IPcelerate Introduces IPsmartSuite for Cisco UC500

IPcelerate Inc. introduced today a suite of turnkey business process applications for small businesses designed for use with Cisco Systems Inc.s Smart Business Communications System.

Called IPsmartSuite, a small appliance with the software embedded in it, the applications include plug-and-play functionality designed for vertical markets and horizontal functions like recording and collaboration. The initial release includes four vertical market packages tailored to small businesses operating in health care, legal, retail and manufacturing industries. Availability is set for a June/July time frame.

Applications and functions are accessible through icons on the dashboard of an IP phone.

We are taking the same capabilities proven in IPsession and prepackaging them for verticals and making them as plug and play as possible, said Kevin Brown, CEO of IPcelerate. IPcelerates technology is based on the NIPA Framework. Because its based on a framework, we can preconfigure it and create dashboards, he said.

As an example, the health care instantiation for physicians and small outpatient clinics offers patient interface features like automated sign-in, patient status alerts, automated messaging on waiting room phones, dial-out for appointment reminders, matter code validation and video notes to patients. IT also includes productivity apps like visual video collaboration between doctors, call recording and message alerting. Finally, it includes 911 notifications for emergency situations.

Brown expects a dozen or more verticals as well as horizontal applications to follow in the coming months. Banking, insurance, local governments and utilities are likely successors.

Software licenses will include all the vertical market applications and customers with the assistance of Cisco VARs need only select the icon matching their vertical market to launch the appropriate applications. Brown said not needing to know the vertical market selection up front makes the software particularly partner friendly.

The software will be available trough traditional Cisco distributors like Comstor. Licensing fees have not been determined, but Brown expects they will be 10 percent of the cost of the applications sold to enterprises.

Brown said prior to summers GA data, IPcelerate plans to release a development environment for partners to build applications from scratch using a graphical, scripted interface. Unlike development kits requiring programming expertise, this one will be more like a visual studio using drag and drop commands. They will be able to create them in minutes and test them, he said.

The partner revenue opportunity includes moving down market and serving new verticals, Brown said. With IPsmartsuites remote monitoring capability, VARs will be able to push information to customers IP phone screens offering them the ability to enable new functionality like video blogging that applies to the needs of a user. You can treat customers as if they were hosted but on an individual basis, Brown said.

Also this summer, IPcelerate plans to release a version of IPsmartSuite for midsize customers in order to accommodate hybrid Cisco environments that might use the smaller UC500 in remote offices and the larger platform at headquarters. The common NIPA Framework enables this interoperation.

IPcelerate Inc. www.ipcelerate.com