FierceVoIP Leaders- Michael Tessler, CEO Broadsoft
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pAs Broadsoft celebrates its tenth anniversary this week. FierceVoIP talked with Michael Tessler, CEO of Broadsoft, about Broadsoft’s plans for 2009 and his vision for the space,/p
pstrongFierceVoIP:/strong What are some of the benefits of integrating the Broadsoft Anywhere platform?strongnbsp;/strong/p
pstrongTessler: /strongIt allows business people much greater flexibility and reachability. I can walk into my office and switch seamlessly from my mobile device to my handset and vice versa. There is no special software or handset capability to enable, because the function is baked right into the network. It’s not so much a handover, but a seamless bridging, so people on different devices can be connected and are compatible with the system.nbsp;/p
pstrongFierceVoIP: /strongWhat sets Broadsoft’s offering apart from other players in the space?strongnbsp;/strong/p
pstrongTessler: /strongOther companies are offering dual-mode solutions or solutions that are really complex, which you would need considerable IT support behind. Our solution is very simple, yet very effective, and I think it can be deployed more easily than our competitor’s solutions. All a customer has to do is configure a phone number, and handover is enabled, regardless of the customer’s mobile device.strongnbsp;/strong/p
pstrongFierceVoIP: /strongAre there other qualities that separate Broadsoft in its specific competitive arena?strongnbsp;/strong/p
pstrongTessler: /strongI think our range of options and offerings for customers, including media servers, conferencing and unified messaging, makes us an attractive option for their hosted services, because our solutions can be scaled easily and are reliable, in addition to being easy to implement. We also are fast to market with our products and outpace our competitors in innovation. This lets the end-user integrate voice and IP and collaboration services that they can use to run their businesses better.nbsp;/p
pstrongFierceVoIP: /strongBroadsoft recently announced some layoffs, what was the reason behind those?strongnbsp;/strong/p
pstrongTessler: /strongWe’re trying to be proactive about finding the right size for the company in the present marketplace. It was a fairly small reduction in staff, although it’s never a small issue for someone getting let go, but we knew we were entering a very uncertain marketplace, and we wanted to make sure we were well-positioned for success going into 2009. We wanted to ensure we had the right people in the right places, and we realized some regions we could pull back on and still give quality service.br /strongbr /FierceVoIP:/strong What are some of Broadsoft’s plans and goals for 2009?strongnbsp;/strong/p
pstrongTessler: /strongWe’ll look for continued transformation of carrier markets, further adoption of standards like SIP, and fully hosted affairs with IP-trunking and SIP-trunking. Some of our carrier customers came back after we entered the early market, and told us they wanted more interoperability and they wanted it baked in. We’ve had a chance to work on that, and I think, beyond interoperability, we’ve had our involvement with the SIP Forum, not just on the interoperability level, but on installation, troubleshooting and maintenance. That’s part of a big program for use that will continue for some time./p
pstrongFierceVoIP:/strong What do you think the next year to two years hold for the space?strongnbsp;/strong/p
pstrongTessler: /strongI think you’ll continue to see migration of networks from TDM to IP, and I think it’s passed its tipping point in that regard for several reasons. The cost savings both in cap ex and op ex are very attractive and will convert people in tough economic times, carriers will continue to make investments as they compete and out-innovate each other./p
pnbsp;strongFierceVoIP:/strong How has the economic downturn affected Broadsoft?strongnbsp;/strong/p
pstrongTessler: /strongWe remain cautiously optimistic about the outlook, because SaaS is an attractive option when you are trying to cut costs and get leaner as a company. We saw some pullback in September and into October, but we’re back on track in Q4. We’re seeing a shift to where carriers buy on a just-in-need basis, and reduce license float, but that’s always been our model, so we’re not overly concerned. We have more than 400 customers that range in size in 61 different countries. We also think our diversity in customer base, from small carriers to Verizon-like incumbents, is helpful.nbsp;/p
pstrongFierceVoIP: /strongDo you see any current Mamp;A opportunities for Broadsoft?strongnbsp;/strong/p
pstrongTessler: /strongWe always carefully consider opportunities for consolidation, but we want to stay in the applications layer and have been very clear that we won’t go beneath that in the stack. Of course, in this climate, something may present itself as a must-take opportunity./p
