Vivocha Migrates from AWS to IBM Bluemix to Improve e-Commerce in the Cloud

ARMONK, N.Y., Sept. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that Vivocha is adopting IBM Bluemix to further develop its platform and integrate new, customer-centric features in the cloud quickly, effectively and securely. Vivocha offers a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution for online businesses, including retailers that want to improve their engagement with customers.

In today's digital world, online businesses need to do more to delight and entice their customers, which includes providing better support services. Online shopping continues to grow at a double-digits pace.  However, consumers' online attention span – reflected by average time on a website, page views and overall conversation rate – sank to a new low over the past 12 months, regardless of device.[1] Vivocha helps businesses engage with consumers in a new way by meeting their customers' expectations for support through real-time, cloud-based communication online or via their mobile app, using a combination of VoIP video, chat, callbacks and collaborative tools such as assisted browsing and document sharing.

Vivocha recently migrated most of its core reporting functionalities from Amazon Web Services to IBM Bluemix and is now developing new customer service apps using Bluemix's deep portfolio of Big Data and analytics, security and hybrid cloud environment tools. By doing so, Vivocha can get new mobile and social channels of customer communication, or "systems of engagement," up and running in less than five minutes, all of which can be quickly and safely connected to a client's "systems of record" – or backend infrastructure data with critical security needs such as customer records and financial data.

"We turned to IBM Bluemix to tap into a broad roster of open tools and services – from both IBM and other third parties – which would allow us to bring our clients the features they want while still maintaining a high degree of security, availability and scalability," said Federico Pinna, CTO & Co-Founder of Vivocha. "Through Bluemix, we can bring our clients stronger, analytical customer engagement models and help drastically improve the percentage of site visitors who turn into customers."

Built on Cloud Foundry and IBM's cloud infrastructure from SoftLayer, Bluemix combines IBM's vast middleware portfolio and third-party services to bring users an open app development experience in the cloud. Bluemix helps both born-on-the-web and developers working in a legacy, on-premise infrastructure to build new, cloud-based mobile and web apps with tools specific to individual integration and capability needs. The Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) also features a "DevOps in the cloud" model, which enables developers to rapidly develop, deliver and improve their apps based on continuous testing and user feedback.

"Vivocha joins the growing community of companies and developers who are migrating to and adopting the Bluemix platform at a rapid rate," said Sandy Carter, General Manager, Ecosystem Development, IBM. "Bluemix's unique ability to provide an open, rapid app development experience – combined with IBM's breadth of software services now available on the platform - will help Vivocha to quickly introduce new products to help brands better engage with their customers."

Since its launch in February, IBM has seen rapid adoption of Bluemix with key clients and partners such as Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), GE Capital, Financial Insurance Management Corp (FIMC), GameStop, Pitney Bowes, Continental Automotive and start-ups including EyeQ, aPersona and Byte, among many others. 

For more information, on how Vivocha is developing stronger customer engagement with IBM Bluemix, watch this video.

About Vivocha
Vivocha is a cloud-based service, tailored to businesses looking to engage their customers online, using the most effective communication channel at the right time, with the right agent. Vivocha enables businesses to seamlessly communicate with prospects and customers right on the website, using any combination of VoIP, video, chat, call-backs and collaboration tools, like assisted browsing, form & document sharing.

About IBM Bluemix
Through programs such as the new Bluemix Garage initiative and participation in the Cloud Foundry Foundation, IBM has been expanding outreach efforts to developers worldwide, a population expected to grow to more than 26 million by 2016. Bluemix developer meet-ups have been held globally in Asia, Latin America, Europe, India, Africa, North America and more, and IBM is also partnering with Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya to expand cloud-based development education and training within Africa's rapidly growing tech economies.

For more information on IBM DevOps and Bluemix, please visit www.ibm.com.

Media Contact:
Nicholas Smith
IBM External Communications
212-671-9653
[email protected]

[1] 2014 US Online Retail Holiday Readiness Report, IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark, June 2014. http://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?subtype=WH&infotype=SA&appname=SWGE_ZZ_ZZ_USEN&htmlfid=ZZW03300USEN&attachment=ZZW03300USEN.PDF#loaded

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SOURCE IBM