IP telephone system vendor ShoreTel has introduced a new element to its partner program, providing its VARs with an "ecosystem of technology partners" that can offer more functionality to customers.

The solutions include Ingate Systems' secure SIP interoperability; DuVoice's hospitality messaging and Telrex's call recording.

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"Best practice IP communications implementation includes tight integration with enterprise IT infrastructure and applications," said Steve Timmerman, vice president of marketing at ShoreTel, in a statement.

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"This program allows us to achieve this vision by offering our customers partners and technologies they can leverage to take best advantage of the ShoreTel IP telephony system."

The announcement of the technology partners program came a week before the Sunnyvale, Calif., company priced its IPO (initial public offering) at $9.50 per share on July 2. ShoreTel wants to sell 7.9 million shares of common stock. In its prospectus, ShoreTel said it planned to use the proceeds of approximately $75 million from the offering for working capital and general corporate purposes.

ShoreTel's corporate strategy includes plans to increase market penetration and extend geographic reach by expanding the business with existing channel partners and by adding channel partners that serve specific target markets.

"We are particularly focused on expanding our relationships with channel partners that are focused on large enterprise accounts and with channel partners that operate in strategic international markets," the company said in its prospectus filed in Feb. 2007.