PR95423

TOKYO, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire＝KYODO JBN/ --

-- NEC Cloud Gateway solution creates new way to add cloud collaboration and

mobility to existing on-premises NEC business phone systems

Intermedia Cloud Communications, a leader in business cloud communications and

collaboration solutions, announced that NEC, a leading global provider and

integrator of advanced IT, communications, and networking solutions, has

launched new cloud communications solutions in Japan designed to enhance the

performance, mobility, and capabilities of existing on-premises NEC business

phone systems. The new solutions, jointly developed by Intermedia and NEC,

eliminate barriers to unified communications as a service (UCaaS) adoption in

Japan. NEC UNIVERGE BLUE CLOUD GATEWAY is the most recent UCaaS solution

released by Intermedia and NEC as part of their 10-year exclusive global

partnership.

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CLOUD GATEWAY is a new add-on to the recently launched NEC UNIVERGE BLUE

HYBRID, which layers on a full suite of cloud-based communications and

collaboration services, such as chat, video conferencing, and file sharing, on

top of an existing NEC phone system. UNIVERGE BLUE HYBRID enables businesses of

all sizes to get the most out of their existing phone system while experiencing

the greater mobility, versatility, and functionality that cloud solutions

afford. HYBRID works on both mobile and desktop environments and extends the

calling capabilities of the existing on-prem system to remote and mobile

workers all through a single application – without the need to replace existing

on-prem phone systems, change existing phone numbers, or update or purchase

additional software.

CLOUD GATEWAY, designed for the NEC Aspire phone system, is an optional add-on

to the HYBRID solution. When paired with HYBRID, CLOUD GATEWAY further enhances

the capabilities of the on-prem phone system with even more sophisticated

calling functionality, such as concurrently ringing multiple phones (office and

desktop/mobile softphone), enabling call transfer to another user at home or in

the office, and bi-directional call flip for one button call transfer between a

user's desk phone and their mobile and desktop soft phones.

These innovative solutions address many of challenges that have, to date,

limited broader business and channel partner adoption of UCaaS in the Japan

market: (1) The new NEC solutions enable customers to receive and manage calls

more efficiently, working with the existing on-prem phone systems, due to their

ability to integrate multiple communications devices together (e.g., office

phone, remote work PC, smartphone, tablet, etc.); (2) Concerns over migrating

from an on-prem system to a cloud-based solution are eliminated as the customer

is able to maintain its existing on-prem system while also realizing the

benefits of cloud features and functionality; (3) Instead of having to source

multiple providers for various UCaaS solutions, NEC UNIVERGE BLUE HYBRID

integrates business phone, chat, video conferencing, file sharing, and more

together - and all from NEC; and (4) For partners, NEC's partner-first

go-to-market approach enables partners to sell HYBRID and CLOUD GATEWAY

directly to their customers and maintain and manage their important customer

relationships.

"HYBRID and CLOUD GATEWAY remove the concerns of many Japanese customers who

are interested in UCaaS but are hesitant to adopt it," said Makoto Omi,

President of Intermedia Japan. "Uniquely offering multiple ways to integrate

their existing NEC premise-based phone system with cloud applications provides

NEC customers with more choices in how they choose to take advantage of the

cloud and bring on more tools for the modern and mobile worker."

NEC and Intermedia plan to continue enhancing the UNIVERGE BLUE suite of cloud

communications and collaboration solutions to empower people to work even

better from wherever. HYBRID is offered per user per month and, along with

CLOUD GATEWAY, can be purchased through, and managed by, authorized NEC partner

dealers.

For more information about NEC UNIVERGE BLUE Cloud Gateway and UNIVERGE BLUE

CONNECT BRIDGE, visit:

About Intermedia Cloud Communications, Inc.

Intermedia is the cloud communications company that helps over 125,000

businesses connect better – through voice, video conferencing, chat, contact

center, business email and productivity, file sharing and backup, security,

archiving, and more – from wherever, whenever. We strive to eliminate the need

for multiple communications service providers with a seamlessly integrated

portfolio of communications and collaboration solutions – all delivered through

one highly reliable and secure platform. With month-to-month contract options,

one monthly bill, one intuitive point of administrative control, and six-years

running J.D. Power-certified 24/7 technical support, Intermedia is committed to

providing enterprise-grade products to businesses of all sizes through a

simple, Worry-Free Experience(TM).

As a partner-first company, Intermedia goes to work for over 7,100 channel

partners by providing a comprehensive set of programs, resources, and support

to help them grow their revenue and maximize their success. Programs include

our Customer Ownership Reseller (CORE(TM)) model – which enables partners to

resell, package, and manage Intermedia's solutions as if they were their own,

while benefiting from highly attractive economic terms and maintaining

ownership of their customer relationships – as well as agent models.

Intermedia is also proud to be the exclusive cloud communications platform

provider for NEC, a leader in global market share for unified communications

with an estimated 80+ million business phone users worldwide.

For more information about Intermedia, visit www.intermedia.com.

CONTACT: Makoto Omi, momi@intermedia.com

SOURCE Intermedia Cloud Communications