Head of Communications Phil Adams says that distributors have been talking the UC talk for some time but none have come close to Micro-P in being able to offer a complete set of technology, applications, services and skill sets.
“Only Micro-P can deliver the complete converged package that will allow channel partners to select all the elements that their customers require in order to put together the right unified communications solution that fits their need. From comms platforms to LAN/WAN infrastructures, PCs at the desktop and mobile devices, we have the solutions that system integrators and partners need. It is our ability to truly deliver end to end technology that sets us apart from those that can only talk about UC solutions.”
Talking against a background in which Adams says he gets asked by channel partners on a daily basis what his company is doing about hosted PBX and cloud based applications he said, “We have observed these markets for some time to see if and how they would develop and mature. There have been a number of obstacles, not least of which has been the vested interests of end-user comms and IT teams but now, with a new, younger and more enlightened breed of personnel heading up a single converged end user voice and data team the time is right for Micro-P to move in the hosted PBX and applications markets.”
Micro-P is therefore launching a new and exclusive distribution agreement with TeleWare which will see the Yorkshire based company’s hosted SIP services, contact centre, FMC and auto-attendant products brought to a wider market.
Adams says, “In our experience many end users, for example contact centres, over egg their requirements due to seasonal needs with the result that they over specify the purchase of their communications infrastructures to the point where for 80% of the year they are only utilising 60% of their communications resources.
With our new Hosted Services offering, we are working towards offering a level of flexibility which means the user can purchase and use what they need when they need it, in line with market or operational needs, ensuring the return on investment opportunity is always maximised.
Analyst Frost & Sullivan tend to agree when they published earlier this year in its Hosted IP Telephony and UC Services Market report that the European market was worth €900m (£781.8m) in 2010 and will hit €4.6bn five years from now. The analyst also said that the market needed a coherent distribution strategy to succeed and from now Micro-P will be supplying that model.”
“This is an exciting opportunity for our channel partners,” said Adams, “Traditional voice resellers looking for cloud or hosted based models as well as more data centric VARs versed in software only recurring revenue models will be able to supply this rapidly expanding market.”
Steve Haworth, CEO at TeleWare said, “We believe our new relationship with Micro-P is a powerful way to bring the PBX Hosted services to more businesses in the UK. Our complimentary skills will mean we are able to provide support for a larger number of resellers. The sales and marketing expertise and channel management skills of Micro-P are highly complementary to our own. Beyond the initial launch at Convergence Summit South we are offering IP Extensions, SIP Trunking and inbound call management services. Looking further ahead we are already in discussions regarding the potential for distribution of our FMC and PMN capabilities for mobile users.”
Adams concluded, “With this move Micro-P is set to shift the market significantly and open up new revenue models for our channel partners. There is an appetite which is growing on a daily basis from the data VAR sector to enter into voice communications and UC and Micro-P has 30 years’ experience of working with these resellers who we know will be keen to pursue the opportunities in a supply model they are familiar with and confident in the support we can provide.
Our ability to deliver and support the full range of converged technologies spanning all elements of Unified Communications is now recognised by both Voice and Data resellers alike and is breathing a new air of confidence into the channel, we don’t just Talk the Talk, we Walk the Walk delivering on all fronts of sales and support.”