A Canadian SIP trunking provider says it will help system integrators and large account resellers unlock the voice potential of Microsoft Corp.’s Lync unified communications suite.
ThinkTel Communications said this week its new strategic partner consulting program will help Microsoft SIs and LARs increase their sales expertise for Lync customers who want to voice-enable the suite.
In an interview from the Microsoft Worldwide Partners Conference in Toronto, CEO Dave Damer said ThinkTel has been advising partners on an as-needed basis for some time. The consulting program formalizes it.Under the program Microsoft partners can buy sales and technical training. ThinkTel can be retained for design, implementation and support services if required.Damer didn’t detail training pricing.A division of Internet service provider Distributel Communications, ThinkTel provides voice and unified communications services – largely around Lync – to organizations and service providers. It has some 400 staff across the country.Lync (formerly Office Communications Server) gained the ability to be used as a PBX two years ago, and its capabilities have been growing since. However, it is only recently that organizations have seriously considered it as a full PBX replacement.
“Just about every enterprise (with Lync) is in the process of doing a proof-of-concept or on a path to an integration and implementation at some level,” Damer said, “whether it be conferencing or a PBX replacement.”
Many have a combination of on-premise and hosted versions of the suite, he added. The cloud version lets an organization federate Lync with UC suites of customers.
