Fonality has announced its very own ecosystem program, the Fonality Authorized Certified Ecosystem (FACE). (Why do I hear Billy Idol singing "Eyes without a Face" now? There's also some John Woo "FACEoff" action here, I'm sure of it).
FACE will certify third-party products for trixbox CE, trixbox Pro and PBXtra; certification validates interoperability with Fonality products and identifies the best components for use. First FACE partners include IP phone manufacturers Aastra and Polycom (no surprise), service provider Bandwidth.com, and hardware partner Sangoma (also not a surprise).
CEO Chris Lyman says the program is necessary to clear up the confusion in the open market, between "questionable" hardware and non-compliant providers. FACE should remove any worries about compliance, making everyone from customers to resellers to Fonality's tech support crew happier.
Fonality's arch-rival Digium relaunched their ecosystem program in October 2007, including offerings for software solutions, training and service provider partners, as well as straightforward compatibility. Are "FACEcon" and "Fonality world" on deck for later announcements this year?
For more:
- FACE Fonality release [1]
Related article:
Fonality rides decentralization [2]
Links:
[1] http://www.fiercewireless.com/press-releases/fonality-announces-fonality-authorized-certified-ecosystem-face
[2] http://www.fiercevoip.com/story/feature-fonality-rides-decentralization/2008-02-28