8x8 Awarded NASPO State of Washington Contract, Allowing Public Sector Agencies to Move Employee and Customer Engagement to the Cloud

Rhea-AI Summary

8x8, Inc. (NYSE: EGHT) has announced a new Participating Addendum with the State of Washington under the NASPO ValuePoint Cloud Solutions contract. This agreement allows state, local, and education government agencies to procure 8x8's integrated cloud solutions, including contact center, voice communications, chat, and video conferencing services. This initiative aims to modernize constituent engagement and enhance communication for over 800,000 residents in Snohomish and Island counties. 8x8's platform supports remote work and aims to reduce costs for agencies transitioning from legacy systems.

Positive

• New Participating Addendum with State of Washington under NASPO ValuePoint Cloud Solutions contract.
• Access to 8x8's integrated cloud solutions for over 800,000 residents through government agencies.
• Facilitates modernization and improved constituent engagement in public sector.
• Supports remote work and communication, aligning with current digital transformation trends.

Negative

• None.

8x8, Inc. (NYSE: EGHT), a leading integrated cloud communications platform, today announced the State of Washington has signed a Participating Addendum with 8x8 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 8x8 integrated cloud contact center, voice communications, chat, meetings and Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) product directly from 8x8 or 8x8 channel partners. 8x8 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 8x8 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 center and communications products from 8x8 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 8x8 NASPO ValuePoint Cloud Solutions Contract. Most government agencies within the participating states can purchase cloud contact center and communications products directly from 8x8 or an 8x8 partner; agencies should review applicable participating addenda for details.

Public sector momentum is continuing for 8x8 as government agencies transition to the cloud to support mobile and remote employees. Key benefits of the 8x8 integrated cloud contact center and communications platform help public sector organizations to:

1. 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.
2. Modernize Constituent Engagement - 8x8’s innovative customer engagement products help agencies exceed citizen experience and growth objectives.
3. Make It Easier to Work - 8x8 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.
4. Enhance Support and Administration - The integrated 8x8 cloud communications and contact center 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.
5. Ensure Business Resilience - The reliable and resilient 8x8 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 8x8, Inc. “Our latest NASPO ValuePoint contract ensures SLED agencies across the State of Washington can easily work with 8x8 and our channel partners to deploy an integrated cloud contact center and communications product to meet their evolving organizational requirements.”

8x8 and Gartner Magic Quadrant

Recently, 8x8 was named a Leader in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications as a Service, Worldwide¹. This is the ninth consecutive year 8x8 has been recognized as a Leader in this report. 8x8 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, favorable 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 8x8, Inc.

8x8, Inc. (NYSE: EGHT) is transforming the future of business communications as a leading Software-as-a-Service provider of contact center, voice communications, video, chat and API solutions powered by one global cloud communications platform. 8x8 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.8x8.com, or follow 8x8 on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements include, without limitation, information about 8x8’s public sector growth and product benefits. Such statements are predictions only, and actual events or results could differ materially from those made in any forward-looking statements due to a number of risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to: market acceptance of and customer demand for new or existing services and features; competition in the markets we compete; the impact of economic downturns on us and our customers, including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; among other such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. See "Risk Factors" in the Company's reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, as well as other reports that 8x8, Inc. files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a full discussion of such risks and uncertainties. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, and 8x8, Inc. undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statement for any reason, except as required by law, even as new information becomes available or other events occur in the future.

8x8® and 8x8 X Series™ are trademarks of 8x8, Inc.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210222005091/en/

FAQ

What did 8x8 announce regarding the State of Washington?

8x8 announced a Participating Addendum under the NASPO ValuePoint Cloud Solutions contract, allowing Washington's government agencies to procure its cloud services.

How will the NASPO ValuePoint contract benefit Washington agencies?

The contract will enable agencies to access 8x8's integrated cloud solutions, such as contact centers and voice communications, to modernize their operations.

What services can Washington agencies purchase from 8x8?

Agencies can purchase contact center, voice communications, chat, video conferencing, and Communications Platform as a Service products.

How many residents will benefit from 8x8's services in Washington?

Over 800,000 residents in Snohomish and Island counties will benefit from improved communication services.

What is the significance of 8x8's NASPO ValuePoint contract for public sector momentum?

It reinforces the shift of public sector agencies to cloud-based solutions, enhancing employee and citizen engagement.