Recently in IP Communications Category

This is a critical time for resellers and agents as the economy is slow and this puts margin pressure on virtually everyone. Moreover access to credit is more challenging today than ever. This puts VARs and integrators in a precarious position as they look to finance deals they have sold.

Every cloud has a silver lining as they say and the precious metal lining resellers need to be intimately familiar with is IP communications as this market is still vibrant with opportunity. Yes, companies are still investing in technology and VoIP and video systems are doing well as they save money and increase productivity.

Video solutions such as telepresence - and even "personal" models in the sub-$10k range are enjoying growth as they save companies travel costs.

For over a decade I have worked with thought leaders in the communications market to educate the channel on how to make money in communications. In the nineties the opportunity was CTI but today it is IP communications. I cannot oversell how much money is being made by resellers in the open-source telephony markets, IP video and SIP trunking. There is a historic opportunity in tech and telecom and it is being quickly discovered by many. The best way to stay ahead of the curve is to come to my Making Money in IP Communications session at ITEXPO in Los Angeles, California in two weeks, Wednesday, September 2, 9:30-11:00 AM.

Be there or miss out  .

As many of you know I carried two devices, a Verizon-based HTC XV6800 and an iPhone. I felt I needed both as the HTC phone was great for making calls and had a keyboard which was handy for long e-mails and blog entries. Cut-and-paste was also something the XV6800 and virtually all devices besides the iPhone had and on more than one occasion this feature was critical in getting a business deal done quickly.

But now that the iPhone has a landscape keyboard and can handle cut-and-paste, I let my two-year Verizon contract lapse and use my iPhone as a phone. The downside of course is I am using my iPhone as a phone. The voice quality has challenges for sure and my calls get cut off in Connecticut fairly often.

But the good news is TechCrunch says AT&T is making a conscious effort to improve its service and in my opinion it has its work cut out for it. My hope is they move rapidly and continue the improvements because Verizon Wireless is so far ahead. At some point if Verizon gets a killer device, perhaps even the iPhone or some other Apple gadget, AT&T Mobility will be in some serious trouble if its network isn't up to snuff.

One of the reasons I can't wait for the 4G Wireless Evolution event in a few weeks in Los Angeles is because I am fascinated by what is ahead in this space. They say you can never be too rich or thin and I would add you can never have enough bandwidth. The (r)evolution to 4G will be very exciting for carriers, device manufacturers, developers and most of all the businesses and consumers consuming massive amounts of content over these ever-faster wireless pipes.

And this my dear readers will make the world a happy place.

Tomorrow at 2:00 PM EST -- August 19, 2009 I will be hosting a webinar on hosted SEO or search engine optimization. I will discuss the benefits of the cumulative experience of hundreds of communications and technology companies and it comes at no cost to you. I hope to see you there.

• Why use Hosted SEO
• How your keywords can quickly achieve high rankings in SERPs
• The benefits of cross-linking
• Why news draws traffic to your Web site
• The flexibility and power of an outside content
  
• management system
• What a 3rd media party can offer

• CMOs, VPs, Directors and Managers of Marketing
• SEO & SEM strategists
• Public Relations, Corporate Communications executives
• Brand Managers

Here are the details and registration information.

As a follow-up to the ITEXPO interviews I posted links to last week, here are the latest responses from the industry. Of particular interest are answers from Doug Mohney who explains how he got into the business by being employee number 11 or 12 at DIGEX. I also found the responses from Eli Katz of XConnect enlightening... If you are interested in peering or IP communications you want to give them a read.

There is so much great information here and I suggest you click all the interviews and read them - these are some of the true thought-leaders in our spaces and they have a wealth of useful information to share. I hope to meet you as well as all the speakers and exhibitors very soon at the show. We are officially 13 days away.

Be sure to register now if you haven't already.

Hi All, it has been a whirlwind here at TMC today as we get ready for ITEXPO in just two weeks! -- perhaps the most important place you need to be this fall. The show will feature some of the most important content in all of IP Communications. For example we may have one of the best keynoters we have ever had - Sir Terry Matthews - and this from a company which has hosted other famous keynoters such as Ron Insana, Carly Fiorina, Al Gore, Tom Ridge, Michael Powell and many others.

Here are just a few of the attractions you and your company cannot afford to miss:

• New! Sipera's UC Security Workshop
• TMC University Courses - Microsoft OCS and Network Security
• Free Reseller Solutions Day Workshop
• New! Avaya's Social Enterprise and Contact Center Workshop
• Free Keynotes: Sir Terry Matthews, ShoreTel - Aspect - Paetec - Alvarion - Clearwire - Interactive Intelligence
• Ingate's Free SIP Trunking Workshop
• 250+ Important Vendors -- Speakers, Exhibitors
• NEW! Three Collocated Conferences - 4GWE, Smart Grid and M2M Evolution
• New Jeep Giveaway

If you are a cable company, you better offer free WiFi. Check out the
dueling WiFI signals found in the Bronx, NY.




Q

On my way out to Dallas from New York's LGA the American Airlines flight I was on had signs all over it telling the world it had internet access. My smile was broad with corners of my mouth certainly touching my ears. I even skipped downloading all my email to my laptop when I got to my seat (a typical ritual) as I could just work remotely when we took off.

I connected to whatever networks I could find when we were in the air but no dice. I rebooted, tinkered, cajoled, complained, sighed, cursed and finally gave up. When the flight attendant passed by I asked for the scoop. "Oh, the signs are up but the Internet access isn't yet." Great way to do business - imagine being a show organizer and doing this? Oh, you wanted to come to ITEXPO September 1-3, well the marketing was up but we didn't get a chance to get to LA in time to host it. Seriously - is this the way to keep customers happy? Perhaps AA is hoping to upset its customers to the point where they will go bankrupt and Obama will bail them out and they can get massive bonuses in the process. It certainly seems to work this way in the auto industry and Wall Street, why not airlines? But if the government does take over the airlines I advise my readers to start driving.

On the way back I was in line to get on my flight and a nice person from GoGo Inflight Wireless came up to me and explained I could use my phone for internet access on the plane and she gave me a coupon to boot. Wow - what a change from the last flight earlier in the week where I had my office call the airline to find out if there was WiFi and they didn't have an answer. I asked the gate agent and she barely knew you could get Internet in the sky. Now I have a coupon, am logged on and am thrilled. Our flight was delayed about 90 minutes or more but I haven't noticed - this is the most productive time ever and virtually all TMC travel is now done on airlines which have internet access. I suggest you do what TMC and Andy Abramson do and change your corporate travel policies accordingly

Over 70 companies founded by one person in one industry - communications/technology (to be fair he owns hotels and golf courses as well). Over the years, tens of thousands of people were hired because of the vision of Sir Terry Matthews. He is not only a legend in communications and technology he is a legend in business.

Matthews has made his money but has not stopped investing in new companies. In fact he is running at full speed (perhaps flying is a more appropriate term - his corporate jet is among the fastest built) hiring college graduates to look for new opportunities and start companies to fill the voids they uncover. The new hires get equity and are instructed to reach profitability as rapidly as possible - as little as a year in many cases.

There is virtually nothing like a meeting with this man. I called it drinking from a fire hose a few years back. The energy, the passion, and the accent - it is a mix neural sensations which excite, delight and sometimes even perplex. Especially when you start to think how he does it. Where does the energy come from? It seems limitless. And so does the knowledge - he is a true living historical encyclopedia on tech, telecom and entrepreneurship.

Sir Terry Matthews will be keynoting at ITEXPO West 2009 in Los Angeles September 2nd at 2:15 PM. To say hearing him speak is worth the trip would be an understatement. I hope to see you there.

It is with great pleasure I welcome Paula Bernier to the TMC family as our new Executive Editor in charge of NGN, Unified Communications and Internet Telephony Magazines. On my trip to Texas this week, the industry seemed very excited to have Paula on our team. Hiring Paula continues our commitment of investing in our readers, sponsors and advertisers and I hope you enjoy her writing and editing style.

Paula's background in the market aligns perfectly with her new role as she has worked with a number of magazines in our space. Her resume includes contributions at the following publications:

• Inter@ctive Week
• Telephony
• Sounding Board
• Phone+
• Xchange

In addition I am thrilled to have one of the major thought leaders in the channel partner industry on the TMC team. Over the past decades TMC has already been a primary resource for resellers and the channel - this new addition just reinforces this strength.

New TMC President Dave Rodriguez had this to say, "Paula's expertise in publishing in the communications and technology sector means she will be able to take the reins and run," He continued, "Our readers can look forward to robust and insightful editorial as they have already come to expect from our publications. I am completely confident that she will not only meet the bar but raise the standards of our editorial excellence. I welcome Paula to the TMC family."

Here are Paula's comments encapsulated in an article on TMCnet and here is a link to her articles so you can come back and check her news, opinion and educated analysis.