Microsoft Picks Up Tech From IT Pro Tools PartnerMicrosoft Picks Up Tech From IT Pro Tools Partner

Acquires core platform underlying Event Zero's management and analytics reporting suite for Skype for Business

With an eye on boosting Skype for Business capabilities, Microsoft closed 2015 with one acquisition, of communications app provider Talko, and -- as revealed today -- opened 2016 with another, of management technology from Event Zero.

Announcing the latest move in The Official Microsoft Blog, Skype for Business executive Zig Serafin called the acquisition of the Event Zero technology assets "the latest example of Microsoft's commitment to deliver a complete, enterprise-grade communications solution at global scale with Office 365."

Event Zero, you might recall, is one of the three management software companies Microsoft selected last spring as inaugural IT Pro Tools partners for Skype for Business. Event Zero, as well as Nectar and Unify Square, have developed operational management tools for Skype for Business using hooks Microsoft built into Skype for Business Server. As Gio Mezgec, Microsoft GM for Skype for Business product marketing, told us at the time, "They have operational tools for Skype for Business Server that can help you essentially detect and prioritize issues that might occur as you operate the product over your network and take corrective actions for it."

In particular, Microsoft is acquiring UC Commander, the core platform underlying Event Zero's management and analytics reporting suite for Skype for Business. Event Zero will continue servicing customers and partners, said Serafin, who is Microsoft's corporate vice president, Engineering, Skype for Business, in his blog post.

Using the Event Zero technology, Microsoft will add diagnostics and troubleshooting capabilities on top of the administrative functions that customers of its calling and conferencing services already get through the use of the Skype for Business Call Quality Dashboard. Serafin promised "even more extensive reporting and analytics for online audio, video conferencing and media streams -- all within a unified management and admin system."

Microsoft will extend the platform so that partners can integrate their monitoring, reporting, and analytics capabilities with the Skype for Business Online management tools, Serafin said. "For example, partners will be able to more easily connect on-premises deployments they manage with Office 365 services, including hybrid deployments, provisioning of phones and other endpoints," he added.

Serafin concluded his post by saying, "I look forward to sharing more details in the coming months." Perhaps he means at Enterprise Connect Orlando 2016, where he'll be presenting a keynote on Wednesday, March 9.

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