Telecom Reseller / Technology Reseller News

GreenStar Marketing at ViirtueConnect, Viirtue, Inc.'s partner conference. Stephanie Benzik tells us how everyday needs, marketing and MSPs are connected - and how effective marketing can be achieved. GreenStar Marketing is a major sponsor of this year's connect event.

“They don't go to the same conferences, they don't talk to each other, but in the last several years, five to ten years, the satellite technology has advanced tremendously and is now cost competitive in ways that many people in the telecom sector haven't, because they've been not going to the same conferences, haven't been aware of,” says J. Armand Musey, President/Founder at Summit Ridge Group, LLC. “And so, there's many different ways I think that the two can work together and you're seeing increased integration of satellite and terrestrial, whether it's for cellular backhaul or providing broadband in rural areas or even providing emergency phone service that you can see … the two sectors are emerging or converging much more rapidly than I think people in either sector are really aware."

In this podcast we learn that progress being made to put rural America on a more equal footing, in terms of connectivity, holds great promise for organizations and people beyond the rural areas themselves. But a funding gap might create unintended consequences that will have a widespread impact.

About the Summit Ridge Group

Summit Ridge is an internationally recognized provider of complex business valuation, financial advisory, and industry analysis in the global telecom, media, and satellite sectors. Summit Ridge provides financial analysis, transaction due diligence, litigation support (including expert witness testimony), restructuring advisory, and custom research projects. Our professionals have a deep understanding of all financial and industry issues related to spectrum. Summit Ridge has earned its credibility as a leading authority in the communications sector with institutional investors, leading law firms, U.S. government agencies, and other industry participants.

Summit Ridge also has significant experience supporting clients participating in FCC reimbursement programs. We have facilitated over $425 million in client reimbursements from the TV Broadcast Repack, the C-band Clearing, and the Secure and Trusted Communications Program (SCRP or Rip & Replace) programs. Summit Ridge was recently selected as the 3.45 GHz Clearinghouse.

“Installation has been overlooked by customers who often focus on the features and the capabilities of the technology,” says Mirko Notarangelo of ICAS. “They assume that it will work just fine, or they can do it by themselves. But the reality is more complex, so proper installation requires expertise and experience to ensure that everything functions as expected as it's supposed to be and so by experts because they are familiar with the best practices and have the best knowledge you know to navigate potential issues challenges and so on.” Mirko is challenging the conventional practice, in our industry, where often channel companies, VARs and so on, have rolled out their own truck to do an install.

Smart Premise Implementations, Expert Implementation

In this podcast, Mirko argues that the Channel Partner community may have overlooked installation as an expert service that can be resold verses being a task. As we move forward, the gap between expert implementation, an exact installation done to fixed specifications, instead of a more informal installation, where manufacturer requirements can be easily missed. ICAS works with VARS, MSPs and System Integrators to provide exacting installations as a service, a service that can be resold.

Visit https://www.icascorp.com/network-cabling/

How to integrate AI into everything that we do, how do we use AI to really jump to the next level

“One of the things I want to do at the session is motivate the Alliance members to think about how to integrate AI into everything that we do, how do we use AI to really jump to the next level, and how we can continue to be competitive, how we offer new capabilities and services to our customers, which is something that the alliance has been all about since the beginning,” says Michael Tessler, Managing Partner at True North Advisory. Michael Tessler Co-founded and was the former CEO of BroadSoft, a global leader in Cloud Communications. His experiences and insights include the things that created the cloud communications industry as we know it.

At the upcoming Cloud Connections 2024 event, Michael will be unpacking AI, but with a different angle than many people might have heard before. “I've been doing work with some large enterprises trying to understand how to diffuse the AI capabilities, how those capabilities might enable our service providers to create new capabilities for our clients, for end users, how to have them engage with their end users,” adds Michael. In this short reel, we learn about how Michael is looking at AI and the next frontier of new opportunities for the cloud community.

Learn about the conference

Learn about CCA

Learn about True North Advisory

Cloud Connections 2024: It is the largest event of the year for Cloud Communications providers, CCA Podcast, C-level and leadership level members to come and actually learn the latest and greatest about the industry, the products, the new services, their competitors, where it's all going

“It is the largest event of the year for Cloud Communications providers, industry analysts, the experts in the field, the investors in the field,” says Clark Peterson, Chairman of the Cloud Communications Alliance. “But it's really for C-level and leadership level members to come and actually learn the latest and greatest about the industry, the products, the new services, their competitors, where it's all going.” The CCA will be releasing their the 2023, 2024 Cloud Communications Alliance industry survey.

All of this and more will be happening at the Cloud Connections 2024 event in St. Petersburg, Florida, April 17-18.

“It's really the only. show in the industry that focuses on cloud service providers, and they run a gamut from smaller companies on up to the Zooms, the RingCentrals, the Vonages, says Joe Marion, President of the CCA, who joins Clark on this podcast. “They're all going to be there.” Joe adds, “…we have a lot of really cool, special guests. We have a speaker coming from Amazon Web Services, AWS. We have Mike Tessler, the guy who founded BroadSoft, which was later sold to Cisco, like probably one of the founders, if you will, of the voice over the internet industry.”

Along with exception guest and speakers, Cloud Connections will also offer two things not found in too many other events. “But really what makes Cloud Connections unique is the sharing aspect of it. I mean, CCA was started about 18 years ago, and we were started on a principle of let's get together and share best practices,” says Marion. Clark notes that the show not only offers technology insights, but bespoke business information, crafted for the challenges of the cloud community. “How should you create the profile of your business to attract, capital as you go forward and look for further investment? So, you know, you'll get a good glimpse into the financial markets as they pertain to the cloud communication space and what you should know to be able to be in the right position to acquire capital, do M&A work and partnering in general to be able to facilitate that with capital.

Learn More

Partner sees Viirtue platform as place to meet customer needs

In this podcast, you will hear from Joshua Davidson, Paradigm Technologies, an MSP and VoIP provider in the Tampa area. Joshua and his partners have exploded on the scene, growing their company to a multimillion-dollar status in just a little over 3 years. Learn a little of his secret sauce and how they have fostered a system of success that helps their clients be the best they can in their industry and market.

In Part 2, CEO and Co-founder Andy Silvey speaks with Don Witt of The Channel Daily News, a TR Publication, about the decentralized aspects of the atkrypyo.io technology.

Andy Silvey

Private Blockchain Immutability, Proof of Trust, Hash based Data Sequence, Consensus Mechanism for adding Data, Decentralized Ledger Data Storage

Built in Enterprise Data Wallet

NFT & Tokenization of any Assets

Exchange of Assets between atkrypto Blockchains and other Blockchains

Bridges to other Blockchains

Blockchain Application Development Platform

Andy goes on to discuss a use case which they are working on with telco-network providers and telco-network operators. Because they are a critical part of the infrastructure in many counties, there are agencies that have requirements for 5G, mobile networks, etc. and how they are to be secured as well as providing data privacy.

While information is being transferred on the data and control plain, the control plain needs the highest level of security to make sure the entire network does not come down

Listen in as Andy provides key information to additional critical areas the need to maintain the highest levels of security and data privacy.

For more information, go to: www.atkrypto.io

IPFone, a leader in cloud communication services, announced earlier this month the acquisition of Joon, a prominent voice over internet protocol (VoIP) company. This strategic move marks a significant milestone in IPFone’s expansion strategy, aiming to enhance its offerings in the fast-evolving telecommunications landscape.

“I think it's the right fit,” says Damian Chmielewski President & CEO at IPFone. “They have a great team; great talent and we start working on transition customers from one platform to another.” Chmielewski, see he combined companies as complimentary, with great options and smooth migration paths for clients. “We have about 60 ,000 subscribers on our platform. We have about 5,000 customers. And we offer UCAS, WebEx, Internet, SD-WAN, Microsoft Teams integration, and other services related to the UCaaS service.”

“Joon was the fifth acquisition in the last eight years. Our goal is to keep growing. This is a private company. We like it this way: self-funded. A healthy company. We have a goal to double our revenues in the last in the next three years and keep the company very competitive and aggressive…  I think we are doing a good job.”

Visit www.ipfone.com

About IPFone

As a leading provider of cloud communication services, IPFone has been at the forefront of delivering innovative Cisco cloud solutions like UCaaS, Webex, Contact Center, Internet, SD-WAN & Security for over 25 years. Committed to innovative technology and customer satisfaction, IPFone is dedicated to empowering organizations with the most advanced cloud communication solutions available.

For additional insights and updates about our services, connect with us on our social media platforms. Follow us on Instagram for the latest news and updates, and join our professional network on LinkedIn to stay informed about industry trends and company announcements.

About Joon

Established as Voice Ring and rebranded to Joon in 2018, the company has been a pioneer in cloud-based business communications for over a decade. Renowned for ‘The Joon Difference™’, Joon stands out with its custom-built VoIP solutions and exceptional customer support, ensuring personalized and efficient service. Committed to resolving issues holistically, Joon provides a range of tailored cloud communication solutions, empowering businesses to transcend traditional technological limitations and seamlessly integrate into a cloud-powered operational ecosystem.

Zayo’s BEAD in the Box program, makes the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program withing easier reach of the ISP community, Practical steps in Bridging the Digital Divide

Its one thing to allocate money to help revitalize rural America. It’s a whole other challenge to turn those investments into connectivity. In this podcast, Bill Long, Chief Product and Strategy Officer at Zayo discusses how Zayo is helping make the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program work at the grassroots level with the BEAD in the Box program.

According to Long, the Internet is the highway of today’s economy. That highway passes right through rural America, but too often lacks an exit ramp. Too many communities have been left behind, while a digital divide has emerged. The divide impacts lives, limiting economic opportunity, income growth and more, in many places. New legislation designed to deliver connectivity, has a speedbump. It might seem too daunting for an ISP to apply. In this podcast Long discusses how Zayo’s Bead in the Box, changes the math on that problem.

“Those local ISPs are great candidates for this $43 billion BEAD funding,” says Long. “Zayo has what we're calling Bead in the Box, where if you reach out to our team, we can help. We can partner with you to go and apply together for those funds.” The funds can help ISPs build to homes and businesses in rural areas, while Zayo’s program helps ISPs have an easier time journeying through the application process.

On June 16, 2023, Zayo was awarded $92.9 million as part of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Middle Mile Grant Program. NTIA received more than 260 applications, collectively requesting $7.47 billion from the $1 billion available and Zayo is the only national provider to receive this funding. The funding will be used to build critical middle-mile connections, providing broadband connectivity for those in need. Without extensive middle-mile network enhancements, it becomes difficult and costly to establish reliable networks in underserved and unserved communities.

Learn more about BEAD in the Box

Visit https://www.zayo.com/

“I think probably a lot of our members have been on the same journey,” says ASCDI’s newly elected Chairman, Andreas Fibiger. “For My company Insight Systems, I think we've been a member since day one, basically, which is now around 17 years ago. And from being a computer hardware trader or reseller doing, simple day -to -day business, importing, exporting, turning that journey into becoming like a full circle ITAD service provider.” Fibiger is Chairman and Co-Founder of Inside Systems.

The ASCDI is a special association that consist of ITAD certified companies, companies that buy and sell used equipment, and companies that offer services. All members are bound by a code of ethics and members must be approved by the current membership. The association’s roots go back to the very first chapters of digital transformation over five decades ago, when companies in the industry recognized common needs, including establishing an ethics process open to anyone, members, and nonmembers alike, and to build trusted partnerships through networking. In this podcast we learn how ITAD has become increasingly central for many members.

Joe Marion, ASCDI’s President, joins Fibiger as we learn about the association today and how the association’s leadership is planning for a year filled with learning, networking, and business building opportunities.  “There’s a sacred trust, and certified ITADs and ASCDI members, those are the companies that guarantee that they're going to follow through and honor that sacred trust,” says Marion. ASCDI and ASCDI ITAD companies can help their customers meet regulatory environmental standards, not to mention corporate commitments a company has made to shareholders and stakeholders to keep data safe, and to protect the environment.

Visit www.ascdi.com