Unified Communications

Unified Communications

Sennheiser fills gap in unified collaboration headsets with high-end SDW 5000 Series

June 1, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on Sennheiser fills gap in unified collaboration headsets with high-end SDW 5000 Series
Sennheiser is looking to their first unified communication and collaboration headset to further stimulate their Canadian business, which has already been showing strong momentum.

Hardware

Lenovo reboots Smart Office message with ThinkSmart Hub 500 general availability

May 28, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on Lenovo reboots Smart Office message with ThinkSmart Hub 500 general availability
Lenovo announces the GA of the Smart Office videoconferencing device, developed in partnership with Microsoft, that was announced last fall at Microsoft’s Ignite event. What they deem more important however, is their message to the market that this product is only the start of an initiative designed to make Lenovo a major player in the Smart Office space.

Partnerships

Cloud contact centre software maker 3CLogic unveils native integration with ServiceNow

May 14, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on Cloud contact centre software maker 3CLogic unveils native integration with ServiceNow
3CLogic is partnered deeply with a very select number of vendors, one of which is ServiceNow. The new integration lets ServiceNow reps handle all the interaction with 3CLogic phone support through the ServiceNow interface.

Channel Programs

Plantronics re-invents partner program, expanding support beyond traditional hardware partners

May 1, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on Plantronics re-invents partner program, expanding support beyond traditional hardware partners
Plantronics reworks its channel program to give greater emphasis to implementing their SaaS management solution, and to selling their hardware within broader solutions rather than simply as peripherals.

Hardware

Jabra launches new Engage wireless headset franchise for dense contact centre environments

April 30, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on Jabra launches new Engage wireless headset franchise for dense contact centre environments
The Engage franchise, available in models which connect to two and five devices respectively, and in mono, stereo and lightweight convertible models, is designed for dense contact centre environments, and allows for connection of three times as many wireless headsets with no loss of quality.

Cloud

Going private in $2 billion deal will enable Mitel to be more aggressive in transition to UCaaS

April 24, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on Going private in $2 billion deal will enable Mitel to be more aggressive in transition to UCaaS
Mitel is also emphasizing that their acquisition by SearchLight Capital Partners means business as usual for customers and partners, with no change to the company’s leadership, roadmap or channel programs stemming from the deal.

Channel Programs

Bill Corbin takes newly-created channel role at 8×8 to take channels there to next level

April 24, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on Bill Corbin takes newly-created channel role at 8×8 to take channels there to next level
Longtime Westcon exec Corbin is recruited to 8×8 to become old channel chief Chris Peters’ new boss, and talks with ChannelBuzz about his plans to drive the company’s business forward.

Hardware

Plantronics looks to create one-stop shop across UCC with $2 billion Polycom acquisition

March 28, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on Plantronics looks to create one-stop shop across UCC with $2 billion Polycom acquisition
Plantronics moves far beyond headsets by buying Polycom, which brings them into three additional businesses that are synergistic to their headset core.

Partnerships

Avaya adds Identity-as-a-Service capability through partnership with Post Quantum

March 14, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on Avaya adds Identity-as-a-Service capability through partnership with Post Quantum
The new technology will roll out later this year in a new service, Avaya Mobile Experience, although Canadians will have to wait a little longer, since it will initially be limited to the U.S.

Internet of Things

Arrow Connect IoT integration among new Workflow updates from Avaya’s Zang

March 9, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on Arrow Connect IoT integration among new Workflow updates from Avaya’s Zang
Zang believes that the seven new updates to Zang Workflow will significantly help the channel, by making it easier for them to build customized applications for their customers.