Comms Dealer

NetSuite has signed up a trio of VARs to its Solution Provider Programme.

Irish Covali, a reseller of Sage ERP and CRM, Ensphere Consulting and Dublin-based OSSM Cloud Solutions have joined the programme which was first launched in 2002 to provide channel partners with cloud-based financial and ERP software solutions.

"These new partners demonstrate the rapid adoption of cloud solutions in EMEA and their confidence in the future of NetSuite. We're happy to welcome their many years of experience to the solution provider programme and look forward to a long relationship delivering value to their customers and ours," says John Campbell, Director of Channel Sales EMEA at NetSuite.

The race to stay one step ahead of telephone hackers will pick up pace next year, according to distributor Nimans which believes that phone hacking will become even more of a global menace, with more businesses and public sector  organisations falling victim.

To help combat the threat Nimans stocks Control Phreak, an automatic PBX firewall which stops telephone hackers in their tracks.

According to the distributor the UK is one of the top global hot spots for communication fraud, including telephone hacking, which is estimated to be running at up to $80bn worldwide.

Control Phreak Chief Architect Roger Ansin says phone systems are vulnerable to attack and should be protected from a number of ongoing threats which, he claims, are likely to accelerate in 2014.

Ansin, MD of The Callista Group, claims that phreaking is masterminded by organised crime and even terrorist groups to raise illicit funds.

"According to a BBC Radio 4 programme at least 40 UK businesses reported becoming a victim in one month alone, with an average cost to each victim of £21,000," he said.

"We have installed Control Phreak into a number of schools which have been targeted by hackers. Christmas holidays see schools and colleges closing down and leaving their telephone systems unattended. The criminals are only too aware of this."

A topical talking point in the fight against phone hacking is International Revenue Share (IRS) fraud because this can generate really large phone bills.
"This type of fraud is becoming more common as any phone number can be hijacked and sold," warned Ansin.

"IRS Fraud means that every phone number now is suspect. 
"Fraudsters are selling access to British mobile phone numbers and no one can blanket-blockade outbound calling to UK mobiles." 

To address this particular issue Control Phreak intelligently detects the difference between legitimate outbound call traffic and unauthorised diverted call traffic.  "This can only be done at PBX level and is why Control Phreak is so powerful and useful," added Andsin.

"Control Phreak makes a phone system invisible to hackers so that it's safe and impenetrable."

Unify, formerly Siemens Enterprise Communications, has named Dean Douglas as Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds Hamid Akhavan who joined as CEO from Deutsche Telekom in February 2010.
 
Douglas, who currently serves as President and CEO of enterprise technology distributor Westcon Group, was previously CEO of LCC International and has also held a number of executive roles at both IBM and Motorola.  

He will take up his appointment on January 16, 2014, at which point Akhavan will join the Executive Board where he will continue to support the Unify business.
 
Mark Stone, Chairman of the Executive Board commented: "Dean brings a deep understanding of the enterprise technology industry and experience of successful sales channel and partnership development in a variety of international roles."
 
Douglas added: "Unify has a long and distinguished heritage, and yet has an agenda to reinvent itself and the industry. Cloud-based delivery opens up entirely new consumption, commercial and distribution models and I see Unify as perfectly positioned to innovate new ways for enterprise users to access the best collaboration tools."

Resellers with the expertise to help customers adopt a joined up approach to their customer service stand to win in a wide open market.

The opportunity for resellers to plug a gap between customer expectations and an organisation's ability to meet them was highlighted in a survey by the Customer Contact Association (CCA), undertaken in partnership with Kcom.

According to this research the biggest stumbling block that trips companies over is their lack of resource to track previous interactions with a customer.

Among the consumers surveyed, 60% said a company's ability to link up all of its previous interactions with a customer is a key factor in customer service.

But 69% of CCA member organisations operate a more siloed approach to customer communication, meaning that they will all benefit from ICT solutions that provide a single customer view.

Anne Marie Forsyth, Chief Executive of the Customer Contact Association, said: "Offering seamless omni-channel service to customers is now a licence to operate rather than a point of differentiation. It keeps you in the game but doesn't give you a winning hand.

"The research shows a disconnect between the service expectations of customers and the ability of organisations to live up to those expectations.

"We know that consumers want efficiency, speed and value for money but unless businesses urgently adopt an integrated omni-channel service strategy they will struggle to deliver on service promises and risk compromising brand values.

"This research is a wake-up call to service providers across every sector. Change your approach or risk losing your customers."

Suzette Bouzane Meadows, Director of Contact for Kcom, noted that consumers still prefer contact with a real person when handling more complex or personal transactions, pointing out that 49% of people would choose to speak with someone over the phone or via email when it comes to registering a complaint.

"It's clear that while technological advances are providing a wide choice of channels for contacting an organisation, these must be joined up and there must still be well-trained, experienced people at the heart of any organisation's customer contact team," said Meadows.

Pennine Telecom has agreed a new deal with Bury's Mill Gate Shopping Centre to provide shoppers with free high-speed wireless access to the Internet.
 
The company has signed a new 18 month sponsorship agreement which will see it providing a broadband connection, wireless transmission equipment and network maintenance to the centre.

This is an extension to the company's previous three year deal with the centre.
 
The service will be available to the 250,000 shoppers who visit the centre every week to take advantage of its 140 retail outlets, which include nine cafés and restaurants.
 
Andrew Roberts, Pennine Telecom's MD, said: "By offering this to Mill Gate visitors we are again advertising our expertise in the field of wireless communications. In a way it's our own shop window, a platform which, together with other projects in Bury, we can use to promote our skills to businesses locally and nationally.

"It's great too that we are providing something from which so many of our fellow Bury folk can benefit."
 

Former BT Group Chief Exec Lord Ian Livingston has received recognition for his work and transformation of the telecoms company by being awarded the Chairman's Award at the annual Institute for Turnaround (IFT) awards.

The IFT awards recognise companies and organisations that have returned to strength, having faced difficulties over the last few years, thanks to excellent strategy and leadership.

The awards were hosted by former Conservative MP and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth at the Bloomsbury Big Top in London.

Lord Livingston led BT for five years until September 2013. He recruited and oversaw a new management team and grew the business through investment and improvements to customer service.  The company also recently launched its multi-billion pound sports channels in August in a direct challenge to the established market leader BSkyB.

Prime Minister David Cameron announced in June Lord Livingston would become a UK Government trade minister in the House of Lords, replacing Lord Green, with a remit of helping British companies prosper.

Lord Livingston said: "It's an award for BT and BT staff because the most important thing about any transformation is that it is a team effort.

"In my new role in Government I want to encourage businesses to locate and grow in Britain. When I talk to businesses from other countries they see Britain as an open trading country.

"We should celebrate the strengths we have that are so appealing for those who want to come to this country and help grow our economy."

Chairman of the Institute for Turnaround, Iain MacRitchie said: "I selected Lord Livingston for the Chairman's Award because of the remarkable success and leadership he has shown in transforming BT's business model over the past five years. 

"Ian's relentless focus on growing the business has seen investment in fibre optic, TV and sport and his influence is reflected in the current strong performance of BT.

"I know Ian will be a success in his new role promoting Britain as a great place to do business.  He is a great example and a true champion of British business."

Arguments in favour of hosted telephony are unassailable according to Michael J Thornton, Sales and Marketing Director at Frontier Voice and Data, who believes that the only barrier to mainstream adoption is the notion that cloud comms deployment is complex and challenging.

"Smart companies sell hosted telephony," he stated. "Ideas about that cloud being too complex are a myth and resellers are missing out on a significant opportunity. They risk losing their customers to competitors who offer the full benefits of cloud telephony. No company can ignore the business case for cloud-based communications."

In a bid to demystify the cloud and spell out the customer benefits, Thornton has overseen the creation of a video called 'Hosted Made Easy' and he believes that a 'seeing is believing' approach to Frontier's MyIP proposition will help resellers grasp the hosted opportunity.

"Our video is designed to be educational by explaining the cloud in simple language and supported by engaging graphics," added Thornton.

"Migrating applications out of the office and into the cloud with minimal disruption is the natural next step for organisations that are unhappy with their legacy equipment, which can be inflexible and costly to run and maintain.

"Smart companies realise the benefits of moving to the cloud model. There is no legacy hardware, no expensive maintenance contracts, cloud telephony is secure, reduces costs and offers more flexibility and scalabiltiy.

"Customers want an easily managed service-based solution with minimal outlay and simple billing from a single supplier. Cloud solutions such as MyIP are the answer to their call."

The 'Hosted Made Easy' video can be viewed on Frontier Voice and Data's website.

There will be mixed results for Data Centre providers over the next five year period, according to Tariff Consultancy (TCL) in its latest report.

Average Data Centre pricing remains stable over time, with average standard rack space rates from 2010 to 2013 being broadly unchanged over the 23 Country Markets surveyed.

Over the three year period average rack space pricing has fallen in 13 Country Markets, but has risen in 10 Country Markets. The price trend is forecast to continue from 2013 to 2018 with average pricing forecast to rise by 1.2 per cent over the next five-year period.

But within the average pricing there are a range of rack space pricing based on the different types of Data Centre provider in each market.

New entrants, Wholesale Data Centre, regional and local Data Centre providers are offering discounted rates disturbing the market equilibrium of supply and demand and lowering average pricing.

The entry of new large capacity Data Centre space in Switzerland and Norway has meant a decline in average pricing as supply exceeds demand.

New Data Centre investment in Europe is still mainly focused on the established markets of France, the UK, Netherlands and Germany - all four Country Markets have 3rd party Data Centre raised floor space of over 300,000 square metres - and are seeing expansion in regional areas.

According to TCL, as existing clusters of Data Centre markets are becoming saturated new facilities are being established in surrounding areas are seeing new investment - accompanied with a decline in Data Centre price levels.

But Data Centre facilities in the established cities of London, Frankfurt, Paris and Stockholm are priced at a premium to the rest of the market.

A range of Data Centre clusters are now developing in each European Country Market, with the UK, the Netherlands, France and Sweden seeing development in new facilities away from the capital city - typically the main source of Data Centre investment - driven by the availability of land, planning permission and lower development costs.

Despite the increase in Data Centre capacity the TCL Data Centre Pricing in Europe report finds that utilisation levels for key providers (including TelecityGroup, Equinix and Interxion) has remained stable, with each provider maintaining average gross margins - as the established Data Centre operator seeks to manage the introduction of new raised floor space strictly in line with customer demand. But the increase in new space is acting as a brake on new Data Centre pricing.

Across the 23 European Country Markets surveyed TCL finds that new 3rd party Data Centre space is being added at a rate of 10,000 square metres per month. In some markets - such as Norway - new Data Centre providers are adding substantial new space with the new LefdalMine Data Center alone having potential space of up to 120,000 square metres.

Data Centre pricing in Europe is also being driven by investment in new high specification Data Centre facilities capable of delivering a range of services - with incumbent telecoms operators in Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, France and Spain investing heavily in new cloud computing and hosting facilities with multiple tiers of service, SLA and power levels.

And Carrier Neutral Data Centre providers are investing in new Premium Data Centre facilities with multiple data halls catering for different customer applications and levels of service.

Demand for Data Centre space is also being driven by requirements from telecoms, hosting, integrators and digital content providers who require 3rd party Data Centre space rather than build their own facilities.

But Data Centre providers can maintain a price premium in a market where there is a wide range of IP and network connectivity - including direct connectivity to the national IP exchange - and benefitting from a wide range of partners and digital content providers creating a unique ecosystem.

Additionally the provision of power is becoming a key factor in Data Centre selection as providers upgrade their facilities and price according to each kW of power consumed. In some Country Markets, such as Finland and Norway, Data Centre providers are using the low cost of industrial electricity as a key factor in marketing their Data Centre services.

Global PC shipments are expected to fall by -10.1% in 2013, slightly below the previous projection of -9.7%, and by far the most severe yearly contraction on record, according to the IDC Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. Interest in PCs has remained limited, leading to little indication of positive growth beyond replacement of existing systems.

Total shipments are expected to decline by an additional -3.8% in 2014 before turning slightly positive in the longer term. At these rates, total PC shipments will remain just above 300 million during the forecast - barely ahead of 2008 volumes. Even in emerging markets - a primary growth engine of the PC market - shipments are projected to decline in 2014 and recover by only a few percent during the forecast.

The commercial market is faring notably better than the consumer market in 2013 with shipments declining by -5% year over year compared to nearly -15% for consumer. The relative stability is due to a mix of more stable PC investment planning, a smaller impact from tablets, and to replacements of Windows XP systems before the end of support planned for 2014. However, the long-term outlook for the two markets is not significantly different, with a small decline projected for both consumer and commercial segments in 2014 with near flat growth in the longer term.

"Perhaps the chief concern for future PC demand is a lack of reasons to replace an older system," said Jay Chou, Senior Research Analyst at IDC. "While IDC research finds that the PC still remains the primary computing device - for example, PCs are used more hours per day than tablets or phones - PC usage is nonetheless declining each year as more devices become available. And despite industry efforts, PC usage has not moved significantly beyond consumption and productivity tasks to differentiate PCs from other devices. As a result, PC lifespans continue to increase, thereby limiting market growth."

PGi, a company that has operated in the collaboration and virtual meetings arena for 20-plus years, has acquired Via-Vox, trading under the name Powwownow, one of Europe's fastest growing conferencing and collaboration providers focused on SMBs, for a cash purchase price of approximately $52.6m. PGi funded the purchase through its credit facility and cash and equivalents on hand.

"Powwownow's presence in the UK SMB space makes it a valuable acquisition for PGi," said Boland T. Jones, PGi founder, Chairman and CEO.

"The acquisition reinforces our strategy of expanding PGi's customer base and identifying products that enhance our portfolio, while delivering meaningful revenue and earnings accretion that enable us to fund additional growth investments."

Founded in 2004, Powwownow serves approximately 240,000 users in the UK, France and Germany and has a current projected annual revenue run rate of approximately $22m. Following the acquisition Powwownow users gain access to PGi's web conferencing solutions, iMeet and GlobalMeet.

Marc Beattie, senior analyst, Wainhouse Research, observed: "Powwownow's brand and approach to audio conferencing has yielded powerful growth in Europe, particularly in the UK. This acquisition provides PGi with a growing brand and a captive audience for its iMeet and GlobalMeet web products."

Paul Lees, founder and CEO of Powwownow, added: "Joining forces with PGi expands the scale, reach and service options available to Powwownow customers.

"Powwownow brings PGi new go-to-market capabilities, including our brand awareness, small business marketing expertise and online infrastructure."