Evolve IP teams up with Cavell to share market insights

Even before the hype around artificial intelligence (AI) hit the channel, the value of generating and sharing data insights was widely understood.

Although AI has made it easier to spot trends, there also has to be a willingness among channel partners to want to do so and to establish systems to collect information.

There are broadly two options. One is to gather data internally, with Westcon-Comstor’s data intelligence efforts a good example of that approach. Alternatively, insights can be gained through partnership.

Evolve IP is opting for the partnership route, teaming up with research player Cavell to share market trends and opportunities around the cloud collaboration space.

“Evolve IP recognises the importance of leading from the front, so our partners are fully equipped with the knowledge and skills to maximise opportunities in an ever-evolving and increasingly competitive market,” said Evolve IP UK sales director Jamie Hughes.

Patrick Watson, head of research and unified comms lead at Cavell, said the market was growing, with cloud-based comms expected to rise significantly in coming years as an increasing number of customers adopt the technology.

He added that in the next four years, more than four million new users are expected to emerge as channel prospects, with many customers expecting partners to demonstrate an ability to use AI.

“AI demand and interest is growing to improve business efficiency, but organisations are currently not sure how that’s going to happen. So the onus will fall on resellers, as trusted advisors, to deliver return on investment. There’s lots of hype, and market consolidation is expected in the AI ‘arms race’,” said Watson.

“Businesses would generally prefer to use a single provider for multiple elements of their converged technology provision, leading to a rise in managed service providers. How to differentiate is a major challenge on products, but customer relationships and customer service are key ways to stand out from the crowd,” he added.

Evolve IP’s relationship with Cavell comes at a time when opportunities are expanding but traditional approaches are under threat, putting pressure on the channel to develop its own responses.

“Overall, the traditional business telephony user market is set to shrink to around 18 million users as more organisations choose collaboration-only solutions, rather than DDI external telephony capabilities. However, the number of cloud users will rise and mitigate any revenue loss,” said Hughes.

Watson also used the webinar to advise those looking for successful traits to follow the leading players in the market. The top 10 service providers are expected to gain more market share, increasing it from the current position of 62.5%.

One of the tips was to look at widening the portfolio. Only a quarter of partners offer contact centre as a service (CCaaS) and unified communications as a service (UCaaS), despite both being complementary.

To get such market insights into the hands of partners, Evolve IP has developed a series of webinars. The series has already kicked off, with the first webinar looking at how to “Lead the way in the UCaaS space and stand out from your competitors”.

“We enjoy a long-standing and productive relationship with Cavell, a highly respected name in communications insight and intelligence,” said Hughes. “The first webinar provided an ideal opportunity to explore the cloud communications landscape, the changes ahead and the opportunity to better understand the industry. The feedback was exceptional, and more monthly webinars are being staged as we dive deeper into a changing technology world.”