Clearspan offers solutions from POTS migrations to Microsoft Teams Integration “PING is Clearspan's modern collaboration solution designed to facilitate seamless communication across all devices, anytime, anywhere,” says Jim Machi, Chief Product and Marketing Officer. “It offers features such as chat, video conferencing, file sharing, Teams, personal conference rooms (PCR), and calls, empowering users to stay connected and productive. It replaces the basic call only client that exists today.” In this podcast we catch up with one the cloud community’s “under the radar” innovators. Clearspan has been busy offering curated paths from POTS, innovative solutions such as PING and a "single pane of glass” admin panel called OpEasy. “We're flexible with how we can deploy. That whole flexibility that I talked about before, customization, that's really our DNA. And that serves us well in these large deployments that we're able to do that. And so that's why people use us, because we can do things faster than maybe some of the other guys, even though they're big companies.” Visit https://clearspancloud.com/
Mark Iannuzzi of TelNet Worldwide takes a fresh look at a long-term challenge, calls for changes “Our telecommunication policy that started in 1996 and how service providers interconnect their network was based upon TDM technology, but here we are in 2024 and we know that IP is the rule of the roost,” says Mark Iannuzzi, President of TelNet Worldwide. We need the FCC to step up and to update the regulations so that the carriers, in fact, do play by a new playbook for interconnecting their network on an IP basis. And if we do that, now you have an end-to-end system.” Recorded just before last month’s Cloud Connections Conference, and just after a committee of the CCA met with the FCC, this podcast covers some of the stickier challenges of the STIR/SHAKEN era. Along with the benefits and steps forward of STIR/SHAKEN, Mark discusses how a legitimate organization with legitimate needs to call contacts, can be labeled spam, and not know it. Mark explores these problems along with a call for policy reforms and refresh. The CCA’s Government Affairs Committee, which Mark discusses, is a key and core activity of the CCA, as the CCA works to retain communication by phone as a critical link for organizations and people. Visit www.telnetww.com
24x7 Advantage Spins Up Customer Support that an MSP was able to offer a client in need Michelle Fiegehen of 24x7 Advantage is back this week, this time with a case study. In the previous podcasts we heard about SOC, outsourcing and more. This time we hear how customer service could be something an MSP could offer as a resale offering. Michelle’s company has deep resources that can spin up a curated service, where the MSP simply had to walk their client over to a new white labeled customer service program, that replaced a troubled vendor, and created a friction free win for the MSP. Visit www.24x7advantage.com
Save money. Make money. Save time. These are the three big reasons most businesses buy a product, a service or even hire a person. Sometimes hidden behind those big three is productivity. Teams is being adopted by organizations, and Momentum not only wanted to help their clients do Teams, but to do Teams better. Too realize productivity. In this podcast Rick Garcia of Momentum shares with us his journey, as a founder of G12, and now, through Momentum’s acquisition of G12, a part of Momentum’s quest to help companies get the most from Teams. “Our job really is to communicate with the enterprises, to communicate with businesses, share with them what Microsoft Teams is capable of. We've got a plethora of UC platforms as well, but Microsoft Teams right now, if you look at it from a productivity perspective, cost perspective, and just feature tool set, this is quite impressive.” Visit https://gomomentum.com/
“It's really the spirited discussion around connectivity solutions that's going to drive value for viewers,” says Lauren Malhiot, Director of Product-Led Growth and Technical Marketing at Massive Networks. “The audience can expect us to touch on the things that have been on their mind lately, including edge computing, AI's impact on networking, and where the networking industry is headed.” According to Lauren, “Massive Networks is bringing together some of the most knowledgeable networking experts all in one place, which means we have so many different viewpoints colliding to give you the most well-rounded view of the industry. We'll be talking about everything from downtime concerns to hidden costs of connectivity. Combine that with our Rebel Alliance theme, and it's going to be a good time all-around.” The panel includes, Mark Thiele, Lauren Malhoit, Kevin Flake, James Coberly, Joe Onisick, and Robert P Boles. Learn more https://www.linkedin.com/events/7186766329016647680/comments/
In a leaner environment, optimization matters “This is a game of workflow automation and data.” says CEO & Co-Founder Dennis Thankachan as he discusses telecom vendor management and network cost optimization “And when it comes to workflow automation and data, computers will do this job better than my brain and a pen and paper can. And that's the whole thesis we've undergone with Lightyear.” Lightyear returns to the TR podcast to discuss the latest enhancements to their rapidly growing software, launched in 2019. In just 10 minutes, CEO & Co-Founder Dennis Thankachan, covers new product releases that systematically identify enterprise network cost optimization opportunities. Plus, get a glimpse of these features in action with a quick walkthrough of the product. Topics include the Network Inventory Manager, Bill Consolidation, and the Lightyear API. Resources: Explore more in Lightyear's Upcoming Webinar: Diving into the Latest Product Releases Learn more at https://lightyear.ai/ Read more from Dennis Thankachan
“One thing I learned is our industry sometimes treats our customers very poorly, especially in the aspect of service,” says Dean Simon. “You know, usually when you call into a service of a large provider, you have a minimum hold of 30 minutes to 45 minutes. You get transferred around a few times, and then finally you're talking to somebody and it's an offshore, you know, support person when you have those challenges of communication. So, you spend half of your time on hold, you know, waiting for technology support than actually getting things done. And that's the one thing I wanted to change with line one. I want it to be more of a boutique service provider to our customers to where they can instantly get service on demand 24/7 without that hold time.” In this podcast we learn how Dean took those observations and that determination to make a change. Dean outlines how LineOne is different. Visit https://line.one/
Everyone has been to one of those conferences where advice on marketing has been offered. Sticky. Relevant. Brand. Many in our community of MSPs and Channels take or make some small steps, but soon the weight of the needs of the day crowds in. However, in this podcast we learn how being both an indispensable and future ready brand has a new urgency. Faced with service price deflation and AI, Mitch Duckler says that establishing brand difference and brand indispensability, is more pressing than ever. Mitch offers a broad overview of the challenge and begins a discussion on the way forward. Mitch offers two books on the topic and offer consultation services. He has worked for household brands, including Coca-Cola and Univeler. Visit www.fullsurge.com
“Phound is a little play on words,” says David Erickson. “It's a mixture of being carrier found and phone, obviously. And the idea behind it is that we used to have phone books. We used to have directories, and now everybody kind of would rather hide their phone number and I think the idea with found is that we're a permission-based carrier meaning you have to ask for permission to call people and so people are more likely to want to get found right and then allow for contact on their terms with the people that find them and so we're going back to the idea of having a directory of phone book you know but the ability to kind of lock down my communications and only allow through the people that I want to allow through.” You might have encountered David before, as the founder of freeconferencecall.com (www.freeconferencecall.com ). Now David is back, solving he next big problem: the need to update a communication system invented in an era of printed directories and rotary dials. Now a permission based system, familiar to the era of social media, can be achieved for the first means of reaching people, in real time. Visit https://www.phound.app/
In this podcast you'll learn more about: How AVOXI Cloud Service (new, integrated software and support) improves global voice delivery for the enterprise. Trends in contact center voice and why voice is more important than ever to customers. AI's impact on contact center voice and operational efficiency. AVOXI (www.avoxi.com) delivers a new generation of international cloud voice solutions to companies that need to easily connect and converse with customers. With unmatched global coverage and number types and a software platform that provides visibility and intelligence to manage voice service like never before, AVOXI’s 5,000+ clients use voice to more effectively serve and sell to customers as part of a modern contact center approach. AVOXI’s global team of cloud voice experts prides itself on ensuring clients receive the highest level of service possible - anywhere and anytime.
Recently, Trustifi, the premier provider of AI- and cloud-based email cyber security solutions, announced it is launching a new Email Security Awareness training module, a threat simulation tool that MSPs can offer to their end-customers. The module helps train network users to recognize and avoid phishing attacks, then goes a step further to provide actionable strategies, analytics, and reports that help administrators evaluate the module’s results and enhance the protection of their networks. The Email Security Awareness tool identifies users who are most vulnerable to phishing attempts, allowing IT administrators to apply warning banners and training strategies to users who fall prey to the program’s mock phishing attacks. The module and its campaigns can be conducted by the end-users’ IT department, or by the managing MSP itself, depending on the customer/MSP business model. Information on the Email Security Awareness Module can be found here. Zack Schwartz In this podcast, Zack Schwartz, Vice President - Strategic Partnerships, discusses this new tool and opportunity for the MSP community. Trustifi is a cybersecurity firm featuring solutions delivered on a software-as-a-service platform including sophisticated AI-driven tools. Trustifi leads the market with the easiest-to-use and deploy email security products providing both inbound and outbound email security from a single vendor. The most valuable asset to any organization, other than its employees, is the data contained in its email, and Trustifi’s key objective is keeping clients’ data, reputations, and brands safe from all threats related to email. With Trustifi’s Inbound Shield, Data Loss Prevention, Account Takeover Protection, and Email Encryption, clients are always one step ahead of attackers. www.trustifi.com Follow Trustifi: Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Douglas McKee, Executive Director, Threat Research at SonicWall, recently evaluated the company’s telemetry data and found the most widespread network attacks to small businesses (SMBs) today are older vulnerabilities. In light of this data, prioritization is a critically important factor for today’s CISOs who are asked to manage and prioritize risk. In this podcast, Douglas will talk about: The Top 5 threats impacting SMBs today and how old they are The methodology used to assemble this data How to prioritize those threats The importance of ongoing patch management The tactics used by attackers How SMBs can better utilize MSPs to help develop a better security posture About SonicWall Capture Labs SonicWall Capture Labs threat researchers gather, analyze and vet cross-vector threat information from the SonicWall Capture Threat network, consisting of global devices and resources, including more than 1 million security sensors in nearly 215 countries and territories. SonicWall Capture Labs, which pioneered the use of artificial intelligence for threat research and protection over a decade ago, performs rigorous testing and evaluation on this data, establishes reputation scores for email senders and content, and identifies new threats in real-time. About SonicWall SonicWall is a cybersecurity forerunner with more than 30 years of expertise and is recognized as a leading partner-first company. With the ability to build, scale and manage security across the cloud, hybrid and traditional environments in real-time, SonicWall provides seamless protection against the most evasive cyberattacks across endless exposure points for increasingly remote, mobile and cloud-enabled users. With its own threat research center, SonicWall can quickly and economically provide purpose-built security solutions to enable any organization—enterprise, government agencies and SMBs—around the world. For more information, visit www.sonicwall.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
“The starting point of the SOC is team of Triage staff,” says Michelle Fiegehen of 24x7 Advantage. “These analysts review raw data and respond to alerts. They configure and tweak the parameters of monitoring tools to minimize false threats, as well as responding to and resolving actual incidents promptly. This tier of activity is the easiest to outsource and integrate with an in-house SOC and reduces the risk of alert-fatigue on more senior and expensive in-country resources.” In this short 24x7 Advantage Wednesday Podcast, we learn how a SOC can be expensive. However, the expensive bits might also be the places where savings might be found. 24x7 Advantage offers a set of services that enable companies to focus on other needs. Outsourced SOC could reduce costs and it might also be a channel opportunity. “24x7 Advantage can also provide Incident Responders and Threat Hunters or SME’s but we recommend the MSP starts with the triage level,” adds Michelle. Blog: https://24x7advantage.com/cybersecurity/blog-outsourced-soc/ Email web version: http://139807196.hs-sites-eu1.com/blog-outsourced-soc
“We have both best of the worlds to offer to our enterprise customers,” says Hon Kit Lam, the Vice President of Hybrid Connectivity Services for Tata Communications Network Business. In this last segment of a special three-part series, we drill down on how Tata Communications delivers Internet WAN, and how Tata Communications’ approach ultimately improves EX, and finally CX. Hon Kit Lam In this podcast Hon Kit Lam describes Tata Communications’ global reach and how that reach is combined with other tactics to aim higher. He describes benefits for both enterprise customers and for carrier partners. We learn how a marriage of scale, partnership, and approach combines for services that overcome compromises. In a market with so-called price deflation for services, you are going to want to partner with a company that can achieve a noticeable difference. Visit https://www.tatacommunications.com/ Watch Part 1 Watch Part 2
“Waste Nothing” “Some of us have, we have clients, they stretch into all continents,” says Ulf Berglund of Remade in Sweden. “This is why we also need friends in other parts to help us handle those clients when they have needs in these other areas outside of Europe.” “We're 20 people compared to the companies that we do business with they have usually thousands of employees and for us We need to show them that we're a trustworthy partner trustworthy company Not just some tech guys sitting in the basement drinking coffee, you know playing games So the first thing we did when we started the company we got certified in ISO 9000, which is quality ISO 14001 for environment. We also have ISO 2701 for information security.” In this podcast, Ulf tells us how Rename serves a core European market, while partnering with companies to serve further afield. We also learn how the ASCDI helps Remade find companies to work with and to work together on issues of shared concern for the whole industry. Visit https://www.remadeinsweden.se/
Simplifies comprehensive testing for the complex PNT challenges of the future, delivering real-time feedback for mission-critical testing scenarios PAIGNTON, UK - April 30, 2024 - Spirent Communications plc (LSE:SPT), the leading provider of test and assurance solutions for next-generation devices and networks, today announced PNT X, its next-generation positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) simulation system. Designed to deliver unprecedented performance and flexibility in PNT simulation and testing, PNT X offers the highest fidelity and most signal sources in a single test platform to address the future of enhanced autonomy, safety, efficiency, and precision. Watch our special podcast below. As developers look beyond GNSS alone to address increasingly complex positioning challenges, PNT X brings together signals including L-band, S-band, and alternative navigation (AltNav) signals, as well as industry-first Regional Military Protection (RMP) support, into one innovative, compact, and flexible system. With the power to run multiple signals from different PNT sources concurrently, the new platform simplifies comprehensive testing, delivering real-time feedback for mission-critical testing scenarios. "We have built PNT X with the future in mind,” said Adam Price, Vice President of PNT Simulation at Spirent. “It’s designed to leverage the best technologies for each application, ensuring our customers can achieve deterministic testing at every stage of the development cycle, while saving money and reducing lab footprint. Most importantly, it can do all of this without compromising on performance. It will enable users to support cutting-edge application testing with more precision and simplicity than ever before.” PNT X brings together the broadest set of features and capabilities needed to protect future generations of mission-critical systems. These include the patented I/Q spatial awareness capability, an enhanced controlled reception pattern antenna (CRPA) testing interface, the highest available continuous dynamic range for jamming evaluation, and a standard update rate of 2 kHz for hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and high-dynamics vehicle testing. Along with a host of other groundbreaking enhancements, these make PNT X the world’s most advanced test solution for mission-critical systems and NAVWAR robustness. “An evolving and escalating NAVWAR threat landscape has made comprehensive testing of layered PNT solutions an absolute imperative,” said Rob VanBrunt, President/CEO at Spirent Federal. “PNT X accelerates product development cycles, enabling defense developers, governmental agencies, and aerospace enterprises to deploy mission critical PNT solutions faster.” Peter Terry-Brown, General Manager of Positioning at Spirent, added, “It’s nearly 40 years since Spirent delivered the industry’s first GPS signal generator, and today we are again leading the industry in the shift from GNSS to PNT. As the latest milestone in our commitment to support and propel the next generation of PNT-reliant technologies, PNT X ensures our customers can continue to deliver world-leading products that perform under all conditions.” For more information about Spirent PNT X, visit: www.spirent.com/products/pnt-x-simulation-system. About Spirent Spirent Communications plc. (LSE: SPT) is the leading global provider of automated test and assurance solutions for networks, cybersecurity, and positioning. The company provides innovative products, services and managed solutions that address the test, assurance, and automation challenges of a new generation of technologies, including 5G, cloud, autonomous vehicles and beyond. From the lab to the real world, Spirent helps companies deliver on their promise to their customers of a new generation of connected devices and technologies. For more information visit www.spirent.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
“We've been refurbishing and reusing hard drives since 1996,” says Ross Gentle of Ultratec. “When we found out we could work with the Turing Trust donating some hard drives, it was a complete and utter win-win as far as we were concerned.” Ultratec, a U.K. based specialist refurbisher and repairer of Hard Drives and SSDs, is in the business of doing the right thing: every hard drive that can be restored to active use, is another device that’s not in a landfill. Recently, the ASCDI member company, made another good choice. They donated five hundred drives to the Turing Trust. The donation helped the Turing Trust in its work, while Ultratec took steps to make sure the drives were properly wiped of previous data, protecting customers. The entire process protects the earth from the issue of improper disposal of IT equipment, and drives themselves, as we learn in this podcast, are now helping people achieve new goals. In this podcast, Noah van der Linde of the Turing Trust offers a brief presentation of his organization’s work in helping everyone share in the benefits of the digital revolution. We learn how donations, such as the one Ultratec made, can help people, and even entire communities, gain needed equipment for new uses, such as education. Ultratec is part of a long standing ASCDI tradition, dating back to the early days of commercial grade computing, of companies giving back to communities near them and around the world. The ASCDI- The ITAD Association is a non-profit. In a related statement, Joe Marion, ASCDI President, said that the Ultratec donation demonstrates, ESG- Environmental Social Governance, in motion. “Choosing Ultratec and other ASCDI Members is their safest route to ESG because ASCDI covers the E & S in ESG.” The Turing Trust “Founded by Alan Turing’s family, The Turing Trust seeks to continue his legacy by using technology to empower disadvantaged communities. Alan is widely regarded as the father of modern computing, and he saw IT as a tool for solving immense challenges. He also had a passion for helping others: he funded one member of his foster family to work in Africa and sponsored a Jewish refugee’s schooling during World War II. In honor of Alan Turing’s altruistic spirit, we refurbish IT equipment, install a range of educational software and provide it to those who need it most. In the last 13 years we have enabled access to computers for over 169,000 students across Africa, Asia, and the UK. With your help and a great deal of hard work, we believe that one day every child will be able to enjoy the transformative power of technology that Alan envisioned.” - James Turing, Founder of the Turing Trust. Ultratec Founded in 1996, it is a specialist refurbisher and repairer of Hard Drives and SSDs. Globally, it supplies between 600K and 1M drives per year, with over 250,000 drives currently in stock. Ultratest uses the industry-leading Genesis Solution to ensure that all devices are fully Data Sanitized, in accordance with Industry Standards: NIST 88-800, and are returned to Grade A peak performance. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ultratec/ Website: www.ultratec.co.uk Ultratest Solutions Created in 2018, Ultratest was built on the knowledge gained by Ultratec over 20+ years of buying/selling and refurbishing Hard Drives and SSDs. Ultratest has developed the industry-leading Genesis Solution, a blend of hardware and software that not only Erases Data but can also repair and refurbish devices to return them to a Grade A full-health status. Ultratest has also designed the Nemesis, a revolutionary solution for the Data Erasure or Networking Equipment, such as Switches, Routers, Firewalls and Access-Points. Products that are regularly overlooked when it comes to data sanitization. The solution also ensured that the product licensing remains intact so that the asset value is retained. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ultratest-solutions-ltd
“I know a lot of your audience may be gun-shy at the prospect of outsourcing’” says Michelle Fiegehen of 24x7 Advantage. “Many MSPs we chat to have had negative experiences with the outsourcer unable to deliver what they promised, so I thought it might be useful to share a specific customer experience.” In this short podcast, Michelle tells us about a case study of a company and their experiences with outsourcing and how this might be a great idea for many MSPs, both as a way to improve their bench of service, and as a white label opportunity. Blog: https://24x7advantage.com/msp/case-study-msp-outsourcing-rightsize-technology/ Email web version: http://139807196.hs-sites-eu1.com/case-study-rightsize-technology Learn more at 24x7advantage.com
A new report from Zayo unveils a concerning trend in Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, indicating a significant increase in intensity and duration throughout 2023. With the average attack lasting 68 minutes and costing businesses nearly half a million dollars on average, the financial toll is staggering. Notably, the shift towards multi-vector attacks adds a new layer of complexity, targeting specific components like IP addresses and email systems with heightened precision, making detection and mitigation increasingly challenging. Industry-specific findings underscore the widespread vulnerability, with telecommunications companies experiencing the highest frequency of attacks, closely followed by sectors such as retail, healthcare, government, and education. In this evolving cyber landscape, characterized by political unrest and hybrid work environments, the need for advanced DDoS protection is paramount. Anna Claiborne, Zayo's Senior VP of Network Connectivity, joins Doug Green to discuss findings from the recent report and how businesses can navigate these challenges. Visit www.zayo.com
Simplicity is the message. “I think for the enterprise, they definitely need to look for a provider to remove the complexity from you and to provide the flexibility and scalability for your solution,” says Hon Kit Lam, the Vice President of Hybrid Connectivity Services for Tata Communications Network Business. “You may have a lot of complex business requirements, but the network solution you should look for is someone you rely on to provide the simple, like on some basis platform as a service for you.” Hon Kit Lam In this second part of a three-part series, we take a deeper look into the needs of the enterprise and how to manage that complexity. We learn more about Hon Kit Lam’s portfolio, Hybrid Connectivity Services. The message is that the enterprises want simplicity, and yet they also seek, and need, services that are robust and secure. We hear the argument to choose a trusted a source that can step up to these asks. We also hear a somewhat parallel message to the carrier community. Visit https://www.tatacommunications.com/ Watch Part 1
Terry Bloom
Great podcast on the Value of Wildix as a partner and the evolution of UCAAS