Last month, leading UCaaS solutions provider CallTower announced their acquisition of Rochester-based OneStream Networks in a move that will significantly expand their global reach and strengthen their offering.
The acquisition will build on CallTower’s existing Microsoft and Cisco offerings, integrating OneStream Networks’ global cloud-connected and premise-based SIP voice services that include Cisco Cloud Connected PSTN (with Webex Calling, Cisco Unified Communication Manager [UCM] Cloud, Webex Dedicated Instance and Webex Contact Center), Zoom, Avaya, Genesys, NICE CXone, and Microsoft Direct Routing.
Speaking with CallTower’s Chief Revenue Officer William Rubio, he tells UC Today that the deal will allow CallTower to reach customers in more geographies, using OneStream Networks’ collection of international data centers across Europe and Asia.
“Acquiring OneStream Networks enables CallTower to meet and exceed a number of our goals following our last funding round,” says Rubio.
“By joining forces with OneStream Networks, we are enhancing our existing Microsoft Teams, Direct Routing, and WebEx offerings with the addition of new products that our current and future customers are looking for. We will now significantly grow our Cisco capabilities, and roll out new platforms like Avaya, NiceCXOne and Genesys just to name a few”
By broadening their selection of services, CallTower will be able to better cater to the individual needs of departments within organizations. “We know that the right UCaaS solution for the C-Suite may not be the right fit for the folks in Marketing or out in the field,” explains Rubio on CallTower’s approach to work with customers and facilitate effective discovery that matches the right solutions to every internal stakeholder.
“It gives our customers a large array of options to really provide a true end-to-end solution for them,” he says, adding that, “It’s all about choice.”
Global Expansion
Rubio says that the deal will help CallTower to improve their ability to step up their ability to operate internationally, bringing many of their strengths to global markets where they are seeing increased demand for UCaaS solutions that enable organizations to transition to remote and hybrid working environments.
“The international market is really embracing unified communications,” says Rubio, explaining that outside the primary North American and Western European markets the options have been more limited.
“But now with Microsoft and Cisco growing the capabilities of their platforms, they are able to provide seamless experiences for employees, regardless of whether it’s on their desktop or mobile app,” he says.
“You basically have the same tools at your fingertips, allowing for hybrid work from anywhere and enabling your employees to be much more productive”
Next Steps
Following the announcement, the CallTower team will spend the next few months integrating their new OneStream Networks colleagues into the CallTower organization.
“We are excited to be bringing great employees, great customers, and great partners to CallTower,” says Rubio.
Part of the work will involve navigating the synergies between the two companies’ product offerings, as well as continuing to support their significant customer base. As a combined organization, they will now serve roughly about 70 countries and roughly 750,000 users that they support on a daily basis.
In looking for their next acquisition, which might even be sometime later this year, Rubio says that CallTower will likely aim for an international acquisition with an organization that has offices in the APAC, or the EMEA region.
“Ideally we are seeking someone that has a base of operations, with sales, engineering, and so forth, overseas so that we could continue to leverage internationally,” he says of their plans for further expansion outside of North America.
As for CallTower’s customers, they should stay tuned for more announcements that are planned to come out in the near future on product enhancements, and maybe, more acquisitions.
My Take
After raising a round from investors last year, it was clear that CallTower had the warchest to make the strategic purchases that will allow them to expand their reach both in terms of offerings and the markets that they will now be able to serve.
As a Microsoft Gold Partner, CallTower has long had a strong base in Microsoft products, along with their contact center and WebEx offerings. Now with this acquisition, they have successfully expanded their portfolio, deepening their Cisco footprint but also adding Meta and other vendors that will now be available to their customers.
Their massive expansion of available services is in line with CallTower’s “provider of solutions over vendor products” approach that has helped to make them valuable to their customers.
CallTower’s ability to match the right mix of products over a “one size fits all” from a single vendor means better choices and outcomes for their customers, and adding OneStream Networks will serve to put more options on the table, creating a win-win for organizations.
