Telecom Reseller / Technology Reseller News

"You’re not just replacing a line—you’re building a 20-year bridge to the future." — Jake Jacoby, TELCLOUD

In the latest episode of the POTS and Shots podcast series, Technology Reseller News publisher Doug Green returns with Jake Jacoby of TELCLOUD to explore what it really takes to future-proof telecom infrastructure. As traditional POTS lines vanish, the stakes are high—not only for enterprises managing legacy systems like elevators, alarms, and fax machines, but also for channel partners aiming to deliver lasting value.

Jacoby outlines how TELCLOUD's architecture separates the router from the analog solution, ensuring that as wireless standards evolve—from 4G to 5G and eventually 6G—only modular upgrades are needed. With carrier-grade engineering, swappable batteries, and flexible components, TELCLOUD aims to outlast today's solutions and simplify tomorrow’s transitions.

“Legacy equipment isn’t going anywhere,” Jacoby notes. “Your replacement needs to last just as long.”

Doug and Jake also tackle messaging for resellers, emphasizing the dual communications strategy: detailed technology briefings for partners, and a clear, stress-free promise to customers—"We’ve got you."

And as always, the series concludes with a toast. This week’s featured tequila: Grand Mayan Ultra Aged, a sipping tequila aged up to five years in French and American oak barrels. “It’s a tequila that doesn’t just taste good—it tells a story of time and craft,” says Jacoby.

Next up in the series: No Barriers, No Headaches: Becoming a TELCLOUD Reseller is Easy.

Learn more: www.telcloud.com

844-900-2270

Contact Jake: [email protected]

#POTSReplacement #FutureProofTelecom #ChannelPartners #5GReady #UCaaS #TequilaTalk #Telcloud #POTSandShots #CarrierGrade #SustainableSolutions

“Gone are the days when service providers could differentiate on call minutes alone. Today, success depends on analytics, integrations, and delivering real-time value to customers.” — John Christian, Vice President of Marketing, Akixi

In this special podcast presented by TR Publications and the Cloud Communications Alliance (CCA), Technology Reseller News publisher Doug Green speaks with John Christian, Vice President of Marketing at Akixi, a CCA member and a leading provider of cloud-based value-added services for service providers.

Akixi helps service providers deepen customer engagement and generate new revenue through a robust suite of capabilities including advanced call analytics, CRM integration, and real-time call intelligence. The Akixi platform supports seamless provisioning across platforms like Microsoft Teams, Webex, and BroadWorks.

Migration and Market Forces

Christian highlights the accelerating shift away from legacy PBX platforms such as Avaya, Mitel, and CUCM—driven not only by end-of-life announcements and reduced vendor focus but also by the pull of modern cloud-based solutions. This dual push-pull dynamic is compelling more businesses to modernize their communications infrastructure.

Beyond the Seat and the Minute

While platforms like Microsoft Teams and Webex have captured collaboration and call control, Christian argues that native analytics capabilities often fall short. This opens an opportunity for service providers to differentiate with value-added services like real-time analytics, especially in regulated or high-demand environments such as healthcare.

“Real-time visibility into call behavior is no longer a luxury—it’s a competitive necessity,” Christian says, citing examples such as doctors’ offices that rely on precise call management for appointment scheduling and patient response.

Redefining Contact Center Needs

Christian notes a shift in how contact center functionality is being consumed. Instead of investing in large, complex platforms, organizations now seek modular, scalable features such as call recording and CRM integration—without needing hundreds of agents.

He explains that Akixi enables service providers to offer these components as standalone tools or bundled solutions, meeting the evolving needs of midsize and enterprise clients while maintaining a lighter implementation footprint.

Competitive Landscape

With the growing number of Microsoft-certified partners and Direct Routing providers, the market for Teams-based voice services has become saturated. Akixi enables service providers to stand out by layering critical customer experience tools onto their voice offerings—tools that directly support performance metrics, compliance, and operational efficiency.

“We’re empowering over 100 service providers to build differentiated solutions,” Christian says. “Those who succeed are the ones who go beyond the basics and meet their customers’ specific expectations.”

Learn More

For more information, visit akixi.com or connect with John Christian on LinkedIn.

Cloud Connections 2025 | St. Petersburg, FL

“If you think you're moving fast, you're probably not moving fast enough.” That was the core message from Mike Tessler, managing partner at True North Advisory, in his opening keynote at the Cloud Connections 2025 conference.

In a session titled “Don’t Stop Believin’: AI’s Journey in Enterprise Transformation,” Tessler shifted the AI conversation from capabilities to strategy. Instead of showcasing the latest contact center tricks or flashy generative features, he dove deep into how enterprises should approach AI adoption—with urgency, realism, and a clear plan.

Tessler framed the moment as a once-in-a-generation inflection point. Just 866 days since ChatGPT launched, enterprises have been flooded with AI solutions, but many are still struggling with actual implementation. “The field is exploding, but there’s friction,” said Tessler, noting that while consumers quickly embraced AI tools, corporate environments remain slow to adapt.

Three Big Takeaways from Tessler’s Talk

AI Is Only as Good as Your Data

Enterprises must start by understanding their own data. “Almost every company says, ‘We don’t have data,’” Tessler observed, “but they do. They just don’t know how to surface and structure it.” He suggested simple tools like JSON to codify marketing guidelines or operational principles and inject consistency into AI-generated content.

Enterprise Strategy Starts with Personal Productivity

Tessler outlined a three-layer AI roadmap used at Boldyn Networks, where he serves on the board:

Layer 1: Personal Productivity (e.g., Copilot, Gemini)

Layer 2: Team & Process-Level AI (e.g., AI in network design/deployment)

Layer 3: New Services & Capabilities enabled by proprietary data

This layered model helps unify enterprise goals and align AI projects with tangible outcomes.

Start Small, Move Fast, Stay Agile

Forget long IT rollouts, said Tessler. AI adoption demands an agile, iterative approach. Small proofs of concept are key. “Something that wasn’t possible last week might be today,” he warned. “So get started now.”

Real-World Use Cases: Where AI Is Delivering Value Today

Tessler concluded with four examples of AI being used to solve real business problems:

Spinoco – Helps micro-businesses manage customer interactions by turning every message, call, or DM into actionable tasks, no CRM needed.

Kiwi Data – Uses AI to extract key terms and obligations from decades of contracts and NDAs, helping enterprises get a grip on what they've signed.

Tato – Leverages the “exhaust” of UCaaS platforms (transcripts, messages) to identify project risks and drive smarter project management.

Intent HQ – Delivers hyper-personalized marketing using behavioral data harvested via mobile SDKs.

A Call to Action for the Telecom Community

Tessler left the audience with a challenge: "We have to change the way we do things—or get wiped out by those who do." He encouraged every organization to return home with at least one AI use case to explore. “Try something. Test. Learn. Iterate.”

To request the slides from the keynote, contact: [email protected]

"For the first time in over a decade, bots now outnumber humans on the internet — and a growing percentage are built to defraud, disrupt, and deceive." — Tim Chang, Global VP & GM, Application Security, Thales

In a sobering conversation with Technology Reseller News, Tim Chang of Thales shared key insights from the 2025 Imperva Bad Bot Report, a deep dive into the increasingly dangerous world of automated internet traffic.

According to the report, 51% of all web traffic in 2024 was generated by bots, marking the first time bot traffic has surpassed human traffic. Even more concerning, 37% of all traffic is now classified as “bad bot” activity — a significant increase from 32% the previous year.

Thales, a global leader in digital identity and cybersecurity with over 80,000 employees worldwide, acquired Imperva two years ago. Together, the teams behind the Imperva Threat Research division are shining a light on the surge in bot-driven attacks — from simple web scrapers to polymorphic, AI-enhanced bad bots capable of account takeovers and API abuse.

Telecom Under Attack

Among the most targeted sectors? Telecom and ISPs, which now account for more than half of bad bot traffic. Chang explained that this is unsurprising given the critical infrastructure telecom supports and the high volume of customer data flowing through these systems.

Key takeaways from the report include:

51% of all internet traffic is now automated.

37% of global traffic comes from bad bots — a 7-point rise in one year.

40% increase in account takeover (ATO) attacks, often using stolen or brute-forced credentials.

Telecom ranks as the second-most targeted vertical, just behind financial services.

55% of all telecom traffic is now made up of bad bots.

Chang emphasized that these bots are increasingly using AI to evade detection, shifting IP addresses, mimicking human behavior, and attacking not just websites but APIs — which lack visual interfaces and are harder to monitor.

10 Recommendations to Reduce Risk

To help organizations defend against this growing threat, Thales provides a set of 10 actionable recommendations, ranging from understanding your attack surface and deploying bot management tools, to tightening MFA usage and adopting a multi-layered defense strategy.

Chang also offered a strategic reminder: don’t play all your cards at once — adversaries are evolving just as quickly, and a staggered, adaptive defense is critical.

Access the full 2025 Imperva Bad Bot Report:

Download the Report from Thales/Imperva

“Most founders don’t need a full-time CFO — they need answers.” — Matthew Putra, CEO of Eightx

In a world where the demands of growth often outpace the resources of startups and midsize firms, Matthew Putra is making a bold case for a smarter solution: hire only the CFO you need.

Speaking with Technology Reseller News, Putra — CEO and founder of Eightx — outlined how his firm delivers financial clarity and strategic growth planning to companies around the globe, from the U.S. and Canada to the UK, Australia, and the Netherlands. Eightx provides fractional CFO services — meaning companies can tap into executive-level financial expertise without committing to the cost of a full-time hire.

“We have clients doing $1 million and clients doing $100 million. They get what they need, and nothing they don’t,” said Putra. “You buy the amount of CFO-ing that fits your business.”

For companies navigating software development, MSP services, channel sales, or e-commerce, Putra warns that many so-called CFOs are merely bookkeepers — tracking where a company has been, but not where it’s going. The Eightx model focuses on proactive scenario planning, forecasting, and decision-making support.

“Knowing your blood pressure is good — but knowing why it's high, and what will happen if it stays that way, is where the real value lies,” he explained. “That’s what we mean by financial clarity.”

Putra's team regularly uncovers business-changing insights buried in overlooked metrics. In one recent example, a drop in marketing efficiency went unnoticed by a 60-person team — until Eightx spotted it. The fix became a repeatable playbook, yielding long-term gains.

Cost is also a driver. A full-time CFO might cost $200,000+, while a fractional team from Eightx often delivers high-level impact for less than half — especially when a company doesn’t need 40 hours a week of C-suite attention. "You're not paying for lunch breaks or dead time,” said Putra.

Preparing for M&A, Surviving Downturns

Putra also offered timely advice for business owners eyeing an eventual sale: start two years early. “Talk to a banker, talk to a lawyer, engage a CFO. Understand what buyers will value — or avoid.” Companies that begin planning early can resolve accounting issues, restructure operations, and build a leadership team that doesn’t depend on the founder.

Eightx also brings structure to uncertainty. With rising tariffs, economic headwinds, and global instability, Putra encourages scenario modeling to prepare for best, worst, and expected cases — helping leaders act with confidence regardless of outcome.

Getting Unstuck

For those in a rut, his advice is blunt: “Start by deleting the stuff you hate — customers that aren’t worth it, products that aren’t working, people that don’t fit. Once you clear that space, you’ll get your energy back.”

Putra's passion for the work is clear — and deeply personal. “I left corporate. No more dry cleaning. I’ll be doing this forever — just maybe a little less when I don’t need the money,” he quipped.

Learn more: Visit www.eight-x.com.

“Emergencies don’t wait—neither should you.” —Dave Beagle, Ooma

In a time-sensitive and information-rich conversation, Doug Green, publisher of Technology Reseller News, sat down with Dave Beagle of Ooma to discuss the urgent need for businesses to migrate away from traditional copper POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) lines. Beagle delivered a compelling presentation centered around Ooma’s Airdial solution, which is specifically engineered to support mission-critical applications like fire and life safety systems.

The discussion highlighted a ticking clock: with AT&T aiming to sunset all copper lines by 2029—and over 10 million POTS lines still active—resellers and IT advisors are faced with a once-in-a-generation opportunity. “That means replacing over 8,500 lines a day, starting now,” said Beagle. “It’s time for partners to act.”

Ooma Airdial stands out in the growing “POTS-in-a-box” market for several reasons:

Purpose-Built for Fire Life Safety: Unlike competitors that cobble together multiple technologies, Airdial is a vertically integrated solution—built by Ooma from the ground up for environments like elevators, fire panels, and emergency call systems.

MultiPath Transport (MPT): Ooma’s patented, active-active voice transmission over LTE and Ethernet ensures emergency calls remain connected without failover delays.

Compliance and Visibility: Airdial supports NFPA 72, UL certifications, and PCI/HIPAA regulations, with device-level management available via a robust Remote Device Manager portal.

Award-Winning Technology: Airdial has earned accolades from Elevator World, Internet Telephony, FacilitiesNet, and Frost & Sullivan for innovation and reliability.

Beagle also underscored how rising costs and decommissioning notices—often buried in telecom bills—are already impacting organizations. In one case, a $100 POTS line was suddenly billed at $1,000 due to a rate hike buried in the fine print. “That’s $25,000 in exposure over two months—money that could’ve gone to laptops in a school district or medical equipment in a hospital,” said Beagle.

Airdial’s design reflects real-world installation challenges: from basement deployment and signal optimization to asset management and E911 location accuracy. Even the power cord has a locking mechanism to prevent accidental shutdown.

“We control the hardware, the software, and the supply chain,” Beagle said. “We believe that’s why so many resellers and channel partners are choosing Airdial—and why many who started with other solutions are switching to Ooma.”

To learn more, visit ooma.com/airdial.

“We’re taking the power of a business phone system and putting it directly into your native mobile experience.” — Lee Essex, Tango Networks

Las Vegas - Channel Partners Conference, 2025 - In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, Phone.com and Tango Networks have launched ProSim, a new service that enables small business users to access their unified communications (UC) features directly through their native mobile devices—without relying on apps or workarounds.

In a podcast recorded during the Channel Partners Conference MSP Summit, Doug Green of Technology Reseller News sat down with Ari Rabban, CEO of Phone.com, and Lee Essex of Tango Networks to discuss the significance of this partnership and what it means for the mobile-first future of small business communications. On April 15, the companies made their joint announcement (read the news here).

“With ProSim, we’re addressing a real gap in the UCaaS market,” said Rabban. “Apps are fine for some users, but most small business owners just want to pick up their phone and make a call—securely and professionally—with zero friction.”

ProSim brings the power of the Phone.com platform—including call routing, recording, compliance, and a second business persona—into the phone’s native dialer via Tango’s eSIM technology. That means frontline workers, healthcare providers, contractors, and other mobile-dependent users can now operate securely within a business phone system using the same device they already rely on.

As Essex explained, “We’re enabling users to work the way they already work—but smarter. With ProSim, your business number is truly native to your device, and that’s a game-changer for usability, compliance, and mobility.”

The service is designed to meet the needs of small businesses that require speed, simplicity, and security. Rabban emphasized how effortless it is to onboard: “Go to Phone.com, sign up, pick your number, and you’re up and running within minutes.”

ProSim also addresses key regulatory concerns, including HIPAA compliance and secure messaging. It allows for real-time call transfers, recordings, and business-class features—all from a mobile interface.

Both companies view this launch as the first step in a broader vision to offer AI-enhanced, mobile-first business communications.

Official press releases:

• Phone.com Launches ProSim – Cloud Communications Alliance

• Telecom Reseller Coverage of ProSim Launch

Learn more: www.phone.com

Tango Networks: www.tango-networks.com

#ProSim #PhoneDotCom #TangoNetworks #UCaaS #BusinessMobility #eSIM #NativeDialer #SmallBusinessTech #FrontlineWorkforce #Compliance #ChannelPartners2025 #TechReseller #vCon

"Even the largest companies in the world are flying blind when it comes to key operational data," says Jared Dyson, Founder of Thynk Forward and vConGPT. Speaking with Technology Reseller News at the vCon conference, Dyson explained why, despite decades of digital transformation, many enterprises remain unaware of critical conversations and decisions impacting performance — what he calls “dark operational data.”

Dyson points to research from as far back as 2016 showing that bad data costs the U.S. economy over $3.2 trillion annually — and likely much more today. "Companies aren’t necessarily losing data, but they're losing revenue, missing opportunities, and making bad decisions because their operational conversations aren’t captured, reviewed, or understood," Dyson emphasized.

Beyond the Metrics: Understanding Dark Operational Data

Dark operational data, according to Dyson, refers to the hidden conversations — in sales, HR, operations, and customer support — that never make it into the company’s systems or analytics. "It could be a star sales representative underperforming because of poor processes, or an HR dispute that impacts team morale but isn’t detected until it's too late," he said.

Dyson warns that even highly sophisticated organizations — airlines, hospitals, major financial institutions — are vulnerable. "You can open a branch in the perfect demographic location and still fail, without realizing that internal dynamics or missed insights were the cause," he explained.

Thynk Forward: Building Trust, Transparency, and Traceability with AI

To tackle these challenges, Dyson founded Thynk Forward, an AI-driven company focused on deploying agentic AI solutions. Their platform is designed not to replace workers, but to automate the tasks employees don’t want to do — freeing them up for higher-value work.

"Retention, growth, and advancement are our three pillars," Dyson said. "With better data and AI support, organizations can better train, evaluate, and advance their people."

vConGPT: The Infrastructure Behind the Conversation Revolution

In addition to Thynk Forward, Dyson leads vConGPT, a company pioneering vCon infrastructure at exoscale — managing millions of vCon (Virtual Conversation) transactions per second.

"Nobody else is doing what we’re doing at this scale," Dyson said. "vConGPT is essentially creating vCon-as-a-Service (VCaaS), a new model for enterprises who want secure, reliable access to recorded conversational data without bottlenecks."

With multi-head, multi-master technology and a network distributed across multiple datacenters, vConGPT aims to be the backbone for enterprises embracing conversational data as a strategic asset.

Learn More

Visit thynkforward.com to learn more about Thynk Forward’s AI solutions.

For more on vCon infrastructure, Google the "vCon Working Group" to access collaboration and development resources.

#Hashtags for LinkedIn Post:

#AI #DataStrategy #DarkData #vCon #ConversationalData #EnterpriseTechnology #DigitalTransformation #FutureOfWork

"When the franchise wins, we win," says Mike Onslow, CTO of Clarity Voice, a communications provider celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Speaking with Technology Reseller News at the vCon conference, Onslow detailed how Clarity Voice is pioneering the use of vCon technology to radically improve call quality, agent training, and customer retention — at scale.

Clarity Voice specializes in delivering communications solutions to the franchise and automotive dealership industries, built around a longstanding partnership with NetSapiens by Crexendo. Over the past few years, however, Clarity saw an opportunity to dramatically enhance business intelligence for small, medium, and micro businesses by integrating vCon architecture with their services.

The Journey from Fragmented Data to Unified Insights

Initially, Clarity developed a custom Call Coach platform — an internal AI tool to help evaluate support calls based on a quality checklist and company core values.

"The problem was that the data was fragmented," Onslow explained. "We were pulling from multiple systems, APIs, and databases — it was inefficient and hard to scale."

The solution came with the adoption of vCons — a standardized, lightweight format for capturing conversational data.

"By simply changing the backend to vCons, without altering our platform or NetSapiens’ core code, we unified everything," said Onslow. "It simplified our tech stack and allowed us to track every call, starting in early January."

From One Call at a Time to Millions at Scale

Armed with vCon-based data, Clarity Voice is now able to analyze millions of conversations across franchise networks — not just one call at a time.

"The real value to our franchise brands is that we can surface the calls that need review, highlight the best-performing agents, and deliver actionable insights at scale," Onslow noted.

One particularly powerful new feature is a churn signal detection system. Using vCon-based flags, Clarity can identify rare but critical cases where a customer signals they’re ready to cancel — allowing the CX team to intervene in time.

"One customer was going to churn for sure," recalled Onslow. "Our team called him back with empathy. After that conversation, he said, 'Sign me up for ten years.' That’s the power of this technology."

Tailored Solutions for Each Franchise

Looking ahead, Clarity Voice is partnering with Crexendo to build customized vCon-based tools for each franchise brand.

"Every brand cares about slightly different metrics," Onslow said. "vCons give us a standard format underneath, but the tools we build on top can be customized — without adding a ton of operational overhead."

With a focus on empathy, simplicity, and smart automation, Clarity Voice is setting a powerful example for how the vCon revolution is reshaping communications.

Learn More

Visit clarityvoice.com to learn more about Clarity Voice solutions.

Connect with Mike Onslow on LinkedIn: Mike Onslow

"My goal is to make people's jobs better — and to make them feel better about their jobs," says Mitch Lieberman, of Fuel iX within TELUS Digital.

At the inaugural vCon conference, Lieberman demonstrated how Fuel iX is pioneering a new way to train and empower contact center agents using real-time simulations, AI-driven coaching, and a continuous feedback loop they call the Contact Center Agility Loop.

Fuel iX is a democratized generative AI platform that enables users to build co-pilot and independent AI solutions. Mitch’s team focuses on applying the technology to real-world contact center challenges — specifically agent performance, training, and customer satisfaction.

From 1% Coverage to 100% Insight

Traditionally, contact center managers reviewed only a tiny fraction of agent-customer conversations — often less than 1% of all interactions. Fuel iX changes that.

By capturing and analyzing every customer interaction, the new Fuel iX Agent Trainer application can create realistic simulations for role-playing, evaluate agent performance in real-time, and provide instant coaching.

"We’re going live on May 1st," Lieberman announced. "We want to bring new agents to full proficiency faster, with better coaching, and make sure they feel confident and supported from day one."

During a live demo, Lieberman showed how the system evaluates an agent’s performance after handling a simulated customer complaint — complete with an automatically generated transcript, performance score, and improvement suggestions.

The Contact Center Agility Loop: A Continuous Learning Framework

Lieberman also introduced the Contact Center Agility Loop, a model that frames the before, during, and after of every customer interaction:

Before: Training and upskilling through simulations like the Agent Trainer.

During: Real-time support with an Agent Co-Pilot, offering dynamic knowledge retrieval and smart call guidance.

After: Quality assessment that feeds back into training, ensuring continuous agent development.

"We call it an agility loop because it’s self-learning," Lieberman explained. "We can detect if a training module needs updating based on actual call performance, creating true operational continuity and growth."

By tightly integrating coaching, support, and evaluation, TELUS Digital and Fuel iX aim to reduce onboarding time (speed-to-proficiency) and improve agent experience — making better service possible for customers and a better work environment for agents.

Learn More

Visit telusdigital.com for more about TELUS Digital solutions.

Explore fuelix.ai for updates on the Fuel iX platform and the Agent Trainer launch.

#Hashtags for LinkedIn Post:

#ContactCenter #CustomerExperience #AI #AgentTraining #DigitalTransformation #vCon #EnterpriseTechnology #FutureOfWork