Telstra, a telecommunications and information services company based in Australia, has partnered with Jamcracker, an on-demand services delivery company, to deliver on-demand software and IP services to SMBs “down under.”

 

The Jamcracker Services Delivery Network will be used by Telstra (News - Alert) to provide new IP services, which include Jamcracker-provided SaaS applications. These applications will be bundled with existing Telstra on-demand services. Telstra, which offers fixed and wireless voice services, broadband and IPTV, will also offer on-board local Australian SaaS (News - Alert) applications that are not yet part of the JSDN catalog.

 

According to Deena Shiff, group managing director at Telstra Business, small businesses no longer want the expense of having to buy, deploy and manage their own software.

 

“Our partnership with Jamcracker (News - Alert) enables us to deliver a full range of business applications, just as we deliver our traditional telecom services – as an on-demand service for a monthly subscription fee,” Shiff said.

Telstra plans to offers the application services under the T-Suite brand, along with traditional mobile and fixed line communications services. The company will provide name-brand software applications that Telstra customers can mix and match with voice, data and Internet services.

This partnership between Jamcracker and Telstra is expected initially to deliver services designed to meet the security and collaboration needs of SMBs. The first set of services out of T-Suite include on-demand security offerings from McAfee and MessageLabs, online data backup from Iron Mountain, Hosted Exchange messaging and SharePoint collaboration services from Microsoft (News - Alert), as well as Microsoft Dynamics hosted CRM.

Steve Crawford, vice president of marketing for Jamcracker, his company’s partnership with Telstra is indicative of the value and speed-to-market Jamcracker provides to large carriers.

“By tying into the Jamcracker Services Delivery Network, carriers can simultaneously supply on-demand applications directly to small businesses and provide easy to set-up WebStores that enable their channel of agents and resellers to make click through sales,” Crawford said.

The T-Suite portfolio of on-demand application services is now available for full use and integration.

Companies throughout the world are beginning to recognize the benefits of SaaS platforms, especially when considering price and flexibility when compared to traditional software applications. SMBs specifically are looking more toward SaaS platforms as they allow for increased flexibility and capability that allows these smaller companies to compete more effectively.

 

As this demand continues to grow, Telstra and Jamcracker are aligning their strengths strategically and leveraging their capabilities to meet these growing opportunities. As a result, both companies will be able to expand their reach and grow their share of the global market.