Comms Dealer

TFM Networks has strengthened its internal structure with key leadership hires, a redoubled sales team and more expansive office space at its Aylesbury HQ ahead of an energised growth push.

The move follows the company's acquisition of managed IT services provider Waveworks in 2013 and coincides with the formation of the TFM Group which will see TFM Networks operating alongside Waveworks as a brand of the Group.

Non Executive board member Alison Greensmith has been drafted in as Group Sales and Marketing Director while Tim Metcalfe joins as Group Finance Director, Rob Stevens as Director of Customer Services and Keith Harvey becomes Head of Sales, Partners and Channel.

TFM Networks CEO Stewart Yates said: "We have ambitious plans for further growth. In addition to investing heavily in new product and solution development, it is essential we also make significant investment in our people to ensure we have the specialist skills and experience to provide our partners with the support their businesses need."

The new starters bring industry experience to their new roles with Greensmith having operated for than 20 years in sales and sales management roles.

Metcalfe, a chartered accountant, joins after performing a series of interim advisory roles which followed his tenure as Finance Director for Cranberry Foods.

With 15 years experience in the ISP and IT support service industry under his belt Stevens' new remit is to strengthen service and customer relations across the TFM Goup.

And channel head Harvey has been operating in the comms space for 20-plus years including several Siemens PLC Business Unit Board Level positions.

Unify has appointed Daniel W. Papes to lead the company's global direct sales organisation.

As Executive Vice President of Global Sales, Papes will report to CEO Dean Douglas effective immediately.

Douglas said: "Dan brings to Unify strong experience in global enterprise sales, understands how to build long-term relationships with customers, and will create consistent global approaches for our direct sales operations - all of which will help drive our growth ambitions."

Papes comes to Unify with more than 25 years of IT industry sales and services experience, including a long career at IBM where he served as Vice President of Sales for Cloud Services, Vice President of Global Telecommunications Industry Sales, and General Manager of the Mobile Enterprise Services business unit, among several other roles.

Most recently, Papes served as Senior Vice President of Global Cloud and Data Centre Services at the Westcon Group, a value-added distributor of unified communications, networking, data center, and security solutions and services.

He added: "I'm highly motivated to begin my work transforming our global sales organisation into an engine for the company's growth, and further deepen our relationships with direct accounts globally."

Since he took over as CEO, Douglas has recruited strong, experienced executives to the company.

Papes joins new leaders including Jon Pritchard, EVP of Worldwide Channels; Steve Shank, General Manager of North America; and Bill Hurley, Chief Marketing Officer.

In a trading update this morning ahead of entering the close period for its preliminary results Daisy Group confirmed that revenues and adjusted EBITDA are expected to be in line with market expectations for the year ended 31 March 2014.
 
There has been a material improvement in cash generation in the second half of the year aided by a significant improvement in working capital versus the first half, stated the company.
 
Matthew Riley, Chief Executive Officer of Daisy Group plc said: "I am pleased to report that our revenue mix continues to improve, further boosted by the acquisitions made during the year. It is also pleasing to report a marked improvement in free cash flow generation during the second half. 
 
"Our recent acquisitions are performing well and we will continue to monitor acquisition opportunities where we believe we can derive clear value for our shareholders."
 

PSU Technology Group has secured a contract to supply, install and maintain an IP-enabled communications solution for Morrison Utility Services, a UK utility service provider.

The platform will be based at Morrison Utility Services' new headquarters and will link communications between its 90 nationwide offices and depots.

Plans for the new solution, based on Mitel 3300 technology, include integration of the Mitel MiCollab Client for full desktop and Microsoft Outlook integration, presence and instant messaging, voice, video calling and web conferencing.

PSU Technology Group MD Michael Lounton said: "Like many of our clients, Morrison Utility Services recognise the productivity gains that unified communications solutions can achieve."

UC provider Olive has launched the Olive Academy staff training programme as part of its investment in the personal and professional development of its workforce.

Over the next 12 months, all Olive's 160 staff will attend bespoke training sessions delivered by leading skills development company Space2. It has worked with Olive to devise 32 different learning modules, tailored to suit different business functions within Olive.

Olive Chief Executive Martin Flick said: "We recognise that the success of Olive, and our ability to provide the highest levels of customer service, relies on the success and skills of our people.

"We believe the training will also inspire and reinforce a real sense of togetherness within the business, as well as supporting personal development."

"This isn't a 'one size fits all' approach either, as much like our customers, everyone within Olive is different. That's why they all have their own individually structured training programme that will enable them to grow in their roles and develop new skills, and help them build their career."

The launch of the Olive Academy coincides with Olive bolstering its HR function, with the arrival of a new Olive HR Manager Nick Evans, who joins after seven years at online retailer Shop Direct in a similar role.

Evans commented: "Joining Olive is an exciting move for me with the huge appeal of a rapidly expanding and ambitious environment to work within. I want to make both a personal and professional impact at Olive and work with the team here to help the business reach its long-term objectives."

Ann Potterton, the CEO of the Institute of Telecommunications Professionals (ITP) is stepping down from her role this month.

Potterton has led the organisation for several years and is leaving to focus on her own consultancy business which has been put on hold for the last few years.

She will be handing over to Adam Oliver of BT, who has been seconded to the ITP as part of BT's commitment to professional development.

Oliver, who currently works in BT's CSR and Accessibility programme as well as supporting its Apprentice programme, will continue the ITP's work to promote and facilitate accredited qualifications through professional registrations within the industry, as well as expanding the benefits of ITP membership.

BT, which believes that lifelong learning is an essential part of employees' careers and the telecom sector's well-being, is focused on encouraging more people across the industry to gain professional, industry-standard qualifications.

ITP has been the voice of the telecoms industry for more than a century and has long been committed to industry-standard qualifications through Engineering Council professional registrations.

Oliver said: "The ITP and BT have been working together for a long time, in particular to help technicians gain ICT and Engineering Technician registrations and now we will be able to encourage many more people across the industry gain professional accreditation in an increasingly competitive job market."

Lucy Woods, ITP's Chairman added: "Ann has done a magnificent job steering the ITP on its new course, and has contributed a great deal to the direction and stability of the organisation."

A cloud-based broadcast and content delivery solution launched by Level 3 offers high quality video on a global scale.

Video Cloud supports video transmission for the most-watched TV events, creating a solution for adaptive streaming with encoding, security and CDN video delivery, claimed the firm.

"Level 3 has collaborated with many content-driven companies, and the one recurring theme we keep seeing is that these companies want a one-stop-shop for high-quality video transfer and storage - for both traditional and online media," said Mark Taylor, vice president of Media and IP Services at Level 3.

"Level 3's Video Cloud Services simplify every aspect of video delivery, giving our customers the performance and global reach they need to not only deliver a video experience, but also realise cost efficiencies."

Mukul Krishna, global director of Digital Media at Frost & Sullivan, noted: "Ubiquitous networks, hyper-connected devices, and the ever-increasing consumer appetite for time, space and device-shifted, on-demand content have forced media companies to revisit their business models and technology capabilities.

"For a media company to survive and thrive in today's environment, agility is critical. Companies need to leverage the cloud to cost effectively and efficiently manage video throughout its lifecycle and deliver it measurably and intelligently across multiple screens.

"Media companies that do that well will be best poised for success. At such a time, the availability of Level 3's Video Cloud Services are extremely timely and the industry can benefit greatly from such services."

The Co-operative Group has launched its first own-brand pay as you go (PAYG) SIM card available in more than 3,800 Co-operative food stores across the country from this month.

It is being launched in partnership with The Phone Co-op, which provides the service, and will offer low-cost national and international rates, transparent pricing and UK coverage in a single SIM card.

Steve Murrells, Chief Executive Retail, The Co-operative Group, said: "It is a major milestone for The Co-operative Group to be entering the telecoms sector with its own branded products.

"We believe that by working with The Phone Co-op we are able to offer one of the most competitive and straightforward mobile pay as you go SIM card packages in the market. It's a genuine own-brand co-operative product, fair and simple, with no strings attached."

The Co-operative Mobile pay as you go SIM card is a collaborative venture between a number of British co-operatives including The Phone Co-op which has provided telecommunications services for 15 years.

Vivian Woodell, founder and CEO of The Phone Co-op, added: "The Phone Co-op is owned by customers, so there are no outside shareholders to pay. That means we can give people the value, and the service, they deserve."

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust is expecting to save over £1m in costs over five years by replacing its four existing phone systems and additional exchange lines with a cloud-based service from Vodafone.

The savings to be delivered are equivalent to the treatment costs of over 150 patients a year.

The new system will cover up to 140 sites in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Wiltshire and Somerset, with a total of 3,000 phone extensions.

By moving to the Vodafone hosted telephony service Oxford Health will significantly reduce its operational costs by around £1m over five years. It will also simplify arrangements for staff and service users, allowing Oxford Health to redirect ICT resources to patient care.

The Vodafone hosted telephony service will enable the Trust to scale flexibly so that phone lines can be increased according to demand.

"The ambition was to reduce our telecommunications spend, redirect these resources to more productive activities and simplify the service for our users and those supporting our telephones," said Dominic McKenny, Director of Informatics at Oxford Health. "We were looking for a more flexible set-up that would support changes to our working practices and be responsive to changing business needs over time.

"We also wanted to ensure that we don't miss patient calls. For example, even if a patient rings the wrong Trust number, the new system will allow their calls to be forwarded to the correct service quickly and easily. This is particularly critical within a mental health setting, when callers may be in distress and need to speak to a clinician urgently," said Dominic McKenny.

Richard Aspinall, Head of Regional Public Services at Vodafone UK, added: "Oxford Health is the first NHS body to install our Vodafone hosted telephony service, which represents a cost-effective and simple solution suited to the Trust's needs.

"The system also provides a good foundation for further innovation as the Trust looks to implement better ways of working and drive improvements in the provision of mental health and community services."

Ingram Micro's idea-sharing and collaboration programme has attracted 13 new partners to its VentureTech Network (VTN) with a further pledge from three other resellers to join the programme.

Ingram Micro's inaugural VTN UK chapter meeting was attended by partners keen to discover the opportunities the exclusive network has to offer.

The UK group's next meeting is in May and members of the chapter will be gathering with their US VTN colleagues at Ingram Micro's Spring Invitational event IMOne, in New Orleans in the same month.

The chapter, named Apollo, following a democratic vote at the recent meeting, was praised by new member Mark Davies, sales and marketing director of Cobweb Solutions: "I was pleasantly surprised at the openness and engagement with all attendees. There was a real sense of community and I'm already working on mutual business opportunities from the day."

Enzo Brienza, director of sales at RFL Communications, another new VTN member, added: "We have some great objectives to cover in our chapter but my focus is on my business objectives which I trust will be accelerated with the help and assistance of Ingram Micro and the chapter members."

Apollo's members have adopted NSPCC as its chosen charity. £2000 was raised at the kick off meeting and the children's charity will feature heavily in the group's activities going forward.