Comms Dealer

Comms Supply has launched a new monitoring solution available via all mobile platforms enabling the company's partners to monitor their Comms Supply Internet connections in real-time, including checking uptime and throughput.
 
Karl Alderton, founder and MD of Comms Supply, said "By using this solution we believe our partners will be able to offer more efficient first line support.

"As long as they have a Wi-Fi or 4G connection engineers can instantly check for any connectivity issues, from latency to high-utilisation causing slowness for the end customer."
 
Comms Supply partners will also be able to use the software to prepare reports that can be presented in customer service reviews.  
 
The new software is available on web, android and IOS. 
 
"Most engineers spend a large part of their working week out on the road so it was vital that our solution was available on mobile devices as well as being clear and simple to use," added Alderton.

Pace Telecom has selected the ISTRA cloud UC platform developed by Centile Telecom Applications.

ISTRA delivers a portfolio of UC and FMC services and supports a range of certified SIP terminals.

Jamie Hughes, CEO at Pace Telecom continues: "Our pre-existing platform was giving us issues with scalability and reliability. The Centile ISTRA platform offers us not only the means to deliver the quality of service our customers were expecting, but also a clear road map allowing us to respond to changing customer requirements with new services."

TeleWare has routed, recorded and analysed a call in real-time through Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform in a fully encrypted compliant environment in what Microsoft has confirmed is a world first.

TeleWare enhanced its solutions to achieve a seamless call of the same quality as one using physical equipment, overcoming the issue of data packet loss and latency previously associated with using a pure cloud-based system.

This call was carried out with a TeleWare customer rather than a test environment.

TeleWare CTO Rob Corrigil said: "Many had advised that this wasn't possible. We've had to overcome some technical hurdles, but our technology teams have all pulled together with one common goal and achieved the 'impossible'. This is significant as it demonstrates that our overall goal of going 100% cloud is possible."

Steve Haworth, CEO, added: "This milestone has wide reaching implications, not just for us, but for the wider Azure and cloud community. This is a huge accomplishment."

TeleWare's fixed line recording product will be fully migrating onto the cloud with its MVNO product also planned to migrate in the coming quarters.

Managed services provider Claranet has achieved AWS Premier Consulting Partner status, one of only ten services providers in Europe to have gained the distinction.

The AWS Partner Network (APN) is a tiered programme designed to help partners build a successful AWS stream for their business.

Olivier Beaudet, CMO of Claranet, said: "We see AWS as a true enabler of business agility and it forms a critical part of our product roadmap and corporate strategy.

"Being a Premier Partner means that we will be able to work much more closely with AWS to help our customers take advantage of the platform and transform their businesses.

"There is a huge appetite for AWS in the market, but many businesses - particularly those in the mid-market - have historically been locked out because they lack the necessary skills. Partner programmes enable organisations to take advantage of the infrastructure offered by AWS, but with additional services and support."

Sky has entered the business comms market for the first time via launch partner Fluidata to offer a high capacity Ethernet solution.

Sky has formed a SNS Wholesale division that will leverage Fluidata's comms market experience and address up to 95% of businesses in the UK. The ISP will also provide a dedicated support team.

Fluidata MD Piers Daniell said: "Customers choosing to commit to long-term high capacity connections strengthen the growth potential in their businesses.

"Sky's investment in the consumer market means we can push 1Gbs connections as standard and ensure customer connectivity is future-proof."

Graham Sargood, Sky's Director of Telecoms Wholesale, added: "Our investment in a telecoms infrastructure to deliver voice, video and data services to our residential customer base also enables us to serve the business marketplace."

All services will be available with SLA+, Fluidata's standard guarantee of service up-time.

Intermedia has been acquired by Chicago-based PE firm Madison Dearborn Partners (MDP). Intermedia is known as the world's largest independent provider of cloud Microsoft Exchange email, generating annualised revenues of $200m with 75,000 customers, 6,000 active partners and 700 employees around the globe.

The deal sees Intermedia's shareholders led by Oak Hill Capital Partners sell their stake in the company to MDP and company management. Intermedia, which was founded in 1995, was acquired by Oak Hill in 2011.

The partnership with MDP is expected to accelerate Intermedia's growth trajectory through increased investment in the company's channel partner programmes and more acquisitions.

Michael Gold, who will remain Intermedia's CEO, said: "Over the past five years we've more than tripled our revenues, EBITDA, users and product offerings. We've also experienced dramatic growth of our customer and partner base."

Zaid Alsikafi, a Managing Director at MDP, stated: "Intermedia is successfully capitalising on the global shift to the cloud, and possesses tremendous upside potential to capture further opportunities with its reach, scalability, customer support offerings and enhanced product functionality."

Gold added: "Recognising that the channel influences 65-75% of IT spending, we've built our business to meet the needs of the channel. Intermedia's cloud applications and management platform provide a number of key benefits for our partners, including a private label model, as well as operational, technical, marketing, and sales support. With MDP, I look forward to further strengthening our leadership position in the $20+ billion cloud business applications market."

The transaction is expected to close this calendar year, subject to customary regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

Dark fibre trailblazer Exa Networks and training company Copper Road UK show what is possible for CPs once they've seen the light.

Strategically, the move into dark fibre was a natural next step for Exa Networks and an evolution of the company's existing business model. Far more revolutionary are the great strides that have been made in how Exa Networks leverages dark fibre and the upsides are truly transformational for customers and channel partners. Until now there have been few if any dark fibre procurement options for companies such as Exa, due to scarce availability and high costs. But alternative pure fibre infrastructure providers such as CityFibre have unlocked the pent up potential for limitless capacity and end-to-end network control for smaller players with big ambitions.

"As an ISP we've been delivering connectivity services and content filtering into the business and education market for 14 years," explained Mark Cowgill (pictured), co-founder and Director, Exa Networks. "Although we have done well, we had no option but to use the same national and local infrastructure with the same restrictions as every other ISP. But running dark fibre and our DarkLight service is a game changer for us and our customers. It's not just opened new doors, it's kicked them off their hinges. Potential customers or partners we'd been trying to talk to for years, who simply wouldn't take our calls, suddenly came knocking on our door when we launched DarkLight. We have gone from being a competitor to a market leader with an offering that other providers simply cannot match."

To prove the point Cowgill cited two of examples. The price for Gigabit connectivity in the UK (for instance 1Gbps on 1Gbps leased line) is on average circa £13,000 per year. Exa's Gigabit on DarkLight is a mere fraction of that figure. "Another great example of dark over lit for customers is that if you take, for instance, a 100Mbps leased line on a 100Mbps bearer, if for any reason you needed to increase bandwidth for a couple of days (for example, a conference at a hotel) to 2Gbps, it is simply not possible. The customer would have to order a new 10Gbps line months in advance and then commit to the bandwidth and the line for a minimum of one year.

"On our DarkLight service, if a customer finds themselves in this situation they can give us a call and get a temporary increase, paying a tiny fraction of what the previous option would be, and just have it there for whenever needed."

Taking on dark fibre is technically not too far removed from adopting lit, noted Cowgill. "Yes, you need to have an understanding of the optical and transmission side and expensive termination and network equipment, but the key point is to have the right network from the outset. We are fortunate to have operated our own network and infrastructure from day one. Those wanting to start from scratch need to allocate time, expertise and money before they can deliver their first circuit. For this reason Exa's partner programme exists to help comms providers more easily deliver dark fibre to their customers.

"The concept of dark fibre is new to many end users and comms providers, but it is taking off rapidly. If you are not in a position to deliver these types of services soon, you are going to be in a bad place competitively speaking. Our reseller and partner programme gives CPs the ability to offer our DarkLight service right away, without needing either the network expertise or expense. The nature of the product means there is little to no competition and it is a unique opportunity for our partners to deliver a future proofed Internet connection to their customers today, and one that will generate recurring revenue for years to come."

For resellers wanting to climb aboard the rolling dark fibre convoy they should consider three important factors, advises Cowgill. Firstly, network availability. "It is no good having a product that only a couple of people can get," he stated. "You need as big a network as is financially and technically possible to reach as many customers as you can."

Secondly, price. To make a step change in Internet connectivity in the UK for business and education organisations there needs to be a competitively priced product. "It's not complicated," explained Cowgill. "If the investment for the CP or end user is too great, nothing will change. Finally, the ability to listen and respond is crucial. As an ISP we need be able to openly talk to our dark fibre suppliers and for them to listen to our requirements and concerns. Anyone who has been in this business for a long time will know this is a big ask, but it is vital."

According to Cowgill, alternative network providers such as CityFibre are best placed to meet all of these essential requirements. "Having a single main provider stifles growth and does not generate competition or technological advancement," he stated. "The country needs alternative network providers who are willing to invest in the UK and help ISPs such as ourselves deliver world leading connectivity and services to organisations throughout the country."

The undeniable benefits of dark fibre to the industry and customers are not the sole rationale behind its widespread appeal. The limitations of the copper-based infrastructure also reaffirms unassailable arguments in favour of a pure fibre future. Enter Copper Road UK, a company that specialises in helping ISPs of all sizes prepare for the journey from copper to fibre by refocusing their sales and commercial approach. Copper Road UK Director Marcus Dacombe commented: "The legacy infrastructure that exists will always have a use but copper is not going to keep up with the exponential increase in demand for data. Fibre is the natural successor.

"As an industry we have never stopped developing more secure, faster and more cost-effective ways of transmitting voice and data, and a pure fibre future is within reach of the mass market. Providers that grab the opportunity to help their customers to develop a connected strategy are going to be in a stronger position than those who just resell comms products."

Access to dark fibre changes the discussion from how to make the most of a scarce bandwidth resource without losing control of costs, to how limitless capacity and flexibility can be leveraged to differentiate, drive efficiencies and prepare a business for the long-term future. "The conversation still starts with what a customer is looking to achieve, but it should then demonstrate how fibre can grow and sustain the business, rather than a series of alternative connection technologies," added Dacombe. "Fibre is an enabler but the return on investment, perceived quality and ease of use are the real decision drivers. The savvy reseller helps customers to understand how fibre can underpin growth and then offers margin rich products based on OTT services. The provider becomes a partner rather than provisioner, pursuing an integrated approach where the connection and services are wrapped together in a value proposition."

Comms providers should sensibly question their current purpose and whether it dovetails with the needs of a fibre-based future, believes Dacombe, who pointed out that sales people will inevitably be required to adapt their approach to generating new business. "There is a great community of sales professionals within the provider community," stated Dacombe. "However, there are also a number of people who are reliant on their previous experience.

"A good sales manager doesn't treat the customer as a quick win sales prospect, but instead relishes the opportunity to build a lasting relationship and become that customer's go-to expert. Recruiting people who can learn and grow with the technology is essential. Fibre sold on its own is just another connection technology, but sold as part of a connected strategy it enables customers to operate in new ways that generate business growth."•

Denying an entire nation the benefits of dark fibre is simply not an option. But there is little that most comms providers can do against monolithic national operators dragging their feet, until now. Here, Commsworld CTO Charlie Boisseau explains how the availability of dark fibre enabled the company to master its own destiny and liberate customers from the constraints of an inadequate infrastructure model.

First question, what does the comms industry want? Answer, it wants massive national dark fibre availability followed by mutually planned routes to market based on staunch partnerships with alternative providers. Commsworld's response to CityFibre's dark fibre proposition has granted that wish. The second question is how to switch a higher number of comms providers onto unlit fibre and further advance a national connectivity revolution.

According to Boisseau, adding volumes of dark fibre to the armoury of the channel is a no brainer. "Throwing an abundance of dark fibre into the industry will make the supply chain richer, even if you're not able to consume it directly," he said. "The industry will attract new providers such as ourselves doing clever things with dark fibre, readily wholesaling it back to the rest of the market. For example, we're planning to launch national Layer2 access to 1Gb/s and 10Gb/s Ethernet using CityFibre under our Fluency network brand name. Alternative network providers are hugely important in this space."

Commsworld uses dark fibre as a means of backhaul between its metro PoPs as well as an innovative access circuit technology for providing connectivity services to customers. "The traditional fibre and Ethernet/leased line carriers struggle to deliver against their SLAs, but owning and managing the service end-to-end puts us in control and allows us to deliver over and above the industry standard," added Boisseau. "Dark fibre also promotes innovation way beyond the scope of traditional metro Ethernet and leased line services which are the core component of most offerings from providers.

"If the sector continues to be shackled by the same old ubiquitous access networks with the same products and services underpinning the country's telecoms industry we will continue to be frustrated by the status quo. With a lack of innovation and an obscenely slow drip-feed approach to the roll out of new products and services, we really can't rely on the usual suspects to revolutionise our national infrastructure. For this reason, companies like CityFibre, with its fresh approach to funding and investing in new build networks, are absolutely critical."

Commsworld already provides flexible bandwidth options to its customers, with the ability to go from 1Gb/s to 10Gb/s in just days instead of weeks or months and without the huge cost. "We are also selling our own brand of wavelength-based optical services for enterprise and service provider customers, all over our own infrastructure, under our own control and with disruptive pricing," added Boisseau.

Adopting a full dark fibre strategy was a natural evolution for Commsworld, and a welcome progression from its former piecemeal use of dark fibre in its backhaul network. "On occasion we found the opportunity to use dark fibre for customer circuits, but the lack of a dark fibre asset to tap into was the main block to being able to deploy more dark fibre-based services," commented Boisseau.

"The likes of BT, Virgin, Vodafone etc don't currently sell dark fibre, so it was only an option in select areas in cities where one of our fibre partners happened to have network. But CityFibre arrived and built hundreds of kilometres into cities where we operate. It has been a game changer. Having an abundance of dark fibre asset to consume, and the ability to influence where it is built is an unprecedented paradigm shift in our space."

Access to dark fibre has greatly advanced Commsworld's capabilities. In the past the company had to rely on managed access tails from providers such as BT even though it had its own national MPLS network. "At that time our products and services looked similar to the rest of the industry but we nevertheless achieved success in selling customers the benefits of our agility and willingness to do things you just can't buy elsewhere," commented Boisseau.

"However, our success was limited by our inability to take that innovation further and differentiate in new ways. But having access to a raw piece of glass between our network and our customers means there is no limit to that innovation. We are no longer seen as a tier 2 operator buying network components from others. Having our own on-net fibre capability with all of the flexibility and scope for innovation it brings puts us on a level playing field with large national operators. The only difference is that our network is the result of a partnership with CityFibre, and we didn't go bankrupt building it."

It is a boon to Commsworld that it has in-house optical expertise and the knowhow to install, troubleshoot and maintain networks consuming dark fibre. "If you're planning to take dark fibre as a component of your offering, I would recommend putting your engineers through a general fibre awareness course and invest in some basic tools," advised Boisseau. "No engineer should be without an optical light source and meter and a good set of fibre cleaners."•

It is a stroke of good fortune for Clarion that its mission is also its biggest opportunity - to change the culture of re-use and waste in the phone system marketplace, according to Managing Director Tom Hunt.

Clarion's responsibility dovetails neatly with its commercial ambitions and this perfect fit is reflected in Hunt's long-term association with CEO Ben Bradbury with whom he has been a friend since childhood. Prior to joining Clarion in 2003 Hunt worked as Chief of Staff for an MP for four years focusing on environmental and technology issues. This experience was transferred to Clarion and helped to establish the company as an 'envirotechno' trailblazer with Hunt and Bradbury leading a phone system hardware re-use revolution across 50 countries - and they recently refurbished their millionth handset.

Clarion was set up with just £7,000 and currently generates circa £4 million annual turnover and employs 40 staff. The company moved from London in 2013 to 40,000 sq ft premises in Billingshurst, providing enough space to set up a remanufacturing plant. "We now have a state of the art test, refurb and repair centre and process over 3,000 IP and digital handsets a week," said Hunt. "Our current challenge is convincing people not to be wasteful and that high quality Grade A refurb kit is not the same as second hand. We are often stripping out motherboards, relaminating and recasing handsets. That is why we call it better than new.

"Our products go through an extensive refurb bench testing process and are given a warranty that is double the length of a new one. We also replace faulty handsets the next day, unlike manufacturers that require phones to be returned for repair which can take weeks. Our resellers don't pay to have their handsets maintained, which gives them more margin to play with when they are quoting for maintenance. Furthermore, to underscore our commitment to the refurb revolution we invite people to take part in our Pepsi Cola challenge by sending out new and reconditioned phones so they can make their own judgement."

Clarion began its commercial life at a time when the market was awash with VC money and cash was being spent on the very best of everything to set up new businesses. This extravagance played into the hands of Clarion's founders. "When the bubble burst much more used kit came onto the market and we approached receivers and liquidators to purchase it, paying a fair value and indirectly returning more money to creditors while creating a market for people who needed heavily discounted comms," said Hunt.

"Reusing the equipment meant that it was not being sent to landfill, which was still happening back then. Today, with our suppliers and purchases worldwide, we know what is in demand and what is coming into the marketplace and can create fair value so that both parties gain."

What stood out most to Hunt was the extent of waste and the opportunity to create something remarkable in a new market. "Companies pay a high price for new kit that devalues quickly," said Hunt. "If a company goes bust the chances are that its ICT kit will be skipped. On the flip side, companies wanting to get off the ground need comms equipment but their pockets may not be deep enough to buy new products. We saw a market for trading used telco kit so we also started scooping up deals at the auctions."

Clarion's first purchase was an old Argent Branch system with many DT3 handsets bought from an auction house in Croydon. "I had a buyer in mind so I could outbid others who were chancing their arm for a bargain," recalled Hunt. "I carried it away with difficulty in four hessian sacks and managed to get it into the car. Since those 'rag and phone' days we have developed into a fully fledged partner to the telecoms trade providing telephone systems, cards and handsets, plus repair services for resellers. We configure IP handsets for hosted providers and ship emergency maintenance parts to our customers around the globe.

"The icing on the cake for our customers is that the Grade A reliable equipment we provide is also helping them to decrease their carbon footprint. This helps them target sectors such as the NHS and Local Government which are some of the fastest growing markets for refurb in the UK. We also give the money we make from recycling to MIND, a charity close to our hearts."

Clarion's all singing and dancing refurb and repair facility houses a team of engineers who provide technical advice to resellers; while the sales team supports resellers in winning hosted and on site telephone system deals. Hunt explained: "We do this in two ways: By buying back the old telephone system and allowing the reseller to subsidise the deal, and we help them undercut the competition. Most deals on new kit come with a discount, let's say 20 per cent. If we then provide the handsets at 80 per cent off the new price resellers win the deal."

Perhaps not surprisingly, manufacturers and distributors were perturbed by the attraction of Clarion's proposition to resellers, and it didn't take long for some to follow its lead. "Cisco and Avaya entered our market with their own certified refurbished offering," stated Hunt. "This move by the manufacturers has helped to expand the market, reinforcing the message that refurbished is just as acceptable as new."

A key growth area is the supply of IP handsets for use on hosted platforms. "We have several partnerships with hosted providers and resellers," added Hunt. "They send us their equipment and our engineers configure it as they wish. Servicing hosted VARs is the fastest growing part of our business. We continue to stress to them the importance of the benefits of equipment re-use to win business and save their clients needless expenditure, and to take some responsibility in protecting the world's resources by reducing their carbon footprint. We stock every type of IP handset.

"There is no doubt that most if not all business comms will soon be in the cloud. But we should not be getting ahead of ourselves. For years we were told that the introduction of IP would mean the death of traditional fixed line business. That was back in the mid-noughties but look where we are now. There is a huge chunk of the market still invested heavily in on-site telephony. So we continue to focus on supporting our resellers in providing heavily discounted refurbished telephone systems and handsets to their large corporate clients and the public sector."

Hunt cited one such example, an organisation with a legacy system which is rolling out 5,000-plus refurbished handsets saving the business over £330,000. "There's plenty of margin to be shared between us, the reseller and the customer," said Hunt. "But large corporates and the organisations our clients service and maintain are now moving their data into the cloud. The voice will soon follow. The big question is whether they go straight to the headset/PC set-up or keep the handsets. Current trends suggest the latter. But we are also moving more into the headset market."

Another growth area is the repair division. "We have a team of qualified engineers with a broad range of technical skills," said Hunt. "Some of the vendors support us and provide their schematics, otherwise we work it out. One of our next steps will be to roll out a 3D printer division for helping produce hard-to-find parts."

Hunt advises resellers to embrace refurb whenever and wherever possible. "Being a reseller is about adding value, and with a reliable refurb and repair partner resellers are adding a significant amount of value to their offering," he commented. "In simple terms, resellers gain a competitive edge and reduce their carbon footprint."•

From car phones to PCI compliance: How Aerial Business Communications Managing Director Paul Davis made it big in comms.

Portsmouth-based Aerial Business Communications celebrated three decades in business in June. The company, formerly known as Aerial Telephones, was founded by Davis and began life as a mobile and car phone retailer operating from a small shop and employing three sales staff. Aerial has since developed into a multi-award winning full UC company with a 50-plus headcount, supplying mobiles, telephone systems, IT and Internet connectivity services.

It all began when Davis, as an opportunistic 22-year-old, worked in the Middle East for a Dutch company selling reprographic equipment to the oil industry. His plan was to do this for three years, and with time running down he began the search for a fresh opportunity on home territory in 1985. "The Daily Telegraph was advertising sales jobs in the new car phone telecoms market," explained Davis. "I found myself talking to Geremy Thomas who co-founded the Carphone Group (subsequently sold to Cable&Wireless). We struck a deal and I buzzed with exciting ideas."

The following year Davis approached the banks with a business plan but they could not see the commercial case for car phones. "Banks have been wrong on many occasions, and this was no exception," added Davis. "I invested my own money and bought five car phones, one for myself and four for stock with a total value of over £8,000. I sold to local people with expensive cars and soon required retail premises and staff. This was the start of Aerial. Today, we are O2's biggest direct partner and part of Samsung's B2B partnership programme, accredited as a B2B Expert. Much of our business is now truly converged and we have some large well known public organisations as customers. This way we are not so reliant on the networks."

Last year Aerial's mobile and data division grew by 65 per cent following a 40 per cent hike in new connections. "Although our base is predominantly business mobile customers we also saw a huge uptake in our fixed landline and broadband services with 279 per cent growth in this division in 2015," said Davis. "During the same period our IT systems and cloud services division grew by 16 per cent; and as awareness around the benefits of hosted phones and SIP trunks increases the demand for telephone systems also intensified, with 46 per cent growth in this division."

In just three years Aerial's annual turnover has ballooned from almost £9.4 million to £25.3-plus million and Davis is forecasting 2016 revenues of 30 million or more depending on potential acquisition activity. Based on its performance, Aerial has achieved a number of awards including O2's Digital Excellence Award 2015 and the CNA Customer Service Award 2014. This year the firm scooped the Best Medium Sized Business award and Overall Business of the Year gong in the local News Business Excellence Awards.

Aerial's customer base ranges from charities to blue chip companies. "The base is varied so we group customers into segments," commented Davis. "This enables us to offer more bespoke support, marketing and assistance. The aim is to understand the issues and challenges common to these sectors. "Our sweet spot remains the 50-100 handset model, though we've recently had some larger wins nationally. Customer satisfaction is key. The main challenge is managing the considerable resources in terms of staffing, time and revenue that are invested into our support services, but providing first class support has given us the opportunity build a loyal customer base."

As the workforce becomes ever more mobile, Aerial provides an increasing range of the latest digital applications such as Office 365, McAfee, Tugo, Just Call Me, Evernote and Box, plus tracking, lone worker protection, security, workflow solutions and data recording. "These applications assist our mobile customers in maximising the value they get from their devices," said Davis. "Aerial is always looking to add valuable products and services to its portfolio. All new additional products and services need to pass a number of suitability and capability tests to ensure the whole team believe in the service and understand its strategic place within the business."

A particular area of current interest, noted Davis, is PCI compliance. The market needs educating about confusing legislation and there is a need for affordable solutions that combine with existing mobile, telecoms and IT platforms. Portfolio developments last year include the addition of a radio leased line service. "Having a point of presence at our Portsmouth HQ means we can offer faster installs and more cost-effective connectivity packages," added Davis, also noting that Aerial offers Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) technology which optimises in-building wireless, Wi-Fi and IP coverage in large buildings and isolated areas. The solution has proved popular in shopping centres, high rise offices and venues such as stadiums. Another recent addition to Aerial's portfolio is hosted call centre technology.

It goes without staying that an expanding product and services kit bag requires a sharp focus on in-house ICT skills development. "It is not enough to just offer these products, we need to create a solution-based service that offers what many talk about but few deliver - Unified Communications. Aerial approaches UC from a different angle. Our long history in business mobile means we are coming from the other side compared to most providers. By starting from the mobile framework we are able to create true UC solutions."

A key emerging trend is that customers now favour sourcing their communications from a single provider. Aerial's main growth strategy is to be positioned as a fully unified comms dealer, a one-stop-shop for all business communication solutions in terms of installation and ongoing support and maintenance. "This reaches into every department of the business from our marketing team who deliver a complete lifecycle marketing programme to the customer service team who must adhere to our customer charter," explained Davis. "Customers generally want a total telecoms package which of course includes full IT support. Every one of our customers has their own dedicated account manager that can provide assistance whenever they need it."•