Unified Communications

ShoreTel CEO Blackmore to Resign (0)May 10, 2013The executive rumblings that shook up channel leadership at unified communications stalwart ShoreTel Inc. are apparently reverberating all the way to the corner office as CEO Peter Blackmore announces he'll retire as soon as a successor can be found.
Avaya Smooths Quotes, Orders With One Source (0)May 7, 2013Resellers of Avaya Inc.’s business communications and collaboration wares may finally be getting some relief from navigating thousands of price groups and hundreds of catalogs as the vendor moves to streamline and simplify the ordering process for its channel partners.
Study: Poor User Profiling Threatens UCC Growth (0)April 10, 2013IT decision-makers charging full speed toward UCC with visions of greater organizational efficiency and improved worker productivity are skipping a key step in the process: Most haven’t bothered to ask what their employees need or want.
Study Shows Value of Telecom-IT Partnerships (0)April 5, 2013New research indicates that partnerships between telecom agents and solution providers are growing both in number and in strategic importance as customers look to get all of their communications and technology services from a single, trusted source.
Cisco Hit With $70M Fine for Duping Partner (0)March 25, 2013XpertUniverse claimed it was teased with the prospect of becoming part of Cisco SolutionsPlus, a reseller program designed to augment Cisco's advanced technology products to create complete solutions by placing select products on the Cisco price list and allowing them to be sold by Cisco sales teams and channel partners.
Ingram Micro Debuts Hosted Cisco Collab Wares (0)March 12, 2013The distributor this week rolled out a new Cisco Systems Inc.-powered hosted collaboration offering for partners looking to deliver standardized and easily repeatable cloud-based unified communications services.
Top 10 Sights From Mobile World Congress (0)March 7, 2013More than 72,000 mobile technolphiles from 200 countries packed Spain’s Fira Gran Via last week for GSMA’s Mobile World Congress. If you couldn’t make it to Barcelona for the event, here’s some of what attendees saw and heard at the show.
IT, Telephony Channels Increasingly Clashing (0)March 1, 2013For years, convergence was the watchword for the IT and telephony channels as VARs and telephony agents started coming together to sell complementary carrier and data solutions. In reality, convergence is more a myth; the trend is more of competition as each channel takes on qualities of the other.
Verizon Revs Partner Program in Midmarket Push (0)February 27, 2013Verizon is wringing much of the complexity out of its disparate business channel programs, consolidating partner efforts in an effort to marshal reseller efforts for an all-out assault on the midmarket.
Microsoft, Cisco Still Big Dogs in UC Market (0)February 26, 2013Cisco remained the world's leading telephony vendor for the sixth consecutive quarter in Q4 2012 and was one of only three players – alongside Mitel and ShoreTel – to post revenue growth.
Huawei Invests Globally in Empowering Partners (0)February 20, 2013The Dandelion Empowerment Program is the latest initiative by Huawei to train and mobilize partners in information and communications technologies. The global program is designed to help Huawei reach its goal of becoming a $100 billion vendor.
Cisco UC Offensive Attacks Microsoft Lync (0)February 18, 2013Cisco Systems Inc. launches a full-on assault against Microsoft Corp.'s Lync communication strategy, arguing that a single-vendor multi-device approach is more aligned with future needs than the Windows and PC-centric approach Microsoft has taken with Lync.
GENBAND Streamlines Portfolio for MSPs (0)February 15, 2013Communication and services company GENBAND kicks off its "Making Networks Smarter" program, compartmentalizing its technology portfolios to enable a growing service-provider community with the latest solutions.
Polycom Makes Federal Case With Microsoft Lync (0)February 15, 2013Polycom announces three Microsoft Lync-enabled IP phones available for federal agencies via GSA Schedule. With Polycom's acquisition of Microsoft Gold partner Sentri, is it possible Polycom and Microsoft are building a tighter partnership for the future of Lync?
ADTRAN Nixes Partner Hurdles, Adds Rewards (0)February 11, 2013ADTRAN channel chief Ted Cole offers a deep dive on ADTRAN's partner program amid the company's program changes, which seek to bring more partners into the fold, especially as managed services take off.
Losses Mount, CEO Out at Alcatel-Lucent (0)February 7, 2013Alcatel-Lucent chief executive Ben Verwaayen has stepped down from his post just as the vendor posted a fourth-quarter net loss of almost $1.9 billion.
GFI FaxMaker Online Is Instant Value-add (0)January 31, 2013GFI Software offers FaxMaker Online, a cloud-based solution that integrates with e-mail and allows users to send and receive faxes without a fax machine. With faxes still a key communication method in health care and financial institutions, VARs and managed print providers could add considerable value to UC sets with this simple add-on.
Polycom Picks Sentri for Advanced Collaboration (0)January 31, 2013Polycom picks up Microsoft Gold partner Sentri Inc. in an effort to expand its partner community readiness in deploying complex unified communication and advanced collaborative solutions, which Gartner attests will become a $2 billion industry by 2016.
Cisco: BYOD, Privacy Top Gen Y Issues (0)January 30, 2013Cisco Systems released a series of security reports, indicating new trends around BYOD and privacy for Generation Y workers. When taken with recent product launches, the studies could possibly provide a glimpse into the networking firm's future security investments.
ShoreTel Sky Gets Cloud Dashboard (0)January 24, 2013ShoreTel launches Call Flow editor for its ShoreTel Sky cloud VoIP system, giving IT admins and customers the ability to change many business VoIP settings in real time. But will a focus on advanced management, will ShoreTel expand its cloud VoIP capabilities to include a solution provider model?
Telco Service Providers Face Difficult Future (0)January 23, 2013Ovum has forecast just 2 percent growth per year from 2012 until 2018 for telecoms services providers, as carriers struggle with increased competition and limited customer demand.
CompTIA Names Community Leaders for 2013 (0)January 21, 2013The IT advocacy and training organization unveiled a list of industry luminaries to head up the Downers Grove, Ill., group’s member communities in various disciplines for the coming year.
Cisco Extends Jabber With VDI (0)January 17, 2013Cisco is extending its Jabber enterprise unified communications suite with virtual desktop infrastructure, a move that makes good on some of its video and UC ambitions, while giving partners greater reach into financial, government and other privacy-wary enterprise verticals.
Fortinet Revamps Architecture, Targets Retail (0)January 15, 2013UTM vendor Fortinet is aiming for the retail sector with six new appliances that target distributed enterprises. The move gives partners a market advantage with the ability to deepen compliance niches while catering to the networking needs of retail customers.
Jenne Delivers Avaya Scopia Training to Partners (0)December 28, 2012Jenne Inc, the value-added distributor of unified communications, is continuing its ongoing commitment to partner enablement with a new course on Avaya's latest Scopia technology. In the past, Jenne Inc has been an Avaya-friendly VAD, which makes the introduction of Avaya Scopia training at "Jenne University" a natural fit. Partners working with Jenne will have…
Cisco Setting Up Linksys Unit for Sale (1)December 17, 2012Cisco Systems is reportedly exploring the sale of Linksys, the SMB and consumer networking company it acquired nearly 10 years ago. The potential sale is part of a larger realignment in which Cisco is looking to make a major acquisition to bolster its enterprise fortunes.
Avaya Expands Mobility, Radvision Solution Set (0)December 14, 2012Avaya enhances its mobility and Radvision solutions as it digs deeper into the SME space and competes rivals in the UC and collaboration space. Cloud and mobility have drastically reshaped what is possible in the UC landscape and Avaya is ensuring it can deliver on those innovations.
Unfazed by Critics, UK Firm Inks Huawei Deal (0)December 10, 2012Even as U.S. firms are being cautioned about doing business with Huawei, European solution providers are strengthening their ties to the Chinese telecommunications and networking vendor and expanding profitable partnerships with the firm.
Collaboration Opening New Opportunities (0)December 7, 2012Gartner outlines the key steps organizations should take to enhance collaboration capabilities to expand business agility. But while CIO's scratch their heads on how to get it done, the channel can turn confusion into opportunity.
Avaya Nixes 400 VARs, Seeks Better Resellers (0)December 7, 2012Avaya is planning to add a handful of top enterprise integrators alongside 90 SMB resellers after culling 400 partners from its UK channel roster.
Avaya Virtualizes Aura to Expand UC Capabilities (0)December 5, 2012Avaya's latest efforts to expand upon its UC platform have lead it to virtualize its communication environment. Avaya Aura VE is a VMware ready platform that provides the all the benefits of Avaya's physical Aura platform into an extensible virtualized communication system for the SMB to the enterprise.
Videoconferencing Continues Precipitous Decline (3)December 3, 2012The videoconferencing market felt the pain in 2012's third quarter, as the unyielding economic climate saw businesses shun high-end telepresence systems from Cisco, Polycom and others.
Cisco Pleases Wall Street Amid Internal Transition (0)November 14, 2012Cisco's earnings beat Wall Street amid lowered expectations, but the company still has a long way to go to maintain a profitable leadership position in the industry. Cisco's earnings show a company still undergoing internal changes.
Cisco Morphs TelePresence into a Cloud Service (0)November 6, 2012Cisco is accelerating channel enablement plans to push is avant garde TelePresence high-definition video collaboration platform a cloud-based service, freeing customers from deploying expensive infrastructure. It’s a good idea, but the bigger question is whether it will be enough to stave off low-cost rivals already in market?
Sharp, Panasonic Lead Japan’s Troubled Techs (0)November 5, 2012A combination of stiff global competition, a difficult currency exchange rate and a perceived lack of innovation has some of the channel’s best-known Japan-based vendor partners on the ropes – and at least one of them may not make it to see 2013 through.
Post-Sandy Dispatch From Long Island (1)October 31, 20122112 Headquarters was disabled by Hurricane Sandy. Fortunately, our team across the region made it through the storm and is back in operations. We have a few observations from the front lines of the biggest disaster to befall the Northeast in a generation.
Microsoft Beefs Up Yammer Integrations (1)October 30, 2012Microsoft is expanding capabilities with new collaboration and security integrations for its enterprise social networking tool Yammer. If anything, the integrations suggest Microsoft is dead serious about leveraging its ESN presence -- and the channel should be, too.
Ingram Micro Names Top Vendor Partners (0)October 23, 2012Ingram Micro Inc. recently gave props to the vendors who supply the gear and the tools that make IT services happen.
Waning Low-Hanging Fruit Driving Vendor Feuds (0)October 17, 2012Chatter about increasing tensions between Cisco, VMware and EMC are only scratching the surface of what’s really fueling these vendor spats from competitive skirmishes to full-blown wars. They’re a reflection of the low-hanging fruit going away and the need to capture more wallet share with fewer products.
Channel Warms to Maturing Video-as-a-Service (0)October 15, 2012Video collaboration technology is becoming more interoperable in the cloud. With it, the channel has an ideal opportunity to capitalize on both the tech convergence and the coming wave of demand.
Avaya’s Scopia Specialization Targets Polycom (0)October 12, 2012Avaya rolls out its Radvision Scopia video solution certification for all Avaya Connect channel partners. With more partners gearing up to deliver video solutions, Avaya is positioning itself against rivals like Polycom, which have been dominating the video-conferencing space.
Polycom CloudAXIS Is Video-Conferencing Ally (0)October 8, 2012Polycom launches CloudAXIS, a unique video-collaboration-as-a-service technology that delivers interoperable HD conferencing to the Polycom RealPresence platform by leveraging Skype, Google Talk and Facebook clients as the on-ramp to Polycom's browser-based collaboration portal.
U.S. Resellers Wary of Huawei’s Risk (1)October 8, 2012CBS news magazine 60 Minutes detailed U.S. government allegations that China-based Huawei is a security and economic threat. A Channelnomics spot survey finds the vast majority of solution providers are wary of companies labeled threats, and are unlikely to work with them and their distribution partners.
U.S. Reps Call Huawei a National Security Threat (0)October 7, 2012Members of the House Intelligence Committee urge U.S. companies to avoid doing business with Huawei, saying the Chinese telco vendor poses a threat of espionage and IP theft.
Cisco Ups CEO Drama With Exec Promotions (0)October 4, 2012The volume on speculation about a replacement for long-time Cisco CEO John Chambers inched up a bit late Thursday with the promotion of two key executives assumed to be on the short list of contenders for the corner office.
Polycom Eyes Future With Royalty-Free H.264 (0)October 4, 2012Polycom sets the stage for more ubiquitous video conferencing, thanks to their new open-standards royalty-free version of the H.264 scalable video codec. Polycom's latest partnerships and future ambitions frame an interesting picture for the future of video conferencing and Polycom's partners, alike.
Huawei Wants to Blind Cisco TelePresence (0)September 25, 2012Huawei Technologies is expanding beyond its telecom switch core products to include video conferencing and high-definition telepresence as part of its strategy to become a $100 billion company by 2021. Standing in its way is Cisco, and it plans to take on the telepresence market leader.
Skype-Lync Integration Headed for Windows 8 (0)September 24, 2012Microsoft expands its UC prowess by enhancing the existing Lync platform, custom-tailoring it for the Windows 8 tablet experience and providing direct connectivity to the Skype platform, allowing a platform-agnostic communication solution geared for both the desktop and the mobile workplace. Partners keen on advancing UC and mobility may want to keep an eye on…
Westcon Group Readies Lync, HP Security Suite (0)September 19, 2012The Westcon Group adds Microsoft Lync and HP's Tipping Point and Fortify technologies to its solution provider offerings, enabling partners to capture the burgeoning market of unified communications and enterprise security.
Podcast: GTDC’s Curran on State of Distribution (0)September 11, 2012GTDC's Tim Curran sits down with Channelnomics to discuss IT distribution hot topics on the eve of the organization's annual vendor summit.
Axway Secures Collaboration in E-mail Gateway (0)September 6, 2012Axway has launched a new e-mail security gateway that leverages security risks around cloud collaboration services by encrypting and securing cloud file-sharing. That's good news for partners: It plays up an ROI that prevents hefty fines and the loss of customer brand associated with the strong likelihood of a data breach.
Polycom and IBM Refine Video-as-a-Service (0)September 5, 2012Polycom and IBM team up to develop VaaS technology for Polycom's RealPresence platform. The duo hopes to build out a new standard in interoperable video conferencing, allowing disparate devices to easily connect while giving solution providers an on-ramp to deliver video conferencing technology in cloud packages.
Polycom Unifies Public Sector Priorities (0)August 29, 2012Polycom reorganizes all its public sector divisions under a single "Public Sector" entity, which will focus squarely on improving the delivery of public sector communication needs. With Polycom recently consolidating its partner program, its efforts to improve vertical focus will likely make their way into the channel.
Cisco Beats the Street, but Sales Stagnate (0)August 15, 2012Networking giant Cisco Systems beat out Wall Street's expectations with soaring profits but relatively flat revenues, indicating that the San Jose-based company might have to step up its game to go toe-to-toe with VMware, Oracle and others nipping at its heels in the emerging software-defined networking space.
Avaya Ramps BYOD in Aura, Flare Collab Tools (1)August 7, 2012Updates bring some new conferencing and unified communications capabilities along with client availability for iPad and Windows devices.
Sprint’s Office 365 Offering Could Feature UC (0)August 2, 2012Sprint joins Dell in offering Microsoft's new Office 365. With Sprint potentially mixing unified communications with its delivery, solution providers everywhere should gear up for a hotbed of Office 365 competition.
Five Ways to NOT Be Like the Postal Service (0)August 1, 2012In some ways, the post office is the original channel partner. Here's a look at the lessons solution providers can take away from the storied service's looming demise.
Will Alcatel-Lucent Cuts End Cisco Challenge? (0)July 27, 2012In addition to creating more channel setbacks, Alcatel-Lucent's massive 5,000-job layoff throws a huge wrench in the networking and telecom equipment manufacturer's plans to compete with industry giant Cisco.
Dell Targets SMB With MS Office 365 Solution (1)July 26, 2012Dell is aiming at the SMB with the Microsoft Office 365 with Dell, a cloud-based collaboration service that expands partner reach and provides a stronger foothold in the lower markets with a slew of related services.
Quest Launches SharePoint Enabler (0)July 25, 2012Quest Software launched a tool designed to ease the experience for SharePoint users. If anything, the tool will help drive adoption, which could translate into increases in training, security, compliance and other services around the platform for the channel .
Unified Communications is Mobility Glue (0)July 24, 2012As mobile device management and BYOD steal the spotlight, there's one important factor that will truly make a mobile workforce more productive: unified communications. Without the UC 'glue' to keep it all together, mobility will never reach its true potential.
Avaya IP Office 8.1 Brings SME Focus (0)July 17, 2012Avaya debuts IP Office 8.1, with a focus on the SME community. Avaya has also sought to capitalize on the BYOD trend by expanding its mobile UC offerings to the SME space.
HP and Microsoft Lync-up For UC Partners (0)July 13, 2012HP and Microsoft team up, giving the SMB channel community pre-vetted UC packages to deploy and sell in an effort to capitalize on the growing momentum and revenue coming from the UC space. UC may become the next big channel trend, especially as hosted UC options grow.
Polycom Consolidates Partner Network (0)July 11, 2012Polycom reworks its partner program and consolidates all partners into seven specific partner designations. Polycom believes this will streamline intra-partner collaboration, spurring new app development and solution portfolios and fulfilling the "video everywhere" ideology.
Ingram Micro Buys BrightPoint for Mobile Push (0)July 2, 2012Ingram Micro is ramping up its mobile business efforts with the $650 million purchase of BrightPoint, a leader in mobile device distribution. The deal will expand Ingram’s already growing capabilities in supporting the distribution of smartphones, tablets and handheld computers through the channel.
Cisco and Citrix Cozy Up With Partner Accelerator (0)June 25, 2012Cisco and Citrix team up to deliver Partner Accelerator, a new joint partner program designed to deliver end-to-end infrastructure solutions with Cisco VXI and Citrix Xen Desktop.
Logitech’s Sorrentino Signals Peripheral Plan (1)June 22, 2012Logitech appoints Joseph Sorrentino as the director of sales and marketing for the Americas. WIll Sorrentino's new role simultaneously propel Logitech's vendor-agnostic peripheral agenda while working towards reshaping Logitech's 2013 fiscal goals?
ShoreTel’s Mobile UC Drives UC Cloud Trend (0)June 20, 2012ShoreTel introduces the ShoreTel Mobility application, designed to link smartphone users with ShoreTel's M5 cloud-based UC solution. ShoreTel's moves are indicative of a fast-paced trend that's brining hosted UC services and solutions to the channel.
HP Release Boosts SMB Mobile Infrastructure (0)June 20, 2012A comprehensive HP release – dubbed HP Converged Infrastructure – aims to launch SMBs into an increasingly mobile world with a slew of dedicated solutions, services, financing and training programs, while placing channel partners firmly at the helm of the effort.
Cisco Launches WebEx Social (1)June 19, 2012Cisco extended social collaboration with WebEx Social and a corresponding cloud client, a move that could fill in a valuable mobility piece for partners and create inroads in the SMB and lower markets.
Mitel Expands Developer Partner Program (0)June 8, 2012Unified communications firm Mitel is launching enhancements to its global developer partner program and expanding its SIP Center of Excellence – changes that continue a pattern of channel expansion and likely reflect a growing need for unified communications in the market.
Avaya Completes Radvision Acquisition (0)June 7, 2012Avaya completed the acquisition of video-conferencing solutions firm Radvision, which will allow partners to break down barriers in lower market segments that are reluctant to invest in dedicated video-conferencing and UC tools.
Sonus Rings Up Partners For UC (0)June 6, 2012Sonus Networks launches the Sonus Partner Assure channel program, focusing heavily on helping partners bring UC SIP technology to the enterprise.
Motorola Unites ISVs, Expands PartnerEmpower (0)June 4, 2012Motorola unites its partner program, bringing PartnerSelect ISVs into its PartnerEmpower program, and allowing PartnerEmpower resellers to access new wireless solution specializations . Can Motorola partners work together to deliver end-to-end solutions?
Facebook Outage Opens Doors For Private Tools (0)June 1, 2012An outage that took down Facebook for more than two hours Thursday could undermine confidence in public networks, potentially opening a door for partners to introduce a host of alternative communications tools to their customers.
Huawei Aims for Total Channel Sales (1)May 30, 2012The Chinese IT hardware vendor is a relative neophyte in the channel. That’s going to change quickly, as the company aims to go 100 percent channel sales within the next three to five years.
‘See Ya’ CIUS; Cisco Discontinues Its Tablet (0)May 25, 2012Under pressure from competing consumer products, Cisco has decided to cease development of CIUS, a hybrid tablet that also acted as a multipurpose communications device. Cisco will place greater emphasis on open communication systems as part of a decision speaks volumes about the impact of BYOD.
Services May Unlock Unified Comm’s Potential (0)May 17, 2012Unified communications – the integration of various forms of digital messaging in a single platform – remains of high interest among businesses, but adoption is still relatively low. A new CompTIA study finds the attachment of cloud and managed services may open the door for greater unified communications adoption.
Vu, Vidtel Break through Video Garden Walls (2)May 9, 2012The partnership between Vu TelePresence and Vidtel will enable users of the video conference technology to collaborate and communicate with non-Vu and competitive platform users, effectively breaking through the garden walls that limit many telepresence solutions.
ShoreTel Unloads Collaboration Cornucopia (0)May 9, 2012ShoreTel unleashes the SA-400 with ShoreTel UC platform 12.3, in addition to the cloud-based UC management M5 Portal, plus a new remote monitoring system to ensure the stability of ShoreTel IP PBX systems.
Skype Stunting Microsoft, Nokia Turnaround (7)May 7, 2012Nokia is blaming Microsoft’s ownership of Skype as the reason many carriers don’t want to carry the new Lumia smartphone powered by Windows Phone 7. There’s some truth to this excuse, but it’s more a reflection of what’s happening across the technology landscape in terms of allies becoming frienemies and competitors.
The Fuzzy Future of Telepresence (7)May 5, 2012Cisco pioneered the concept of the virtual conference room with telepresence. Rivals including Polycom and Hewlett-Packard have followed suit. They are magnificent systems that few can afford, and that’s the problem argues one pundit. Is this a harbinger for video conferencing?
ShoreTel Reorganizes Channel Leadership (0)May 2, 2012ShoreTel reorganizes its channel leadership as it looks to broaden its UC reach across the globe and accelerate the move to the cloud.
ePlus Expands into Video Managed Services (0)April 27, 2012ePlus Technology, an integration and services company, is expanding its portfolio to include video managed services for collaboration and conferencing. It’s a good example of a solution provider filling the skills gaps in the marketplace.
Why Jabber Is All About Mobile Enterprise (0)April 27, 2012Cisco's ambitions with Jabber may be to build a de-facto UC platform for the upcoming wave of mobile devices in the enterprise.
Consumerization Driving Unified Communications (0)April 26, 2012A new report by IDG Enterprise finds the number of consumer devices flooding workplaces is driving the majority of unified communications and collaboration adoption. The good news for the channel: A best-of-breed approach is preferred, and there is no clear market leader, making unified communications an open-field opportunity.
First Jenne Summit Shows UC Strength (1)April 24, 2012Jenne Inc hosts its inaugural "Powering Partners Summit," bringing partner training, education and interaction to the UC partner community.
Unified Communications: An Integrator’s Dream (0)April 17, 2012Unified communications suffers from a singular problem: There’s no one product that encompasses the full communications spectrum. That one issue is holding back progress in the unified communication channel. The reality is unified communications can be anything we want it to be. Here’s why.
Dell Buying Thin-Client Vendor Wyse Technology (0)April 2, 2012Dell will announce later this morning its intent to buy Wyse Technology, a leader in thin-client software and hardware solutions. The deal is another in a string of strategic acquisitions transforming Dell into an enterprise portfolio IT supplier.
Polycom Sees Video Chance in Network Refresh (0)March 26, 2012Polycom sees an opportunity to drive broader video-conferencing adoption by teaming up with Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft, and driving sales as businesses refresh the networking infrastructure. In this case, high-capacity switches could drag video adoption.
Telepresence an Immediate $22B Opportunity (0)March 26, 2012Video conferencing and telepresence equipment sales continue to accelerate with cumulative sales over the next five years, climbing to $22 billion. Expectations are increasing demand, and simplified systems will create a surge in channel sales.
M5 Adds Biz Intelligence to Hosted VoIP (0)March 16, 2012Hosted unified communications provider M5 Networks is partnering with InsightSquared to deliver a new SMB-focused analytics solution aimed at making it easier for partners to manage and utilize data. It’s another notch in a growing solutions and partner portfolio for M5.
Siemens Offers OpenScape UC as a Service (0)March 9, 2012In a deal with Ingram Micro Services, Siemens Communications will start offering its OpenScape unified communications platform as a service to be resold through the channel. The service offering aims to tap into the growing demand for hosted VoIP, communications and collaboration services.
Logitech Peripheral Strategy Paying Off (0)February 8, 2012Last year, Logitech – best known for keyboards and mice sold through retailers – embarked on a strategy of being the agnostic peripheral supplier for video and unified communications. The strategy appears to be paying off as the vendor is attracting scores of partners to its nascent channel program.
January Channel Sales Explode (0)February 2, 2012While hard to quantify, reports are streaming into Channelnomics from solution providers experiencing unusually high sales and request for quotes in what’s normally a low period of the year. The sudden surge is a good omen for 2012.
ShoreTel Expands Hosted UC with M5 Deal (1)February 2, 2012ShoreTel’s acquisition of hosted UC solution provider M5 gives partners a new choice between on-premise or cloud-based solutions. And its expansion to the cloud continues a growth streak that's turning heads in a red-hot hosted VoIP market.
LifeSize Introduces Flexible Video Conferencing (0)January 31, 2012The new video conferencing package provides end users with the ability to buy hardware or software solutions that contain all the applications they need without use or capacity preconditions. LifeSize believes the flexibility and cost containment will differentiate it from other video conferencing vendors.
Continuant Scores Win in Avaya Antitrust Lawsuit (0)January 31, 2012A New Jersey federal court has dismissed motions by Avaya that would end the lawsuit brought by independent service provider Continuant. The case will go to trial, and the outcome could change the way vendors and customers work with “authorized” partners.
Avaya Extends Collaboration to iPad (0)January 30, 2012Avaya moves its mobility strategy forward with the availability of Flare Communicator for the iPad, and reveals plans to expand to other consumer devices and operating systems later this year. Avaya isn’t the only collaboration vendor embracing tablets.
Polycom, IBM Partner on Video Conferencing (0)January 20, 2012Polycom this week placed its competitive feet to the fire with a Big Blue partnership and a host of new "video everywhere" solutions. IDC expects major growth in the videoconferencing market over the next five years, bolstered by unified communications, collaboration applications, telepresence systems, and desktop and mobile devices supporting video.
ShoreTel Shores Up Channel Program, Resources (0)January 19, 2012ShoreTel enhances its certification and partner dashboard with automated resources and business intelligence dashboards. The combination gives partners greater clarity on their standing with ShoreTel, relative performance with customers and direction on operational improvements.
BT, Microsoft Launch Hosted Lync Pilot (0)January 9, 2012Microsoft’s partnership with British Telecom to offer Lync Voice to BT’s U.S. customers as a hosted cloud service is being view by industry watchers as yet another sign that unified communications, and managed cloud services, are attracting the attention of small to mid-sized businesses.
Channelnomics 2011 Influencers Awards: Part 2 (9)January 4, 2012Channelnomics continues conferring its inaugural 2011 Influencers of the Year awards by unveiling winners in four categories: Distribution, Europe, Voice/Data Networking and Channel Business.
Video Conferencing Wave Beginning to Crest (3)December 14, 2011Avaya is reportedly eyeing Israel-based Radvision, giving it greater capability to compete against Cisco, Polycom and a host of others in the rapidly expanding video conferencing segment. The promise of ubiquitous video conferencing may have finally arrived.
Intermedia Milestone Reflects Cloud Migration (0)December 9, 2011Weather service Earth Networks opened the 400,000th email account through Intermedia, the world’s largest Microsoft Exchange hosting provider. The continued growth of this partner- and cloud-enabler reflects the continued migration from on-premise to cloud email, as well as the value of add-on services.
An End to Email as We Know It (1)December 1, 2011Alternative tools such as social media, instant messaging and Web collaboration are putting pressure on email. The day may come when business email is a thing of the past. One big tech company has already implemented a "zero email" policy.
Avaya Moves to Performance-Based Channel (0)November 11, 2011Avaya unveiled changes to its channel program designed to reward partners who achieve superior customer satisfaction and business performance. At the same time, Avaya is looking to recruit more partners as it looks to expand its value-based sales model. In short, Avaya is getting aggressive.
Avaya Refocuses on Collaboration Value (3)October 31, 2011Avaya is shifting its attention to more than just talking about communications and collaboration; it’s staking its value proposition on the quality of service that enables connectivity for advanced collaboration applications. In fact, Avaya wants to be known as a “collaboration” company.
Cisco Expands TelePresence to SMBs (1)October 26, 2011Cisco is gearing up to make its TelePresence video conferencing service available to SMBs through partners and expand access to video conferencing beyond the TelePresence network. Cisco's positioning in the TelePresence expansion is a market-leading change – and it’s actually part of a broad industry effort to increase video-conferencing adoption.
Microsoft Clears EU Hurdle in Skype Deal (0)October 10, 2011With European regulators essentially paving the way for Microsoft to close on its $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype, the new era of Microsoft communications may finally begin. Skype is a significant addition to the Microsoft portfolio – and one that could ultimately benefit solution providers.
LifeSize Launches Cloud Video Conferencing (4)July 20, 2011LifeSize, a division of Logitech, is acquiring new assets and launching cloud-based infrastructure to expand the availability and make high-definition video conferencing more affordable. But will help make video conferencing more relevant to businesses?
Channel Convergence is Real (0)July 18, 2011Audio/visual and telephony channel conferences are attracting thousands of solution providers and IT vendors who see the potential of converged IT departments that handle everything from data networking to digital display. The IT channel needs to recognize that convergence of all things IP-based is real.
8 Things to Watch for at Microsoft WPC (0)July 11, 2011Microsoft opens its annual Worldwide Partner Conference in Los Angeles, where as many as 15,000 solution providers will gather to hear about products and strategy. Channelnomics is monitoring the confab and has eight things it’s looking forward to hearing about.
Challenges Ahead for iPad Rivals (1)June 30, 2011Hewlett-Packard debuts its first tablet, the TouchPad, tomorrow and Cisco is releasing its improved Cius business tablet at the end of July. Both vendors have high hopes their product will rival the Apple iPad, but it’s a tall order to dethrone the market leader. Does either of these tablets stand a chance?
Logitech Morphs from Keyboards to UComm (0)June 27, 2011The peripherals vendor is trying to change the way the world views it as a supplier of keyboards and web camera to a platform and enabler of unified communications. Its and partnership with Jabra is just the first step. Will the channel be able to see beyond the wireless mouse?
Video Conferencing Finally Gets Hot (2)June 9, 2011Vu Telepresence claims taking a chunk of the U.S. video conferencing market. This, plus moves by Polycom and Microsoft and the potential of a new upstart, could signal that video has finally arrived in the channel.
Microsoft, Partners will Win with Skype (0)May 11, 2011Microsoft is shelling out $8.5 billion to acquire online communications company Skype and its global community of 650 million users. There are many reasons for this expensive acquisition, but stickiness with customers for all of Microsoft’s products is the ultimate justification. And that will eventually help Microsoft partners.
7 Top Services Delivered Via Network Connections (1)April 1, 2011While many MSPs strive to be all things IT to their clients, the reality is that customers’ comfort level with handing the IT reins to an outsider can vary from task to task and business to business. So what managed services are getting the most attention? Here are 7 top services delivered over the network.
Standardized IT Services: As IBM Goes, So Goes the World (0)March 24, 2011Technologies such as virtualization and cloud computing are making standardized platforms acceptable... even preferable. Enter IBM with new, pre-engineered delivery of like servers, storage, service-desk assets and more as a way to speed deployment and lower cost. Are you ready for this shift?
Conflicting Channel Structures, Capabilities Hinder IT and Telephony Convergence (0)March 16, 2011IT solution providers are increasingly offering voice services to customers. Telephony agents are also offering IT services with increasing regularity. But partnering with carriers isn’t as easy as with IT vendors, and that could hinder true convergence of these two channels.
Report: Managed Telecom a $237B Opportunity (3)March 11, 2011The recession permanently changed the way enterprises view managed telecom and IT services. A new report predicts spending on converged managed services will surge over the next five years as businesses look to shed costs by contracting support.
Intermedia Combines PBX with Hosted Email (1)February 24, 2011Another sign the IT and telephony channels are converging came with Intermedia’s announcement that it’s offering hosted PBX services integrated with hosted Microsoft Exchange for solution providers to deliver as a white-labeled cloud service.
Cisco Withdraws from Hosted Email Market (5)February 23, 2011A little more than a year after launching Cisco Mail via the Webex platform, Cisco Systems is discontinuing the hosted service citing customer demand for new, advanced collaborative tools. Between the lines, there is much more at play.
Services Opportunities Hidden in Unified Comm (1)December 1, 2010Siemens Enterprise Communications is continuing to press into the North American market with a new product suite designed to make the migration easier and cost-efficient for businesses. The package – OpenScape UC Suite 2011 – is chock full of features and functions to enable multi-channel communications and collaboration. Surprisingly, the professional services opportunity isn’t limited…
Checking Out Converging Channels in Washington (0)September 21, 2010While the rest of the world is lulled into an Indian summer slumber at Oracle World, I’m heading to Washington for the Channel Partners Conference, a production of Phone+ Magazine and Virgo Publishing. This is my first time at the three-day summit, so I’m very curious about how the other side of the channel lives.…