Comms Dealer

After 15 quarters of double-digit year-over-year growth, WLAN equipment growth fell below the 10% mark in the third quarter of 2013, due to the 802.11n transition nearing completion and 802.11ac not yet having a significant effect on the market says market research firm Infonetics. 3Q13 marks the first full quarter in which 802.11ac products were widely available, and 3% of access points sold were based on this new standard.

Infonetics has released excerpts from its 3rd quarter Wireless LAN Equipment and WiFi Phones report, which tracks access points, WLAN controllers, and WiFi phones for the enterprise.

Matthias Machowinski, directing analyst for enterprise networks and video at Infonetics Research: "We consider this a temporary slowdown and expect growth to reaccelerate in the coming years as buyers focus on their WLAN infrastructure to support the growth of wireless devices and enable BYOD and employee mobility."

Worldwide enterprise wireless LAN equipment revenue edged up 1% sequentially in 3Q13, to $1.2bn; North America and Asia Pacific WLAN growth slowed sharply in 3Q13 but EMEA is doing well despite relatively weaker economic conditions.

Top vendor Cisco's WLAN revenue share is up a half-point in 3Q13 from 2Q13, and up over 4 points from 3Q12, but this may be because after a tough couple of years, WiFi phone shipments are growing again on a year-over-year basis.

Paul Barnett, Director of ICUK, met with Chancellor George Osborne and MPs Matthew Hancock and Chuka Umunna on December 7th as part Small Business Saturday, an initiative designed to encourage people to use local or small businesses.

As a member of the Small Business Saturday 100 Club ICUK joined 99 fellow small business owners at Number 11 Downing Street.

Barnett said: "We hope that Small Business Saturday was a success for others as it was for us, and we look forward to the initiative building over the next year."

This is the first time the scheme has run in the UK, after four successful years in the USA. American Express run the event on both sides of the pond, and shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna was a key player in its introduction to the UK.

There are around 1.7 million small businesses (a business with 11-50 members of staff) which account for 53% of all employment in the UK.

Small Business Saturday was hailed as a success across the UK and saw Labour leader Ed Miliband visit shops across Croydon.

ICUK has given its backing to Small Business Saturday as well as other small businesses with a series of articles on their blog including tips on starting up as a reseller.

Mark Roberts has been named as ShoreTel's new Chief Marketing Officer. He brings more than 20 years technology marketing experience, his most recent role being VP of Marketing Americas for Mitel.

Don Joos, President and CEO of ShoreTel, said: "Mark has an impressive track record of success and brings a wealth of UC market knowledge that complements our strategic plans."

In particular, Mark has expertise in lead generation, company positioning, product marketing, and strategic planning and will be an instrumental member of the management team. His energy and drive for results are also a great fit with our company culture."

Nimans has produced an introductory guide to its data proposition, highlighting opportunities around mobile data, direct Internet access, LAN extension services and MPLS/VPLS-based Wide Area Networks.

Head of Networks Mark Curtis-Wood said: "Selling data may seem daunting to some but it's more about identifying opportunities by having new conversations about how businesses operate now and how this will change in the future."

Abzorb has revamped its website in line with a new branding initiative that forms part of the firm's long-term growth strategy. The website also encompasses the Abzorbplus+ Partner Initiative and a new look Abzorb Shop.

Mike Walsh, MD, hopes to grow the reseller base from 280 to 500 by the end of 2014. He said: "The rebranding sends out a clear message that we are current and can offer a full turnkey solution to any businesses."

Addressing delegates at Unify's UK Partner Conference today, Tony Smith, Sales Director for the Indirect Channel, reaffirmed that the Siemens legacy is strong and will not be thrown away, but discarding its base of legacy kit in an upgrade migration push is now top of the agenda.

"There are 25,000 Hipath 3000 systems installed in the UK," he said. "The opportunity is ripe to migrate these to OpenScape and take advantage of SIP and UC. There are also 5,000 Hipath DX legacy systems that are end of life. Legacy based migration will deliver growth."

Torsten Raak, Global Head of Marketing and Communications, added that resellers have welcomed the Unify brand as refreshing and apt.

"Unify was three years in the making," he stated. "We now have a worldwide trademark. And following the October 15th launch we were the most talked about subject on Twitter with 36.8 million impressions in four weeks.

"We have 20,000 twitter followers, 42,000 visits to the launch hub on the 15th and 135,000 page impressions on linked in. It represented the largest single project investment ever undertaken by our organisation.

"Unify stands for transformation and moving forward collaboratively. Unify speaks differently and looks and feels different."

Following the rebrand a key concern among partners was how Unify plans to help them drive the new brand in the UK,. especially the lucrative mid-market space which MZA says is an expanding opportunity.

"We are advertising in key publications and on websites visited by CIOs," explained Sue Bowkett, Marketing Manager. "We have launched a new Unify partner portal loaded with marketing collateral and have made available co-branded e-shots that partners can broadcast to their customer base. The offices in Milton Keynes and London have also been rebranded in readiness for customer meetings and presentations. We have ramped up the Unify marketing team and recognised the importance of the channel."

Reaction from partners to the rebranding has been positive, confirmed David Dyer, Partner Account Director. "New, vibrant and exciting are the terms partners have used in response to Unify," he stated.

"The launch of our marketing campaign has been amazing but it's what you put on your websites and what you take to customers that counts. Partners must ensure that they use the assets we have made available to them."
?George Aristidou, Sales Director for HiTouch, told delegates how a listen and learn approach has helped Unify better align its strategy alongside the needs of reseller partners with a new approach to collaborative working.

"We have listened and changed our go to market model," he said.
"My team was vertically aligned and direct in commercial and public sectors. Now it's a two way strategy. We have got a team stoking up business and when we get an SMB opportunity we will invite partners in.

"Do not be afraid to engage with bigger customers too. We know how to win these deals head-to-head with our competitors. We are talking low end and high end. If we can make this work with HiTouch and channel teams working together."

The Unify brand launch was accompanied by news of a change in the vendor's distribution strategy that saw Nimans become the vendor's sole UK distributor.

Richard Carter, Group Sales and Business Development Director, Nimans, said: "It's all about investment. We will invest in tech support. We will also be employing a Unify business development manager. Unify is the largest team and largest brand we have in Nimans with 13 people working with Tony Smith's team. We will invest in lead generation and collaboration with relevant marketing."

More conference highlights:

The Unify partner channel sold 47 per cent more systems in late summer/Autumn 2013 than same time in 2012

MZA says the opportunity in 150 to 1,000 ext mid market sector is five times larger than enterprise opportunity

OpenScape Business has been sold to 8,000 organisations around the world and 105,000 users are active with 24,500 UC users

The Hipath 4000, rebranded to OpenScape 4000 v7, is positioned as solution for any Hipath DX customer with over 25 million ports installed worldwide

Reseller offer: All the basic UC applications on OpenScape enterprise offered on OpenScape Express

Unify UK partner event award winners

SMB solution of the year 2012-2013 - Corporate ICT

Mid Market solution of the year 2012-2013 - Lloyds IP

Large Enterprise solution of the year 2012-2013 - Net Connections

Private Cloud solution of the year 2012-2013 - C STEM

Public Cloud solution of the year 2012-2013 - Datrix

Reseller of the year 2012-2013 - Datasharp UK

Sales person of the year 2012-2013 - Datasharp UK Ben Shepherd

Technical person of the year  2012-2013 - Integra David Carroll

New reseller of the year  2012-2013 - IP Office

Fastest growing reseller of the year 2012-2013 - NIX Communications

Highest system volume reseller of the year 2012-2013 - Supply Group
 
 

Virgin Media Business has collaborated with Cisco to fit the final piece in its UC and collaboration picture. The Cisco Hosted Collaboration Solution, which is offered as a Cisco Powered service, brings together collaboration tools including voice and video calling, presence and instant messaging.

"It doesn't matter whether you're using a desktop PC, a laptop, tablet or smartphone, one simple easy-to-use interface makes it accessible for everyone," said Duncan Higgins, marketing director, Virgin Media Business. "It's been designed with user-friendly management portal, making any changes quick and easy to complete."

The solution joins the portfolio of UC services Virgin Media Business offers through Microsoft Lync UC, 4G mobile service through EE and SIP trunking.

Higgins added: "UC is becoming more desirable in the 21st century workplace. It simplifies communications for employees and enables the growing number of companies in the UK who are embracing a more flexible approach to working practices. The shift towards simpler and more flexible communications has been a hot topic throughout 2013, a trend Virgin Media Business expects to continue in 2014."

The new service will be supported through the company's nationwide fibre-optic network and hosted in its own data centres.

Higgins added: "At the beginning of this year we set out to become a challenger in the Unified Communications market.

"Increasingly customers want more than just great connectivity. They want to transform the way they operate with tools that foster collaboration and innovation. With today's launch we're now able to offer full service UC to everyone we work with."

"IT departments spend a lot of time and money on simply running their organisations, but it's time to look beyond that. The kit that employees are using can be as transformative for a business as winning a big new contract or a change of management."

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PSU secures managed services contract with QVIS monitoring
 
PSU Technology Group (PSU) has secured a new managed services contract with surveillance specialists QVIS Monitoring.

PSU will design and support the ICT infrastructure required for QVIS' new surveillance control centre that will be used to monitor, manage and react to incidents across the whole of the UK.
 
PSU will design, implement and support a new server environment based on HP Proliant technology and protected by a high availability firewall.

Leased lines and IP-ISDN30 will handle data and voice and include built in redundancy and Endpoint Protection from Symantec. PSU will support the entire solution on a multi-year managed services contract.
 
Michael Lounton, Managing Director, PSU Technology Group said: "We are delighted to be awarded this contract and it will be great to be involved in the full lifecycle of this project, from its initial concept and strategy, right through to design, delivery and on-going support."

Flood gates open in call blocker sales

Demand for a call blocker that puts an end to unwanted communications at the touch of a button has reached an all time high.

The device, available exclusively through the channel from Nimans, comes pre-programmed with 200 numbers of the worst known offenders and has the facility to block an additional 1000. Orders are rising on a monthly basis with sales surging 100 fold in the last 12 months.

Based on smart technology, the unit is also fax compatible and has been developed by CPR Global (The Call Prevention Registry) which is the UK's leading anti-nuisance call service provider.

Nimans' Purchasing Director, Andy Winfield, said: "The CPR Call Blocker is an easy to set-up all-in-one everyday product which helps retain privacy in the home or office, providing Caller ID is active.

"Silent calls, recorded messages, harassment, malicious and calls from overseas call centres can all be stopped in an instant along with PPI calls, unavailable numbers, withheld numbers and automated robo calls.

"Call blocking technology is becoming big business and offers resellers a great way to add to their existing revenue streams. A unique 'Block Now' button is located on top of the unit which when pressed, cuts off a caller in their prime with the number logged into its memory and permanently blocked. The device can also reject any caller who withholds their number."

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KCOM IT manager highly commended at IT Industry Awards

Hats off to Lindsay Rodgers, Design and Delivery Consultant at the KCOM Group, who was highly commended at this year's IT Industry Awards for her outstanding contribution to IT in the last 12 months.

The annual event, hosted this year by comedian Jimmy Carr, was held at Battersea Park Events Arena in London, with over 1,300 guests, from businesses like BT, Virgin Media and Network Rail.

These awards focus on the contribution of individuals, projects, organisations and technologies that have excelled in the use, development and deployment of IT. Lindsay was shortlisted for the Best IT Manager award.

Chief Information Officer at the KCOM Group, Steve Humm, said: "Lindsay is a customer facing IT professional with a real affinity for our business. She has a talent for understanding what makes a great customer experience, something that is key to our Group's reputation, and consistently applies that in the effective delivery of IT solutions.

"Across our business Lindsay has a reputation for making things happen and is a great communicator and facilitator. Within IT, she is someone who constantly challenges the way we work and injects best practice, including driving the adoption of service orientated-architecture (SOA) principles, and the creation of reusable services.

"Being shortlisted and recognised in this category is a demonstration of the respect that everyone around the business has for Lindsay and was richly deserved by someone who has had a tremendous year."

PSU Technology Group (PSU) has secured a new managed services contract with surveillance specialists QVIS Monitoring.

PSU will design and support the ICT infrastructure required for QVIS' new surveillance control centre that will be used to monitor, manage and react to incidents across the whole of the UK.
 
PSU will design, implement and support a new server environment based on HP Proliant technology and protected by a high availability firewall.

Leased lines and IP-ISDN30 will handle data and voice and include built in redundancy and Endpoint Protection from Symantec. PSU will support the entire solution on a multi-year managed services contract.
 
Michael Lounton, Managing Director, PSU Technology Group said: "We are delighted to be awarded this contract and it will be great to be involved in the full lifecycle of this project, from its initial concept and strategy, right through to design, delivery and on-going support."

Demand for a call blocker that puts an end to unwanted communications at the touch of a button has reached an all time high.

The device, available exclusively through the channel from Nimans, comes pre-programmed with 200 numbers of the worst known offenders and has the facility to block an additional 1000. Orders are rising on a monthly basis with sales surging 100 fold in the last 12 months.

Based on smart technology, the unit is also fax compatible and has been developed by CPR Global (The Call Prevention Registry) which is the UK's leading anti-nuisance call service provider.

Nimans' Purchasing Director, Andy Winfield, said: "The CPR Call Blocker is an easy to set-up all-in-one everyday product which helps retain privacy in the home or office, providing Caller ID is active.

"Silent calls, recorded messages, harassment, malicious and calls from overseas call centres can all be stopped in an instant along with PPI calls, unavailable numbers, withheld numbers and automated robo calls.

"Call blocking technology is becoming big business and offers resellers a great way to add to their existing revenue streams. A unique 'Block Now' button is located on top of the unit which when pressed, cuts off a caller in their prime with the number logged into its memory and permanently blocked. The device can also reject any caller who withholds their number."

The wholesale telecoms industry will soon wake up to customers' shifting priorities, the risks posed by internal conflict between wholesale and enterprise channels, the threats posed by new entrants into the market, and signs that structural change is finally coming to voice interconnection.

This is according to Ovum's Wholesale Telecoms 2014 Trends-to-Watch report which urges wholesalers to exploit these trends by differentiating from or partnering with new entrants, minimising internal channel conflicts, becoming more responsive to customers, and exploring emerging alternative models for voice interconnection.

Wholesale 2014 Telecoms Trends-to-Watch:

• Competition will grow in national wholesale markets.Traditional wholesalers must not consider existing revenue streams to be safe.Instead they should actively compete with new entrants, differentiating their offering in terms of service reach, breadth and depth of portfolio, quality, responsiveness, reliability, or customer service. However, established players should also seriously consider partnering with new entrants that have lower costs, greater quality, or other advantage over their own capabilities.

• Conflicts between wholesale and enterprise channels will increase. We expect carriers to continue turning their standalone wholesale units into lines of business (LOBs) reporting into their enterprise counterparts. To reduce enterprise-versus-wholesale channel conflicts, carriers should clearly define and strictly enforce customer segmentations, with accounts assigned to one channel or the other.

• Customers will require wholesalers to be more responsive.Providers of wholesale services must realize that intermediaries need to be able to give their customers reliable dates for service availability. Hence, wholesalers must take action to improve systems and processes to speed up the delivery of services and the prediction, diagnosis, and resolution of faults.

• Voice interconnection will show signs of structural change. For the first time, regulatory, retail, and wholesale trends are all pushing in the same direction. 2014 will see the beginning of changes in pricing regimes for voice interconnection as retail telcos look to reset their voice cost base. However, the time has come for wholesalers to dust off those alternative pricing models and start testing which are and are not fit for purpose. Likewise, retailers that operate in markets where the trends are moving fastest should be talking to their wholesale providers to understand their options and plan for a long-term transition to new and sustainable voice models.

David James, Principal Analyst, Wholesale Telecoms, Ovum, says: "Despite its reputation for being rather traditional, unexciting, and averse to change, the wholesale telecoms market continues to evolve to meet the rapidly changing demands of retail service providers and other intermediaries. Since the turn of the millennium wholesale has transformed from a sleepy backwater that few discussed into a valuable source of revenue for many telcos. To remain effective, wholesalers must continue to respond to new developments."