Sonexis' Appliance Transforms Audio, Web Conferencing

infrastructure Web conferencing

CRN Test Center engineers were impressed with the appliance, which hits on three important aspects of product practicality: ease of use, value and security.

While there are other audio and Web conferencing offerings available, the majority of these are on the service provider side. Businesses that deploy the Sonexis unit will only be charged a onetime up-front cost to procure the asset. It will help companies save on long-distance fees, totally eliminating the need for people within the same organization to reach out through a long-distance carrier.

ConferenceManager is a 2U rack-mountable appliance that runs on Windows 2000 Server.

The product is license-configurable, and all features of ConferenceManager are pre-installed. Anything that needs to be changed is done through license keys, and there is no additional implementation required or charges assessed ever. If a company chooses to switch from PSTN to VoIP infrastructure, all it needs to do is reach out to the solution provider, which then will generate a license key through Sonexis.

The unit can be installed in a variety of different ways. At the highest level, integrators can install it in a traditional phone network (PSTN). That installation is slightly more advanced compared with VoIP installation, the preferred method the Test Center used to evaluate the appliance. Installation consisted of simply plugging in the system, configuring network options such as assigning an IP address through the console, and plugging in the Ethernet cable.

From a technical standpoint, installation took about 30 minutes. From an operational standpoint, however, sophistication with communications equipment is required.

The company gets a high rating when it comes to integration with other hardware solutions and with existing applications such as Outlook, Lotus and Exchange.

From one single control console, administrators can see which users are on the audio side and which are on the Web side. Administrators can pass control to another user and can share their desktop. This allows for complete application collaboration and brainstorming.

Statistical reporting is another advantage that the Sonexis service has to offer. It allows administrators to determine who is using the service, how frequently it is being used and whether there are employees using it in instances where they shouldn't be.

The audio console provides realtime notification of who is talking during a conference call. The console lists all participants. Using voice-recognition technology, the software is about to identify a particular voice and then highlight in green the name of the person speaking. There are recording options available as well.

On the security side of things, bringing a solution like this in-house allows businesses to conform it to their security policies. All hosting and data transfers, for example, are under the in-house administrator's control. The administrator can determine how people behind the firewall can interact with it as well.

The company offers partners a channel program called Sonexis Top Achieving Reseller (STAR), which is divided into three levels; Member, Advanced and Premier. Margins range from 33 percent to 42 percent for all levels, with lower margins going to the lower tier. All levels receive 24x7 technical support.

Member partners are the entry level and are required to sign a reseller agreement. The second partner level, Advanced, requires a yearly minimum sale of four units or $75,000, quarterly forecast reviews, participation in Web site listings, biannual product and sales training, and participation in national sales meetings. They also must sign a reseller agreement.

The top tier of Sonexis' channel program is the Premier level. Premier partners are required to have a yearly sale of a minimum of eight units or $150,000. They also must participate in bi-annual account planning. Premier partners can garner revenue in the form of yearly rebates totaling as much as 9 percent of yearly sales totals and have access to MDF in the form of 1 percent of yearly sales.