Amazon has said Alexa for Business will now work with 3rd party devices. On its official blog, the e-commerce giant said device makers building with the Alexa Voice Service (AVS) can now create fully integrate solutions, so their products can be registered with Alexa for Business and managed as shared devices in organizations. Alexa for Business customers will soon be able to centrally manage & deploy supported products with Alexa built-in – whether it’s built by Amazon or 3rd-party device makers.
Here’s the announcement:
With a simple extension to the AVS Device SDK, device makers can leverage Alexa for Business to bring the power of voice to enterprises. Together, the solutions allow for: (1) deployment of third-party devices to shared spaces such as conference rooms, hotel and dorm rooms, lobbies, kitchens, break rooms, and copy rooms, (2) device management as part of the device makers’ existing management flow, such as room designation, device health monitoring, and location setting and (3) skill management, such as public and private skill assignment for shared devices without publishing to the public Alexa Skills Store.
“Customers love using Alexa on Echo devices to simplify meeting room experiences and have asked us to enable the same experiences on their existing equipment,” said Collin Davis, GM, Alexa for Business. “We are excited to be working with device makers to bring the power of Alexa to our customers through the devices they already use around the office. Customers get all the benefits of Alexa for Business without having to install any new hardware.”
“The ability to create Alexa built-in products for the enterprise represents a significant opportunity for device makers,” added Pete Thompson, VP of the Alexa Voice Service. “With a simple extension to the AVS Device SDK, device makers can address the growing demand for voice in organizations and deliver new voice-based solutions that simplify tasks and enhance productivity.”
