It's June - Newsletter Time

A tad delayed this month, but the June edition of my newsletter is out now.

With no event travel last month, it’s on the light side, but that will change next issue given my busier schedule for June. That said, I think you’ll find my writing output of interest, along with two new kudos and one new partnership - all of which I’m happy to share.

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.

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

Time for April Newsletter

The April edition of my newsletter is out now, and am pretty sure it’s the largest one to date. I had travel every week last month, so there was lots to share from those events, including some highlight photos.

As subscribers will see, there was a lot of writing last month as well, along with several video spots from the various events I attended. Lots of ways to share what I’ve been seeing and where I’ve been.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Next Stop - ITExpo - And So It Begins...

I’ve been off the road for about two months, but that’s about to change.

Next week, I’ll be going to TMC’s ITExpo in its usual spot - Ft. Lauderdale. If you don’t know, I was Chair of the Future of Work Expo, which was part of ITExpo, and it ran for eight years. The event has run its course, though, and I’m coming back just wearing my moderator hat for ITExpo.

Before getting to the sessions, ITExpo marks the first of five weeks I’ll be travelling to various industry events, so this will keep me very much on the go til mid-March. I’ll have posts coming soon about each of these events, so stay tuned.

As things stand, I’ll be moderating four panels next week, and another one might be added. I’ll soon be posting details about the speakers for each session, and otherwise, you can check that out, along with the abstracts here on the event agenda page. Hope to see you there!

Moderating aside, I won’t be hard to find, either walking the show floor or in the press room. Drop me a line or text if you want to connect.

The Next Era of Cybersecurity: From Defense to Business Enabler

Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 11:45am-12:30pm, ITC 03

Is This the Year for RCS? Unlocking Trusted, Feature-Rich Messaging at Scale

Tuesday, February 10, 2026                 3:15-4:00pm          SP-06

Proactive Voice Trust: Real-Time KYC/KYT, STIR/SHAKEN, and Fraud Analytics

Wednesday, February 11, 2026           2:00-2:45pm        SP-09

Next-Gen Messaging & Identity: RCS, CPaaS, Branded Calling, and Verified Sender

Thursday, February 12, 2026               1:00-1:45pm          SP-14

February Newsletter Out Now

It’s a new month, and the February 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 starting next week. More on that shortly.

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.

January Writing Roundup

For those who follow me, you’ll know I did a lot of writing in December, and much of that ran in various places over the course of January. Here’s the digest of all that, and I hope you check them out.

Platforms Not Pipes: the Three Business Drivers Shaping the NextGen Telco, preface on Telecom Reseller News for a longer article I wrote for Aizan Technologies, Jan. 27

Three Strategic Ways to Use AI for CX, ICMI, Jan. 19

Future of Work - Key UCaaS Trends for IT Leaders, TechTarget, Jan. 12

CX Trends Enterprise Leaders Should Know, TechTarget, Jan. 7

What Will 2026 Bring for Contact Centers?, Contact Center Pipeline, January issue (pg. 8)

Telecom Reseller News - Am Now a Contributor

The longer my run as an indie analyst goes, the more places I end up publishing in. So long as there’s a fit between the audience being served and the focus of my work, I view this as a win-win.

The latest example would be Telecom Reseller News, and it makes me wonder why this took so long. Doug Green is the driving force there, and we’ve been pairing up regularly at industry events for years. Turns out he’s from Toronto, and we have a lot of common ground outside of tech.

Their platform goes both wide and deep - definitely a broad reach across the communications tech space, but also with multiple niches, mainly with service providers - carriers, mobile players, MSPs, etc. I can’t think of a better place to reach that kind of audience, and I’m now on their roster of contributors - which you can see in the Thought Leadership section under the Writers tab.

I’ll be doing a mix of original posts there, along with sharing of things I’ve published elsewhere - both articles and reportage from industry events. Aside from my writing, of course, Doug’s main focus is producing video segments, usually 1:1 interviews. I’ve done several with him, and you can check those out in my profile.

While you’re there, this might become a rabbit hole for industry news and insights, and then you just might make this one of your go-to sites for staying current in an industry that never stands still.

Next Podcast - Talking Headless, with Shashi Bellamkonda

Shashi Bellamkonda wears many hats - analyst, podcast host, writer, foodie (yes!) - and we’ve been following each other for some time. I recently moved further into his orbit, and now we’ll be doing a podcast episode (it’s video, so not really sure if it’s still a podcast - ?).

He’s the host of Talking Headless, and we’ll be doing a LinkedIn Live episode next week - January 28 at noon ET. Joining us will be Arthur Bailey, and we’ll be talking about the analyst ecosystem, and how analysts and Analyst Relations folks navigate ways of finding value for each other. AI is making this trickier for sure, and it’s one of many themes we’ll explore.

If that’s on your radar, am sure you’ll enjoy the dialog. More details here from Shashi, including how to tune in, and watch later from his archive on YouTube.

January Newsletter Out Now

New month and new year- first newsletter edition for 2026 is out now. As subscribers will see, last month was pretty busy on both the video/podcast and writing fronts. 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 December

With a light travel schedule last month, I closed out 2025 with a busy month otherwise. Aside from doing 6 video segments - details on those coming in my next newsletter - I did 7 writeups, 4 of which were published in December. The rest will run in January, and here are the links if you want to check out the latest articles:

Platforms, Not Pipes - Three Business Drivers Shaping the Next-Gen Telco, Aizan blog, Dec. 22

AI Creating New Contact Center Jobs for Agents, TechTarget, Dec. 11

How UCaaS Solves the Cost of Poor Communications, TechTarget, Dec. 11

My vCon Event Takeaways - the Power of Conversations, Building Trust, and Navigating AI, LinkedIn Article, Dec. 10

vCon Event Redux - Pix and Posts

This is mainly a for-the-record post, as I have shared takeaways from the recent vCon event in various forms, and unless you follow me closely, it will be hard to find them all. There were many timely, important messages from the event, and if you spend some time here, you’ll catch them all.

Otherwise, if you still have questions, I’m not hard to find. Also, there were many panel sessions, and I’ve only cited the session leaders here by name - please ask if you need the names and companies for the panelists.

Below are links from my activities, followed by some photos from the sessions.

• During the event, I posted commentary on LinkedIn - here’s my profile page, and look for posts on Dec. 3

• My full-length review, posted as an article, here on LinkedIn

• Interview with my takeaways just after the event, on Doug Green’s Telecom Reseller podcast

• Video recording of the session I moderated with Thomas McCarthy Howe and Perry Evans about the vCon ecosystem - thanks Doug, and he did the same for most of the other sessions

And now for some photos - all are mine except two, credited below.

Jeff Pulver with his vCon overview; Andy Abramson’s panel on building vCon apps

Doug Green’s panel on the state of vCon; Glenn Richards leading the panel on telecom policy updates

Panel on managing consent and permission-based marketing - moderated by David Carter; telecom fraud panel, moderated by Kevin Rupy

AI policy panel, led by Greg Ewing; my session about the vCon ecosystem, with Thomas McCarthy Howe, and Perry Evans (photo credit - Lauren Pulver)

Fireside chat with Jeff Pulver and Chris Fine

Mitch Lieberman talking about “conversational CRM”, me with Dave Michels at the VIP speakers dinner (thanks for photo, Dave!)

Newsletter Time - December Edition Out Now

Had some hiccups on the back end of things, and the newsletter is uncharacteristically a week late, but it is out now for my subscribers. If you don’t know, the newsletter is the best way to keep tabs on what I’m writing about, speaking about, and which upcoming events I’ll be attending.

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

Sidebar - although my Watch This Space podcast is on pause for now, you can still subscribe on all the major platforms, or listen to any episode directly here on my website, or here on the dedicated WTS website.

There are 85 episodes to choose from, so I’m sure you’ll find something of interest. And if you have any topics you’d like to see covered in future episodes, drop me a line! The format will be changing, but new episodes are in store for 2026.