JAA’s Analyst Blog is an award-winning and industry go-to that chronicles Jon’s involvement and thought leadership in a variety of subjects in the fields of telecom and technology sector. Call today for more information - (416) 907-8659
You should also know that the majority of JAA's thought leadership is published on sites other than this blog, and the best way to follow my broader coverage is to subscribe to my monthly newsletter.
A short note for navigating this section - scroll below for the most recent posts, and then for more, click on the Blog Archive box, where you can view all of my posts, going back to the beginning in March 2005.
The June editions of JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review, and Watch This Space podcast are out now.
If you’re not a subscriber, signing up to my newsletter is easy - the signup page is here. For my podcast, you can subscribe on all the major platforms, or click to listen to the current episode here. Hoping you’ll check both out, and would love your feedback any time.
I had a heavier-than-normal travel schedule in May, so writing was on the light side. Still managed to get a few things out, and here’s the digest.
Re-Thinking the On-Hold Experience, white paper for Aizan, May 31
3 Best Practices for a Successful UCaaS Migration, TechTarget, May 23
Are We Moving Too Fast with AI?, No Jitter, May 23
How to Manage Telecom Fraud, Contact Center Pipeline, May issue, May 4
I’ve had three big trips over the past three weeks, and while I have a lot of new writing and speaking to share, I’m way behind getting things posted. Am hoping to get that backlog cleared up over the next few days.
This blog post is to share my latest No Jitter article, which ran last week. I’m part of a rotating group of analysts under the BCStrategies umbrella that contribute to No Jitter, and this time around was my turn.
If you follow me, you’ll know I write a lot about AI in its various forms, and for this article, I’m drawing on some data from a new research study commissioned by RingCentral with Ipsos. While I only had access to a limited data set, there are some interesting comparisons between decision makers and non-decision makers about AI perceptions that I think need to be considered when moving down this path.
AI is getting really overheated now, and pumping the brakes a bit is not a bad idea - that’s the gist of my writeup, and I hope you give it a read.
UPDATE - since publishing this post, RingCentral has just made the broader set of findings from the Ipsos study available - here’s the link to download the report.
Been off the grid for a bit, and finally back to things here. Here’s a new kudo from earlier this month from 8x8. They do a top list of influencers for various spaces each year, and in March, I was on their influencer list for CCaaS.
This time around, I’m on their UCaaS list as well, so am on a bit of a roll with them. Last year, I was also on both these lists, along with another one for CPaaS - let’s see how the rest of 2023 unfolds, and I may yet have another update on that front.
UK-based UC Today has been running their UC Awards for a few years now, and I’ve been invited back again to be part of the cohort of judges. It’s a fun process, and as an analyst, I talk to a lot of vendors, which helps provide the industry-based perspective needed here.
The awards program itself is underway, and applications can be submitted until June 9. If getting industry recognition is on your to-do list, more detail can be found here, including the 12 different awards categories.
The May editions of JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review, and Watch This Space podcast are out now.
If you’re not a subscriber, signing up to my newsletter is easy - the signup page is here. For my podcast, you can subscribe on all the major platforms, or click to listen to the current episode here.
Our focus this month was on current industry events, along with growing concern about AI, and how technology is reshaping the fan experience at sporting events - and not necessarily in a good way.
On my website, there are now archives for both the newsletter and the podcast, so it’s easy to find earlier editions of each there. We’re into Season 6 of the podcast, so there’s a lot on offer in the archive if you want to check out earlier episodes.
Been plenty busy on many fronts lately, and during April, some of that work turned up in my public writing. Here’s a digest of that, and I hope you check some of these out.
Enterprise Connect 2023 - My Analyst Perspective, April 24, EM360
How Generative AI for Business Enhances Collaboration, April 18, TechTarget
POTS Replacement - More Complex Than You Might Think, April 11, No Jitter
The Year of AI: Impacts on UCaaS and CCaaS, April 4, RingCentral Blog
I’ve recently connected with John Heiberger, and one of his hats is running the CCSC - Contact Center Solutions Consortium. This community serves to share knowledge that helps contact center leaders make better buying decisions. They run regular virtual webinars, and I’m going to be the presenter for the next one, which is this week - Thursday, April 27 at 1pm ET.
Basically, I’ll be providing an overview of the state of play in this space, which we all know is being transformed in a variety of ways. The webinar is generally for members-only, but am sharing here because John will consider non-member requests on a case-by-case basis. The details are here, and maybe I’ll see you there.
If you don’t know, UK-based UC Expo is launching its first US event this September, and I’ll be speaking there. To help build awareness and interest, they’ve produced a webinar series, UCX USA Talks, and I was one of their guests recently.
The theme was “how to keep your customers and employees happy in 2023”, and serves as a preview for some of what to expect when this show runs in Austin. I hope you check it out - along with other Talks in their series - and maybe I’ll see you there. Here’s the landing page on their site, along with the direct link to watch it on Vimeo.
Enterprise Connect seems like a long time ago, but still plenty of buzz from what I can tell. If you follow my blog, you’ll know that I managed to post some photos just after the event, but have not had time since to write up my thoughts.
In lieu of that, I’ve been part of four different interview spots related to Enterprise Connect - one podcast and three video segments. So, if you want to hear/see my thoughts on the event, you’ve got a lot of reference points to work from here. They’re all different, and if you get through all of them, let me know, and I’ll give you a gold star shout-out! Here goes…
First - I was a guest on Doug Green’s Telecom Reseller podcast, which was recorded onsite at Enterprise Connect. Click on the visual below for the replay - and same for the next two.
Second - I was a guest on Zeus Kerravala’s ZKast video series, so this is a 1:1 segment where we discussed our takeaways from the event.
Third - the latest segment of Big UC News, where I was one of several guests sharing our thoughts with hosts David Dungay and Rob Scott.
Fourth - this is for the SCTC, where last week’s Fireside Chat was about Enterprise Connect, and I’m one of many members talking about the event. We do these chats live, and they’re all archived on the SCTC website, but you need to be a member to access them.
It’s time for the April editions of JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review, along with my Watch This Space podcast.
If you’re not a subscriber, signing up to my newsletter is easy - the signup page is here. For my podcast, you can subscribe on all the major platforms, or click to listen to the current episode here. Our focus this month was on a variety current industry events, and the current state of enterprise communications.
On my website, there are now archives for both the newsletter and the podcast, so it’s easy to find earlier editions of each there. We’re into Season 6 of the podcast, so there’s a lot on offer in the archive if you want to check out earlier episodes.
Was quite a week at Enterprise Connect, and still trying to process all the conversations and updates. Normally, I’d have time to consolidate my thoughts, but it just hasn’t happened yet.
In lieu of that, however, I’ll be sharing my takeaways via three different video segments, with the first one recorded yesterday for Big UC News. Am attending an analyst event this week, and have two other video segments lined up then, so it won’t take long to get those done and shared here, and on my social channels.
Until those come out, am sharing some photos below from the conference - all are mine unless credited otherwise. If you want to chat further about Enterprise Connect, feel free to drop me a line. It’s not usually this hectic after an event, but that’s how things are lining up right now.
Below: Dave Michels hosting the Innovation Showcase (I was a judge), Blair Pleasant’s panel on bringing UCaaS and CCaaS together, and the super-interesting UCaaS vendor breakdown session with Kevin Kieller and Brent Kelly.
My session on enterprise use cases for AI-driven speech tech (photo: Dan Miller - thanks!), panel session on Thursday about how IT will adapt to the future of work, Vonage analyst breakfast, with Savinay Berry speaking
Long-time tech journalist Doug Green - I was his guest for an episode of his Telecom Reseller podcast - coming soon! Next - very cool demo from the most interesting thing I saw at the show - from Alan Lepofsky (another Canadian!) of Mobeus. Look closely at the right screen at his hands looking like a ghost image, and as he gestures, the outline of the hands show up on the left screen, in real time. Hard to explain, but Airglass adds a virtual layer to what’s on your screen that helps make meetings more interactive and immersive. Out of the box for sure, and very cool. Last photo - Paul Ginn speaking at Mitel’s analyst update.
Hey, I got photo-bombed by “no kisscam” Zeus Kerravla - surprise! I was briefing at the time with Joe Burton of Telesign - thanks for the photo, Joe. Cool signage here as you walk into the event space - it reflects perfectly below on the marble floor. Another fun shot, with another Canadian and long-time colleague, Darryl Wilson from Kyndryl (Darryl’s selfie).
More social stuff - with my SCTC and SIPtones brothers - Rick Hathaway, Steve Leaden and son (thanks Fran Blackburn!); with Lisa Martin from Five9 (her selfie), and Carlos Cano from Talkdesk (his selfie).
Enterprise Connect after dark - very fun whiskey tasting with Talkdesk, firing up a smokey and very delicious Old Fashioned at NICE, and a very glam welcome sign from Twilio’s reception.
Quiet month on the public writing front, but already there are several guest posts queued up for April, so plenty more coming soon.
8x8 Analyst Day - My Thoughts and Photos, March 14, my blog
How AI-Driven Innovation will Change Speech Technology, March 6, No Jitter
It’s time for my latest contribution to No Jitter - as part of the BCStrategies team - and it’s a preview for my upcoming session on enterprise speech tech at Enterprise Connect. Am looking forward to attending the 2023 edition, and this time around, I’ll be joined by speakers from LumenVox, Dialpad and Zoom.
If you don’t know, this is my fifth year speaking on this topic at the conference, and it’s become an ongoing focus in my work. I don’t know if ChatGPT is the next big thing or just a passing novelty, but am sure it will still have legs by the time we do this session on March 29, and it will be on the agenda. I hope you can join us, and my latest article, here on No Jitter, tells more of the story.
Never dull in the collaboration space, where UCaaS is really just the start for where the market is going, and where tech is evolving. I was one of several voices on the latest episode of Big UC News, where we covered these trending topics. Hope you give it a view, and look forward to being on another episode soon.
I try to keep to a schedule for publishing on the first week of each month, so it’s time for the March editions of JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review, along with my Watch This Space podcast.
If you’re not a subscriber, signing up to my newsletter is easy - the signup page is here. For my podcast, you can subscribe on all the major platforms, or click to listen to the current episode here.
On my website, there are now archives for both the newsletter and the podcast, so it’s easy to find earlier editions of each there. We’re into Season 6 of the podcast, so there’s a lot on offer in the archive if you want to check out earlier episodes.
Got back to a more normal level of writing last month, and here’s a digest of my public writing:
Why Service Providers Need Continuous Testing to Support Microsoft Teams, TekVizion blog, Jan. 31 (link wasn’t provided until a few days after)
Managing Communications to Address Operating Challenges in 2023, No Jitter, Feb. 7
2023 Outlook for the Business Market - Taking Care of Business, Ooma Office Blog, Feb. 9
Future of Work Expo Review - 5 Key Themes, EM360, Feb. 22 (registration may be required, but just takes a minute)
How do you Build a CPaaS Business Case?, TechTarget, Feb. 28
I’ve started doing some work with Ooma, a company that I have been close too since its earliest days. By earliest, I mean back when they were strictly a residential landline offering, just like Vonage. Way before cloud, way before social media, even before smartphones. That’s a long time ago, folks, but guess what? They’re still here, and have a made a nice transition to the business market, and not just SMBs.
Just did my first guest post for them, and stay tuned for more on other topics. This one is a bit tricky to find on their site, but here’s the link, and I hope you like it.
Sorry for the short notice, but I’ll be presenting on webinar tomorrow about the value of white label UCaaS to help channels grow their business. I’ll be joined by speakers from sponsor SkySwitch, and the webinar is being presented by Channel Futures. Here’s the registration page, and hope you can join us.
Just a quick coda to my earlier post about last week’s Future of Work Expo, with my photos and a link to a review article I wrote about it.
Time to flip the script, and share what others had to say about the event. One of TMC’s many publications is Future of Work News, and they covered several of our sessions - here are the articles they’ve posted to date:
ChatGPT session - The Reach of ChatGPT: A Discussion at Future of Work Expo
Quiet Quitting session - Engaged Employees Ward Off Quiet Quitting
Agent Experience for FOW session - Contact Center Agents Need Strong Support
AI and Workforce Management session - AI-Enabled Systems Complete Repetitive Tasks in HR
Managing Hybrid Workforces session - Navigating FOW: Successfully Managing Hybrid Workforces
J Arnold & Associates is an Independent Technology Research and Analyst, helping businesses understand the strategic value of communications technology as they adapt to the digital transformation of work
Who’s Who in Telecoms?, March 2021
Top 100 Unified Comms Influencers Revealed, September 2020
Unified Comms Influencers - Top 50 for 2019 Revealed, August 2019
TOP VoIP Bloggers to Follow VoIP Review, 2018
Top 10 Telecom Experts to Follow on Social Media - June 2017
