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 - 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.

Next Stop - Zoho Day, Austin - And So It Continues

Am flying to Monday for Zoho Day 26 in Austin. Never did figure out why they term this event in singular, when it runs for more than one day. Yes I’m a wordie, and these things keep me up at night.

Definitely looking forward to the updates, as it’s been a year since their CEO stepped aside to focus on AI innovation. Given that much of their AI is homegrown, am keen to learn what forms this is taking. Unlike most of the vendors I track, Zoho has its fingers in many pies, so I’ll also be learning about their activities and roadmaps in enterprise spaces well outside the worlds of UCaaS and CCaaS.

Bigger picture for me is that this is stop 2 of 5 for traveling to industry events over a 5 week period. Now, as it stands, that run has been extended, where I’ll be going to 7 different events over an 8 week period. More on those other events soon, but for now, it’s Zoho time!

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.

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

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.

November Writing Roundup

Finally back on the writing front. Seem to be doing more video and podcasts lately, and with event travel, I’ve been sharing a fair number of my photos on my blog. All told, the writing has been lighter than usual. For November, there were three writeups, and a bunch more coming for December.

Talkdesk Analyst Summit 2025 - My 3 Takeaways, LinkedIn article, Nov. 25

NiCE 2025 Analyst Summit Review, EM360, Nov. 4

The Copper Sunset Countdown: Preparing for the End of Traditional Telephony, Aizan guest article, Oct. 31 (I wasn’t able to include this for October, so it’s here for November)

Next Stop - Talkdesk Analyst Event

This event looks to be my last stop for the 2025 busy season with industry events in our space. Next week I’ll be in Savannah, GA - first time visiting - for the 2025 edition of Talksdesk’s Analyst Summit.

Last year’s event was in Charleston, SC - also a first visit - and the Deep South vibe never gets tired for me, especially for smaller coastal spots and warmer weather. Talksdesk continues to hold their own as an independent pureplay CCaaS provider, and the summit will serve as an in-depth update on what’s behind that.

Also, they just completed their 2025 CX Innovators Awards, where I returned as one of the judges. Am sure they’ll have interesting updates on the winners, so watch for updates on that. If you didn’t catch this earlier, the details are here.

As usual, I’ll post updates on LinkedIn during the sessions, with more to come soon after.

Newsletter Time - October Edition Out

Still catching up from being away last week, but wanted my broader following to know that my latest newsletter was published recently.

If you don’t know, the newsletter is the best way to keep tabs on what I’m writing about, speaking about, and which events I’ll be attending.

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

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!

NiCE Analyst Summit - My Photo Review

Every analyst event that NiCE puts on is magical, and last week’s summit in Vienna was no exception. They have kept the bar very high, and there was so much to talk about as well as see. This post is about the latter, with my photos both from the event itself, and all the cool stuff we did around it.

I have other takeaways coming both on video and article form, and during the event, I regularly posted commentary and photos on LinkedIn. NiCE had its largest-ever cohort of analysts there - so for everyone else, here’s a taste of what last week was like - first for the event, and then all the other stuff. Here goes…

Below - CEO Scott Russell solo, and with Jeff Comstock - key pieces for the new team.

NiCE Cognigy CEO Phil Heltewig, then as part of the Exec Q&A session.

Tim Harris talking about workflow automation, then Benno Schindler of Allianz with the most memorable visual from the event, talking about the success they’ve been having with Cognigy.

GM Q&A session, and Carmit DiAndrea demonstrating Automated Insights - next-level AI for the contact center.

Their Analyst Relations A-Team, Schevone Johnson, Chris Irwin-Dudek, and Bernard Hartley. And, the last word goes to LVB, a very apropos quote for the passion NiCE brings for making CX better.

Now for the fun stuff. Arriving to the ballroom banquet in style - is there really any other way with NiCE?

On to more ordinary things, but still pretty special. Opening night including a gallery showing - of artwork NiCE commissioned with local artists to create for each of us individually. Wow, huh? So, all of their work was on display, and it was quite the experience to see all of their creations, with the artists on hand. Am pictured here with the artist who created something about me. Apologies - I did not get her name, and it’s definitely on the abstract side. You’ll never figure it out, but I’ll be happy to tell you the story any time. Just one of many creative touches from the NiCE events team to capture the spirit of where we are, surrounded by art, music and culture.

And, the best time to tell stories is at the bar - here’s our local hangout at the hotel. I kinda liked the Borat-style claim of it being the best hotel bar in Austria, and yes, it was… very nice. Did you see what I just did there? AI would never come up with something so clever. If you don’t get it, we need to talk.

I love to cook, and the food sure was great. Below - teppanyaki-style Japanese dinner at the hotel - a bit bland, actually, but very dramatic. Next - group outing to a local winery - in the city, btw - and a hearty Austrian-style meal. Best for last - we had a group cooking class, and I was on the schnitzel team. We did everything end-to-end, so I have a new dish to add to my cooking repertoire.

Quick coda to wrap this up - from low-brow to high-brow, we saw it all on this trip. Traditional trio playing at the winery visit - including the corny-but-fun chicken dance, and walking by the famous Vienna opera house.

New Insight Report for Cloud Provider Business Models

Busy week, and I have a new report to share. This one is for Vertical Communications, and the focus is helping businesses understand the merits of three different business models for cloud services providers. Each company has a distinct cloud journey, but the wholesale model is not well-understood, so they often follow other paths. My analysis breaks down three different models, along with the ideal persona for each type.

If you’re just planning your cloud journey - especially for telephony, UCaaS and CCaaS - or feel your current cloud plan isn’t living up to expectations, then I think you’ll find this report a good read.

Vertical Communications has just published the report, and it’s publicly available on their website - just follow the link here. If any questions or comments, as always, I’d love to hear from you.

SCTC 2025 Conference - Recap and Photos

This is the busy season for travel to industry events, and am trying to share updates as time allows. Our annual SCTC conference was earlier this month in Reno, and being mostly for members, the audience is pretty limited. While not a big event, this is a tight community, with lots of engagement, and first-rate content for learning.

The SCTC community is mostly comms tech consultants, with decades of hands-on experience helping buyers make good technology decisions. Lots of vendors as well, and a handful of analysts. You can learn more about SCTC here on the website.

If you follow me on LinkedIn, I posted there regularly about the event, so I’m not going to do a full review here. Instead, I’ll share some photos - mostly mine - to give you a flavor of the event. Also, if you don’t know, we have a band - the SIPtones - and we had fun, playing two sets during the opening reception - gotta like that. Let’s go…

Sir Terry Matthews doing the opening keynote - lots to talk about there - and Steve Leaden just before the opening reception.

Outgoing President Mike Smith, then Steve in fireside chat mode with Sir Terry.

Denise Munro, leading a mixed panel of consultants and vendors, talking about building better partnerships. Then, Hardy Myers from NiCE Cognigy, talking about how AI is shaping nextgen CX.

Who wore it better - the always-sharp Brian Reijngoud, or me? Not to be outdone, Brian starting off his talk in a dinosaur outfit, explaining how his company helps businesses get out of the stone age with their outdated comms tech. Loved that!

SIPtones time! Nice shot here from Blair Pleasant. Another nice one here from Fran Blackburn after the gig. I’m the little guy in the back on keyboards, and videos coming soon. Until then, you can check out more photos and older clips of us here on my website.

Next Stop - NiCE Industry Analyst Summit

This is the busy season for industry events, and NiCE has been setting the pace for doing things right, at least in my small circles. This year is no exception, and the mise en scene will be Vienna - wow, huh? Never been, and very excited about the week ahead. I’ll be flying out Sunday, and will share updates on LinkedIn as time allows. There will be more to come, for sure, so stayed tuned.

Yes, we all know about the culture, the history, the coffee culture, etc. for Vienna, and this will be a great backdrop for the main focus - deep engagement between the NiCE leadership team and a cadre of analysts who follow the company and the broader CX space very closely.

That aside, for the cinephile in me, other things come to mind for Vienna, namely one of my all-time fave films, set in Vienna - The Third Man (Orson Welles/Carol Reed) from 1949. Not to mention my all-time fave opening sequence of music and credits. I’d love to get into all that, but not here or now. Much better done at a Viennese cafe, or wherever else the stars line up for this. I was keen to learn there are Third Man walking tours in Vienna - which I would love to do, but they’re booked up on the one free day I’m there. Guess I’ll have to go back another time for that!

Newsletter Time - October Issue Out Now

The October issue of my newsletter went out yesterday, so subscribers should have it by now. Am back to travel to various industry events, and the newsletter is the best way to keep tabs on what I’m writing about, speaking about, and which events I’ll be attending.

If you want to be a subscriber to JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review, signing up to my newsletter is easy - it’s free - the signup page is here.

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!