Comms Dealer

Exertis Micro-P's NEC voice solutions business unit is growing by the month, according to John Bird, Head of Systems and Support Services who has witnessed double digit year-on-year growth.

He said: "We work proactively with our resellers to support them in every aspect of the sales and installation cycle - be it impartial pre sales consultative support, to help identify the opportunity, right through to customer demonstration assistance to help close the deal, with a suite of financial and engineering services to help deliver the solution, within budget and end user timescales."

To help resellers bring new products and technologies into their portfolios Exertis Micro-P is delivering a free of charge two day NEC SV8100 sales workshop incorporating Mycalls Call Management applications and UC Desktop applications on the 3rd and 4th June in Nottingham.

"It's a fully accredited sales training course to help resellers sell the entire NEC solution, increase deal closure rates and ultimately increase margins," added Bird. This is an opportunity for resellers wishing to on board with NEC and to do so with no barriers to entry."

Plantronics has updated its Connect Partner Programme to better work with its Premium, Certified and Authorised partners.

Premium partners will gain access to a new deal registration programme to help them progress large sales opportunities. As a part of this initiative they will also get more support from Plantronics to help them take on larger deals and with the promise of higher margins on their sales.

Plantronics will also introduce Connect Rewards, a new points-based channel incentive programme, to reward Certified and Premium partners for their commitment to Plantronics and for their positive sales results.

In addition, Plantronics will launch a Fast Track accreditation process for Authorised partners who wish to quickly achieve certified status. Under the new scheme, Authorised partners will gain access to additional marketing and sales support, to Connect Rewards, and to a dedicated account manager for up to 12 months.

The company will also offer partners new specialisations via Plantronics Connect University, its training programme designed to educate channel partners so they can maximise both existing opportunities and reach new customers.

The firm will complement its Unified Communications (UC) Sales Curriculum with a new technical curriculum so that non-sales employees can develop the knowledge they need to help customers make the most of its headset solutions.

For the first time, Plantronics' most dedicated resellers can achieve company level certifications, to complement their individual salesperson accreditations, so they can share their expertise on Plantronics contact centre and UC solutions with potential customers.

The latest changes to Connect University will go into effect in June 2014.

Over 170 partners have graduated from Plantronics' partner training programme since its launch last year, and have used their new skills to maximise both existing opportunities and reach new customers.

"With the launch of our updated Plantronics Connect Partner Programme we have solidified our commitment to our channel and to making sure our most valued partners are fully equipped to offers customers the best services and solutions while growing their bottom line," said Paul Dunne, Head of Channel Sales, UK & Ireland, Plantronics.

Fujitsu has appointed Michael Keegan as the new head of its business in the UK and Ireland. He will replace Duncan Tait who has been promoted to Head of EMEA, Corporate Senior Vice President.

Fujitsu says that the recent changes to its management reflect a larger restructure of the company which aims to form larger regions reporting directly to its Japanese headquarters.

Keegan joined Fujitsu in 2006 and since then he has held various positions across various business units including Technology Products Group for the UK and Ireland.

In his new role he will report directly to Duncan Tait.

"Michael has the breadth of commercial experience that is required to continue to drive the UK & Ireland forward. With nearly 30 years experience in the IT sector, and over six years leading various business units for Fujitsu UK & Ireland he has a proven ability to lead and accelerate growth," said Duncan Tait, Head of EMEIA, CSVP, Fujitsu Ltd.

Sennheiser's business communications division is gearing up for its Partner day event to be staged at the Williams F1 Conference Centre in Oxford on June 25th.

The event is designed to give Partners the opportunity to gain an insight into strategy going forward in 2014 and to tackle some of the industry's most important topical issues, as well as providing the chance to discuss upcoming plans with Sennheiser senior management.

Introducing the event is Jane Craven, UK Telecoms Sales Director. Lars Rasmussen, Sales and Marketing Director at Sennheiser Communications in Denmark and his colleague, Director of Product Management, Johannes Kaulfuss will then provide insight into Sennheiser Communications global strategy and showcase new and future product offerings.

Dominica Parkes, Lync Technical Solutions Specialist and David Hipwell, Lync Sales Solution Specialist will both present on the Lync opportunities for resellers.

Debbie Osborne from Sovereign Housing will then be providing information on a recent case study detailing why Sovereign chose to move to Lync, the decision making process around this, and how it was executed. This will be a contextual resource for partners interested in expanding their knowledge of market transition to help drive future growth.

Marketing support for partners will be discussed, including updates to the partner portal, Experience Sennheiser campaign and the benefits to partners of being signed up to Sennheiser's Selective Distribution Agreement (SDA) which ensures the same high distribution standards are applied everywhere.

Following the event attendees will have the chance to take a tour of Williams' collection of F1 cars and go for a spin in an F1 car simulator with instruction from experienced operators, who'll also be keeping track of lap times and handing our prizes to the winners.

Comms Dealer is sad to report the tragic death of Paul Martin, who was killed in a motorcycling accident while out riding with friends in Gloucestershire.

Paul joined Nine Group in July 2012 to work as Head of Product Sales for Mobile. Working alongside Nine's sales team and resellers, he made an immediate impact and was quickly respected by colleagues and customers alike.

Paul was very experienced in mobile sales, having previously worked for Lister Communications in Stonehouse for many years.

Paul's no nonsense straight talking approach went down very well with resellers and he was not one to use unnecessary jargon - he would tell it like it was and move on.

Paul was an extremely popular and well-liked member of the team at Nine Group. He demonstrated daily his love for his family, his passion for motor sports and his pride in his local roots.

Having recently moved to a new house, he was always keen to share photos and stories of the work going on in the home.

Paul is survived by his wife Lorna who is expecting their second child later this year, and their young son Hector.

The VoIP PBX 3CX Phone System has achieved VMware Ready status, a designation that indicates that 3CX Phone System has undergone detailed test procedures and is supported on VMware vSphere 5.X for production environments.

"By using 3CX Phone System for Windows with VMware vSphere 5.X, businesses can rid themselves of expensive and difficult to manage PBX hardware and consolidate their telecoms infrastructure onto their VMware platforms, enabling them to make significant savings on server and administration costs," said Nick Galea, CEO of 3CX.

Sanjay Katyal, Vice President, Global Alliances & OEMs, VMware, added: "We are pleased that 3CX Phone System qualifies for the VMware Ready logo, signifying to customers that it works effectively with VMware vSphere and can be deployed in production with confidence."

The VMware Ready program is a co-branding benefit of the Technology Alliance Partner (TAP) program that makes it easy for customers to identify partner products certified to work with VMware cloud infrastructure.

Customers can use these products and solutions to lower project risks and realise cost savings over custom built solutions.

BT has embarked on a global campaign and introduced new offers designed to encourage large organisations to use technology more creatively. An initiative that also recognises the key role go CIOs played in setting the digital agenda.

BT Global Services will engage with leading global companies and government organisations around the world to offer innovations addressing four key customer requirements: delivering a great performance, realising possibilities in the cloud, working in harmony and performing anywhere.

BT says global organisations need to manage a mix of different network technologies combined with applications performance management and security services, and that the optimal architecture for handling that complexity is the 'intelligent hybrid network'.

BT is launching a range of offers focused on its IP Connect service, bringing coherence to hybrid networks and addressing issues such as availability, performance, economics and security.

The first offers launched today include application-aware network performance monitoring as standard for larger global network contracts and trials for 100 Mbps internet access as part of IP Connect Global for enterprise customers.

To realise possibilities in the cloud, customers require improved performance and availability of multiple cloud-based applications.

They connect to different cloud providers and at the same time data in the cloud has to remain secure at all times. To help CIOs orchestrate their cloud resources, BT has just launched ExpressRoute with IP Connect, allowing customers to bypass the public internet when connecting to the Microsoft Azure cloud.

BT is also launching today a special trial offer for its Cloud Compute customers with connectivity to the BT cloud via its IP Connect Global network.

And reinforcing its collaboration portfolio, BT is launching a number of offers that bring the latest unified communications services to its customers.

Nor is that all, BT is also launching a new solution connecting employees' devices to the corporate network securely, and delivering the benefits of mobile working with minimal capital outlay and a flexible pricing model.

BT is also proposing special offers, including trials and special discounts, for mobile device management and mobile application management. Additional services and offers aimed at helping customers perform anywhere will be launched throughout the campaign.

Luis Alvarez, chief executive BT Global Services, said: "Harnessing the possibilities in today's world takes creativity and innovation. Today's connected world offers unlimited possibilities to our customers to make creative connections leading to real business outcomes.

"Exploiting the potential of our portfolio and leveraging our BT Advise team of professional services specialists, we are committed to enable our customers to orchestrate intelligent hybrid networks with a high level of security, while maximising the performance, flexibility and control offered by the cloud.

"Our offers also cover services that provide great collaboration experiences as well as graceful, seamless mobility. All our efforts this year are designed to help our customers become masters at the art of connecting."

Nimans is to stage an open day for resellers keen to learn about the latest Mitel and Aastra merger developments.

Key figures from the manufacturer and distributor will outline future strategies and plans along with product demonstrations, prize draws and a free lunch on the agenda.

Nimans is the exclusive distributor of the Aastra 400 system series and the June 17th event is open to new and existing resellers.

"This is a must-attend event for anyone selling or considering moving into the Aastra product set," says Paul Burn, Head of Category Sales at Nimans. "These are exciting times for the brand and we're looking forward to outlining how it will be positioned moving forward, as part of a key strategic platform under the Mitel umbrella.

"Both ourselves and Aastra, a Mitel company, want to engage face-to-face with customers new and old so they will leave with a clearly defined strategy about how they can move their own businesses further forward. Mitel is committed to continued investment in the Aastra 400 portfolio. It's a great opportunity."

Visitors will also learn about the latest leasing opportunities and a new range of handsets.

Focus Group has marked its 10th anniversary year of trading with a significant award win that recognises the firm's sales and marketing expertise.

For ten years the company has built on its product portfolio and focused particularly on developing a strong workforce and service ethos that has attracted 7,000-plus customers to date - and earlier this month the firm scooped the Overall Sales Team of the Year award at the Comms Dealer Sales Awards.

Co-founder Chris Goodman stated: "From our original vision of selling calls and lines and being an organisation based around telecommunications, Focus Group has evolved and grown into one of the industry's most trusted providers.

"It's exhilarating and extremely rewarding to see what was once just an idea develop into a vibrant company that services thousands of businesses.

"I'm proud of the team, who with hard work and innovative technology, have made the group what it is today."

Olive Communications has entered into a joint initiative with Vodafone which will see the two companies join forces to drive sales of the network operator's wider converged solutions portfolio.

The joint initiative affords Olive full access to the Vodafone UK portfolio of products and services across mobile, fixed telephony, data and cloud-based applications and services. Olive will work in conjunction with Vodafone's direct sales team to offer customers converged connectivity and communication services designed to drive business improvement.

Head of Vodafone Partner Services Rob Mukherjee commented: "Olive's continued commitment in aligning to our strategy of supporting British businesses in finding 'Better Ways of Working' has created a real desire from both parties to forge a more strategic partnership, underpinned by our two companies putting real skin in the game."

The agreement, which came into effect as of 1st May 2014, sees commitment from both organisations to build and develop a specialist team within Olive, to work alongside Vodafone to sell its converged portfolio and complement its direct offering in the UK.

The arrangement is considered a blueprint for the future as Vodafone looks to develop its channel strategy to incentivise capable partners to sell and support its widening portfolio, to better satisfy the needs of their customers.

Olive will work closely with Vodafone to create and refine processes which will deliver a 'best-in-class' customer experience and enable the network operator to scale this initiative within its indirect channel.

Olive's Chief Executive Martin Flick commented: "Our relationship with Vodafone and the support they have provided us with has already helped drive our growth plans.

"This extra support now takes us to the next level. During the past year our business strategy has started to yield significant results, and the joint initiative will now build upon that success.

"There is a huge amount of synergy in the strategy of the two organisations which has proved a great foundation to developing the relationship.

"The communications revolution is in full swing, and through various acquisitions, the Vodafone portfolio is developing in line with customer demand, towards Unified Communications residing within the core network."

As a result of the joint initiative, Olive's Converged Solutions team will work exclusively with Vodafone to design, deliver and support complex multi-product solutions in the enterprise market.

Mukherjee added: "Olive has embraced Vodafone's strategy. Its proximity to customers and their experience in using technology to solve business challenges means they are ideally placed to deliver innovative, relevant solutions."