INDUSTRY NEWS COMMENT: A DECADE OF CHANGE Richard Carter
“It’s the resilience of people that stands out for me.’
LAST month’s 10th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks was a time for reflection for many people, as the actions of a group of hijackers changed much more than just the New York skyline. The world we live in today is very different from 2001. It’s not just air travel that has changed dramatically, the communications sector has also undergone an equally radical transformation. Back in 2001 convergence was still gathering momentum and UC was pretty much unheard of, along with social media. As for smartphones,
well they really weren’t that smart. Technology has helped bring everyone closer together, making the world a smaller place. Certainly the global consequences of 9/11 are still being felt but it’s the resilience of people that stands out for me. Resilience is a word familiar to everyone in our industry as the comms channel is not immune to the economic slowdown being felt worldwide. However, there is cause for optimism as many resellers continue to move forward, embracing technologies such as UC and audio and videoconferencing. Return on Investment is the mantra for success. Indeed, the latest figures released by MZA show that the UK market is performing better than many of our European counterparts and is showing some signs of recovery. Equally, the availability of flexible finance from Nimans is helping our customers continue to move forward, despite restrictions on lending elsewhere. As new innovations continue to be developed it’s fascinating to consider how much more influence communication will play in our lives. I wonder what the next 10 years will hold? It’s an intriguing prospect.
Richard Carter, Group Sales & Business Development Director, Nimans
Virgin takes cloud action
VIRGIN Media Business has kicked off a campaign to ease and simplify the process of cloud adoption and drive uptake across the board.
The company says that con- fusion is holding back the mar- ket and reckons that its new Virtual Private Data Centre (VPDC) will open the flood gates for ongoing cloud com- puting revenue. Mark Heraghty, MD, Virgin Media Business, commented: “The VPDC service will allow IT managers to gain virtual computing power quickly and easily by designing and deploy- ing their own private data centre in just a few clicks.
“They can have it up and running the same day, and the set-up can then be modified as and when required, with chang- es being ready to go within 90 minutes,” he added.
The firm has also has sig- nalled its intention to bring ‘clar- ity’ and ‘no-nonsense advice’ to break down ‘barriers to entry’. “Most are already signed up to the benefits of the cloud, but constant jargon and complicated advice have created a barrier to entry,” Heraghty commented. Andrew Barron, COO of Virgin Media, added: “In a mar-
Virtual1 enhances portal
VIRTUAL1 has rolled out a white labelled version of its online tool offering instant EFM and Ethernet pricing.
1Portal is interconnected to all of the major carriers and incorporates every access speed and every access method avail- able into a single online quote, allowing partners to gather pric- ing quickly and effectively, says the company.
The white labelled version
offers flexibility for partners, and includes the capability to add their own products and ser-
ing that resellers can provide access to their sales teams and demonstrate the portal to cus- tomers without revealing whole- sale pricing.
According to Tom O’Hagan, Tom O’Hagan
vices to the systems, such as mobile, PBX maintenance and SIP trunks, giving each partner a bespoke portal.
It also allows resellers to manage the margins added to the initial Virtual1 quote, mean-
MD at Virtual1, with 1Portal resellers can now reduce the time spent on pricing and instead focus on other aspects of account management. O’Hagan said: “We’ve had tremendous feedback from the partners that use 1Portal. Extending its capabilities to them was an obvious step.”
THE 2011 Nine Group driving event held at the PalmerSport racetrack in Bedford last month tested the nerves of dealers and resellers as they competed for fastest lap times. Among the cars available were the Le Mans fantasy car Palmer Jaguar JP-LM, the BMW M3 GTP (known as the Bavarian Beast) and a Porsche 911 JP3. James Palmer, CEO of Nine Group, said: “This track day has turned into an annual event. It’s a chance for us to thank our partners with a day they won’t forget. Everybody who attends drives home with the biggest grins on their faces.”
Have you booked your table for the Comms National Awards yet? Visit
www.cnawards.com
4 COMMS DEALER OCTOBER 2011 Mark Heraghty
ket that has been subjected to hype, jargon and unsubstantiat- ed claims, we’re giving organi- sations across the country clear and simple advice, backed up by user friendly technology.”
SHORT CALLS
NeoWave Distribution has linked up with Liquid Voice to provide the VoiceWave productivity management suite, incorporating traditional applications like call management and call recording, and new ones such as quality assessment and desktop activity monitoring.
The new Marque M155 Bluetooth headset from Plantronics, designed for the iPhone and Android smartphone, incorporates voice recognition and audio streaming capabilities which allow users to listen to music, GPS directions or email, while providing stereo quality.
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