July 2006 Archives

On-Demand Call Center

July 21, 2006 1:39 PM | 1 Comment
As more and more call center decision makers are faced with the ability to try hosting their software, I thought it made sense to point out the fact that TMC recently unveiled a new On-Demand Call Center channel filled with information on this exciting and certainly dynamic space.

I know the CRM market is how a huge proponent of hosting and call centers aren’t that far behind. In fact the fact that Oracle/Siebel recently purchased Telephony@Work shows how important this market is to Oracle.

Larry Ellison really doesn’t miss too many trends – remember he has been a supporter of hosted CRM solutions for years.

What is an Animation Worth?

July 21, 2006 1:19 PM | 0 Comments
What is an animation really worth? 100,000 words? Now that’s a lot of words. The point is it may be possible to get your customers buying VoIp products more quickly by allowing them access to animations that explain complex ideas in easy to understand graphics. Here is a recent release from Techtionary for more information:

Cut Sales Prospecting Time, Delay & Confusion
Try Our Exclusive TECHtionary.com Sales Presentations for iPod or PC... Starting at $200
If a picture is worth 10,000 words, an animated online presentation is worth 10 times 10,000.
 
“We cut confusion regarding VoIP and complex technology.  This shortens prospecting sales time, buyer review time, help sales staff understand what they sell, lower customer support costs resulting in increased customer satisfaction.  That is, you can’t sell what you don’t know,” noted Tom Cross, TECHtionary CEO.  “We produce online presentations that are also visually-engaging, fast-paced and fun,” he added.
 
TECHtionary.com is widely acknowledged to be a leading producer of “virtual or animated” product/service web or iPod/PC format online presentations.  These online or iPod/PC presentations are designed for users and dealers of Broadsoft, Sylantro, NEC, Avaya and other VoIP and softswitch providers.
 
Online, iPod or PC presentations are available beginning for as little at $200 each customized with a dealer logo. Samples are available at http://www.techtionary.com (See VoIP Business Issues or How VoIP Works)
 
To get going today, call Tom Cross at 303-594-1694 or email cross@gocross.com.
 
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Still not convinced, read on.
           
In evaluating these new online presentations, Chuck Griffin, iPath CEO, noted its three immediate benefits.  First, when TECHtionary’s VoIP online presentations are shown to prospective customers, complex concepts such as multi-office dialing, integrated access, outlook integration, SIP, and many other operations are reduced to an easy-to-understand format.  He also noted that a “pictionary” presentation reduces the days customers require to evaluate the process.
           
Second, “When it comes to the costs associated with customer support, they can ‘break-the-bank.’  It isn’t the first or second phone call that causes support costs to skyrocket.  These are the result of customer staff turnover and new-hires,” Griffin added.  “The TECHtionary.com Phoneset installation animation on Broadsoft, Sylantro, Cisco, ShoreTel, NEC, Polycomm and other platforms are known to save substantial amounts of time because support calls don’t come in one-at-a-time.  Normally, dealers receive large bursts of support calls, forcing many callers to give up their efforts to obtain explanations for their queries. TECHtionary.com Phoneset animations provide a pictorial approach that greatly reduces the number and length of such phone calls, thus saving thousands of dollars while at the same time providing cost-efficiency and insuring increased customer satisfaction.”
           
Third, Griffin added, “When it comes to client satisfaction, customers seek a relationship with a vendor who will respond during the after-sale period. They want to be sure that new features can be added or changed as new services emerge.  TECHtionary’s online presentations easily meet these and other business challenges.”
           
A user who is thrilled by such new online presentations is Cindy Johnson, Director of Technology, Lee County Schools, Sanford, North Carolina.  “TECHtionary.com animated web online presentations virtually eliminate users’ training problems.  They reduce the hours of classroom time and problems with scheduling. They simplify how and when to provide classes for those who missed a training session.  To sum it up, these presentations have a nice, clean look.”
           
Other sample online presentations can be found at: http://www.techtionary.com/voip
 
Still not convinced.  Look at what people are saying:
 
“TECHtionary's 90-second VoIP web online presentations are an exciting new way to get a quick handle on this often misunderstood new technology.  TECHtionary.com's online presentations provide concise definitions, illustrated by excellent graphics for a huge variety of terms of art from the converged worlds of virtually all communications mediums.  It is a basic and essential learning tool both for the newly initiated and long-time professionals working or planning to work in the industry."  Gary B. Witt - Executive Vice President – Colorado Telecommunications Association
 
“In regard to the new 90-second web online presentations on VoIP, TECHtionary leads the way.  In fact, TECHtionary is as often as good as any sales person as it’s available to customers 7x24 and, most importantly, to the real decision-makers in the organization. TECHtionary also opens up all kinds of new concepts and allows viewers to explore complex issues over and over again until they get it."  Justin Chris-Tensen Vice President & General Manager, Channel Sales
 
“TECHtionary may have finally made VoIP understandable.  These new 90-second web online presentations show "how it works" in terms even my mom would understand.  The "business benefits" make me want to buy today.  As a comprehensive tool, TECHtionary has demonstrated the ability to eliminate confusion, reduce errors, improve self-confidence, and, most of all, avoid the need for representatives to delay their sales activity while awaiting explanations from the home office.”  Peter Meyer - Call Centre Director
 
"How VoIP Works in 90 Seconds" and "Business Benefits of VoIP in 90 Seconds" are great online presentations for anyone who is evaluating VoIP.  I often make presentations to the School Board and these presentations certainly help key decision-makers understand the technology and their benefits faster and easier.  These presentations reduce confusion, are short and to the point and are far more exciting than your typical boring PowerPoint presentation.  In addition, it saves me a considerable amount of time preparing a presentation.  I would encourage any VoIP vendor to get TECHtionary's help in building these online presentations on all their Products and applications.” Cindy Johnson, Director of Technology, Lee County Schools, Sanford, North Carolina.
 
As a consultant and expert witness, I am frequently faced with technology which can be confusing for clients and therefore requires translation into useable information for these clients.  The 90-second online presentations on VoIP produced by TECHtionary.com, for example, can reduce confusion considerably.  In addition, very often, clients have many people involved in various facets of the decision making process.  These online presentations
can help considerably to reduce the evaluation period “wait time” since they are concise, visual and detailed enough for just about anyone.  Paul C. Daubitz – President – ATI-Telemanagement - http://www.ati-telemgt.com/
 
ABOUT
TECHtionary.com produces online presentation including iPod and PC formats sales brochures, virtual installation manuals and animated online presentations.  The company has more than 2,810+ free online presentations on data, internet, wireless, Voice over Internet Protocol, PBX Systems, central office switching, protocols, telephony, telecommunications, networking, routing, IPTV, WiMax, power systems, broadband, WiFi-wireless fidelity and other related technologies available at http://www.techtionary.com.  Thomas Cross is a magazine columnist with many key technology publications and a member of the Technical Board of Advisors for the VoIP-Security Alliance.
He can be reached at 303-594-1694, or cross@gocross.com

IP Unity News

July 21, 2006 11:23 AM | 0 Comments
I was recently in Minnesota and when I was there I didn’t get a chance to check out the massive unified messaging deployment by IP Unity. In my recent tour of the country IP Unity kept coming up again and again as a partner to a number of companies in the service provider space. You figure communications is very important in a place like Minnesota where a few months a year it is too cold to go outside. While I was there I learned that it gets so cold they golf on a frozen lake with colored golf balls. They also build little houses on the lake for ice fishing. Sounds like lots of fun but you’ll wanted some heated gloves if you aren’t accustomed to extreme weather.

ACLU

July 21, 2006 11:14 AM | 0 Comments
The ACLU is not too happy with the AT&T/Bellsouth merger.

Buy Music With no DRM

July 21, 2006 11:03 AM | 0 Comments
DRM or digital rights management can save you a dollar every time you download a song. At least this seems to be the case as Yahoo! and Sony are offering music downloads that are DRM free but are charging $1.99 per song instead of the standard iTunes price of $.99. I think DRM is a great concept but inhibits use of content to some extent. The reason is that every user is different and some want to listen to music in multiple places on multiple devices and DRM is not as flexible as it could be.

So DRM keeps people from truly maximizing their use of the music and other content they pay for.

Here is the article that clued me into this news.

Internet Telephony Publisher’s Outlook August 2006

July 21, 2006 10:39 AM | 0 Comments

Please enjoy by Publisher’s Outlook from the August issue of Internet Telephony Magazine. It was great fun to put this together as I thought back on all the places I have been to in the last few months and of course all the new people I met and old friends I have visited with.

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Hitting the Road in the Name of IP Communications

By Rich Tehrani

I am a blogger. Alas, I have been blogging less often lately. There. It feels much better to get that off my chest. Sometimes it helps to get past something by confessing it. It feels even better to write it in a column that reaches hundreds of thousands of people.

I have a reason for my lack of blogging, and that is customer meetings and speeches. I have been traveling all over the country giving speeches and visiting customers, learning about what is happening in the world of IP communications. Generally, the more meetings I have the more I have to write about, but I may have exceeded the breaking point as I have met so many companies that it has been difficult to write it all up. So I decided to slow down for 24 hours and write up some of the things I have seen. Don’t expect this column to have broad concepts about the industry, but instead lots of juicy tidbits about the most intriguing companies and people I have recently met.

Resellers
Last week, I keynoted at VoIP Sizzles in Miami . The event targets resellers, and at the show there was a great deal of optimism about the future of VoIP products and services. Resellers had a few questions and concerns and were trying to figure out the best products and services to sell. In the exhibit area there was great interest in the Allworx booth among others. Word on the street is that Allworx is doing some very exciting things. The people at the company are more enthused than at any other time - I have known them for years.

I also moderated a panel at the above conference, with Alan Percy of Audiocodes and Michael Baus of Linksys sitting in with me, discussing how resellers can make money in voice over IP. The audience led the session and they were pretty savvy, asking lots of great questions. One of the better ones was related to Skype and the fact that products in the future will likely have to incorporate the Skype protocol so as not to ignore the massive user base of Skype callers in the world. I made a statement that in the next few years I expect all IP communications vendors targeting the enterprise to have Skype support. Even after further reflection, I think this comment is right on.

Another theme echoed by Alan and Michael was that, if you are a reseller, the biggest pitfall you are likely to experience is trying to sell IP communications products and services without adequate training. So make sure you get trained before you sell something.

From there I went to the Synnex Corporation annual conference, which was being held in South Carolina . I met with many more resellers that had some great questions. Most of the questions centered on how to pick a company whose products to resell and also how to sell solutions and not merely push boxes.

For my part, the presentations really focused on this theme. Box pushers will be squeezed out of the reseller business in the next few years so if you aren’t focusing on solutions, you might be history.

Also, there are some traditional interconnects out there. The PBX resellers who refuse to embrace VoIP. Your days are numbered if you don’t evolve.

I really enjoyed meeting all these resellers and I was happy to see that most of the people at these conferences were readers of TMC publications and go to TMC events. It is always great to meet the TMC community in person.

Cisco
I also had a chance to spend a day with Cisco in San Jose and I learned a great deal about the company’s products and services. Cisco’s cable offerings are doing well and they have actually built their own head end on campus, which was extremely impressive. We took a tour of their labs and got to see some of their testing procedures that ensure quality. We then got to see a real live home (of course this was in the lab) laden with Cisco and Linksys products. This was the home of the future if you will, with streaming audio over WiFi, HDTV, etc.

Cisco has always done a good job of branding and one of my favorite taglines from the company is “empowering the Internet generation.” Their new tagline may be “the network is the platform for experience.” I may be paraphrasing but this is the general concept. The point is that podcasting, online dating and other activities are increasingly network-based, and as Sun’s Scott McNealy famously said, “The network is the computer.” Really though, “the network is the experience,” or at least it provides the experience.

Another interesting tidbit from the meeting is that consumer Internet traffic has surpassed business Internet traffic for the first time. This is not good for service providers as consumers pay much less for Internet connectivity. The point is that service providers had better start selling new services soon or they are in for some serious trouble.

Some of the ways to ensure this revenue is generated is by allowing service providers to take advantage of Cisco’s service exchange framework or SEF allowing providers to provide the identity of users and subsequently allowing for things like content filtering, IPTV, and newer concepts like a “turbo button,” which allows a customer to have a speed and QoS bump on their broadband connection for a few days. This could be useful for someone who plans on downloading movies on the weekend for example.

Gizmo
I also had a chance to meet with Michael Robertson who founded MP3.com and who founded SipPhone/Gizmo Project. Gizmo Project is a SIP-based solution that is very similar to Skype and it has been gaining lots of momentum lately. Oh, by the way - the Nokia 770 tablet uses the SipPhone software to provide VoIP service.

Robertson has also founded a company doing AJAX work and as such you can expect to see a Web-based version of Gizmo Project soon and the solution will be heavily integrated with AJAX . AJAX is a technology allowing a Web browser-based application to seem like it is software running locally. Outlook Web Access and Google Maps are examples of AJAX implementations. Expect VoIP to go the way of the Web browser and AJAX and lose that bulky software.

Switchvox
From there we go to another company that has a number of MP3.com alumni called Switchvox. The company makes an easy to use interface for Asterisk phone systems. In my opinion the biggest barrier to greater Asterisk adoption is the difficulty in setting it up. Switchvox helps solve this problem and their interface is really slick and will have more and more AJAX elements over time. I am told practically anyone will be able to manage the system once it is up and running.

Another interesting Switchvox feature is the integrated IVR that is programmable meaning you could build an application allowing customers to call in to check on their account balance and then pay via credit card. The IVR also has Web integration, which allows customers to track packages via the phone as well.

Wireless
I recently met with a Coppercom executive with whom I had a long discussion about how rural LECs are in dire straits if they don’t wake up and smell the wires. Or lack thereof. You see, the next generation is going wireless and if you aren’t figuring out how to keep your customers using your service, you are in real trouble. Attention all regional phone companies! Start selling WiFi networking installation and maintenance, anti-virus support, file transfer services, and backups. And that is just the starting point. If you aren’t looking for new revenue today, you won’t be around tomorrow.

Don’t be afraid to be creative. Get into the photo archiving business. Get into IPTV and carry local stations that aren’t accessible via cable. Broadcast high school football or archived high school lessons.

Coupled with the fact that these companies might soon lose their Universal Service Fund financial support things are looking bleak for those providers who choose to stand still.

SyncVoice
I also met with a company called SyncVoice, who focuses on unified management of VoIP networks in IP communications and especially hybrid networks where vulnerabilities lurk. The company allows an enterprise CIO to manage voice as if it is data and moreover to TiVo the network to play back any problem events if needed.

Unimax
I also got a chance to go to Minnesota and spend time with my old friends at Unimax who tell me that business is going very well and they are in the great position of advising their customers on what VoIP systems to install. The company is well known for their collaboration tools as well as their software for making moves, adds, and changes easy to perform. Basically if you are migrating to IP communications in your enterprise you will benefit from talking to these guys before you migrate. They really have the experience to help you make migration much easier to perform.

Commetrex
I also had a chance to stop in the Atlanta area and see Mike Coffee from Commetrex. His company has been instrumental in making enabling technologies for voice and fax. More recently the company is playing in the IMS space and I expect to see a number of innovative products from them soon. What I like about Mike is that he studies markets thoroughly. I am not aware of that many CEOs that study a new market like Mike does. I am looking forward to getting him to write for our sister publication, IMS Magazine soon.

If you read my columns or if you’ve heard me speak, then you are aware of how I harp about voice communities. Well, one of the best community building sites I have seen is radiohandi.com, which was launched by telecom veteran Brian McConnell. You can SMS a message to group, leave a voicemail that is converted to e-mail and sent, and basically interact with a group in real time via variety of communications modes. This is the ultimate product for a Soccer coach for example. There are myriad business applications here as well.

Miles to go Before I Sleep…
Ironically, as I dropped this article onto the desk of my editor, I was headed out the door for another meeting! This industry is enjoying some tremendous success right now, and the level of innovation and creative energy coursing through the community certainly makes this an interesting trip. Speaking of trips, I’m off again. You can read the daily adventures of Rich Tehrani and even comment on my blog at www.tehrani.com.


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Sidebar

Rich Speaks With NMS Communications’ Mike Katz

RT: Mike, what are your general views on IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)?

MK: Today IMS is in the early adopter stage, however we are starting to see adoption plans from at least the Tier 1 carriers and service providers. Right now there are key deployment and business issues being decided by the market makers. One trap IMS followers do not want to fall into is the belief that IMS will solve everything. In fact, IMS raises the need to differentiate using new applications while enabling subscribers who are using these applications to roam seamlessly to a competitor’s network. The advent of IMS raises tough technical and business issues!

RT: What are some of the types of new IMS applications we can expect to see?

MK: Truly new applications will come from the combinational effect you get when reusing IMS technology elements from different core applications. For example, a video content store used by a SIP application server for a core offering like videomail could be using IMS, easily repurposed to support a video blog, video share application, or a “rich voice call,” not necessarily created by the original vendor but more likely by a new third-party vendor using IMS’s SCIM (service capability interaction manager) layer. This creates a new ecosystem that takes out the “vertically integrated” silos of the past and fundamentally changes the time-to-market for network-based applications.

RT: What are some of the future problems of the all-IP network in relation to the carriers, the customers, the solutions providers, and so on?

MK: The problems are two-fold: technical and business. The technical issues are mostly around clarity of IMS definition in the applications space and interoperability. The business issues in IMS surround applications, what it means to offer one, how the users perceive more value from it (being IMS or not) and how the operators “play nice” among themselves and decide how they will allow subscribers and their applications to roam freely between operators in an all-IMS universe.

RT: Please comment on the importance of interoperability to the all-IP network.

MK: If IMS simply creates bigger and newer “vertically integrated silos” then IMS will have failed, and failed badly. To win in the future telecom market means to make money while providing accessibility and choice to consumers and businesses. Hence interoperability of IMS implementations is a must. Carriers should be able to “mix and match” IMS components within layers for the best possible return on their investment. It’s also true at the application layer as well, requiring a similar interoperability effort from the developer ecosystem. I’d define the unspoken interoperability need between legacy networks and IMS and between operators’ IMS implementations as a major pothole in the road to IMS success.

RT: What is the role of NMS Communications in providing interoperability based on their communication platforms?

MK: IMS comprises 1,500 documents covering 60 network elements across architectural layers. NMS desires to create simplicity and value for its customers. NMS and its partners will provide IMS solutions in service offerings, service components and through its partners’ service test equipment that enable the best of breed and mix and match IMS solutions to exist. This is exemplified by NMS’s pre IMS solutions for rich voice calling (using GSMA standards) from our Mobile Applications group, our Vision server family (IMS-ready) and partners like Empirix building IMS interoperability test equipment with our Open Access family of products.

RT: What revenue generating IMS services we might see evolve over time?

MK: IMS services will initially evolve from simple “legacy replacement” voice applications to more robust and rich offers that include: video sharing, video blogging, mobile TV, interactive gaming, mixed mode messaging (IM to voice/video etc…), presence and location applications (such as playing coupon ads to your 3G mobile when your in range of a particular advertiser in a mall), streaming video service tutorials for fleet service personnel to enable faster, cheaper service repair strategies for commodity products (i.e., copier repairs, mobile Centrex for business, networked-based directory services)… The list goes on.

RT: Will there be enterprise applications or will IMS applications target mostly consumers?

MK: The mix of applications will start with consumer because the vast majority of carriers’ subscribers are consumers. While much has been said about IMS consumer applications, historically consumers have had the least incremental cash to spend on “new applications.” Operators will need to develop more of an enterprise focus for their new applications. Areas to examine include mobile Centrex, (call completion, bridging IP and TDM networks), networked-based directory services (bridging enterprise contact data into a network service) and fleet support services (streaming video tutorial content over IP or 3G-324M services to 3G phones). Consumer applications to watch are video blogging and video sharing.

RT: What do you think of the acquisitions being made in the DSP resource board space?

MK: Some companies come and go, but NMS has been a stalwart and will continue to be one in the DSP resource board market. Our position in this market, along with the hundreds of NMS application partners developed over the last 20+ years puts us in good stead as we move forward to address the challenges I mentioned earlier. It has been said that after a battle the dust will clear, and you need to look to who’s left standing to determine the winner.

Where is Rich Tehrani -- today?

July 19, 2006 6:10 PM | 0 Comments
I have been traveling like never before and have seen nooks and crannies of this fine country. I have seen upstate New York, Massachusetts, Florida, Ohio, South Carolina -- and that was just this morningwink .

Seriously though -- I am not neglecting you -- I have barely had computer time. What I do want to mention is that I am working on my Publisher's Outlook for the next issue of Internet Telephony and it should have a nice recap of what I have been up to. I hope to post it in the next 24 hours or so. Hopefully sooner or Greg and I may no longer be on talking terms.smile

Juniper Kills Kagoor Products

July 17, 2006 12:27 PM | 3 Comments
Light Reading reported that Juniper is killing its Session Border Controller products that were part of the Kagoor acquisition. In recent meetings with Acme Packet, Sansay and others, I was told that Juniper wasn't coming up in competitive bids. So to me this move isn't too surprising. Still the SBC market is growing quickly and there is a great deal of money to be made in this space. What led to this development is probably Juniper not focusing effectively on post-merger integration.

After the acquisition there was a press call that I was on explaining how the synergies between the two companies will help service providers. The synergies are sill there but there needs to be better execution if Juniper wants to go at this market again.

Amcat

July 17, 2006 11:47 AM | 0 Comments
Keep an eye on Amcat. I met with the company recently and they seem to really have passion to succeed in the contact center market. The company has been around for 15 years but new management is really evolving their strategy and will likely be achieving great growth gains.

The company has roots in the predictive dialing market and they have recently evolved into a feature-rich contact center play with focus on inbound and outbound. They recently came out with an IP-PBX and will soon have tight CRM integration (they currently integrate with other CRM solutions and they will soon sell their own). They are no longer a dialer only company, There is CTI, IVR and a full featured ACD. We will keep you posted on how the company is advancing.

Need a PR Job?

July 13, 2006 7:24 PM | 0 Comments
I just came across this job posting and thought some of my readers are likely qualified for this position and may be looking for a change.

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Job Title: Senior Public Relations Manager to Director, Corporate Communications, a new position

Company: NASDAQ traded, our client builds total-delivery solutions for voice, data and video content servers for service providers both in the US and abroad.

Location: East Bay, San Francisco Area

Reports to Vice President, Marketing

Prepared by Judith Cushman, Retained Executive Search, Contact in confidence: jcushman@jc-a.com; 425 392 8660


Our client, a NASDAQ company, is dedicated to building total-delivery solutions for voice, data and video content services for service providers both in the US and abroad. The company designs, manufactures and markets telecommunications/network   equipment worldwide. Its products allow network operators to deliver the newest telecommunication services over existing networks. In addition, it simultaneously allows these network operators to retool for converged packet-base voice (VoIP) data and video (IPTV) over copper or fiber access lines.

In 2005 the company experienced record growth, with revenues at 152 million, an increase of 56% from the previous year. Since its founding in 1999, the company has followed an aggressive acquisition strategy.

The Senior Public Relations Manager/Director of Corporate Communications will step into a new role with the company as the marketing department continues to grow in response to the company's growth. This is the most senior Public Relations position within the organization. It reports to the Vice President, Marketing who, in turn, reports to the CEO and Chairman (one individual.)
 
Goals have been established and a general outline of responsibilities has been spelled out. Since this is a new position, there is flexibility to consider high-achieving candidates at either the Senior Public Relations Manager level ready to step up to the Director level, or a Director with a track record of contributing in a role that is both a strategic and "hands on."

The head of Corporate Communications will work closely with Investor Relations (under the CFO) and the Marcom Director. Initially s/he will be a single contributor, winning the confidence of the leadership team by executing at both the tactical and strategic level.

It will be essential for incumbent to strategize, plan and set objectives for the corporate communications function and demonstrate the ability to execute to that plan. S/he will be an excellent self-manager, disciplined in setting priorities and winning support from senior management for successful execution based upon the goals s/he has set. Excellent upward communication skills are required.

Areas of Responsibility include the following:

Media Relations for the Trade, Business and Financial Publications and other outlets
Financial Media Relations, such as key financial presentations and, contribution to the annual report (working closely with the newly hired head of the Investor Relations department)
Trade Show activities with presentations by key executives (executed in conjunction with the Marcom Group)
(Industry)  analyst relations
Developing a Brand Strategy including the program to launch a company-wide initiative
Thought Leadership activities, such as articles, op eds, and participation in industry-wide forums
International Public Relations liaison (over 40% of revenues come from abroad)
Internal Communications
Web Site content contributor and monitoring the site for appropriate corporate communications messaging

Experience/Skills/Personal Characteristics most desired are:

Minimum 10-years PR experience with demonstrated leadership and strategic capabilities;
High Tech, Business to Business experience is essential
Knowledge of the telecommunications industry is a definite advantage
High Energy and willing to "get the job done" with enthusiasm, whatever is needed.
Hands on doer, effective self-manager, able to prioritize, remain focused and demonstrate results
Flexibility to shift gears quickly as major company events impact communications activities
Emphasis on getting the job done, with the confidence that recognition and greater opportunity will follow excellent performance
Comfortable working in a fast-paced, flat organization
Stretch potential to grow into a broader role as the company expands
Experience and/or interest in international operations
Fluency in a second language is helpful
Team Player, collaborator, yet capable of effectively working on her/his own
 A "business thinker" with the ability to connect communications programs with marketing and company objectives


Compensation: Flexibility regarding the level of the incumbent affords a broad range, approximately from $110k-$140k base salary with stock options, bonus potential and excellent benefits. A relocation program is available if needed.

Sony vs. Apple

July 13, 2006 6:51 PM | 1 Comment
Allowing Apple to take over the music throne is inexcusable. I have long admired Sony and remember when they were the company changing the way the world listened to music. The question is, will they ever regain the throne? In my opinion it will be a very tough and long road to even gain half of Apple's iPod market share.

Then again, there was a time we thought Apple was down for the count. Here is Tom's take on the matter. What's your opinion?

It Was A Race

July 13, 2006 8:07 AM | 0 Comments
From the moment the red-eye flight landed this morning, I tried my best to get to the hotel quickly. I thought there was a chance I could get some sleep in an actual bed before my presentation. After the luggage arrived at baggage claim I dove out the door and got the first cab in the line. The cab driver found the Sheraton Miami Mart Hotel in no time flat. I proceeded to check in and when I got to the desk the person on the other side asked me to wait and then went to the back office for about five minutes.

I kept thinking about how valuable this sleep time was and was very anxious. When she came back she assigned me to a room on the lowest floor. Dave Rodriguez who was traveling with me was upgraded to a suite on what apparently is the penthouse of the hotel. I guess we know who has pull at TMC.

But room location is of little consequence as I reasoned I would get even more sleep as my room was very close to the lobby. Every second counts I thought. Of course I asked for two wake up calls and planned on some much needed R&R which would have totaled about 60-90 minutes.

When I got to the room I tried to hang my suitcase which is one of these garment bags that allows you to hang suits, etc inside of it. Unfortunately the closet was too small to accommodate the suitcase but I persisted.

Then I proceeded to unzip the suitcase and all of a sudden the zipper jammed. Not good I thought. Of course with limited sleep I kept tugging and tugging hoping to get the zipper unstuck.

After a while the zipper decided it wasn't going anywhere and the zipped part began to unzip on its own. I noticed there was a secondary zipper behind the first stuck zipper.

At this point I decided to move the patient to the bed where I could operate more carefully.

Then my brain kicked in. I figured today is my birthday and my luck has to be better. This garment bag was old anyway -- perhaps it is time to buy a new one. I wonder if the Miami Mart which is connected to this hotel sells luggage.

A quick call to the front desk confirmed tat they not only sell luggage but the have name brands at wholesale prices. Happy birthday Rich I thought.

I then decided to yank the primary zipper off the garment bag. This was a feat requiring much exertion. I figured I had nothing to lose and I could always buy another suitcase if I destroyed the suitcase in this manner. After a while it came off and the secondary zipper came to the rescue and closed perfectly.

Well as you can imagine, I was very awake after this ordeal so I called room service, ordered breakfast cancelled my wake up calls and decided to check e-mail. I couldn't log onto the hotel broadband but I am only in the hotel for a few hours anyway... Their loss I figured.

When people ask what I do I am considering telling them I am an airport inspector as I seem to spend so much of my time touring the fine airports of the world.smile

Heading Home -- Almost

July 12, 2006 10:53 PM | 0 Comments
I am at the San Francisco Airport and taking a red eye flight back to Miami. I had a great trip to Silicon Valley. I love it here and can't wait to come back next month and host VoIP Developer. I am giving a presentation to a group of IP communications resellers in the morning at the Miami VoIP Sizzles. I am really looking forward to the presentation but not the flight.
 
Hope to see you there!
 
Oh and if you miss me there perhaps you can see me the next day in South Carolina where I will speaking to a group of resellers at the Synnex National Conference.
 
PS: Tomorrow is my birthday -- hopefully I won't sleep through itwink

AudioCodes Blazing Forward

July 11, 2006 12:33 AM | 1 Comment
In the last few months, AudioCodes has distinguished itself in the field of IP communications by acquiring and striking alliances faster than virtually anyone else. The latest big news is the Netrake Acquisition. What will result from all of this activity certainly remains to be seen but the company is becoming one stop shop for everything IP communications. And the companies they don’t buy, they partner with. I am very interested to see how the new AudioCodes does in the upcoming months.

Mark Spencer Honored

July 10, 2006 4:27 PM | 0 Comments
Congratulations to Mark Spencer for being part of the 30 under 30 coolest entrepreneurs list! Many credit this article by me for bringing open source telephony into the mainstream. I humbly accept this praise as I knew Asterisk would be huge from the moment I learned about it. Now there is an entire ecosystem being built around this platform. Congratulations to Mark on this well-deserved honor.

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Inc.com Names Mark Spencer of Digium to Its ''30 Under 30: America's Coolest Young Entrepreneurs'' Feature

HUNTSVILLE, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 2006--Digium(R), creator of Asterisk(TM) and pioneer of open source telephony, today announced that Mark Spencer, president of Digium, has been named to Inc.com's "30 Under 30: America's Coolest Young Entrepreneurs".

Inc. selected the top 30 entrepreneurs based on their proven ability to run a successful company, manage a company with a novel approach, create a successful or innovative product, and/or otherwise demonstrate their innovative idea in the world of entrepreneurship. Inc.'s article can be found at www.inc.com/30under30.

"I am honored to be included in Inc.'s 30 under 30," said Mark Spencer, president of Digium and creator of Asterisk. "Work has become quite a passion for me and it is very rewarding to receive such recognition."

"Like many of the successful young entrepreneurs on our list, Mark didn't just excel within an industry - he's helping to shape a new one," said Inc.com Senior Editor Rod Kurtz. "Technology has transformed the American economy, and it's idea people like Mark who are leading the charge."

Mark Spencer created Asterisk, the industry's first open source PBX, while still a Computer Engineering student at Auburn University. When faced with the high cost of buying a PBX for his company, Linux Support Services, Mark simply used his Linux PC and knowledge of C code to write his own. This was the beginning of the world-wide Asterisk phenomenon, and caused Mark to shift his business focus from Linux support to supporting Asterisk and opening up the telecom market. Linux Support Services is now known as Digium, and is bringing open source to the enterprise market while gaining a foothold in the telecom industry.

In addition to Inc. Magazine's recognition, VoIP Magazine listed Digium as one of the top 20 companies to watch in 2006 and Network World named Mark Spencer as one of the "50 Most Powerful People in Networking".

About Digium
Digium is the original creator and primary developer of Asterisk, the industry's first open source PBX and Asterisk Business Edition, the professional-grade version of Asterisk. Used in combination with Digium's PCI telephony interface cards, Asterisk offers a strategic, highly cost-effective approach to voice and data transport over IP, TDM, switched and Ethernet architectures.

Digium provides quality hardware and software products that enable telephony applications including legacy PBX, IVR, auto attendant, next generation gateways, media servers and application servers. Digium also offers a full range of professional services including consulting, technical support and custom software development services. Additional information can be found at www.digium.com.
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