Not long ago I had an interesting podcast chat with Todd Landry, Senior Vice President with Sphere Communications. Sphere's been around in the VoIP and unified communications space for quite some time and they've always got a new initiative in the works to increase the value they bring to the market.

Sphere Communications and CXtec Announce Partnership to Deliver Unified Communications Solutions
Partnership provides the award-winning Sphericall IP PBX to a wide range of CXtec’s education, healthcare, and enterprise customers

SYRACUSE, N.Y. & LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sphere Communications, a software developer of IP PBX and Services Oriented Unified Communications technology, and CXtec, a global provider of new and pre-owned networking technology equipment, today announced a partnership to deliver the award-winning Sphericall IP PBX to their growing education, healthcare and enterprise customers.

Sphere’s products enhance CXtec’s networking product portfolio by providing a flexible IP-based unified communications solution that operates across multi-vendor networks and that adapts well to each customer’s unique business needs. The Sphericall IP PBX is certified with Polycom IP telephones, already part of the CXtec portfolio, that deliver the latest in High Definition audio. Combined, the Sphere and Polycom solution delivers fully integrated desktop unified communications.

“Providing extremely flexible, scalable, and feature rich IP-based Unified Communications solutions for our broad range of customers is key, and Sphere has proven technology that fits nicely into our offerings” said Frank Kobuszewski Jr., Vice President, Technology Solutions Group for CXtec.

“The professionals at CXtec worked with us to put together a Sphere communication system that was tailored to our business needs,” Tom Brown, Director of Finance and IT, Clyde Bergemann EEC, “The unified communications capabilities will increase our efficiency and improve our customer service. Sphere’s flexibility and pricing model will allow us to grow our system as we grow our company.”

To demonstrate the rich communications capabilities to CXtec customers, the Sphericall IP PBX is now installed in CXtec’s Technology Exploration and Conference (tec) Center, a 2,500 square foot facility in CXtec's world headquarters in Syracuse, N.Y. The tec Center is just one of two such technologically advanced demonstration centers in New York State.

“We are extremely excited about our new partnership with CXtec” said Graeme Robinson, President, Sphere Communications. “The ability to now deliver flexible business communications on top of integrated networking products, allows CXtec to provide complete solutions tailored to the needs of each customer.”

Sphere leads the industry in Communications Web Services, offering an easy approach for businesses to integrate unified communications with their business applications such as CRM (Customer Relationship Management). Sphere’s integral web services technology allows businesses to deliver information and call handling options directly to new micro-browser based SIP telephones, creating more value in the communications solution and making it easier for businesses to make communications a integral part of their business process.

The Sphere solutions are now available through CXtec and interested customers should contact their CXtec representative for more information on the Sphere IP PBX product.

About Sphere Communications
Sphere Communications is the first to deliver IP PBX technology as a business application for Service Oriented Architecture. A software company, Sphere delivers the most robust IP-based software communications technology available in the marketplace. The Sphericall platform hosts an extremely rich PBX feature set and is proven in deployments that scale to more than 20,000 users. Sphere provides OEMs, ISVs and application developers with the Sphericall Web Services SDK, enabling communications to be easily integrated into business applications and purpose-built communications systems. Founded in 1994, Sphere Communications is headquartered in Lincolnshire, Illinois and provides its products to a wide variety of customers worldwide. For more information please see the Sphere Communications web site at www.spherecom.com or contact us at 1-888-774-3732.

About CXtec
CXtec is a global provider of new and certified pre-owned computer networking and technology equipment. Ranked 197th in the VARBusiness 2006 list of North America's Top 500 Technology Integrators, CXtec has been helping customers reduce the cost of their networking infrastructure for over 25 years with offerings like a lifetime warranty on equal2new network hardware. Offerings include: voice and data networking and testing equipment, mainframe data center products, computer cables and connectors, wiring systems, and storage components. CXtec can be reached at 1-800-767-3282 or get more information at their web site at www.cxtec.com.