Comms Dealer

Southern Communications has been recognised as one of the UK's best financially performing, privately owned tech companies operating in the UK mid-market sector.
?Southern Communications were placed 31st overall in the inaugural Megabuyte 50 Awards and 8th in the owner managed category.

The Basingstoke-based company, which provides Voice, Data and Cloud based solutions to SMEs, has seen turnover increase by 50% over the past three years and has ambitions to grow further as CEO Paul Bradford explained: "We are on a strategic path of growth and being recognised by Megabuyte is fantastic confirmation that we are making the right business decisions."

UK-based cloud service provider Giacom is to add Microsoft's Office365 to its MessageStream cloud marketplace for IT resellers.

The announcement is the result of Giacom's successful inclusion into the Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider programme as a 2-Tier Distributor.

The programme allows Giacom to supply Office365 and Windows Intune subscriptions and own the complete client lifecycle, including billing, support and the customer experience.

"Including Office365 into our MessageStream marketplace will further expand our growing range of cloud services, providing a wider choice for IT support businesses, system integrators, telecom companies and service providers operating within Europe," explained Giacom's Managing Director Nick Marshall.

Microsoft Corporate Vice President of the Worldwide Partner Group Phil Sorgen added: "To meet the growing demand of our cloud-based solutions, we're thrilled to expand the capabilities for cloud partners under the Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider programme.

"By joining the programme, partners will deepen customer relationships and expand business opportunities in the cloud."

Giacom's MessageStream cloud marketplace is used by 2,500 partners. Giacom manages in excess of 90,000 Hosted Exchange mailboxes growing at 5,000 new seats each month.

Other services in the cloud marketplace include Hosted SharePoint, Hosted File Backup and Hosted Email Security, offered at wholesale prices and fully re-brandable.

Matthew Barton from Exmouth-based Ostrich IT and Giacom Partner believes Office365 within the MessageStream cloud marketplace will help his business attract new customers.

"We'll now be able to take on-board customers that exclusively want Microsoft's suite of cloud services," he said. "This opens a whole new recurring revenue stream for our business."

Giacom is expected to introduce Office365 into its MessageStream cloud marketplace in early April and is already taking enquiries from service providers that are looking to resell Office365 and Windows Intune to their European customers.

Chris Goodman, MD of south coast-based reseller Focus Group, is taking his wife on the trip of a lifetime in October but it will be no second honeymoon.

The couple will be taking on the challenge of their lives by trekking over the Great Wall of China for six days aiming to raise £5,600 for Chestnut Tree House, the only children's hospice in Sussex.

"Neither Elaine nor I have ever attempting a challenge like this but having seen the tremendous work that goes on at Chestnut Tree House we felt compelled to take part and help raise funds and awareness," said Chris.

"Six days of trekking along the Great Wall will see us cover a significant distance, starting each day at around 6am and trekking to the next camp. 

"We will enjoy makeshift lodges as accommodation - t was heartwarming to hear them described as 'very basic and cold at night."

The couple will be taking part in training weekends over the next 12 months in preparation for the trip.

To support The Goodmans in their challenge please visit www.focus-grp.co.uk/china

Panasonic has unveiled its new SIP cordless phone system aimed at the SME market.

The KX-TGP600, which succeeds the KX-TGP500, was debuted at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and will be marketed through European carriers and distribution channels.

According to Panasonic, the KX-TGP600 can accommodate up to eight handsets per DECT receiver. Both wireless desk phones (KX-TPA65) and handheld versions (KX-TPA60) can be integrated with ruggedised handsets for businesses with a mix of office and warehousing. 

Resellers should welcome the flexibility of the KX-TPA65 which is a desktop phone with a DECT interface. This allows customers to place on a desk with no cabling needed, reducing installation time and cost. Also, with the ability to use eight outside SIP lines simultaneously, customer service becomes more efficient and the cost and effort of installing and managing separate outside lines is removed completely. 

Via a web maintenance console, users can choose from two maintenance methods - local management using the base unit directly, or management through the service provider. 

Carlos Osuna, Product Marketing Manager at Panasonic, said: "The KX-TGP600 is a great business tool that users can rely on to drive up the clarity of their communications and drive down the costs they incur."

"Because it's a high quality, stable product that's very easy to install, we see it as perfect for distribution through carriers and as a particularly attractive proposition for the SOHO Market and those businesses looking for increased mobility, even with a small workforce."

Global satellite comms service provider SpeedCast International has signed a definitive agreement for the acquisition of Shrewsbury-based Hermes Datacommunications International, a global provider of managed network services for the upstream oil and gas industry.

The acquisition strengthens SpeedCast's capabilities to serve and support energy customers worldwide, enhancing its portfolio of managed solutions and bolstering its global network with new points of presence in key energy markets around the globe including Russia, Central Asia, South East Asia, the Middle East, and North, West and East Africa.

Hermes Datacomms has over 20 years of experience providing managed services to the upstream oil and gas industry. It offers service in over 54 countries, representing 92% of the world's oil and gas reserves and has an extensive portfolio of blue chip energy customers.

The company specialises in providing a broad range of communications services including satellite communications, fibre connectivity and radio services for the oil and gas industry, to some of the most remote and challenging locations in the world, both onshore and offshore.

Hermes Datacomms owns a state-of-the-art Network Operation Centre (NOC) as well as a teleport. he NOC was designed from the bottom-up to give customers real-time monitoring and enhanced service levels, providing 24/7 proactive monitoring and support, and rapid customer response.

"This acquisition greatly expands the scale, scope and capabilities of our business," said Pierre-Jean Beylier, CEO of SpeedCast.

"Hermes Datacomms has experience servicing oil and gas customers in very demanding locations. It is an ideal fit for SpeedCast and a very important milestone towards our objective to be a leading global player in the energy sector, following previous steps taken with the recruitment of Keith Johnson and the announced acquisition of Geolink."

Keith Johnson, SVP and GM of SpeedCast Energy Division, added: "The new combined SpeedCast Energy Division will provide our global customers with the geographic scale and reach required to provide exceptional customer service in the key countries where drilling and production occur."

Nimans has added the Jabra Stealth UC headset to its portfolio of such devices.

Paul Burn, Head of Category Sales at Nimans, said: "The Jabra Stealth UC gives users the freedom to do more. It is compatible with any Bluetooth enabled device and boasts up to six hours of talk-time."

The Jabra Stealth UC benefits from HD Voice reproduction as well as voice commands and announcements. Included is a Jabra LINK 360 USB dongle, micro USB charging cable, car charger, soft pouch and various ear gels. It is available optimised for Microsoft Lync or fully UC compatible.

GCI's Mark Whitehead has been promoted to Director of Channel Sales following the success of the GCI brand in the channel.

The GCI wholesale offering is gaining momentum and quickly adding new partners since the launch of GCI Channel Solutions 18 months ago.

Whitehead's new position acknowledges his commitment to the channel and his efforts to date which include a full Channel build though to execution.

Managing Director John Whitty said: "Mark has done some fantastic work in the channel and onboarded some great partners.

"Not only does Mark's new position reflect his great work so far but it will also give him the capacity to take GCI Channel Solutions to the next level."

Whitehead's new role will mean he joins other Directors at GCI in steering the course of the GCI and GCI Channel Solutions brand.

He said: "GCI Channel Solutions has been a great investment so far and we are keen to drive our wholesale offering to that next level of expertise and support offerings.

"I am thrilled with this new role and am thoroughly looking forward to what the future holds for all of us."

Nine out of ten of British businesses recognise the importance of agility to grow their business, but SMEs are twice as likely to believe their organisations are agile enough to take opportunities for growth, a new study has shown.

Commissioned by TalkTalk Business and conducted by Ovum, the Beta Business research surveyed 330 businesses and channel partners.

The study unearths some significant frustrations for enterprises and SMEs, particularly around the lack of agility and the crucial role of the channel to help overcome these obstacles.

More than a quarter of SMEs say poor advice from vendors is the biggest barrier to their agility, with nearly 60 per cent believing they don't have the technology presently available to future-proof their business.

Often with no IT function, determining who and how to educate SMEs can be present a challenge for the channel with 32 per cent of SMEs ranking staff IT literacy as the key barrier for achieving a more agile business. SMEs are looking to the channel for education and advice, not to just patch-up current systems.

Under-investment, security, business continuity and regulation were cited by respondents as the primary agility barriers for corporate and enterprises, and 40 per cent of firms are dissatisfied with the time needed by IT to process requests.

40 per cent of enterprises feel they are being held back by their technology, with just under half looking to the channel to help find solutions. The report highlights the need for the channel to implement change for customers as an iterative process, with three quarters of enterprises either being slow adopters of technology or only doing so as part of a mass adoption cycle.

Businesses of all sizes need to adopt a BETA state of mind that puts agility as a priority not an afterthought. Inspired by BETA successes such as Google Chrome, it calls for a move away from the 'rip and replace' mentality of old, to change being more incremental and in small steps. The channel should position itself as a knowledgeable long term partner, the report states, educating customers in the short term and benefitting from repeat revenue streams in the future.

Charles Bligh, Managing Director, TalkTalk Business said: "Agility is a key asset for businesses of all sizes and channel partners are in a unique position to help companies grow and adapt, by educating, advising and implementing updated IT and connectivity solutions.

"By providing the insight and knowledge needed, the channel can ensure that businesses maintain the bandwidth and network infrastructure to support data heavy applications and make British businesses better off."

Barnsley-based Active Voice & Data has helped savings and loan cooperative South Yorkshire Credit Union (SYCU) completely its customer service operations by installing Unify's OpenScape Business platform.

Due to a fairly sporadic, yet steadily increasing number of calls per day, SYCU recognised that it had a requirement for a flexible communications solution to replace its rudimentary and inflexible ISDN lines.

SYCU also acknowledged the need for a dynamic communications platform that would drive agility, enhance customer service and increase staff productivity. The Active/Unify solution has enabled SYCU to centralise all telephony for its ten disparate branches and has facilitated new and more dynamic ways of working, thereby enhancing customer service.
 
Iain Simpson, Managing Director at Active Voice & Data, commented: "Businesses are trying to keep their organisation streamlined to save costs, yet remain connected so that they can cater to these expectations.

"Providing OpenScape Business to SYCU has enabled them to meet their customer expectations. And has allowed the Credit Union to improve its productivity by giving staff members better and more dynamic ways of working, all whilst cutting costs. We are excited to continue to help SYCU on its ongoing innovation journey."

Tony Smith, Sales Director, Indirect Channel, Unify, added: "In partnership with Active Voice & Data we believe we have delivered a robust and flexible communications infrastructure to SYCU.

"The Credit Union will benefit for years to come from the resilience, flexibility and scalability that OpenScape Business provides. We look forward to continuing to assist them and other businesses on their journey to UC adoption."

Today's office environments are showing serious noise challenges for individuals and their colleagues, undermining productivity gains, according to a study commissioned by Plantronics.

Office workers in the UK, France and Germany listed decreased productivity as a common effect of noise and believe they would be a lot more productive in a less noisy environment.

An oversight of noise at work issues could potentially cost a UK organisation nearly £15,000 per year in lost productivity per senior manager employed, reckons the survey.

Disruptive noise in an open office environment can manifest itself into stress and physical ailments, such as headaches and migraines, and both were listed among chief complaints across all countries.

Three quarters of workers in all regions reported that their company has taken no action to address their noise issues or the actions have failed.

An average of only half of total respondents (UK 47.7%; Germany 51.4%; France 51.3%) reported they still worked in the office five days during an average work week.

As flexible working grows in popularity, office design has also radically changed with open plan office environments becoming the norm and less people working from a traditional fixed desk.

This new way of work can create serious acoustic difficulties without the correct soundscaping measures. As a result, office workers in Germany, UK and France all listed noisy colleagues as the biggest noise complaint in their office environment.

"Acoustics play a huge role in the contentment and productivity of a workforce," said Philip Vanhoutte, Senior Vice President and Managing Director Europe and Africa, Plantronics.

"In today's environment, it is extremely important for companies to understand how sound affects its bottom line and to take appropriate action to soundscape their workplace. We are passionate about ensuring workers have the right solutions necessary for a high-quality communication experience. No matter if work is being done in an traditional open plan office, an airport, coffee shop or at home."