iCore Networks has announced that it has expanded its customer base to over 68,000 users and has extended its cloud strategy after its acquisition of Always on Call, a cloud applications and virtualization provider, in December 2012. iCore also reports that it is offering applications on demand, allowing businesses to use virtual desktop strategies.

In addition to iCore’s current offering of voice and data services, virtual private networks and virtual firewall, the acquisition will enable customers to immediately take advantage of on demand cloud collaboration and applications including Exchange, Sharepoint, Lync; and infrastructure virtualization such as virtual desktops (VDI), application delivery, file sharing; all on public, private and hybrid clouds. As enterprises look to migrate to the cloud, iCore’s extended product offerings provides scalability; instant and self-provisioning; as well as enhanced cloud-based disaster recovery, business continuity, and backup.

“In a recent enterprise survey conducted by ChangeWave Research, a service of 451 Research, the top five applications that corporations currently are running in the cloud include email systems, CRM, web applications, databases, and collaboration tools,” said Stephen G. Canton, chairman and chief executive officer of iCore Networks. “The acquisition of Always on Call increases iCore’s market share and current compounded annual growth rate of more than 30% accelerates our product roadmap and further strengthens an unmatched competitive position as the leading Applications on Demand and Unified Communications as a Service provider.”

451 Research’s Market Monitor service puts the worldwide Cloud Enabling Technologies market at just under $11 billion in 2012 and expects this sector to increase to ~$20 billion in revenue by 2015.  “Organizations are looking for cloud applications and virtualization solutions that can deliver business agility, improves productivity and reduces costs,” said Agatha Poon, research manager, Global Cloud Computing of 451 Research. “Product offerings that can address this market shift are deemed valuable for transforming enterprises. iCore is on the right track to support this transition for a broad range of enterprise customers who are looking to deploy cloud-services rapidly.”