A Tampa technology startup with a focus on cloud-based device management is partnering with CallTower to allow the provider to use its automation platform.
The service is designed to streamline operations, reduce the complexity of multivendor environments and provide security measures while lowering costs, according to a statement.
Phonism CEO Greg DiFraia said the original connection stemmed from both companies’ joint alignment with Cisco and Zoom — the startup’s two major tech alliance partners — and the integration that Phonism and CallTower built into those platforms.
“They’re a worldwide organization [with] expertise in the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific, and they’re a major service provider in our market, so they bring together a lot of expertise in unified communications,” DiFraia said.
No financial details were disclosed.
DiFraia said Phonism solves a strategic need for Utah-based CallTower.
“Our automation really simplifies their operating model to help them scale at a lower cost with higher quality,” DiFraia said. “We also allow them to support many more devices.”
Phonism launched in 2017 and is a member of Embarc Collective and a former member of the Tampa Bay Wave. DiFraia said as the unified communications market continues to evolve, so does Phonism.
“We’re seeing a shift from on-premise or posted voice into cloud [communications] between now and the end of the decade,” DiFraia said. “By 2030, 75% of the market will be in the cloud.”
Three major cloud players right now are Cisco WebEx, Zoom and Microsoft Teams. While it’s impossible to predict where the market will turn in the future, over 200 million users will be transitioning away from their heritage system over the next five years, according to DiFraia, who began his tenure as CEO at Phonism in June after over a year as CRO and advisory board member.
“This innovative solution significantly enhances our Webex Calling offering, providing our partners and customers with a streamlined, secure and cost-effective way to manage their diverse list of devices such as Avaya, Mitel, Yealink, Poly, Grandstream and other devices on the Webex platform while making the move to the cloud,” CallTower CRO William Rubio said in a statement.
DiFreia said in the new partnership, CallTower will be able to use Phonism’s technology to allow users to come to them, support their existing devices, automate the migration and onboarding and eliminate the cost and complexity of the “traditional manual way.”
“This is really the center of the bull’s-eye for our focus as a company, to enable partners like CallTower to add to their portfolios and service capabilities and provide that experience down to an end user.”
