ShoreTel earlier this week announced several software and hardware upgrades and two new voice switches. Included in the announcement are enhancements to the ShoreWare Call Manager product line, more open interfaces for integration, and adds two new voice switches: the ShoreGear 24A and the ShoreGear 30.

The ShoreWare Personal Call Manager has been upgraded to provide more intuitive interfaces. Added features include an integrated client user interface with a main display for calling features and tabs for messages and history; simplified access to features designed to be easier to use and find; quick and easy dialing with exchange and phone directory along with just in time telephony presence; and a simplified, single-level user interface with personal and advanced merged options.

The ShoreWare Professional Call Manager has added improvements to its basic voice communications and it now provides automatic and on-demand video communications. The Instant Messaging interface upgrades include easy sidebar conversations; on the phone communications; and interfaces for a third party presence server. The unified communications suite has added improved call control, video calling and IM access and a rich presence integration; the suite now also supports a softphone.

The ShoreWare Contact Center options have been expanded to serve midsize contact centers in support of more agents, and it can now service 300 simultaneous agent seats. Additional upgrades include outbound dialing with preview capability; enhanced security with 128 bit encryption; and increased agent and supervisor productivity tools. For smaller contact centers,
automated callbacks were added to improve customer service. Finally, a graphical call flow builder enhances administrator control.

The two new switch additions are offered to increase flexibility in the overall ShoreTel solution. The ShoreGear 24A includes 24 analog ports, while the ShoreGear 30 features 30 VoIP ports and is designed for branch offices.

Our observation: It looks like the team at ShoreTel has been pretty busy for the last several months. Now we wonder how they will spend their summer vacation.

Steve Taylor is president of Distributed Networking Associates and publisher/editor-in-chief of Webtorials. Larry Hettick is a principal analyst at Current Analysis.