The mash-up recipe from BroadSoft
BroadSoft is getting ready to unveil its voice-web mashup strategy. The interesting part is that BroadSoft will make the application mash-ups available through service providers as well as direct to end-users thus providing an additional channel to market. The vendor will effectively create a marketplace where both developers and service providers will supply voice-web mashups. The buyers will be both end-users and service providers. BroadSoft will act more like a market maker, a clearinghouse of Voice 2.0 applications.
However there is no commission or cut involved for BroadSoft. The company will dedicate resources for the developer program mainly to enhance its BroadWorks platform. BroadSoft will release its voice web APIs that are RESTful based interfaces, which allow applications to be written in simple XML type languages.
The company intends the marketplace to develop overtime to fit the needs of the various constituents. Although BroadSoft did not reveal all aspects of it's marketplace model, it seems that there may be the potential for developers to autonomously bring in end-users, whether they utilize BroadWorks-based services or not, and bill them accordingly. Whether BroadSoft charges such developers a license fee for call control etc in these instances remains to be seen.
BroadSoft has already carried out integration with Salesforce.com and ACT!. These are primarily CRM oriented mashups. However the vendor also expects mashups around IM, collaboration, messaging, and social networking.
