Amazon Web Services再次向軟件行業(yè)巨頭發(fā)起挑戰(zhàn)。

最近，該云行業(yè)巨頭宣布了基于云的軟件Chime，支持企業(yè)客戶通過(guò)手機(jī)或桌面設(shè)備進(jìn)行語(yǔ)音或視頻通話，在聊天室中進(jìn)行交流以及舉行網(wǎng)絡(luò)會(huì)議等。

在所謂“統(tǒng)一通信”領(lǐng)域，亞馬遜（Amazon）面臨許多成熟公司的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)，例如微軟（Microsoft）和思科系統(tǒng)公司（Cisco Systems），這兩家公司分別推出了Skype企業(yè)版和思科Spark。另外兩家競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手則是谷歌（Google）的Hangouts和目前擁有GoToMeeting的LogMeIn。

AWS企業(yè)應(yīng)用副總裁吉尼?法雷爾告訴《財(cái)富》雜志：“我們聽(tīng)到客戶最大的抱怨是，他們的語(yǔ)音和會(huì)議軟件很難使用，體積龐大、價(jià)格昂貴，而且沒(méi)有一款工具能夠滿足所有任務(wù)需求。”

他聲稱Chime讓通話設(shè)置變得更容易，可以查看在線參與者，以及哪些與會(huì)者的連接受到了背景噪聲的干擾。如果有人的背景聲中有廣播的聲音，會(huì)議管理員可以一鍵將其話筒靜音。

Brooks Brothers一直在使用該款產(chǎn)品的早期版本，互聯(lián)網(wǎng)電話提供商Vonage和Level 3 Communications均將向其企業(yè)客戶銷售Chime。

軼事證據(jù)確實(shí)證明，另外一款網(wǎng)絡(luò)會(huì)議產(chǎn)品思科Webex和GoToMeeting均需要多個(gè)設(shè)置步驟和/或下載才能使用。此外，Skype企業(yè)版用戶連接到Skype用戶的體驗(yàn)，讓人不敢恭維。

所以，如果Chime確實(shí)非常易于使用，并且使用戶可以以最少的麻煩進(jìn)行通話、聊天、舉行小組會(huì)議和分享屏幕，它將在市場(chǎng)中占據(jù)優(yōu)勢(shì)。法雷爾并未說(shuō)明這款產(chǎn)品來(lái)自收購(gòu)，還是內(nèi)部開(kāi)發(fā)的結(jié)果，但有報(bào)道稱，AWS在去年收購(gòu)了專營(yíng)協(xié)作軟件的舊金山初創(chuàng)公司Biba。

Chime只是AWS推出更高水平服務(wù)的最新示例。AWS在2006年成立，主要銷售基本存儲(chǔ)、計(jì)算和網(wǎng)絡(luò)服務(wù)。隨著時(shí)間的推移，亞馬遜開(kāi)始與更傳統(tǒng)的軟件公司展開(kāi)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)，其中有些公司使用了亞馬遜的基本基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施。

這些更高水平產(chǎn)品的其他例子包括亞馬遜WorkDocs文件存儲(chǔ)與共享軟件、 WorkSpaces虛擬桌面，以及WorkMail電子郵件與日歷。這些產(chǎn)品的目標(biāo)客戶是企業(yè)最終用戶，而不是科技行業(yè)從業(yè)人員。

目前尚不清楚WorkDocs或其他產(chǎn)品在市場(chǎng)中的表現(xiàn)，但亞馬遜表示，它們的市場(chǎng)反饋良好。

亞馬遜Chime現(xiàn)已上市，可提供高分辨率視頻和優(yōu)質(zhì)語(yǔ)音通話。企業(yè)客戶有多個(gè)版本可供選擇，包括免費(fèi)入門級(jí)產(chǎn)品，提供基本通話和通信功能。更高級(jí)（價(jià)格也更高）的版本增加了屏幕共享、可集成客戶的內(nèi)部通訊錄，能夠支持高達(dá)200人的會(huì)議。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

譯者：劉進(jìn)龍/汪皓

Amazon Web Services is ruffling the feathers of the software establishment again.

Recently, the cloud giant announced Chime, cloud-based software designed to let business customers make voice or video calls, converse in chat rooms, and hold web conferences from their mobile or desktop devices..

In this so-called "unified communications" arena, Amazon faces several established players such as Microsoft and Cisco Systems, which offer Skype for Business and Cisco Spark, respectively. Google Hangouts and LogMeIn, which now owns GoToMeeting, are two other contenders.

"The biggest thing we heard from customers was that their voice and conferencing software was not easy to use, clunky, and expensive and no one tool works for all tasks." Gene Farrell, AWS vice president of enterprise applications tells Fortune.

He claimed Chime, on the other hand, makes it easy to set up calls, see which participants are on the line, and which of those people's connections are muddied by background noise. And the call administrator can mute the mic of the person who's got a radio playing in the background with a button click.

Brooks Brothers has been using an early version of the product and Vonage, an Internet telephony provider, and Level 3 Communications, will sell Chime to business customers.

Anecdotal evidence backs up the contention that products like Cisco Webex, another web conference product, and GoToMeeting require multiple steps and/or downloads to set up. And, connecting a Skype for Business user to a Skype user is not for the faint of heart.

So if Chime really is drop-dead easy to use—and lets users call, chat, hold group conferences, share screens with minimal angst—it could have an advantage. Farrell would not say if this product grew out of an acquisition or from internal development but AWS reportedly bought Biba, a San Francisco startup specializing in collaboration software last year.

Chime is just the latest example of AWS—which started out in 2006 selling basic storage, computing, and networking services—adding higher level services. As the years progressed, Amazon started to compete with more traditional software companies, some of which use its foundational infrastructure.

Other examples of these higher-level products include Amazon WorkDocs file storage and sharing software; WorkSpaces desktop virtualization; and WorkMail email and calendar. These products target corporate end users rather than tech professionals.

It's unclear how well WorkDocs or these other products have done in the market although Amazon says they've gotten good traction.

Amazon Chime is available now, offering high-definition video and audio quality. Business customers have several versions to choose from, including a free entry-level product for basic calling and messaging. Higher-tier (and higher priced) options add screen-sharing, integration with the customer's in-house directory, and support for meetings of up to 200 people.