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8x8 Enhances Unified Cloud Communications Offering With New Calling, Chat and Web Conferencing Features
[March 26, 2012]

8x8 Enhances Unified Cloud Communications Offering With New Calling, Chat and Web Conferencing Features


(GlobeNewswire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) ORLANDO, Fla., March 26, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 8x8, Inc. (Nasdaq:EGHT), provider of innovative business communications and cloud computing solutions, today announced the addition of numerous feature enhancements to its Virtual Office cloud PBX business phone service and integrated Virtual Office Pro unified communications solution, to be unveiled at the Enterprise Connect 2012 conference, March 26 – 29 in Orlando, Florida.



With the 8x8 Virtual Office unified cloud communications solution, businesses can access their core communications services from any location using an IP phone, PC and web browser or smart phone. The latest feature enhancements provide businesses with additional call handling capabilities and more intuitive web-based options, making day-to-day business communications simpler and more productive. They include: 4-Line Appearance Service – Virtual Office users now have the option to upgrade their Polycom IP phone to handle 4 calls simultaneously by using all 4 line keys to receive and transfer calls, place callers on hold, etc.- a great feature for receptionists or group administrators juggling many calls.

  Streamlined Dialing – Phone numbers stored in a user's Virtual Office Online contact list can be pre-configured to automatically navigate an auto attendant or retrieve voicemail by including pauses, # and * symbols in the contact numbers.


  Call Handling – Call forwarding rules can now be assigned on a group basis, rather than individually, to select many numbers such as those with a specific area code.

  Online Chat – Chat session windows can be pulled out of the Virtual Office Online browser and placed onto the user's desktop in a freestanding, resizable browser window for more efficient handling and usage. Users have the option to automatically bring a chat window to the front whenever an incoming message is received.

  Presence Management – Users have an option to sort personal and corporate directory contacts by presence to readily identify who's available and who's not.

  Web Conferencing – Virtual Meeting users can now instantly schedule a web conference by typing a simple sentence such as "Sales Recap every Wed at 11am."   Whiteboard – A new whiteboard feature allows Virtual Meeting and Virtual Room video conferencing users to enhance collaboration with a blank page and a palette of drawing tools.

  Content Sharing Annotation – Virtual Meeting and Virtual Room users can highlight, draw and make notes on content being shared to visually enhance a presentation. Users can save the annotated screen as a PNG file.

  Chat Initiated Web Conference – Users can now quickly initiate a Virtual Meeting web conference from within a chat window by simply clicking "Start Meeting."   Video Conferencing – Users can pop out the video panel of a Virtual Meeting or Virtual Room to expand the content sharing area. Users can now rearrange video and content sharing panels to be side-by-side or stacked for better visibility.

"We are very pleased to roll out these new productivity enhancing features to our cloud communications platform," said Debbie Jo Severin, 8x8 chief marketing officer. "Many of these upgrades were driven by the valuable input we receive from our customers who are rapidly becoming proficient, web-based communications users. It's great to see the adoption of these technologies grow and the subsequent benefits they are delivering to our business customers. We look forward to maintaining an open dialogue with our customers so that we can continue to offer the most innovative and powerful cloud communications solutions on the market." 8x8's Virtual Office Pro unified cloud communications solution offers enterprise class phone service with unlimited calling and a wide array of PBX calling features plus unlimited web conferencing with video, call recording and archiving, chat, Internet fax, presence and voicemail management and a Virtual Office mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android devices for less than $50 per user.

For additional information on 8x8's latest unified communications enhancements, go to http://www.8x8.com/CommunicationsSolutions/ByProduct/VirtualOffice/whatsnew.aspx. For information on all 8x8 cloud communications solutions, go to http://www.8x8.com/CommunicationsSolutions/ByProduct/VirtualOfficePro.aspx.

About 8x8, Inc.

8x8, Inc. (Nasdaq:EGHT) is a leading provider of cloud communications and computing solutions. With a portfolio of SaaS and IaaS solutions encompassing hosted communications services, contact center, unified communications, video web conferencing, managed dedicated hosting, virtual private servers and more, 8x8 is uniquely positioned as a business' one-stop shop for everything cloud. 8x8 has been delivering cloud services since 2002 and has garnered a reputation for technological excellence and outstanding reliability, backed by a commitment to exceptional customer support. 8x8 customers include small to medium sized businesses, distributed enterprise organizations and government agencies. For additional information, visit www.8x8.com, or connect with 8x8 on Facebook and Twitter.

CONTACT: Joan Citelli 8x8, Inc.

(408) 654-0970 [email protected] Source: 8x8, Inc.

2012 GlobeNewswire, Inc.

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