Mashups featuring BroadWorks VoIP address disaster recovery, business issues
GAITHERSBURG, Md., Sept. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- BroadSoft, Inc., the leading provider of VoIP application software, today announced the winners of its BroadSoft(R) Xtended Voice Mashup Contest. Winning entries include applications for disaster dispatching, accounts receivable and an Adobe(R) Air development mashup.
The Xtended Voice Mashup Contest challenged Web 2.0 and telecom developers to combine BroadWorks(R) VoIP features with other Web-based services including customer relationship management tools, business collaboration and social networking sites. Telephony applications such as SMS, voicemail, fax and mobile clients also qualified for submission.
"The ability to create mashups of Web services with voice features allows developers to quickly and easily create applications that positively impact public safety, business processes and other communication functions in ways that have not yet been possible," said Michael Tessler, BroadSoft's CEO and president. "Voice and Web 2.0 communication mashups are enabling innovation across all industries, allowing them to operate more efficiently."
The winners are:
First place: Disaster Dispatcher
Created by Hyannis, Mass.-based Thomas Howe, the Disaster Dispatcher is a voice mashup that integrates Twitter, BroadWorks and RSS feeds to provide a one-window communications tool for emergency operators. By keeping all data in one window, emergency personnel can analyze the collection of information after the emergency to optimize response procedures.
"Disaster Dispatcher is a true mashup that integrates multiple services, a real use case, is Web-based and thus widely accessible," said John Musser, founder and blogger of Programmable Web, a site that covers mashups, Web 2.0 APIs and the Web as a platform. "Twitter notification and RSS integration are creative applications."
The first place winner receives $5,000 in cash and a trip to BroadSoft Connections 2008 with a free Solutions ShowCase booth. The package is valued at $15,500.
Second place: Project ARCTIC
Created by WorldXchange, a telecommunications carrier in New Zealand, Project ARCTIC improves the accounts receivable process within organizations. It leverages low cost methods to notify customers of past due accounts and ensures greater probability by providing reminders so bills are paid on time.
"ARCTIC is a well-conceived integration, surprisingly with a focus on the back-end side of the equation," said Rich Karpinksi, reporter at Telephony Magazine and blog content provider for Telephony 2.0, covering news, technologies and business strategies of telecom providers. "The low-touch and low-cost automated feature makes it a nice customer service application."
The second place winner receives $2,000 in cash and a trip to BroadSoft Connections with a complimentary pass. The package is valued at $5,500.
Third place: QuickSet
Developed by Las Vegas-based Joseph Farrar, QuickSet provides Windows and MAC operating system users with access to their BroadWorks services via a simple desktop interface. The interface is powered by the Adobe AIR platform which provides the ability to run Flash applications on the desktop.
The third place winner receives $1,000 in cash and a complimentary pass to BroadSoft Connections 2008. The package is valued at $3,500.
The winners were chosen from a finalist pool of six that were announced Sept. 10. The applications where judged based on their innovation, usability, benefit to end-users and their level of mash-up sophistication.
"We were pleased to be involved in the application judging process to provide feedback on what users want and can use," said Dave Gilbert, contest judge and CEO of SimpleSignal, a BroadSoft-powered network. "Our customers are increasingly looking for products to make them more agile, and the winning products do so."
The applications will be made available for download on the BroadSoft Xtended Marketplace, which was launched in March 2008. There are more than 1,000 registered users of BroadSoft Xtended.
About the BroadWorks Platform
BroadSoft's IMS-compliant BroadWorks(R) platform provides a comprehensive range of VoIP applications, including Hosted Unified Communications, Mobile PBX, Business Trunking and residential broadband services fully integrated into a single VoIP application platform. BroadWorks is capable of providing these applications with the reliability, redundancy, scalability and regulatory capabilities required to deliver carrier-class service.
About BroadSoft
BroadSoft(R) provides VoIP application software that enables the delivery of hosted telephony and multimedia services. Its award-winning flagship BroadWorks technology empowers wireless, wireline and cable carriers to deliver next-generation voice and multimedia applications and advanced features that enable them to increase revenue, enhance competitive differentiation and elevate customer satisfaction. BroadSoft's family of carrier-class software products delivers the scale, open architecture and reliability that the world's leading telecommunications companies demand to serve mission-critical enterprise and residential broadband customers. BroadSoft provides VoIP applications to seven of the top 10 and 13 of the top 25 largest carriers worldwide, as measured by recent annual revenue, including Korea Telecom, KPN, SingTel, Sprint, Telefonica de Espana, Telstra, T-Systems, and Verizon. For additional information, go to www.BroadSoft.com .
SOURCE BroadSoft, Inc.
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