Comms Dealer

Glasgow based call recording and call management specialist Sinclair Voicenet has been named NICE Security Business Partner of the Year.

The award was presented by Eran Noam, NICE Systems Sales VP for EMEA at NICE Systems' recent Security Partner Conference at Lake Maggiore, Italy in May. The award recognises Sinclair Voicenet's outstanding services contribution within the UK's Public Safety market.

Sinclair Voicenet Director Peter Gough commented: "This award recognises our commitment to meeting the mission critical needs in this market sector by developing the highest level of expertise in NICE's portfolio of public safety products including the latest crisis, incident and operational efficiency applications."

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise reseller partners with good contacts in local government are set to take advantage of wireless technology from the communications giant aimed at older tourist friendly towns where the laying of fixed lines is an issue.

Ingolstadt, a historic German university city established in the 1400s and supporting 130,000 inhabitants as well as a busy tourist and student population from around the world, has opted to modernise its city centre by providing free Wi-Fi access, based on wireless technology from ALE.

To access the new Wi-Fi network people simply register with their mobile phone number and receive access to the network for the following 14 days. Ingolstadt intends to offer more local services based on the network by adding WLAN-driven GPS guidance for traffic.

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Head of Marketing Manish Sablok, told Comms Dealer: "There are many cities in the UK just like Ingolstadt - older towns with the potential to attract tourists and support residents and shops by offering wireless access for the whole inner city area.

"This is a real opportunity for other cities to become even more attractive for residents and tourists through the implementation of a free public WLAN. We are pleased to have the experience of Ingolstadt which shows just how this can be achieved."

Nimans has announced a 'hugely successful' trading relationship with audio conferencing manufacturer Revolabs - on the first anniversary of the partnership.

The distributor says dozens of its resellers have embraced the Revolabs FLX wireless conference phone, hailed as bringing a new level of freedom and flexibility to audio and video conference calls.

The Revolabs FLX is available with either a VoIP or analogue phone interface. With plug and play set-up, it can also serve as an audio interface with virtually any major brand of video conferencing equipment, providing the same high-end audio performance within video calls. Integrated Bluetooth technology provides a single collaboration device whatever communication channel is used, allowing users to connect the speaker and microphones to their Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone, tablet, or computer.

Ian Brindle, Nimans' Head of Conferencing Sales told Comms Dealer: "Wireless VoIP conferencing, wireless desktop conferencing, wearable microphones and the ability to interface with video conferencing technology make the FLX system a very impressive and flexible all-round solution. Our partnership has so far been a resounding triumph and a year of success."

UK resellers are sometimes asked by business customers if they can help with getting them or their student offspring 'online' quickly when they move home or relocate and a new deal from Direct Save Telecom my provide the answer.

The Independent service provider is now offering free line activation and a new telephone line for only £29.95 and claims the deal is 77% cheaper than BT. All the customer has to do is sign up to an 18 month contract and Direct Save says it will arrange the whole process for free and activate the line on a chosen date or on the next working day.

To appeal to the UK's renting and student population Direct Save will also install a new line for £118 and place the customer on a non-contract 28 day rolling deal.

"We thought it was about time a deal was put in place for UK movers, as line activation and new line installation have been far too expensive for far too long," says Direct Save Telecom CEO, Stavros Tsolakis.

"Movers can now enjoy free line activation, and low-cost line installation, when they sign-up to our £1.95, 18 month deal. Movers will not be able to find a better deal in the UK."

IP Telephony hardware supplier NEC has received the highest overall score from a customer-based survey which addressed 500 IT customers of the leading unified communication vendors.

In the annual Nemertes PilotHouse research study, NEC were ranked highest among all IP telephony vendors in three core areas namely technology, customer service and ability to serve as a 'Trusted Advisor'.

NEC also achieved the best customer loyalty in the Nemertes Customer Loyalty Barometer, which shows the relative percentage of companies planning to leave their provider in the next two years.

"Nemertes' PilotHouse results accurately reflect vendor performance because they are based heavily on real-world ratings and feedback from those who know best-the customers." said Robin Gareiss, president and founder of Nemertes Research.

Larry Levenberg, VP, NEC Corporation of America commented: "NEC places a very high emphasis on its customer service and we always make customer service a top priority. Our product development teams encourage user feedback to help craft product technical features and design and as a result, we have consistently ranked at or near the top in delivering value to our customers in various studies. The Nemertes report is further validation of this."

IT Europa is to stage the European IT & Software Excellence Awards 2015 in London on 25th March 2015.

Now in their seventh year, the Awards have been designed to recognise and reward excellence in European software development and IT and Telecoms solutions provision. The awards will bring together leading ISVs, Solution Providers and Systems Integrators from across Europe to demonstrate their ability to provide industry-leading IT solutions for their customers.

The awards are split into three sections. The first set of awards is for Systems Integrators and Solution VARs and acknowledges their skill and endeavour in delivering world class IT solutions for their customers. The second set of awards, exclusively for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and software developers, highlights the applications that they have developed and delivered for their customers. The final set of awards, for suppliers, highlights those vendors, distributors and service providers who best support their channel partners to deliver excellence.

2015 Award Categories:
Solution Provider Categories
• SME Solution of the Year
• Enterprise Solution of the Year
• Datacentre Solution of the Year
• Vertical Solution of the Year
• Public Sector and Utilities Solution of the Year
• Managed Service Solution of the Year
• Connected/Mobility Solution of the Year
• Storage/Information Management Solution of the Year
• Big Data, Business Intelligence and Analytics Solution of the Year
• Networking Solution of the Year
• Security Solution of the Year
ISV Categories
• ERP/CRM/Relationship Management Solution of the Year
• Information & Document Management Solution of the Year
• Big Data, Business Intelligence and Analytics Solution of the Year
• Connected/Mobility Solution of the Year
• Vertical Market Solution of the Year
• Government/Utilities Solution of the Year
• SaaS Solution of the Year
• Software Innovation Solution of the Year
Supplier Categories
• Technology Vendor of the Year
• Connected Technologies Vendor of the Year
• Software Vendor of the Year
• Security Vendor of the Year
• Service Provider of the Year
• Distributor of the Year
• Finance/Support Services Provider of the Year

"With the complexity of technology continuing to increase and new cloud-based and hybrid delivery models emerging, the role played by ISVs, solution providers and integrators in delivering real solutions to end-customers is becoming increasingly important," says Alan Norman, Managing Director of IT Europa. "The European IT & Software Excellence Awards are the only pan-European awards to recognise excellence in the creation and delivery of real solutions and are intended to encourage the development of partnerships between vendors and solution providers across the IT and Telecoms industries."

IT & Software Excellence Awards winners will be presented with their awards at the European IT & Software Excellence Awards Dinner on 25 March 2015 at The Lancaster London Hotel, London.

Organisations wishing to enter the European IT & Software Excellence Awards or interested in sponsorship opportunities can find further information at: www.iteawards.com

Rainbow Telecom has acquired the customer base of 3G Limited for a cash consideration.

Sussex based 3G Limited offer a wide range of mobile products, including all the leading brands of mobile devices and tablets. The company specialises in providing bespoke packages for both voice and data services as well as offering a wide range of support services said to be unique to the mobile customer base.

Dave Corgat MD of Rainbow told Comms Dealer: "The acquisition of 3G's customer base is a continuation of our strategy to build on our mobile base, both organically and through acquisition. In the past 18 months we have aimed to integrate all our services alongside our mobile offering and expand our portfolio of data services to the mobile market. "

David King MD of 3G Limited said "We have been trading in this industry for well over 25 years alongside my wife Debbie and the team and we have seen some tremendous changes in product and service over that time, and we have built a sound business based on excellent customer service, to such a high degree we consider many of our customers to be friends.

"Rainbow offers such a wide choice of services, which increasingly need to be linked up to the whole mobility piece. With their skill sets and the flexibility of their billing platform, we believe our customers will be better served moving forward."

Nimans has strengthened its 'Everything Connected' reseller strategy by launching a cost effective range of data infrastructure cabling.

The own brand Titan Cat 5e and Cat 6 solid copper cabling are supplied in easy to use reel-style boxes of 305m. Cat5e is available in PVC and 'low smoke' options and the more resellers buy the more they save, from a box to a pallet, with prices starting from £34.50 including free delivery.

"Our Everything Connected business philosophy enables a reseller to complete a job from start to finish - from the smallest connector clip to the biggest system and all associated connectivity, end points and support services," said Head of Category Sales, Paul Burn.

"The Titan cabling provides resellers with a competitive market advantage. They come with price breaks so the more they buy the cheaper they become. The cables are manufactured to the highest standards and provide exceptional transmission performance."

The reassurance of a stable fixed line network combined with mobility and a fashionable look has been emphasized by Graham Norton's use of the stylish 'see through' Swisscom ePure DECT phone on his highly popular chat show.

Nimans, which exclusively distributes the cordless phone into the UK channel reports growing interest in the ePure following its regular TV appearance when Norton randomly phones people and personalities and passes the handset onto his guests to chat with the person called.

"The phone is perfect for executives wanting a stylish look and freedom to roam and we are delighted it is getting such great exposure' on the Graham Norton Show," said Nimans PR Manager Chris Widocks

Customer contact technology specialist Sabio, Avaya's Partner of the Year for 2014, has implemented a web chat solution for Beagle Street, the BGL Group's online life insurance provider.

Sabio deployed web chat technology from LivePerson to make a live chat service available to Beagle Street customers who need additional support to help them complete their online interactions.

Matt Dyer, Head of Multi-Channel Solutions at Sabio commented: "Beagle Street is all about bringing the power of digital customer engagement to a more traditional market sector such as life insurance, so it's right that the BGL Group is supporting its online proposition with the most appropriate digital channels.

"With LivePerson technology in place, organisations such as the BGL Group can immediately identify potential bottlenecks or service disconnects within an online customer journey and provide immediate support."