VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Nov. 22, 2016) - CounterPath Corporation (NASDAQ:CPAH) (TSX:PATH), a global provider of award-winning, over-the-top (OTT) Unified Communications (UC) solutions for enterprises and carriers, today announced the general availability of Bria X, a feature-rich team messaging, presence and screen share service that is accessible across desktop, tablet and smartphone devices, and centrally managed from the cloud. And, just like Bria today, Bria X overlays any hosted or premise-based call server, enabling users to integrate high quality voice and video calling with the hosted services provided by CounterPath.
While Bria X may feel similar to previous offerings from CounterPath, there are some significant differences that make it a more robust and streamlined offering for SMBs and enterprises, namely:
- Web-based Management Tools. Leveraging CounterPath's carrier-grade Stretto Platform™, the Bria X Web Platform removes the burden of needing to manually configure a team's softphone clients to an existing VoIP service. Once set up in the web platform, all endpoints within a subscription receive their configuration from the cloud - end users only need a username and password to start making calls and sending messages.
- Integrated Desktop Screen Share. No longer a standalone service, desktop screen sharing is incorporated into Bria X. Users can invite up to 100 participants per session and no additional downloads or plugins are required for participants to join, just a web browser on the device of their choice.
- Hosted Team Messaging and Presence . With previous Bria and X-Lite softphones, users were required to pair a service for messaging and presence support. With Bria X, team messaging and presence services are included with the subscription.
- Simplified User Experience . Bria X reduces the complexity of team set up. IT administrators can now add multiple users simultaneously by using the "bulk upload" feature. What traditionally would take hours and days to provision global teams, now can be done within minutes from the Bria X Web Platform.
- Subscription Pricing Model . With a new subscription pricing model, CounterPath is able to not only provide services, but include updates and upgrades for active user subscriptions. Previously, perpetual software upgrades, and some updates, had been on a paid add-on basis.
"Delivering unified communications to mobile and desktop users can be a challenge for many businesses, especially small businesses with limited IT resources," said Michael Brandenburg, Industry Analyst of Connected Work, Frost & Sullivan. "The Bria X solution offers a way to easily overcome some of these barriers, while also enabling advanced cloud-based UC services like secure screen sharing, messaging, presence and video."
Bria X is targeted to the millions of Bria and X-Lite users that rely on CounterPath software every day for secure voice calls, and may be looking for options to integrate messaging and screen sharing tools into their UC solution. Powered by the CounterPath Stretto Platform, Bria X is designed to offer customers the flexibility to integrate with a wide range of industry leading call servers such as Avaya, Asterisk, BroadSoft, Cisco, FreeSWITCH, Metaswitch, Panasonic, and more - supporting a better end-to-end experience than what is typically available today.
"Requirements for the UC market for SMBs and enterprises are rapidly changing," said Donovan Jones, President and Chief Executive Officer, CounterPath. "These segments are looking for secure messaging and presence solutions that have broad device coverage with full-feature collaboration tools that works with existing voice deployments. Bria X is exactly this and we went a step further by undercutting the market with a compelling price of $3.00 per month per user."
Key features of Bria X include:
- Access to CounterPath Bria X apps on up to three devices of a user's choice, including Windows and Mac desktop, iPhone and Android smartphone, or iPad and Android tablet.
- Cloud-based management tools and provisioning portal to set up users, including SIP server settings.
- Secure, unlimited team messaging, presence and screen sharing services.
- Compatibility with any existing call server or VoIP service - on premise or hosted.
- Low monthly cost of $3.00 per user when purchased on an annual subscription basis.
"Today is an exciting day for CounterPath. Our teams have been working hard this year to create a customer-driven solution that not only enriches the user experience, but also equips IT administrators with cloud-based management tools to provision thousands of users at once," said Todd Carothers, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, CounterPath. "From a user's perspective, whether you're an IT administrator, a small business owner, or a team within any sized organization, Bria X quickly adds secure messaging, presence, and screen sharing across desktop, tablet and smartphone devices, on top IP voice deployments-on premise or hosted servers."
For more information on Bria X, or to watch a product video, visit www.bria-x.com .
About CounterPath
CounterPath Unified Communications solutions are changing the face of telecommunications. An industry and user favorite, Bria softphones for desktop, tablet and mobile devices, together with Stretto Platform™ server solutions, enable operators, OEMs and enterprises large and small around the globe to offer a seamless and unified over-the-top (OTT) communications experience across both fixed and mobile networks. The Bria and Stretto combination enables an improved user experience as an overlay to the most popular UC and IMS telephony and applications servers on the market today. Standards-based, cost-effective and reliable, CounterPath's award-winning solutions power the voice and video calling, messaging, and presence offerings of customers such as AT&T, Avaya, BroadSoft, BT, Cisco Systems, GENBAND, Metaswitch Networks, Mitel, NEC, Network Norway, Nokia, Rogers and Verizon. Visit www.counterpath.com .
About Bria X
Bria X is a new service offering from CounterPath that provides SMBs and enterprises with an easy and efficient solution for adding secure team messaging, presence and screen sharing services on top of existing hosted or premise-based IP voice services. With apps available for desktop, smartphone and tablet devices, and up to three downloads per subscription, businesses can easily add mobile and BYOD options for their employees and provide them with the flexibility to be reached on the device of their choice in the method that makes the most sense. And with the Bria X Web Platform, IT administrators can set up, provision and manage accounts all from one central, web-based dashboard. For more information, visit www.bria-x.com .
