PanTerra Networks to Reveal SmartBox Cloud File-Sharing Service

PanTerra Networks Inc. announced SmartBox a file-sharing service with built-in unified communications.

It consolidates multiple cloud services into one, allowing mid-market enterprise customers to share, sync and store files while communicating and collaborating with users anywhere. The integrated service delivers reliability and QoS, as well as security features to ensure employees are always protected whether in the office, at home or on their mobile devices. By consolidating multiple services into one, mid-market organizations can realize TCO savings of up to 70% over multiple separate solutions.

“Mobility has impacted the data center in numerous ways, and one of the biggest areas of impact has been the exponential increase in the number of tools and applications IT has to manage and secure. Collapsing core collaboration platforms, like file sharing and communications, into one application makes sense,” said Terri McClure, senior analyst, ESG. “I’ve been waiting for a vendor to converge file store, sync and share capabilities with unified communications. Employees have a single platform, and IT now only has to administer one platform that handles person-to-person collaboration from file sharing to IM, email and VoIP.“

Separating itself from the multitude of other file-sharing services, it integrates real-time communication and collaboration capabilities once information has been shared. By adding unified communications to store, sync and share functionality, it gives enterprises a competitive edge that increases productivity, reduces ‘sales friction’ and contributes to top-line revenue. Once content is shared with a user or group, it automatically shows each individual’s real-time presence and notifies you when a user downloads the file. You can then call, IM, email, deskshare or conduct a web or video conference meeting with anyone in the world, all within the same application.

This improves upon the store, share and sync features that have been available as separate offerings for several years by providing service attributes. Deploying end-to-end management of its cloud services, last-mile bandwidth and associated networking equipment, It delivers service attributes exceeding industry averages in availability, reliability, security, scalability, QoS, SLA and support. This ensures optimal performance while guaranteeing IT peace of mind. Sub-folder sharing and flexible share privileges make it possible to organize and share any document the way you want and with exactly who needs it. With data being shared and synced automatically across an organization, sharing and collaborating is quick. With SmartBox, team members can use the online workspace to monitor, view and modify content from anywhere on any device – all in real time.

“The combination of sharing and cloud storage services with collaboration and real-time unified communications has significantly streamlined our business and reduced our administration and infrastructure costs,” said Russ Withers, managing director, GJ Tunes. “Having a single service and cloud access from anywhere saves human hours on administrative functions and troubleshooting issues with noticeable productivity gains for staff and users across the company.“

The file sharing and built-in collaboration and communication services provides TCO savings. Each independent cloud service requires users to pay a minimum monthly fee to offset the provider’s overhead costs. Because it combines multiple services into one solution, this could save a mid-market enterprise with 1,000 users between $65,000 and $100,000 per year.

“There has been little innovation in the file-sharing and unified communications spaces in recent years,” said Arthur Chang, CEO, PanTerra. “Collaboration happens on multiple levels, and while new store, sync and share technologies have added some enhancement features, there’s still a huge gap in the market to create IT solutions that impact the top line and truly give businesses a competitive edge. With SmartBox, we’ve combined the best of both the cloud file sharing and unified communications worlds to create a truly powerful, game-changing solution for mid-market enterprises.“

The solution integrates PanTerra Network’s Admin 5.0 administration portal, which is designed to enhance security and reduce the need to implement and manage third-party security applications.

Management tools provide:

• Authentication of all devices accessing SmartBox, which enhances security and eliminates the need for mid-market enterprises to purchase, implement and manage separate or multiple security applications.

• Remote management and control of all access devices, should a device be lost or stolen.

• The ability to define any user or users within an account to be an administrator and define multiple administrator levels and group administration capabilities.

• Feature-management capabilities, allowing administrators to restrict features on a per-user basis.

SmartBox is available through PanTerra Networks directly or a participating PanTerra partner.

Pricing starts at $15/month for new SmartBox users – existing WorldSmart customers can upgrade for $5 per month – with pooled cloud storage costs of $10 per 100GB per month.