Covad Certifies Cisco Unified Communications 500 Series for New Integrated Access Service
San Jose, Calif., - March 17, 2009 - Covad Communications Company, a leading national provider of voice and data communications, today announced it has certified Cisco® Unified Communications 500 Series for Small Business for its new Covad Integrated Access service.
"Covad and Cisco have a longstanding relationship working together to meet the voice and Internet needs of small business customers," said Jake Heinz, vice president and general manager, Covad VoIP. "Covad has certified the Cisco Unified Communications 500 Series for Small Business after thorough testing and has found it to work well with our new Covad Integrated Access service."
Covad Integrated Access service is an affordable, all-in-one phone and Internet service that allows businesses with up to 35 employees per location to simplify their operations with a combined phone and Internet service with one bill from a single vendor with one contact for support.
Cisco Unified Communications 500 Series for Small Business combines voice, data, video, security, and more into one easy-to-manage solution. Small business users get an advanced communication system that expands as their business grows and changes, with minimal capital expense. Features include:
- Eight or more IP phone station support
- Four trunks
- Optional T1/E1 voice interface (PRI and CAS)
- Integrated voicemail
- Automated attendant
- Basic call center capability
- Music on hold
- Optional wireless access
- System management
In addition to those great features, a robust set of unified communications functionality, automated attendant and integrated voicemail are included and enabled via the Cisco Unified Communications 500 platform.
"Small businesses looking to simplify and better manage their unified communications will know that Covad is working with Cisco's industry-leading equipment to deliver a fully-managed Internet and voice solution," said Mark Monday, vice president, Small Business Solutions Business Unit, Cisco. "We welcome the opportunity to help Covad business customers lower costs and increase productivity by using managed services based on Cisco solutions."
Covad Integrated Access service is delivered over a powerful voice-optimized T1 line and works with customers' existing phone systems so businesses can leverage their equipment investment while saving money and simplifying operations. Covad Integrated Access now also utilizes SIP trunking and supports a wide range of IP, digital and analog PBXs.
Covad, a member of the Cisco Powered Program, recently launched Integrated Access service into its indirect sales channel with an innovative online quote and order system that streamlines the pre-qualification and speeds the sales process.
"It is a tremendous help to partners that Covad has put the quoting and ordering tool directly in our hands," said Omar J. Qawiyy, Communications Consultant, Mid Atlantic Data Systems, Inc. "Covad has also found the right scale for small businesses by allowing customers to start with just four phone lines and add new lines one by one."
Integrated Access service uses Covad's voice-optimized technology to dynamically allocate bandwidth for voice and data. By always prioritizing voice traffic and automatically allocating all remaining bandwidth to data traffic, it provides maximum call quality and data throughput.
About Covad
Covad is a leading national provider of integrated voice and data communications. The company offers DSL, T1, broadband wireless, and voice-optimized access directly through Covad's network and through Internet Service Providers, value- added resellers, telecommunications carriers and affinity groups in the small and medium-sized businesses market. Many of the nation's top carriers, Internet service providers, and resellers rely on Covad to power their high-speed broadband solutions. Partners benefit from Covad's streamlined provisioning and ordering systems, scalable, cost-efficient support infrastructure, and the only facilities-based, next-generation wireline and fixed wireless broadband network. Covad broadband services are currently available across the nation in 44 states and 235 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and can be purchased by more than 58 million homes and businesses. Covad is located at 2220 O'Toole Avenue, San Jose, CA 95131. Telephone: 1-888-GO-COVAD. Website: www.covad.com.