It's a double-edged sword: M6 has features that BroadWorks does not and vice versa. The M6 groups knows that there will be no more development (or features) for the M6 platform. They also know that eventually they have to migrate to the BroadWorks platform. (The same way the Sylantro folks had to).
I did get to sit down with one M6 company, Callis Communications out of Mobile, AL. Dean Parker, the CEO and President, was nice enough to answer a few quick questions.
1) How do you think Broadsoft will end up supporting existing M6 customers?
Broadsoft has had a consistent message over the last year that they will support the M6 indefinitely at this point. I believe they will continue to do this, and provide us move benefits to eventuality cap our M6's as we continue to grow and add new customers to a Broadworks platform that meets our needs for greater scalability.
2) Will there be an attempt to make the transition to the new platform less painless?
We are not forcing our customers to make a transition to Broadworks. We will leave all current customers in place on M6 and add new customers to Broadworks in the future when we make the transition. We will only move existing customers when a transition adds value to the customers communication needs.
3) There is talk of existing M6 users just waiting until the phones die and then transitioning to Broadsoft’s platform. Is there any truth to this claim?
Yes, this is a great option that reduces overhead costs associated with a transition.
Thanks, Dean!
Now that Broadsoft is public, the bright lights are on the revenue. That means increasing the licensing revenue from all the platforms as well as create new streams of monthly recurring (hello BroadCloud).
At ITEXPO, service providers were voicing concerns about the licensing fees and the annual maintenance fees. That continued in Phoenix.
