Alcatel-Lucent Weaves Together Voice, Video and Online Collaboration Tools For Business And Extends Them to Employees Personal Devices

Introducing the Alcatel-Lucent OpenTouch Conversation, a new solution for businesses which addresses the increasing trend of enterprise employees using their own smartphones and tablet devices for communications and multimedia access in the workplace, enabling them to continue conversations as they move from one platform to another.

OpenTouch Conversation marks the latest capability in Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise’s OpenTouch Communications platform and, as the user interface for OpenTouch, raises the bar for unified communications in enterprises, enabling video to the iPad via a corporate network

OpenTouch™ Conversation software helps enterprises unify their communications capabilities while taking advantage of the fast-growing ‘bring your own device’ to work trend

Paris, March 26, 2012 – New software from Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) is to give businesses the ability to make it as easy for their employees to shift between different types of business communications services – instant messaging, data sharing, voice calls and video collaboration – without interrupting their conversations.

With the fast-growing ‘bring your own device’ trend of employees using personal devices for work applications, Alcatel-Lucent’s OpenTouch™ Conversation software will deliver all of these services to employees’ personal devices, including smart phones and tablets. A recent study from IDG Connect indicated that 91% of business and IT professionals worldwide were using their iPad in some capacity for work communication.

By ‘handing off’ a conversation from platform to platform, OpenTouch Conversation (OTC) will enable enterprises to give employees the freedom to seamlessly start a voice call on an office phone, move the conversation to a video conference on a PC or tablet and then conclude it on a mobile phone.

Employees will no longer have to hang up and redial as they switch between devices coming into or out of the office or make special arrangements to have a video call. OTC also makes it possible to quickly and easily add participants to the conversation or collaboration session. The end result is more efficient, more effective and more collaborative conversations across the enterprise.

OTC is an interactive software application, or interface, which builds upon the company’s leading-edge OpenTouch™ communications platform. Designed for multiple platforms, the first release of OTC supports iPad, runs over Wi-Fi and 3G networks. A simple-to-use user interface is intuitive and engaging for employees, while offering the levels of security and ease of management that IT managers expect.

Brian Riggs, research director at Current Analysis: “IT departments are under increasing pressure to let end users access corporate resources from the mobile devices of their choosing. When it comes to unified communications (UC) and collaboration software, this means making telephony, video conferencing and other UC features available on personal, rather than company-issued, devices. OpenTouch Conversation will help Alcatel-Lucent’s OpenTouch architecture become a catalyst for UC adoption.”

Alcatel-Lucent has worked to make OpenTouch Conversation a user-friendly interface that looks and acts the same across all device screens. On screen an employee can see a graphical timeline of recent, current and future conversations, pictures of their current key contacts and a “stage” where their current conversation(s) takes place. Real-time rich presence information about availability of other people that can be added to conversations is displayed so the status of all concerned is immediately visible.

Eric Penisson, vice president and general manager of Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Communications business said: “The genius behind OpenTouch Conversation is that it leverages the power of smart devices and reconciles all the modes of communication in one place in an intuitive, easy-to-use interface. This new communications breakthrough pushes the evolution of unified communications and ‘bring your own device’. With OpenTouch Conversation’s outstanding approach, employees will be able to get much more out of their tablet or smart phone.”

While the first iteration of OTC will support iPad, the most popular tablet device being used in enterprises today, OTC will soon support multiple platforms including Windows and MacOS, Android, iOS, Blackberry, and Microsoft smartphones.

With this announcement, Alcatel-Lucent continues to expand its efforts to create a secure and innovative enterprise environment that advances BYOD (bring your own device). OTC is currently undergoing field testing. Enterprises will be able to begin deploying OTC in June, 2012.

Ingram Micro 2012 PLATFORM Toronto Event

Join GT Global at Ingram Micro 2012 PLATFORM Toronto Event on April 11 at Woodbine Racetrack

8:30 – 9:00 AM Registration and Breakfast
9:00 – 9:05 AM Opening Remarks
9:05 – 9:30 AM Avaya Avaya Connect – Collaboration with our Channel Partners
9:30 – 9:55 AM Cisco Securely, Reliably and Transparently connect Anyone, Anything, Anywhere and Anytime
9:55 – 10:20 AM Toshiba Mobile Green Solutions
10:20 – 10:45 AM RIM BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion – The Evolution of Enterprise Mobility
10:45 – 11:10 AM IBM “IBM SmartCloud Entry” – Cloud Enabled DataCenter with IBM System X
11:10 – 11:35 AM VMWare Virtualization
11:35 AM – 12:00 PM IM Services Cloud: The Opportunity is Real! Develop a Strategy to Help Monetize the Cloud
Drew Ekes, Service Development Manager, Ingram Micro
12:00 – 1:15 PM Lunch and Technology Fair
1:15 – 1:30 PM Closing Remarks and Prize Draws

GT Achieves Select Certification In Canada

We are now a Cisco Select Certified Partner in Canada. We’re making it our mission to bring a high level of customer service and a Single Source for IT!

“Congratulations to GT Global Telecom Corp. for meeting all criteria to become a Cisco Select Certified Partner in Canada. Your company has demonstrated that it is qualified to sell, install and support Cisco solutions in Canada.”

Cisco Select Certified

GT Global Services Named To CRNS

Second Annual Ranking Recognizes Up-and-Coming IT Solution Providers

Toronto, Ontario, September 14, 2012 – GT Global Services Inc. announced it has been recognized byUBM Channel as a member of CRN’s second annual Next-Gen 250 list. The CRN Next-Gen 250 highlights up and coming VARs that have recently entered the market with a smart and different approach to solution selling and integration.

This Next-Gen 250 list is a snapshot of solution providers who are zeroing in on emerging technologies, among them cloud computing, mobility, virtualization, unified communications, business analytics and business intelligence.

“GT has been quick to adapt to the changing technology landscape which is evolving more quickly than ever before,” said Paul Quenneville, GT’s President & CEO. “This disruptive environment can be challenging for our customers who look to us to advise them on the best approach to take. GT enables our customers to take advantage of the cost benefits of emerging technologies and ultimately assist them in differentiating their businesses.”

“The channel is constantly evolving as existing models are being tested and new ones are created,” said Kelley Damore, VP, Editorial Director, UBM Channel. “All the companies on this year’s list have only been in business since 1999. Some have transformed their business to meet the demands of a changing market. Others didn’t have the baggage of transitioning from hardware to services to recurring revenue and have been able to build a business on an entirely new model and leverage new technology platforms. Regardless of how they got here, we congratulate each company for making this year’s list.”

A sample of the Next-Gen 250 list is available online at www.CRN.com. The entire 2012 database will be published only in CRN’s App for iPad, CRN Technology News.  This exciting new app will provide subscribers with exclusive content and full access to CRN’s premier Solution Provider lists.  For more information, visit www.CRN.com/Tablet.

About GT Global Services

GT is a leading Technology Integrator that helps businesses across North America stay competitive through the use of emerging technologies. GT specializes in technologies such as Unified Communications, Cloud Computing, Virtualization and Storage Solutions. GT’s customers range from small businesses to large organizations such as Major Financial Institutions and National Retail chains. To learn more about GT please visit us at our website www.gtglobal.ca or at www.facebook.com/gtglobal

About UBM Channel
UBM Channel is the premier provider of IT channel-focused events, media, research, consulting, and sales and marketing services. With more than 30 years of experience and engagement, UBM Channel has the unmatched channel expertise to execute integrated solutions for technology executives, managing partner recruitment, enablement and go-to-market strategy in order to accelerate technology sales. UBM Channel is a UBM company. To learn more about UBM Channel, visit us at http://www.ubmchannel.com. Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ubmchannel

UBM plc (www.ubm.com)

UBM plc is a leading global business media company. We inform markets and bring the world’s buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print and provide them with the information they need to do business successfully. We focus on serving professional commercial communities, from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewellery traders, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. Our 6,000 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into specialist teams that serve these communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.

Contacts:

Robert Kramer, Media Relations Specialist

GT Global Services Inc.

(416) 800-9033

rkramer@gtglobal.ca

Scott Regan, Senior Marketing Manager
UBM Channel
(508) 416-1186
scott.regan@ubm.com

ShoreTel

ShoreTel: PBX Business Phone Systems & UC Solutions

ShoreTel makes VoIP communications brilliantly simple, phones, delivery platforms, call handling, apps & superb customer service. Nobody does it better.

ShoreTel is one of the largest providers of cloud, premises-based and hybrid business telephony and unified communications (UC) solutions. Our award-winning, brilliantly simple communications offerings lead the industry in customer satisfaction and lowest total cost of ownership. Our innovative business phones, application integration, collaboration tools, mobility, and contact center applications empower organizations and employees to collaborate, connect and work no matter time, place or device.

With ShoreTel, organizations enjoy freedom of choice: our award-winning, premises-based IP phone system owned and managed in-house, or cloud-based communications managed offsite by our expert telephony teams, or a combination of both. Regardless, ShoreTel’s solutions are built to scale, grow, and evolve as needed. So companies can buy or subscribe to the business communication solutions they need today, with no risk to their original investment should their needs change tomorrow.

ShoreTel’s purpose-built solutions remove the barriers and complexity common with other provider’s solutions – whether an organization is seeking to replace an old phone system, add new office sites or branches, upgrade to unified communications, or modernize its contact center. With fewer resources tied up in a phone system, a company’s resources are freed to work on the real task at hand: moving the business forward.

ShoreTel is based in Sunnyvale, California, and has regional offices worldwide.