Comms Dealer

Provider of hybrid cloud services Pulsant has enlisted Simon Hendy as Channel Manager, who brings almost 20 years experience across the UK, US, Europe and the Middle East.

He joins following a five year stint at Microsoft where he was Partner Account Manager, responsible for transitioning traditional partners to the cloud.

Adam Eaton, Pulsant Sales Director, said: "As Pulsant continues to evolve our established partner programme must change too, keeping in line with industry trends and demands from the channel. We look forward to Simon leveraging his experience to drive further adoption of the programme and help us deliver strategic advice and solutions to our partners."

The release of 3CX Phone System V15.5 marks a slicker and more secure way to deliver UC according to the vendor, introducing a new web client, improved click to call and  deskphone and smartphone control, enabling users to manage their inbound calls, transfer calls and elevate a call to a conference call with a single click.

The new web client is optimised for open standards browsers such as Chrome and Firefox.
 
V15.5 also advances 3CX's Deploy Anywhere strategy, and can be deployed on MiniPC appliances of brands such as Intel, Zotac, Shuttle and Gigabyte.

Nick Galea, CEO 3CX, said: "3CX 15.5 can be deployed on premise, in the cloud or even on an appliance, leaving partners and customers in full control of the installation."

The revamp of EMIT's strategic approach has delivered clarity, focus, confidence and growth, says Managing Director Eamon Moore who reveals the thinking behind his expansion plans.

In April this year Dublin-based IT services firm EMIT (Eamon Moore IT) acquired the managed services business and customer base of local rival Softech, boosting its customer base to over 3,500 end users across enterprise, SMB and public sector organisations. The deal is expected to add a further two million euros in revenue over the next three years and is the latest step forward in Moore's well planned growth strategy. "EMIT has ambitious business development goals and will drive growth, both organically and through more acquisitions," he confirmed.

Moore established EMIT in 2003 following a solid grounding in the outsourced IT space. His IT career began earlier than most. It started after an introduction to his teacher's brother who ran CSK Software, one of Dermot Desmond's companies. Moore was just 15 at the time and spent his summers and school breaks working in CSK's IT department to learn the trade. During this period he completed a degree in Computer Applications. "In 1999 I was then lucky enough to work under another of Ireland's leading entrepreneurs, Denis O'Brien," commented Moore. "The Head of IT in CSK Software was appointed to launch Esat Clear, O'Brien's first venture into the residential Internet market. I was brought in to help set up the technical support department along with my CSK colleague."

In 2002 Moore took a call from Finbarr Crowley, Managing Partner of legal firm Crowley Millar Solicitors (who now sits on the EMIT board as Non-Executive Chairman) requesting consultancy services on IT projects. "I was still working part-time in Esat but we agreed I would provide these services two days a week," recalled Moore. "The EMIT seed was sown. A few months later after receiving more interest in my outsourced IT model I resigned from Esat. My week was full and I was officially in business."

The outsourced IT model was a big draw for SMEs. And after a number of years operating this model as a sole trader Moore set up his limited company in 2008 and opened his first office in Park House on the North Circular Road in Dublin. "I hired my first employees to build up a small team and we won a number of outsourced contracts," said Moore. "Businesses also required support and advice outside of our outsourced time so we built an IT support helpdesk service that would support our clients remotely."

This period of development coincided with the market uncertainty of the economic downturn but Moore said EMIT had a 'good recession' as its model and outsourced offering helped many businesses to benefit from a viable IT solution despite not being able to invest in internal resources. Having shown a resilient business model founded on solid experience Moore then decided to further his prospects by completing a diploma in Cloud Strategy at the Irish Management Institute in Dublin in 2012. "This transformed my thinking around business and the value of focus," he explained. "Our strategy lecturer closed the course by saying, 'with business strategy, it is just as important to be clear about what you won't do as it is about what you will do'. That line has stayed with."

Armed with knowledge and experience and following six months of research and planning Moore revamped his strategy in 2014. "After 10 years of providing consultancy and IT outsourcing services the EMIT board made a decision to move away from this business model which had become too broad and resource intensive," he said.

"We had amassed over 20 industry partnerships which was unmanageable. We also looked at key technology solutions and realigned EMIT to deliver the four pillars of Infrastructure, Cloud, Security and Business Productivity solutions. These are supported by a number of professional services including managed services, helpdesk, support, project management, training and consultancy. We made the bold decision to significantly reduce our partnerships, with Dell and Microsoft appointed at tier one level."

Moore's business pillars showcase the core technology solutions that he now delivers. The move has resulted in EMIT's most successful period with record growth in turnover and staff headcount (currently 16) as well as a number of industry accolades, the most notable being 2016 Microsoft Global Partner of the Year for SMB Cloud Solutions. "I spend a number of weeks each year with the Microsoft senior leadership team in Redmond," said Moore. "Close relationships with vendors are as vital as having constant engagements with customers about their business and technology challenges. It isn't just about going the extra mile for a customer, it's about being alongside them on the journey.

"This has led to further investments in our Business Intelligence practice. We want to bring BI to companies of all shapes and sizes to help them understand the true value of data. We will also focus more on technology-based solutions, enhance our security range and increase our software development capabilities. We intend to become a much larger organisation supported by investment and more strategic acquisitions."•

Full support in the supply of converged communications and IT services, a pioneering new buy-and-build business model and well planned route to exit offered - that's how mobile dealers can benefit from joining the Intec Business Network, according to Chairman Simon Howitt.

There is nothing secret about Howitt's formula for Intec Business Network's future success nor the rationale that underpins his strategy and proposition. Some get carried away with a great idea only to see it falter no matter how well thought out. But Howitt's big ambition is more a reflection of sound strategy than aspiration and optimism, drawing on knowledge gained from hard earned experience. And his plan to introduce to the mobile channel a pioneering new business model could not be more timely.

The importance of striking an equilibrium between bold visions and real world market opportunities was a lesson learnt by Howitt during his time at Outsourcery, a lesson he is putting to good use now with Intec. "I always want to be ahead of the pack and ride the wave of opportunity, but not so far ahead that you get battered when the wave breaks," he stated. "Outsourcery was far too forward and there were too many doubters. We had a great idea, great positioning and great people, but we were too pioneering. The big lesson learnt - no matter how great the idea, don't be too far ahead."

It is with this knowledge and acute sense of optimum timing that Howitt is introducing Intec Business Network to the mobile channel with great confidence having already piqued the interest of private equity players who form part of the business plan's end game. The objective is to bring a network of mobile dealers together who recognise the need to broaden their portfolios but do not have the resources to achieve their ambitions to become one-stop-shop comms and IT providers. Intec delivers these capabilities through its technology team that operates under the SparkHub banner. Companies using this service alone are called Affiliate partners and by committing over and above less beneficial third party relationships they receive a bigger share of the revenues.

But Intec's primary goal is to drive a buy and build strategy and bring strong customer relationships under its wing rather than simply acquiring customer bases with cross sell potential. This way Intec can help dealers engage with customers loyal to them and provide consultancy services. Mobile dealers who become technology services providers will naturally sell a wider set of solutions which means they could double the valuation of their business. Because of this upside the seller gains extra advantages beyond those of a standard disposal.

"We are clear with all partners that our plan is to build the network and within a three to five year period we will sell," commented Howitt. "At this point we envisage selling to PE and have discussed our plan with a small number of PE companies that are monitoring our progress. The upside of a PE deal is that 'owned' partners will benefit from enhanced values and PE will be attracted by the potential to scale. Partners who have helped to grow the business can continue if they wish."

Howitt aims to have six engaged and active partners by the end of the year, three of them owned by Intec. "Next year we want to reach 15 rising to 25 by the end of 2019," he added. "Within six months of pioneering the concept with Hale Communications we took the proposition to over 25 customers and 15 have already engaged while others are in progress. We appeal to dealers who understand that their customers want more than mobile but they don't have the capabilities to meet this demand. Our proposition enables such dealers to offer a solutions sell that pulls through products naturally. Dealers also need to understand that customers don't expect everything for free and will pay for services if they see value."

Howitt does not want to build a large network of partners, he aims to create a more intimate and hands-on relationship. "We are not looking to buy bases," added Howitt. "We want access to strong customer relationships and the dynamic between the dealer and their customer base is important. A differentiator for those we own is that their identity remains in place and we drive centralised back office synergies."

Building channel relationships that stand the test of time is one of Howitt's long held specialities. His career began in advertising and while working on a number of technology and mobile accounts he was introduced to Yes Telecom. "I joined the company as Sales & Marketing Director and continued for three years following its sale to Vodafone," explained Howitt. "Yes Telecom was acknowledged as a model channel business and its reputation is still an industry talking point. I then joined the team that backed an MBO of Genesis from DSG and was one of four founding shareholders of Outsourcery which launched as a Cloud Services Provider.

"Soon after its IPO in 2013 Finance Director David Burke and myself left. I remained close to David and also Ray Bell who was CTO at Yes Telecom. We collaborated on projects at Outsourcery. The three of us discussed the industry and where it was heading. It was a conversation that gave rise to the Intec concept."

Early last year the trio developed a plan to show how Intec could grow and quietly launched the concept in the summer. "We are now ready to extend our reach to partners who want to remain in their business and drive growth but also have an exit plan that benefits them by taking some value off the table now," added Howitt. "By offering more of a 'club' and collaborative feel they can join something that retains their identity but at the same time they are part of something bigger."

According to Bell, Intec's approach is based on a three stage methodology. "Firstly, investing time to understand our clients business, how they operate, their history and their plans for the future," he explained. "Secondly, we include in our scope all business processes and technology solutions from telecoms services to business applications and physical IT infrastructure. Thirdly, we set out a future technology vision and support the process of change with a plan that is achievable, has something in it for everyone and is business case led. By following this process we are able to help our clients to make best use of technology and improve the way they work."

But the frustration is that too many dealers have their head in the sand, are wedded to products, not solutions, and engage in price wars that devalue the industry. According to Howitt they need to wake up and smell the coffee. "When Yes Telecom was at the forefront of BlackBerry's surge of 'email on the move' we saw some dealers turn their backs and say 'this will never catch on'. In 2010 and 2011 when Outsourcery shared its vision many dealers and conventional providers thought we had just arrived from another planet. Now everyone is rushing into the cloud and providers who scoffed at cloud services are now building their proposition on them. What was seen as futuristic is now standard. It's no longer about convergence of telecoms, it's about the convergence and integration of all business collaboration and communication needs. It's about the convergence of mobile, voice and IT."

Analysis cited by Howitt suggests that just 20 per cent of a customer's technology spend goes into telecoms, meaning that many mobile dealers are leaving money on the table for more rounded rivals to pick up and potentially swipe the mobile spend from under their nose. The opportunity and risk is plain to see and Intec's intention is to help partners capitalise on the opportunities and de-risk not only from the competition but also from the challenge of recruiting specialist resources into their business and onto the payroll. For wise dealers there is a strong incentive to join the Intec Business Network and tap into its technology specialist team. "This function is run by Ray and is what the partner takes to their customers," said Howitt. "We will be developing regional centres for SparkHub to make sure we are close to partners throughout the UK."

Once Intec has engaged with a partner the fist job is to get them thinking about the concept of solutions versus products and to understand where the real value lies. The majority of partners open up quickly, enabling Intec to identify their obstructing issues. "They come to understand that customers need to see value," explained Howitt. "If dealers can show how technology and their skills can improve business processes companies will pay. Customers want help and advice to ensure they make the right technology decisions. So dealers must not fall into the mobile trap and crash the price assuming that customers will not pay for services that are valuable to them.

"The biggest opportunity is getting SMEs to understand that they can benefit from technology they thought only affordable by larger enterprise and corporate organisations. We can show them the value that technology brings to their business. We energise dealers to generate growth from their base, we motivate them to continue growing and share in greater future value. We have been in mobile, we have been in cloud services, we understand the channel, and we have a great blend of skills and capabilities."•

Intercity Technology has lifted the curtain on a new in-house developed UC platform that CEO Andrew Jackson says will make a mark on the global map as well as the channel landscape.

Intercity Technology is an extended family business that has retained its core family values despite undergoing a technology and acquisition driven transformation that encompasses new markets, more people and greater scale. At the helm is CEO Andrew Jackson whose father founded the business in 1985. Based in Birmingham Intercity was one of the early pioneers of the mobile phone industry and signed Vodafone's first UK partnership agreement. The company has since broadened its service portfolio and transformed from a pure-play mobile provider to an IT and communications solutions specialist. Jackson became CEO in 2013 and quickly went on the acquisition trail to build a well rounded internationally competitive technology business.

He joined the company in 2008 following a five year stint working as a senior executive at Ernst & Young where he was heavily involved in M&A. "This experience prepared me for our acquisitions of Imerja and Gage Networks," commented Jackson. "The business had seen 30 years of organic growth when we embarked on our first acquisition so it felt like a step into the unknown, but it's the best thing I've ever done. Acquisitions always catalyse change and bringing Imerja and Gage into the fold has been no different. But both sets of colleagues have integrated well and we are very much one team. We're a family and all staff at Intercity Technology are treated as valued individuals. The future is looking positive with everyone trying to achieve our shared objectives. Deals like these are often difficult and complex, but as a management team we navigated both incredibly well."

The acquisition of IT services provider Imerja was significant as it expanded Intercity Technology's capabilities and gave it footholds in a number of new vertical markets including the public sector. The company now has 250 employees based in five office locations. Group turnover is £50 million but Jackson's ambition is to get to £75 million by 2020. "We are still very much on the acquisition trail and will continue to look for opportunities to add capabilities where we feel there is an opportunity for growth," noted Jackson. "We also see the launch of Touch Technology as the start of a new path to growth, based on innovative technology we have developed in-house."

According to Jackson the introduction of Touch Technology, a global UC platform, is a game changer. "Because this is something we developed in-house it makes us a vendor as well as a services provider," he said. "We've invested £10 million in its development. Touch Technology is a patented alternative to other major players in the market. We are also working on developing Infrastructure as a Service and looking forward to taking some of these solutions to the channel in the second half of 2017. I can't give too much away, but it's set to take computing on demand to a new level."

Jackson wants to establish Touch Technology as the go-to unified communications platform for growing businesses across the globe, particularly those with international operations or cross border aspirations. "It's an area where we see huge growth potential," he explained. "The Touch Technology platform is our biggest current opportunity. We have so many markets to attack and I'm proud of the team for creating proprietary technology that rivals the very best out there. I want to see Intercity Technology as a credible alternative to the most established IT providers in Europe. With the broad suite of solutions we now offer, coupled with our proprietary technology, we can make a big dent in our target markets."

Intercity Technology's relationships with customers are based on shared long-term goals. That means providing technology solutions that change the way they work for the better. "Many companies are moving traditional IT out of their offices and into data centres giving them the flexibility and scalability to grow," said Jackson. "Intercity Technology's USPs in this area are our in-house data centres, data sovereignty in the UK, expertise, delivery, and removing complexity from the process. I've learnt that businesses succeed when they keep things simple. Clarity is crucial and this is particularly important in the IT and comms industry."•

Every reasonable business leader agrees that people are the lifeblood of a company, none more so than Exponential-e's Head of Channel Alp Kostem who infuses people-centricity into every aspect of his management style and growth strategy.

For Kostem, putting people first is not an adopted strategy, it is in his nature. It's a personal quality that dovetails with Exponential-e's championing of staff as the primary driver of growth, and this approach has given the company a remarkable hand of cards that comes up trumps every year as revealed in its impressive financial figures. Exponential-e has seen solid compound annual growth since 2002 - without a whisper of M&A activity. In its latest set of annual figures revenues were up 24 per cent to £97.5 million, with 45 per cent growth in EBITDA to over £20 million. Profit before tax was up 48 per cent at almost £10 million.

"Our goal is to hit the £200 million target within three years," said Kostem. "There's been speculation on whether the company is for sale, but that isn't the case. Creating opportunities and investment in young people is far more important to our CEO Lee Wade. His personal goal is to ensure that Exponential-e is recognised as a world class company. Growth is driven by our profits which are used predominantly to fuel research and development work. This R&D and a firm focus on investing in people is what drives the company forward."

Kostem joined Exponential-e in 2010 and his primary focus has been growing the channel and increasing revenue, gaining strength from his previous work experiences in the recruitment industry and fast growth organisations. "I focus heavily on hiring, training and re-training people to join our team," he explained. "We now have one of the biggest channel teams in the UK with 38 people. I attribute this to our channel products and offerings, how we cater for dealers, resellers, partners, wholesalers and carriers - with flexibility being key.

"We've developed our own brand of ICT products to put on top of the network, and by supplementing this with our 900-plus active channel partners we have been able to continue our momentum. Exponential-e is also a diverse company in terms of its markets - strong in the public sector, finance, broadcast and retail. Around 3,000 end users are using our products."

Exponential-e's channel sweet spot is £20-50 million revenue partners. But there are no hard and fast rules. The company also has much bigger and smaller partners which is testimony to the flexibility of Exponential-e's broad product portfolio. "We are also completely agnostic and work with any other UC or cloud offering, whatever works best for our customers," added Kostem.

His predilection to working closely with people can be traced back to a five year stint in the high pressured IT recruitment business during the Y2K dot.com bubble. The experience was a one-off, a reflection of the times and close to being torrid. But Kostem emerged with key skills he otherwise would not have picked up, and the experience lay the step stones of a career path that has always been people oriented. "It was survival of the fittest in IT recruitment around the turn of the millennium," he said. "I've not seen such a cutthroat and dynamic environment since. Not to mention the 85 to 100 hour weeks that were part and parcel of the time. But it gave me a good grounding in how to use the telephone. Knowing how to make 200 calls a day is a skill worth having."

Frustrated by the vagaries of 'selling people' Kostem decided to sell solutions which are more predictable in their nature, and worked for John Caudwell when he set up Reach Telecoms, which later became Caudwell Communications. "This was an interesting experience in how to quickly grow a market presence and make a return in a short space of time," added Kostem. "John was one of the most impressive people in business I've ever seen."

Then, start-up company V Networks beckoned. Established in 2005 V Networks grew to circa £23 million in two years. It was sold to TalkTalk Business in December 2008. "V Networks was a lean, mean channel machine," noted Kostem. "This was a completely different kind of experience and interesting to see a start-up grow to such a size in a short space of time. It was also a challenge to learn how to sell for a company that had no existing partners or references. I continued at TalkTalk for a year and a half, working on three acquisitions during my time there."

Kostem's background makes him an ideal candidate to play a key role in advancing Exponential-e's 20-plus per cent growth rate year-on-year, which is a difficult task. So Exponential-e listens to partners and end users to drive new products and services based on demand, and also responds appropriately to external forces that have an influence on the market, such as the up-coming GDPR regulation. "We are looking to target the security space and will recruit experts in the field," added Kostem. "We want to offer our own security proposition that will be separate to our other products. The GDPR regulation and the constant attacks that people are seeing keeps such issues in the public consciousness."

Aside from external regulatory and technological forces, the big challenge facing most channel organisations is how to recruit the best people. The scale of the task is most acutely felt by fast expanding companies such as Exponential-e. "We're growing fast and a big challenge is finding and matching the right people to the right positions within the company," added Kostem. "We tend to take on graduates, so we invest a lot of time, training and effort into our people. Products can be developed relatively straightforwardly, but people don't just 'happen' in the same way."

Hence the Exponential-e academy which is in its 11th year. The company takes people from all walks of life - young people, career re-starters, those with degrees and those straight from school - trains them over a six month period and places them into the appropriate department. "Many academy graduates have risen up the ranks within the business," commented Kostem. "My biggest achievement is moving from a sales focus into hiring, training and investing in young people to work in our teams. The fact that I get to empower people, see my team members buy their first house, get married and have children is a huge source of personal pride."•

With the launch of a state-of-the-art data centre in Leeds Firstnet Solutions's reputation as a fast rising northern powerhouse is assured, according to Managing Director David Cusworth.

Leeds-based Firstnet's new £24 million data centre, launched in March, is not only 'just the job' for channel partners and customers, it is also a boon to job seekers in the local area as the facility is expected to generate around 100 new positions. As well as adding people, the data centre adds colocation, cloud platforms and disaster recovery to Firstnet's services portfolio, including its own cloud solution powered by Nutanix and targeted at SMEs. Cusworth said: "The opportunity to expand and invest in this building to create a certified Tier III facility was too good to miss. Our customers now have access to the latest technology in managed services and a host of additional support, including office space with over 100 desks designed specifically for workplace recovery and relocation needs."

It was in 2014 when Firstnet began to flourish having earned a reputation as the 'go to provider' of IT services in the Leeds city region. That same year Firstnet's profile was raised across the nation when it featured as a finalist in a number of industry awards and scooped the Comms National Award in the Best Enterprise Mobility Solution category. The company currently has a headcount of 30, circa 250 customers and revenues of around £4 million; while Cusworth's plan to target £20 million turnover by 2020 and 100 jobs is advancing nicely.

"Our growth plans are aggressive but as any business owner knows fast growth poses a whole raft of challenges, but I have a great management team and I know there isn't any obstacle we can't overcome," said Cusworth. "A milestone for us was changing our mindset from a small business to a medium sized operation. We now undertake large scale IT projects and roll outs to the enterprise and corporate marketplace and have established Firstnet Education which provides IT services to schools, while Firstnet Data Centre offers colocation for resellers, cloud for the SMB space and workplace recovery services to the corporate and enterprise market - all fully end-to-end services."

Cusworth 'fell' into IT by chance and fate could have played a hand as he started out at Pipex which, also by chance, was based on the site of Firstnet's new data centre. As an entrepreneur and with a successful career in IT sales under his belt Cusworth decided to go it alone having spotted a gap in the market to offer enterprise solutions and services to the SMB marketplace. "I persuaded my wife Angie, who is an exceptional Operations Director, to join me in my vision and we have taken the business from strength to strength every since," he said.

The industry trend that most interests Cusworth right now is the high level of acquisitions in the distribution arena which he believes will eventually, sooner rather than later, leave just four or five large distribution players. The role of resellers is also evolving, noted Cusworth, who urges them to partner with their customers. "For resellers to succeed it is imperative that they understand their clients' businesses and how they can add value to them," he added. "All VARs should help customers change their perception of IT as a cost centre to a profit centre.

"IT is always changing and to be successful you have to be ahead of the curve and able to offer the latest technology. Resellers also need to be aware of the IT landscape. Ten years ago virtualisation was the big thing, then it was the cloud, now it's Business Intelligence, analytics and the Internet of Things. If resellers can't give client's what they want and need someone else will. And as the landscape changes new challenges spring up every day such as GDPR. It is our duty to enable clients and support them and their businesses through these challenges, so we are working with our customers to ensure they are GDPR compliant and able maximise the business benefits that BI can provide."

Educating customers is perhaps a VAR's biggest opportunity, backed up by what Cusworth says is Firstnet Solutions' greatest source of potential growth - its new data centre and the associated cloud services it brings. "This facility will enable us to provide a true IT service to our clients," he added. "We have an amazing in-house team and the business wouldn't be where it is without them. Within three years I expect Firstnet to be a £50 million turnover business and the go-to IT company in the north of England. We have grown quickly and will continue to do so - there just doesn't seem enough hours in a day."•

From school days to nowadays Liquid Voice UK co-founder and Managing Director Chris Berry has shown a resilient entrepreneurial spirit that is reflected in his channel ambitions and sharpened appetite to go head-to-head with major global vendors following new investment.

In January this year SVL Business Solutions secured a 25 per cent equity interest in channel partner Liquid Voice, the developer of call recording and contact centre solutions. Following the deal, SVL Business Solutions, a NICE Systems Platinum Partner, plans to set up a new division to offer the Liquid Voice range of products as well as its SmartVoice portfolio of PCI compliance, customer satisfaction and contact centre training solutions. According to Berry, the deal enables Liquid Voice to maximise new business opportunities and extend its presence in the contact centre, financial and public safety markets. "We are working on an arm's length distribution agreement with SVL being our first fully accredited services partner," he said.

Prior to his appointment as Liquid Voice's Managing Director Berry was Sales Director, a post held since the company was first formed. Aside from two brief stints as a corporate employee Berry has spent most of his working life as an owner and Director running his own businesses. His ambition was evident at an early age having set up his first IT consultancy business mid-way through his A levels. "I spent time as a CTI consultant with Comino/Civica where I was responsible for the design and commissioning of IVR and ACD systems fully integrated with their CRM and EDRM solutions for the public sector," said Berry.

Leeds-based Liquid Voice was established by Berry and Andrew Barrett in 2005 having brought Civica/Comino's suite of computer telephony applications to market. "Our original strategy was to capitalise on the growing demand for contact centre solutions with a focus on call recording, quality management and integration," added Berry. "Liquid Voice fills the space where manufacturers don't do so well in terms of service and delivery, providing added value to customers."

The business has been profitable from the outset and after building the product portfolio and establishing a customer base Liquid Voice switched to an indirect sales model. "The transition presented a number of challenges and we have learnt what a software-based business needs to have in place to support the channel and the attributes of a good channel partner," said Berry. "The move to indirect sales through channel partners with accreditations and distribution models is a key factor in Liquid Voice's success in all countries where we operate."

He noted that technological evolution is prompting resellers to become SIs that offer a one-stop-shop so customers do not have to deal with multiple suppliers. "There should also be a focus on raising the level of professionalism throughout the industry with solution sales that meet the ongoing needs of customers rather than only looking for short-term profits based on where the best margin is available," said Berry.

Liquid Voice is now an international operation with offices in the UK and New Zealand and circa 600 customers in a range of market sectors including utilities, retail, financial services, public sector and outsourcing. "I am proud of the way that Liquid Voice has continued to grow despite the uncertainty that the economy has experienced over the last few years," commented Berry. "Liquid Voice has become a well known brand and has the technology and products to effectively compete with the world's largest manufacturers, which presents an opportunity for channel partners to come on board and join us."•

Ahead of the education sector's summertime ICT buying period Comms Dealer highlights the areas of opportunity for resellers and spotlights the technologies and integrated solutions under consideration by schools planning their summer break upgrades.

Bound by pressure to keep costs low, many education authorities have a technology agenda that takes the 'more for less' scenario to a new level. "The focus this year is on hardware, security and connectivity," said Phil Scanlon, Commercial Director of IT Services at Elitetele.com. "Online learning and online curriculum activities are also a priority, enabling pupils to study in or outside school and have the same experience, while removing the need for paper trails, physical books and paper study notes for revision. Pupils need access to coursework, notes, revision, tests and help wherever they are, especially outside of school hours."

Scanlon also noted the trend of schools opting to become academies and highlighted the challenges that are associated with this migration. "In becoming an academy a school needs to transition from local authority control into a more commercial-like organisation," he explained. "They need software to manage areas of the organisation that were previously handled by the local authority, such as financial accounts, payroll and property maintenance. We are also seeing a number of academies coming together to form multi-academy Trusts that require the centralised delivery of software applications. As the number of academies joining multi-academy Trusts grows ICT buying will become a more centralised function with a focus on reducing costs through increased buying power."

When it comes to UK colleges, there is an aim for fewer, larger and more financially resilient organisations. As a result, many colleges are in the midst of a merger or have already merged with another local college, presenting a new opportunity for ICT suppliers. "There is potential for resellers to get in front of colleges during the merging process," explained Daisy's Public Sector Sales Director Justin Collins. "When the time comes to choose one single supplier their name is already in the hat."

Another important trend is distance learning. Colleges have a target to conduct 25 per cent of their teaching online. If they haven't already done so colleges will be looking for the infrastructure to successfully support the ability to interact remotely with large numbers of students. "This opens up talks for BYOD solutions, Wi-Fi and cloud networking, not to mention the security of those networks," added Collins. "And the fast pace of the mobile industry drives a more regular refresh cycle to ensure that the latest devices can be supported by the wireless infrastructure around the sites. We are dealing with Digital Natives here, so high quality connectivity is a must, along with the ability to access the network from wherever students are located and with speeds fast enough to do whatever they need to do."

Another area of focus, which is often underplayed, is a telephony refresh. Many education sector institutions are sat on 30 year old telephony infrastructures that need replacing, and with BT set to turn off ISDN by 2025 many schools and colleges are doing a SIP migration at the same time. "It's important that their telephony has the ability to scale up and provide the flexibility to merge services," noted Collins. "This is particularly important when it comes to demanding situations like clearing. That is why the option of Skype for Business is often an attractive one in these cases - it's cost-effective, easy to deploy and does what schools need it to do."

In terms of mobility, schools need staff members to be contactable on and off school grounds and able to access features remotely so that they can ensure parents or guardians are kept up to date. "For example, when a school trip is running late it's important that staff have a method to update the school's main announcement service," pointed out Craig Rimmer, Partner Account Manager, Panasonic Business. "There is more focus on cost saving, but an increased requirement for call recording and mobile integration. The infrastructure behind newer technologies such as mobile integration can be a challenge, and in some cases it's difficult to find cost-effective solutions that meet the requirements of some organisations within education."

Distributor ICON works closely with channel partners in the education space and the recurring theme is connectivity and safeguarding. Schools, teachers and students want to be part of the connected world but the challenge is to meet the network and connectivity needs of all those involved without compromising the duty of care to either party. "ICON worked hard to secure the 4ipnet product simply because of its suitability in tough markets like these," said Mark Shane (pictured), Sales Director at ICON. "Not only does 4ipnet provide fast wireless networking and role-based connectivity restrictions, it is also approved for wireless voice which is desirable today."

ICON continues to witness strong demand for wireless communication devices as this sector needs to communicate with the core faster than ever before. There is also high demand for tablet-based classrooms and e-learning. This will create channel opportunities not just for tablet hardware and support but also for the wireless and fixed network infrastructures. "Schools want to provide students with Internet access but at the same time need to restrict and manage the bandwidth they consume," added Shane. "Some schools want to allow Facebook access during lunch time but not at other times. Because of these complex requirements we have seen growing interest in better Wi-Fi management."

Interest in 4G connectivity also continues to grow and ICON has been consulting with partners and their clients to understand what they want to achieve from this technology. Wireless networking has also been enhanced with the release of 802.11ac Wave 2. "New, faster networks are always needed in schools as the older infrastructure often fails to cope with up to 30 students in a small area all turning on notebooks at the same time," commented Shane.

"The initial surge of pulling down their roaming profiles from the network can make a Wi-Fi network grind to a halt. ICON has partners who have sold as many as three wireless network upgrades to the same school as demand for faster more robust wireless networking increases."
The days when a teacher simply regurgitates text books are long gone. "The new approach in many primary and secondary schools is an 8-10 minute screen cast at the beginning of the lesson to outline the learning objectives," commented Shane. "The lesson itself will then use various mediums to support the learning objectives. This is becoming more and more dependent on Wi-Fi and results cannot be achieved without a robust wireless network. We all know the frustration of trying to work in a hotel on a poor Wi-Fi connection, imagine trying to learn while using one."

For reasons such as this there are less schools that want to buy technology at a low price, and more that want to engage with partners who can help them understand how to achieve their goals. "There is also greater demand for enhanced support and maintenance packages as schools become more dependent on the technologies deployed in them," commented Shane. "Technology will continue to play an important role in education. Purchasers in this sector are becoming more aware that a wait and see approach to technology is not a workable model. Being married to a maths teacher has also opened my eyes to how technology is being used in schools and colleges. It has changed a lot since I was in short trousers."•

In his strategic reactions to new market opportunities hSo Managing Director Chris Evans is not short of a dead cert growth plan. Here, he reveals the strategies and drivers that will double company revenues within three years.

Evans has key markets and channel expansion directly in his sights and is pushing forward a strategy to double revenues within three years via a mix of organic growth and acquisitions that he hopes will generate a 10 per cent EBITDA profit margin. "The organic growth will be powered by investments in growing our presence in channel, wholesale and public sector markets," commented Evans. "A key development for hSo (HighSpeed Office) has been getting on the RM1045 Network Services Framework and gaining Crown Commercial Service supplier status. That enables us to bid for Government contracts to supply data connectivity, IP telephony and traditional voice services, and resulted in us winning many millions of pounds of additional business."

hSo is currently a circa £10 million turnover company with around 40 employees. Its enterprise team targets organisations with 100 to 1,000 employees and those with multiple sites. The channel team tends to work with IT support companies while the wholesale operation mainly deals with hosting firms, ISPs and service providers. "We are working to grow the wholesale side of our business," added Evans. "Our acquisition of Goscomb Technologies boosted our wholesale and channel offering substantially. We can now offer services in over two dozen data centres and have many more wholesale customers as a result of the acquisition. It also improved our economies of scale, enabling us to offer better prices to our channel partners and customers."

Evans describes hSo as a network service provider specialising in bespoke cloud solutions for voice, data and IT security. "We were founded in 2000 to become the Broadband Office of the UK," he explained. "We bid to provide IT and telecom services to buildings owned by a consortium of property owners. We won the tender but the dotcom boom turned to bust and we lost our funding. Thankfully, the property owners saw our potential and agreed to fund us."

hSo has wholesale relationships with all UK telecoms carriers. "Resellers have been poorly served by the major carriers," claimed Evans. "As a SME, hSo can focus on customer service, responsiveness and tailoring solutions to individual customers. This is something resellers appreciate as well as keen pricing. We always listen to the feedback from our customers and partners and respond accordingly by developing appropriate products. We prefer to be led by customers' needs rather than speculatively developing products that may or may not have a market."

hSo serves customers nationwide but its base in London brings a requirement to occasionally leverage partnerships in the regions. Evans hopes to plug these gaps with potential bolt-on acquisitions that extend hSo's geographic reach while on boarding local people to serve customers locally, as well as acquisitions that increase scale or strategic and product options. "We continue to look for complementary products for which there is growing demand," he added. "In recent years we have added public cloud connectivity and hosted voice services based on BroadCloud and Asterisk. We're open to filling gaps through organic development or via targeted acquisitions."

Another key factor driving hSo's growth is cloud computing. "We now provide connectivity to public cloud platforms AWS and Azure and have our own private cloud platforms based on Citrix and VMware virtualisation," commented Evans. "A challenge will be to deliver services that combine the pricing of the public cloud with the security of the private cloud."

It is a challenge Evans is certain to overcome given his previous working experiences which are wide ranging. He trained as an accountant with Ernst & Young in the 1980s and was based in Reading which at that time was the UK's nearest approximation to Silicon Valley. "Having worked on fundraising for a client, Dolphin Telecom, I was asked to join the company," recalled Evans. "Dolphin Telecom was a network provider that combined GSM phone and push-to-talk technology in a single handset. I then joined hSo in 2001 as Financial Director. But in 2003 the Board asked me to replace the existing CEO. Back then my role was focused on establishing systems and processes. Now, my day-to-day tasks are orientated more around growing the business by attracting the right talent and increasing revenues. The biggest challenge is determining what developments are going to be the next big thing that can be used by the business world to improve performance."

Again, this is a hurdle that Evans will surely overleap given his eye for an opportunity and ability to turn opportunities into market realities that generate revenues. His foresight is evident in the decision to achieve important accreditations to win new business, such as ISO accreditations and RM1045 which are responsible for public sector contracts worth £3 million being won during the past year. Evans described the uptick as 'transformational'.

He also believes that strong customer relationships will grow in importance due to tougher conditions ushered in by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) within the context of a stringent data protection environment. "This will make winning new business, which is hard at the best of times, even tougher," commented Evans. "Resellers with a close personal contact with their customers will be in a stronger position to defend and grow the business relationship. Cultivating customer relationships will become more critical."•