Comms Dealer

Nimans has welcomed the rebrand of Siemens Enterprise Communications to Unify, and despite a period of adjustment the new name will generate instant recognition and synergy in the market, according to Nimans Director Andy Winfield.

He stated: "I'm sure Unify will be very well received in the industry, symbolising the ever evolving world of communications based on harmony, mobility and a unified approach.

"We are very much looking forward to playing a front line role in helping resellers embrace the new name and capitalise on the many market opportunities it creates, inspired by the technology it represents.

"This is the dawning of a new era for the brand and we are all excited by the potential that exists, with Nimans now the only distributor in the UK.

"Unify gives everyone a great platform to build on the heritage and reputation of Siemens Enterprise Communications. It's a new chapter in the history of one of the most famous and powerful names in the communications world."

The name Siemens Enterprise Communications doesn't trip off the tongue so perhaps a rebrand has been long overdue. Now the wait's over and the vendor will operate under the Unify banner, paving the way for the firm to build its future based on unifying business and innovation.

The rebrand was revealed this afternoon during a live global online launch event during which the vendor also launched its mission to transform business comms in line with new ways of working, communicating and collaborating.

The new company builds on a heritage of nearly 170 years of innovation and has set out to change the way companies communicate and collaborate, helping them spend less time orchestrating work and more time doing it.

The Unify brand and vision were revealed today at events in Munich and New York City and on a live global webcast.

Unify said significant forces were reshaping the communications and IT industries like the consumerisation of IT, bring your own device (BYOD), the role of millennials and the impact of 'anywhere workers', essentially defining a new way to work.

The launch of the new brand builds upon significant momentum and market recognition gained from the company's unveiling of Project Ansible in June 2013. Project Ansible is a new communications and collaboration platform that leverages secure, dynamic collaboration, universal content aggregation, and a consumer-like, single-pane-of-glass experience that drives adoption and seamless integration into business processes to enhance business performance.

"Unify is positioned to lead our customers and the industry toward the emergence of a new way to work that will transform how enterprises communicate and collaborate, where technology will amplify the collective effort of information workers, energize teams and processes, and enhance business performance," said Hamid Akhavan, CEO, Unify.

"Our Siemens history is rich and the connection to our heritage as market innovators remains strong. Our new brand brings to life our vision, backed by dedicated employees around the world, a strong partner community, and an unwavering commitment to help our customers and more than 45 million users find positive returns on their technology investments. Our customers are incredible, our history is enviable, and our future as Unify is unstoppable."

Jacob Morgan, author of The Collaborative Organization and principal of Chess Media Group also commented on the announcement today: "Unify has the vision to address the needs of how we work today. Businesses of all sizes need to make it easier for their global employees and partners to put context to the information and data that flows through organizations while delivering a consumer-like experience anywhere, anytime, and on any device. This new way to work is now a strategic imperative and Unify is taking the leadership position."

Unify's brand launch included a two-hour web-streamed broadcast of original content, hosted by Baratunde Thurston, a well-known social media enthusiast and co-founder and CEO of Cultivated Wit, and Nicole Duft, industry analyst and senior vice president at Pierre-Audoin Consultants (PAC).

The Munich event was held in front of more than 1,000 employees of Unify and guests and was connected to a Unify social media command center in New York City. Unify employees gathered at nearly 60 different offices in 33 countries around the world to view the broadcast and celebrate the company's new brand unveiling.

In addition to in-person events and the global webcast, Unify said it had launched a broad awareness campaign in support of its new brand and vision. The campaign combines online and traditional print advertising across business, trade and industry publications in key markets including Germany, the United States, Great Britain and in Brazil.

In addition to re-introducing the business as Unify, the company outlined additional details about Project Ansible, a secure and engaging communications and collaboration platform first debuted to wide acclaim from customers and analysts in June 2013.

Based on strong interest from customers, partners and carriers, Unify announced that it has accelerated the timeline of the platform with customer deliveries expected to begin in July 2014. The platform will be first available as a cloud-based, SAAS (software as a service) offering that would complement OpenScape solutions from Unify, and corporate telephone systems from peer competitors.

Unify was recently named an Enterprise Trusted Advisor by customers and IT professionals according to an annual industry-wide study conducted by Nemertes Research. Unify was ranked third out of an elite list of only 12 companies named as trusted advisors that were selected from the 150 technology companies surveyed, according to Nemertes.

Unify was recently named to the Leaders Quadrant in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Corporate Telephony. Unify was also recognised as a Leader in the Gartner MarketScape for Unified Communications for the SMB Market, Western Europe.

Unify (then Siemens Enterprise Communications) was formed as a joint venture by The Gores Group and Siemens AG in 2008. The company said today's relaunch under a new brand did not signal a change in the ownership of the company, nor its management structure.

Avaya has rolled out enhancements to its portfolio including a set of new software and cloud-based services.

These developments continue the vendor's shift from a telecoms company to a provider of mobile, open, scalable collaboration and communications solutions, claimed the firm, and forms part of the $2.5bn investment in R&D made by Avaya during the past six years to reshape its portfolio.

Avaya Aura Collaboration Environment is a new software platform that simplifies the complexity of embedding collaboration and communications capabilities into business applications.

New social, mobile or cloud-based collaboration capabilities can be added to business applications or processes generally without the cost and time previously required.

The cornerstone of Avaya's mid-market business collaboration portfolio, Avaya IP Office 9.0, offers increased scale, flexible deployment options, simplified management, and support for enterprise branch deployments.

With new virtualisation capabilities, a collaboration and communication solution can typically be set up in under an hour, said the firm.

Avaya Messaging Service (AMS) enables real-time mobile collaboration and communications via the cloud for any size business using any vendor's platform.

SMS/text messages have typically operated as an application independent of enterprise communications - usually sent from one mobile device to another mobile device. Avaya Messaging Service extends SMS messages to and from smartphones, tablets, notebooks and desktop devices, thereby enabling one number communications via text messaging.

The engine behind enterprise communications and collaboration, Avaya Aura users can now easily support both cloud and virtualised environments with the addition of multi-tenancy and enhanced virtualisation capabilities.

Additionally, customers can now support up to 10 different mobile devices from a single phone number, enabling people to connect on a wide variety of devices quickly and easily.

Kevin Kennedy, CEO and president, Avaya, said: "Today, teams are located all over the globe, trying to work on a variety of devices as they move between meetings or connecting flights.

"It has never been harder to physically come together, and at the same time expectations have never been higher. Avaya's simple, intuitive software and cloud-based services are designed to be effective, efficient and transparent so people can focus on the task at hand and not the barriers that are too often present in today's business technology."

3CX is to incorporate a web conferencing solution into its VoIP phone system following the acquisition of Italy-based e-works, a developer of video conferencing software.

"Customers are demanding web conferencing to be integrated with their PBX," said Nick Galea, 3CX CEO. "They don't want to be burdened with the extra learning curve and licensing of separate conferencing services. They want a seamlessly integrated and complete Unified Communications solution."

3CX's web conferencing server technology will be fully supporting the new WebRTC standard allowing participants to take part in conferences without having to install any client software at all.

"This feature allows 3CX to leapfrog the existing proprietary, client-heavy web conferencing solutions," added Galea.

Nimans has linked up with Canada-based Phybridge to provide resellers with a switch that enables them to ease and speed the migration of customers from TDM to IP telephony, according to Andy Winfield, Purchasing Director at Nimans.

The products deliver Ethernet and Power over Ethernet over a single pair of wire or CW1308 cabling with four times the reach of traditional POE switches.

They are designed to allow businesses to maximise their existing voice infrastructure and transform it into an IP path with power for IP telephony.

"Phybridge technology eliminates many of the local area network barriers and costs associated with IP telephony migration in areas such as IP telephony, converged networks, unified comms and public safety," said Winfield.

"Quality of service, voice continuity, elimination of risk and disruption, a secure network and a lower total cost of ownership are some of the benefits."

More than 500,000 users globally use Phybridge switches such as its PoLRE (Power over Long Reach Ethernet) switch family. The switches have been certified with many household name IP telephony vendors including Aastra, Avaya, Broadsoft, Mitel and NEC.

Viv Singh, Senior VP for Phybridge, commented: "Phybridge technology has been deployed throughout Europe including embassies for one of the largest governments in the world.

"The launch of the PoLRE solution will help fuel further general interest and demand from EMEA customers and channel partners."

Cloud-based business analytics solutions provider Adaptive Planning has added three new UK partners as part of its global channel expansion.

AgencyDNA, Alui and Concentric Solutions have now joined Adaptive's global reseller network.

All three companies are specialists in budgeting, forecasting, reporting, consolidation and business intelligence solutions, it says.

Adaptive says that it currently sees a growing demand for cloud-based business analytics solutions across the UK and the appointment of the three new resellers reflects this trend.

At present, Adaptive has more than 400 partners worldwide and a customer base of over 1,700 organisations and last year it expanded operations in the UK, Ireland, Australia and Japan.

"Having a robust global partner ecosystem is essential in helping Adaptive Planning scale rapidly around the world, so we're delighted to welcome AgencyDNA, Alui and Concentric Solutions to our partner community and look forward to supporting them in growing our business in the UK and Ireland," commented Ian Preston, Adaptive Planning's Vice President of Sales for the UK & Ireland.

A new distribution business, operating as part of Exclusive Networks Group, has been launched to adddress the data centre management requirements of major enterprises.

Big Technology comes to market with a portfolio of seven top name vendors and a pedigree in creating reseller value through disruptive technologies, claims the company's MD Jason Dance, the former Sales Director at Exclusive Networks UK.

Dance commented: "Data centres are struggling with big technology demands and need to cope with the pace of data growth as well as escalating expectations for reliability, lowest cost, highest performance and optimum user/customer experience.

"That's the opportunity for the channel: To answer that need with intelligent, big scale solutions capable of bringing order to the chaos and realising the promise of the user driven, software defined data centre."

Based at new offices in Theale, Reading, Big Technology is focused on opportunities within the data centre around big data storage, virtual desktop infrastructure, optimisation and the orchestration of virtual appliances.

Its current vendor portfolio adds new distribution partnerships with Extreme Networks, Silver Peak and Tegile Systems to complement Avere Systems, Coraid, Nimbus Data and Nutanix brought across from Exclusive Networks UK.

Steve Johnson, Regional Director UKI & Benelux at Extreme Networks, added: "The data centre is becoming ever more crucial as a business asset in the age of big data, and helping enterprises to realise and exploit that evolution is a major opportunity for top level resellers.

"We believe Big Technology can stimulate and address that demand for intelligent, massively scalable infrastructure, and support our partners to create maximum customer value in their data centre deals."

Mike Hemes, Vice President Sales EMEA at leading application performance and data acceleration player Silver Peak, noted "We've bought into the skills and relationships within Big Technology and we're expecting this to yield significant market opportunities in the UK as we grow our partner base.

"Big Technology fundamentally understands the seismic shifts happening in data centre evolution, particularly around storage and virtualisation, and that can only be good for what we're trying to achieve."

US based hybrid storage array vendor Tegile Systems has appointed Big Technology as its first UK distributor.

"Working with Big Technology has opened doors for us," enthused Paul Silver, Vice President, EMEA, Tegile Systems. "When we made our debut in Europe six months ago we sought a value added distributor. By partnering with Big Technology, we've added value by helping our partners become more successful and have forged deep connections in the channel."

According to Olivier Breittmayer, CEO at Exclusive Networks Group, the launch of Big Technology is timely and the UK is best positiooned to introduce the concept with a view to extending elsewhere across the Group.

"The volume, velocity and value of data is rising exponentially, generating a complex problem that only greater intelligence - not just greater horsepower - can resolve," stated Breittmayer.

"Big Technology's bold vision is to enable its partners to address this huge market opportunity and to help enterprises build a new generation of user driven datacentres."

Logicalis Group has acquired iConsult (Jersey), a privately owned Jersey company and provider of desktop and mail hosted solutions to the SMB market within the Channel Islands.

Through its data facility in Jersey the company services over 800 users on the islands, mainly in the financial and professional services sectors.

Its main offering is a hosted desktop solution using primarily Microsoft and Citrix solutions, with managed services and user helpdesk support.

This acquisition will be integrated with Logicalis' existing Channel Islands operation, and with Logicalis' data facility based in Guernsey, this adds scale to the Group's managed services and cloud solution capabilities which can now address the whole Channel Islands.

Jon Crichard, Managing Director, Logicalis Channel Islands, commented: "Logicalis has shown its commitment to the Channel Islands by making this acquisition and enhancing our service capabilities, adding scale to our desktop solution to better service the Channel Islands in the financial and professional services sectors which are important for us."

As part of BT's mission to promote volunteering within the community, Martin Clarke, Head of BT Business Partner Sales, led a team of volunteers from BT who wasted no time in transforming the grounds of Woodlands School (which helps children with special needs) in Coleshill, Warwickshire.

Their work involved painting a shed as well as four benches, the construction of seven planters in the vegetable garden and the repair of others, the creation of new borders, a re-laid astra turf and making areas accessible for wheelchairs.

Clarke said: "Volunteering gives our people the opportunity to make a difference in the local community and build skills in a way that benefits them, the community and our business."

Iain Paterson, Head Teacher at Woodlands School, added: "It was not just the results attained by the BT team that impressed me, it was their coordination, leadership, commitment, passion and work ethic."

Former Griffin-er Dan Priestman has joined Eclipse Internet as Channel Sales Manager with a remit to drive the sales effort and educate the channel on new products and services around the growing Eclipse Cloud and Communicate portfolios.

Priestman joins Eclipse from Griffin where he was responsible for securing, managing and growing some of Griffin's largest channel partners.

He said: "I'm looking forward to meeting the Eclips partner base and supporting our partners as they are introduced to the wider Eclipse Cloud and Eclipse Communicate portfolios."

Henry West, Head of Sales at Eclipse, noted: "With Dan's wealth of experience and seven years working in the channel, his knowledge and expertise will be invaluable when bringing on board new products and services and working with our new and existing partners."