• PowerAssurance Site Transformation Accelerator:  This new subscription-based service handles site-by-site deployments of Modern Voice for SfB, supporting either Cloud PBX or on premise SfB servers for enterprises across the globe.
• UC RightTrack™:  Our popular SfB envisioning, planning and best practice design workshop helps kick-start an enterprise UC infrastructure transformation from on premise to a hybrid or cloud environment.
• Skype for Business Network Readiness Service: As part of the overall cloud readiness assessment, this service conducts a WAN and WiFi network assessment for hybrid and cloud environments. In a new partnership with Kollective, this service also offers an add-on option for a Network Readiness test for Skype Meeting Broadcast media streaming.
• Skype for Business User Adoption Service: Our scientific, best practices approach educates and trains employees and delivers cost savings early in the Skype for Business cloud transformation.

In addition to the bundled offer, all of the above services are available as individual "a la carte" services. Customers will also benefit from other cloud-centric or cloud-enabled Unify Square services like Office 365 Cloud Transformation Service, Skype for Business Online Migration Service, Skype for Business Cloud PBX/CCE Pilot Service, and Video RightTrack.

"Skype for Business cloud voice and meeting capabilities in Office 365 transform the way businesses communicate, providing a complete, cost-effective, enterprise-grade communications solution at global scale. We created Skype Operations Framework to provide customers and partners with world-class guidance and toolsets that ensure operational excellence when implementing and managing Skype for Business in the cloud," said Srini Raghavan, GM – Skype Customer Lifecycle Service. "Skype Operations Framework Partners will play a critical role in helping customers plan, deliver and operate Skype for Business successfully, and Unify Square is one of the first Microsoft partners to adopt the framework and offer both software and managed services that have been designed for Skype for Business from the ground up."

Unify Square, a Platinum sponsor of the Microsoft Ignite conference, will demo its new Skype for Business Online solutions including the new additions to PowerSuite at Ignite on Sept. 26-30 in Atlanta, GA., Booth 711.  For more information about PowerSuite or PowerAssurance, please visit www.unifysquare.com.

About Unify Square

Unify Square's software, consulting, and smart remote managed services power the world's largest Microsoft Skype for Business (SfB) deployments. Built on innovative technology, our solutions create actionable insights and help enterprises transform their unified communications infrastructure, delivering enterprise-grade service availability, data-driven end-user satisfaction, and double-digit ROI increases. Founded by SfB product visionaries, Unify Square is a member of the Skype for Business Partner Advisory Council and one of Microsoft's global elite partners. Our software and services have delivered value to more than 5 million Skype for Business seats, in over 275 global enterprises across more than 50 countries, and in most major industry verticals. 

Headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, Unify Square also has offices in the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, India, Australia and Singapore.

Email us: [email protected] or visit the website: www.unifysquare.com

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