INDUSTRY NEWS
Outsourcery moves into mobile with O2
OUTSOURCERY and O2 have formed a new strategic relation- ship that sees the Cloud Service Provider sign up to become an O2 JUC Channel Partner, allow- ing Outsourcery to offer the O2 mobile network and connectiv- ity solution from BE wholesale. Simon Howitt, Outsourcery’s Channel Business Unit Director, said: “As an O2 JUC Channel Partner Outsourcery will deliv- er mobility of its cloud-based solutions to the IT world and fixed line players, while giving mobile partners the opportunity to get involved in delivering cloud-based solutions.
“Outsourcery selected O2 for its strategic alignment with our vision, and we recognised the importance of a strong mobile proposition to differentiate our UC offering in this rapidly growing market.” Maggie Kennedy, Head of Partners at O2, said: “We have been looking for some time at ways in which we could engage more deeply with fixed line and IT resellers. Outsourcery’s flex- ible approach, coupled with its innovation complements our own aspirations completely.” O2 will be the only mobile network that Outsourcery part- ners with, and the strategic rela- tionship is expected to deliver significant incremental revenue over the next three years. The move is key to Out-
sourcery’s overall strategy and comes on the back of its latest UC product launch, Outsourcery Unified Lync, which takes Microsoft’s Lync product and integrates full PBX functional- ity on a carrier-grade network. To maximise the opportu-
nity, Outsourcery has appointed Andy O’Connor as Director of Mobile to lead the relationship with O2, as well engage with its existing smartphone device manufacturers and partners. The deal is one of the final parts of Outsourcery’s strate- gy to transform itself from a
Digicomm celebrates a decade!
BOLTON-based reseller Digi- comm BCS celebrated its 10th anniversary last month with a special business event attend- ed by industry and civic dig- nitaries including local mayor Noel Spencer MBE, Graham Bunting, Business Leader with Azlan, Chris Barrow, Advanced Technology Marketing Manager at Avaya and Alan Shraga, CEO of Fidelity Group.
Simon Howitt
B2B mobile service provider – as it was under the Genesis Communications name – into a leading player in the cloud com- munications market. Earlier in the year, it sold its
Vodafone user base to Daisy, but Howitt told Comms Dealer that the firm never intended to abandon mobile. “We needed to redefine what we meant by mobile, and what part of the mobile world we wanted to be in,” Howitt said. The aim, says Howitt, is for Outsourcery’s channel partners to become a sole supplier for their customers across all IT and comms areas, regardless of their own background. “We see unified communica- tions as one of the key drivers in terms of making businesses aware of the cloud and what the cloud can do,” Howitt said. “And our definition of UC is very much not simply converg- ing fixed and mobile voice, it’s about the coming together of IT and telecoms.”
Howitt believes that this reflects changing attitudes in the market towards purchasing IT and telecoms services, and that more end users are now looking for a single supplier across the board.
“Whether that supplier comes from a traditional IT or a traditional telecoms background is immaterial,” he explained.
“What we’re doing is creating a new role for the reseller.” Howitt says that new mobile devices, like tablets and smart- phones, are driving adoption of cloud services and likens the changes to those brought about by BlackBerry’s original email on the move phones. “We’re still in the early stages of the shift,” he commented. “But what’s important is that even where end customers haven’t adopted new technolo- gies, they’ve really started to explore them and begun to work out strategies for how cloud can benefit their business.
Howitt noted: “I think cus- tomers are moving at a faster rate than many resellers and advisors, and my message is that you’ve got to be equipped to have those conversations with customers now.” While Lync server is plat- form agnostic in terms of new mobile devices, however, Howitt encourages resellers to stay focused on Microsoft’s forthcoming products over the next year.
He noted: “We’ve put most of our investment and backing into Microsoft-based technol- ogy. If you look at the cloud in widest sense, business software is still driven by Microsoft. It’s then down to ensuring you have the right connectivity into your business and your devices.”
Commenting on the firm’s anniversary, MD Mark Pollitt said: “Digicomm’s key strength has always been its ability to work with its clients to provide exactly what they need, when they need it.”
Keynote speaker Graham Bunting, when was asked why he thought Digicomm had done so well over the past decade and through recession, answered: “People, that’s what makes a good company. Mark has built a great team of people and serves his customers with passion.” Digicomm has enjoyed a 20% hike in turnover over the past five years, and has recent- ly relocated to new offices to accommodate its growing sales and engineering teams.
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Tom Perry has stepped in as interim MD for ShoreTel in EMEA following the departure of John Howard on 30th September, who joins Logitech. Perry, Director of Marketing, takes the role for a three month period while the vendor seeks a successor. Meanwhile, former Avaya and Nortel marketing specialist Andy Grant of consultancy firm Bowan Arrow has been drafted in temporarily to oversee the EMEA marketing operation.
Actimax has gained Platinum Accredited Partner status from Gamma Telecom. Richard Bligh, Marketing Director at Gamma, said: “We’ve been working with Actimax for a number of years and have absolute confidence in its ability to sell and support our products, and to pass on the benefits to customers.”
Swyx is building its UK presence with a new office in Stockley Park and the hiring of additional staff in pre-sales, post-sales and business development roles, including the key appointment of Mark Russell as Director of Operations for UK and Ireland.
TEAM Carter triumphed at Nimans’ Golf Day last month, held at the Marriott Worsley Park Hotel and Country Club. The wining team – Richard Carter (Nimans) Paul Drabble (BT), Nigel Skinner (Ghekko) and Andrew Doyle (GN Netcom) – went head to head with seven rival teams, one of which included James Emm, joint CEO at Oak Telecom, who made a 500-mile round-trip to support the event as one of the main sponsors. Emm said: “Great people mixed with some fine golf made for a memorable occasion around a truly testing course.” Pictured: Julian Niman and the winning team
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18 COMMS DEALER OCTOBER 2011
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