The marketplace for Unified Communications is currently in a state of flux. The world is changing at a rapid pace, with new technology and innovations introduced consistently, transforming the way we connect at a fundamental level. Today's UC leaders are consolidating, collaborating, and merging with other pioneers around the world to serve consumers in this unique and complicated environment.
As UC continues to change, we've noticed new leaders emerging from the sidelines, exploring concepts that the space had never considered before. Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise is one of the trailblazers helping companies to find their feet in an unfamiliar communication environment. This brand helps companies bring diverse systems together in a unified and cohesive strategy for communications.
I had the opportunity to speak with Xavier Martin, the VP, Market Development, Communications Business Division at ALE. He told me all about the firm's path to digital transformation, and how they're helping their channel partners and end-users move through their own DX journeys.
How Does ALE Deliver Collaboration with a Difference?
One of the things that really makes ALE stand out in the UC industry is their unique, yet comprehensive portfolio. According to Martin, the company is developing "technology for today, and technology for tomorrow". This helps to set the brand apart from other organisations that are struggling to innovate for the future or overcome their existing legacy strategies.
Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise goes to market entirely through their partners, and they rely on giving those channel partners an exceptional experience. One of the ways that they've created a differentiated offering for themselves, is with the recent "Rainbow" solution. As Xavier told me:
"Rainbow is only one year old, but it's already accomplishing amazing things. We already have 300,000 users - which is really impressive for such a young platform."
Rainbow is the Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise strategy for team messaging and collaboration. It's the brand's footing in the new UC world - but they're doing it with a difference. ALE didn't just bring out another team-based platform, they created something that's designed to work nicely with other platforms and vendors, to give users the end experience that's right for them. "We believe that the more we interoperate, the more we can innovate."
How Important is Interoperability?
In today's UC world, it appears collaboration is at the front of everything. By developing a UCaaS strategy that interoperates with other tools, ALE has been able to ensure that organisations can choose the team UC&C and solution that truly works best for their needs. This makes Rainbow an exciting alternative to other team apps like RingCentral Glip, Unify Circuit, and Microsoft Teams.
"Rainbow integrates with virtually any other PBX or SIP-based connection. You can take Rainbow and subscribe to the system online, then connect it to your existing telephone or PBX system. Even if you have a bunch of different vendor PBXs in your organisation, you can overlay Rainbow into the whole lot, and make sure that everything interacts with each other."
ALE has also introduced federation between platforms in their UCaaS offering. This means that users can see the updates and status of users across their organisational network, regardless of which platform they're using.
