Telecom Reseller / Technology Reseller News

“You don’t have to have a previous relationship with Verizon. We’re looking for new partners—especially those who’ve never sold connectivity before.” — Jen Skinner, Verizon Business

In a fast-changing telecom landscape, Verizon and TELCLOUD are teaming up to offer something powerful: a fresh opportunity for resellers and solution providers to break into POTS line replacement and wireless enablement. In this episode of the POTS and Shots series from TELCLOUD, Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, sits down with Jake Jacoby of TELCLOUD and special guest Jen Skinner, Associate Director of the Wireless Connectivity Program at Verizon Business.

Verizon is expanding its Connectivity Partner Program, offering 4G and 5G fixed wireless access to new and existing partners—no prior Verizon relationship required. This initiative empowers partners, including those with limited telecom backgrounds, to tap into a growing demand for code-compliant and cost-effective POTS line replacements—without the headaches of digging up concrete or rewiring legacy infrastructure.

Jake Jacoby underscores how TELCLOUD enables partners to pair Verizon’s fixed wireless access with TELCLOUD's hardware to deliver high-reliability, on-premise connectivity. “These are life safety lines,” Jacoby emphasizes. “We need unbreakable connectivity.” Together, TELCLOUD and Verizon provide not just backup internet, but complete primary wireless solutions—even meeting emerging code requirements like elevator video transmission.

The conversation also highlights new frontiers for resellers, such as faxing in healthcare and legal sectors where cloud isn't an option, and how TELCLOUD’s enablement support fills critical gaps in Verizon's capabilities—making the partnership essential for addressing niche customer needs.

And true to the POTS and Shots theme, the episode closes with a shared toast of Código Rosa tequila—aged in Napa Cabernet barrels and selected by Jake for Jen, a fan of bold reds. It’s a smooth finish to a bold conversation about growth, opportunity, and innovation in telecom.

Learn more:

Verizon Connectivity Partner Program: https://www.verizon.com/business/solutions/enterprise/

TELCLOUD: https://www.telcloud.com | 844-900-2270

"Customers don’t want three different dashboards — they want one pane of glass." — Adam Derkey, Product Architect, Unimax

At Cisco Live 2025 in San Diego, Technology Reseller News publisher Doug Green sat down with Adam Derkey of Unimax to explore Sentinel, the company’s cloud-native, multi-vendor CDR (Call Detail Record) and analytics tool.

Sentinel, now live for nearly a year, provides a single interface for monitoring call data across Cisco, Microsoft Teams, Avaya, and other platforms — eliminating the need for disparate reporting tools. Designed from the ground up as a cloud-first solution in Microsoft Azure, Sentinel simplifies the overwhelming volume of CDR data generated by modern UC systems, offering standardized dashboards, visualizations, and actionable insights.

“You don’t have to understand how a Teams call record works versus a Cisco record. We normalize all of it so you can focus on what matters,” said Derkey, who led the product’s design.

Unlike Unimax’s flagship Second Nature, which streamlines MACD (Moves, Adds, Changes, and Deletes) management, Sentinel provides deep analytics on system performance and usage. Together, the two solutions create a powerful lifecycle platform: one for UC system control, the other for operational intelligence.

Key Features of Sentinel:

Multi-vendor CDR normalization (Cisco, Avaya, Teams, etc.)

Unified dashboards and visual analytics

Rapid cloud deployment (in as little as a week)

Open availability to both existing and new Unimax customers

Unimax is already seeing strong demand — from both long-time customers and net-new prospects — especially among enterprises seeking simplified UC reporting and resellers who want to offer bundled visibility solutions.

Sentinel is also helping channel partners open new conversations with Cisco users and decision-makers. “It’s a door-opener,” said Derkey, “especially for those who want to consolidate UC analytics without adding another vendor.”

To learn more, visit unimax.com.

"We're here to take the complexity out of unified communications — and turn it into simplicity." — Todd Remely, Unimax

At Cisco Live 2025 in San Diego, Technology Reseller News publisher Doug Green caught up with Todd Remely of Unimax to explore how the company is streamlining unified communications (UC) management for enterprises and partners alike.

With over 30 years in business, Unimax is a veteran in the telecom software space. Their tools help organizations manage Cisco, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Avaya UC systems more efficiently — and that value was on full display across two booths at Cisco Live: one in the Collaboration Village (highlighting Webex integration) and another on the main show floor.

Three Ways Unimax Delivers Simplicity in Complex UC Environments:

Second Nature

A power-user interface that layers over Cisco and other major UC platforms, enabling administrators to perform complex MACDs (moves, adds, changes, deletes) and configuration tasks like provisioning, routing, and device pool management — all from one streamlined dashboard.

Automation Platform

Unimax enables full automation of provisioning and deprovisioning processes. Their platform integrates with Active Directory, ServiceNow, Remedy, HRIS systems, and any REST API-enabled tool, drastically reducing time and human error in user onboarding and offboarding.

HelpOne

A lightweight interface that empowers Tier 1 help desk agents to complete routine MACDs — such as password resets — without telecom expertise, freeing up UC teams to focus on higher-priority work.

Remely noted strong engagement from MSPs and resellers, many of whom use Unimax's multi-tenant solutions to manage customer UC systems at scale. "We’re solution-focused," he said. "And we love working with end users — because that’s where the real problems are, and that’s where we can help most."

For more information or to request a demo, visit unimax.com or contact the team at [email protected].

"We’ve built a smarter AI — not just to summarize performance, but to help you win more business." — Ted Lee, SmarTrak

At Cisco Live 2025 in San Diego, Ted Lee, founder of SmarTrak, joined Technology Reseller News publisher Doug Green to announce the launch of SmarTrak.AI v3 — a major upgrade designed to reshape how Cisco partners and end customers manage lifecycle, subscriptions, and enterprise agreements.

The big news? SmarTrak is now serving two audiences:

Cisco partners: SmarTrak v3 offers a prescriptive, AI-powered platform that enables sellers, CX teams, and renewals specialists to drive more efficient lifecycle management, retention, and expansion.

End customers: For the first time, SmarTrak’s solution is being made available directly to enterprise users, helping them monitor their internal Cisco assets, optimize spend, and better manage long-term agreements.

“Partners use it to grow business,” said Lee. “Now, end customers can use it to control spend and manage their Cisco investment proactively.”

Backed by enhanced AI capabilities, SmarTrak.AI v3 delivers high-level business summaries, proactive alerts, and actionable insights tailored to real-world Cisco implementations. According to Lee, beta testers have already reported “tremendous adoption and growth within weeks.”

Built from the ground up in just the past two years, SmarTrak’s platform was purpose-built to take advantage of the latest in AI innovation — and now v3 replaces even its own earlier AI stack with a more robust, intelligent engine.

With growing demand from both partners and enterprise buyers, SmarTrak is poised to become a key intelligence layer in Cisco lifecycle strategy. “We’re seeing interest from customers who never had this kind of visibility before,” Lee shared.

To learn more or request a demo, visit smartrak.ai.

"Organizations are eager to adopt AI — but 71% of leaders say their workforce isn’t ready." — Paul Savill, Global Practice Leader, Network and Edge, Kyndryl

At Cisco Live 2025 in San Diego, Paul Savill, Global Practice Leader for Network and Edge at Kyndryl, joined Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, to spotlight a critical — and often overlooked — component of AI transformation: people readiness.

While 95% of enterprise leaders say they’re using AI, Kyndryl’s latest People Readiness Report reveals a stark disconnect: 71% of those same leaders believe their workforce is not prepared to make full use of the technology.

As the world’s largest IT managed services provider, Kyndryl supports global enterprises with full-stack IT solutions — and people remain at the heart of that mission. “Our 80,000 engineers and technicians are on the front lines of IT transformation,” said Savill. “Understanding how ready they are — and helping them become more ready — is essential.”

The report, based on a global survey of CIOs, CTOs, and CEOs, also uncovered tension at the executive level:

43% of CEOs said external hiring is the top strategy for bridging AI skills gaps.

But only 16% of CIOs/CTOs agree, instead prioritizing internal reskilling.

According to Savill, this internal approach includes developing cross-functional expertise, especially as networking, security, and cloud operations rapidly converge. “We’re merging roles, job descriptions, and even operational centers,” he noted. “Networking professionals need to understand security. Security teams need to understand cloud.”

Savill also emphasized the importance of breaking down silos to prevent cloud misconfigurations — a leading cause of security breaches. “Misconfigurations often stem from a lack of collaboration across teams. Training people to work across domains is critical.”

Kyndryl’s work with Cisco, particularly in data center networking and edge services, now extends into AI and even quantum computing readiness. These next-gen technologies, Savill warned, require not just platform adoption but deep workforce transformation to be deployed securely and effectively.

As AI adoption accelerates, data quality becomes the cornerstone of success. “You can’t train an effective AI with bad data,” said Savill. “Foundational work around data integrity, structure, and governance is as important as the AI tools themselves.”

The podcast concluded with a reflection on AI anxiety in the workplace — and a message of optimism. “There are legitimate concerns about job displacement,” Savill acknowledged. “But our research shows that most technical leaders want to reskill their existing teams. And when companies invest in their people, the results will be extraordinary.”

For more information, visit kyndryl.com.

Technology Reseller News Podcast with SmarTrak’s Ted Lee, Live from Cisco Live 2025

“We truly are a revenue machine... Our partners are calling us saying, ‘I need more licenses.’” — Ted Lee, SmarTrak

As competition in the channel ecosystem intensifies, Cisco partners are under pressure to retain and grow customer relationships. In this edition of the Technology Reseller News podcast, publisher Doug Green catches up with Ted Lee of SmarTrak at Cisco Live 2025 in San Diego, where Lee unveils how SmarTrak’s AI-powered application is helping partners do exactly that—with measurable, dramatic results.

Solving the Install Base Challenge

At its core, SmarTrak is a platform designed to help Cisco partners manage the entire lifecycle of a customer’s install base—from subscriptions to Enterprise Agreements (EAs) to lifecycle and incentive programs. What sets it apart, says Lee, is its ability to consolidate Cisco’s data feeds—often spread across dozens of systems—into a unified global view that’s not even available natively within Cisco.

AI-Powered Opportunity Creation

With the launch of SmarTrak v3, the company has enhanced its AI layer to deliver real-time insights into end-of-life, true forward, overconsumption, sustainability swaps, and budget forecasting. “We're helping people predict and budget five years of Cisco spend instantly,” said Lee. “Our partners are winning seven, even eight-figure deals just from a demo.”

Award-Winning Innovation and ROI

SmarTrak’s impact hasn’t gone unnoticed. The company was recently named the DSI Innovation Partner of the Year for the Americas East region, in recognition of how its platform fuels partner-led growth. One SmarTrak partner recently secured a $17 million win from a rival partner based on the insight provided by a demo alone.

Lee emphasizes that SmarTrak is more than just software—it’s a partner success engine. “We know that channel partners are margin-conscious,” said Lee. “So we focus not only on the application but on adoption—with video training, onboarding, one-on-one support, and forward-looking revenue mapping.”

Built for Channel Adoption

In an industry often plagued by underused tools, SmarTrak is built to be adopted and embraced. Its ease of use, combined with high-touch support, makes it a standout. “People don't just buy SmartTrack,” Lee says. “They use it—and they grow with it.”

Learn More

To discover how SmarTrak is helping Cisco partners increase retention, revenue, and renewal success, visit https://smartrak.ai/. Mention the podcast, and you might even hear back directly from Ted Lee himself.

Podcast Sponsor: SmarTrak proudly sponsored Technology Reseller’s Cisco Live 2025 podcast series, marking over a year of mutual success and growth.

#CiscoLive #ChannelPartners #AIinTech #LifecycleManagement #SmarTrakAI #TechReseller #PartnerSuccess #CiscoEA #RevenueGrowth #DigitalTransformation

“The AI-powered enterprise is here—and it demands a network that can keep up.” — Aruna Ravichandran, SVP, Cisco

In a conversation recorded live at Cisco Live 2025 in San Diego, Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, sat down with Aruna Ravichandran, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Cisco’s Enterprise Connectivity and Collaboration division. The discussion centered on Cisco’s major announcements aimed at future-proofing enterprise networks to meet the growing demands of AI, automation, and increasing security threats.

Ravichandran explained that Cisco is preparing for a massive transformation in the global workforce—one where AI agents will soon outnumber human workers. With billions of devices and agents expected to be actively communicating, Cisco predicts massive increases in both east-west and north-south traffic, pushing legacy networks to their limits.

To meet this challenge, Cisco launched a suite of new solutions including:

AI Canvas: A collaborative dashboard powered by a Cisco-trained large language model (LLM), offering cross-domain data visibility, telemetry integration, and AI-driven diagnostics. Integrated with a conversational AI assistant, it enables NetOps teams to resolve complex network issues in seconds instead of days.

Agentic Ops: A new paradigm using AI to simplify network operations, empowering NetOps professionals to do more with shrinking budgets.

Smart Switches and Secure Routers: Featuring dual CPU architecture (one for networking and one for security), these devices are post-quantum ready and built to support Cisco’s Hypershield initiative.

Wi-Fi 7 Access Points: A first in the industry, offering high-performance wireless connectivity for AI-heavy environments.

Live Protect: A breakthrough feature enabling live patching of switches without downtime, reinforcing Cisco’s three-layer security model across infrastructure, connectivity, and applications.

Unified Management: Merging the Meraki and Catalyst dashboards into a single control plane to streamline administration.

Ravichandran emphasized that all new technologies are backward compatible, ensuring customers can modernize without disrupting ongoing operations. However, she strongly encouraged enterprises still relying on aging infrastructure—like CAT 9200 and 6K series—to begin refreshing now to leverage these capabilities.

Finally, Ravichandran reinforced Cisco’s strong commitment to its partner ecosystem, noting that the company has built extensive enablement plans for channel partners to capitalize on this refresh wave.

For more, visit: https://www.cisco.com

#AIinNetworking #CiscoLive2025 #NetworkRefresh #AgenticOps #SecureNetworking #WiFi7 #TechReseller #CiscoAI #SmartInfrastructure #TechnologyResellerNews

"First day, worst day, every day — that’s what we’re built for." — Patrick Quirk, President & GM, Opengear

At Cisco Live 2025 in San Diego, Patrick Quirk, President and General Manager of Opengear, joined Technology Reseller News publisher Doug Green to unveil a major innovation in network resilience: Opengear’s new Foundational Support platform.

Designed to meet the growing demands of increasingly complex, high-density network environments, the SLA-backed solution debuts as part of Opengear’s commitment to full-lifecycle customer support. “It’s not just about selling equipment,” said Quirk. “It’s about walking with the customer through every stage of the network’s lifecycle — from deployment to daily operations to disaster recovery.”

A long-standing Cisco partner, Opengear has evolved from traditional console servers to a critical infrastructure provider, helping companies maintain uptime in an era where milliseconds matter — especially amid today’s AI-driven network traffic spikes. “Outages aren’t just inconvenient,” Quirk noted. “They’re expensive. We’re seeing potential losses of $21,000 per minute during downtime.”

Opengear’s edge? Out-of-band management. Unlike in-band VLAN control planes, which can be compromised during incidents or overloaded by data traffic, out-of-band infrastructure operates on a completely separate path. This architecture allows for immediate network visibility and control during even the worst disruptions, such as fiber cuts or cyberattacks.

Supporting both operational and compliance objectives, Opengear enables organizations to maintain certifications like ISO, SOC 2, and NIST. “We’re the wrapper around your network,” said Quirk, emphasizing the company’s ability to enforce security and governance alongside performance.

The conversation also spotlighted Opengear’s recent AI-focused global research, which found a “lens gap” between network engineers and the C-suite. While both groups recognize AI’s potential, engineers view it as a productivity tool, whereas executives prioritize compliance and customer value. “There’s alignment,” Quirk said. “It just needs more conversation.”

At Cisco Live, Opengear is exhibiting at booth 4324 and hosting sessions on topics like agentic AI and network strategy. More details are available at opengear.com.

“We need to make things easier and secure from the foundation—by design.” — Stephen Marshall, CEO, Moon Equity Holdings Corp.

In a compelling new episode of Technology Reseller News, publisher Doug Green sits down with Stephen Marshall, CEO of Moon Equity Holdings Corp., to discuss a transformative initiative aimed at rebuilding the Internet from the ground up. At the heart of the conversation is Indexr.ai, a new distributed platform designed to restore privacy, curb AI-generated disinformation, and reassert user control in the digital age.

Moon Equity Holdings, a public company on the pink sheets, was repurposed by Marshall as the funding vehicle for Indexr, bypassing traditional Silicon Valley capital to allow everyday people to participate in the Internet's reinvention. As Marshall explains, the current structure of the web—laden with bloated code, vulnerable data pipelines, and AI hallucinations—has reached a breaking point.

“AI is already citing AI,” warns Marshall, describing a dangerous feedback loop where hallucinated content becomes canon. He even recounts a personal experience where a major AI platform mistakenly declared him deceased, combining his bio with an obituary of another individual bearing his name.

Marshall’s solution is not merely a browser—though the term is used for accessibility. Instead, Indexr is a distributed, privacy-centric platform built with hypercloud architecture, modular stacks, and VPN-like node networking. It promises secure, scalable, and customizable experiences for consumers, businesses, and government use alike.

With Indexr, Marshall and his team aim to dismantle the data-leaking, cookie-laden infrastructure of today’s Internet and replace it with something secure by default. This vision extends into the defense sector, with Marshall also co-founding Shieldcom, a private communications company supporting secure military-grade communications.

Green and Marshall conclude by emphasizing the importance of building digital ecosystems that are both usable and trustworthy. The Indexr platform, slated for rollout by year-end, may be just the start of a new chapter in how we connect, search, and share online.

Learn more at: https://indexr.ai

“People think of tariffs and duties as just shipping line items—but they’re reshaping boardroom strategy.” — Noa Sussman, TecEx

In this installment of the TecEx podcast series, Noa Sussman returns to help listeners navigate the rapidly evolving—and often misunderstood—world of tariffs, duties, and VAT. Hosted by Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, this session pulls back the curtain on the taxes and trade terms that are quietly impacting IT budgets, deployment timelines, and global expansion strategies.

“We’ve reached a point where the C-suite needs to understand the difference between a tariff and a duty,” says Sussman. “These aren’t just accounting line items anymore. They’re strategic levers that can affect profitability, market timing, and compliance risk.”

TecEx provides not just shipping services, but end-to-end strategic support for global IT deployments, acting as the “importer of record” in over 200 jurisdictions. In this episode, Sussman breaks down:

What VAT really is and how it’s recoverable along the supply chain—but a major cash flow issue at customs if unplanned.

How duties differ from VAT and why they are used to protect domestic industries from foreign competition.

Why tariffs are political tools, not just trade policies—and how they're weaponized in global disputes.

Why compliance isn’t optional and how recent export control failures have landed executives in legal trouble.

Using real-world examples, Sussman shows how companies can lose margin—or worse, face legal issues—simply by failing to plan early. “We’re not just problem solvers after things go wrong,” he emphasizes. “We’re strategic partners who can help you avoid the problem in the first place.”

Key takeaway: Don't wait until a shipment is stuck at customs. Engage with experts like TecEx before contracts are signed and pricing is set. Taxes, duties, tariffs, and compliance must now be factored into the earliest stages of international planning.

Learn more at https://www.tecex.com