Ahead of the R2 news from Microsoft tomorrow, I thought I'd post a smaller, but intriguing, UC success story: (based on the vendor's MCS platform). Yes, that Nortel. (No word on whether that will change anytime soon.)In any given company that Cypress services, about 70 percent of all lines are UC-enabled, either with full multimedia capabilities (including video and personal audio conferencing and web conferencing bridges); or with audio conferencing, IM, presence and VoIP. That's one of the strongest penetration numbers I've seen.
Legal firms, financial services and other professional services companies are Cypress's targets, and they are doing extremely well in those markets. A typical organization will spend an average of $65-$85 per user per month; costs are higher for the multimedia users, and lower for those with plain old telephony service. That may seem high, but most of Cypress's customers are looking to replace an on-premises solution and lower their costs in the process-and even paying those fees gets them ahead of the game.
Just as interesting, Cypress's customers are now starting the UC conversation. That's different from a year ago, when Cypress was educating customers on what UC is and why it would be good for them to deploy. Now companies know what the technology is all about, and they want it, mainly to keep dispersed employees connected--they need to be able to hire the best talent regardless of where those people are located, even in a down economy.
Speaking of the economy, the recession hasn't negatively affected Cypress's business. The company's biggest month was December 2008; January is looking strong, too. Next up: plans for a data suite, and contact center applications.
