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Fiberlink has inked deals with a handful of vendors to offer its customers VoIP, 3G wireless and anti-spyware options when traveling worldwide.
Fiberlink offers remote access services and client software to business users. The company is teaming with Skype and Webroot Software to offer new applications, access and security options.
For the first time Skype, which is best known as a peer-to-peer VoIP service provider for consumers, is teaming with a service provider that squarely focuses on enterprise users.
“This is a fairly significant announcement showing Skype is trying to get legitimate within the business world,” says Michael Disabato, service director for network and telecom strategies at Burton Group.
Skype, which claims 38.2 million users, seems to be listening to analysts who point out that lack of security and corporate billing options will prevent more from signing on to the service, despite large cost savings.
According to a March report from Gartner, users who travel nine months a year could save more than $14,000 annually by using Skype’s service, which is free when calling another Skype user. The savings result from eliminating per-minute service rates for calls from overseas to the U.S., which typically are around $2 per minute, according to Gartner. But users should keep in mind if they make calls from their Skype client to users on a traditional phone, they will not see the same cost savings because users do have to pay a per-minute rate for those off-net calls.
But in the same report Gartner says, “Skype needs to improve its support structure, which does not match corporate expectations.” And that might be one of the reasons why it is now teaming with Fiberlink.
Fiberlink customers now will be able to make VoIP calls over the Internet using the service provider’s secure client Extend360. Fiberlink customers will be able to make off-net calls and not worry about making PayPal payments for each call, which is the only way that Skype accepts payments today. Instead Fiberlink is offering corporate monthly billing for all off-net calls.
Fiberlink Extend360 customers are making calls behind a personal firewall running on their PC, which offers additional security.
This is another example where network managers don’t have to manage another application themselves, but still gain some control over the application, Disabato says. Using Fiberlink’s Extend360 client, IT managers should be able to set policies that limit the number of off-net calls a user can make per month, he says.
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Comments (1)
RE: Fiberlink, Skype team to offer VoIPBy Deb on January 11, 2008, 10:43 amHi, We need to contcat Kype for new accounts, can you pls provide me the contcat information for the concerned people ? thanks Deb universal,NH
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