Telecom Reseller / Technology Reseller News

The Cavell Group offering events, information and knowledge for the cloud communications community

“The Cloud Comms Summit is an idea I had about six years ago when I realized that there was no place really where the service providers could come together and talk, together, as a peer group about the industry,” says Matthew Townend our Research and Consulting Director of the Cavell Group. Reflecting on the gap left by the end of the Von Group’s events, Cavell launched the Cloud Comms Summit five years ago in Europe, and last week it came to America for second year with a very successful two day event that occurred near Washington DC, with the active partnership of the Cloud Communications Alliance (CCA). In this podcast, recorded at the summit, we learn about this unique event that allows service providers to have a place to share in a peer to peer environment, with sessions and exhibitors offering tailored content just for them. “There seemed to be a dearth of events for that community,” reflected Townend. Townend also describes the way the Cavell Group’s and Townend’s personal experience with event organization and the cloud communications community has led CCA to build a sizeable membership and event presence in Europe.

CCA Survey Says…

This podcast also covers some research undertaken by the CCA and the Cavell Group. We learn what Townend describes as “surprising results”, as companies relate that their biggest competition challenges may not come from each other but from the “mega cloud companies”. Townend discusses how the industry has evolved from being focused on delivering dial tone to a more critical and involved set of integrated communication solutions that need to be seen as vital to the business customer. Stay tuned in this podcast for a taste of some additional surprising and insightful findings.

Visit www.cavellgroup.com

“We give you all of the building blocks to build out the customizations, and we make it very easy for those integrations so that not only is it very sticky, we solve a lot of pain points for your customer,” says Patrick Sullivan, COO, of 2600Hz. In this podcast we learn about 2600Hz, a UCaaS and CPaaS solution that Sullivan says allows providers the ability to really build a custom solution that is valuable to the customer, can deliver good margins. “You’re not just schlepping a phone; you’re doing a solution." Sullivan gives a us a big overview of the company’s offering and how it’s unique in the market. We learn about use cases and how partners can invent novel solutions for their customers that basically add value not only to the partner’s brand, but to the customer’s brand in how that customer communicates with consumers and other partners. Sullivan believes 2600Hz enables partners to say to customers, “Hey, this is not a just a phone, but part of your entire communications needs.”

Visit www.2600Hz.com

by Gary Audin

Resellers evolved into value added resellers (VARs). We now have the managed service provider (MSP). What organizations are candidates for an MSP? What are the benefits? If you want to go this route, how do you evaluate a MSP for your organization?

I had the opportunity to interview Dave Sobel, the Senior Director, MSP Evangelism from SolarWinds www.solarwinds at the Channel Partners conference in Washington D.C. Dave spent 10 years as the owner and operator of an MSP. He now helps MSPs understand how to deal with evolving technologies. In this podcast, Dave focusses more on the business rather than the technical outcomes of applying IT. He believes that a successful MSP must deliver:

Reduced IT costs

Increase revenue

Rollout new technologies

This is done by knowing more about the customer’s business that just the technologies available. He then moves on to provide his opinions about data security, protection, use, and compliance. Dave believes that even if the data is used legally, there is the question of ethical miscues that can harm a business’s reputation. He points that although the EU GDPR efforts are geographically limited; SolarWinds has decided to adopt GDPR worldwide. He went on by discussing how MSPs need to be agile and pose questions to get the customer to consider a wider view of IT and it impact on business.

SolarWind’s www.solarwinds business is built around helping technology professionals—IT operations professionals, DevOps professionals and managed service providers (MSPs)—solve today’s IT challenges. Their relationship and engagement with them provides insight and understanding they rely upon to deliver products designed to solve IT management problems the way technology professionals want them solved. This relationship is fostered through daily engagement on THWACK, their online community of over 150,000 registered members.

by Gary Audin

Using computing and network technologies need to support organization’s operations. Looking through only the IT lens, does not deliver what a successful organization needs to control and reduce cost, obtain efficiency, and improve operations in a competitive environment.

I had the opportunity to speak to Greg Praske, CEO and Mike Shonholz CRO from ARG www.myarg.com at the Channel Partners conference in Washington D.C. Greg and Mike discuss many issues that are faced by businesses today. The subjects included in this podcast are:

How IT clarity can differentiate a business

The rapidly expanding application and use of Unified Communications

Why and how often networks need to be upgraded and refreshed

Support for IoT devices and their impact on a business

The impact of rapid delivery to market technologies that have not been fully tested or passed rigorous quality assurance programs

Why disaster recovery plans should be the starting point not the afterthought that many businesses delay

ARG’s goal is to connect clients with technology solutions that will have the greatest impact on their business. ARG works with an expansive array of service provider partners to deliver solutions to accelerate growth, improve efficiency, and engage stakeholders. Our large client base provides first-hand experience in industry best practices and the knowledge of how to fit game-changing technology to an organization of any size.

Useful and informative ARG blogs are available at https://www.myarg.com/news/.

“We’re so impressed with SkySwitch and Vectors,” says Darren Knapp, Director, Global ITSP Sales Team at Poly. “It’s just a great group of people, great technology and the way they treat their partner community is second to none.” In this podcast Knapp tells us why Poly is committed to Vectors 2019. Knapp describes the conference as a strong place to find committed people who are growing their businesses. Knapp says that listening is part of the opportunity and that SkySwitch’s dedicated partner community have valuable input for Poly in its product development and research.

“We’ve got you covered,” says Knapp. In this podcast Knapp discusses how the new company of Poly, created from the merger of Plantronics and Polycom, is, as Knapp puts it, “…the end point of choice.” Knapp notes how Poly works with almost any installed products and platforms. Knapp describes his job as, “kid in the candy store”, with Poly’s extensive choice of wearable and desktop products. Knapp describes how those products define Poly’s mission, “The Power of Many”, which among other things means that Poly can stay with you as you move from one site to another, to mobile. Knapp tells us that at this year’s Vectors 2019, Poly will be debuting two new products:

VVX 230 – a new stand-alone DECT wireless phone

Trio 8300 – a new entry-level conference phone that also does video and content sharing

Knapp says the SkySwitch partners understand the Poly story of value. “The chink in the (cloud communications) armor,” says Knapp,” can be the phones. Knapp values the people he finds at Vectors, who value, value.

Visit www.skyswitch.com and www.vectors2019.com

Recently, TelcoBridges, a leading designer and manufacturer of carrier-grade virtual session border controller software and Tmedia VoIP gateways, announced that it has extended its product portfolio through the general availability release of ProSBC, a feature-rich Virtual Session Border Controller for Service Providers and Enterprises. In this podcast, TelcoBridge’s (and Telecom Reseller Blogger) Alan Percy walks us through the new release. The podcast, recorded at the Cloud Comms Summit 2019, walks us through ProSBC features including:

Encrypted SIP/TLS signaling and SRTP media relay features

Enhanced high availability features, supporting no loss-of-calls during a fail-over

Permanent licenses – at additional cost, eliminating annual license key updates

Support for the Microsoft Azure cloud

An improved web portal user interface.

ProSBC is offered as an annual subscription, priced at $1/session/year, which includes support. ProSBC is available for download at http://www.ProSBC.com. Annual subscription licenses (that include support) can be purchased at the TelcoBridges on-line store or by contacting [email protected]. Percy notes the service also includes an innovative 90-day guarantee, a new development in the subscription space.

“It’s a great place to network and collaborate,” says Chris Cameron, President and CEO of Accent, about this year’s Cloud Comms Summit in Washington DC which Cameron attended. In this podcast, Cameron outlines the metamorphosis of his company from a traditional integrator and dealer of legacy on-prem brands to service provider. Along the way, we learn, that while the company’s mandate to provide communications to small and medium sized businesses remains the same, the company’s switch to becoming a service provider has meant embracing new technologies and wider markets (geographically). Cameron discusses how the Cloud Comms Summit delivers a mix of collaborative resources and tools even among companies that compete in the market. Cameron reports that they even offered a wide range of useful content from technology changes to capital and UC and CPaaS market economics. Cameron shares some of the ways his firm has offered distinctive services. “If there’s anybody that’s thinking about being a better provider and they’re wanting to learn more, or get more established in the industry, or spread their wings a bit, the Cloud Comms Summit is a great place to do that.

Visit https://www.accentvoiceone.com/

“We are here to make service providers successful,” says Veena Vadgama, Vice President of Marketing. In this podcast, Vadgama walks us through a new white label announcement made by Telestax in London and Austin, this week, Telestax, has announced the capability to completely white label the Restcomm CPaaS platform. The new Restcomm Whitelabel Feature allows service providers to customize their Restcomm customer-facing portal and product documentation, saving weeks to months of time in deploying new CPaaS products and services. “Enterprise want one stop shopping,” says Vadgama. With this announcement, service providers can deliver CPaaS products, in addition to their current services, under their own label. Vadgama also discusses the CPaaS playbook, a roadmap for service providers to train their teams to better match customer needs and expectations.  In this podcast, Vadgama discusses the real-world possibilities this development enables, especially in the area of developing a broader, deeper SMS and real time communications as text notification becomes a customer expectation.

Visit www.telestax.com

“If you have to go out and buy something,” asks Greg Zweig Director of Solutions Marketing for Ribbon, “…how would you go buy that item?” Zweig thinks that most people do a search online, do a little research and then act on buying. In this podcast, Zweig’s message to the channel community is: we can do better. Zweig believes that service providers have real opportunities in simply sprucing up their websites. “If you were going to sell your house, you would paint the front door and fix the landscape.” Many service providers have websites that are dated, not mobile friendly and don’t have useful information. Join us for a few minutes as Zweig lists some simple steps to make a better impression and off customers more useful and actionable content.

Visit www.rbbn.com

In today’s fast paced technology advances and exponential growth in security threats, it is nice to know that there is security technology out there with people in the company that know how to take the fight to the dark side to minimize and neutralize their attempts to breach a company’s defenses.

Ryan Cook, solutions Engineer at VIPRE, provides a very informative description of today’s security threats and gives helpful tips to Don Witt of The Channel Daily News, a TR publication, on how to use some very basic techniques to eliminate many of the threats.

Ryan Cook

Listen in and learn how to:

Eliminate Management Time sinks

Use VIPRE remedies for Alert Fatigue

Use VIPRE to handle threats and the increase in Phishing Attacks

Provide Email Security with DLP

Implement Easy Ways to Increase Security

VIPRE is a leading provider of Internet security solutions purpose-built to protect businesses, solution providers, and home users from costly and malicious cyber threats. With over twenty years of industry expertise, VIPRE is one of the world’s largest threat intelligence clouds, delivering unmatched protection against today’s most aggressive online threats. Our robust software portfolio includes comprehensive endpoint and email security, along with threat intelligence for real-time malware analysis. VIPRE solutions deliver easy-to-use, comprehensive, layered defense through cloud-based and server security, with mobile interfaces that enable fast threat response. A proud Advanced Technology Partner of Amazon Web Services, VIPRE operates globally across North America and Europe. VIPRE® is a brand of the j2 Cloud Services division of j2 Global, Inc.

For more information, go to: https://www.vipre.com/