POLYCOM Extends BroadSoft Relationship with UC Cloud Solution to Drive Rapid Customer Adoption Through Service Providers

End-to-end cloud solution will lower cost and complexity of rapidly deploying unified communications for customers through service providers

 To drive market growth through the rapid adoption of unified communications (UC), Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM) today announced, through the extension of its relationship with BroadSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: BSFT), a BroadCloud™ Video enabled UC cloud solution that will allow service providers to lower the cost and complexity of deploying and using business-to-business (B2B) telepresence and high-definition (HD) voice solutions for organisations around the globe.

The comprehensive solution gives customers end-to-end HD Voice™ and video communications capabilities, open interoperability with other standards-based UC systems, and B2B telepresence applications. The cloud offering is designed to help service providers cost-effectively extend their hosted telephony services to address the global, hyper-growth market for hosted UC services, which is projected to reach approximately $6 billion by 20141, according to Wainhouse Research.

The BroadSoft and Polycom solution combines the recently announced BroadSoft BroadCloud Video hosted service and award-winning, standards-based Polycom HDX® telepresence systems and Polycom VVX 1500 business media phones. This builds on an existing Polycom and BroadSoft hosted telephony solution that combines the BroadSoft BroadWorks® telephony platform and Polycom HD Voice™ desktop and conference phones. To further assist service providers in the transition to UC services, Polycom is also providing go-to-market support, sales enablement and demand-generation activities.

“Cloud-based services will play a key role in the UC Everywhere by Polycom strategy and in driving mainstream UC adoption. We are pleased to extend our strong relationship with BroadSoft to address this significant market demand,” said Andy Miller, president and CEO, Polycom. “We expect B2B services to be the next major wave of innovation in UC that will drive a network effect for customers. Many of our progressive customers are using B2B telepresence applications today to outmaneuver competitors by driving tighter alignment and collaboration with strategic partners, customers and suppliers.”

“By delivering a comprehensive UC cloud service to our joint service provider customers, BroadSoft and Polycom expect to deliver the collaboration, productivity and cost benefits of HD voice and video communications to the masses,” said Mike Tessler, president and CEO, BroadSoft. “We believe BroadCloud Video, combined with Polycom telepresence systems, eliminates the cost and complexity barriers of deploying high-quality collaboration solutions within and between businesses.”

Rapid ROI and Competitive Advantage for Customers

For customers, the cloud service provides low up-front costs and predictable monthly service costs, allowing a rapid return on investment through improved productivity and reduced travel expenses. The B2B telepresence capabilities can drive even greater return and competitive advantages by improving the quality and speed of collaboration between businesses and their customers and partners.

About UC Everywhere by Polycom

Polycom’s vision and strategy is to enable Unified Communications Everywhere—allowing communication anywhere on any device. We’re opening up new and emerging markets to UC by developing cloud computing and mobility solutions that consumers, SMBs, and enterprises can leverage. We’re also teaming with the world’s leading service providers to deliver seamless UC around the globe so that our customers can communicate and collaborate regardless of time or distance.

Always-Available B2B Telepresence Services 

BroadCloud Video is a high-definition, always-on, meet-me video conferencing service, which supports a wide range of room, desktop and soft client video-enabled devices. BroadSoft expects to join with Glowpoint (OTCBB: GLOW) to leverage its “Open Video” platform and Telepresence interExchange Network (TEN) to facilitate the delivery of video communications beyond a single enterprise. Combined with Polycom standards-based telepresence systems, the end-to-end solution will support open, interoperable, B2B video communications.

About Polycom
Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM) is a global leader in unified communications solutions with industry-leading telepresence, video, voice and infrastructure solutions built on open standards. Polycom powers smarter conversations, transforming lives and businesses worldwide. Please visit www.polycom.asia for more information or connect with Polycom on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

About BroadSoft
BroadSoft provides software that enables fixed-line, mobile and cable service providers to deliver voice and multimedia services over their IP-based networks. The Company's software, BroadWorks®, enables service providers to provide enterprises and consumers with a range of cloud-based, or hosted, IP multimedia communications, such as hosted IP private branch exchanges, video calling, unified communications, collaboration and converged mobile and fixed-line services.