In the quest to integrate web services with hosted VoIP, Sylantro Systems today announced Synapps Server, a web services API platform that dramatically reduces time-to-market for carriers to create and deliver value added services. The goal is to take call processing and exposing this to the application layer.

 

More broadly, the point of this new entry is to allow voice to become a key part of the collaborative mix. Since the advent of IP telephony, voice, video and fax have learned to travel over internet protocol networks. It is only natural that the evolution of voice and the internet is to merge the two platforms via a web-based programming framework allowing voice to continue its integration with internet-based technologies with a focus on Web 2.0.

 

What services may we see as a result of Synapps Server? Telephony integration into SaaS CRM implementations (SalesForce.com are you listening?) and voice-enabled desktop plug-ins for hosted collaboration services. In addition, hosted applications can now take advantage of corporate phone directories, and location based services.

 

Sylantro’s goal in this announcement is to tell carriers, it is time to take voice to the next level. “Let’s bring voice to the world of Web 2.0,” seems to be the mantra Sylantro CEO Marco Limena is espousing. Some may even call this VoIP 2.0.

 

Is this a good idea? Yes. In my opinion it is intelligent to bring IT-based frameworks to the world of voice, allowing carriers to quickly develop applications taking advantage of concepts like social media and user generated content. Allowing voice to join the Web 2.0 party is exactly what service providers need to be doing.

 

Service providers have communities and know a great deal about their customers. The missing piece in their future profit generating equation is how providers can take advantage of things like social networking and AJAX-based applications. While I am not saying Synapse is a panacea that will instantaneously transform service providers into web 2.0 companies, I am happy to see a traditional telecom enabler such a Sylantro Systems helping carriers experiment with state of the art development opportunities.