New Zealand-based Zeacom today becomes one of only six select Microsoft Managed ISV Partners to effect tight interoperation of a contact center application with Microsoft Lync. Typically the ISVs chosen by Microsoft meet certain criteria:
* Greater than $5 million in annual software revenue; provide unique software solutions for vertical markets (healthcare, financial, manufacturing, etc.) or horizontal solutions using new leading technologies (unified communications, collaboration, mobility, etc.)
* Built their flagship product on the Microsoft platform/stack
* Growing faster than average for their market segment
* Want Microsoft's assistance in growing their business
* Share sales and revenue information
* Have a desire to be in-step with Microsoft’s product road map and direction
* A working prototype of the integration.
Zeacom joins Altigen, Aspect, Clarity Connect, Interactive Intelligence and prairieFyre in standing ready to meet the contact center needs of companies who decide to embrace Microsoft Lync whole-heartedly. Zeacom's contact center application, part of Zeacom Communications Center, has long been white-labeled by NEC.
As is true for prairieFyre, whose solution is private-labeled as Mitel's contact center application, Zeacom's Microsoft Lync compatibility serves two purposes. It puts them in a good position to exploit Microsoft Lync market success (if and when that happens) and also helps them diversify their addressable market opportunity. Unlike prairieFyre, which prior to Lync was available only on Mitel systems, Zeacom is already compatible with systems other than NEC, e.g., Cisco and Avaya, where they are particularly successful working with IP Office.
While each of the vendors have sweet spots in terms of size of contact center (20 agents versus 2,000), several could be considered head-to-head competitors in terms of the application suite and price point offered. Aspect’s December 2010 announcement that they are creating an SMB contact center solution that will use Lync as the media server, as well as the customer bases of the other Lync contact center partners, reinforces the notion that SMB contact centers are considered the most likely initial customers.
In March 2008, fellow blogger Blair Pleasant wrote about the Microsoft-Aspect partnership announcement, "But what is missing from this announcement is information on Microsoft’s contact center strategy vis a vis UC." Three years and five contact center integration announcements later, it seems that Microsoft continues to have no immediate plans to dive into the contact center application space themselves. But then again, they haven't exactly proven to be fast swimmers in the PBX-replacement space either.
