8x8 2001 Annual Report Download - page 12

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The Centile Communications Center software with Call Announcer is designed for the end users of the iPBX. It provides Caller ID, call
transfers, conference call setup, on-screen directories, contact management, and call logging. It also lets users set up and control their
voicemail, set forwarding numbers and filters, and set up personal speed dial numbers.
The Centile Switchboard software (Switchboard) is the attendant interface for the iPBX. Switchboard runs on a personal computer or
workstation to allow attendants to route incoming calls to an enterprise with a point-and-click interface. Switchboard provides caller ID for
multiple incoming calls, extension status, two-click call transfers, corporate voice mailbox management, and multi-attendant support. Its
graphical interface minimizes training and improves attendant productivity.
With the iPBX, customers control their own moves, adds, and changes using the Centile Administrator (Administrator). To add additional
lines, the customer simply connects an additional media hub to the IP network. The Centile Auto Discovery mechanism automatically
configures the media hub. The customer then uses Administrator to assign extension numbers, associate user names, and create a voicemail
account for each line. Administrator also allows the customer to define hunt groups, set user permissions, define phone button functions, and
set voicemail parameters, all with a point-and-click interface.
NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTER (NOC)
-- Centile maintains a 24x7 Network Operations Center (NOC) staffed by personnel trained in
the use of monitoring, debugging, and deploying software associated with the hosted iPBX business communication service. The NOC
monitors customer deployments, responds to service and add/move/change requests, and assists customers with any reported service problems.
The NOC personnel training and operating procedures are documented and packaged in a form which allows Centile to provide service
providers with the capability to create and deploy their own NOC facilities.
SERVICE CREATION SOFTWARE
Technology and Products
SERVICE CREATION ENVIRONMENT -- The Company is developing a set of software applications that enable telecommunication
equipment providers to specify, create, and deploy next-
generation VoIP services. Historically, telecommunication equipment providers offered
their customers fixed menus of services and applications that could be run in conjunction with the telecommunication network. The providers
offered rigid sets of available applications that were slow to change and were not customizable to meet the needs of different customers.
With the convergence of voice and data networks, telecommunication providers now have the building blocks to build rich sets of custom-
tailored voice and data services. Based upon technology acquired from UCForce in June 2000, the Company has been developing a software
tool that is designed to enable these new services and applications to be quickly created, customized, modified, deployed, and delivered while
maintaining the robust service delivery paradigm of the legacy switched network. This tool provides users with an easy to use graphical user
environment for creating a specification of the logical flow for a range of telecommunication service applications, such as voicemail, unified
messaging, automated call centers, and other call processing applications. The critical requirements of this tool are: to de-couple service
(even by the end-user of the service, in some instances); and to provide robust service delivery.
The Company's product offering, which bundles this tool and other related software development applications, is called the Service Creation
Environment (SCE). The core software components of the SCE are written in Java. Java provides a number of important advantages over older
computer languages, such as C and C++. For example, all Java programs run in a Java VM, which translates Java code to a specific operating
environment, such as Windows or Sun Solaris. This allows the SCE to be easily run on a number of different hardware platforms, including
Windows-based machines, Solaris platforms, and Linux machines. The Java VM also provides memory management that eliminates frequent
sources of problems in other
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