Interra International Boosts Employee Connectivity with Fully Managed VoIP Solution from Cypress Communications: International Food Commodity Trad

ATLANTA (Business Wire EON) November 7, 2025 -- With two international offices and clients throughout the world, Interra knew that VoIP was the right technology for their business. However, after three years with another provider, they were ready to step up to a more robust VoIP solution.

"We were already using a VoIP product for three years before we went to Cypress," said Ried Thiel, chief information officer at Interra. "The reason we decided to change is that we have international offices and travel quite a bit. Our traders need to have their offices on the go, and no matter where they end up in the world, they have everything they need with C4 IP."

Although Interra was using VoIP technology, it was not nearly as robust as C4 IP. In particular, Thiel pointed to Cypress' 24-hour support, ease of remote connectivity with find me/follow me, and tight integration with Microsoft Office as primary reasons for implementing C4 IP at Interra.

"One of the main reasons we chose to move to C4 IP is that Cypress has around-the-clock support -- our old provider was only available during office hours, which didn't work well for our employees who travel internationally. With Cypress, if we have questions we don't have to wait until 8:00 a.m. for answers, so we spend less time waiting and more time bringing in business. And, the integration with Outlook was another major plus. We have contacts in Outlook that we sync from another program, and with C4 IP, we can call anyone right from Outlook with just a couple of clicks."

By unifying email and voice service through the advanced Outlook integration feature, C4 IP streamlines the communications process -- enabling users to work faster and more efficiently. But beyond those benefits of moving to C4 IP, Thiel was also able to more efficiently achieve the company's communication goals by consolidating all communication services with one provider.

"It's extremely important for us to be able to communicate and collaborate between offices. We have to travel quite often, and if we don't have the ability to make calls, then sales are not happening and no new business is coming in," Thiel continued. "Communication is the foundation of our day-to-day business, and C4 IP gives us what we need to get the job done. Our old provider made us choose either the desktop phone or softphone, so we had to use a residential VoIP product to make up the difference. C4 IP enables everyone to have both a desktop phone and a softphone, and that is a huge advantage."

With C4 IP, Cypress was able to resolve Interra's issues with their previous VoIP service and deliver a comprehensive, fully managed VoIP solution that met their communications goals and fit well into their current processes.

"When we began talking with Interra about their communications needs, it was clear that C4 IP would be able to provide a better experience than their previous VoIP service," said Frank Grillo, executive vice president of marketing at Cypress Communications. "Because Cypress manages C4 IP from the network to -- and including -- the end user's phone, we are able to deliver a wider array of VoIP features, better integration and a greater variety of options, all backed by best-of-class networking technology and knowledgeable support personnel."

C4 IP is an enterprise-class, hosted VoIP solution that enables multi-location companies and remote employees to communicate seamlessly throughout the enterprise. Scalable and adaptable, C4 IP is a dynamic communications solution that streamlines and improves communications, resulting in a more productive and efficient enterprise.

C4 IP features a softphone, allowing the user to make and receive telephone calls from their PC without the use of a traditional telephone. It also integrates with the user's Cypress-provided IP desktop phone and acts as the interface to the multimedia functionality of C4 IP -- presence, chat, point-to-point video calling, file sharing, collaboration, and Web conferencing.

About Cypress Communications

Boasting a 20-year legacy and more than 6,500 customers coast-to-coast, Cypress is one of the nation's largest providers of fully managed communication solutions for mid-sized businesses. Cypress provides advanced IP phones and hosted VoIP services with cutting-edge multimedia desktop applications like Microsoft Outlook integration; unified communications; video calling and audio, video and Web conferencing. As a Deloitte Fast 50 and Fast 500 award recipient, Cypress is also recognized as one of the fastest growing telecommunication companies in North America. Cypress is headquartered in Atlanta, GA. The company's Web address is http://www.cypresscom.net

About Interra International

Interra International is a global food-trading company focused on delivering meat, poultry, seafood and dairy products to the world's markets through the effective combination of industry expertise, market intelligence, and technological innovation. The company's leadership position in trade-management and logistics technology is the result of a 25-year commitment to supply-chain efficiency and information accuracy as well as the simple guiding principle that trust is the bond in a long-term relationship. By bringing together suppliers and buyers of the global market, Interra streamlines negotiations and facilitates and manages relationships from producer through distribution. Interra is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and the company's Web address is http://www.interrainternational.com

(C) 2006-2007 Cypress Communications, Inc. The Cypress Communications logo is a service mark of Cypress Communications, Inc. C4 is a service mark of Cypress Communications, Inc.

Microsoft Outlook is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other marks used herein are the property of their respective owners.