Hosted VOIP provider M5 Networks announced on Nov. 3 that it has acquired Chicago-based Geckotech for $8 million.The combined companies will handle what company officials describe as the “exploding demand” for business-grade hosted VOIP services.
Dated Nov. 3, 2010
With the poor economic climate and companies slashing IT budgets, demand has grown for hosted VOIP services. Organizations, whether they are large enterprises, midsized or small businesses, looked at hosted telephony to cut costs without giving up critical communications applications.
Geckotech offered customers a Cisco-powered hosted VOIP platform as well as additional services, including phone service installation, system management and in-house customer support. The company offered free maintenance, and unlimited system and feature upgrades.
Geckotech was evaluating ways to overhaul its technology to obtain an enhanced phone experience and robust applications “without the use of licensing arrangements,” said M5 Networks. Geckotech did not specify its reasons for not wanting to license the technology.
Geckotech selected M5 Networks’ Call Conductor platform and rolled it out to some existing customers, M5 Networks said. With the acquisition, the remaining Geckotech customers will be “seamlessly” integrated to M5 Networks’ systems throughout the next year, said M5 Networks.