On Rad's Radar Archives - Page 165 of 376

RingCentral IPO and Other Activity

The US dollar isn’t worth what it used to be. Twitter has an IPO filed that estimates the value at almost $13B. Twitter is still growing and on target for $1B in revenue but is losing about $110-$150 million per year. Co-founders Evan Stone and Noah Glass do not own any stock in the company.

In other IPO news, RingCentral raised $90+ million in its IPO. it seems the VoIP VC’s are looking to get some of their cash back after a long wait.

MSP “ITsavvy just acquired CT Networks as part of its growth by acquisition strategy,” according to its press release. ITsavvy will now be able to provide voice solutions from quite a few vendors: Cisco, ShoreTel, Mitel and NEC.

Earlier this year ITSavvy acquired Directech Solutions for its copier and print business.

Hawaii Telcom competes acquisition of cloud computing company, SystemMetrics Corp., to take another step away from being “just” the ILEC.

Intermedia.Net, webhosting company turned cloud services vendor, acquired SaaSID to enhance its Single SignOn features.

Busy month for bankers.

Oh, and Birch refinanced and increased its credit line for more acquisitions. It completed the acquisition of Ernest but not Lightyear yet.

Tags: managed it, mergers, msp, saas, twitter
Related tags: itsavvy acquired, acquired, itsavvy, acquisition, company

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October 2, 2013 , On Rad's Radar

No More TDM

In an effort to speed up the adoption of IP-based voice services (like SIP trunks and VoIP), AT&T has stopped compensating Agents for TDM. No more POTS lines or PRI’s, folks.

It’s funny that this happens now because I have been trying to get an order in for 3 weeks for a PRI in rural Texas. It only took 3 weeks for SBC’s division of AT&T to say, “We can’t port those numbers. Oh, and we aren’t paying you for this either.”

VZ already has TDM off the commission schedule. In Greater Tampa Bay, agents can sell TerraNova Telecom, which is selling inexpensive POTS lines and even ISDN. In SBC land, Agents will need to find a regional CLEC.

Why do you need PRI’s? Reliability for healthcare facilities like hospitals, who don’t want SIP yet. POTS lines are still required in some states by law for elevators and other essential spaces.

Also, for all the bluster, outgoing faxes work better on TDM than IP. Reliable, dependable TDM. In many ways, the dream of Fax over IP and HD Voice requires inter-connections that are still not in place yet.

Why take away TDM? Because AT&T “hopes to be operating an all-wireless, all-IP, all-cloud AT&T network by 2020.” AT&T executives are urging faster FCC review of their plan to retire wired networks. Albeit the government shutdown (which distracted me for a couple of hours yesterday) has delayed it even further.

Verizon’s own plans for copper replacement in NY and NJ have been stalemated by opposition. We still have 7 more years yet.

I still think that the RBOC’s should just separate out the copper network. There are still many uses for copper – and it is already in the ground.

Tags: agents, att, commissions, copper, tdm, vz
Related tags: still, copper, agents, lines

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RBOCs Declare War on CLECs – Dec 06, 2012

Transactional Agents Called Names – May 04, 2012

Verizon Changes Commissions – Jan 31, 2011

VZ Bumps Commissions Again – Sep 13, 2010

I Wonder Sometimes – Sep 11, 2013

The Power of Cable – Aug 29, 2013

Big Agent Win or Scam? – May 02, 2013

Getting Rid of Copper – Mar 13, 2013

Sunset – Mar 06, 2013

Cloudy Math – Dec 10, 2012

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October 2, 2013 , On Rad's Radar

Big Data is Big Smoke

Over 10 years ago, a grocery chain in the Northeast, Stop & Shop, launched the customer loyalty or savings card. You know that card you need to swipe to get the advertised savings. After a couple of years they pulled the card for three reasons: one, the customers weren’t happy with it; two, state law required the store to give everyone the savings anyway (if they asked for it); and three, they weren’t getting a return on the data.

We didn’t have Big data back then. It think back then we called it BI.

Today, just about every store (notably not Publix in Florida) has a savings/loyalty card. What do they do with that data? Well, not much really. They don’t use it to make it easier on customers. Only Walgreens (that I know of) gives you points for usage, which makes it more of a loyalty card than others.

One use is to put as many aisles in your path for milk and bread as possible, so you will buy more. The Consumption Economy in full swing.

If you have children, the grocery store or the pharmacy now have landmines of sugar and toys at every turn – stocked at a child’s eye level to get mom to buy (spend more, raise ARPU)

It is difficult for a store to get as personalized as Amazon, whose website knows you, your shopping habits, purchases, wish list, history, etc. But seriously they don’t try.

Another issue for stores is that for the most part stores are just distribution for brands like Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Procter & Gamble. Like Tech Data or Ingram, retail stores live on a thin margin. Grocery stores see about a 1-3% margin on grocery items. Co-marketing dollars are how they survive and advertise.

Obviously, the store has high margin on its own branded stuff and non-grocery items (like magazines, batteries and impulse buys).

Everyone talks about Big Data, but what is the store supposed to do with it? Mail you coupons to push you to higher margin products? They kind of already do that in bulk. Plus do you think Pepsi wants Publix pushing Coke? Who do you think pays for the coupons and sales? The manufacturers.

Not much different from Tech Data really.

Tags: big data, tech data
Related tags: grocery items, margin grocery, store, grocery, stores, savings

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Comcast and Synnex Equals Added Value – Sep 26, 2013

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The Changing VAR World – Oct 15, 2012

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The Scoop on TDMobility – Mar 23, 2012

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October 1, 2013 , On Rad's Radar

Senate Working on New Shield Law

Since journalism, newspapers and media companies have morphed in the last 5 years, it might be time to write another shield law. I mean, it isn’t like that First Amendment to the US Constitution would cover that. (If we haven’t destroyed the Bill of Rights beyond recognition already.)

“On Sept. 12, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved just such a bill by a 13 to 5 vote. The Free Flow of Information Act would shield anyone associated or once associated with a news-gathering operation — including freelancers, student reporters and bloggers — who is working with the intent to convey information on important matters to the public.” [Benton]

“The shield bill, which is called the “Free Flow of Information Act,” would create a new federal privilege for reporters to protect confidential sources,” according to Benton.

What do you think?

Tags: blogs, politics
Related tags: shield, information

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September 26, 2013 , On Rad's Radar

Comcast and Synnex Equals Added Value

I hear all the time how Agents don’t “Add Value”. Curiously, they never explain what that “added value” is supposed to be. Agents get paid to sell your stuff, isn’t that value enough?

Even more curious, carriers think VARs will add value – again without expressing what that value will be. What value can you add to a dumb pipe?

Well, Comcast Business Adds SYNNEX Corporation to Channel Partner Program as First Distributor Master Agent. My very first thought: being distributed by a VAD is not a value add; it’s a volume add (in theory).

We have seen TWC team with Ingram; XO and Microcorp team with Tech Data; and yadda yadda. I have not seen a press release that says these team-ups work. Maybe it is like Marvel Team-up where the two heroes meet but fight each other before they realize that the enemy is in the shadows.

One extra note: the VADs are becoming the Master Agencies that the carriers are turning to now. Traditional Master Agencies will have to figure out how to carve out a piece of the landscape. And soon.

Tags: agents, comcast, master agency, tech data, value, VAR
Related tags: added value, master agencies, value, master

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