New Services: Lumen, Verizon, Comcast, Spectrum, More

It’s a great time to be selling UCaaS and SD-WAN products.

Vendors last month bulked up on new offerings that the indirect channel can deliver.

SD-WAN featured prominently in the February headlines. For example, Telesystem signed a pure-play vendor to power one of its managed services. In addition, Verizon rolled out more SD-WAN options for customers.

Masergy bulked up its UCaaS offering. Also, Avaya signed a new master agent partner that will distribute its UCaaS and CCaaS products. Zoom significantly enhanced its Rooms product to better support social distancing, Windstream Enterprise enhanced one of its contact center solutions.

Also, multiple master agencies announced new supplier partnerships and a network service provider launched a software-defined network. Cisco played a big role in helping service providers launch new offers.

Scroll through the 12 images below to see the latest UCaaS, CCaaS, SD-WAN and teleworker products that channel partners can sell.

Did you miss our previous new services roundup? You can find the January edition on our site.

MicroCorp

The AppSmart-owned master agent signed a new communications provider.

Broadvoice solutions now reside in the MicroCorp portfolio. For example, MicroCorp agents can sell cloud PBX, SIP trunking and virtual call center offerings.

Edward Gately has the scoop.

Unitas Global

Unitas Global unveiled a new software-defined network (SDN)

The Unitas Reach network creates synergies among cloud applications, edge access networks, cloud vendors and 900-plus data centers. A Unitas Global executive said the SDN caters to multicloud access and fast connectivity provisioning.

Get details on the announcement.

Verizon

The carrier rolled out new managed SD-WAN services.

Verizon tapped into its relationship with Cisco, which has been powering Verizon SD-WAN offerings for about five years. Cisco and Verizon rolled out new options for customers to consume Cisco's Viptela and Meraki services. For example, a co-managed version of Cisco SD-WAN powered by Viptela is now available.

Learn more about Verizon's SD-WAN play.

Masergy

In another story involving a Cisco partnership, Masergy bolstered its UCaaS solution.

The update combines Masergy's UC calling platform and security services with Cisco Webex collaboration features. Jim Glackin, Masergy's senior vice president of global channels, said his company continues to build a unified technology platform with an on-ramp to the cloud.

“They want to use technology, but they don’t want to own it. They don’t want to manage it. They don’t want that distraction from running their core business,” Glackin said.

Read our coverage of the announcement.

Windstream

Windstream Enterprise worked with Google Cloud and Mitel to build a more intelligent contact center offering.

The carrier added Google Contact Center AI (CCAI) to its Mitel contact center solution. As a result, agents can better understand customer intent during calls.

“During a time when many contact centers have gone remote and have been faced with reductions in workforce, this AI integration enables customers to continue delivering exceptional customer service while increasing operational efficiency," a Windstream executive said.

Read about the enhancement.

Telesystem

Telesystem signed Bigleaf Networks as an SD-WAN partner.

According to Telesystem executives, a partnership with the upstart vendor had been a long time in the making. Although Telesystem already delivers an SD-WAN solution through Versa Networks, Bigleaf provides a very different set of capabilities.

Learn about how Bigleaf brings value to Telesystem's managed services.

PlanetOne

PlanetOne signed Avaya to its partner program.

The announcement entails that PlanetOne and its agents get access to Avaya's portfolio. That means partners can sell the popular Cloud Office UCaaS and OneCloud CCaaS products.

Read about the supplier partnership.

Zoom

New contactless features will make Zoom Rooms safer as in-person meetings resume.

Zoom announced several new features to Zoom Rooms. For example, hosts can control Zoom Rooms with their mobile devices instead of sharing the same physical controller device. Zoom also unveiled a "virtual receptionist," which will allow contactless entrance into buildings.

See a list of the many changes.

Spectrum

Channel partners can manage their midmarket and enterprise customers' network edge with a new solution from Spectrum Enterprise.

Spectrum launched Managed Network Edge (MNE), which simplifies WANs and LANs for multilocation and single-location businesses. Michelle Kadlacek, vice president of the Spectrum Enterprise Partner Program, praised the partner opportunities that MNE creates.

“It’s going to help their clients really tailor that solution for that simplified network management," she said.

See what else Kadlacek said about the solution.

Comcast

Another cableco announcement bolstered Comcast Business' teleworker solution.

Comcast last year announced a teleworker VPN solution in conjunction with HPE's Aruba. Furthermore, Comcast recently announced an enhancement that makes management easier.

Once again, Cisco featured as technology partner. Businesses can use the Cisco Meraki cloud platform to manage their remote workers' connections and devices.

Read about it here.

Lumen

Lumen Technologies will host SAP HANA infrastructure on its cloud management platform.

VARs previously delivered the ERP solution, SAP Business One, without any help. Now the Lumen platform will assist partners and customers in deploying SAP applications and SAP HANA environments.

You'll recall that CenturyLink rebranded its enterprise unit as Lumen.

You can read about it at Channel Futures.

Pidj.co

Channel partners can harness Pidj.co's business texting messaging platform.

Former YipTel co-owners Jeff Beck and Erik Drumm announced that they bought Pidj.co, a startup they had partnered with while still at YipTel. The company sells through master agents and allows partners to white-label its solution.

Edward Gately wrote about the company.