Comms Dealer

8x8 has acquired LeChat, maker of Sameroom, an interoperability platform that enables cross-team messaging and collaboration in the enterprise.

The acquisition strengthens 8x8's play in the team collaboration market by providing interoperability between more than two dozen team collaboration clients as part of the just launched 8x8 Communications Cloud, which combines unified communications, team collaboration interoperability, contact centre and analytics in a single, open and real-time platform.

Vik Verma, CEO of 8x8, stated: "With Sameroom, our customers will enable their internal teams and external partners to collaborate across different team messaging apps of their choice, creating an open, more seamless communications and collaboration environment that is compliant with corporate policy. This new technology is the key to delivering messaging capabilities to all of 8x8's services.

"This convergence of two healthy and thriving markets - communications and collaboration - is going to change the way employees, customers and partners use and consume communications intelligence, making them better informed, more productive and more effective than ever before. The days of a fragmented communications landscape are numbered."

Sameroom brings to 8x8 experience in building and launching high-scale, commercial group messaging solutions, as well as knowledge of leading team collaboration apps.

Andrei Soroker, co-founder of Sameroom, added: "8x8 understands that true unified communications and collaboration requires a new and open approach to team collaboration, which is why Sameroom was acquired. With this move, Sameroom will now be able to help more companies enable team collaboration as the technology becomes core to the 8x8 Communications Cloud."

8X8 also announced a number of new business application integrations aimed at enhancing business workflows by making real-time communications, collaboration capabilities and intelligence available for third-party cloud applications, all customisable via an Open Cloud approach to fit individual enterprise needs.

Responding to the Chancellor's announcement in today's Budget of £16m for a 5G mobile technology hub and a further £200m for local broadband networks, Andrew Ellis, Professor of Optical Communications at Aston University, said: "Economically, investments in Internet speeds have shown a healthy 20:1 return. With full fibre broadband and 5G mobile rollout, we can expect to increase national Gross Value Added (GVA) by around £10 billion and to safeguard or create tens of thousands of jobs.

"Given the great disparities in Internet provision across the UK, future Government intervention should focus on the less profitable, and therefore under serviced areas - perhaps leapfrogging 4G and G.Fast in some areas and going straight to 5G and fibre-based broadband technologies."

In December last year, the National Infrastructure Committee chaired by Lord Adonis called on the Government to take action to make Britain 5G ready. It highlighted that Britain is 54th in the world for 4G (the typical user can only access 4G 53% of the time), there are too many digital deserts and partial not spots, even within our city centres.

Government support is welcome but the private sector must still invest billions to secure UK digital future, according to Alex Holt, partner and head of TMT, KPMG: "Major advances in communications and technology will be vital for the UK, and are perhaps more important now than ever before due to Brexit," he said.

"The UK should be a leader in digital communications. Support from Government - no matter how large or small - is welcomed.

"But the reality remains that major communications infrastructure operators are being asked to invest billions in the UK's digital future in a less than certain regulatory environment, and a future where the dominant US platform businesses will reap a majority of the economic rewards from that investment."

Charlotte Holloway, Policy Director at techUK commented: "Today's Budget shows a consistent approach from the Chancellor, laying solid foundations for what will be an uncertain period ahead.

"The digital sector is the fastest-growing part of the UK economy and today's Budget will provide tech companies with reassurance that the Chancellor understands that their success is critical for a truly Global Britain.

"The tech sector will await further detail on the proposed review into business rates for online companies. It is key that this process begins with an open and evidence-based dialogue with industry, keeping front of mind the role that online technologies play in driving digital growth for SMEs."

Avaya has entered into an asset purchase agreement with Extreme Networks for the sale of its Networking business for approximately $100m. Extreme will serve as the primary bidder in a section 363 sale under the Bankruptcy Code. Other interested parties have an opportunity to bid prior to a deadline set by the Bankruptcy Court. 

If other qualified bids are submitted, an auction process will be conducted in which the agreement with Extreme would set the floor value for the auction. 

Kevin Kennedy, Avaya's CEO, stated: "Several months ago, in the context of optimising our capital structure, we announced that we were conducting a comprehensive assessment of the various alternatives available to us, including expressions of interest in certain Avaya assets.

"After extensive evaluation, we believe that a sale of our Networking business is the best path forward for all stakeholders. It provides a clear and positive path for our Networking customers and partners and enables the company to focus on its core UC and contact centre solutions.

"The possibility of Avaya Networking being part of a pure-play networking company like Extreme Networks would allow greater opportunities for its products and services to thrive."

Approval of a final sale to either Extreme or a competing bidder is expected to take place shortly after completion of an auction. 

The transaction is expected to close by June 30th, 2017, the end of Avaya's fiscal third quarter 2017, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

Tollring has upgraded its ISO 9001:2008 accreditation to the new quality standard ISO 9001:2015 as well as renewing the ISO 27001 certification for information security throughout its operations and data centres.

Tony Martino, CEO of Tollring, said: "We understand how important it is for our clients to know that their data, as well as their customer's data, is protected and maintained securely.

"Our stewardship of confidential information is robust and we constantly challenge ourselves to keep it that way."

KCOM has entered into the framework contract as an approved supplier on the UK Government's Digital Outcomes and Specialists 2 framework (DOS2) which replaces the previous framework from February 2017.

Digital Outcomes are systems services, projects and programmes that have specific outcomes with clear deliverables. The DOS2 framework assists UK public sector buyers in purchasing digital and cloud-based services quickly and from a large and diverse pool of proficient, proven and reliable providers.

DOS2 runs in parallel with the G-Cloud framework, through which public sector bodies purchase cloud services such as Web Hosting and Business applications. Both frameworks support the delivery of the UK Government Digital Strategy.

"Our Digital Outcomes and Specialists 2 accreditation is a formal confirmation of our capabilities in delivering reliable and outcome-orientated services to the public sector," commented Stephen Long, EVP at KCOM.

Acuity Unified Communications has acquired the customer contracts of St Albans-based SIP trunking security firm 500 Ltd. Its fraud protection software portfolio provides security for mobiles and SIP connectivity.

The deal also gives Acuity access to 500 Ltd's self-service provisioning portal.

John Dowbiggin, MD of Acuity Unified Communications, said: "Cyber security is vital in today's business telecoms arena and we want to ensure those customers that require robust protection from cyber attack whether, it be mobile or SIP connectivity, are covered to the FCS Mark of Excellence Gold level."

500 Ltd MD Jonathan Rodwell added: "We can now focus on being a pure software house and provide service providers such as Acuity our provisioning portals."

A 50% year-on-year increase in pallet volumes and order tonnage along with a broadening product range have prompted Nimans to embark on a programme of warehouse expansion, upping the current 36,000 sq ft capacity to almost 50,000 sq ft.

The distributor has enlisted construction company The Casey Group to undertake the work which is due for completion by October.

The requirement for more order processing space is reflected in Nimans's new trade catalogue that features over 8,000 products.

Chairman Julian Niman said: "I started the business 36 years ago repairing CB radios from limited space at my father's jewellery business.

"I first made a commitment to sign a long term lease on our initial Broadway building on the outskirts of Manchester, then I made an even bigger commitment to build our current multi-million-pound headquarters at Agecroft. It's all about staying one step ahead of the game.

"The business continues to diversify and we sell all manner of communication and technology solutions from a simple cable clip through to a complete unified communications system, connectivity and end points. The new warehouse expansion is a sign of our continued progression."

In a move to bolster its play in the high growth flash storage market industry giant Hewlett Packard Enterprise is to acquire Nimble Storage, the provider of predictive all-flash and hybrid-flash storage solutions.

HPE will pay $12.50 per share in cash, representing a net cash purchase price at closing of $1bn. In addition to the purchase price, HPE will assume or pay out Nimble's unvested equity awards, with a value of approximately $200m at closing.

The overall flash market was estimated to be approximately $15bn in 2016 and is expected to be nearly $20bn by 2020, with the all-flash segment growing at a nearly 17% compound annual growth rate.

Nimble's predictive flash offerings for the entry to midrange segments are complementary to HPE's scalable midrange to high-end 3PAR solutions and MSA products. This deal will enable HPE to deliver a full range of flash storage solutions for customers across every segment.

HPE ALSO plans to incorporate Nimble's InfoSight Predictive Analytics platform across its storage portfolio.

"Nimble Storage's portfolio complements and strengthens our current 3PAR products in the high-growth flash storage market and will help us deliver on our vision of making Hybrid IT simple for our customers," said Meg Whitman, President and CEO, Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

"And, this acquisition is exactly aligned with the strategy and capital allocation approach we've laid out. We remain focused on high-growth and higher-margin segments of the market."

Nimble was founded in 2007 and has approximately 1,300 employees worldwide.

The company delivered revenue of $402M in its most recent fiscal year, up 25% year over year.

Suresh Vasudevan, CEO at Nimble Storage, added: "We're confident that by combining Nimble Storage's technology with HPE's global distribution strength, strong brand, and enterprise relationships, we're creating expansion opportunities for the combined company."

The deal is expected to be accretive to HPE earnings in the first full fiscal year following the close.

Mitel has authorised a share buyback programme under which the Canadian vendor may purchase up to 7,816,574 common shares representing approximately 10% of its public float.

As of February 28, 2017, Mitel had 122,036,009 issued and outstanding Common Shares, including a public float of 78,165,743 Common Shares. During the previous 12 months, Mitel has not purchased any of its Common Shares.

"Mitel is committed to delivering shareholder value," said Richard McBee, Chief Executive Officer. "This share buyback programme provides us with another lever to realise and maximise that value."

Mitel believes that having the ability to acquire Common Shares under the Normal Course Issuer Bid will present an attractive opportunity to utilise Mitel's available funds.

The Normal Course Issuer Bid is intended to permit the Company to reduce its total number of issued and outstanding Common Shares, thereby benefiting all shareholders by increasing their relative equity interests in Mitel.

The Bid will commence on March 9th 2017 and will terminate no later than March 8th 2018.

Subject to certain exceptions for block purchases, the maximum number of shares which can be purchased per day on the NASDAQ will be 25% of the average daily trading volume for the four calendar weeks preceding the date of purchase.

Researchers Gartner and IDC both forecast rapidly rising public cloud spending, hitting $203bn by 2020 as global IT outlay tops $2.65tn in the same year.

IDC's Worldwide Semiannual Public Cloud Services Spending Guide says large enterprises (with more than 1,000 employees) will comprise half of all public cloud spending in 2017 as the segment vastly outperforms other parts of the industry.

"In 2017, discrete manufacturing, professional services, and banking will lead the pack in global spending on public cloud services as they look for greater scalability, higher performance, and faster access to new technologies," says Eileen Smith, program director, Customer Insights and Analysis.

"Combined, these three industries will account for one third of worldwide public cloud services spending, or $41.2bn."

While SaaS will continue to dominate, its share of the market will decline as spending on Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) will grow at 30% and 32% respectively.

"While purchase priorities vary somewhat depending on company size, the leading product categories include CRM and enterprise resource management applications in addition to server and storage hardware," says IDC.

The cloud will become more distributed (through Internet of Things, edge services and multi-cloud services), more trusted, more intelligent, more industry and workload specialised, and more channel mediated, it says.

As the cloud evolves, these important new capabilities - what IDC calls Cloud 2.0 - the use cases for the cloud will 'dramatically' expand.