Next Stop - Maui and the NiCE Analyst Summit

This is the busy season for industry events, and am about to start a three-week run. I’ve been busier with travel in the past, but there’s plenty here to keep me going.

Next stop is Hawaii - wow - for, you guessed it, the NiCE 2026 Analyst Summit. Nobody does exotic locales better in my world, and no doubt, it will be great as always.

I’ll be sharing updates as time allows while there, followed by a review of the event overall.

Hawaii is about as far west as you can go in this hemisphere, and after that, there are events in the LA area and then working back east to Orlando. I’ll have details on those events in upcoming posts.

Lots of airplane miles ahead, but more important will be the in-person interactions and first-hand updates on where things are going in spaces that are quickly becoming re-defined by AI. More to come on all those fronts, for sure.

October Newsletter Published Now

The October edition of my monthly newsletter - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review - is out now. Event travel was light last month, but writing was the main event. Over a roughly six week period, I had 11 distinct writeups published, and you can read all about that in my newsletter, and here on my blog.

As mentioned last month, with writing being core to what I do as an independent analyst, all of my work is human-centric - written by me and not AI, and written for humans to read, not for bots to mine.

For non-subscribers, now might be a good time to check out the newsletter, and I hope you do. Subscribing is easy, and you’ll get the October issue very quickly - the signup page is here.

New Article for CIO Magazine - Why Voice Infrastructure Matters When Adding AI to Voice for CX

A bit of a long title, but it’s a topic I’ve been researching quite a bit lately.

On its own, AI can be easy to deploy - the hard part is integrating it with what you’re already using. This really matters in the contact center, where voice is still the channel of choice for customer engagement. However, AI cannot just be bolted on to voice - it’s way more challenging than with digital channels that are mainly text-based.

If you can’t support carrier-grade voice quality with AI, the quality suffers, including the data that AI is trying to extract from those conversations. To learn more, I hope you give my latest analysis a read - it’s running now on CIO Magazine - and this being my first contribution with them, I now have a profile page, which I hope to add to soon with future writeups.

Credit - jason rosewell

September Newsletter is Out Now

The September edition of my monthly newsletter - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review - is out now. August was fairly quiet, but the main activity was writing, with 7 pieces produced, plus a book review.

Details will follow as these writeups are published - some have already run, and others are coming over the next few weeks. I’d like to add - especially for those who value writing and thought leadership - that my writeups are created by humans, for humans (one of these articles was co-authored) - and the work comes from me, not AI.

For non-subscribers, now might be a good time to check out the newsletter, and I hope you do. Subscribing is easy, and you’ll get the August issue very quickly - the signup page is here.

August Newsletter is Out

The August edition of my monthly newsletter - JAA’s Communication and Collaboration Review - is out now. July was fairly quiet, with some writing published, and a lot more in the works right now for August and beyond.

Highlight was going to Croatia, first for Infobip’s analyst event, and then a seven-day road trip there. A few photos are in the newsletter for a taste of what we saw.

For non-subscribers, now might be a good time to check out the newsletter, and I hope you do. Subscribing is easy, and you’ll get the August issue very quickly - the signup page is here.

Newsletter Time - July Issue

Things were plenty busy last month, with 3 events, 7 articles written, 2 podcasts, and another strong month of LinkedIn traffic. You can read all about it in the July edition of my monthly newsletter - JAA’s Communication and Collaboration Review - along with some cool AI-generated visuals of me from the 8x8 analyst event.

The newsletter published later than usual this month, due to July 4 and Canada Day, but subscribers will have it by now. Am also delayed with this blog post, as my Croatia trip to Infobip’s event at the end of June included a week-long road trip, so am just getting back to things now.

For everyone else out there, now might be a good time to check out the newsletter. Subscribing is easy - the signup page is here.

June Writing Roundup

Need to post this now, as I’ll be away the next two weeks, and it’s pretty close to month-end as it is. Was a good month for writing, with five articles published, and you can check any/all of them out below. Two more were written as well, but those will likely publish early July, so will include them in the July roundup post.

Business Level Impact When Using Digital Fax for Secure Document Sharing, Aizan guest article, June 10

Understanding CX Buying Committees and Decision Dynamics, TechTarget, June 11

How Generative AI for Business Enhances Collaboration, TechTarget, June 11

Is 8x8 the Rodney Dangerfield of Cloud Communications?, LinkedIn Pulse, June 11

Telco to Techco - How AI Will Help Service Providers Evolve Beyond Connectivity, EM360, June 18

May Writing Roundup

Modest writing output for May - 3 articles - all very different, and maybe you’re read ‘em all if not seen before!

Use This AI Strategy for Improving Your Contact Center Operations, ICMI, May 5

NiCE Q1 Reporting Takeaways - Building the Moat with AI, LinkedIn Pulse, May 7

UC Consolidation Boosts Employee Experience in the AI Era, TechTarget, May 18

What's Better Than One Independent Thought Leader? How About Two?

As an industry analyst, there are really two meanings for being “independent”. Most importantly, this means being an independent voice for thought leadership about technology trends - not beholden to a specific vendor, with objective, industry-based analysis.

A secondary meaning applies to the business model. In my case, I’m an independent practitioner, aka solopreneur. I got my start working for an analyst firm - Frost & Sullivan - but I’ve been on my own since 2005, so I’m truly independent on the analyst side as well.

The path I’ve chosen isn’t for everyone, and that explains why there are so few indie analysts. While it’s a truly independent model, my voice can only be so loud, and it’s a hard business to scale.

Partnering with peers is one way to get past that, and I’ve just done that with Craig Galbraith, a long-time colleague on the tech journalism side. He’s best-known for his distinguished tenure with Channel Futures, which recently folded after being acquired by Informa.

We think alike about where things are going in enterprise communications, especially as AI is reshaping everything from top to bottom. Craig’s main focus is the channel, but together we cover a lot of ground, and feel that two independent voices just might be better than one.

For those who know me, nothing changes, but working with Craig, we can uplevel thought leadership to help vendors tell their story, position their value prop, and guide the channel to help their customers adopt AI in a sustainable way.

In addition to combining our analyst and journalist voices, Craig brings top-level video production, so we can make thought leadership look just as good as it sounds. If you’re looking to keep your messaging authentic, human-centric and free of AI slop, this might be the fresh approach you’ve been missing. We’re game to try new things - how about you?

May Newsletter Out Now

The May edition of my newsletter is out now, and if you don’t follow me, this is a good way to stay current with what I’m seeing and doing in the worlds of UCaaS, CX, AI and Future of Work.

While no event travel last month, I maintained a steady output of writing and speaking on various videos and podcasts. I also had two kudos to share, and another that came just after this issue was published, so I’ll share that in the June newsletter.

This is as good a time as any to give it a look - it’s free - and from that point on, you’ll stay current on my output and activities as in indie tech analyst. Subscribing to JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review is easy - the signup page is here.

April Writing Roundup

Don’t think I’ve ever had a busier month than this March, and was quite happy having a quieter April. That said, I did get three writeups published, and here they are if you didn’t catch them earlier.

AI Innovation in UCaaS Requires Compliance Balancing Act, TechTarget, April 16

6 Contact Center Trends Shaping the Future of Customer Service, TechTarget, April 9

Take 5 - My Review of Zoom Perspectives 2026, LinkedIn Pulse, April 8

March Writing Roundup

Travel was a constant all through March, and along the way, I managed to keep busy on the writing front. Some was related to the events I attended, and others were just part of my regular cycle of writing for various outlets.

Overall, six writeups were published, and here’s my digest of this output for March. Hope you check any/all of them out, and would welcome your feedback and sharing!

How to Develop an AI Strategy to Improve Customer Service, ICMI, March 25

Telcos and the Copper Crossroads: Where Strategy Meets Complexity, Aizan blog, March 16

Enterprise Connect 2026 – My Three Thoughts, LinkedIn Pulse, March 16

Mobile World Congress 2026 – First Impressions and Takeaways, EM360 Tech, March 11

“AI Cannot Replace Communications” – My Review of RingCentral’s 2026 Analyst Summit, LinkedIn Pulse, March 9

Identity-first CX Blends Customer Convenience and Security, TechTarget, March 3

Next Stop - Zoom Perspectives, Sunny California

Am off to Zoom’s analyst event, taking place in upscale Half Moon Bay. Never been before, but have heard how nice it is, so no complaints.

This will be my 7th industry event over the past 8 weeks, and looking forward to a break from travel once back. Before that, though, I’ll be looking forward to the latest from Zoom. CMO Kimberly Storin is one-year into her tenure, and being a marketing guy, am keen to hear how her vision is unfolding.

Nick Tidd was a highlight for me last year, as the channel is an important piece of their go-to-market puzzle. Also noteworthy will be the updates on innovation from CTO Xuedong Huang, and the product roadmap from Jeff Smith, Head of Product for Workplace AI. Closer to home will be an update on Zoom’s AR strategies from Cheri Hulse. Plenty to look forward to, and I’ll be posting updates here as time allows.

Enterprise Connect 2026 Redux - Summary of Interviews

The Las Vegas edition of Enterprise Connect may have been two weeks ago, but we’re still talking about it in my circles. There was a lot of talking, both during and after the event, and I wanted to summarize the various spots I did all in one place.

Since some of these were only posted in the last day or so, I need to wait til now to put this post together. Whether you check one or all of these out, there’s plenty here to give you a flavor - my take, at least - of the Vegas vibe.

BCStrategies group review of the event - with Kevin Kieller, Blair Pleasant, Robert Harris, Moshe Beauford and myself. Posted March 23.

Zoom blog post about ZVA - Zoom Virtual Agent. Review with input from various analysts, including my comments from the demo I did with them on the show floor. Posted March 23.

TR News interview, with Doug Green. Posted March 20.

TR News interview, with Moshe Beauford. Posted March 20.

UC Today - Rob Scott did a series of short interviews with analysts about the event. Posted March 13 by CX Today, with both video clips and full-length article about the takeaways.

Luke Jamieson - interviewed me about how the event has evolved, and what it’s like now. Posted March 10.

Finally, my written review of the event was published on LinkedIn on March 16.

Next Stop - vCon Spring 2026, Dallas

It’s been quite a run for me recently, with 5 industry events the past 5 weeks. Am home this week, but then 2 more events over the next 2 weeks.

Next up is the Spring edition of vCon, where Jeff Pulver continues to evangelize virtual conversations as the next wave of innovation with communications technology. If this is new to you, a good place to start would be my recap post from the last event - here.

The Spring 2026 event runs next week, with the main event being the full day of sessions on Tuesday. I’ll be speaking on one of the afternoon breakouts at 2:45, and as I’ve often done at Jeff’s events, will be in tandem with long-time colleague Chris Fine.

Our topic is Redefining Unified Communications for AI Voice, so we’ll be tying together strands from the UC space, AI Voice trends, and the future of work.

If you’re still thinking about attending, it’s not too late, and if you’re going, am sure I’ll see you there!

March Newsletter Out Now

It’s a new month, and the March edition of my newsletter is out now. As subscribers will see, there was a lot of writing last month, and a full slate of travel to industry events over the next few weeks. Am at MWC this week, Enterprise Connect right after, then finally a week at home. Never dull, that’s for sure.

If any of that is of interest, I encourage you to subscribe - it’s free - and from that point on, you’ll stay current on my output and activities as in indie tech analyst.

Subscribing to JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review is easy - the signup page is here.

Writing Roundup for February

February turned out quite busy, both for event travel and writing. Overall, there were five writeups, and you can review any/all of them below.

ZohoDay26 - My Analyst Perspective, LinkedIn article, Feb. 27

The Case for Agentic AI in CX is Accelerating, RingCentral Pulse, Feb. 9

How to Make a Business Case for Unified Communications, TechTarget, Feb. 6

Assess UC Pros and Cons for Hybrid Work, TechTarget, Feb. 6

Will AI Shrink the Contact Center?, Contact Center Pipeline, Feb. issue

Next Stop - Barcelona, and Mobile World Congress

Another week, another event. This will be stop 4 of 7 over an 8 week run, so am getting into the rhythm of packing, unpacking and repacking. Later today, I’m flying to Barcelona for Mobile World Congress, and this will be a first for me. I’m going there to provide support for Infobip, a company I’ve been following closely for some time.

I’ll be posting steadily from the event on my LinkedIn feed, so please follow me there if you want to follow along. Also, as per below, if you’re there, I won’t be hard to find!

Next Stop - RingCentral, Scottsdale, AZ

The stop-a-week run continues, and starting tomorrow, I’ll be attending the RingCentral Analyst Summit 2026. More warm weather for this one - going to Scottsdale - so no complaints about the change of scene from Toronto.

Lots of news to get a deeper dive on, starting with the presentations about their performance, roadmap and portfolio. Agentic Voice AI has become the centerpiece of their offerings, with the three main pieces being AVA, AIR and ACE. If these acronyms are new, follow me on LinkedIn during the sessions, and I’ll tell you more.

Aside from what’s on tap about these things during the sessions, I’ll be looking to hear more about their new integration with OpenAI to power their portfolio. The AI story seems to be driving everything now, including financial performance. Their Q4 2025 results were just announced, and it was another strong quarter.

Overall revenues were up 5%, which is pretty respectable in such a crowded market, and yes, they’re making money. Also worth noting is the start of paying dividends, something you don’t generally see in tech - maybe a sign they have shifted from a growth play to a more stable long-term company to stick with. You can read all about it here, and I’ll share more about the numbers as they’re discussed during the event.

How AI is Driving CX for Auto Dealers - New Podcast

Clever title, huh? If you’re looking for solid use cases of AI for CX in a vertical sector, this is the podcast for you. I recently spoke with Ben Chodor, CEO of CallRevu about the success they’re having, as they’re helping dealerships get into the digital age to address some pretty big problems.

Not only is customer service a major weak link in this business, but when incoming calls don’t get answered or are handled poorly, that costs them new customers. Definitely a lively conversation; it’s my latest podcast with EM360, and am looking forward to doing the next one soon. You can check out the podcast here on their site - you can also pick it up directly here on their YouTube channel, or on Spotify if more convenient.