Amid an upsurge of home working and a heavy reliance on conferencing platforms due to COVID-19, Verizon has confirmed that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire BlueJeans’ cloud-based video service, a rival to video conferencing platform Zoom.
The purchase will combine BlueJeans’ platform with Verizon’s UC as a service business, with BlueJeans customers gaining access to Verizon’s global networks, becoming integrated into the company’s 5G product roadmap.
The acquisition of BlueJeans comes amid controversy surrounding the Zoom video conferencing platform, after the
Zoom platform came under fire for alleged security weaknesses.
Tami Erwin, CEO, Verizon Business commented: “As the way we work continues to change, it is absolutely critical for businesses and public sector customers to have access to a comprehensive suite of offerings that are enterprise ready, secure, frictionless and that integrate with existing tools.
“Collaboration and communications have become top of the agenda for businesses of all sizes and in all sectors in recent months. We are excited to combine the power of BlueJeans’ video platform with Verizon Business’ connectivity networks, platforms and solutions to meet our customers’ needs.”