"Time to market increased by 65%. Reseller success metrics up 90%. That’s the power of structured onboarding," says Katie Merrill, CEO & Founder of B-Lynk. At the upcoming Cloud Communications Alliance Cloud Connections (April 14-16, St. Petersburg, FL), Katie Merrill will help lead a roundtable discussion on Winning Marketing Strategies from AI to Training to Events—a collaborative session designed to give UCaaS and CCaaS providers the strategies, tools, and best practices needed to accelerate sales enablement and drive reseller success.

Reseller Enablement: The Key to Faster Go-To-Market Success

Why It Matters

Many cloud communication providers struggle to onboard resellers efficiently.

Without structured training, products sit on the shelf, sales cycles slow down, and resellers lack confidence in positioning solutions.

B-Lynk’s Approach

Transforms traditional onboarding by packaging sales, product, and technical training into scalable, digital e-learning programs.

Proven Results

65% Faster Time-to-Market – Resellers ramp up and start selling quicker.

90% Increase in Reseller Success Metrics – Better-trained partners lead to stronger sales performance.

On-Demand, Scalable Learning – No need for half-day training calls or webinars—learn at your own pace, anytime, anywhere.

A New Kind of Conference Session: Engaging, Interactive, and Actionable

Merrill’s roundtable at Cloud Connections 2024 https://www.cloudcommunications.com/connections will focus on practical solutions.

Key Takeaways from the Session

Maximizing Sales Success – Digital-first enablement strategies for resellers, direct sellers, and channel partners.

AI & Training in Marketing – How to scale reseller education and adoption with digital content.

Interactive Format – No slides, just real conversations with industry experts.

Join the Conversation

Attend the Session at Cloud Connect (April 14-16 https://www.cloudcommunications.com/connections )

Learn More About B-Lynk: www.b-lynk.com

Connect with Katie Merrill: Katie Merrill on LinkedIn

@Joe Marion @Clark Peterson @Michael Quinn @Dave Gilbert @Jason Byrne

#CloudConnect #CCA #UCaaS #CCaaS #SalesEnablement #ResellerSuccess #AI #Training #GoToMarket #CloudCommunications

The Gold Rush of 2025: Why Resellers Must Act Now, TELCLOUD POTS & Shots Podcast, With an estimated 130 million POTS lines still active in the U.S.—30 million of them in commercial use—resellers have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help businesses modernize while securing long-term recurring revenue

"The opportunity isn't just coming—it's here, and it's massive," says Jake Jacoby, TELCLOUD. In this edition of POTS & Shots, Doug Green, publisher of Technology Reseller News, sits down with the always-insightful Jake Jacoby of TELCLOUD to discuss why 2025 marks the biggest shift yet in POTS line replacement. With an estimated 130 million POTS lines still active in the U.S.—30 million of them in commercial use—resellers have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help businesses modernize while securing long-term recurring revenue.

Why 2025 Is the Year to Move

POTS line replacement has been in the works for years, but after delays due to COVID-19, the transition is now accelerating rapidly. Carriers are shutting down copper lines and raising prices due to deregulation, putting immense pressure on businesses—especially those that rely on life-safety lines for elevators, alarms, and emergency systems.

Jacoby predicts that 30% of all remaining POTS lines will be replaced this year alone, with another 30% in 2026. That means resellers who act now can capitalize on a high-demand, high-value service before the market reaches saturation.

How Resellers Can Strike Gold

For resellers, the playbook is simple:

Talk to your customers. Ask them about their copper lines, review their bills, and highlight rising costs.

Target multi-location businesses. Retail chains, hospitals, and commercial buildings are feeling the squeeze.

Be proactive. Waiting will only lead to delays in equipment availability and field service bottlenecks.

TELCLOUD is empowering resellers by offering white-label marketing, technical support, billing assistance, and field services, ensuring they have everything needed to seize this opportunity without selling direct.

A Tequila Fit for a Gold Rush

No POTS & Shots episode is complete without a top-tier tequila recommendation. This week, Jake highlights Casamigos, the billion-dollar tequila brand founded by George Clooney and Rande Gerber. Known for its smooth, sippable taste, it's perfect straight or in a cocktail—a modern take on a classic, much like POTS replacement itself.

Join us in Part 6 of our ongoing podcast series as we blend industry expertise with a splash of fun – because, like a fine liquor, great conversations are meant to be savored.

Visit www.telcloud.com  or call 844-900-2270 to discover how you can stake your claim in the POTS replacement gold rush

About TELCLOUD

TELCLOUD, the global leader in white-label POTS line replacement, enables channel partners worldwide to grow their businesses with our customizable and scalable Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS). Exclusively designed for telecommunications providers, resellers, and MSPs, we offer a fully supported backend that seamlessly integrates with existing business infrastructures across global markets. Our no single-point-of-failure approach ensures 99.999% reliability, utilizing a unique redundancy in connectivity, power, and global networks. With a simple setup, streamlined deployment, and wholesale pricing, partners can quickly realize new multiple recurring revenue opportunities, gaining exceptional business value while providing cost-effective savings to their customers.

#TelecomTransformation #POTSReplacement #RecurringRevenue #TeleCloud #BusinessGrowth

"AI is in a typical hype cycle—everyone is using it, but few understand how," said Ray Pasquale, Founder and CEO of Unified Office, in a discussion with Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, at ITExpo.

In this podcast, Pasquale explains how AI adoption follows Gartner’s S-curve, with an initial surge of enthusiasm, followed by disillusionment, before settling into practical, productive applications. He pointed out that many businesses adopt AI without a clear strategy simply because they feel pressured to do so. "Your boss asks, ‘What are we doing about AI?’ and the answer is often just, ‘We’re using ChatGPT,’ without knowing how or why," he said.

At Unified Office, Pasquale and his team aim to bypass the AI hype and focus on practical applications that drive real business outcomes. The company specializes in vertical market solutions, with a strong presence in the restaurant industry and other service-based sectors. A Unified Office customer in attendance at ITExpo underscored this approach, expressing appreciation for the company’s ability to simplify complex AI challenges.

Regulatory Uncertainty and the Future of AI

Pasquale also addressed the regulatory challenges surrounding AI, including pending copyright lawsuits against OpenAI and concerns over how large language models (LLMs) are trained. "There are lawsuits over AI scraping content from major publishers, and now federal and state regulators are stepping in to determine accountability," he said.

Looking ahead, Pasquale predicted significant changes in AI’s role in business communications, particularly regarding Agent AI, which operates with autonomous decision-making. "That’s going to be the first thing regulators clamp down on," he noted, contrasting it with AI-driven chatbots, which are more controlled and purpose-driven.

EngageIQ and the Future of Voice Intelligence

Unified Office is also expanding its EngageIQ platform, adding a classification and prompting engine to enhance AI-driven customer interactions. Voice-based AI solutions are an emerging focus, with new technologies capable of classifying conversations in real time. "Imagine listening to this conversation and automatically categorizing key topics—California regulations, Agent AI, federal policy—all mapped out in a dashboard," Pasquale explained.

As Unified Office continues to refine AI applications for enterprise use, Pasquale remains optimistic about its potential—when properly implemented. "There’s no guardrail on this thing yet," he warned about AI’s rapid evolution, emphasizing the need for responsible deployment and strategic focus.

For more information, visit UnifiedOffice.com.

#AI #UnifiedOffice #ITExpo #AgentAI #VoiceIntelligence #TelecomReseller

Many MSPs are focused on how to integrate AI into their own operations—cybersecurity, automation, efficiency—but Joe Rojas argues that’s only part of the equation. “The real opportunity,” he says, “is helping clients implement AI to improve their business—and monetizing that service.”

Rather than just managing a client’s IT infrastructure, MSPs should actively introduce AI-driven solutions that help clients increase productivity, streamline operations, and scale without increasing headcount. For example, an MSP specializing in accounting firms could implement AI-powered bookkeeping, allowing firms to serve more clients with the same staff.

The Key to Success: Industry Specialization

Rojas emphasizes that MSPs must focus on a specific vertical to truly deliver AI solutions that matter. “It’s nearly impossible for an MSP to be a trusted advisor across 25 industries,” he explains. Instead, MSPs should choose a niche, build expertise, and then expand strategically once they dominate that space.

Understanding Client Needs Through Strategic Business Reviews

To uncover real business challenges, MSPs must move beyond traditional technical QBRs (Quarterly Business Reviews) and conduct Strategic Business Reviews (SBRs) that focus on business goals, not just IT performance.

Start Grow Manage provides a free SBR template to help MSPs walk clients through this process, identify pain points, and offer AI-driven solutions that add measurable business value.

Overcoming the Fear of Change

Many MSPs hesitate to introduce new services to existing clients, fearing disruption to a steady revenue stream. But Rojas warns that complacency is risky: “If an industry specialist comes in and solves a business problem your client didn’t even know they had, you could lose that customer overnight.”

To remain competitive, MSPs must proactively deliver business solutions, making them indispensable partners rather than just IT providers.

How Start Grow Manage Helps MSPs Adapt

Start Grow Manage provides step-by-step guidance for MSPs to:

Identify a profitable niche

Research industry-specific AI solutions

Develop messaging that resonates with target clients

Position themselves as trusted advisors in their vertical

Learn More

For MSPs looking to implement these strategies, Start Grow Manage is hosting a free training event. Details at startgrowmanage.com/TD.

For more insights, visit startgrowmanage.com.

#AIforMSPs #BusinessGrowth #StrategicAdvisory #MSPLeadership #TelecomReseller #ITExpo

"Global roaming is not the world's greatest performance enhancer," says Sara Brown, EVP of Marketing at FloLIVE, in a conversation with Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News at IT Expo.

FloLIVE, which operates the world’s largest cellular network for IoT, announced its Local Breakout Service, enabling mobile network operators (MNOs), MVNOs, and IoT service providers to offer localized connectivity. This service addresses data sovereignty regulations, enhances privacy compliance, and improves latency by keeping data within its country of origin rather than routing it globally.

Meeting Enterprise IoT Challenges

Enterprises are no longer new to IoT; many have deployed multiple generations of connected devices and are now acutely aware of pain points like latency, data sovereignty, and scalability. FloLIVE aims to solve these challenges by offering:

Regulatory compliance for markets like Brazil, Turkey, China, and India, where strict data localization laws apply

Improved latency by reducing reliance on inefficient global roaming routes

Simplified multi-operator management, eliminating the need for enterprises to juggle multiple commercial agreements

Simplifying Global IoT Deployments

For U.S.-based partners managing global IoT implementations, FloLIVE provides a single point of contact for global coverage. Instead of dealing with 50+ commercial agreements, partners can rely on FloLIVE for one operator, one billing system, and one global platform with localized connectivity.

What’s Next for FloLIVE?

FloLIVE is heading to Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where it will launch VoLTE Services—a game-changer for industries like automotive, security, and elevators, ensuring seamless emergency voice communications.

To learn more, visit https://flolive.net/

#IoTConnectivity #5G #LocalBreakout #DataSovereignty #GlobalIoT #TelecomReseller

“For the first time, I saw how a vCon could instantly surface the key insights from my own podcast—just like I would.” – Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News

At ITExpo 2025, Jeff Pulver and Technology Reseller News publisher Doug Green explored the future of structured conversation data through vCon—and experienced its impact firsthand.

Green, known for producing thousands of industry podcasts, has long been burdened by the manual effort of summarizing, archiving, and analyzing content. But during this live demo, he witnessed how vCon automates this process with precision.

vCon in Action: A New Era for Media and Business Intelligence

With a simple copy-paste workflow, Green and Pulver tested vCon’s capabilities:

✅ Accurate Transcription: vCon provided a structured and highly precise transcript.

✅ Instant Podcast Summarization: AI identified the most SEO-friendly key quote, just as Green himself would have.

✅ Automated Editorial Review: When asked, “What did Doug forget to ask?” the system generated insightful follow-up questions, improving future interviews.

✅ Optimized Social Media Posts: vCon-crafted LinkedIn content aligned with both human audiences and algorithmic discoverability.

Beyond automation, Green emphasized that vCon enhances, rather than replaces, human judgment. “I still review, tweak, and finalize everything,” he said. “But the heavy lifting is done.”

Beyond Podcasting: The Broad Implications of vCon

The implications of vCon go far beyond media production. Pulver and Green identified game-changing use cases for industries such as:

Regulatory and Legal Proceedings: Structured archives provide instant access to historical insights, benefiting legal cases and expert testimony.

Sales and Prospecting: vCons help MSPs and resellers track and optimize their customer engagement strategies.

Customer Experience & Call Centers: Enterprises can analyze vast amounts of conversations to identify pain points, streamline responses, and enhance service quality.

Pulver summed it up best: “vCon gives businesses a perfect memory—structured, searchable, and actionable.”

Learn More

vCon & Structured Conversations: www.conserver.io

Doug Green’s Podcast Archive: Technology Reseller News

#vCon #AI #ITExpo2025 #Podcasting #MediaTech #CustomerExperience #Automation

Sean Breeden of SkySwitch talks to us from their partner, Snom Americas. SkySwitch offers a white label path opportunity for a community of partner companies. Snom is of the products that are part of this approach. SkySwitch works to deliver a one stop approach, with everything the MSP needs to go to market.

"The conversation doesn’t end when you hang up the phone. That’s when it begins." – Jeff Pulver

At the recent TMC event, Technology Reseller News publisher Doug Green sat down with Jeff Pulver, a pioneering voice in the VoIP industry and now the driving force behind vCon. Their conversation, much like the technology it centered on, was a glimpse into the future of communication—one that redefines how we capture, analyze, and leverage conversations.

30 Years of VoIP: From VocalTech to vCon

For Pulver, February 13th, 2025, marked a milestone—30 years since VocalTech introduced the first consumer VoIP application, a moment that proved voice could travel over the internet, not just phone lines. While voice-over-IP technology has been in development since 1969, Pulver sees 1995 as the true launch of the VoIP industry. Since then, the landscape has evolved in ways few could have predicted.

Now, Pulver is championing vCon, an IETF standard that could revolutionize digital communication. "If you're familiar with SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), then you’ll appreciate that the same people behind SIP are bringing you vCon," he said. vCon is more than just a file format—it’s a way to store, analyze, and extract value from conversations across voice, email, and text.

A Game Changer for Businesses of All Sizes

Until recently, only large enterprises could afford advanced AI-driven conversation analysis, using sentiment and metadata to gain insights. But vCon democratizes this capability, allowing small and medium-sized businesses—or even individuals—to capture and analyze conversations effortlessly.

Pulver envisions a world where conversations are no longer lost but instead serve as valuable data points. "We’ve been letting metadata fall on the cutting room floor. Now, we can take conversations, apply AI, and gain insights without millions in R&D costs," he explained.

The First-Ever vCon Interop Event

To further the adoption of this groundbreaking standard, Pulver announced the first-ever vCon Interop event, set for April 22-24, 2025, in Cape Cod. The event will feature a workshop, hands-on application development, and an industry showcase where companies can test interoperability.

Additionally, he is spearheading Vinevolution, an event in Bentonville, Arkansas, on April 9, focusing on the intersection of AI, telecom, and supply chain, as well as AI Com in New York City on April 4.

The Future of Conversations

Pulver, who coined the term Voice on the Net (VON) in 1995, sees vCon as a natural progression of his work. "We’re living in a world where AI is pervasive, and communication is evolving again," he said. "This is more than just telecom—it’s about transforming how we do business."

With vCon, conversations become assets, not just fleeting moments. For those who want to be part of this next wave of innovation, the opportunity starts now. As Pulver put it, "If you’re an early adopter, come join us."

For more details, visit pulver.com or join the vCon Foundation at pulver.com/join.

(This podcast summary was done by vCon)

“When you start using vCons and actually listen to what your customers say, you realize you never really listened to them before.” – Thomas McCarthy-Howe, Co-Author of VCon and CEO of Strolid

At IT Expo, Technology Reseller News publisher Doug Green sat down with Thomas McCarthy-Howe, co-inventor of the vCon standard, to discuss how structured conversation data is revolutionizing industries—starting with automotive sales.

McCarthy-Howe, alongside Dan Petrie, developed the vCon standard, now adopted by the IETF, to address a fundamental gap in digital communications: there was no standardized way to structure and analyze conversations. Initially developed to help Strolid, his outsourced sales firm, better understand customer interactions, vCon has since evolved into a critical tool for enhancing both customer (CX) and employee experience (EX).

vCon’s First Use Case: Automotive Sales

In the high-stakes world of car sales, where Strolid processes over 9,000 daily inquiries and converts 5,000-6,000 into sales, conversation intelligence is a game-changer. By structuring and analyzing millions of calls, vCon enables dealerships to:

Identify and resolve customer pain points, like inaccurate inventory listings

Improve lead response times to meet manufacturer SLAs

Uncover hidden operational inefficiencies affecting margins

Reduce customer frustration, boosting dealership reputation and loyalty

“In our industry, a customer might drive an hour to see a car—only to find it’s not on the lot. That’s a serious problem. With vCons, we capture these issues and fix them before they escalate,” McCarthy-Howe explained.

Beyond Sales: The Future of vCon

VCon isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about data integrity and security. As McCarthy-Howe emphasized, biometric data like voice and face recordings are highly sensitive, making secure, structured storage essential in the age of deepfakes and digital fraud.

Learn More

Strolid: strolid.com

VCon & Structured Conversations: conserver.io

Next IETF Meeting (March in Bangkok): Get involved in shaping the future of vCon

#vCon #AI #CustomerExperience #AutomotiveSales #TechInnovation #ITExpo

“Silent Breach offers cybersecurity services for MSPs to augment their offer and allow MSPs to sell more cybersecurity services and products”, says Marc Castejon of Silent Breach.

“Things like penetration testing or compliance, like if your customers want to be SOC 2 compliant, ISO compliant. We can help you help your customers by providing these wide-labeled services to augment your offer. And it's a win-win for both of us, MSPs, and customers. For more information, just scan the QR code. More than happy to answer any questions. Thank you very much.”

www.silentbreach.com