Comms Dealer

Britain's infrastructure badly needs smart innovation and the response by leading channel network providers ranks with some of the greatest comms industry game changers to date.

Virtual1's Product & Marketing Manager Neil Wilson (pictured) sees two key trends dominating the market, and the company is active in both - SDN and SD-WAN. Virtual1's new national network will be fully software defined to drive efficiency and improve the feature set delivered to the channel. On SD-WAN, Wilson said: "This is about more than just network flexibility. There is also a tremendous amount of value to be had from the metrics and reporting these solutions will provide. This will be particularly important as businesses start to look for more granular SLAs against individual applications rather than how the circuit as a whole is performing."

Over the last 18 months Virtual1 has worked hard on upgrading and expanding its network. Introducing templates and standardisation across the network gives partners access to perform many of the configuration changes that they traditionally rely on carrier providers for, such as bandwidth changes and VLAN resizing etc. "SDN delivers a real world advantage that we are keen to deliver to the channel," added Wilson. "It is essential that we roll out our full UK network without incurring the considerable overheads of the legacy carriers. This reduction in overhead means that we can be commercially competitive, and this disruption will bring revenue and margin opportunities to the channel."

Wilson says network innovation is about giving channel partners access to the functionality enabled by Virtual1's SDN network. "In 1Portal we have a vehicle that our partners use already, so we will simply layer the additional functionality in there," he explained. "With our own in-house development behind our SDN functionality and 1Portal we will be able to take configuration requests though 1Portal and implement them directly on our network, removing error and delay from the process and delivering those updates in real-time. In verticals or applications where a dynamic network is required partners will be able to administer these changes themselves rather than being at the mercy of a legacy player with manual workflows and processes."

In advancing its technological developments Virtual1 is simplifying what is currently highly complex. Making configuration changes accessible to the many rather than the few is key, with portals and APIs playing a critical part in this. "We also see attention focusing on the application or business outcome rather than the individual components of a networking solution," noted Wilson. "After all, it is the application or business outcome that really matters to a business. The status of an individual component comes later. A longer-term outlook might take in VR and AR for network visualisation. Moving from 2D into 3D would allow a greater breadth and depth of information to be communicated."

As we have seen, networks are increasingly becoming agile and more dynamic. This enables the network to adapt to the demands of end users by putting resources where they are most needed and by being more efficient as a result. BT is continuing to invest in both the network and infrastructure to make it more dynamic with programmable capabilities. "This is important because it allows users and channel partners to take self-control of resources, putting them in the driving seat," stated Henry Bohannon, Director, Data and Broadband Products at BT Wholesale. "We are already starting to realise this with B2B interfaces where services can be controlled and modified. This is ideal for the channel because it enables underlying networking and infrastructure to be quickly modified to suit the needs of services and applications running over the top."

In terms of network and infrastructure innovation Gamma's Chief Architect Andy Rawnsley pointed out that infrastructure layer Optical Transport Network (OTN) technology provides a framework for delivering flexible capacity by switching at a wavelength level. Provisioning multiple Gigabit capacity between network nodes can therefore be as simple as a few keyboard stokes or mouse clicks.

Further up the stack the Network Function Virtualisation (NFV) - moving network functions from proprietary hardware to mature COTS IT hardware - alongside Service Orchestration platforms enable the deployment of flexible, scalable and open networks. The integration of all of these makes for adaptable and scalable network capacity and services.

"At the optical layer we are deploying a 45-fold increase in core network capacity to cope with the increasing demand for bandwidth, while establishing access aggregation nodes closer to the end user customer sites," commented Rawnsley. "In the access layer Gamma is providing 'single hop' connectivity to cloud-based Software as a Service platforms to assure continued business operation."

He also noted that at the application layer Gamma is disaggregating functions to provide flexibility in service creation and delivery. An example of this is the introduction of database driven voice call routing control which is separated from the voice switching and border edge nodes.

"Gamma is deploying an 'open system' network systems and software architecture that creates useful internal and external interfaces where component attachment and interchange takes place," explained Rawnsley. "These principles will allow both internal and external systems to interact with Gamma's platforms to deliver tailored products and services that address the needs of the differing channels we serve. We are embracing innovation in our delivery, support, test and diagnostic systems to provide channel partners with provisioning, monitoring and fault investigation tools, enabling a responsive end customer service."

No matter how an end user is served, comms networks will need to provide service flexibility and scalability as well as being customisable. "Delivery of these three principles does and will present assurance and security challenges," added Rawnsley. "We will need to ensure we all defend and mitigate against malicious actors. They are here to stay."

According to Andy Furnell, Lead Technical Architect at Zen Internet, SDN represents the single biggest change to our industry for some time, probably since the widespread adoption of MPLS in the early 2000s. "More recently we are starting to see some interesting technologies that significantly tighten the level of integration between telco/connectivity and enterprise/hosting domains, which will ultimately allow for tighter, simpler and more meaningful integration of connectivity and hosting services and applications," he stated.

Zen Internet is refreshing its core network and expanding its LLU network from 200 to 400 exchanges. "The focus at the moment is less about exciting innovations and more about building a strong and solid foundation to support the growing demands of our customer base," added Furnell. "This is a two year programme but we expect the network we are deploying to be in the ground for the next 7-10 years, hence a lot of our time is spent planning how we will evolve and grow the network in terms of capacity and resilience, and in terms of features and functionalities to ensure our products remain relevant.

"The key focus for us at the moment is in providing a more open, dynamic and programmable network. In reality this means a lot of work behind the scenes to tighten up standards and processes with the ultimate aim of exposing more self-serve to our channel customers, giving them more control over their end user experience and improving levels of transparency throughout the service lifecycle."

A more transparent and programmable infrastructure is key, noted Furnell. It delivers tangible differentiation for end user services when coupled with more service-oriented technologies and topologies. "We are working towards an entirely service-oriented architecture for both infrastructure and software where each and every end user service is discretely instantiated end-to-end within our network," he added.

"The possibilities are huge. The ability to manage each service for each end user will allow us to monitor and report meaningful QoE and SLA metrics on a per-service basis, and will give our partners and our own technical teams high levels of control over where and how their end customer services are served."

While network connectivity is increasingly a commoditised market the availability of ultrafast connectivity products serves to level out the playing field while at the same time presenting a significant business opportunity, believes Furnell. "Faster speeds based on more reliable connectivity opens up many possibilities to deliver a quality set of supporting services, both OTT and 'through the middle', via tighter integration between infrastructure and applications and blending the best aspects of traditional infrastructure technologies with an increasingly dynamic and flexible set of end user services," he commented. "We see a place for both, which can only mean more choice for end customers and constantly developing and improving value opportunities in the channel."•

Traditional data centres are failing customers and will give way to a new model, argues Redwire Managing Director Ameer Mirza, who says real value lies in the personal nature of service delivery and the interconnection of people with the latest DC technology.

Mirza presents Redwire as a brave new dawn for the data centre landscape and the industry cannot ignore it. He says RedwireDC is the most exciting new data centre anywhere in Britain having contrived to fuse people and their data to the interconnectedness of its location. This is the magnetism of RedwireDC, claims Mirza, whose company has advanced data centres far beyond their original purpose.

Redwire was established by Mirza's father in Q3 2016 following years of research into the data centre marketplace. "Flexibility and customer service at a purpose built Tier 3 data centre is something that the market desperately needs," said Mirza. "We are positioning the business to offer a never before seen solution to an overlooked problem. We react to the ever changing marketplace and in west London there is a lack of new and high quality data centres which was a key factor in our decision when setting up Redwire."

Locating the data centre on Uxbridge Road in Ealing was a 'no-brainer', noted Mirza. "RedwireDC is positioned on two connectivity thoroughfares with fibre from multiple networks and is positioned near high speed transport links from east London and the Docklands through to Heathrow Airport," he explained. "Connectivity is key and we made this decision a top priority."

Redwire is gunning to be west London's tech hub and has support from the local Government, local businesses and educational institutions. Its facility also offers serviced offices which means clients' data is managed securely within the same building. The company has shown how static data centres can become living places of congregation that leave traditional rivals with the impossible task of competing. Redwire thus stands poised to supersede these 'relics of the past' as they give way, claims Mirza, who emphasised that the essence of any service is the point of contact with customers.

"Being able to give a business, whether small or large, the ability to be near their data, access their data, and own their data in ways they cannot currently do in data centre models gives us that concierge level personal touch that businesses are looking for," commented Mirza. "I am already proud to see companies that use our services grow exponentially, and my ambition is to see more people and companies launch their businesses successfully from the foundations we've created."

Mirza himself has strong foundations in the business world. He is an Ernst & Young trained chartered accountant with a full understanding of how to manage a business and deliver a professional service. He also studied economics at Warwick University where he developed an analytical mind. And he has been immersed in his family's property development and construction business for as along as he can remember. "Growing up in this environment gave me a deep sense of business acumen," he stated. "I have always been fascinated by IT and its ability to empower and transform a business to be the best it can be. IT is the present and the future, and it's an area of business that I always had a leaning towards since I was young."

Mirza's boyhood aspiration has been realised and Redwire currently employs 11 full-time staff and calls on a number of expert consultants when required. "David Gilpin, who was formerly CEO of Sungard Data Centres, and David Hall of Equinix have been with us every step of the way in designing our data centre to ensure it ticks all of the boxes from a customer and technical perspective," added Mirza. "Other partners were Hurley Palmer Flatt which designed the facility, Future-Tech worked on the mechanical and engineering fit out, while Daisy supplied the networking."

Since the facility was opened for business Redwire's strategy has been to offer existing products (colocation and related services) with a higher quality of service to customers as competitively as possible. The company has moved forward and now plans to add managed services to its colocation offering. "We expect to launch Redwire Managed Services in the coming months," noted Mirza. "We want to offer enterprise grade operational standards to SMEs. Businesses are not simply cogs in the machine, we empower them to be the machine. And being a family owned company with no debt we can pursue various options.

"For example, we are aiming to roll out a new cloud platform that we believe will offer the best animation rendering available in the UK to serve the media industry. It is an exciting business and we are lucky to have a wide range of opportunities in front of us from which to expand our existing offering. We see the demand for data centre capacity in the UK growing significantly over the coming years."

Another area of great interest to Mirza is the IoT sector. "IoT devices are expected to triple by 2021 but I think the UK is under prepared to manage this growth in terms of the supporting infrastructure," he commented. "Data centres are a key factor here. Our proximity to the London metropolis means Redwire is well positioned to support the large increase in data and storage that IoT is expected to bring in."

Mirza also has his sights set on certain verticals where he feels there is a sharp appetite for flexible high quality data centre space. "The channel is one of these verticals and we are looking to work with partners that realise they can regain margin lost after the introduction of services such as VoIP," he said. "We enable partners to truly own their clients and offer the latest technology using both public and private cloud."

Redwire has quickly grown a large sales pipeline and one major US blue chip company has approval from its board to migrate most of its IT requirement in the UK to Redwire and also launch a new European operation from its data centre. "I'm particularly excited given the great product this company has and the potential for it to grow," commented Mirza. "It recognised the value of being able to fully manage data while relying on me and our team to deliver their required levels of flexibility."

Despite early successes such as this Mirza still believes he needs a megaphone for his comms channel cause. "The biggest issue for me is raising our brand awareness and getting our products and services out to market," he stated. "We are expanding the sales team and attend recruitment events to scout for the most capable sales representatives to convey Redwire's strengths to the market. As for the long-term outlook, we are such an agile and flexible business it's hard to say exactly how we'll reach our goals, as one of our many ventures could take off and drive the whole business forward. That's what makes this even more exciting." •

When Arden Group Managing Director Nigel Walker set up his company in 2002 he also took charge of the growing convergence opportunity and turned it to great advantage.

Coventry-based Arden Group has matured into a considerable market force strengthened by its acquisition of Computerworld Business Solutions (CBS) last month. The deal builds on the firm's previous acquisitions of Page IT and Unitycomm creating a fully managed service provider of IT and telecoms products and services largely driven by convergence and consolidation. "With the complementary technical expertise that CBS now brings to Arden from an IT services perspective we are well placed to offer our clients the services they require for their own long-term needs and act as their trusted technology partner," commented Walker. "We currently have a portfolio of 600 clients in a variety of industries, although the majority include large SME and small corporate organisations and we have strong footholds in property management, legal, education, finance and retail."

In 2013 Walker bought out the original investor and took a 90 per cent share of the business which was generating turnover of circa £5 million. The acquisition of CBS has boosted turnover to £10 million and rising. "Following the acquisition we now have a 50 strong team and expect revenues to reach £11 million with anticipated sales targets of £5.5 million in 2017," added Walker. "We're aiming for a recurring long-term contracted base of 75 per cent relative to overall turnover. Our expected growth is at least 15 per cent per anum at gross profit level."

From the outset Arden Group emerged as a forward thinking business with its finger on the pulse of a developing market. The company was founded in 2002 by Walker following a previous venture that saw him establish IDN Group in 1996, which was AIM listed in 2001. Prior to IDN Walker worked in the finance sector undertaking sales and management roles between 1987 and 1996. Arden was formed when Walker spotted an opportunity to provide complete communications solutions to a market used to procuring services from separate suppliers.

"More and more customers want to deal with one supplier in one place, and this is plays into our hands," commented Walker. "After more than 20 years working in the communications industry I have seen how technology has changed and evolved, which helps me to recognise trends and anticipate future developments. In recent years the telecoms and IT sectors have converged which has largely been brought about by the mass availability of high-speed Internet connections, a cross-sell culture and customer loyalty."

Walker's current priority is to focus on integrating CBS and develop a service offering which delivers a fully converged IT and telecoms solution. "We expect increased levels of organic sales following the acquisition as we move to cross-sell and offer multiple products and services under a managed service proposition," he said. "We'll also be looking to grow the value and size of our customer portfolio with a focus on enterprise account activity.

"However, employing the right people to drive growth can be a challenge. But my time in the financial services sector gave me experience in building and managing sales forces which helped to create the successful team around me today. We have built an experienced team that has significantly contributed to the success of the company and will continue to drive it forward."

The main focus of Walker's team is also the company's biggest opportunity - to provide a personal service. "By working closely with our clients we can provide tailored solutions that help to meet their individual needs," he added. "It's this close contact service and personal touch that some of the larger companies can't offer. Customers are looking to companies that can manage all their communication needs, and with the cost of service supply and critical mass, specialist organisations need to review their service offering. It's a case of eat or be eaten."

From SIP trunking security to automation and self-service provisioning, founder and CEO of Acuity Unified Communications John Dowbiggin has big plans for the future.

When Caterham-based Acuity Unified Communications acquired the customer contracts of SIP trunking security firm 500 in March, along with a self-service provisioning portal, it put the company on track to deliver accredited fraud protection software while adding emphasis to the role of automation as a means to manage some of the key growth challenges faced by today's ICT providers. "One of our biggest challenges is time management as there are only so many hours in the day," stated Dowbiggin. "So we are looking at ways we can develop more automated processes to help us with the time pressures we encounter."

The 500 acquisition increases Acuity's customer base and product portfolio, adding fraud mitigation which protects customers from the financial and legal consequences of toll fraud on SIP. "The fraud protection software portfolio is currently our biggest opportunity, delivering security for mobiles and SIP connectivity while meeting the suite of telecoms service standards defined by the Federation of Communication Services," explained Dowbiggin. "Our accredited cyber secure telephony solution is proven to significantly protect businesses from toll fraud, auto dialler and mobile fraud and other forms of cyber attack aimed at the telephony estate. We can now offer security fraud protection to the whole of the Acuity base and all new customers, as well as giving them the option of self-service provisioning."

Dowbiggin is building up the Acuity business on a bedrock of 27-plus years industry experience, including a notable stint as Managing Director of AboveNet UK where he led the company from near bankruptcy and transformed it into one of today's top managed fibre service providers in the City of London. Prior to this rescue mission, which he regards as his biggest career achievement to date, Dowbiggin was VP for IP Solutions at Cable&Wireless UK&I, a role he undertook following C&W's acquisition of tier 1 ISP Internet Network Services where he was National Sales Director. Here, he was responsible for building and running the UK and European sales operation, and spent two years developing and deploying one of the largest Internet market acquisition strategies in Europe. Rewinding the clock further, Dowbiggin was Director of the South East Region for Telewest Communications (now Virgin Media) which at the time was the UK's largest telecommunications, ISP and cable TV provider.

"During my time at AboveNet I identified a gap in the market that concerned the level of service being offered to SMEs in particular," said Dowbiggin. "So eight years ago I established Acuity Unified Communications to bring a business grade cloud telephony service initially to SME and lower corporate businesses, but we now have customers across the size spectrum. We have grown year-on-year by around 50 per cent. In recent years average customer sizes have ranged between 50 and 250 users with our sales pipelines showing a continued increase in average customer size."

The company deployed its own hosted platforms in 2012 which removed any reliance on third parties, a move that quickly brought on board a major UK PLC followed by a big public utility. Four years later Acuity acquired the customer related IT and telecommunications trading assets of The Integral Group which increased its software development portfolio. Acuity is focused on organic growth as well as acquisitions and two years ago embarked on a strategy of in-house development with its own software developers. The company has also increased automation, streamlining processes and boosted efficiency as a result, while augmenting related processes such as the self-service provisioning portal which benefits dealers and resellers. Acuity has also been busy deploying its own infrastructure such as Citrix Xen Server based on industry standard hardware and Storage Area Networking (SAN).

"We have worked hard to differentiate ourselves with our fully integrated Unified Communications services," commented Dowbiggin. "For example, with some clever engineering we have fully integrated our AcuityMobile SIM offering, enabling mobiles to be a fully integrated part of the UC platform, becoming an extension of the office phone system, with the added bonus of the handset being able to roam seamlessly across all UK mobile networks combining maximum coverage with maximum functionality.

"Because we have a strong engineering focus and offer a bespoke service we are also able to assist hardware providers such as Cisco with the integration of their products into the end user's business. Working with strategic partners like this is another big opportunity."•

A master plan to bring top Microsoft partners into close union lies behind New Signature's acquisition of Paradigm Systems in February. And according to CEO Jeff Tench, the US-based company's global ascendency is symbolic of Microsoft's emergence as an industry leader in all things cloud.

The grand scale of Tench's growth ambition is matched in stature by the extent of his past experience in building businesses, which is why he is so deftly able to fashion an acquisition led tour de force in New Signature. Tench has more than 20 years experience in leading high growth technology companies. Prior to New Signature he was CEO of Teliris, a role that followed a stint as President of the Business Markets Group at Level 3 Communications. "I have also built and re-built companies that weathered many storms yet ultimately succeeded in the face of drastic market changes," said Tench. "With New Signature we are taking a different approach in a market that has strong endemic growth, having partnered with Microsoft and, most importantly, identified companies that have already achieved great success and bringing them together. The goal is to build something tremendous and create an amazing team that stands upon outstanding culture and values."

In April 2015 New Signature, the 2014 and 2015 Microsoft US Partner of the Year, secured an initial funding commitment of $35 million from Columbia Capital to fuel expansion. With this backing Tench focused on acquiring fellow Microsoft partners that each bring distinct capabilities to the greater team. The potent sweep of Tench's buy and build strategy began in June 2015 when New Signature acquired CMS Consulting and Infrastructure Guardian, sister companies based in Toronto, Canada. "By adding Canadian operations with deep technology expertise in Microsoft Azure and cloud infrastructure solutions we furthered the expansion of our capabilities and market coverage," explained Tench. "Infrastructure Guardian brought a strong infrastructure managed services practice that has propelled New Signature's capabilities greatly in that area."

Five months later New Signature acquired imason, a Microsoft application development firm also based in Toronto. The deal strengthened New Signature's capabilities in web and mobile application development. Days later InfraScience was acquired, a premier Microsoft Partner based in Atlanta, Georgia. And in April 2016 UK-based Dot Net Solutions (a specialist in application migration to Azure and 2014 Microsoft UK Partner of the Year) was picked up, launching a second front in New Signature's strategy to bring together like minded Microsoft partners.

"We knew from the start that the UK market was a neat fit for New Signature, and Dot Net Solutions, under Paul Cosgrave and Dan Scarfe, was the perfect launching point," stated Tench. "The addition of Dot Net also allows us to increase our international presence by helping customers with multi-national operations. Dot Net's business, both in professional services and managed services, aligned perfectly with New Signature's strategy for growth."

As Tench continued to scour the Microsoft partner ecosystem for potential acquisition targets on which to pitch his grand vision, London-based Paradigm Systems was always a prime target. And in February this year New Signature made its move, bagging the premier Microsoft Partner and adding skills in Azure, Office 365, Windows Server and desktop deployments, as well as a managed services business that chimes with New Signature's portfolio. The deal follows a year of working together on joint projects.

"There are differences in the global market that have to be taken into account as we scale the business," explained Tench. "The North American operation is geographically dispersed which adds another layer of communication between our team and customers as well as Microsoft, and it also introduces the potential for friction at different parts of the customer journey. The UK ecosystem is a tighter community which lends itself to more streamlined communications and enables our team to be more agile."

New Signature's headcount of circa 350 employees is growing by the day along with top line organic growth of 20 to 30 per cent, while its global base of mid-to-large enterprises is also expanding. Against this backdrop of rapid growth and acquisitions Tench confronts the mechanics of his integration challenge with practical mission statements that speak of unity and summon staff to the flag. "We have brought together seven distinct companies each with great synergy and vision, but it is a massive undertaking to align all of these different businesses and processes," said Tench. "We recently went through a company-wide effort to develop Mission, Vision and Values statements that resonate with all employees. A group of volunteers representing every geography and team across the company have joined our Culture Committee to draft these new statements. We are proud of the work this team has accomplished in a short space of time."

Tench cares about his people and, as we have seen, is thinking afresh in areas of integration and unity. "The hardest part of scaling a business through M&A is the integration of our team members, especially in a people-based business," he added. "At the start of this investment I was interested in growing a services organisation which means working closely with the people in this company. It's not widgets or ëthings' that make our business successful, it's the people who are part of the team. I want to make sure that every decision we make provides greater opportunity for our team to grow and learn. Culture was the most important aspect of every acquisition. If there was a bad culture fit we moved on."

The most successful business leaders do not leave their people ?uncertain of their destination. They must have a clear and coherent message, which Tench does not lack. He is just as clear on the growth potential of cloud technologies and digital platforms such as Azure. "The mainstream adoption of cloud is encouraging and directly supports our investment in the Microsoft ecosystem," he stated. "The opportunity is massive to grow alongside Microsoft and deliver transformational solutions to our customers. A key aspect of helping customers transform their business is focusing on the full lifecycle of infrastructure and application transformation, not just one-off engagements. Being a true partner to our customers means helping them manage the environments and applications we build and deploy."

Another trend that is gaining momentum and will continue to grow is the focus on the Internet of Things and advanced analytics driving digital transformation, observed Tench. "New Signature is working with customers to help them solve difficult business problems through analytics," he said. "Some of the most interesting problems we have been solving are around discrete manufacturing and helping customers save millions by optimising their operations through innovations like Azure Machine Learning. New Signature's offering, Six Weeks to Insights, provides insights from the data generated by the connected devices and systems."

Tench explained that Microsoft wants partners to operate more deeply as trusted advisors through developing transformation roadmaps (such as Six Weeks to Insights), delivering complementary software solutions and products, and developing meaningful IP on top of the Microsoft platform. "Another great example of this is the New Signature Cloud Management Portal which helps customers glean meaningful insights into their spend and usage for Microsoft Azure and Office 365," he added. "Microsoft is also looking for partners to provide ongoing managed services to customers to help them operate and consume their investment appropriately."

The opportunity to create a new force in Microsoft that bestrides the globe and continues to scale holds long-term appeal for Tench, a shrewd leader whose mind is fixed on delivering business transformation. "We are building a team that enables us to scale our global business and deliver transformation to customers," he commented. "We are also evolving our operating model to more closely align with the ways our customers want to engage; and staying ahead of our competition by dedicating our company to continued learning and professional growth."•

These days, perhaps more so than ever, business people need a crystal ball to help plan for the future, writes Clive Jefferys, Managing Director of recruiter JMA Network.

We would all like to have even the smallest insight into what the future holds, and when it comes to staffing, the most mercurial of business elements, this has never been so important as today.

We live in strange times - the lowest unemployment level in generations, likewise the greatest ever skill shortage, yet one of the lowest productivity figures in the EU. Our times get even stranger considering events in the Far East, political battle lines being drawn across Europe and a snap election at home. The bookies are saying the result is nailed on, but as a week is a long time in politics, we shall see.

So what's all this got to do with recruitment? Job seeking is always underpinned by a measure of risk and at this moment, the general population doesn't know what's going on and is waiting to see what happens.

Employment surveys of all shapes and sizes keep returning paradoxical results - people are confident about their current employment, but far less so about future career moves.

It seems that optimism is the key to success in a risk-averse candidate market. Having weighed up all the factors that influenced our placements over the last six months, one word keeps stepping forward - 'confidence'!

Konftel claims to have opened up professional level calling to all at the touch of one button with its new 300IPx.

"One click is all it takes to start or join a meeting in conjunction with the Konftel Unite mobile app," said Jeff May, Konftel's Regional Sales Director.

"As well as one touch conferencing via the application, the Konftel 300IPx offers Omnisound HD audio clarity, SD call recording and a built-in bridging function."

The solutions also has connectivity options for wireless headsets, extra microphones and loudspeaker equipment and is suited for all rooms including a large auditorium.

A USB port means 300IPx is compatible with Skype for Business, Cisco, Avaya and other meeting solutions.

"Together with Konftel Unite it has already been named 2017 Unified Communications Product of the Year by Internet Telephony magazine," said May.

"Traditional conference calls can be confusing and daunting with different codes, passwords, procedures and platforms. Around 75% of calls to our helpdesk are about how to make multiparty calls, so we know if people are not comfortable they won't have a great experience.

"Users simply Bluetooth their mobile to the 300IPx to access all their diary appointments and phone contacts and bring them onto a multiparty call if necessary. Their phone becomes a remote control with the conference call taking place over a high quality IP network. It's simple, easy and quick."

Distributor Exclusive Group has launched the PASSport Global Services division, a worldwide project designed to define and integrate a set of professional pre- and post-technical services.

David Ellis, Exclusive Group Director of Global Services, said: "We now have a universal proposition available to partners across our APAC and EMEA footprint with global capability into more than 100 countries.

"At the core of this is a new enhanced premium support service that delivers in-country local language first touch support eight hours a day - backed by a global fully manned 24/7 support capability.

"Following investments in the digitalisation of our support infrastructure we are now able to offer a unified customer support experience that delivers consistency of delivery and service level targets."

Nimans is staging two roadshows to showcase Samsung's latest CMS cloud-based call reporting, analytics and call recording solution.

Samsung CMS builds on the V6 Business Reporting and Call Recording suite of products which is being replaced from June, and integrates with Samsung OfficeServ and SCM phone systems.

The events take place on Tuesday 23rd May at Samsung's Eastworth House offices in Chertsey, Surrey. On Wednesday 31st May a northern Event is being staged at Manchester United's Old Trafford football stadium.

Chris Hopkins, Solutions Business Manager for Samsung at Nimans, said: "As this is a cloud-based solution there is no need for an on-premise server to deploy the software, so it can be accessed anywhere which makes it much more flexible."

Distributor Tech Data Europe has strengthened its Smartforce IoT Solutions offering with technology for the smart retail, logistics and asset management sectors, following a Europe-wide distribution agreement with Keonn, manufacturer of radio frequency identification (RFID) hardware and software products.

Victor Paradell, vice president, Tech Data Smart IoT & Analytics, EMEA, said: "Tech Data's Smart IoT Solutions practice is focused on developing solutions that cut through the perceived complexity of IoT and enable our channel partners to access and grow with this fast-emerging and transformational market opportunity.

"In the retail sector alone, analysts are predicting that IoT solutions could be worth up to $1.16 trillion by 2025."

Ramir De Porrata-Doria, founder and CEO of Keonn, added: "We speak with customers across different industries every day, and many organisations - in particular in retail - are currently developing their digitisation journey to transform their businesses."