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ITEXPO: Vonage Means Business

October 06, 2015

By Maurice Nagle - Web Editor

Vonage, focused on the business of better, is providing firms with award-winning business communications that improve productivity, the bottom line and save money in the process. In today’s enterprise world it is mission critical to leverage available technology for a must needed leg up on the competition. Utilizing cloud technology provides for seamless communication across devices and ensures collaboration at its fullest.


Business moves at the speed of innovation, and this week in Anaheim ITEXPO, the only show that illustrates the next frontier of communications, is in full swing. And, Regional Vice President for Channel Partner Sales Skyler Stewart took some time to speak with TMC about the communications space, Vonage and ITEXPO.

Have we finally reached an inflection point with Unified Communications adoption? What is driving or hindering the market?

The market for UCaaS is predicted to grow more than 20 percent annually over the next five years to become a $10 billion industry. Despite that tremendous growth, today that market is only 15 percent penetrated. There is an enormous opportunity here for providers in this space to educate and provide thought leadership on the benefits of moving business communications to the cloud, from both a cost efficiency and employee productivity standpoint. As this happens, I think we’ll see rapid adoption of cloud communications as more companies understand the full breadth and depth of how moving their communications to the cloud can positively impact their business.

Today, businesses are comfortable using cloud services. Now, it’s just a matter of helping them to see the value of having their phone system in the cloud with the added benefit of unifying their communications.

How do you feel collaboration software/services are helping workers today?

Companies want to integrate communications with everyday workflow and business applications for greater productivity and efficiency.  This type of service is in high demand because, until recently, it could only be obtained through traditional, much more expensive on-premises PBX systems. From tracking business leads to providing top-tier customer service, unified communications make an integrated approach to business communications much more attainable.

Has corporate awareness of security threats increased over the past year?  Have security practices been adjusted as a result?

Security and reliability of service continues to be a priority with business customers of all sizes and providers must be prepared to offer solutions with the capability for greater security, redundancy and faster recovery of data in real time, across multiple locations. On the other side of that, growing companies will implement defined strategies for technology needs to ensure the best overall choice in cloud solutions – or any other service – based on cost, performance, reliability and, most importantly, security.

If your mobile device had integrated software that allowed you to separate your business and personal apps, would you use it?  Why or why not?

Absolutely. Any technology that offers the flexibility to work anytime, from anywhere, from any device allows me to do my job better, no matter where I am.

How is cloud computing shaking up your product/service offerings?

The cloud is just a better way to deliver communications. Whether a business is large or small, unified communications delivered via the cloud can help companies save money and work more efficiently by boosting productivity with enhanced functionality, mobility and scalability.  

Vonage’s growth in the UCaaS space over the past two years, with an ever-evolving  and compelling range of cloud-based solutions to address a wide range of businesses, has not only changed the way we go to market but also the way our customers do business.

Are channel partners keeping up with the latest products and services or is more training required?

Training is an ongoing need in an industry that is constantly evolving. Our Channel Partners are proactive, consistently attend our monthly webinars, read our monthly newsletters and seek input for our Regional Channel Managers to stay on top of the latest enhancements and new products.

Samsung Mobile is making a direct move into the enterprise market with its latest line of corporate-centric devices.  Can Samsung successfully take the corporate market share that once belonged to BlackBerry or will the enterprise mobile market remain entirely fragmented?

I believe there are limitless opportunities and the market is too big for one vendor to own it

completely. Competition is healthy – it makes us all better.

What, if any, wearable tech products do you use?  How do they make you more productive?

My Androidwear Moto360Gen1 smartwatch has become an integral part of how I stay organized and focused. The feature I like most is the interruption control. I am able to glance at my watch and triage the incoming communication: Who is it? Do I think it needs immediate attention? This lets me quickly get back to what I was focused on doing. Task management is also a great feature of this device, which sends me alerts that I have set throughout the day.

Will wearable tech become a major enterprise technology?  What will drive or hinder adoption?

The concept of wearables has been present in several vertical markets for a while (i.e. the pager). Adoption will be driven by these verticals, such as the use of wearable communications devices in hospitals by doctors, nurse and other health care staff.

WebRTC went through a very significant hype cycle.  Will its use cases and adoption live up to that hype?

I believe so.  There are some meaningful solutions that have been built on WebRTC’s offering of open, cross platform capabilities. Whenever you have tools like that, people will find interesting ways to use it. That’s what we expect to continue to see as WebRTC continue to be developed, particularly in the area of customer service, web collaboration and communications.

What technology has had the greatest impact on your ability to perform your job in the past year?  Explain.

Mobile broadband availability and bandwidth have become key to my job performance, as is the ability to connect to my business applications when I am out of the office. This is something our customers are telling us, as well. Just being connected is no longer enough. I am increasingly dependent upon having access to good bandwidth wherever I am and integrating with business applications I rely upon to do my job, such as CRM. This mobile connection to everyday workflow means that it really doesn’t matter where I am to do my job and to do it well.

What technology has had the greatest impact on your personal life in the past year?  Explain.

My answer is, not surprisingly, similar to the question above. Mobile broadband availability and bandwidth allow me to stay connected in both my personal and professional lives.

What innovations do you expect to see in the business communications world in the next year?

Over the next year, the evolution of solutions to bring communications together will continue. Whether it is via mobile device, desktop phone, computer, on-the-go or in the office, we’ll see the adoption of more communications tools that will let you seamlessly communicate across all of these platforms so that you’re always able to project your business presence, however and wherever you choose.

Though not new, I also believe we will see an increase in free public WiFi, more wired locations, and more access to high speed bandwidth across the board.

What are you looking forward to at ITEXPO Anaheim?

We look forward to creating awareness that “Vonage Means Business” and to demonstrating our unique and very robust product offering for businesses of all sizes, from SMB to enterprise customers.

Why should attendees come to visit your booth?

Attendees visiting the Vonage booth will experience live demonstrations of the Company’s latest products, including the workflow integration of voice services into CRM platforms for greater employer productivity, efficiency and mobility.




Edited by Kyle Piscioniere

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