Comms Dealer

Atos has bolstered its Big Data and security portfolio with the acquisition of German firm Blue Elephant Systems.

Atos aims to grow its business in IT lifecycle management, digitalisation, industry 4.0, Internet of Things and remote services and it will leverage Blue Elephant's systems such as the MIDAS product lines.

"The integration of secure R&D development and operating environments is a continuous requirement of our customers. The technology of Blue Elephant Systems complement our solution spectrum," said Pierre Barnabe, Chief Operating Officer Big Data & Security Atos.

Polycom's shares have tumbled to eighth-month lows as analyst William Blair's Jason Ader has downgraded the business to Underperform.

He points to weak videoconferencing product demand and sales execution, partner alienation on account of a recent overhaul of Polycom's channel partner programme, growing competition from both Cisco and videoconferencing upstarts such as Lifesize, and questions about Polycom's Microsoft partnership (which revolves around Microsoft's Skype for Business/Lync unified communications platform) following the software giant's introduction of a high-end videoconferencing product.

In Europe, Polycom recently pushed through price rises of up to 30% citing the effect of the strong dollar against the euro.

A study of 100 senior corporate executives by global law firm Reed Smith, in partnership with Mergermarket, reveals that 84 per cent of technology, media and entertainment (TME) companies expect to see more cross-sector M&A convergence deals over the next two years.

The report, entitled Wired up: The convergence of technology, media and entertainment, explains the changing M&A landscape for TME firms. This is being driven by an increasingly fierce battle fought by TME firms who are attempting to gain a competitive edge in the market. 2014 saw new levels of convergence deals amounting to US$34.5 billion, with this trend predicted to increase further.

The report reveals that cross-sector convergence varies widely across the TME sectors. Entertainment businesses are the most willing to branch out, with more than 33 per cent planning non-entertainment purchases. This willingness has the potential to put acquisitive businesses ahead, but they must be aware of the potential risks involved in cross-sector acquisitions.

Gregor Pryor, Reed Smith partner and co-chair of the firm's global Entertainment and Media Industry Group, explains: "One major challenge for cross-sector acquirers is understanding a new area of business. This can be a steep learning curve. If you are a big tech company, the biggest challenge is just understanding the space. Film doesn't operate in the same way as music or the same way as computer games. Companies need to learn about a new sector."

The report also shows that TME companies that are seeking growth are increasingly crossing borders, with 57 per cent saying their next acquisition is likely to be outside their home market. Of those businesses in search of cross-border opportunities, 37 per cent say they are most likely to target Asia-Pacific, followed by Western Europe (23 per cent) and North America (17 per cent). These expectations must be set against the need for firms to understand the political and regulatory risks in the target markets.

This desire to converge is not limited to the global giants in the industry. There has been a recent upsurge in so-called 'quad play' deals, in which telecom providers seek to become a one-stop shop for TV, broadband, fixed and mobile telephony.

Michael Young, corporate finance partner at Reed Smith, explains: "With increased cross-border convergence activity, companies must be prepared for the regulatory challenges that will result as they move from one jurisdiction to another. Local guidance, whether that be legal, commercial or financial, thorough due diligence and thoughtful deal structuring is critical to the success of these transactions."

Nick Cheek, global managing editor of Remark, the events and publications division of the Mergermarket Group, adds: "In the face of aggressive and agile competition, trusted business models can no longer be relied on. For many companies, survival increasingly hinges on developing capabilities beyond their traditional core."

Ten colleagues from Hove based comms provider Cellular Solutions have completed the latest leg of their cycle challenge across France which aims to raise £250,000 for children's charities.

Starting in Orléans, the event took place over three days within the midst of an unexpected heat wave. With stops on the way in the beautiful Indre-et-Loire towns of Amboise and Loches, the team arrived in Poitiers in Central West France, having covered 265km with the temperature reaching 38°c for much of day two.

The leg was sponsored by network provider Gamma and is on track to raise over £30,000, taking the total raised so far to in excess of £140,000.

Back in the office, fundraising efforts included a 1,000km static bike ride and a charity raffle with kind donations from local businesses plus corporate donations from O2, HTC and Samsung.

The money will be divided between 12 charities whose work ranges from caring for sick babies, looking after children with multiple disabilities and caring for children and adults who are terminally ill.

Damian Mottram, Managing Director of Cellular Solutions, said: "It has been a real challenge for the staff, both in France and Hove but their dedication and commitment to the cause was second to none.

"The event has been even more successful than any before. The support of our customers, suppliers and our headline sponsor, Gamma, is massively appreciated and I am extremely proud of what has been achieved for such worthwhile causes."

Donations were also gratefully received from friends and family of the participants as well as clients and suppliers of Cellular Solutions.

Nimans' Head of Network Services Mark Curtis-Wood has declared mobile apps a potential deal-maker or breaker, and resellers who ignore the mobile tide could founder, he warned.

"Mobile apps could be the difference between winning and losing customers in a world increasingly dominated by smartphones," he said. "The influence of mobile technology should not be underestimated as smartphones are the one device always within reach."

He pointed to stats that must be fully considered. "It's said there are more smartphones than toothbrushes in the world today, and in the last five years ownership has increased by 400%," noted Curtis-Wood.

Faced with such numbers it is easy to understand the scale of the opportunity. "The market for mobile apps is huge," added Curtis-Wood.

"From a marketing perspective, mobile is a powerful channel, never more than a foot away from a mobile user, so more compelling than TV advertising, radio and newspapers.

"There's some great push technology around mobile apps that can target an audience within a particular geographical region. This could be a boutique hotel or a restaurant with a special offer.

"Businesses now have the ability to hone in on a customer and almost build a personal relationship and develop brand loyalty. It becomes a habit to use an app that's brand-based."

It's important for resellers to recognise that mobile apps are part of the Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) value chain, believes Curtis-Wood.

"Resellers can't be masters of everything, but they need to be aware of where additional pockets of margin can be generated," he added.

"Voice is just going to be a mobile app. Whether it's an extension from an existing phone system, a SIP application, from a mobile network via Wi-Fi or even something like WhatsApp, the world is changing."

In our era of fundamental technology upheaval and advancement, a key messages for resellers is that mobile apps are migrating desktop applications enabling users to be 'truly mobile', observed Curtis-Wood, which translates into additional revenue for resellers.

But there is a flip side. "There can also be revenue reductions," warned Curtis-Wood. "For example, the popularity of WhatsApp had a big impact on traditional mobile networks, something like $1bn was lost because people were texting and messaging in a different way.

"Therefore resellers need to identify areas of margin erosion as well as opportunities to make money. One of the best ways forward is to bundle as many solutions together as possible as part of a whole service wrap to drive ARPU and encourage businesses to work smarter and more effectively."

The mobile phenomena means that websites need to be mobile optimised. "People make quick buying decisions and require an easy and intuitive experience to create brand loyalty," added Curtis-Wood.

"This can be the difference between keeping or losing a customer. Even if your price is cheaper, if people feel they can consume products easier elsewhere that's what they will do. Mobile apps make this possible."

The Federation of Communication Services (FCS) Billing Group is launching a new version of the UK's Standard CDR Format.

The FCS Billing Group's stakeholders, which include the UK's major billing vendors and representatives from several large communication providers, voted unanimously in a recent meeting to pass version 3.0 of the Standard CDR Format which will be released in July 2015.

Version 3.0 will co-exist with the existing version 2.0 for 12 months at which point version 2.0 will be withdrawn.

The update comes following a review of the Standard CDR Format, first introduced in January 2013, which identified a number of items that could be enhanced to provide additional benefits for the channel.

One such enhancement is the inclusion of new fields to separate Access and Service charges for non-geographic call services in response to Ofcom's new regulations for how these services should be billed to consumers.

Version 3.0 will also feature an improved range of fields for holding data on calls made using hosted and IP telephony.

Tony Cook, Chairman of the FCS Billing Group, said: "Our enhancements to the Standard CDR Format mean that it will now hold an even greater range of data and can also cater for Ofcom's new requirements around non-geographic services.

"The fact that some of the channel's largest suppliers have now decided to adopt the format is encouraging. We hope that other carriers and producers of wholesale CDRs will follow suit and embrace the UK CDR Standard."

Chris Pateman, FCS CEO, added: "The FCS Billing Group is ahead of the game in planning and producing an updated version of the Standard that will assist those who adopt it in dealing with the changes coming into effect on 1st July."

A global employment survey entitled 'Why is Hiring Taking Longer?' reveals that the average time to make a job offer has doubled to 30 days across the USA, Europe and Australia in the last five years.

Complicated HR methods, internal processes and uncertainty in decision making are the principle causes, according to the report by Glassdoor.

"It seems that the larger the company, the lengthier the process, with many corporates taking up to 60 days to make a job offer," said Clive Jefferys, MD of Telecoms Recruiter, JMA Network.

"Conversely, organisations with less than 50 employees are the most decisive, offering candidates within just 15 days of first contact.

"This has a profound impact on UK hiring processes. Britain has one of the highest proportions of small business employment in the G20. It seems that small companies secure the best candidates first, much to the frustration of the PLCs."

Data centre based-virtual machines combined with the virtual MultiApp Platform (vMAP) configuration GUI is the key to easily deploying cloud and hybrid solutions, claims SpliceCom, which is beating the drum about the SpliceCom Select Cloud Server that enables VARs to deliver private voice service over a virtualised cloud infrastructure.
 
SpliceCom's data centres offer virtual machines in three sizes - small (for single SME application deployment), medium (to support multiple SME applications) or large (for Enterprise class requirements).

The vMAP configuration GUI allows SpliceCom Partners to chose which application(s) they want to load on these virtual machines, offering a choice of Soft PBX, Vision Business Management, Secure Mobility Gateway and standalone Voice Processing. 

"Our system components interoperate and everything works in the same way from a configuration, management and use perspective, totally independent of how they're deployed," said Robin Hayman, SpliceCom's Director of Marketing & Product Management.

"We treat Cloud, On-Premise & Hybrid architectures in exactly the same manner. Products, applications, features and benefits are common across all, making it easy to sell and now with MAP for on premise and vMAP for Cloud and Hybrid systems, installation and configuration is identical too." 

Research from Gartner, Saugatuck and IT Europa has highlighted some fundamental shifts in the way information technology is being bought and consumed that has significant implications on the role of channels in providing products and services over the coming years.

The Managed Services and Hosting Summit 2015 will examine the changing face of managed services as the sector responds to such fast-evolving customer needs.

It is clear that the nature of selling and salesmanship, particularly by the traditional channel, is changing and needs to change.

As researcher Saugatuck Technology said just in May 2015: "While the traditional IT organisation profile (supporting on premise) is the most common today, by 2019 it shrinks from 41% to only 12%."

Featured Gartner analyst Mark Paine will be delivering the morning keynote presentation at the Managed Services and Hosting Summit 2015 on trends in buying behaviours for purchasing products and services from Gartner's Tech Go-to Market: The B2B Customer Buying Cycle for Technology Products and Services report.

During his session Paine will explain the results and implications of this buying shift and give guidance on how to approach the problem in terms of what to sell, who to sell it to and how.

Other content at the event includes sessions looking into Service Management and Support services which has been among the fastest growing segments of the managed services market as what the channel is providing has changed enormously in the face of customer demand. Access security and backup and retrieval is another critical area where the boom in enterprise mobile access has put organisations' intellectual property at risk. We will review the reality of this market segment and address the different architectural models that companies deploy and what solutions fit particular businesses and vertical sectors.

At the heart of a successful managed services deployment must lay improvement in the customer experience, so sessions will look at the key to creating value, gaining competitive advantage and customer relationships with a view to expanding the range of offerings.

The Managed Services and Hosting Summit 2015, which is organised by IT Europa and Angel Business Communications will take place at 155 Bishopsgate, London, on 17th September 2015.

www.mshsummit.com

The restaurant at the top of the BT Tower is set to open to the public this summer as part of the iconic building's golden anniversary celebrations.

The re-opening, for two weeks only, will enable around 1,400 members of the public to enjoy a unique dining experience in the famous revolving restaurant which boasts unparalleled views across London.

The BT Tower is one of London's most iconic landmarks, famous to visitors from all over the world. It has featured in several movies - including Bedazzled and The Bourne Ultimatum. It was also in a 1966 series of Doctor Who and was memorably in a famous 1970's Goodies comedy sketch involving a giant kitten known as Kitten Kong. It was London's tallest building from its opening through to 1980 during which period it was known as the Post Office Tower.

The building was officially opened by Prime Minister Harold Wilson on 8th October 1965, with the public restaurant opened by Tony Benn MP and Billy Butlin on 19th May, 1966.

The 189m (620ft) Tower, equivalent to a line of 25 double-decker buses parked end-to-end, was closed to the public in 1971, except for the restaurant which remained open until 1980.

Amazingly, the Tower was designated an official secret and did not appear on Ordnance Survey maps until after it was officially revealed by Kate Hoey MP under parliamentary privilege in 1993.

Gavin Patterson, BT Group Chief Executive, said: "I'm delighted we're able to re-open the restaurant to the public. The BT Tower was a unique feat of engineering when it was first built and it remains an important and much loved building today.

"It has been a working icon of technological innovation for fifty years and what better way to celebrate that than by opening it to the public.

"The ballot winners are in for a treat as they will be able to see London in all its glory. People who choose the dinner option will have the added bonus of seeing the sun set followed by the dazzling spectacle of London at night."

BT is expecting there to be huge demand for places so it has decided to give members of the public an equal chance by holding a ballot with the lucky winners drawn at random.

Anyone over the age of 18 will be able to enter the ballot with the winners having the choice of a champagne lunch or dinner[1] in the famous revolving 34th floor at the top of the BT Tower. A four course lunch will cost £49.95 per head whilst the seven course dinner will cost £67.95 per head.

Anyone who is not successful in the restaurant ballot will get another opportunity to visit the top of the BT Tower this autumn, when BT will hold a further ballot to offer more than 2,500 people the opportunity to visit the 34th floor when they will be served free drinks and snacks.
 
The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner between Saturday, 25 July and Friday, 7 August, excluding Mondays, with one sitting for lunch and dinner each day. This means the lucky winners will be able to spend several hours at the top if they wish with no pressure to make way for other diners.

Each winner will be able to bring up to three guests.