Nimans
joins
forces with
Zen Internet |
NIMANS
has plugged a gap in its network services portfolio
following an agreement with Zen Internet. The deal gives
Nimans' resellers access to broadband, leased lines,
IP VPN, online data backup, managed network security,
hosting and data centre services. Mark Curtis-Wood,
Head of Networks at Nimans, said: "We had high
and low end market propositions but nothing in the middle
until now." Online data backup is a new proposition
for the distributor. "This allows resellers to
buy an allocation of capacity on Zen's UK-based Storage
Area Network (SAN), and use the Zen management console
to sell data backup services to individual customers,
maximising revenue," added Curtis-Wood. Deborah
Wrigley, Channel Sales Manager, Zen Internet, noted:
"It's a partnership which brings benefits to all
parties."
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ICON
takes
TalkSwitch on
Irish venture
|
|
ICON’s relationship with TalkSwitch has entered
a new phase with the distributor being awarded sole
rights for distribution of TalkSwitch in Ireland. ICON
took over the UK distribution of TalkSwitch in 2009
and has built up a strong presence in the channel driving
significant growth in sales. Mark Shane, Sales Manager
at ICON, said: “This is a win-win for TalkSwitch,
ICON and channel partners in Ireland. Our goal is to
further build the market for the TalkSwitch solution
and grow sales for everyone. We will also be looking
to recruit new channel partners. This will not be a
remote and hands-off support exercise. ICON’s network
of regional account managers already provide on-the-ground
support for a number of ICON partners in Ireland.”
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to top
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O-bit
Telecom
revamps support
infrastructure
|
A
STEEP climb in the number of customer contacts received
by O-bit Telecom has prompted the company to restructure
its support team and introduce a new Customer Service
Agreement. On average O-bit's support team now receives
5,000 emails per month and 2,500 phone calls, spurred
in part by a 400% rise in broadband orders on the back
new product launches in May. Kate Hayes, Customer Support
Manager, said: "Support is the backbone to any organisation.
We have decided to restructure, nominating dedicated repair
and provisioning agents for greater efficiency."
Read
more |
Back
to top |
|
Vodafone
UK
rolls out new
partner program
|
|
VODAFONE
UK has launched its new Vodafone Partner Programme (VPP).
The programme will be managed through Vodafone Partner
Services in Didsbury, the former Yes Telecom, with staff
in several other locations supporting the programme.
Channel partners will be placed in one of three tiers
Platinum, Gold or Silver according to their performance.
The tiers are based on value, volume and levels of capability
within that business. Peter Kelly, Enterprise Director,
Vodafone UK, said: "As we move from an era of mobile
connectivity to selling UC services, it is crucial that
our channel partners have the right training, skills
and capabilities to sell solutions such as One Net to
grow their businesses."
Read
more | Back
to top
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TDAzlan
hires
Bunting to push
Avaya business
|
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DISTRIBUTOR
TDAzlan has hired industry veteran Graham Bunting to
head up its Avaya business unit. Bunting joined TDAzlan
in August and has been charged with raising the profile
of the IT giant. In the same month, TDAzlan, which was
already an incumbent Nortel distributor, announced an
extended contract to distribute the full range of Avaya
unified communications and collaboration solutions.
Read
more | Back
to top
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Got
a comment on this issue of Comms Dealer Weekly,
send your feedback to
Your
Say
|
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AVAYA
ADDS FUN AND FLARE TO
AURA UNIFIED COMMS PLATFORM
|
 AVAYA
has spruced up its Aura unified communications platform
with a new look and feel designed to simplify business
collaboration and differentiate it in the channel. Speaking
at the launch of the Flare User Experience, Avaya’s
CEO and President Kevin Kennedy said that it was designed
to make enterprise communications ‘fun’. Flare
has a media rich front end that supports drag and drop
voice or videoconferencing, an integrated web browser
and can handle multiple calls and conferences simultaneously.
It boasts the full range of UC applications including
email, messaging, presence as well as social media feeds.
 Senior
VP for Global Communications Solutions, Dr Alan Baratz,
explained that although Aura-based installations have
had video capability for some time, what it hadn’t
had until now was the endpoints. Baratz claims that the
Aura back end makes videoconferencing feasible for desktop
use, because Avaya’s HD video streams require half
the bandwidth of competing codecs. “We’re taking
video out of the conferencing room environment down to
the desktop,” he said.
Avaya’s
EMEA Director of Products and Solutions Marketing, Nigel
Moulton, told Comms Dealer that one of the biggest advantages
of Flare is the ease with which applications can be added.
“Any partner or customer of ours who wishes to develop
a bespoke application for their environment can use the
API that we publish,” Moulton explained. “Users
may already be developing on Android, meaning that learning
the API from Avaya isn’t difficult for them. If they
have a specific billing application that’s been embedded
in the business for some time, for example, the API will
allow them to develop that code.” Read
more |
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AXIS
TO TAKE ON 500 AGENTS
|
HULL-based
Axis Telecom is planning a national recruitment drive
in an attempt to take on 500 sales agency partners over
the next five years. The channel building campaign kicks
off next month with a series of national roadshows designed
to give resellers a close range view of the firm’s
partner proposition. Committed isn’t a big enough
word to describe the determination and verve behind Axis
Telecom’s big recruitment campaign, and the man behind
its channel strategy, company founder and Managing Director
David Meyers, is chomping at the bit as he prepares to
give roadshow delegates the inside story on Axis Telecom’s
reseller proposition.
“We
are looking for agents that want to sell a competitive
fixed line, broadband and mobile service to their end
users,” commented Meyers. “We offer competitive
pricing on line rental and voice minutes, giving dealers
attractive upfront commissions and long-term residual
income.”
Axis
Telecom’s core services are fixed line, broadband
and mobile service provision, working with tier 1 carriers
and using Next Generation Networks to provide high quality
voice and broadband speeds. All customers are billed by
the company, with partners acting as sales agents. And
the firm’s pricing structure is certain to stir up
fierce competition with big line rental discounts and
a price beat policy. For five year contracts the company
offers all sales agency partners the ability to provide
new line installations free of charge. Read
more | Back
to top
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BOOST FOR DIMENSION DATA
|
 |
IT
SOLUTIONS and services company Dimension Data Holdings
has acquired mvision, a UK videoconference integrator,
network and managed video services provider, for an undisclosed
sum. The acquisition advances Dimension Data's strategy
to accelerate time to market in managed video, and increase
penetration in the hosted UC solutions and new generation
video space. The combined team of skilled and experienced
employees of mvision and Dimension Data lays down the
foundation for the Group to globalise its Managed Video
Services, said the firm. Mvision supplies, installs, maintains
and manages video conference and TelePresence endpoints
- and where required - also connects the endpoints to
their dedicated managed video network.
Ton
van Horssen, MD of Dimension Data in the UK, said: "The
acquisition bolsters Dimension Data's ability to deliver
a full suite of visual communications solutions and complements
our existing converged communications proposition in the
UK. The synergies between Dimension Data and mvision are
excellent. Both companies are services-led but believe
in selling a full complement of professional services,
managed services and technology. Our service offerings
are complementary and well aligned, and the two cultures
are highly compatible. In addition, there is little overlap
in our client bases, so the opportunity for growth by
leveraging both companies' client bases is significant."
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AZZURRI
DRIVES FOR INNOVATION
|
 AZZURRI
Communications has combined its software development arm
with its systems integration and consultancy capabilities
under the banner of Azzurri Innovations. The move aims
to plug the gap between mainstream telecom vendor offerings
and the needs of organisations that want to integrate
comms technology to support the specific way they do business.
Rufus Grig, Chief Technology Officer of Azzurri Communications
and Head of Azzurri Innovations, said: “I never cease
to be amazed by just how creative and innovative the organisations
we work with want to be. Azzurri Innovations provides
us with the ability to develop products in-house and enhance
the products we offer from the major vendors. We can now
plug the gaps to allow our customers to be innovative
in the way they operate, so they can offer a more compelling
experience to their own customers.”
Read more | Back
to top
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ELITE
SCORES SOCCER TRIUMPH
|
 IN
A FULL bloodied Lancastrian battle that proved a fitting
finale to one of the best ever soccer Comms Dealer Five-a-Side
football tournaments, Chorley-based Elite Telecom overcame
Shine Telecom on penalties to win the 2010 trophy. But
the real winners were the Sparks Children's Charity who
netted £5,500 from the day's proceeds. The tournament,
held at the Goals soccer centre in Leicester on September
15th was generously sponsored by Daisy, who entered four
teams. For all the results and more pictures see the October
issue of Comms Dealer. Back
to top |
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AUDIO
BRANDING ADDS VALUE
|
 AN
AUDIO branding specialist is offering resellers the opportunity
to increase revenue via a simple referral scheme. The
channel partner programme, run by PH Media Group, encourages
telecom resellers to recommend its services in audio marketing
during the sales process. In return, partners can receive
a tidy sum for every client successfully referred. Mark
Williamson, Sales and Marketing Director at PH Media Group,
said: "Our service relies on telecom systems to function,
so it makes sense for us to work with the industry more
closely. The simplicity of the system, as well as the
incentive of uncapped commission has made the scheme a
success so far."
The
company produces bespoke audio marketing packages, including
on-hold messaging, auto attendant, night service and web
audio. Each message is tailored to the client, its brand
and marketing objectives, with professional copywriters,
voiceover artists and producers making the finished product.
The messages are played through a USB devise in a digital
playback unit fitted to the telephone system. PH Media
provides partners with full marketing support and training
as well as a branded page for partners' websites. Adrian
Browne, Sales Director at Swan Communications, is a proponent
of the scheme. He said: "The programme is simple
and it works. Our customers are impressed with the additional
service we can offer, and the bespoke audio samples are
particularly appealing to our clients." Back
to top |
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TOOL
FOR PARTNER MATCHING
|
 SCANSOURCE
Europe has introduced a platform upon which channel companies
affiliated with the distributor can network and find new
partnering opportunities. The international online networking
community, called SUMO, enables VARs, hardware vendors
and ISVs to extend their reach by finding partners in
other technologies and geographies. Using a Google search
tool, SUMO allows members to find potential partners based
on search criteria, identifying companies with specific
technology or vertical market expertise, for example.
ISVs looking for advice on ways to market their software
solutions can identify potential VAR partners; while hardware
vendors can locate VARs with specific skillsets in a particular
geography to help close deals.
Bobby
McLain, VP of Marketing, ScanSource, noted: “We are
seeing more and more members of our channel explore partnerships
as a means to extend their sales and support reach, and
be competitive in more deals and opportunities. SUMO allows
VARs to explore and broker new relationships that can
enhance their offering, in essence taking the networking
opportunities typically afforded only at conferences and
trade shows and putting it at their fingertips.”
The
networking tool has received a stamp of approval from
Hili Shrem, Director of Business Development at Visual
Retail Plus. “We are looking to grow the number of
resellers offering our POS software, and SUMO has allowed
us to speak to management level representatives of companies
that we not would have otherwise learned about,”
he commented.
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to top
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BOOK
YOUR TABLE FOR THE CNA!
|
|
|
| Don't
delay – to secure your table at the comms industry's
best night out email mobrien@bpl-business.com
or call 01895 454 444. The Awards dinner is on October
14th at London’s fantastic Hilton Park Lane. Now
in their ninth year, the CN Awards have been founded on
unparalleled integrity and professionalism using
controlled methods of voting and judging based on genuine
recommendations and true independence. The Awards present
an opportunity for organisations to gain industry prestige
and extensive publicity before and after the awards ceremony,
and represent a great night out for all involved.
www.cnawards.com
| Back
to top |
 |
COMMS
DEALER 1stView, the online pdf version of Comms Dealer
is available exclusively to subscribers the moment it
is published.
More
information |
|
|
PARTNER
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
|
 OPAL,
the Business to Business arm of the Talk Talk Group, is
currently recruiting for a Partner Account Executive (Warrington
– WA3 7BH). This is a fantastic opportunity to join
one of Opal's top performing teams. You will be primarily
responsible for identifying all revenue opportunities
within your account portfolio. Full
job spec here. And to find out more about this exciting
job opportunity email: dfitzpatrick@opal.co.uk |
|
|
