Telecom Reseller / Technology Reseller News

"If you're currently using free Ubuntu, you're getting supported Ubuntu Pro as part of your VCF license — which is amazing." – Thibaut Rouffineau, Canonical

At VMware Explore 2025, Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, spoke with Thibaut Rouffineau, Vice President of Marketing at Canonical, about how Canonical is elevating Ubuntu into the heart of enterprise private cloud.

Canonical, the publisher of Ubuntu and a leader in securing open-source for enterprises, featured prominently in VMware’s major announcements. The news: Ubuntu Pro is now bundled with VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) licenses, instantly providing enterprise customers with long-term support, compliance, and hardened security — at no extra cost.

Rouffineau explained that this recognition of Ubuntu as a first-class enterprise Linux within VCF is about much more than operating systems. Enterprises can now confidently run workloads across VMs, manage Kubernetes clusters with less disruptive upgrades, and accelerate container adoption on a secure and scalable foundation.

Since the announcements, VMware Explore attendees have been eager to understand how these changes impact their modernization journey. Canonical’s answer: what was once free Ubuntu now comes with enterprise-grade support, helping organizations move faster while reducing risk.

For more information, visit Canonical.com.

“Complexity is at the core of this, and our mission at Broadcom has been how to address this complexity by making things simpler,” says Abhay Kumar, Global Head of Managed Services for Broadcom’s VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) division.

In this Technology Reseller News podcast, recorded live at VMware Explore 2025, Kumar discusses Broadcom’s strategy for making the private cloud AI-native, portable, and partner-driven. Since acquiring VMware two years ago, Broadcom has focused on positioning VMware Cloud Foundation as the consistent foundation for enterprise workloads—whether on-premises or across hyperscaler environments.

Key themes from the conversation include:

AI-native private cloud – VCF now incorporates a private AI foundation, with expanded partnerships with NVIDIA and Canonical to accelerate AI and containerized workloads.

License portability – Broadcom is giving customers the flexibility to dynamically move entitlements between on-premises and multiple clouds, protecting investments while enabling innovation.

Ecosystem and choice – Customers can run workloads across AWS, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, and other providers while maintaining consistent control through VCF.

Simplifying complexity – CIOs and partners face hybrid environments, containers, and AI workloads. VCF’s single-pane-of-glass approach reduces operational complexity and ensures skills can be leveraged across environments.

Kumar emphasized that Broadcom’s strategy puts customers at the center, giving them the flexibility to innovate with AI services and advanced analytics while managing cost, efficiency, and control.

"If we have to roll a truck, there’s a problem," says Jake Jacoby of TELCLOUD. In the latest episode of the POTS and Shots podcast series, Jacoby joins Technology Reseller News publisher Doug Green to discuss how TELCLOUD eliminates costly and disruptive truck rolls with a carrier-grade platform that delivers complete remote management for POTS replacement.

Building on the company’s commitment to five nines of uptime, Jacoby explains how TELCLOUD extends its global network directly into customer locations, treating every deployed device as part of its own infrastructure. This approach allows for seamless monitoring, maintenance, and remote reboot capabilities—critical for life-safety lines where reliability is paramount.

TELCLOUD has engineered deep integrations with leading cellular router providers, including Ericsson, Peplink, Digi, InHand, and Segoe, enabling resellers to manage the entire customer environment without ever dispatching a technician. Beyond connectivity, the solution supports firmware upgrades, configuration changes, power cycling, and automated watchdog services that enhance security and resilience.

For resellers, this translates into stronger margins and recurring revenue opportunities. By offering a fully managed service, partners can reduce operational costs, provide higher-quality customer experiences, and build long-term client relationships. Customers benefit as well, gaining affordable, law-compliant POTS replacement backed by continuous monitoring and trusted advisory support.

As always, the podcast pairs telecom insights with a taste of fine tequila. This episode features Teralta Reposado, a clean, organic tequila from Felipe Camarena, best known for creating the G4 brand. Jacoby highlights the nuanced flavors that come from resting the spirit in oak barrels, encouraging listeners to compare Teralta’s Blanco and Reposado expressions side by side.

The POTS and Shots series continues to blend business-critical telecom strategy with lighthearted exploration, reminding resellers that POTS replacement is more than a sale—it’s about delivering lasting reliability and customer loyalty.

Learn more about TELCLOUD’s POTS replacement solutions at telcloud.com.

“Standards are a way to separate out those who say they do the right things from those who actually do them,” says Jeff Seibert, Chief Provocateur at SERI.

In this Technology Reseller News podcast, Publisher Doug Green interviews Seibert about SERI’s mission, the role of the R2 standard in responsible electronics reuse and recycling, and the upcoming eSummit 2025, taking place September 8–11 in Minneapolis.

Seibert explains that SERI, a global nonprofit, is focused on driving sustainable electronics practices through initiatives like R2, the Electronics Impact (EI) standard, and convening industry stakeholders at eSummit. Unlike most conferences that focus narrowly on one part of the value chain, eSummit 2025 aims to bring together the entire electronics ecosystem—from designers to ITADs to recyclers—sparking unique, cross-disciplinary conversations.

The event features four days of packed programming: facility tours (including an ASCDI member tour), an expo hall with solution providers, industry awards, interactive workshops, and thought leadership sessions addressing both immediate operational challenges and long-term strategic goals. Pre-conference pricing and ASCDI member discounts are available through August 27.

For more information, visit SERI’s website or explore details about ASCDI’s member tour at eSummit 2025.

In this Technology Reseller News podcast, Doug Green interviews Jill Blankenship, CEO of Frontline Group, and Thomas McCarthy-Howe, CTO of Strolid, about their collaboration on vCons (Virtualized Conversations)—a new file format that could transform how conversations are captured, stored, and analyzed in the contact center.

A vCon is a standardized file (currently under IETF review) that stores the full content of a conversation—recording, transcript, participants, and metadata. Unlike traditional call recordings or after-call notes, vCons provide secure, portable, and queryable data that can be easily integrated into AI systems.

For Frontline Group, this means agents no longer need to spend time typing summaries after calls. “vCon captures every part of that conversation,” Blankenship explains. This allows agents to focus on empathy and listening, while supervisors and customers benefit from richer, more accurate insights.

For Strolid, which manages high-volume conversations in the automotive sector, vCons provide new visibility into customer frustrations and operational challenges. McCarthy-Howe notes: “Because vCons capture everything, it’s easier to bring all the data together so the blindness gets cured.”

The applications extend beyond sales and support. In critical services such as 2-1-1, where people call for help with food, housing, or emergencies, vCons can ensure every call is captured, flagged for urgent needs, and analyzed for emerging trends—all while prioritizing data privacy and portability.

Blankenship emphasizes that AI should not replace people, but empower them: “We’re training our staff to be AI managers—coaching, tweaking, and escalating when needed. It’s the people behind the AI that bring the true value.”

This partnership demonstrates how AI, human expertise, and open standards can combine to make conversations more accurate, secure, and impactful across industries.

Learn more at frontline.group and strolid.com.

In this Technology Reseller News podcast, Doug Green speaks with Jennifer Lee, President and Co-CEO of Intradiem, about how AI—particularly predictive AI—can improve agent well-being, enhance customer experiences, and reduce costly attrition in telecom contact centers.

Jennifer Lee

Lee, who began her career as a telecom contact center agent, explains that the late summer season is one of the busiest times of the year. With back-to-school moves, new service activations, billing issues, and early product launches, call volumes can spike dramatically. Agents face repetitive, high-stress interactions that, over time, can lead to burnout and turnover.

“Stress compounds,” Lee notes. “Minor stressors throughout the day add up to significant fatigue, and without intervention, that can lead to true burnout.” Intradiem’s predictive AI can analyze millions of daily data points to identify when an agent is at risk, triggering automatic wellness breaks or supervisor interventions. According to Lee, agents reaching a “critical” burnout level face a 70% chance of leaving within two weeks without support.

Beyond agent well-being, predictive AI can also optimize routing, ensure customers are connected to the right resource the first time, and provide agents with real-time customer context. Lee contrasts this with poor chatbot deployments that trap customers, noting that the best AI solutions enhance the customer journey while keeping humans in complex, empathy-driven interactions.

“Technology should support humans, not replace them,” Lee emphasizes. “AI has capabilities that no other technology has had before, and when deployed thoughtfully, it can transform both the employee and customer experience.”

More information about Intradiem’s solutions is available at intradiem.com.

In this Technology Reseller News interview, Doug Green speaks with Dane Surkamer, VP of Global Channel Sales at Digi International, about how the IoT leader is teaming with TELCLOUD to tackle the huge POTS line replacement market.

Digi, now in its 40th year, specializes in mission-critical wireless connectivity across industries such as healthcare, transportation, and utilities. Millions of legacy copper endpoints still in use can now be replaced with TELCLOUD’s as-a-service POTS solution, integrated with Digi’s EX50 5G cellular router and managed through Digi Remote Manager.

“The EX50 being PoE-enabled means we can bring the device to where the service is, even in challenging locations like concrete basements,” Surkamer notes. “That flexibility is part of the value we bring to TELCLOUD’s solution and to our partners.”

The offering fits Digi’s channel-first strategy and Digi360 model, giving partners simple SKUs, recurring revenue potential, and a customizable, pre-baked platform. Digi plans to expand partner enablement through alliances, training boot camps, and dedicated support resources.

Digi TELCLOUD Press Release

Digi Channel Partners Sign Up

Visit www.digi.com

In a fast-paced fall event season, where overlapping trade shows can overwhelm even seasoned marketers, Sam Littlefield, President and CEO of Littlefield Agency, joins Technology Reseller News Publisher Doug Green to share fresh strategies for cutting through the noise. Founded in 1980 and based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Littlefield Agency specializes in complex B2B manufacturer and financial institution marketing, earning recognition as a Top 25 B2B agency in the U.S.

Littlefield stresses that while many companies lead with features, real engagement starts by identifying and communicating the customer’s pain points and high-level benefits. At trade shows and in campaigns, simplification is key—one clear message beats a crowded wall of technical specs. Once prospects are deeper in the sales funnel, feature details have their place, but early messaging should focus on the “problem solved” for the buyer.

The discussion dives into AI’s role in modern storytelling, citing a striking example of an entirely AI-generated “Liquid Death” commercial that captured national attention. For Littlefield, AI isn’t replacing agencies but is expanding creative possibilities—allowing brands to produce more content, faster, at lower cost, while still requiring human insight for strategy and authenticity. He advises companies to experiment widely with AI and digital platforms, from connected TV campaigns to imperfect but relatable social videos, in order to adapt to shifting buyer expectations, especially from millennials and Gen Z.

Whether it’s using AI to refine creative ideas, producing authentic short-form videos, or tightening messaging for the trade show floor, Littlefield’s advice is clear: test, learn, and embrace new tools while keeping storytelling grounded in the real customer experience.

For more insights, visit littlefieldagency.com.

"It’s as if we were both JP Morgan and the New York Stock Exchange." — Quoting a Google executive in his new book, Ari Paparo lays out the case against the tech giant.

In this Technology Reseller News podcast, Publisher Doug Green interviews Ari Paparo, CEO of Marketecture TV and author of Yield: How Google Bought, Built, and Bullied Its Way to Advertising Dominance. Paparo draws on two decades in ad tech—including his time at DoubleClick during its $3.1 billion acquisition by Google—to explain how the search giant built a commanding position across the digital advertising ecosystem.

The conversation centers on the OpenX civil suit against Google, which follows a federal court ruling finding Google guilty of abusing its monopoly in advertising technology. Paparo details how Google’s control of both the ad server market and the AdX exchange created a “tie” that locked out competitors, costing companies like OpenX market share and even forcing layoffs. With Google facing multiple antitrust actions worldwide—including parallel cases in search and app stores—Paparo says the September remedies trial could reshape the economics of online publishing.

The discussion also examines the broader implications for news organizations and independent publishers, with Paparo predicting that breaking Google’s control could open access to new advertising demand sources such as Meta. However, he warns that the rise of AI could create a new winner-take-all dynamic, potentially replacing one dominant gatekeeper with another.

For advertisers, Paparo advises pragmatism—continue investing where ROI is strongest, chiefly Google and Meta—while publishers should focus on controlling their distribution through channels like email and podcasts rather than relying on referral traffic.

Paparo’s Yield—currently a #1 Amazon bestseller in the media category—offers what he describes as a “Michael Lewis–style” narrative for understanding the stakes of ad tech dominance, its impact on journalism, and the uncertain future of an open web.

Learn more about Ari Paparo’s work at aripaparo.com or find Yield on Amazon and major booksellers.

In this Technology Reseller News and Cloud Communications Alliance preview of the upcoming CCA Financial Summit (October 7, 2025, Willard Hotel, Washington, D.C.), Doug Green speaks with Michael Quinn, Founding Partner at Q Advisors, and Jonathan Marashlian, Managing Partner at The CommLaw Group. The session they will lead—aptly titled Hotel California and the Regulatory Impact on Cloud Transactions—explores how certain state-level telecom regulations, especially in California, are causing costly delays and uncertainty in cloud and VoIP M&A activity.

Quinn explains the analogy: “You can check in, but you can never leave. That’s how it feels when a deal gets stuck in California’s opaque approval process.” He notes that even transactions with minimal in-state revenue can be held for months, slowing an industry that’s rapidly evolving with AI and new technologies.

Marashlian details the legal backdrop, pointing to the erosion of the Vonage preemption and the California Public Utilities Commission’s expanded reach into VoIP. “For 20 years, states generally took a hands-off approach to VoIP market entry and transactions. Now, with California leading the way, we’re seeing a spider web of regulatory requirements emerging,” he warns. The result: unpredictable timelines, heightened legal exposure, and the risk that other states will follow suit.

Both agree that while consumer protection is vital in traditional telecom, these rules are misapplied to business-focused VoIP and UCaaS providers, where customers are sophisticated and competition is abundant. They urge federal action—specifically FCC reaffirmation of Vonage preemption—to restore clarity, prevent regulatory overreach, and allow businesses to plan transactions with certainty.

More information on the speakers and their work is available at commlawgroup.com and qllc.com.

Learn more about the CCA Financial Summit and register at https://www.cloudcommunications.com/events/financial-summit-2025.