Just a quick notice that Amazon EC2

I guess you remember that two months ago I told you about a new version of Clean Server. At that time it was planned for release in September. Well, it was almost on schedule, one week later :), so right now you can download it. There are many improvements on this version, starting with the architecture and ending with the product distribution. I suggest you to read this brochure

We recently published the roadmap for VoipNow 2. VoipNow 2 is more than a new version, it’s a major evolution of the product, which differentiates the product from any possible competition. You can read more here.

We added some details on our website about 4Grid

This is an opened question to hosters, don’t hesitate to provide feedback. Over the last year we noticed something very interesting, namely hosters starting to offer VoIP to businesses. Some of our customers started on their own, while others were convinced by my colleagues (in some cases it was pretty hard). Some companies moved slowly, other positioned their products incorrectly, but most were succesful and they are very happy now.

We fell that this process takes more time than it should. Market is moving. Hosting is commodity. On a long run Google with “get” the customer. They could “get” even businesses (no business will use Google Apps now, but in two years, who knows). Microsoft is now a hoster (dangerously raising the bar for providers). It’s obvious that in these conditions hosters must expand their business. They have the customer and they can offer much more, not only old fashioned hosting. Otherwise they will lose this customer. Unified communications is an important piece in the puzzle and maybe the easiest to offer and support.

We started building resources to help hosters understand the opportunities behind unified communications, but we need your help. We are preparing for our most important release ever (VoipNow 2 – more to follow) and we want to accompany this release with many more resources to help you. Don’t hesitate to add your input.

This is quite of a long expected announcement. We have more formal announcements on our PR

We have received quite a few comments lately about the operating systems supported by VoipNow. Let me explain some things. The ideal operating system to run our software must:

I usually talk with 3-4 people every day. They call us asking for more details about VoipNow, they have some technical questions and, in the end, the call is directed to me. One of the first questions I ask is “What services do you want to offer?”. This way I can help the customer, but I also learn about new services. Unfortunately, at least one person per day answers me “I want to offer very cheap prices. Something like 2USD/month”.

When I got this answer for the first time, I was puzzled. I didn’t know what to say more. I didn’t want to offend my interlocutor asking him if he has a business plan. Lately, I discovered that it’s better to ask some fundamental questions, it’s best for someone to realize early that his business is not going to work. I try to explain that the market demands innovation and unique features, not just some other cheap calling cards. Many people understand me and want to learn more, but unfortunately other guys imagine that I have something against their business. 🙂

All I want is to try to make these people better spend their time and effort. Do you think that I should not care?