SALT LAKE CITY, April 8, 2008 /PRNewswire/ — IKANO Communications
Inc., (http://www.ikano.com) the nation’s leading aggregator of ISP
services, announced today that it is teaming up with Google
(http://www.google.com) to deploy Google Apps(TM) — Google’s web-based
platform for communication and collaboration. The collaboration will allow
IKANO to help mid-sized Internet Service Providers, generally with 100,000
or less subscribers, to expand service offerings to end users, while
reducing technology and support expenses and maintaining existing branding.
IKANO plans to migrate its current end users to Google Apps in the
second quarter of this year. Thereafter, IKANO will extend the offering to
its large base of wholesale and private label ISP customers. These
customers purchase aggregated Internet access (DSL and Dialup), email and
other IP solutions that IKANO bundles from major telco and other service
providers in the U.S. and Canada.
With Google Apps, IKANO’s ISP customers will now have access to
Google’s popular communications tools such as Gmail(TM) email, Google
Docs(TM) collaboration, Google Calendar(TM) shared calendaring, Google
Talk(TM) instant messaging, and the Start Page feature for creating a
customizable home page. These services, powered by Google, are available to
users via any Internet-connected computer and many mobile devices.
“Many ISPs are looking to take themselves out of the technology and
infrastructure maintenance business so they can focus on their customers,”
said George Naspo, IKANO CEO. “Google Apps allows ISPs to utilize Google’s
dynamic communication and collaboration applications under the ISPs’ own
domain names. Branded Google Apps services can bring new life into the ISPs
product line at very little cost. Google’s robust communication tools,
mobile email, and calendar services will give service providers nationwide
a rich technology path into the future.”
“Google is excited to work with IKANO to provide their subscribers with
rich applications to stay connected and communicate more effectively. It’s
all hosted by Google, so there’s no hardware to maintain or software to
install,” said Eugene Levitsky, Google Apps Sales Specialist.
IKANO is pleased to work with the Google team to offer Google Apps
migration and support services. Both companies are committed to offering
ISPs of all sizes useful communication and collaboration tools via cloud
computing.
“We foresee this as a breakaway product in the industry. IKANO’s unique
solution to ISPs provides mail migration services, branded portal
development, and live Tier 1 customer support for Google Apps. It’s a great
benefit to ISPs and end users to improve their Internet experience and
therefore reduce churn,” said Todd Krause, IKANO Vice President of Customer
Support. “In addition, with Google Apps, we’re able to provision
subscribers automatically and give them single sign-on with IKANO’s
existing services. Very few companies can offer nationwide DSL, Google
Apps, and related customer support under one billing platform.”
About IKANO
IKANO, founded in 1999, is a provider of IP solutions for Internet
Service Providers including Internet access, billing, customer support,
hosting, portal, and email services. IKANO makes it easy for service
providers to maintain a unique brand while eliminating the hassle of
maintaining network contracts, servers, and call centers. Headquartered in
Salt Lake City, Utah, the company has offices in Los Angeles, Seattle, and
Toronto and offers services in the United States and Canada. For more
information, visit http://www.ikano.com.
Google, Google Apps, Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Talk are
trademarks of Google Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.
Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
SOURCE IKANO Communications Inc.
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