8x8 Closing 2020 Strong

Sharks must never stop moving. Literally life depends on it. For cloud communications providers, the reality is not much different. Resting on laurels is a surefire recipe way to fall behind the pack, and be forced to fight for the scraps. There’s chum in the water. It would be a shame to miss out on the feast.

8x8 is zeroing in a strong close to 2020, a year so many are ready to put in the rearview mirror. In this week alone, we’ve seen CEO Vik Varma step away, his replacement named and a new solution released.

Let’s start with the goodbye. AS CEO, Vik Varma is credited with building a $500 million SaaS business, brining in more than a million licensed uses and added over $1.5 billion in market capitalization.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to lead the 8x8 team over the past seven years as we’ve built the world’s best cloud communications platform,” said Vik Varma. “Our success is founded upon our employees and values, foremost of which is delighting our customers. I look forward to assisting as an advisor during the transition and am confident that Dave and the 8x8 team will take our current success to the next level.”

Stepping into Varma’s shoes is no small feat but new CEO Dave Sipes is savvy veteran of space, joining 8x8 after serving as COO at RingCentral assisting its ascension from $10 million to more than a $1 billion in revenue. The board is squarely behind Sipes.

“We believe Dave, with his operational expertise, strong industry background, and world-class go-to-market leadership, is the right leader at the right time to fully realize our potential,” stated Jaswinder Pal Singh, 8x8 Chairman of the Board. 

Sipes comes into office as the 8x8 Open Communications Platform, a release targeted at driving digital transformation, boosting employee productivity and enhancing customer experiences from anywhere on any device. The new release promises a frictionless user experience, expanded global presence and user-friendly administration.

“A modern, seamless platform matters. Owning the fully integrated cloud technology stack, from voice, team chat and meetings to contact center, enterprise APIs and programmable applications, enables us to rapidly inject new, innovative capabilities across the 8x8 Open Communications Platform via our microservices architecture,” said Dejan Deklich, Chief Product Officer at 8x8, Inc. 

Only time will tell what happens with 8x8, but all signs point toward rising revenue as there is no shortage of demand. The cloud communications provider keeps on the move, continues to innovate and the open platform provides a pathway to future proof communications.

Are your communications in the cloud?

Edited by Maurice Nagle