* CommuniGate Pronto features Adobe Flash and Adobe Flex 2
Last month, CommuniGate Systems announced a unified communications interface for its Pronto platform that is based on Adobe Flash and Adobe Flex 2 technology. The interface can be as a PC portal or a mobile device interface to provide access to instant messaging, e-mail, presence, and other multimedia applications, including music and video. The system is designed to support both business and consumer applications, and it can be accessed from any Web browser without the need to install client software.
Last month, CommuniGate Systems announced a unified communications interface for its Pronto platform that is based on Adobe Flash and Adobe Flex 2 technology. The interface can be as a PC portal or a mobile device interface to provide access to instant messaging, e-mail, presence, and other multimedia applications, including music and video. The system is designed to support both business and consumer applications, and it can be accessed from any Web browser without the need to install client software.
In a prepared statement, Jeff Whatcott, vice president of product marketing of Adobe’s eEnterprise and developer business unit, said: “Using Adobe’s latest rich Internet application technology, CommuniGate Systems has been able to take business and personal communications to a whole new level – delivering design-friendly, rich functionality with the flexibility of a Web 2.0 application.” Using Flash and Flex technology alleviates the need to install additional software on the PC or on most mobile handsets.
Following the announcement, we caught up with Jon Doyle, vice president of business development at CommuniGate, to discuss how organizations can use a GUI to improve employee productivity. He said that the converged GUI is moving beyond unified communications toward what he called “unification” — bringing together a flexible desktop interface that includes more that just standard unified communications applications like unified messaging and presence management. He cited one example of a law firm that uses “unification” to automate client billing based on attorney’s outbound call records with a real-time link to the firm’s billing system. In another example, he cited a doctor’s office that links online appointment scheduler with the IP PBX and IVR so the next day’s patients get an automated reminder call about their upcoming appointment.
The key to success for converged applications, according to Doyle is to make the application easy to deploy for companies that may have IT development resource constraints, make it easy to use for employees, and make it easy to install on the desktop. According to Doyle, ‘small businesses struggle with how IP telephony can help them beyond making cheaper calls. That’s why [easily deployed] custom applications for their individual business process is so important.”
