Comms Dealer

TeleWare has enhanced its cloud-based TeleWare Communication Manager (TCM) solution based on customer feedback and investment in the user experience to bring a streamlined login process means customers now only need one single login to access all communications activity.

Other enhancements offer greater supervisor control of agents, training and monitoring, increased in-call information, live outbound call statistics, customisable reporting, while existing reports and analytics can be added to and built upon, without having to create new dashboards for each item.

Daniel Hensby, Head of Product Management, said: "Businesses need the ability to react in real-time to call volumes and critical business situations, making immediate changes to their contact strategy based on real-time or historic data.

"TCM is the first of our products to move over to a centralised control dashboard, or central hub. The hub is a location from which customers will be able to access all their TeleWare services in one portal, as opposed to needing separate logins to access different services. In time, this hub will house all TeleWare services, communication recordings and reporting tools."

Tollring has set out plans to extend its Uxbridge-based office facilities and ramp up its partnering campaign across EMEA, Australia and the USA.

The move follows a year in which Tollring recorded 42% turnover growth and a doubling of profits.

In 2016 the company launched integrated cloud analytics, call recording and real-time fraud and credit management, on-boarding over 50,000 endpoints across more than 2,000 business tenants on its hosted service platforms.

This growth brings the number of monitored endpoints to over 250,000 across 11,000 business customers.

MD Tony Martino said: "To stay relevant and provide customers with the right information at the right time is a constant challenge as communication continually evolves.

"Full credit to our UK and International teams who have remained flexible, agile and dynamic throughout this period of exceptional growth."

With less that one year to go until tough new EU data laws come into force the level of preparedness appears woeful.

When the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect on May 25th 2018 all organisations that retain or process personal information will need to comply or face crippling fines. 

But according to law firm Blake Morgan many organisations across the public and private sectors are far from having their houses in order and could be fined up to £17m or 4% of worldwide turnover.

Bruce Potter, Chairman of Blake Morgan, said: "We are just a year away from a major shake-up of information governance laws at a European level and it's fair to say that many businesses and public sector organisations are under prepared.

"The huge growth of the digital economy requires a more robust legal framework to ensure public confidence in the protection of information, and organisations need to adapt to these higher standards now."

Just half of respondents in a NetApp survey published last month had 'some' understanding of GDPR. "We have a long way to go and only a year to do it," stated Dr. Dierk Schindler, Head of EMEA Legal & Global Legal Shared Services at NetApp.

"As the cloud continues to transform the way we do business GDPR lays the foundations for our data-driven future and provides a strong incentive for all enterprises that process EU citizens' data to build a robust data privacy compliance framework.

"C-suite staff and IT managers, however, are still uncertain when it comes to data compliance, which is both striking and concerning as it lies at the heart of GDPR.

"Their understanding of compliance and ability to embrace the responsibility for any data they handle will directly affect their capacity to fend off future fines."

According to Gartner, non-compliant organisations will outnumber those that comply by the end of 2018. "The GDPR will affect not only EU-based organisations but many data controllers and processors outside the EU," said Bart Willemsen, Research Director at Gartner.

The GDPR replaces the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC and is designed to support the single market and harmonise data privacy laws across Europe.

Sheila Fitzpatrick, Worldwide Data Governance & Privacy Counsel/Chief Privacy Officer, NetApp, added: "Brexit and the outcome of elections will have little to no impact on whether UK businesses need to comply with GDPR. It applies to any businesses that comes into contact with data on an EU citizen.

"As such, companies of all sizes need to take an active look at what data they hold, what they use it for and where it's stored."

Elitetele.com has netted Leeds-based Nexus Telecommunications, its largest acquisition to date, adding £16m revenue and 35 staff. The deal is Elite's 15th since 2008 and boosts revenues to £50m-plus with underlying EBITDA of over £8m, representing growth of 37% and 43% over Elite's FY7/16 results.

The enlarged group will have in excess of 165 staff across seven locations and extends Elite's customer base and geographic presence.

Elite founder and CEO Matt Newing said: "Nexus has a great reputation and we share a similar culture. The combination of our two companies' unified comms and IT products and services will deliver a stronger client offering."

"Nexus has some bespoke service wrap solutions for corporate and enterprise clients that we will offer to our wider customer base.

Nexus CEO Rob Sims, who is staying with the business, said: "Our customers will benefit from Elite's range of services including hosted IT services, PCI compliance, SIP services, phone systems and numbering services, which will complement the Nexus offering."

Claranet has pocketed a trio of acquisitions that extend its reach and capabilities across Europe and boost revenues by 40%. The IT services provider has also secured long-term financing and an incremental committed acquisition facility of £80m. The refinancing exercise also brought in new minority shareholders including Tikehau Capital which has invested alongside existing shareholders.

The three new acquisitions - Sec-1 in the UK, French IT firm Oxalide and Portugal-based ITEN Solutions - add security, DevOps, systems integration and IT services capabilities to the Claranet Group.

The expanded Group has annualised revenues of £310m, more than 1,800 employees and over 6,500 customers.

Charles Nasser, founder and CEO of the Claranet Group, stated: "Claranet's organic growth, combined with acquisitions, has meant we have established a significant operation in the managed IT services market at the European level. These latest acquisitions represent a significant step forward for Claranet.

"The refinancing, and these latest acquisitions, means that we are better positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges of a rapidly evolving technology services sector.

"We expect to see a continued consolidation of the European managed services market over the next 24 months and we are on a strong footing in all major markets in Western Europe to take advantage of this opportunity."

NFON UK's head honcho Rami Houbby has left the business to focus on a new venture, making way for incoming MD Myles Leach who worked alongside Houbby for two years.

Leach joined the firm as UK Business Development Director and was promoted to Strategic Channel Development Director prior to Houbby's exit.

He was previously MD of a successful telecoms reseller.

Hans Szymanski, Chief Executive Officer, NFON AG, stated: "Since Rami opened the NFON UK subsidiary in April 2013 the UK market has gone from strength to strength.

"NFON UK is set to have its best year ever in 2017. With Myles at the helm we are confident it will continue to go on to break even more records."

Advanced analytics, expanded ecosystems, the adoption of SaaS and managed services plus the prospect of punitive regulations are set to drive a 'dramatic transformation' in the security software market, according to Gartner.

"The overall security market is undergoing a period of disruption due to the rapid transition to cloud-based digital business and technology models that are changing how risk and security functions deliver value in an organisation," said Deborah Kish, Principal Research Analyst at Gartner.

"At the same time, the threat landscape and rise in the number of high impact security incidents are also creating demand for security technologies and innovations that deliver greater effectiveness."

Gartner says enterprises are increasingly seeking products that incorporate 'smarter' predictive and prescriptive analytic technologies.

These more advanced analytical capabilities are driven by a variety of underlying technologies, such as heuristics, artificial intelligence/machine learning and other techniques.

"Successful vendors will work with customers and prospects to understand use cases where analytics will deliver significant value and augment limited security staff and resources," added Kish.

She also noted that the EU General Data Protection Regulation will come into effect on 25th May 2018 and could see organisations facing heavy fines should they receive a complaint for mishandling private data.

"Punitive regulations will create board-level fears, driving security software budget decisions based on the potential financial impact of fines and noncompliance," added Kish.

"Consequently, organisations will look to providers with products that provide the needed visibility and control of their data.

"Providers should identify the key regulatory requirements and constraints in target geographies by working with legal counsel to deliver product and service choices that will alleviate board-level fears."

LA Connect's acquisition of Leicester-based comms firm Yello Communications extends its portfolio of telecoms products and services, including data and voice installation, network services and a maintenance service.

The deal is Windsor-based LA Connect's second acquisition and builds on its four year run of organic growth with turnover in excess of £24m expected in its next financial year.

Lee Waller, General Manager of LA Micro (part of LA Micro Group), said: "LA Micro is expanding its service offering having recently become a Microsoft Partner. Combining the experience, strength and product range of the two companies will broaden our offering and bring new opportunities for both companies."

The appointment of Dave Hudson as Managing Director of Zen's Wholesale division signals the culmination of the firm's strategy to establish a separate Wholesale business.

Zen's wholesale customers consume Layer 2 and managed wholesale broadband connectivity services via its network of over 400 on-net exchanges.?

"We need to have the mentality of a start-up because what we're doing is new for the company," said Hudson. "We want to put Zen on the map in the wholesale space and have the skills and the infrastructure to become a major player.??

"We're about to see another revolution in broadband connectivity. The next few years will see much wider adoption of ultrafast technologies such as FTTP and G.Fast, while FTTC will replace ADSL in becoming the norm."?

Oak's Executive partner James Emm has moved to a newly created position, Director of Strategic Partnerships, handing over the baton of National Sales Manager to Simon Colledge who has been with the company for 22 years, most recently as Area Sales Manager.

The leadership changes reflect Oak's sharpening focus on the mid-market.

"Stepping into James's shoes is going to be a challenge but it is one I'm excited about," said Colledge. "We have a number of plans in the pipeline and are looking at a 25% sales growth rate in the next two years."

Emm's new role is geared towards achieving this target by developing existing relationships and pursuing new partnerships.

He said: "We are in a strong position as a known and respected brand and I want to capitalise on the connections we already have, as well as seek out new and exciting opportunities."