Comms Dealer

Channel Telecom is fulfilling a major mobile phone contract including the supply of over 350 handsets.

The contract value exceeds £70,000 over the next two years and a mix of iPhone, HTC and Samsung smartphones will be supplied. A further 300 handsets will be supplied later in the contract period.

Channel Telecom has recently revised its mobile proposition for channel partners, providing more flexible contract terms with competitive pricing.

Matt Donaldson, Sales Director for Channel Telecom, stated: "This is another example of where Channel Telecom has been able to support a channel partners with excellent contract terms and aggressive pricing to win deals in a competitive pitch."

Responding to news that G-Cloud has been given an 'amber/red' status by the Major Projects Authority (MPA), the Cloud Industry Forum (CIF) questions what it has really achieved since it launched in 2011.

According to Alex Hilton, CIF's CEO, G-Cloud lacks the single ingredient that must underpin every procurement service - transparency.
 
Hilton said: "Our latest research on the UK market indicates that cloud adoption rates in the public sector match those in the private sector, both standing at 69 per cent, but this enthusiasm does not seem to have spread to local government, which simply hasn't taken to G-Cloud as was predicted.
 
"From its inception, G-Cloud held a great deal of promise and we fundamentally support a consistent approach to cloud procurement by government. The government's stated aspiration is for 25% of central procurement to be through SMEs, but  this does not seem to be following through to local authorities.
 
"The Cloud Industry Forum's Code of Practice is a certification model for Cloud procurement services. We encourage G-Cloud providers to promote it to their local authority customers to further assure their Cloud credentials.
 
"Whilst the European Commission is driving it's Digital Agenda for Europe the UK government doesn't itself subscribe today to any certification schemes, we believe it should be offering more assistance and guidance in the selection of suitable and trustworthy cloud providers."

3CX has acquired e-works, the Italy based video conferencing company, enabling the developer of the Windows VoIP PBX 3CX Phone System to deliver integrated, client-free web conferencing based on WebRTC technology.

Having initially licensed e-works' web conferencing technology in October 2013, 3CX has now acquired the company as part of its strategic plan for its video conferencing solution, 3CX WebMeeting.

The acquisition brings together two compatible companies, with both 3CX and e-works being pioneers in the development of software-based communications technology and advocates of open standard solutions.

e-works, founded in 1999, was a first mover in web conferencing and the company will now focus on the development of 3CX WebMeeting, while continuing to provide video conferencing to its existing customers which include BT, Fiat and the Province of Trento.

e-Works will also become the base for 3CX's Italian operations, catering to the growth in demand for 3CX Phone System.

The launch of 3CX WebMeeting which is expected imminently will bring to the market one of the first multiple participant video conferencing solutions utilising WebRTC.

Google's WebRTC technology enables video and voice communications to take place through an open standard Internet browser, meaning that participants will be able to join meetings without the need to download any additional software or plug-ins.

Nick Galea, CEO of 3CX said: "With both companies being pioneers in the field of software-based communications technology, the acquisition of e-works is part of our long term strategic vision to lead through innovation.

"With e-works' technology we will also capitalise on the growth of WebRTC which is set to revolutionise the telecoms industry."

Stefano Spattini, CEO of e-works said: "With our companies' shared commitment to innovation and open standards, we look forward to working together to take the VoIP market by storm."

Avnet Technology Solutions has launched the Evolve Partner Programme in the UK.

The initiative will see Avnet train and develop business partners to sell CommVault Simpana software.

Evolve will provide Avnet business partners with support across business planning, sales and technical training, lead generation and pipeline management.

Tom Corrigan, open storage and Cisco business unit leader, Avnet Technology Solutions, UK, commented: "We are seeing high demand for CommVault technology, and Evolve provides the framework for Avnet's business partners to get involved and gain market share in a high growth technology area."

Avnet is limiting the number of business partners accepted onto the Evolve programme.

Distributor ICON has appointed Calvin McIlroy (formerly of Spectralink) to work with its channel partners in the London region.

ICON distributes Spectralink's on-site voice solutions and McIlroy's experience will be leveraged towards helping channel partners grow their on-site mobility and BYOD WiFi solutions business.

Mark Shane, Sales Director for ICON, commented: "Calvin will support our London channel partners across our full solutions portfolio but, as gamekeeper turned poacher, Calvin's deep understanding of our Spectralink business will strengthen our position."

Unify is to almost halve its workforce as part of a global restructure plan to streamline the business. Formerly known as Siemens Enterprise Communications the company plans to consolidate sites around the globe and shift towards a multi-tier go-to-market approach. The cost cutting measures could also see the firm's global HQ relocate to new premises.

The restructuring plan, which is the subject of discussions with multiple stakeholders, is expected to result in an overall reduction in headcount of approximately 3,800 people out of a workforce of nearly 7,700 worldwide, with central Europe accounting for 50 per cent of the reduction.

Shifts in the use of communications and collaboration tools, increased adoption of cloud-based solutions and a growing number of software-oriented competitors capturing market share plus increased pricing pressure have forced Unify to speed up its transition from a traditional hardware manufacturer to a software and services company.

"Today's marketplace is changing rapidly, and the demands that the next generation of users are placing on our customers are changing quickly as well," said Dean Douglas, Unify CEO.

"Unify must transform in order to remain competitive, so we are taking these necessary and very difficult steps in order to position Unify to fully respond to the needs of our customers and the marketplace.

"This includes greater focus on technology deployment options with access to our OpenScape products and services from a broader choice of partners."

Connectivity and cloud company Fusion Media Networks has unveiled new deals that will enable businesses to save money on installing or upgrading their Ethernet services as well as cutting the cost of superfast broadband installation, claims the firm.

Orders for Openreach fibre are now covered for up to £2,800 of Excess Construction Charges (ECC) per circuit, plus free connection on three year terms.

The announcement builds on existing ECC savings arranged by Fusion with other carrier partners announced last September.

Fusion Media Networks has also announced savings on broadband installation.

Businesses looking for alternative connectivity solutions could benefit from up to £3,000 off installation charges under the Government's Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme, for which Fusion has been appointed as an official supplier.

"In the past, Excess Construction Charges for unbudgeted extras like ducting, trunking or creating new cable entry points, have been a huge headache for IT managers trying to control their costs," said Sean Pearman, Director of Fusion Media Networks.

"Our aim is to make cutting-edge connectivity financially accessible for all our business clients. To complement the special offers on Ethernet installation, Fusion's participation in the Government's Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme is geared to helping SMEs capitalise on the advantages of our superfast broadband - without having to worry about the initial set-up costs."     

The unified communications market is up 27% from a year ago, according to Infonetics Research. Top player Microsoft is also the only vendor in the enterprise telephony segment to post year-over-year revenue growth in 1Q14. The PBX market continues to decline, says the think tank.

Infonetics Research says the enterprise telephony market continues to struggle as businesses hold off new PBX purchases and invest instead in unified communications (UC) applications.

"Purchase cycles are getting longer, and competitive activity is putting pressure on the market with pricing all over the map," said Diane Myers, principal analyst for VoIP, UC, and IMS at Infonetics Research.

Worldwide PBX revenue (TDM, hybrid, and pure IP) is down 8% in 1Q14 from 1Q13, and down 8% from 4Q13.

Although there are pockets of growth in parts of Europe and South America, along with strength down market, none of it is large enough to lift the overall PBX market.

Cisco, Avaya, and NEC are the PBX market share leaders, while Mitel is now in the top four as a result of its merger with Aastra.

The unified communications (UC) segment is the lone bright spot, racking up a 27% worldwide revenue increase in 1Q14 from the same period a year ago.

Content Guru has been awarded G-Cloud V supplier status for products including its omni-channel Cloud Contact Centre and secure payment services.

Through G-Cloud's online CloudStore public sector organisations are able to search for and purchase over 17,000 types of service.

G-Cloud V is the fifth iteration of the suppliers' framework. During G-Cloud IV, public-sector buyers spent £175 million on products and solutions, a significant increase from the £37m during the previous three releases.

Additionally, government agencies using G-Cloud are reported to be making savings of 50% on average.

Sean Taylor, Managing Director at Content Guru, commented: "We're pleased to have been selected as a G-Cloud supplier once more. Our business is very focused on cloud services and over the last two years we've seen the demand for them ramp up significantly.

"The increase in the uptake of services using G-Cloud is a good indicator of the general trend for cloud. This is good for our business and good for UK plc."

Tech Data's shares fell 4% as it announced that Q1 saw global net sales for the first quarter of $6.7bn, an increase of 9% yr/yr, but gross profit was $335.3m, or 4.98% of net sales, compared to $322.4m, or 5.24% of net sales in the prior-year quarter.

Europe saw net sales of $4.3bn (approximately 63% of worldwide net sales), an increase of 10% (an increase of 5 percent in euros), from the prior-year quarter. Operating income was $7.2 million, or 0.17% of net sales, compared to $11.9 million, or 0.31% of net sales in the prior-year quarter.

"We are pleased to report a good start to fiscal year 2015," said Robert M. Dutkowsky, chief executive officer.

"Our focus on execution, supported by an improved IT demand environment resulted in record first-quarter sales, nearly double-digit year-over-year growth in non-GAAP earnings and strong operating cash flow.

"Growth in first-quarter non-GAAP earnings exceeded our expectations, demonstrating our ability to achieve solid operating performance when we focus on and respond to the realities of the market. We believe our focus on the marketplace and operations will enable us to build upon this momentum during fiscal 2015 and beyond."