Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise's OpenTouch platform has been awarded Frost - Sullivan's 2014 Global Product Differentiation Excellence Award in Unified Communications Deployment Strategies.

The consulting firm says Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise has made great strides to deliver a UC platform that is 'efficiently right-sized for businesses of all sizes without compromise'.

The award is based on the findings of Frost - Sullivan's Best Practice research and recognises the flexibility of the OpenTouch unified communications platform for giving customers and users the ability to deploy what they want, how they want, without compromise and with maximum benefit.

“In the rapidly evolving unified communications market, demand for right-sized platforms and

personalised user experiences are on the rise,” says Frost - Sullivan. “Still, numerous providers are addressing the opportunity with a legacy approach.

“Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise is differentiated from the crowded field with its flexible OpenTouch platform which enables business customers and their respective users to deploy what they want, how they want and without compromise for maximum benefit.

“Frost - Sullivan is proud to recognise Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise with the 2014 Global Product Differentiation Excellence Award in Unified Communications Deployment Strategies.

The OpenTouch platform is recognised for its advantage of deploying the same software in hardware-centric, appliance-based, virtual or hybrid configurations, making it flexible and highly scalable.

The offering was lauded for its unique features and functionality; quality/complexity; customisation; match to target markets needs and brand perception of the uniqueness of the product.

Alcatel-Lucent was awarded a perfect score in the category of aligning with target market needs.

“In a side-by-side comparison with other top-tier vendors, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise has not only addressed major industry trends in a timely manner; the company has gone beyond checklist infrastructure and feature requirements,” Frost - Sullivan says.

Highlighting the fact that each deployment strategy has unique business needs, the OpenTouch platform is recognized for its advantage of deploying the same software in hardware-centric, appliance-based, virtual or hybrid configurations, making it extremely flexible and highly scalable.

“Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise clearly recognizes that the move to unified communications is a

journey that each customer must make at its own pace.