Comms Dealer

ShoreTel has enhanced its integration to Microsoft Skype for Business with a new plug-in that embeds telephony controls inside the Skype for Business client.

With ShoreTel Telephony for Microsoft users can dial contacts directly from the Skype for Business client, make conference calls, transfer calls, access their voicemail box, view and set presence information, and control all of their ShoreTel preferences such as call routing.

"We recognise that some ShoreTel customers will use Skype for Business, so this new plug-in provides ShoreTel telephony features inside that client," said Eugenia Corrales, vice president of product at ShoreTel.

Jason Evans, MD of Response Data Communications, a ShoreTel Circle of Excellence partner in the UK, noted: "For partners it enables us to deliver a voice platform that runs alongside the Skype for Business communications application."

Mitel has celebrated the winners of its annual EMEA Cloud Service Provider of the Year Awards with TalkTalk Business collecting the UK gong.

Jon Nowell, Head of Product Management, TalkTalk Business, stated. "We set out a few years ago to carefully build a cloud platform based on Mitel technology. Over the last 12 months, we've aggressively grown the platform with very little churn and have steep growth ambitions for the future."

Patrik Sorqvist, VP for Mitel Cloud Services, EMEA, said: "With this year's awards we're recognizing the providers who made great strides in cloud migrations and contributing towards the continued growth of Mitel's cloud business."

Other winners include Telia in Sweden; SPIE ICS in France; Sonera in Finland; Destiny in Belgium; Uno Telefoni in Denmark; and CallHosted in The Netherlands.
Mitel names winners of EMEA Cloud Service Provider of the Year awards

Mitel has celebrated the winners of its annual EMEA Cloud Service Provider of the Year Awards with TalkTalk Business collecting the UK gong.

Jon Nowell, Head of Product Management, TalkTalk Business, stated. "We set out a few years ago to carefully build a cloud platform based on Mitel technology. Over the last 12 months, we've aggressively grown the platform with very little churn and have steep growth ambitions for the future."

Patrik Sorqvist, VP for Mitel Cloud Services, EMEA, said: "With this year's awards we're recognizing the providers who made great strides in cloud migrations and contributing towards the continued growth of Mitel's cloud business."

Other winners include Telia in Sweden; SPIE ICS in France; Sonera in Finland; Destiny in Belgium; Uno Telefoni in Denmark; and CallHosted in The Netherlands.

US-listed CDW, which acquired UK-based Kelway last year, has now formally changed the UK operation's name to CDW. "The opportunities to deliver enhanced services and solutions stemming from this integration offer tremendous potential," said Phil Doye, founder, Kelway.

"Everything our customers value about their relationship with Kelway will strengthen as we become CDW."

To help introduce CDW to customers in the UK, the company will roll out a local marketing campaign with print, digital and out-of-home components, including taxi, rail and office signage.

EET Europarts has snapped up UK distie Chiltern IT, a family owned firm with 15 staff.

Chiltern IT MD Graham Nye said: "The impact of EET Europarts sales and distribution model in combination with the knowhow of Chiltern IT will create lots of synergies for our spare parts customers.

"Joining forces with EET Europarts and becoming part of a strong financial and administrative infrastructure is right for Chiltern IT."

BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions has launched a new finance programme to encourage sales of Juniper Networks equipment across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and the UK, offering 0% financing until 31st December 2016 on qualifying purchases.

Martin Ardern, Head of ICT Finance Division at BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions, said: "Continued economic uncertainty means that some businesses are reluctant to make the investment in the latest network technology a top priority.

"Outdated equipment will, however, hold back a business and act as a real barrier to efficiency. Our 0% financing promotion will make investment in Juniper Networks products more manageable."

F5 Networks has appointed David Helfer as VP of Worldwide Channels.

He joins from the cybersecurity company Lookout where he served as VP of Worldwide Channels and managed direct sales for the Asia Pacific region.

He also worked at Juniper Networks where he was responsible for worldwide channels and commercial sales and OEM sales in the Americas and partner/alliance sales in the EMEA.

F5 Networks also appointed Peter Brant as its new SVP of North America Sales.

Virtual1 has entered a new phase of ambitious growth following the hire of Magnus Batsvik-Miller as CFO, who, in his previous role as World First Group CFO, is credited with overseeing 400% growth in four years.

"Magnus brings a great skill set to our finance and accounting team from his experience at World First and previous positions at Deloitte, Hutchison Whampoa, Carphone Warehouse and Minit operational Board," said Virtual1 CEO Tom O'Hagan.

"He will be instrumental in providing the finance vision, strategy and leadership to help the company get to the next level."

Batsvik-Miller added: "It's a great time to join such a dynamic company and I look forward to playing an instrumental role in Virtual1's strategic growth."

Almost half of European IT leaders say the IT department's core function is to reduce costs, according to latest research from Claranet.

With IT budgets going up in recent years, IT departments' fixation on cost reduction might be expected to be lower on the agenda than enabling revenue generation for the wider business or innovating to support growth strategies. However, recent research from Claranet shows IT departments across Europe are still fixated on containing costs at the expense of working on new value-add activities.

Independent research, which was conducted by Vanson Bourne on behalf of Claranet and surveyed 900 European IT leaders, found that cost reduction is significantly more likely to be a focus for IT departments in 2016 than it was a year ago. In spite of budget increases, 46 per cent of respondents highlighted cost reduction as a core function today, compared with just over a third (34 per cent) in 2015.

This focus on costs is likely to come to the detriment of other value-add activities; just 29 per cent of IT leaders view enabling revenue generation for the wider business as a core function, and only a quarter (25 per cent) believe they should be engaged in increasing customer loyalty.

Michel Robert, Claranet's UK MD, said: "European IT budgets are growing, which would suggest there's a recognition within businesses of the importance of IT, however time and resources are still not being spent on more forward-thinking projects that can generate more revenue in the long-term.

"It is clear from the data that the focus on cost reduction and 'keeping the lights on' we witnessed in last year's report has been maintained and, for many, has actually increased. "It goes without saying that costs are important, but it's critical that IT departments can reposition themselves internally as enablers of business agility and innovation, rather than as cost centres."

Comedy legend and entertainer Ronnie Corbett has died aged 85. In 2009 he hosted the Comms National Awards and was an instant hit combining a sublime comedy spirit with sheer professionalism.

Nigel Sergent, Comms Dealer Editorial Director, commented: "The whole country will mourn the death of Ronnie Corbett. He was a true comedy legend.

"Comms Dealer was privileged to work alongside him at the Comms National Awards in 2009 and he was a true gentleman and a consummate professional.

"We will never forget 'Four Candles' and 'My BlackBerry's not working'. RIP Ronnie. Thanks for the laughs. You were one in a million."

Pictured: Nigel Sergent with Ronnie at the Comms National Awards in 2009

TWL Voice and Data is gunning to become the biggest UC provider in Wales following a link-up with Advance Communications that strengthens TWL's presence in the mobile space.

The Cardiff-based telecoms firm, which expects turnover of £2.4m for 2016, will offer mobile solutions to its customer base and service the fixed line and broadband requirements of Advance Telecoms' customers.

TWL MD Andrew Nicholson said: "The move is another step along our growth plan. Advance Communications will now act as our mobile division handling all queries regarding billing, technical support, tariff changes and new business.."

Advance Communications Director Andy Davies added: "We have grown consistently over the last nine years but the sharpest increase in business has been from the introductions we've made through our partnership with TWL Voice and Data.

"Currently, we manage over 2,000 connections between Vodafone, EE and O2. We expect this to significantly increase through our partnership with TWL Voice and Data."