NEWS
Aura partners form Alliance
Partners congregate for the Aura Alliance conference
TWENTY five Avaya Business Partners representing 50 countries converged on London’s Institute of Directors for the inaugural global Aura Alliance conference on October 19th. Billed as an alliance with a dif-
ference, the contractual commit- ments of its members aim to ensure that a disciplined approach to plan- ning, implementation and support across international boundaries will deliver consistency across ser- vice levels, pricing and support for multi-national businesses that are planning worldwide deployment of Avaya systems. Tony Parish, MD of G3
Telecommunications and Aura Alliance founding partner, com- mented: “In the past, I’ve seen global alliances get into difficulties, not because of a lack of skills on the part of individual members
Sennheiser’s in Cisco network
SENNHEISER Communications has joined the Cisco Developer Network as a registered developer within the unified communications technology category. Separately, the company’s wire- less DECT headset product DW Office has successfully completed interoperability verification testing with a range of Cisco IP phones. The Cisco Developer Network unites Cisco with third party devel- opers of hardware and software to deliver tested interoperable solu- tions to joint customers. As a registered developer Senn- heiser Communications has started to collaborate with Cisco to match the needs of joint customers.
but simply because the working relationships between them lacked cohesion and a unified effort. “With the Aura Alliance we
have eliminated these weaknesses by putting in place a strong frame- work of working practices and a single service level agreement for all countries.” Jeremy Butt, Avaya Head of
Global Channels, said: “The eco- nomic crisis has contributed to a wave of mergers and acquisitions. In response, many global businesses are expanding, relocating and, at the same time, taking the oppor- tunity to capitalise on advantages offered by new technology. “The Aura Alliance takes a
fresh, new approach to fulfilling the service levels expected from this increasingly demanding market and Avaya will be giving its full support to help make that happen.”
Buyouts bring in new Group
SOLUTION1 has completed the acquisitions of two managed net- works and hosting services com- panies to form a combined group operating as MDNX.
The amalgamation sees Sol-
ution 1, Viatel’s UK business and Community Internet Group meld into a company focused on the pro- vision of managed networks and hosting services to SMEs and local government sectors. CEO of Solution1, Mark Thompson, is leading the charge with a broader product portfolio and a big ambition to become a major player in the group’s areas of expertise. He commented: “The forma- tion of MDNX establishes us as
Mark Thompson
a rising independent provider of managed networks and hosting ser- vices in the UK, offering fully man- aged, physical and cloud-based net- work solutions and hosting services for mid market enterprise and local government organisations, directly and via our channel partners.”
TDAzlan, the enterprise division of Tech Data, is to provide specialist consultancy services to support the unified communications channel. The distributor’s Solution Architects offer help in areas such as virtu- alisation, video collaboration, IP telephony, LAN/WAN technologies, Microsoft OCS, full network infrastructure readiness reviews, and both Microsoft and Open Source operating systems. Joel Chimoindes, Director of UC at TDAzlan, commented:
“Unified communications and collaboration is an area where few channel partners have the range of skills and abilities required to truly deliver a complete solution. Our aim is to support them by providing access to our Solutions Architects, who will not only provide services on their behalf, but also train and transfer skills as part of the process to better equip partners to take advantage of this high growth sector.”
Connect launches cloud-based business continuity channel plan
CONNECT has launched a new channel programme based on its cloud-based business continuity services for the SME sector. “Old methods of backing up to physical media, such as tape, are simply no longer appropriate in today’s fast paced business environ- ment,” stated Mark MacGregor, Chief Executive of Connect. “Moving to the cloud for busi- ness continuity is far more effective from both a cost and performance point of view. “Our new channel programme is designed to enable resellers of all sizes to profit from helping their customers make the transition.”
“More and more customers are Mark MacGregor According to Steve Hill,
Sales Manager at SME HardSoft Computers, the ability to provide business continuity and online backup services to SME custom- ers offers an increasingly valuable revenue stream.
aware of the need to protect their data, and many no longer trust tape,” said Hill. “They like the fact that online backup removes human error. It’s a good opportunity to add value to network deals.” Connect operates a channel- only policy and is based at Canary Wharf, London. The firm has 450 channel partners. Programme highlights include sales guides and training, recurring revenue with no set up charges, white label options on all services, secure UK-based data centres, cus- tomised marketing material and technical support with SLAs.
www.comms-dealer.com
Rising VoIP sales drive staff search
ABICA is to double the size
of its support team following a hike in sales of its VoIP product CommuniCore. Abica doubled the number of customers using CommuniCore in three months, and according to David Munro, co-MD, the big pull is its ability to slash end user costs. He commented: “Customers using CommuniCore are saving hundreds of pounds a month on their previous telecoms set up, add- ing thousands of pounds to their balance sheet each year. The flex- ibility they enjoy is also proving to be an attractive feature.” Abica focuses on the SME mar-
ket, growing its turnover by 50% in 2009 to £1.5m. Munro added: “Technology is enabling businesses to get the best telecoms packages without having to bankrupt themselves in order to do so. Increasingly people are aware of what’s available and more confident to migrate to online technology. This trend will shape the telecoms market over the next three years.”
Telco helps to link up pier hit by big inferno
SOUTH West Communications Group has played a key role in the restoration of Weston-super-Mare’s Grand Pier by supplying high speed Internet connections. A fire devastated the Grade II listed pavilion in 2008 but a big restoration project has seen it trans- formed into a hi-tech entertain- ment and leisure complex. The pier had been a South West
Comms Group customer for three years before the fire, and following the blaze the Exeter-based comms firm swiftly rerouted main phone and fax lines and engineers worked with contractors to reinstate the phone lines in the run-up to the pier’s re-opening this summer. Sarah Flowers, Sales Director, commented: “As a regional business we appreciate how fondly the pier is regarded in the south west. It is a local treasure.”
When it’s important to be online all the time, choose Dedicated Internet Access from Kcom. Call 0800 915 5298 or visit
www.kcom.com/channel-partners
8 COMMS DEALER NOVEMBER 2010
www.comms-dealer.com
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