News

Unified Communications (UC) Services

• May 12, 2016 12 May'16

  Nimans opens up internal training

  Nimans has given resellers the chance to go through the same training it provides in-house to its own staff

• April 19, 2016 19 Apr'16

  Flexible working and mergers driving UC investment

  The demand for UC and collaboration tools is being driven by market conditions that resellers need to watch out for

• April 04, 2016 04 Apr'16

  Digital transformation driving UC and security opportunities

  Microsoft's CEO might have spent the afternoon talking about digital transformation but he is not alone as the channel looks to make revenue out of the buzz phrase

• March 23, 2016 23 Mar'16

  KCOM looks for growth under a single brand

  KCOM has pulled all of its operations into a single brand as it looks to maximise its chances of growth

• March 10, 2016 10 Mar'16

  Microsoft announces UK roll out of PBX functionality

  Cloud PBX will allow organisations to purchase PSTN calling services directly from Microsoft, cutting telcos and channel partners out of the picture

• February 03, 2016 03 Feb'16

  ShoreTel taking out cloud message to existing base

  ShoreTel has identified plenty of its existing customers that want help from the channel in making a move towards the cloud

• January 13, 2016 13 Jan'16

  Cloud-based UC growing strongly in the SME space

  The channel has already noticed a growing demand from SMEs for Cloud UC and that is set to continue for the next few years

• September 23, 2015 23 Sep'15

  Skype outage a reason to push business apps

  With the consumer version of Skype down for hours earlier this week it is a moment for the channel to encourage SMEs to invest in business tools that deliver a better experience

• August 04, 2015 04 Aug'15

  Odin muses over SME cloud adoption growth

  Smaller firms are looking to invest more in IaaS, SaaS and unified comms as the adoption of the cloud becomes a must-do for more SMEs

• July 31, 2015 31 Jul'15

  Olive Communications shares lessons of success

  Having won a top partner award from Vodafone the steps it takes to get success are shared by Olive Communications

• June 03, 2015 03 Jun'15

  Mitel shows vertical intentions with TigerTMS buy

  Mitel is determined to strengthen its position in key vertical markets and has taken steps into the hospitality world with the acquisition of TigerTMS

• April 30, 2015 30 Apr'15

  Daisy Group predicts sweeping changes to office culture

  Fast forward to 2035 and the office will look very different from the way it does today and the channel needs to be aware of the changes that are coming according to the Daisy Group

• March 26, 2015 26 Mar'15

  Trust a key element in the convergence sale

  Putting all of your eggs in one basket is not something that some customers decide to do with reservations making trust in the channel supplier vital

• March 19, 2015 19 Mar'15

  Office 365 PSTN capabilities to launch this year, says Microsoft

  As Microsoft releases a preview of Skype for Business, VP Zig Serafin says that cloud-based PSTN will finally launch 'later this year'

• March 09, 2015 09 Mar'15

  Acquisitions bolster Maintel numbers

  Telco and managed services player Maintel has recorded a decent 2014 with acquisitions playing a part in the growth

• February 04, 2015 04 Feb'15

  Avaya helps channel change the message

  Avaya is responding to customer needs for business solutions and is moving away from technology messages and encouraging partners to do the same

• January 13, 2015 13 Jan'15

  Azzurri to resell EE products and solutions

  One of the UK's largest managed comms providers has announced a new partnership with network giant EE

• December 08, 2014 08 Dec'14

  Comms-care reveals professional services demand surge

  Resellers are looking to third party providers to help them plug skill gaps driving the growth in demand for outsourced professional services

• November 06, 2014 06 Nov'14

  SCC will buy again with comms the target

  SCC is planning to acquire to extend the reach if its portfolio with a comms specialist the most likely target

• November 04, 2014 04 Nov'14

  Olive Communications acquisitions underpin growth

  Unified comms player Olive Communications has delivered a solid set of numbers for its last fiscal year thanks in part to its acquisition strategy

• October 27, 2014 27 Oct'14

  Maintel extends managed services capabilities through acqusition

  Maintel Holdings has splashed out £9.6m in cash for Proximity Communications

• October 16, 2014 16 Oct'14

  Azzurri highlights MDM opportunities as mobile productivity rises

  Azzurri has found that productivity gains from allowing staff to use mobile devices are being enjoyed by customers but many are yet to sort out the security issues

• October 08, 2014 08 Oct'14

  Unify aims for channel business increase

  Unified comms specialist Unify is aiming to almost double the volume of business that goes through its channel partners

• September 24, 2014 24 Sep'14

  ScanSource closes Imago Group acquisition

  In its bid to become one of the major AV and comms players in Europe ScanSource has completed its acquisition of Imago Group

• August 13, 2014 13 Aug'14

  Westcon and Spectralink sign agreement for wireless handsets

  Distribution giant and wireless telecoms provider sign deal to bring UC handsets to the channel

• August 12, 2014 12 Aug'14

  BT and Avaya sign deal to bring end-to-end cloud solution to channel

  Communications giants announce agreement to bring cloud solution to mid-sized enterprises via channel

• August 12, 2014 12 Aug'14

  Unify bolsters channel team with Veit appointment

  Unify continues to add well versed channel executives to its team as it plans to build on its 'channel-first' approach to the market

• July 15, 2014 15 Jul'14

  Olive Communications highlights missed converged comms opportunities

  SMEs are missing out on the benefits of converged communications according to findings from Olive Communications

• July 01, 2014 01 Jul'14

  Exertis Micro-P launches new unit to support resellers

  Exertis Micro-P has launched a unit designed to help resellers get involved with some of the growth market areas

• June 20, 2014 20 Jun'14

  Avaya overhauls Connect partner programme

  Avaya is making changes to its channel programme to encourage the development of more technical skills and greater levels of customer satisfaction

• June 17, 2014 17 Jun'14

  Daisy signals intention to keep acquisition spree going

  Daisy has seen its banking arrangements change so it can continue with its acquisition strategy

• June 06, 2014 06 Jun'14

  Yorktel swoops on MultiSense and Expedite

  Unified communications vendor Yorktel has acquired two companies, Expedite VCS and MultiSense Communications, as part of a global expansion strategy

• June 03, 2014 03 Jun'14

  Mitel takes wraps off cloud communication suite

  Mitel has taken the wraps off a cloud-based communication suite that will be offered as a white-label offering for resellers

• May 21, 2014 21 May'14

  Azzurri chairman takes up interim CEO role

  Azzurri's chairman is to become interim CEO once the current incumbent leaves the firm next month

• May 19, 2014 19 May'14

  Vodafone and Olive ramp up drive to converged technologies

  Communications specialist Olive has teamed up with Vodafone

• May 09, 2014 09 May'14

  Alcatel Lucent slashes Q1 losses

  Alcatel Lucent has slashed its losses significantly as its plans to trim costs and sell assets start to yield results

• April 30, 2014 30 Apr'14

  Avaya seeks more resellers for midmarket iConnect programme

  Unified comms vendor takes regional approach to partner recruitment as it looks to grow its midmarket reseller roster

• April 28, 2014 28 Apr'14

  Westcon adds former Ingram man as UK UCC GM

  Former Ingram Micro DC/POS UK and Ireland MD Ralph Donohue named as new GM for Westcon’s unified comms and collaboration solutions practice in the UK, Ireland and Greece

• April 23, 2014 23 Apr'14

  Connect Communications boss sets out growth ambitions

  Just weeks after leading an MBO the CEO of Connect Communications reveals just where he wants to take the channel player

• April 14, 2014 14 Apr'14

  Tupman returns to channel with Connect Communications buyout

  Networking and comms entrepreneur Alex Tupman spearheads MBO at MSP Managed Communications in hopes of building a £100m business

• April 14, 2014 14 Apr'14

  Azzurri gets into managed mobility services with ICON Mobilise

  Managed network and comms services provider Azzurri adds mobility to its recently-launched UCaaS package, ICON

• April 10, 2014 10 Apr'14

  Exertis Micro-P reshuffles B2B operations to add value

  Exertis Micro-P has made changes to its B2B operations as it looks to respond to the reseller need for more technical support

• March 20, 2014 20 Mar'14

  Proximity talks expansion in virtualisation, security markets

  As it reflects on a successful year of growth, UC and managed services provider Proximity Communications has revealed it is looking to grow into new markets to improve its end-to-end offering

• March 17, 2014 17 Mar'14

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 14 March 2014

  SaaS most beloved cloud option, says report, Microsoft channel boss speaks out on reseller transition, and Azzurri cements recovery with cloud UC. Catch up on the biggest channel stories from last week

• March 14, 2014 14 Mar'14

  Daisy Group bosses in talks to sell up to US cable firm Liberty Global

  Reports: talks between business comms provider Daisy Group and Virgin Media-owner Liberty Global break down over price

• March 12, 2014 12 Mar'14

  Azzurri ICON cloud launch cements business turnaround

  Azzurri says the launch of its new ICON cloud and managed unified comms services suite heralds a return to normality following its restructuring

• March 10, 2014 10 Mar'14

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 7 March 2014

  Tech Data brings in Ingram man, Lexmark cracks down on dodgy cartridges, and former Logicalis boss Tom Kelly talks IaaS, managed services. Catch up on the last week's biggest news stories

• March 07, 2014 07 Mar'14

  Timico Partners hires channel marketing boss

  Clare Greenall joins Timico Partners from Gamma Business Comms to take charge of its reseller strategy

• March 04, 2014 04 Mar'14

  Bullish Unify embraces channel at Connected Business Expo

  At unified comms event Connected Business Expo in London, Unify EVP of worldwide channels Jon Pritchard sets out plans to put half its business through partners

• February 20, 2014 20 Feb'14

  AltiGen latest addition to Westcon Lync offering

  Distributor Westcon Group, has expanded its unified communications portfolio in a new agreement with provider AltiGen Communications

• February 18, 2014 18 Feb'14

  Westcon extends MS Lync options with Enghouse deal

  Westcon Group has signed a distribution agreement with Enghouse Interactive to enhance its Microsoft Lync UC options

• February 17, 2014 17 Feb'14

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 14 February 2014

  Claranet CEO talks cloud channel landscape, Yorks cricketer heads to Big Technology and Discount-Licensing hits out at FAST. Catch up on last week's biggest channel news stories

• February 13, 2014 13 Feb'14

  Westcon Convergence formally opens Crawley LEAP Centre

  Official opening of Westcon’s LEAP education centre at its new Crawley head office gives partners the chance to architect and test a wider range of networking solutions

• February 12, 2014 12 Feb'14

  Comstor chief reunites with Westcon boss at Unify

  Comstor global president Jon Pritchard heads to Unify and reunites with former employer, ex-Westcon CEO Dean Douglas

• February 10, 2014 10 Feb'14

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 7 February 2014

  Microsoft clashes with reseller in copyright case, Dell extends SME managed print options, and Tintri forges ahead with virtual storage plan. Catch up on the biggest stories of last week

• February 05, 2014 05 Feb'14

  Cloud comms firm 8x8 makes UK channel play

  American unified comms outfit 8x8 Inc launches services to the UK and buys Bucks-based Voicenet Solutions

• February 03, 2014 03 Feb'14

  Mitel and Aastra wrap up merger

  Mitel stakes its claim for leadership in the unified comms services sector after completing merger with Aastra

• February 03, 2014 03 Feb'14

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 31 January 2014

  Azzurri boss departs after restructure, channel speaks out over Windows XP malware support, and Cisco in cloud conflict warning. Catch up on the biggest channel news stories from last week

• January 30, 2014 30 Jan'14

  Westcon Convergence gets new UK marketing boss

  Networking distributor recruits former BT, Cisco and Polycom man John Richardson to run its marketing machine in the UK and Ireland

• January 29, 2014 29 Jan'14

  VoxGen lays foundations for channel push

  New CEO at self-service automation solution vendor VoxGen sets sights on growth and expansion

• January 27, 2014 27 Jan'14

  UC firm Solar claims ShoreTel platinum first

  Solar Communications becomes first ShoreTel partner in EMEA to be awarded Platinum status

• January 20, 2014 20 Jan'14

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 17 January 2013

  EMC gives sneak preview of new partner programme, distribution dragons seek out up-and-coming vendors, and Avnet gets new UK boss following reshuffle. Catch up on the biggest channel stories of last week

• January 15, 2014 15 Jan'14

  Datatec issues new profit warning, Westcon still soft

  ICT solutions provider Datatec has issued a profit warning after trading at Westcon failed to improve

• January 14, 2014 14 Jan'14

  Capita picks on Aspect Software for MS Lync offering

  Agreement will enable Capita to offer a full Microsoft unified communications practice supported by Aspect’s contact centre technology portfolio

• January 10, 2014 10 Jan'14

  Plantronics: developers will make us indispensable

  Headset specialist Plantronics will spread its wings in 2014, targeting more software developers to expand the market and potential use cases for its products

• January 02, 2014 02 Jan'14

  MicroScope's top stories: December 2013

  AMD predicts PC resurgence, Microsoft launches cloud partner network, and HP unveils 2014 hardware ranges. Catch up on the biggest channel news stories from December 2013

• December 13, 2013 13 Dec'13

  Unify launches new licensing programme as 2014 plans advance

  Unified communications specialist Unify launches user-based enterprise licensing programme as it prepares for a busy year to come

• December 09, 2013 09 Dec'13

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 6 December 2013

  AMD sees bespoke system builders fighting back, EC lets DiData acquisition plans slip, and Microsoft simplifies licensing. Catch up on the biggest channel news stories from last week

• December 06, 2013 06 Dec'13

  Mitel ploughs profits into debt repayments

  Cloud and software unified comms vendor Mitel makes major long-term debt repayment following solid quarter

• December 04, 2013 04 Dec'13

  Unify signs up Westcon’s Dean Douglas

  Distribution hotshot heads vendor-side to run freshly-rebranded enterprise comms outfit Unify

• December 03, 2013 03 Dec'13

  Daisy Group operating losses widen in mixed first half

  Business comms and network provider Daisy Group has seen its revenues slide and operating losses widen, but insists its underlying performance remains strong

• December 02, 2013 02 Dec'13

  MicroScope's top stories, November 2013

  Fujitsu bosses on the offensive, Microsoft parts ways with Avnet TS, and Acer CEO not functioning as intended. Catch up with the biggest IT channel news stories from November 2013

• December 02, 2013 02 Dec'13

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 29 November 2013

  HP CEO's vision for 3D printers, Riverbed chucks revenue targets, and Exclusive Networks CARMS things down a bit. Check out some of the bigger stories from the past week

• November 26, 2013 26 Nov'13

  Westcon launches dedicated MS Lync programme

  Networking distie says the launch of its discoverUC.com programme will help partners get to grips with the vast array of products surrounding Microsoft’s Lync solution

• November 18, 2013 18 Nov'13

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 15 November 2013

  It was a week where money played a major role, either in the shape of funding a merger or providing funds to resellers looking to become managed services specialists

• November 13, 2013 13 Nov'13

  Blue Jeans Network looks for tight fit with UK channel

  Latest Silicon Valley start-up to hit UK shores pledges to turn video into a mass market proposition, and signs up big AV channel guns Imago and InterCall

• November 11, 2013 11 Nov'13

  Mitel, Aastra merge to create billion dollar UC giant

  Mitel and Aastra Technologies have announced plans to merge, creating a billion dollar enterprise communications company with massively increased channel scale

• November 08, 2013 08 Nov'13

  Fusion Media Networks rides to rescue of O2 Wholesale partners

  Comms provider Fusion Media Networks is offering a lifeline to resellers hunting for an alternative to O2 Wholesale

• November 04, 2013 04 Nov'13

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 1 November 2013

  HP makes redundancies across EMEA, Microsoft cuts Avnet from distribution pack, and Dell faces up to foul-smelling laptop problem. Catch up on last week's biggest channel news stories

• October 31, 2013 31 Oct'13

  Capacity boost for VanillaIP as surge towards cloud continues

  VanillaIP, the UC cloud provider, is partnering with City Lifeline to help shore up its delivery capacity to service providers in the face of demanding growth

• October 29, 2013 29 Oct'13

  VCOMM set to launch new support services following acquisition by SIPHON

  Voice and comms distie VCOMM has launched an engineering and technical support service portfolio to encourage resellers and service providers to offer new products to their customers

• October 17, 2013 17 Oct'13

  Gamma bags spot on government telephony framework

  Voice, data and mobility specialist Gamma Network Solutions wins coveted position on Government Procurement Services Telephony Services Framework

• October 15, 2013 15 Oct'13

  Westcon lines up to support Avaya midmarket push

  As Avaya launches the latest version of its IP Office suite, distribution partner Westcon is following through with a major push into the midmarket

• October 11, 2013 11 Oct'13

  nconnect urges data VARs to claim fair share of voice sales

  nconnect, the newly-launched UK arm of German brand NFON, slams traditional voice vendors for restricting access to market opportunities

• October 11, 2013 11 Oct'13

  Azzurri completes refinancing, appoints new chairman

  Managed communications services provider Azzurri has successfully completed a refinancing process and named a new chairman to replace Keith Taylor

• October 10, 2013 10 Oct'13

  Nimans launches channel video-as-a-service service

  Latest development in comms distie’s ‘Everything Connected’ strategy sees video-as-a-service solution pitched at convergence resellers

• October 07, 2013 07 Oct'13

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 4 October 2013

  Getronics buys NEC Enterprise Solutions, HP tweaks PartnerOne programme again, and Intrinsic names new CEO. Catch up on the biggest channel news stories from the past week

• October 02, 2013 02 Oct'13

  Getronics backers buy NEC Enterprise Solutions UK biz

  Getronics’ German backers Aurelius buy NEC Enterprise Solutions direct sales and services business in the UK and other European countries to augment its enterprise comms business

• September 30, 2013 30 Sep'13

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 27 September 2013

  Outsourcery fills Microsoft cloud gap, Ingram hires new president, COO, Avnet pitches desktop virtualisation programme at channel. Catch up on last week's biggest stories

• September 25, 2013 25 Sep'13

  Virgin Media Business teams up with Outsourcery

  In a bid to provide its customers with more unified comms options Virgin Media Business has adopted Outsourcery's Lync-based platform

• September 19, 2013 19 Sep'13

  Vodafone partner Olive Comms buys rival Wish

  Vodafone Platinum Partner Olive Communications has forked out an undisclosed sum to buy competitor Wish Communications

• September 02, 2013 02 Sep'13

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 30 August 2013

  IaaS data shows Amazon Web Services out in front, Arrow guzzles Computerlinks, and Ballmer calls it quits. Catch up on the biggest channel news stories from the past seven days

• August 29, 2013 29 Aug'13

  NG Bailey gets top level Mitel badge

  IT division of services giant NG Bailey recognised as Mitel signaturePARTNER

• August 19, 2013 19 Aug'13

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 16 August 2013

  Microsoft names first Brit Surface partners, Azlan and Avaya reunite, and Cisco cuts 4,000 jobs as recovery remains sluggish. Catch up on the biggest channel news stories from the past seven days

• August 13, 2013 13 Aug'13

  Azlan and Avaya reunite in new UK distribution pact

  Avaya and Azlan decide to give it another shot after two years apart

• August 09, 2013 09 Aug'13

  ShoreTel promotes Joos into hot seat

  Telco specialist Shoretel has looked internally to find a replacement for its retiring CEO

• August 05, 2013 05 Aug'13

  Cisco chooses Avnet to provide SAP HANA platform

  Avnet Technology Solutions hasbeen appointed the first EMEA distriutor to handle Cisco's Unified Computing System servers running the SAP HANA software platform

• August 02, 2013 02 Aug'13

  Customers investing in mobility to exploit BYOD growth

  Customers are looking to resellers to help them with unified comms, mobility and remote support services

• July 31, 2013 31 Jul'13

  Ingram bolsters advanced solutions approach

  Ingram Micro continues to evolve its advanced solutions approach to offering resellers support around new and emerging technologies

• July 31, 2013 31 Jul'13

  Shift plan showing signs of working at Alcatel-Lucent

  Telco specialist Alcatel-Lucent managed to deliver better than expected results stating that its plans to turn the business around were having an impact