The results are in. The selections for the collaboration-focused Innovation Showcase at Enterprise Connect 2015, taking place March 16 to 19 in Orlando, will include seven innovative companies.
This year's collaboration focus attracted a diverse group of 15 companies -- but, of course, we had only so many slots to fill. We found these seven companies to offer the most compelling collaborative offerings:
- Altocloud: facilitates online collaboration with customers and prospects by enabling communications and screen sharing from a Web page
- Collaboration Squared: supports interoperability of video conferencing, Web collaboration, and phone conferencing on a cloud platform
- Double Robotics: enables a physical presence for remote participants
- Fuze: consolidates real-time audio, video, and Web conferencing in unified online platform
- NextPlane: enables granular controls for federation and instant messaging across like or dissimilar UC solutions
- Phonami: offers automated CRM logging from non-enterprise phones
- Redbooth: provides task collaboration and secure real-time communications via cloud platform
Through the Innovation Showcase, we bring recognition to products and solutions that otherwise might not have made it to the Enterprise Connect expo hall. In the past, we restricted the Innovation Showcase to new, young communications firms. This year, we expanded eligibility to any size company that had not previously exhibited at Enterprise Connect.
This change increased the pool of eligible firms, but the showcase remains full of young companies. To guide the evaluation process, we placed specific emphasis on collaboration. This put a higher focus on solutions that improved communications among formal and informal teams and groups.
We evaluated each applicant's solution with regards to how it promotes or facilitates collaboration. That category carried the most weight. Additional categories included the solution's innovation, productivity, and user experience.
Kevin Kieller, partner with enableUC, and David Maldow, founder and CEO of Let's Do Video, assisted me with the judging this year. It's always a fascinating process as collaboration and innovation can have so many perspectives.
The seven companies will be exhibiting in the Innovation Showcase in the main expo hall at Enterprise Connect. Additionally, four of them will present during the Innovation Showcase session on Monday, March 16, at 2:00 p.m. Altocloud, Double Robotics, Fuze, and Redbooth will present.
Dave Michels, principal analyst of TalkingPointz, is the director of the Innovation Showcase. Join him at Enterprise Connect! Register now using the code NJSPEAKER for $300 off an event pass.