Telecom Reseller / Technology Reseller News

Ongoing challenges and gains in the big battle on illegitimate robocalling, TNS Podcast,  The point is to enable a calling party who has a legitimate reason to contact a consumer to actually contact that consumer and get that consumer to be promoted or enhanced or encouraged to pick up the phone call and make the connection.”

“What's the point of all this,” asks John Haraburda, Director of Product Management, of Transaction Network Services (TNS). The point is to enable a calling party who has a legitimate reason to contact a consumer to actually contact that consumer and get that consumer to be promoted or enhanced or encouraged to pick up the phone call and make the connection.”

The long struggle to curb illegitimate robocalling has seen progress and victories, but the battle has left scars on the effectiveness of outbound calling, as a communications tool. Too many people are seeing legitimate inbound calls, as spam.

In this podcast, we learn about a recent report TNS conducted on robocalling. We learn about trends and approaches to challenges. John also outlines the YNS approach.

TNS Half Year 2024 Robocall Report: Smaller Carriers Increase Signed Call Traffic, But Interconnectivity Challenges Limit STIR/SHAKEN Gains

Transaction Network Services (TNS) analyzes more than 1.5 billion daily call events across hundreds of carrier networks to identify current robocall trends and scams while supporting over 125 service providers in North America (including four out of the top seven U.S. carriers). TNS’ latest Robocall Investigation Report found that while Tier-1 carriers have successfully implemented STIR/SHAKEN, smaller carriers still face connectivity challenges, leaving them vulnerable to AI-driven deepfake attacks and other scams. The Report found that although smaller carriers increased the total volume of signed call traffic in the first half of the year, there is a crucial transition period needed where carriers, regulators and telecom stakeholders must support smaller carriers' network capabilities. The Report also shares some of the top robocall scams in 2024, including tax, elder and cryptocurrency scams, with political disinformation spreading through AI-generated robocalls remaining a significant concern ahead of the 2024 election.

About TNS

TNS, a market leader in call identification and robocall mitigation, provides an end-to-end ecosystem for protecting and restoring trust in voice calling. TNS addresses the full needs of wireless and wireline operators globally with TNS Call Guardian®, the industry-leading call analytics solution that protects subscribers from high risk and nuisance robocalls. In addition, its Enterprise product suite, including TNS Enterprise Authentication and Spoof Protection and TNS Enterprise Branded Calling, is taking the next step in enriching consumer engagement, making the voice channel an integral part of an omnichannel customer experience program. TNS analyzes over 1.5 billion call events across more than 500 operators every single day, enabling enterprises to protect their brand and consumers, and carriers to identify more unwanted robocalls.

Visit https://tnsi.com/

Momentum Recharge Changes the Game for MSPs and VARs, Podcast, CCA Member company strives to shake up market

“I think the MSPs have always struggled with, a lot of have struggled with, going into the telecom business or not going into the telecom business, Rick Garcia, EVP of Modern Work and Marketing at Momentum. “And when they want to dip their toe in, they quickly realize that it becomes very expensive to keep up from a regulatory perspective, to be able to include telco billing in their portfolio of services to deliver that one bill to the customer.”

In June, Momentum announced the launch of Momentum ReCharge. The innovative program enables Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Value-Added Resellers (VARs) to seamlessly add Teams Phone, Operator Connect, and Global Internet Connectivity to their portfolios. “It's going to be a game changer for those MSPs. They will include telco services, predominantly Microsoft Teams Operator Connect, and broadband services from Momentum.” The program allows the MSPs to jump into the market, and resell the most popular services without having to climb billing, tax and regulatory hurdles.

“It's going to be a game changer for those MSPs. They will include telco services, predominantly Microsoft Teams Operator Connect, and broadband services from Momentum.”

Momentum Recharge Changes the Game for MSPs and VARs

It gives them this door, this avenue to bring a new service and a new solution to their customers without a ton of heavy lifting, says Brandon Bradley VP of Modern Work & UC Innovation of Momentum. We learn that the program effectively hands an MSP an almost ready-made telecom practice.

In this podcast, we watch an illustrated presentation on the program. We learn how Momentum takes on the “heavy lift” of offering telecom. We also learn about Momentum’s extensive wholesale and retail businesses.

Visit www.gomomentum.com

Momentum Recharge Changes the Game

In part two of our series on generative AI, we continue our conversation with GoTo’s Chief Product and Technology Officer, Olga Lagunova, about the company’s vision for this transformative technology. We discuss GoTo’s application of GenAI for productivity and improved employee experience, including how different generations have reacted to the adoption of these tools.

As a large global workforce, GoTo employs individuals of all ages. In the GoTo product and technology team, about 80% of the organization is younger than 30. Olga says that despite the reputation that younger people, especially Generation Z, have for being difficult from a hiring standpoint, she has found that these employees are uniquely positioned to take advantage of emerging technologies.

“Generation Z grew up with digital tools and platforms… Now they’re coming to the workforce and joining companies like GoTo. They are bringing knowledge with them. They have learned what AI can and cannot do. They understand the pitfalls. They use it repeatedly and are excited about it,” said Olga Lagunova.

Regardless of age, enthusiasm and ability to learn are core traits that GoTo focuses on for its employees. By emphasizing the importance of community and a growth mindset, the company seeks to merge existing institutional knowledge with the latest technologies – ultimately, placing the human experience at the forefront of GoTo’s products and services.

Visit www.goto.com

Telcos to Techcos, from MSPs to MSSPs, Viirtue Coro Partnership Creates a Pathway, Podcast, We really loved Coro for the ability.

“We believe the best value for our partners moving forward is going to be their ability to be that Swiss Army knife and to deliver all of these complex IT solutions to their customers” says Dan Rosenrauch of Viirtue. In this third and final part of a three-part series on Viirtue, we focus on how Viirtue is providing the tool set for their partners to remain that necessary technology vendor for their customers. We have a partnership coming with Coro, the cybersecurity vendor.  It's a very simple platform for an MSSP, especially who hasn't done this before, to get into the system, understand what the different solutions do, what problems they're solving, and to deliver those solutions right through our ecosystem.”

“It's really going to enable our telcos and our MSP partners to become essentially full MSSPs with this one solution.”

Cybersecurity is the hottest topic, and the Coro partnership enables Viirtue partners to win in that space. “No one sells something that's difficult to sell,” adds Dan, who explains the migration path of their partner community and how the Coro partnership delivers just the right set of tools, in a manner that’s just right. The Coro Partnership includes tight integration with Viirtue’s Viibe for quoting and billing.

Mobile-First Rebuilt Quoting Experience, Viirtue Podcast

Viirtue bets big on AI data center, SIP Trunking investments, Viirtue Podcast

About Viirtue, Inc.

Viirtue is an award-winning wholesale voice & UCaaS provider. Viirtue’s ViiBE platform transforms MSPs, VARs, ITSPs, Telcos and agents into digitized business communications providers. Visit www.viirtue.com

Does telecom have a future? The tale of two shows, Optiva Podcast, We can't live without the digital oxygen of connectivity.

“I believe that connectivity is the digital oxygen of the digital age that we live in,” says Joy King, who's the Vice President of Go-To-Market Strategies at Optiva. “There is no chance that telecommunications, the telecom industry is going away. We can't live without the digital oxygen of connectivity. That's the fact. But who will be the successful players in the telecom industry is what is really on the table.”

In this podcast, Joy discusses two events that occurred in June: DTW Ignite in Copenhagen and MVNOs World Congress in Brussels just a week later. “What was so remarkable was the tone, the doom and gloom of DTW Ignite, where CTOs, CEOs, and I'm talking Telstra, AT&T, companies that we all know, said that they are in a code red situation, that their revenue is declining, their profitability is a challenge, they are losing subscribers, what are they going to do? Yet a week later in Brussels, new market entrance, mobile virtual network operators, MVNEs, embedded mobile device manufacturers, they are saying, oh my God, this is amazing. We could do so much. Imagine smart homes and technology, transforming medical and healthcare and wearables. And it was quite a remarkable difference.”

“And this is where Optiva plays a very important role.”

Joy discusses how Optiva helps their clients lath on to the up-bound trends while providing simplicity. “They just want a software platform that makes it easy for them to deliver that customized, personalized experience. Optiva and BSS platforms in general, are a goldmine of data. The more data that a company can use, the better our experience will be because it's not B2C or B2B, it's B2Me.” We learn that Optiva can help new entrants and legacy companies, alike, to grab new opportunities.

About Optiva

Optiva Inc. is a leading provider of mission-critical, cloud-native revenue management software for the telecommunications industry. Its products are delivered globally on the private and public cloud. The Company’s solutions help service providers maximize digital, 5G, IoT and emerging market opportunities to achieve business success. Established in 1999, Optiva Inc. is on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:OPT). For more information, visit www.optiva.com.

In part one of our two-part series, we speak with Olga Lagunova, Chief Product and Technology Officer at GoTo, about one of the most pressing topics in technology today – generative AI. We dive deep into the utility behind GenAI, including how GoTo approaches this technology to improve employee and customer experience across industries and workforces.

GoTo is a global SaaS company providing solutions for business communications, contact centers, IT management, and IT support. The company serves 8,000 customers, ranging from small and medium organizations to large enterprises and MSPs. Over 1 billion people join meetings, classes, and webinars through GoTo’s communications products.

Olga says there is a significant opportunity to use generative AI to solve GoTo’s customers’ important problems, improving productivity and efficiency for businesses of all sizes. GoTo’s goal is to place the human at the center of its AI-powered products, in turn enabling enhanced customer experiences while making employees’ lives easier.

“The emotional connection with our products that GoTo customers have resonates with me the most,” said Olga Lagunova. “One of our small business customers told me, ‘It’s almost like I finally have a light on in my house. I can see what’s happening. It’s so profoundly changed the way we do work.’ This is what we want from our customers who use the products.”

The company’s usage of GenAI doesn’t stop with its customers. Internally, GoTo employees utilize GenAI tools to help with coding, development, and other tasks. This has helped to cut down on redundant, time-consuming work, while also empowering individuals with access to critical real-time information.

Visit www.goto.com

Easy On Hold collaborates with Microsoft to introduce first live streaming hold music integration for Microsoft Teams phone, Podcast

The big headline is Easy On Hold collaborates with Microsoft to introduce first live streaming hold music integration for Microsoft Teams phone, for music, for custom music, and message on hold solutions. In this podcast we learn how the seamless integration means simple “1,2,3 implementation”. But we learn more. Easy On Hold helps companies build and enhance their brand.

Easy On Hold Collaborates with Microsoft to Introduce First Live Streaming Hold Music Integration for Microsoft Teams Phone Custom Music and Message On Hold solutions

Tim Brown of Easy On Hold tells us that the Teams default music “isn’t bad”. But its ubiquitous. We learn how Easy On Hold worked with Microsoft to build a unique experience. “This is really a big game changer.” Bespoke experiences are important. “We have an insurance company that has a line that you call for a certain kind of benefit. And if that's a death benefit, you must be appropriate to that audience. If you're talking about a membership, especially like with a credit union, that's a different experience.”

“We wanted to develop something that was more like your own radio station. It's cohesive.” Waiting for an agent can be many things. Easy On Hold seeks to transform that time into something curated and informative.

Visit www.easyonhold.com

Mediaocean, the mission-critical platform for omnichannel advertising, joins the Technology Reseller News podcast to discuss the 2024 Telecommunications Advertising Outlook Report.

In this episode, Amanda Glen Smith, the Chief Client Officer at Flashtalking by Mediaocean, delves into the key insights from the 2024 Telecommunications Advertising Outlook Report, highlighting the significant marketing trends poised to impact the telecom industry in the coming year.

Amanda and Doug discuss the wave of optimism among telecom marketers, with many planning to maintain or increase their spending across various channels, particularly in social media, digital display/video, and search. The conversation also covers the rise of generative AI as a critical consumer trend, its implications for personalized customer experiences, and the challenges it presents in terms of privacy and security.

Additionally, Amanda addresses the ongoing importance of performance-driven paid media, measurement and attribution capabilities, and the creative-media gap that represents a significant growth opportunity for brands in 2024. Tune in for a comprehensive overview of what telecom marketers can expect in the year ahead and how they can strategically navigate these emerging trends.

Visit https://www.mediaocean.com/reports

Revolutionizing MSP Operations with Mobile-First Quoting, AI Integration, and Bleeding-Edge VoIP Infrastructure at Viirtue, Part of 2 of 3

“Your typical, you know, a small business on Main Street America doesn't really understand how AI works or how it gets put together and integrated into their daily tools,” says Dan Rosenrauch of Viirtue. “We think that just positioning our partners to be the trusted expert on AI, could be a pretty special thing growing.” In this second part of a three-part series on Viirtue, we take on infrastructure and Viirtue’s work with their clients in this space.

In this podcast we learn how Viirtue is positioning their partners for success by opening a new data center, with a very considerable investment. AI requires state of the art infrastructure. “We have a commitment to ensure that our partners can deliver AI tools, we feel like MSPs and telcos are in a unique position to be the consultants for AI.”

"SIP trunking is still a huge business, and we've just invested over six figures into our SIP trunking network, which is cool. We did the opposite of what you think. With our investment, we can lower our overall costs and we're looking to push those savings onto our partners. With this big investment into our SIP trunking network and some of the configurations we've done by optimizing our costs, we're able to optimize our partners' costs and therefore they can deliver a more affordable solution to their partners, or they can just take advantage of the better margins. Whatever works best for their business.”

About Viirtue, Inc.

Viirtue is an award-winning wholesale voice & UCaaS provider. Viirtue’s ViiBE platform transforms MSPs, VARs, ITSPs, Telcos and agents into digitized business communications providers. Visit www.viirtue.com

Srikrishnan Ganesan

“In the professional services business, time is literally money,” says Srikrishnan Ganesan is the Co-founder and CEO of Rocketlane. “That's what you're selling. A typical use case is you need an approval from a client before you do the work you're meant to do and you're waiting on the client. Now, you reminded them today. Do you remind them again tomorrow? Does it get too pushy? These are decisions that individuals make and that's subject to their interpretation of how intense they should be in that engagement. When you take that control away from a person and make it more system driven, where you can set the expectations early on saying, hey, here's how we operate, here's how intense our engagement will be. And that's going to help all of us hold each other accountable and finish the project on time, on budget. I think everyone is better off and that's what an automated system is going help you accomplish.”

In this podcast we look at the challenges organizations face in adopting AI for project management and underscores the essential role of AI-driven Professional Services Automation (PSA) software in revolutionizing project delivery and client collaboration. It emphasizes the significant losses due to inadequate project management and the lack of real-time data access for project managers.

Rocketlane, a leader in customer onboarding and PSA, addresses these challenges by integrating advanced AI technologies into its platform to streamline resource management, communication, and compliance, thereby enhancing project success rates and efficiency. Co-founder and CEO Srikrishnan Ganesan asserts that Rocketlane’s AI-powered solutions are transforming project management by integrating AI and balancing it with human expertise for project scoping, scheduling, and task management, automated time tracking, resource allocation, project accounting, enhancing client engagement, and enabling real-time collaboration and communication tools for seamless client interaction.

Rocketlane leverages AI for risk assessment, automated compliance checks, and real-time monitoring of project health indicators to ensure regulatory adherence while enabling intuitive data querying, real-time analytics, customizable dashboards, and AI-powered trend analysis for informed decision-making.

https://www.rocketlane.com/