Comms Dealer

Leeds-based Diva Telecom has welcomed Hannah O'sullivan to the role of Marketing Manager.

Her appointment follows a period of significant growth in SMS texting as a business tool and her remit is to drive online sales of SMS texting, audio conferencing and international inbound numbers.

In previous roles O'sullivan has led the marketing operations at Bradford lift agents, Short Lifts, and Huddersfield financial compliance service provider, SimplyBiz.

She said: "I'm excited to apply my skills and experience to the telecoms industry and even more so to be working with such a dynamic company as Diva."

O'sullivan's appointment reflects Diva's strategic outreach in other areas including appearances at a number of trade shows such as Buy Yorkshire at the Leeds Royal Armouries in April next year.

Mobile device management is critical to every organisation, but purchasing multiple services on a one-off basis can create a complex, disparate solution that is difficult to manage and isn't future proofed, according to David Langhorn, Head of Corporate and Large Enterprise at Vodafone UK.

Aiming to solve the problem Vodafone UK has rolled out a new service for large private businesses and the public sector, called Total Managed Mobility (TMM).

The solution enables companies to choose a combination of MDM solutions to create one device management portfolio that is easy to manage, said the firm.

"Businesses are looking for a secure, simple way to manage all the mobile devices across all operating systems that their employees use for work, without having to purchase a new application every time a new device comes onto the market," said Langhorn.

"That's why we've launched the new TMM service, giving IT managers the peace of mind that they've got device management and security covered."

Computacenter's UK MD of 20 years Neil Muller (pictured left) is heading to Daisy as CEO in a move that sees Matt Riley become Executive Chairman. Riley founded Daisy in 2001 and has grown the company's turnover to £350m. Muller runs Computacenter's UK business in the enterprise market and takes up his new position in February 2015 when he will focus on the mid-market in particular.

Riley said the appointment is 'vital' for developing Daisy's growth in the ICT space, especially its managed services portfolio.

Riley commented: "We are now perfectly positioned to become the major force in the SME and mid-market IT and business communications industry.

"With someone as experienced and ambitious as Neil at the helm, I have every confidence that the company will progress to an exciting new level of growth, and I look forward to working closely with him."

Muller added: "The converging world of telecommunications and IT represents a host of exciting opportunities and Daisy is in a prime position to evolve and to adapt its existing capabilities, addressing new market dynamics and mid-market customer needs."

Muller will be based at Daisy's Reading office which houses more than 100 staff and is the main centre for its managed services operations.

Daisy has 16 sites and employs more than 1,500 people across the UK, and provides services to more than 65,000 business customers.

The changing face of the European software industry is fully reflected in the content of the European Software & Solutions Summit 2015, according to organiser IT Europa.

The nature of the software industry has changed considerably over the last couple of years as the growth of Software-as-a-Service, the impact of mobile working, cloud-based apps supplied through service providers, new rapid development models and the constant need for security has broadened and changed its focus, believes John Garratt, content director of the event.

"We found, particularly towards the end of this year, that software companies were not thinking of themselves in terms of names like ISV or developer," he said. "They were getting closer to their customers and thinking more in terms of their own expertise in a particular industry, vertical market or technology.

As the cloud increasingly dominates delivery and new channels emerge, the need to produce effective business solutions rapidly and to securely link business data to mobile devices opens up the market to those who can move quickly and effectively in partnership with leading players.

Under the overall theme of 'Beyond the Cloud - Creating competitive advantage by driving Digitalised Business', the European Software & Solutions Summit 2015, which incorporates the European ISV Convention, will explore the new business concepts, models and structures enabled by this new digitalised world and the role the software company, ISV, Solution Provider and application developer play in their development.

The digitalisation of enterprises of all sizes has offered organisations and businesses the chance to use their knowledge and information to create new business processes, profit streams and reach new customers and markets.

Now in its eighth year, The European Software & Solutions Summit 2015 builds on previous Conventions and will feature presentations from leading industry speakers and analysts to examine emerging trends in software and solution development.

The conference sessions:
Open Session 1
Digital Business - a connected world of opportunities:
This session will explore what is meant by the digitalisation of business and how the connected worlds it creates through interfaces and the Internet of Things, is changing the nature of business applications and solutions and examine the implications of this for application developers and solution providers.

Open Session 2
IT Investment - the rules of the game are changing:
This session will explore what digital business means to organisations and how software companies, ISVs, solution providers and application developers will have to rethink how they engage with their customers and partner with other organisations to define and create 'game-changing' solutions.

Open Session 3
Everything as a service (XaaS) - delivering innovation:
These new requirements are fuelling the growing demand for an 'Everything as a Service' IT and business model. This session will explore how this takes us beyond just selling cloud, PaaS and IaaS solutions to a more comprehensive customer experience model.

Open Session 4
Stepping into the digital world of the 21st century:
The final session will explore how software and solution providers can best embrace the concept of digitalised business to maximise business opportunities. New skills and partnerships will be needed and new 'go to market' strategies developed.

The European Software & Solutions Summit 2015 will take place at the Lancaster London Hotel, London, on 25 March 2015. ISVs, solution providers and developers wishing to attend the convention and vendors, distributors or service providers interested in sponsorship opportunities can find further information at www.eusss.com or www.isvconvention.com

Yealink IP handsets have been rated interoperable with MyPhones.com's Altos hosted telephony platform.

All models in the Yealink T4 series of IP handsets are now compatible with Altos and can be supplied provisioned by MyPhones.com's distribution partner ProVu Communications.

Dr Stuart Marsden, MD of MyPhones.com, said: "ProVu Communications' fulfilment and zero-touch provisioning service means that the handsets can be shipped direct to site, provisioned and ready to operate with Altos."

Comms providers seeking to maximise on the growing Ethernet market, fuelled by increasing demand for enterprise connectivity and the boom in data traffic, should look to the East according to analyst Frost & Sullivan.

While the UK, Germany and France constitute the three largest markets, the less mature Eastern European economies will exhibit the fastest growth rates for Ethernet services. Uptake is expected to rise further as the adoption of cloud services escalates in the region.

F&S analysis has revealed that the wholesale Ethernet services market earned $2.73 billion in 2013 and could reach $5.16 billion by 2018. Meanwhile, retail market revenues stood at $3.10 billion in 2013 and are projected to hit $5.63 billion in 2018.

"Ethernet service deployments are on the rise as reliability and flexibility benefits make the technology ideal to power private cloud networks," commented Frost & Sullivan Information & Communication Technologies Research Analyst Shuba Ramkumar.

In a note of caution Tamkumar added: "With fierce competition making customer acquisition and retention difficult, it is important for providers to improve their economies of scale in order to increase profits and push ahead of competitors. Focusing on switched Ethernet services, acquiring regional competition, and offering converged services will help vendors consolidate their position."

Following a weighty investment of £1m and approximately 60,000 man hours ploughed into Union Street Technologies' aBILLity billing system during 2014 the channel can expect some 'ground breaking' developments next year, according to MD Tony Cook.

"We consistently invest in product development," he stated. "The investment will continue with further significant announcements to follow."

Nimans has joined the growing list of SuperConnected Cities authorised suppliers, enabling it to help resellers target their customers and get competitive quotes that potentially save thousands of pounds on install costs.

The Government has committed £150 million for the SuperConnected Cities programme, which is managed by Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), a unit within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

"The initiative provides financial support of up to £3,000 for Superfast Internet connectivity to small and medium businesses," explained Mark Curtis-Wood, Head of Nimans' Network Services.

"The Government scheme to provide UK residents and businesses with access to the best broadband speeds available is good news for everyone - and will have a positive impact on our industry and the economy in general.

"They want to achieve a transformation in our broadband access, with everyone in the UK able to access broadband speeds of at least 2 megabits per second (Mbps) and 95% of the UK receiving far greater speeds (at least 24Mbps) by 2017."

Debbie Robertson has joined cloud technology company 8x8 Solutions as Marketing Director.

Her previous roles include Global Marketing Director at managed communications provider Easynet, UK Marketing Director at Avaya and Head of Media Communications at BT.

Robertson commented: "This role gives me a fantastic opportunity to work in a fast growing company developing innovative technology. 8x8 is moving forward at an exciting rate and I'm looking forward to being part of this growth."

Kevin Scott-Cowell, Chief Executive Officer of 8x8 Solutions, added: "It's an exciting time for the company and Debbie's expertise will be vital to our continued fast growth in the UK."

This year 8x8 Solutions has increased its UK workforce by 30% to 60 and opened a new office in London.

The firm is part of NASDAQ-listed 8x8 which services more than 40,000 business customers globally.

Resellers gained insights into a new link-up between Nimans and Ideal Networks during an open day staged at the distributor's Manchester HQ.

Delegates had direct access to Ideal and Nimans infrastructure specialists who explained the importance of testing cable termination and installation and the different methods available.

Demonstrations of the latest test equipment - including the LanTEK II LAN cable certifiers, SignalTEK CT Data Cable transmission testers and VDV II Data Voice and Video verifiers - tested parameters for Cat5e, Cat6 and Cat6A installations.

A prize draw, free gifts with selected purchases and special offers and discounts were also available, along with information on a range of finance options available from Nimans' leasing team.