Apalo’s Business Development Director Philippe Matos is promising to elevate the current state of UCaaS solutions in the UK with a new platform developed for the channel and launched by the ambitious firm this month.
French born Matos, a man of many tongues, crossed the channel in 1994 to immerse himself in a new language, a new way of life and make England his home. Likewise, Apalo (the brainchild of Eg Technologies) has branched into new territory as it seeks to advance its first channel partner offering having supported other industry players and brands in the past to develop their strategy, business plans and grow their customer bases.
“Apalo will change that approach and is a key turning point for Eg Technologies,” stated Matos. “Apalo is a new Mobile First Communications Platform where UCaaS, CCaaS and mobile are integrated in a single solution that is accessible any time through any device. We’ve invested heavily in the platform and have big ambitions for us and our channel partners.”
Matos perhaps understates the extent of his ambition when you consider that he wants Apalo to become the number one integrated platform provider for mobile and UC&C in the UK. He says his objective is solidly underpinned by the platform which bristles with 100-plus features and is presented with the appropriate tech back-up and support, and is therefore positioned as an alternative to CSPs.
Business communications is evolving at a faster rate than ever with working space becoming more agile along with a greater reliance on UC
Key industry figures joined the Apalo team to help develop the platform, including Nick Razey, Simon Taylor and Rob Edwards. Razey and Taylor have led a number of successful ventures including founding Interoute and Next Generation Data Europe. EG Technologies itself was set up in 2011 and has developed the insight it needs to attract and onboard partners wanting to deliver mobile, telephony and collaboration tools, says Matos.
“The time of simply picking up a desk phone in the office has gone, and the paucity of core features such as presence status, IM, file and screen sharing, video and audio conferencing, CRM integration and the lack of a real all-in-one platform is a growing frustration for end users,” stated Matos. “Remote and home worker demand has increased considerably and will only continue to grow, both for core working and business continuity.”
Matos says that Apalo circumvents the challenge faced by providers that need to engage with several partners to give customers what they want and bring UCaaS under one roof, with services sometimes forced together through functionality-limited OTT applications. Apalo also provides national and international calls and data, with TLS SRTP encrypted call traffic as standard and SBC management for monitoring and fraud prevention.
“Business communications is evolving at a faster rate than ever with working space becoming more agile along with a greater reliance on UC,” added Matos. “The way we communicate has changed and we know that moving forwards having an IP PBX or hosted telephony platform will not be enough. Users want a truly unified collaboration platform and our team is focused on launching Apalo to the channel and ensuring we are ready to onboard partners. Our ongoing opportunity is to build on relationships and industry knowledge and continue to develop our integrated service.”
In more good news for partners, enthused Matos, Apalo integrates with MS Teams and Zoom. “Things have changed so much in recent months and every business is finding a new normal and new ways of working,” he added. “The Covid-19 period underlines our thinking about never holding back on innovation and always putting the customer first. I love the industry, ensuring people stay in touch through ever changing technology and the new opportunities this brings, which is particularly important when you look at what’s happening now.”
Just a minute with Philippe Matos...
Role model:
Alex Rowe, one of the most decorated members of the French Legionnaire (he was born in Newcastle). He didn’t make it in the British Army on medical grounds, but never gave up.
Best piece of advice you have been given?
Don’t waste time, stay focused and always keep learning.
What talent do you wish you had?
To be a hyperpolyglot! I love languages and speak French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and English, with more to come.
Tell us something about yourself we don’t know:
I held the record for running 500 metres and for rowing 2,500 metres in my region of France for over 15 years.
What do you fear most?
Enclosed spaces.
Name three ideal dinner guests:
Jean Pierre Rive, a legend of French rugby; Jacques-Yves Cousteau, the oceanographer; and Zahi Hawass to find out the secrets of the Valley of the Kings.
Give one example of something you have overcome:
Pain during my youth playing rugby in France.
What possession could you not live without?
The picture of my family on the home screen of my smartphone.
What’s the biggest risk you have taken?
Boasting to my Scottish father-in-law that I was great at golf before playing my very first round with him. I’ve still never lived it down!