2Pager on ALE – Verticals and Rainbow
These are turbulent times for UC vendors as re-invention and innovation are critically important as the basic UC proposition matures. Some companies are ahead of the curve, and some are (fatally?) behind. In many ways Alcatel-Lucent is ahead. The company…
Enterprise Connect 2017 2Pager
This 2Pager is admittedly a little less complete than usual. I had a pretty tough EC17 – I think it was food poisoning but who knows. It’s a shame because it’s typically my busiest week of the year. I even adjusted…
2Pager on 8×8 Communications Cloud
On March 8, 8×8 issued two press releases that describe 8×8’s vision of a Communications Cloud. What does it all mean? Download this 2Pager (add to cart). For additional information see my post on NoJitter. On March 8, 8×8 issued…
2Pager on Avaya Engage
I’ve been asked regularly about my opinion on Avaya ever since attending Avaya Engage. My answer is “it’s complicated.” In many ways everything is just great. The conference was well attended. The mood was good. The vendors in the expo…
Mitel 2016
I recently attended a Mitel overview and have made a 2Pager available below. I love it when a company does something so obvious that it’s actually unique. I have to give recognition to Mitel for it’s ingenious approach to the…
Microsoft Announces Microsoft Teams
When I describe Workstream Messaging I inevitably make a reference to Slack. That’s about to change as most of the world is about to discover the concept from Microsoft with its newest offer: Microsoft Teams. There was a rumor sometime ago…
Polycom 2016
Video is on my mind. Not just because it improves engagement or because I use it daily. I just completed a 10 day video-oriented trip that included detailed briefings with the CEO of Vidyo in New Jersey, Cisco’s Video team…
Microsoft Ignite 2016
2Pager update on Skype4B post Microsoft Ignite 2016. Microsoft used to host the Lync Conference which was dedicated to … Lync. That conference has folded into the larger Microsoft Ignite conference which covers the entire enterprise portfolio. Skype4B wasn’t even mentioned…
UC and Conferencing
Every organization has its own approach to collaboration, and often each team has its own way of collaborating. The way one department or group of employees works together as a team may not be appropriate for another group. And how…
IoT Networking Guide
The Internet of Things (IoT) is not about the Internet. Many IoT devices don’t even connect to the Internet. IoT is really about enchanted things. The Internet of Things (IoT) is not about the Internet. Many IoT devices don’t…
IBM and Cisco at the Sametime
IBM and Cisco announced two new partnerships recently: IoT and Watson Collaboration and Watson Both IBM and Cisco see partnerships as a strategic way to expand their businesses. That seems obvious, but in previous times both companies were on solo missions. These…
Interactive Intelligence 2016
There are several reasons I enjoy Interactive Intelligence: They are friendly – a mid-west company from Indiana. They are not too big – people seem to know each other. There’s no totally separate or unrelated divisions (that I know of). They not too small….
Update on Genband 2016
Genband provides real-time communications software and solutions for service providers, integrators, and enterprises. Its brand is well known within the industry, but not particularly well with end-users largely because its channel partners use their own brands. I attended their partner event,…
Vonage Acquires Nexmo
Surprise! Vonage announced its intent to acquire Nexmo. The surprise wasn’t Nexmo, I’ve been expecting someone to acquire them – the surprise was Vonage – at least at first. Nexmo is a CPaaS provider, the new cool thing. Nexmo is in…
Huawei 2016 Update
I attended the recent Huawei Analyst event in China in April, and learned there is more to UC than we see in the US. It turns out there is a giant firm out there that is doing just fine in…
Enterprise Connect 2016
Download this free 2Pager on the industry event of the year. Bottom line – this industry is changing – the solutions, value props, and the vendors – and that’s a good thing. Download this free 2Pager on the industry event…
Update on Avaya
Metaphorically, Avaya gets the onion award. There are so many layers to this company. Actually, about 10. Let’s try: Legacy: There’s a ton of old blue (Nortel) and red (Avaya) out there – I still run into Merlins. Tech powerhouse: I…
State of Unify (Atos)
Unify hosted an analyst and consultant outreach event in January 2016. This TalkigPointz 2Pager offers a high-level summary of the two-day event along with some opinion. Additional notes: Unify hosted an analyst and consultant outreach event in January 2016. This TalkigPointz…
ShoreTel to Acquire Corvisa
This one honestly surprised me. While Santa was distracted, ShoreTel decides to buy Corvisa. It surprised me because less than a year ago ShoreTel’s big marketing message was “ShoreTel One.” ShoreTel acquired M5 Networks back in 2012 and has been…
Spark and Skype for Business
I just spent three days at the Cisco Collaboration Summit where the company unveiled a fairly significant vision. It was far too broad to attempt to capture in a 2Pager. In a nutshell, If Cisco delivers on its its expanded service…