8×8, a leading integrated cloud communications platform, announced the State of Washington has signed a Participating Addendum with 8×8 under the NASPO ValuePoint Cloud Solutions contract.

Effective immediately, state, local and education (SLED) government agencies in Washington can, in accordance with the requirements of Washington’s Participating Addendum, purchase the 8×8 integrated cloud contact centre, voice communications, chat, meetings and Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) product directly from 8×8 or 8×8 channel partners. 8×8 partners can guide SLED organizations through a simplified procurement process, reducing friction as they move to the cloud to transform employee and customer engagement.

“We serve over 800,000 residents in Snohomish and Island counties through 23 community libraries, online services and Library on Wheels, and our vision is that everyone in the community is connected to their library,” said Nick Fuchs, Acting Director Technical Services at Sno-Isle Libraries. “Our legacy on-premises Avaya system hampered efforts and was difficult to manage with expensive monthly carrier costs. We look forward to moving our libraries and 500 employees to the 8×8 cloud platform, and enhance communications with the community.”

Agencies and public sector organizations are replacing legacy on-premises systems with secure and reliable integrated cloud contact centre and communications products from 8×8 to improve the constituent experience, and enable employees to work from anywhere, using any device. Washington joins Alaska as the second state to offer statewide participation in and access to the 8×8 NASPO ValuePoint Cloud Solutions Contract. Most government agencies within the participating states can purchase cloud contact centre and communications products directly from 8×8 or an 8×8 partner; agencies should review applicable participating addenda for details.

Public sector momentum is continuing for 8×8 as government agencies transition to the cloud to support mobile and remote employees. Key benefits of the 8×8 integrated cloud contact centre and communications platform help public sector organizations to:

• Solve for Tomorrow – Agencies can mix-and-match plans and services to meet their unique requirements as well as integrate business applications with the flexibility to adjust to changing needs in the future.
• Modernize Constituent Engagement – 8×8’s innovative customer engagement products help agencies exceed citizen experience and growth objectives.
• Make It Easier to Work – 8×8 Work includes voice communications, team chat and video meetings in a single unified application for desktop and mobile devices, allowing employees to connect and collaborate securely with constituents and colleagues from anywhere, using any device.
• Enhance Support and Administration – The integrated 8×8 cloud communications and contact centre platform allows agencies with distributed offices and workforce to reduce total cost of ownership, providing a single vendor for support and a central management portal for administration.
• Ensure Business Resilience – The reliable and resilient 8×8 global cloud platform keeps communications up and running even during times of disaster.

“Transitioning away from legacy, on-premises systems has never been more important for public sector organizations as they drive digital transformation efforts to enhance employee and customer engagement,” said John DeLozier, Senior Vice President & Global Channel Chief at 8×8, Inc. “Our latest NASPO ValuePoint contract ensures SLED agencies across the State of Washington can easily work with 8×8 and our channel partners to deploy an integrated cloud contact centre and communications product to meet their evolving organizational requirements.”

8×8 and Gartner Magic Quadrant

Recently, 8×8 was named a Leader in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications as a Service, Worldwide1. This is the ninth consecutive year 8×8 has been recognized as a Leader in this report. 8×8 was also recognized as a Challenger in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Contact Center as a Service2.

[1] Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications as a Service, Worldwide, Rafael Benitez, Megan Fernandez, Daniel O’Connell, Christopher Trueman, Pankil Sheith, November 12, 2020. This Magic Quadrant report name has changed from 2015 onwards- 2015-2020: Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications as a Service, Worldwide, 2014: Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications as a Service, North America With Additional Regional Presence, 2012-2013: Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications as a Service, North America.

[2] Gartner Magic Quadrant for Contact Center as a Service, Steve Blood, Drew Kraus, Pri Rathnayake, November 9, 2020.

About NASPO ValuePoint

NASPO ValuePoint is the cooperative purchasing division of the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO), facilitating cooperative public procurement solicitations using a Lead State Model. NASPO ValuePoint delivers high value, reliable, and competitively sourced cooperative contracts – offering public entities outstanding prices, favourable terms and conditions, and value-added services. Learn more at www.naspovaluepoint.org.

NASPO™, NASPO ValuePoint™, and Lead State Model™ are trademarks of the National Association of State Procurement Officials.

About 8×8, Inc.

8×8, Inc. (NYSE: EGHT) is transforming the future of business communications as a leading Software-as-a-Service provider of contact centre, voice communications, video, chat and API solutions powered by one global cloud communications platform. 8×8 empowers workforces worldwide to connect individuals and teams so they can collaborate faster and work smarter. Real-time business analytics and intelligence provide businesses unique insights across all interactions and channels so they can delight end-customers and accelerate their business.

For additional information, visit www.8×8.com