Unified Communications

Services May Unlock Unified Comm's Potential (0) May 17, 2012 Unified 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, 2012 The 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, 2012 ShoreTel 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, 2012 Nokia 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, 2012 Cisco 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, 2012 ShoreTel 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, 2012 ePlus 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, 2012 Cisco'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, 2012 A 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, 2012 Jenne 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, 2012 Unified 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, 2012 Dell 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, 2012 Polycom 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, 2012 Video 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, 2012 Hosted 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, 2012 In 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, 2012 Last 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, 2012 While 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, 2012 ShoreTel’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, 2012 The 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, 2012 A 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, 2012 Avaya 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, 2012 Polycom 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, 2012 ShoreTel 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, 2012 Microsoft’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, 2012 Channelnomics 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, 2011 Avaya 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, 2011 Weather 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, 2011 Alternative 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, 2011 Avaya 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 (2) October 31, 2011 Avaya 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, 2011 Cisco 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, 2011 With 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, 2011 LifeSize, 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, 2011 Audio/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, 2011 Microsoft 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, 2011 Hewlett-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, 2011 The 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, 2011 Vu 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, 2011 Microsoft 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, 2011 While 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, 2011 Technologies 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, 2011 IT 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, 2011 The 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, 2011 Another 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, 2011 A 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, 2010 Siemens 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 to the technology, but to the processes that make the technology beneficial.
Checking Out Converging Channels in Washington (0) September 21, 2010 While 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. And by other side I mean the telephony and communications side of the channel.