Comms Dealer

Handset maker BlackBerry turned in a stronger than expected performance in Q1 (2015 fiscal year) reporting hardware revenue on approximately 1.6 million BlackBerry smartphones, up from circa 1.3 million in the previous quarter.

Revenue for the period was $966m, down $10m or 1% from $976m in the previous quarter (revenue breakdown - 39% for hardware, 54% for services and 7% for software and other revenue).

However, taking into account non-cash and one-time items BlackBerry posted a profit of $23m in the quarter. And according to John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO of BlackBerry, the company is targeting break-even cash flow results by the end of fiscal 2015.

"Our performance in fiscal Q1 demonstrates that we are firmly on track to achieve important milestones, including our financial objectives and delivering a strong product portfolio," said Chen.

"Over the past six months we have focused on improving efficiency in all aspects of our operations to drive cost reductions and margin improvement. Looking forward, we are focusing on our growth plan to enable our return to profitability."

Unify resellers can now target the below 30-user segment with the launch of OpenScape Business X1, and according to the vendor's exclusive UK distributor Nimans the launch provides a boost to those Unify resellers with their eye on winning a place on Nimans' three-night incentive trip to Chicago in October.

To qualify resellers need to exceed agreed sales targets of the OpenScape Business UC Suite of solutions before September 19th, while new dealers have to complete Unify's onboarding programme to stand a chance of jetting off across the Atlantic.

"The availability of Unify's new OpenScape Business X1 appliance - designed for smaller sites - represents an opportunity for resellers to further accelerate their sales," said Paul Burn, Head of Category Sales at Nimans (pictured above).

"The system enables partners to provide customers of any size with an easy to deploy, manage and use all-in-one UC solution and leverage their current training and investment in the complete OpenScape Business portfolio."

Huawei has joined the 5G Infrastructure Association Board in Europe and will be represented by a member of its European Research Centre, Dr. David Soldani.

The 5G Infrastructure Association is a joint initiative of the European ITC industry and the European Commission with the value of €1.4bn. It has been created to support the delivery of super-fast connectivity for Europe and globally, promote R&D in the EU networks industry and increase competitiveness in Europe. It represents private party of the 5G Public and Private Partnership (5G-PPP).

As a new board member, Huawei will help prioritise tasks for the EU in the area of the 5G research as well as serve as an advisory body. The company will be also tasked to supervise 5G technology research, tests and large-scale trials and assist in evaluating business goals.

Additionally, the Chinese telecommunication specialist will work with the EU and partners to align the work of the 5G Infrastructure Association, the 5G-PPP, ), the NetWorld2020 European Technology Platform and other working groups.

The 5G Infrastructure Association, which is based in Belgium, is a non-profit organisation which conducts research on 5G communication systems and networks and prepares global standards related to 5G, it says.

CA Technologies has sold its Data Protection Business CA arcserve to Marlin Equity Partners as a part of the strategy to focus on the company's core capabilities, it says. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of fiscal year 2015 and is subject to approvals. Following this, the company will update soon its fiscal year 2015 financial guidance.

arcserve, which offers backup and recovery software solutions, is also a specialist in mission-critical systems, applications and data.

"CA continues to sharpen its focus and actively manages its portfolio, divesting non-core assets and making investments in areas of core capability," said Jacob Lamm, executive vice president, Strategy and Corporate Development, CA Technologies.

"This transaction also further refines our global partner strategy as we continue to build CA for growth."

Logicalis has appointed Tony Brooker as its new UK Sales Director responsible for all sales and marketing activities in the UK.

Brooker has over 30 years of experience across the IT industry in the UK and European sales. He joins from Insight where he most recently held the position of the VP Sales for EMEA. His prior experience includes companies such as SCC and MicroWarehouse.

His nomination follows the recent appointment of Richard Aston, ex-Fujitsu Head of Solutions and Architecture, to a position of VP of Services, the company says.

Logicalis UK Managing Director Mark Starkey said: "Tony is renowned for being a passionate and driven sales leader and I'm more than confident he has what it takes to drive our sales teams forward."

Mitel has consolidated its European sales organisation under a single management structure headed up by Graham Bevington who becomes Executive Vice President of EMEA. In his previous role as EVP for Mitel's International operations Bevington expanded the vendor's market presence in key countries including the UK and the Netherlands.

With the completion of Mitel's merger with Aastra earlier this year, in his new and expanded role Bevington will be focused on further strengthening Mitel's market positions in other major markets in EMEA.

"EMEA is home to some of the largest established and emerging economies in the world, as well as the majority of Mitel's existing 60 million end-user customers, giving us a real and immediate opportunity to expand our leadership position across the region," said Rich McBee, Mitel's President and Chief Executive Officer.

"Graham is an exceptional business and sales leader, with demonstrated ability to build world-class sales and support teams, and a fundamental understanding of our customers' needs and our market dynamics at the ground level."

Bevington added: "Mitel is on the move, and nowhere is that clearer than in EMEA where our ability to address technical requirements on a country-by-country basis, coupled with our path to the cloud and entrenched customer base, gives Mitel a great competitive advantage.

"With the seasoned bench strength of our newly expanded sales and support organisations we now have the team, talent, technology and range to serve any customer need anywhere across the region."

Mitel takes top spot in EMEA

Entanet has urged partners to put the brakes on a speedy approach to selling fast connectivity, urging them to be more measured in their negotiations with prospective new customers instead of trying to drive them to make a decision as quickly as possible.

In a recent edition of its partner e-news bulletin, the company says that while it's understandable that sales people want to get deals signed and sealed as quickly as possible, there are also benefits to be gained by taking a step back and slowing down the process after they have made their initial response.

Stephen Barclay, Head of Sales at Entanet, says: "In the data connectivity market especially, we frequently see the tendency among resellers to simply sell what the customer initially thinks they need and, based on competition with other providers, to do so at the best price. That's not necessarily the best answer for the customer though.

"Once you've responded and let the customer know you want to do business with them, it's important to get a good understanding of what they really need. Of course, we're not advocating resellers risk losing the opportunity by being too slow in their response, but it's best not to rush the process.

"Make sure you ask plenty of questions because the more information you can gather at this stage, the better-placed you'll be to offer the right solution and streamline the sales process from that point onwards. Go too quickly and you can end up providing something that's not suitable for their needs."

It's also important to explore the risks that customers are taking if they don't fully address whatever issues or challenges they face, says Barclay.

"Customers are often concerned about committing to higher costs but with connectivity they need to get it right - or they could end up with something that isn't suitable and lose out in terms of productivity and lost opportunities. They need to understand the positive benefits of improved connectivity but also the potential impact on the business of not having sufficient bandwidth, availability and service levels.

"It can take some time to explore all the issues, options and implications but in the end it will be worthwhile, as you'll have a more satisfied customer who has been able to weigh up all the factors and come to the best decision for their business."

Mitel took top spot for market share during Q1 2014 in Western Europe and EMEA according to analyst firm MZA.

Significant market share strength in several core European countries, including the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and Switzerland, combined with a solid first quarter performance in North America also enabled the company to take share and move into the #3 position for the IP Extensions market on a worldwide basis, and the #4 position for the total PBX Extensions market globally.

"The most recent quarter results (Q1 2014) showed Mitel achieving the #1 market share position for the total PBX/IP-PBX Extensions market in both Western Europe and EMEA." said Stephanie Watson, General Manager, MZA.

"Looking at it through the lens of the North American market where IP Extensions account for the majority of shipments, Mitel's share story is also stronger with the company holding the #3 position behind only Cisco and Avaya."

In a competitive and consolidating market, Mitel has not only reaffirmed its dominance in key markets but also firmly established brand position in new and developing regions as a result of enhanced product diversity and depth.

Rich McBee, President and CEO Mitel, added: "Mitel's Q1 share gains have highlighted the ability of the entire Mitel team to execute and deliver in the first quarter out of the gate since our merger with Aastra.

"Most importantly, however, our market leadership is a direct reflection of the confidence that our channel partners and customers have in the new Mitel, our expanded portfolio - both premise and cloud - and our ability to address the market needs for businesses of all sizes."

CDI Comms, the telecoms arm of CDI Group, has expanded its portfolio with the addition of Panasonic's NS1000 comms platform via a new strategic partnership with distributor Nimans.

CDI Comms has offices in Birmingham, London and Newcastle and operates a team of engineers which install and maintain systems UK-wide.

According to Director Paul Bevington the expansion of its portfolio is indicative of the company's continued growth.

"Adding Panasonic to our existing range gives us more market clout to drive this side of the business further forward. We are confident it will provide the springboard for more growth and many satisfied customers," he said.

"Nimans has become a key strategic partner and gives us a strong platform to build upon."

Warren Bone, PBX Distribution Sales Manager at Panasonic, said: "We're delighted to have CDI Comms on board as a partner and look forward to a long and successful relationship."

Developments at Diva Telecom continue apace with the expansion of its team, relocation to new premises and the launch of a new website.

The appointment of BDM Claire-Marie Joynson and Senior Account Manager Jackie Killiard coincide with Diva's move into new premises at Hawthorn Park in Leeds and the launch of a website that allows users to buy business numbers in over 4,000 worldwide destinations.

Diva supplies numbers in over 100 countries and its turnover has grown 41% during the last three years.
Erica Lewis, who started Diva Telecom from her home in 2006, said: "The international numbers side of our business is successful along with our white label SMS offering.

"We have now launched a white label audio conferencing platform which is an area where we are seeing significant growth, particularly in the legal field, and our new package offers more potential for channel partners to broaden their own offering."

The new website offers UK and international inbound numbers, call routing, SMS and audio conferencing solutions to purchase online.

Lewis added: "Our office move has given us even more room for expansion and as a cash rich company we have our sights set on an acquisition in the next two years.

"We expect our turnover in the next financial year to top £3m."

Pictured: Erica Lewis flanked by Jackie Killiard and Claire-Marie Joynson