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H1-B Visas

April 12, 2007

The US has a chronic shortage of technology workers. Sure the job market has gone up and down over the past decade but today, we need more tech workers at various levels and it seems being a programmer or engineer has lost its glamour in the US. So where does this leave US-based business?

Some top tech leaders have said the need for foreign tech workers is infinite. It is tough not to believe this is true with the opening of US company research centers all around the world.

According to Internetnews, one day after the opening of the H1-B visa program process, the 2008 allotment of 85,000 H1-B visas was gone. Last year it took a month.

It is scary how out of touch the government is according to this article. Technology is a crucial cornerstone of the future of the US yet politicians seem to refuse to acknowledge the need for the US to have better access to foreign-born talent.

Politicians and other critics say we should rely on domestic workers but I can tell you from experience the number of resumes submitted to tech ads are far fewer than even in 2000. My experience is in Fairfield County, CT (where we are looking for an entry level web programmer – send me an e-mail if you want to apply) but the situation is not that different in other major metropolitan areas.

The numbers show the demand for H1-B visas is huge yet the politicians’ think it is more important to protect domestic jobs than to listen to business. This is a noble goal (and I am all for US job creation) but if American workers are not so interested in the technology field – and they obviously aren’t, then something must be done.

According to Bill Gates, "It makes no sense to tell well-trained, highly skilled individuals – many of whom are educated at our top universities -- that they are not welcome here. We have to welcome the great minds in this world, not shut them out of our country."

"Scientists like Albert Einstein were born abroad but did great work here because we welcomed them," Gates said. "The contributions of such powerful intellects have been vital to many of the great breakthroughs made right here in America."

The technology markets move quickly. We need tech workers to fuel the next generation of US-based innovation today. Let’s raise the H1-B limit immediately while still safeguarding the needs of American workers. But let’s do it quickly before we allow other countries to take advantage of these open jobs.

After all, if American companies can’t do their R&D and development on our shores, they will continue to open offices in other countries where the talent exists. Personally I would rather have more tech workers in the US paying high taxes than continue sending work to other countries. It is time to send letters to our politicians telling them to increase the quota of H1-B visas which will allow companies to do more of their development work in the US instead of being forced to outsource.

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IMS Awards

April 12, 2007

TMC recently announced the first ever IMS Leadership awards which will be found in the April 2007 issue of IMS Magazine.

Here is a teaser:

Atreus Systems

BroadSoft Inc.

CommuniGate Systems

For a full list be sure to check out this release.

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Birds from Dinosaurs

April 12, 2007

Apparently the concept of birds evolving from dinosaurs has gone from hypothesis to theory but scientists are at odds over whether T. rex tasted like chicken. ;-)

Read the full story at CentreDaily.com

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Is Vonage the New Google

April 12, 2007

Now hear me out. I realize the title of my article is baffling and your brain is already calculating all the different ways you will flame this piece with negative comments.

You may be thinking of all the differences between these two companies. For example: Google makes money and Vonage does not. Google can easily afford the lawsuits it is in. Google is not being threatened by Verizon to be shut down. I am sure there are a number of other comments you may be thinking as well like how it may be time for me to retire or rethink my career as a writer.

But before you get a chance to think seriously about any of the above, hear me out.

Vonage is absolutely everywhere. They get more press than virtually any company out there in technology. Just take a look at the sampling at the bottom of this page of the press they received from top sources regarding a CEO replacement and some layoffs. Last week there was a potential for the company to get shut down and I received calls from almost a dozen reporters for analysis on Vonage, the VoIP and IP communications space.

All this for a VoIP company? This is a PSTN replacement after all. Is the company worthy of just so much press.

The irony in all this is if you talk to many bloggers who follow the IP communications market they have little positive to say about internal Vonage PR.

Bearing this in mind the fact the company has become a media darling is absolutely amazing. Now by media darling I mean it in the Donald Trump sort of way which means there is no such thing as bad press. Sure many are writing about how the company is doomed and they don’t know what they are doing but in reality the more press they get the more free publicity they get.

If they can get beyond this patent mess – and many people believe the Verizon patents are too broad and really shouldn’t have been granted in the first place, then Vonage has a chance of growing even more quickly.

In the blogosphere I am one of the few who thinks this company has a future and a potentially bright one at that. So far I would have predicted the company would have a higher stock price but then again until today there hasn’t been a serious goal of generating profit.

We are talking after all about a company with about three million customers. That is $60/month in revenue at a minimum. This is no small sum. The company’s base just grows and grows. If nothing else Vonage is the undisputed VoIP marketing king.

The question is whether Citron and company will continue to focus the company on profit now… Cut the cost of customer acquisition and generate earnings. At three million customers they are a formidable force and the company has real value now.

Let’s see how they navigate through the sea of patent issues and if they can focus more on external damage control. The media just seems to love to write about this company… The question is whether the New Jersey based VoIP services leader will give them something positive to write about in the near future.

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Here is a brief sampling of the press Vonage has received over their recent restructuring courtesy of Google News:

Vonage Holdings chief executive steps down amid legal setbacks ...
San Diego Union Tribune, CA - 1 hour ago
By Bruce Meyerson. AP. NEW YORK – Vonage CEO Michael Snyder resigned Thursday as the troubled Internet phone company reported weak preliminary first-quarter ...

Vonage chief executive steps down
Boston Globe, MA - 1 hour ago
By Bruce Meyerson, AP Technology Writer | April 12, 2007. NEW YORK --Vonage CEO Michael Snyder resigned Thursday as the troubled Internet phone company ...

Vonage CEO Resigns, Company Outlines Cost Cuts
FOX News - 1 hour ago
Vonage CEO Michael Snyder resigned Thursday as the troubled Internet phone company reported weak preliminary first-quarter results and announced a ...

Vonage Founder Citron Replaces Chief, Plans Job Cuts (Update5)
Bloomberg - 1 hour ago
By Amy Thomson. April 12 (Bloomberg) -- Vonage Holdings Corp. founder Jeffrey Citron replaced Michael Snyder as chief executive officer after spiraling ...

Vonage’s Chief Executive Steps Down
New York Times, NY - 2 hours ago
By LAURIE J. FLYNN. The Vonage Holdings Corporation announced the resignation of its chief executive today and said that Jeffrey A. Citron, the company’s ...

Vonage Chief Executive Steps Down
Houston Chronicle, TX - 3 hours ago
By BRUCE MEYERSON AP Technology Writer. © 2007 AP. NEW YORK — Vonage CEO Michael Snyder resigned Thursday as the troubled Internet phone company reported ...

Vonage Chief Executive Steps Down
Forbes, NY - 3 hours ago
By BRUCE MEYERSON 04.12.07, 12:31 PM ET. Vonage CEO Michael Snyder resigned Thursday as the troubled Internet phone company reported weak preliminary ...

Vonage chief executive steps down
BusinessWeek - 3 hours ago
By BRUCE MEYERSON. Vonage CEO Michael Snyder resigned Thursday as the troubled Internet phone company reported weak preliminary first-quarter results and ...

Vonage chief executive resigns amid legal setbacks
Houston Chronicle, TX - 4 hours ago
AP. HOLMDEL, NJ — Vonage Holdings Corp. CEO Michael Snyder resigned today as the troubled Internet phone company announced a restructuring plan that ...

Vonage chief executive steps down
BusinessWeek - 4 hours ago
Vonage Holdings Corp. CEO Michael Snyder resigned Thursday as the troubled Internet phone company announced a restructuring plan that includes an ...

Vonage CEO steps down
Canada.com, Canada - 5 hours ago
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Internet phone company Vonage Holdings Corp. said on Thursday its chief executive stepped down and it plans to cut jobs and costs, ...

Vonage CEO resigns, cost-cutting moves planned
Macworld, CA - 5 hours ago
By Peter Sayer, IDG News Service. Vonage Holdings CEO Michael Snyder resigned, the company said Thursday, at the same time announcing moves to cut costs. ...

Vonage CEO steps down
Reuters - 6 hours ago
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Internet phone company Vonage Holdings Corp. (VG.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Thursday its chief executive stepped down and it ...

Vonage CEO steps down; cuts jobs and expenses
Reuters.uk, UK - 6 hours ago
NEW YORK, April 12 (Reuters) - Internet phone company Vonage Holdings Corp. (VG.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Thursday its chief executive stepped ...

Vonage's CEO Snyder Steps Down
eWeek, MA - 6 hours ago
By Reuters. NEW YORK—Internet phone company Vonage Holdings Corp. said on Thursday that its Chief Executive Officer Michael Snyder stepped down and that it ...

Vonage Chief Executive Steps Down
Forbes, NY - 6 hours ago
AP 04.12.07, 9:30 AM ET. Vonage Holdings Corp. CEO Michael Snyder resigned Thursday as the troubled Internet phone company announced a restructuring plan ...

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Crippled Mobile Phones

April 12, 2007

I have written in the past that the iPhone could be responsible for opening up the cell phone world by forcing carriers to give use better devices. Moreover it was my hope that cell phone carriers would see the light as Apple’s newest mobile phone would prove that by not unduly crippling a device you could sell even more of them and even more service as a result.

It seems sadly that my vision if it happens will be in the long term as Andy Abramson points out today that European carriers seem to be following the lead of the Americans by beginning to not quite cripple phones but at least make them less useful and less VoIP friendly.

I for one am not surprised by this but it is always a sad day when consumers loses out on the benefits of being able to communicate in the way they find most suitable. Instead, wireless carriers seem to be convinced they know what’s best for all.

Of course these carriers do make money from selling minutes. In addition, carriers in the US are pretty smart in subsidizing phones with less functionality and thus ensuring they boost minutes used.

When Verizon sold devices with crippled bluetooth they received a class action suit as a result. I wonder what happened with this lawsuit. One wonders if further phone crippling will result in further lawsuits.

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Webinar Update

April 12, 2007

TMC’s marketing team is apparently very generous as I found out today they are giving away a TiVo Series2 Dual Tuner 80-hour DVR in a drawing to one lucky webinar attendee.

I would be remiss in my responsibility if I did not bring to your attention that you could be the lucky winner of this device. Personally I don’t have TiVo in my house (yet) as I am under the impression TiVo users watch more TV and I watch quite a bit already.

Enjoy the webinars and good luck in the drawing.

IP Media Servers and IMS: Key Enablers for Voicemail and Unified Messaging

April 19, 2007

2:00pm ET

11:00am PT

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Securely Enabling VoIP Remote Users

May 1, 2007

2:00pm ET

11:00am PT

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Also be sure to check out the webinar page for archived events and an upcoming schedule.

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Vonage to Focus on Profit

April 12, 2007

Jeffrey Citron will replace Michael Schneider as CEO of Vonage. It seems Wall Street is happy with this move as the stock price has increased somewhat on this news.

In addition the company has instituted a hiring freeze and layoffs of 180 workers or about 10% of the workforce according to CNBC.

Vonage also says they are just shy of the 3 million customer milestone which is a fantastic achievement.

Having Citron back is CEO is great news for the company as he is responsible for building Vonage into the strong brand it is today. Unfortunately blame can be placed on him for building a market-share at all cost company.

Hopefully the layoffs could be a sign that Citron is serious about achieving profitability. Jeffrey has got to focus on profit now more than ever if he wants to gain Wall Street’s blessing and get the stock price to start moving in the positive direction.

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