Broadview's Network Performance Tool Helps Partners Determine VoIP 'Readiness'

Cloud-based communications provider Broadview Networks released a new tool that will help its partners confirm network readiness or sniff out any potential issues that could impact a VoIP rollout.

The tool, OfficeSuite Readiness, can help partners confirm that a customer site is ready for Broadview's OfficeSuite solution, a hosted VoIP offering. The tool will arm partners with the network information they need to ensure moving their clients' communications to the cloud will be a success, rather than just going into a deployment blind, said Stephen Farkouh, executive vice president at Rye Brook, N.Y.-based Broadview.

Prime Telecommunications, a solution provider and Broadview partner, has had the opportunity to beta test OfficeSuite Readiness since April. The results have been "game-changing," said Prime Telecommunications' founder, Vic Levinson.

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"We are able to give our customers a predictable, expected outcome of the cloud-based voice deployment, and that's been huge," Levinson said.

OfficeSuite Readiness works by measuring a businesses' internal networks and connections to Broadview's OfficeSuite cloud to confirm that VoIP can be supported. The tool simulates voice calls and takes voice quality measurements over a seven-day period, evaluating both peak and nonpeak utilization, Farkouh said.

The tool provides partners with a summary of information, including any poor internet connections, latency, jitter, incorrectly configured routers, or internal networks that may have a flawed design.

"The tool lets partners work with their customers or prospects to get them over any uncertainty there may be, and whether or not they can move their premise-based communications to the cloud," Farkouh said.

Many similar network readiness tools on the market today test and evaluate bandwidth via one test completed during a single moment in time, rather than during different times of the day over the course of a week, Farkouh said.

"We believe we've cracked the code on what it takes to do VoIP testing right … because we perform hundreds of tests over a multiday period," he said. "The Readiness tool can tell customers what they can expect to see in the way of voice quality, and even what can be done to make it better, and that's key."

Prime Telecommunications used to primarily resell phone equipment until it began partnering with Broadview. Now, the solution provider has seen a spike in UCaaS sales since it added Broadview's OfficeSuite UC offering to its portfolio.

Part of the reason the Skokie, Ill.-based solution provider attributes to its success in selling OfficeSuite products is because of the OfficeSuite Readiness tool, Levinson said.

"We needed a way to assess a customer's network that was better than a snapshot," he said. "This tool provides us with visibility into the customer's network, over time, in 15-minute intervals so we can measure the factors that could impact the quality of the voice experience -- it's one-of-a-kind."

In addition to its presale use case, the OfficeSuite Readiness tool can also be used post-sale. Partners can use the tool to manage their clients' network after deployment, and also plan for growth, Farkouh said.

"As businesses grow, so does the demand on the network," he said. "The tool is there for the life of the account and makes sure the network is prepared."

The OfficeSuite Readiness Tool is now available to partners selling Broadview's OfficeSuite UC services.