David Byrd : Raven Call
David Byrd
David Byrd is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer for Raven Guru Marketing. Previously, he was the CMO and EVP of Sales for CloudRoute. Prior to CloudRoute, He was CMO at ANPI, CMO & EVP of Sales at Broadvox, VP of channels and Alliances for Telcordia and Director of eBusiness development with i2 Technologies.He has also held executive positions with Planet Hollywood Online, Hewlett-Packard, Tandem Computers, Sprint and Ericsson.
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March 2014

You are browsing the archive for March 2014.

Sources to Gain Knowledge and Insight

March 31, 2014

Too often, we use the excuse of not having enough time to learn new technologies and understand our industry. Given how quickly our industry is influenced by change and innovation, it is critical that we reserve sufficient time each week to maintain proper awareness of what’s happening in the IP community. Additionally, since ANPI works with several distribution channels, it is also important to track ILEC and agent happenings. In order to both learn and gain subject matter for this blog, I explore a number of sources.

Behaviors All Leaders Should Demonstrate

March 25, 2014

For the last few weeks, I have been very focused on providing sales tools and other information related Hosted Unified Communications. However, as those who have read this blog over years have learned, it is more than a technology blog. It is a blog that covers any subject deemed relevant to the overall IP community and ecosystem. So, today’s subject will not come as a surprise to most of you, and I feel it is quite relevant.

IP Communications, Mobility and March Madness

March 21, 2014

After two weeks of very weighty blogs addressing the six primary benefits of hosted Unified Communications and the value they deliver to businesses, I thought something lighter was in order. Other than the Super Bowl, March Madness is my favorite time of the year for sports. I am a graduate of Michigan State (Go Spartans), a Virginian (Go Cavaliers and the ACC) and a longtime fan of UNC (Go Tar Heels). Yet, with all of these possible teams to follow, doing so has always been difficult due to work and the way television favors showing games to regional markets.

Monetizing UC Benefits: CAPEX and Business Continuity

March 14, 2014

Monetizing CAPEX is easy. Simply identify the competing IP PBX with Unified Communications apps and we have a price. While the phone type may vary, an average price per phone can be established based upon historical selection or buying practices. Keep in mind that many hosted UC providers, including ANPI, offer phone leasing arrangements and, right now, free phones with multi-year agreements.

The Cost of Technology Obsolescence and Hosted Unified Communications

March 11, 2014

As previously noted, technology obsolescence comes in many forms, with each affecting the operations or OPEX of a business. The five forms are:

  • Planned Obsolescence
    • Technical Obsolescence
    • Functional Obsolescence
    • Style Obsolescence
    • Postponement Obsolescence
    • Unplanned Obsolescence

In last week’s blog, I described each form, but did not include any data to calculate the price or cost of each form to the business. It is important to understand that with Hosted Unified Communications, a business is protected from all five types of obsolescence. With a cloud solution, technical and functional obsolescence are addressed through continuous additions of features and services via the service provider, many of which are made available to current subscribers at no cost.

Hosted Unified Communications Defeats Obsolescence

March 4, 2014

 

In working to quantify the cost of technological obsolescence, I learned a couple things: Obsolescence comes in five forms and, while it is not quantified in terms of minutes per employee, it is budgeted for by nearly every business. Yet, without understanding obsolescence itself, the budgeting process is often understated, as it assumes products have a longer life than actual use suggests.

The term “Planned Obsolescence” was first introduced in 1932 (The Culture of Planned Obsolescence in Technology Companies).

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