Workplace-as-a-Service ties together telecom needs, including rivals
Sprint ratcheted up its efforts in the enterprise space with the launch of its Workplace-as-a-Service offering, which bundles a package of telecom services into a platform managed by the carrier.
Sprint said the managed offering is part of its OfficeFuel program and includes wireless and wired components, and site-by-site integration and implementation, along with service-level agreements and a single source for support. The offering includes wide area network connectivity; “enterprise-grade” managed Wi-Fi and voice services; local and domestic long-distance voice; audio and video conferencing; online collaboration; instant messaging and presence; mobile device management across all carriers and “bring-your-own-device” support for laptops, tablets and smartphones; and options to integrate Sprint’s wireless plans and devices.
Sprint said the service benefits enterprises by cutting down on upfront capital expenditures for hardware or software and by allowing internal IT departments to focus on revenue-generating projects. The offering targets enterprises with between 100 and 10,000 employees across multiple sites housing between 20 and 200 workers per site.
The offering’s support for competitor services could be a significant selling point for the platform as Sprint over the past several years has seen its influence in the enterprise space dip along with its consumer-facing services. Sprint at one point had a significant presence following its $35 billion acquisition of Nextel Communications in 2005, but saw that foothold retreat along with the carrier’s integration efforts.
Sprint has recently looked to bolster its enterprise focus, announcing plans last year to bundle Google’s Apps for Business platform into its business channels, and expanding the availability of its consumer-facing rate plans to multiline enterprises.
Sprint’s enterprise announcements comes ahead of an expected announcement from rival T-Mobile US about a new enterprise initiative under its “Un-carrier” marketing strategy.
Bored? Why not follow me on Twitter
