Next Stop - Avaya Engage, Las Vegas

Well, actually, I'm here, and am through Day 1. Was going to post earlier, but had major connectivity issues that kept me offline almost all day. Pretty intensive roadmap sessions for analysts and consultants, and it will take a bit of time to digest things. Lots more to come over the next two days, and soon after, I'll have some takeaways to share. Of course, Avaya is going through some major challenges right now, but there is absolutely a lot happening as they re-work their offerings for the world of digital transformation.

Unconventional view from my room, but if you've been to Vegas, you'll know where I am!

ITExpo - Quick Pix

Will have more to say later, but for now, I just have time to share a few photos from the ITExpo, here in Fort Lauderdale. The show definitely looks and feels bigger than last year, and I see two reasons. One would be the ramped-up IoT conference that is co-located here. It's really taking a life of its own with a pretty substantial exhibitor roster that stands apart from the main show floor.

These exhibitors don't have much in common with the UC/VoIP crowd, and it's a reminder that communications is just a small slice of the IoT pie. It's also very interesting stuff, and I loved the drone on display - see last photo below. With a 10 mile range from the ground, powered by IoT - note the PC at the bottom of that photo showing the tracking data - you sure can do a lot of interesting things that are much more effective than using conventional approaches.

Another reason for the show being bigger is the larger number of regular ITExpo exhibitors. There just seems to be a greater variety, although still largely from the same categories we see every year. Most of my time has been spent in the press room doing briefings, , but the few sessions I've seen so far have been quite good. Friday is the last day, and I'll be busy moderating back-to-back panels, so this is my only window to post while I'm here. Below are a few photos to give you a flavor for this year's edition of the ITExpo.

UCStrategies Podcast - Weighing in on Cisco Spark

As you can see from my other posts today, there sure is a lot going on, and that's good for business! Cisco Spark has been getting lots of attention since the launch event last week, and I've got one more update to share. 

Many of my fellow UC Experts - both analysts and consultants - participated in the launch event, and we put our collective thoughts together for this week's UCStrategies podcast. The podcast was moderated by Dave Michels, and you can hear it here, from our site.

In terms of written analysis, I posted about it earlier this week, and aside from the podcast, some of my colleagues at UCStrategies have posted their takeaways to the site as well.

ITExpo Shout-Out #2 - Panel Session: Emerging Technologies Influencing Your Business

Am moderating back-to-back sessions next Friday at TMCnet's ITExpo in Fort Lauderdale. Yesterday, I blogged about the first panel, and this one is at 11am. 

Emerging technologies covers a lot of ground, and I'll be joined by a diverse group who will have more than enough to talk about in the short time we have. Along with SAP, IBM Security and Plantronics, we'll have independent perspectives from Jeff Pulver and Chris Fine.

It will be a great way to wrap up the conference, and you won't be disappointed if you join us. More details are here on the Conference Program page - just scroll down to Friday in the Hot Topics in Tech and Telecom track.

January Writing Roundup

2017 started slow, but that didn't last long, and back to a full schedule of writing, both in the usual places and some new ones as well. Here's a highlight list in case you didn't see these.

What, There's Something Better Than Real-Time?, No Jitter, Jan. 31

Cisco and Microsoft - Two Approaches to Room-Based Collaboration, UCStrategies, Jan. 31

3 Ways How UC is Falling Short, Toolbox.com, Jan. 26

Developing Collaboration Strategies for Gen Z Workers, Toolbox.com, Jan. 20

Expert Interview - JAA on Cloud Computing and Collaboration, TOSSC3, Jan. 19

How UCaaS Saves Time and Money When Businesses Expand Globally, RingCentral Blog, Jan. 18

Messaging Mania - Just When You Thought UC Was the Answer, Internet Telephony Magazine, Jan. 16

What Gen Z Wants in the Workplace, Toolbox.com, Jan. 13

Is Team Chat the Evolution of Business Social Software?, TechTarget, Jan. 12

Why Integrating UCaaS with CCaaS is a Win-Win for Businesses, RingCentral Blog, Jan. 10

2017 Outlook - 3 Things to Watch for in the Contact Center, Toolbox.com, Jan. 9

My 2016 - By The Numbers, JAA blog, Jan. 4

2017 Outlook - 3 Things to Watch for with VoIP, Toolbox.com, Jan. 3

ITExpo Shout-Out #1 - Panel Session: Customer Service, Evolved

TMCnet's flagship show, ITExpo gets underway next Wednesday, and I'll be there as usual. No complaints going to Florida in February, and I've got a full schedule of vendor briefings, meetings and am moderating two sessions.

The first one is on Friday at 10am, and as the title above suggests, we'll be discussing how technology is impacting customer service, and what businesses need to do to adapt. Joining me will be speakers from Plantronics, Telax, CGS and USAN. It's going to be good, and for more detail, scroll down the Conference Program page here, and when you get to Friday, look for us in the Enterprise Communications track. Hope you can join us!

What, There's Something Better Than Real-Time?

That's the title of my new article that was posted yesterday on No Jitter. This marks the start of me being a regular contributor, where I'll be posting there once every six weeks. I think of No Jitter as a cousin with UCStrategies, and for this writing, I'm part of a rotating group of UC Experts where we take turns to produce articles for No Jitter on a weekly basis.

My first post is a play on the classic 2000 Year Old Man routine from Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner, where it is becoming apparent that there is something better than real-time communication when it comes to collaboration. This would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, but times are changing. Hopefully that piques your interest, and if you enjoy my analysis, please say so, as I'd love to create some dialog with readers.

Microsoft and Cisco - Two Approaches to Room-Based Collaboration

That's the title of my latest writeup for UCStrategies. As a UCExpert, I contribute regular posts and participate in our podcasts, and all told, we produce a lot of timely content. Other UCExperts have also written about last week's Cisco Spark announcement, and the twist I've added is comparing this launch against Microsoft, who have also come to market with a new solution at the very same time.

It's not easy to make choices here, and I've written this analysis to help decision makers understand the merits of each offering, as they're quite different. My post is running now on the portal, and to learn more after reading this, I'd encourage you to read the related posts from my fellow UCStrategies colleagues.

My Next Webinar - Is Slack UC?

I recently wrote a well-received series for Ziff Davis about whether Slack is UC. My intention was to explore not just Slack, but the broader collaboration landscape. It's changing so fast that analysts can't even keep up, and my series is one way to help address that.

Now I'm doing it another way, with a deeper dive on my next ZD webinar. Am doing an early shout-out now, and will blog again as the date approaches. If you're good to go now, the date is Tuesday, February 21 at 2pm ET - just hop over to the registration page for more details and signing up.

Expert Interview: Cloud Computing and Collaboration

I recently completed a written Q&A interview on my outlook for cloud and collaboration, and it's been posted now on the Blog section of cloud provider TOSSC3. I hope you like it, and feel free to share and/or comment. Here's the link, and while you're there, you might want to check out the other posts.

UCStrategies Special Podcast - Avaya's Chapter 11 News

This was one of those news items that's too big to let pass, and many of us at UCStrategies were keen to share our thoughts on Avaya's long-awaited financial fate. It's easy to view Chapter 11 as a knockout punch, but just look at how the US auto sector rebounded since their financial collapse years ago. Of course, it doesn't always work out - Nortel - but Avaya has strong fundamentals, and with a fresh start financially, they could have a bright future.

Enough from me - you really should give a listen to what we all had to say from a variety of angles. Here's the link to the podcast, and we'd love to hear your thoughts.

UCStrategies Podcast - Thoughts on Recent News

It's not often I get to blog twice in a week about our regular UCStrategies podcasts. Our latest segment was a catch-all highlighting recent industry news. We usually have a specific topic, but this time around, we touched on a few current items, namely Sequoia Capital's $100M investment in Zoom - wow - Unify's one year update since being acquired by Atos, and some promising Avaya updates.

The current state of Avaya is something else altogether, and knowing there would be imminent news, we put that on hold. With the news now being public, we'll be addressing that on a special podcast recording later today, so look for that early next week.

Until then, here's our podcast about everything else that's going on.

Just When You Thought UC Was the Answer...

That's the title of my current Rethinking Communications column, which I've been writing for a few years now. The column runs in TMC's flagship publication, Internet Telephony Magazine, which has just switched from 10x/year publishing to a quarterly issue.

My roots are in the trade publishing business, so I totally understand the switch in today's market. That also explains why you haven't seen anything recently from my column, as the last article ran back in early September.

 A lot has happened since then, and my current column speaks to the down side of UC being a moving target. While it's great that UC is so adaptable, its shape-shifting nature makes it more of a Swiss army knife than a precision instrument that does one thing really, really well. As such, while it's easy to think that UC will solve all your collaboration challenges, it has some blind spots, and to some extent, messaging has exposed one of them. 

That's the focus of my current column, and I'll have more to say about this in future posts. Until then, I hope you give my article a read, and as always, sharing and comments are welcome.

UCStrategies Podcast - Predictions, Expectations and Hopes for 2017

Following up from our previous podcast - 2016 Year in Review - it was time to look ahead to what we see coming in the current year. There's disruption and consolidation around every corner, and with a group as diverse as ours, we had plenty of perspectives to share.

This podcast was moderated by Blair Pleasant, and I  was one of several UC Experts contributing thoughts to the conversation. It's posted now on the portal, and after you give it a listen, we'd love to hear what you think 2017 holds in store for the UCC space.

2016 in Review - Our UCStrategies Podcast

2016 was so exhausting in terms of change, disruption and innovation, I had to take 10 days off at the break to regroup. Not quite recharged yet, but should be back up to speed next week.

Until then, if you're still wondering what to make of 2016 in the UCC space, our latest UCStrategies podcast will be time well spent. Sure, the cloud was a big deal, and so was CPaaS, and Slack, and the latest rounds of consolidation, both real and imagined. If that's not enough, get ready to hear a lot about IoT, AI, bots, and yes, mobile UC.

Sounds like a trailer for a tech blockbuster movie, and maybe that's what we'll see in 2017. Enough said - our podcast is posted now on the portal, with this one ably moderated by Marty Parker.  So, please listen, learn and share!

My 2016 - By The Numbers

Happy 2017 all! I meant to get this done before the break, but it just didn't happen. Am back from a 10 day hiatus from work, and now there's a lot to do. Before getting to the new stuff, I wanted to  tally a quick recap of my output during 2016. 

I don't think - or expect - that most of my followers would have a broad sense of all the things I do, and that you probably only follow me selectively. That's fine, but I do cover a lot of ground, and a good way to show that is with a simple tally of what kept me busy last year. Being an indie analyst, I have to tout my horn every once in a while, so here goes.

185:    

Original, published articles and thought leadership pieces - primarily with Ziff Davis, TechTarget, UCStrategies, Internet Telephony Magazine and EM 360 Magazine

11:  

Guest blog posts/articles - primarily with UCStrategies and GetVoIP

20:   

Ghost-written articles and case studies

114:  

Posts written on my own blog

3:   

White papers/e-books

3:   

Video interviews

17:   

Podcasts participated in - primarily with UCStrategies and EM 360

8:   

Webinar presentations - primarily with Ziff Davis

18:   

Conferences/industry events attended, and/or moderated/presented at - Cisco Canada, Cisco US, Unify, ITExpo, Vertical Communications, Channel Partners, Dell, NEC, Energy Thought Summit, Interactive Intelligence, Metaswitch Canada, Monage, Genesys, SCTC, BC Summit, Nextiva, ShoreTel, Schulich Tech Talk Leaders

2:   

SIPtone music gigs  :-)

Also, in the smart grid space:

11:   

Original thought leadership pieces and executive interviews

2017 is shaping up to be just as busy, so it's time to get back to work. Feel free to inquire about specific examples from the above list - I can provide links or soft copies for anything except the ghost writing.

UCStrategies Recap of BroadSoft and Nextiva Conferences

Better late than never on this one, but a few weeks back, these two companies had conferences at the same time. Too bad, since many of us at UCStrategies were invited to both, and being indies,  we can only be at one place at a time.

To make amends, we pooled attendees from each event into one podcast, so if you're still wondering about where each of these companies are heading, this will be a handy one-stop-shop. The podcast has been posted to our portal now, and if you attended either, we'd love to hear your thoughts after giving ours a listen.

ShoreTelOne Conference - Quick Take

Day 1 of ShoreTel's Global Partner Conference was quite good, and I'll be doing more writing about it over the next few days. We heard a lot about their vision for the cloud and platform-based solutions, and it's a familiar theme given the many conferences I've attended over the past few months. All the vendors are under the same pressures to adapt, and these changes really have become table stakes for staying in the game.

As with other vendors, this is a big shift from what ShoreTel has been really good at, and the big challenge lies in how well the channel community embraces these changes. I've been to several ShoreTel events, and a common thread has been a passion from the partners for working with ShoreTel. There's a lot of social capital and goodwill here, and that's a strong foundation to build on.

Over the rest of the conference, I'll have a better sense about how willing and able they'll be to follow ShoreTel's lead. There's certainly been an "adapt or die" theme here, but a lot of unknowns in terms of what end customers will ultimately end up deploying. Stay tuned. Until then, here are few pix from the event.

Held at the Gaylord in Orlando - very inviting walkup to the conference.

This is the core theme of the conference - interact with customers, with partners, with co-workers, team members, etc. That's definitely what ShoreTel Connect is built to do.

CEO Don Joos talking about the foundation they've built and how they're going to execute now.

CMO Mark Roberts talking about the importance of helping partners generate leads to drive new business.

Yes, we really are special.

Yup, it's a tough gig being an indie analyst, and to make ends meet, Dave Michels is moonlighting at the bar - works for me.

November Writing Roundup

Year-end will be  here in no time, and am almost through a long run of travel for industry events. Still doing my share of writing, but with all the travel, it's a bit lighter than normal. So, here are the high points to share, and I hope you find something here of interest.

Is IT Collaborating on Collaboration?, Dec. 1, UCStrategies (better share this now while it's really fresh!)

3 Things You Need to Know About CCaaS, Nov. 29 Toolbox.com

Schulich Tech Leader Talk - Musing on AI and Machine Learning, Nov. 24, my blog

3 Expectations You Need to Know About UCaaS, Nov. 22, Toolbox.com

Nextiva - Kawasaki and The Woz - My Conference Takeaways, Nov. 21, UC Strategies

3 Things You Need to Know About UC, Nov. 15, Toolbox.com

How Does Skype for Business Telephony Stack up for Enterprises, Nov. 10, TechTarget

Why Ease of Provisioning Helps Drive VoIP Collaboration, Nov. 4, Toolbox.com

UC, Contact Center Integration Rife with Obstacles, Nov. 2, TechTarget

Next Stop - ShoreTel in Orlando

Been to a lot of conferences the past few months, and the last one for 2016 is just about here. I'll be at ShoreTel's Global Partner Conference - ShoreTelOne in Orlando - next Tuesday through Thursday. More details are here, and of note, on Wednesday, I'll be speaking on an analyst roundtable about industry trends. Am not sure yet which time slot that session will be, but if you're there, I won't be hard to find.