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New Services Roundup: Avant, Cisco, Sprint, Vonage, 8×8, More
Sprint, 8x8 and Cisco were among the companies announcing new products and services in April.
Companies in the indirect technology sales channel homed in on security and unified communications offerings last month.
Although SD-WAN, cloud and even blockchain comprised some of the technologies vendors and master agents introduced in April, nothing was hotter than security and UCaaS. CenturyLink praised how Level 3 has helped it consolidate security resources, Sprint introduced a unified communications platform, and CoreDial proclaimed that it is taking on the “big boys” in UCaaS.
The Channel Partners Conference & Expo was the catalyst for some of the new releases.
Scroll through the gallery below to read about 12 significant new products or services, either brand-new or available to a wider group of partners for the first time.
Missed last month’s services gallery? Check out the March edition.
Follow news editor @JamesAndersonCP on Twitter.
8x8
8×8 launched its new X Series, which brings together separate unified communications (UC), conferencing, team collaboration and contact-center platforms with eight different options available to any given customer.
Jeffrey Schwartz wrote that the announcement represents "the latest effort among traditional customer premises equipment (CPE) PBX suppliers and VoIP telephony service providers to tap into advances in cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to unify currently separate components."
Read Jeff's story.
8×8 launched its new X Series, which brings together separate unified communications (UC), conferencing, team collaboration and contact-center platforms with eight different options available to any given customer.
Jeffrey Schwartz wrote that the announcement represents "the latest effort among traditional customer premises equipment (CPE) PBX suppliers and VoIP telephony service providers to tap into advances in cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to unify currently separate components."
Read Jeff's story.
Avant
The master agent joined the TPx Communications national channel-partner program. The agreement gives Avant partners access to the TPx portfolio of managed IT, connectivity and unified communications services.
Avant Communications also announced a partnership with Virginia-based BluLogix, which has a software-as-a-service platform for billing management. Avant partners can now send multiprovider invoices to customers and consolidate their billing process.
Check out our article on Avant from the recent Channel Partners Conference & Expo.
The master agent joined the TPx Communications national channel-partner program. The agreement gives Avant partners access to the TPx portfolio of managed IT, connectivity and unified communications services.
Avant Communications also announced a partnership with Virginia-based BluLogix, which has a software-as-a-service platform for billing management. Avant partners can now send multiprovider invoices to customers and consolidate their billing process.
Check out our article on Avant from the recent Channel Partners Conference & Expo.
Cisco
Cisco unveiled two new, subscription-based consumption models for its Tetration cloud workload protection offering. Tetration SaaS is the cloud-based service for cloud-first and cloud-only organizations, and Tetration-V is a software-only version using a virtual appliance for smaller deployments.
The company also announced upgrades to its Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) for Endpoints, new investments in email security, and an expanded security partnership with ConnectWise.
Read more about the SaaS offering and malware protection.
Cisco unveiled two new, subscription-based consumption models for its Tetration cloud workload protection offering. Tetration SaaS is the cloud-based service for cloud-first and cloud-only organizations, and Tetration-V is a software-only version using a virtual appliance for smaller deployments.
The company also announced upgrades to its Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) for Endpoints, new investments in email security, and an expanded security partnership with ConnectWise.
Read more about the SaaS offering and malware protection.
CenturyLink
CenturyLink said its acquisition of Level 3 Communications has boosted its security prowess.
CenturyLink now monitors more than 114 billion net-flow sessions and 1.3 billion security events per day, responding to and mitigating roughly 120 distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks daily, and removing about 35 command and control (C2) networks monthly. This expanded visibility allows CenturyLink’s customers to better anticipate and protect against threats, according to CenturyLink’s vice president of global security services.
Edward Gately has the story.
CenturyLink said its acquisition of Level 3 Communications has boosted its security prowess.
CenturyLink now monitors more than 114 billion net-flow sessions and 1.3 billion security events per day, responding to and mitigating roughly 120 distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks daily, and removing about 35 command and control (C2) networks monthly. This expanded visibility allows CenturyLink’s customers to better anticipate and protect against threats, according to CenturyLink’s vice president of global security services.
Edward Gately has the story.
Sprint
Sprint, at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo, debuted an “as-a-service” voice and unified communications productivity suite.
The company said Sprint Smart UC is a "work anywhere" offering that increases productivity, replaces legacy equipment and makes the workforce more mobile. Broadsoft, which Cisco recently acquired, powers the offering.
Read Sprint's announcement about the offering.
Sprint, at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo, debuted an “as-a-service” voice and unified communications productivity suite.
The company said Sprint Smart UC is a "work anywhere" offering that increases productivity, replaces legacy equipment and makes the workforce more mobile. Broadsoft, which Cisco recently acquired, powers the offering.
Read Sprint's announcement about the offering.
Vonage
Vonage launched Vee, a chatbot that assists customer experience using the company's cloud platform.
Vonage’s senior vice president and channel chief, Bob Crissman, told Channel Partners that Vee illustrates the importance of going to market with business solutions as opposed to simply selling products. Users can set up and manage their accounts, using natural language commands to ask Vee questions and receive assistance in troubleshooting issues in real time.
Get details on why Vonage made the chatbot.
Vonage launched Vee, a chatbot that assists customer experience using the company's cloud platform.
Vonage’s senior vice president and channel chief, Bob Crissman, told Channel Partners that Vee illustrates the importance of going to market with business solutions as opposed to simply selling products. Users can set up and manage their accounts, using natural language commands to ask Vee questions and receive assistance in troubleshooting issues in real time.
Get details on why Vonage made the chatbot.
Juniper
Juniper Networks introduced an expanded Contrail Enterprise Multicloud solution, which now offers a common way of managing the overlay and underlay — orchestration, visibility and security.
Contrail Enterprise Multicloud is a cloud-grade solution that now offers new multidomain orchestration and visibility capabilities, with monitoring and management of any workload from a single command center.
This came two months after Juniper announced an expanded portfolio for a secure multicloud computing strategy.
Read more about the solution.
Juniper Networks introduced an expanded Contrail Enterprise Multicloud solution, which now offers a common way of managing the overlay and underlay — orchestration, visibility and security.
Contrail Enterprise Multicloud is a cloud-grade solution that now offers new multidomain orchestration and visibility capabilities, with monitoring and management of any workload from a single command center.
This came two months after Juniper announced an expanded portfolio for a secure multicloud computing strategy.
Read more about the solution.
CoreDial
CoreDial said it's taking on the “big boys” in UC such as RingCentral, Vonage and 8×8, and contact-center leaders such as inContact and Five9. The company unveiled its contact-center offering to the channel at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo in Las Vegas.
CoreDial had already announced the acquisition of CCaaS provider Voice4Net. Its WebRTC-based contact-center offerings include cloud, premises or hybrid infrastructures; two-way text messaging via the contact center; interactive voice response (IVR); routing and automation; and a customizable, widget-based interface.
Edward Gately has the scoop.
CoreDial said it's taking on the “big boys” in UC such as RingCentral, Vonage and 8×8, and contact-center leaders such as inContact and Five9. The company unveiled its contact-center offering to the channel at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo in Las Vegas.
CoreDial had already announced the acquisition of CCaaS provider Voice4Net. Its WebRTC-based contact-center offerings include cloud, premises or hybrid infrastructures; two-way text messaging via the contact center; interactive voice response (IVR); routing and automation; and a customizable, widget-based interface.
Edward Gately has the scoop.
Access Point
Access Point launched a "cloud-enabled" SD-WAN offering last month.
The company said it combined a software-defined platform and with a physical network. Access Point brands the SD-WAN product as using an "intelligent network" to handle network resources more securely and reliably.
Check out Access Point's announcement.
Access Point launched a "cloud-enabled" SD-WAN offering last month.
The company said it combined a software-defined platform and with a physical network. Access Point brands the SD-WAN product as using an "intelligent network" to handle network resources more securely and reliably.
Check out Access Point's announcement.
Attivo
Attivo Networks enhanced its ThreatDefend platform designed to deceive and reveal attackers that have bypassed perimeter security.
It added counterintelligence functionality to help companies identify the specific data attackers are seeking, as well as geolocation services that indicate where the documents are being accessed. The platform’s new DecoyDocs feature provides the ability to plant deception files that allow the organization to conduct data loss tracking (DLT) on documents that have been exfiltrated.
Edward Gately discussed the Attivo enhancements in his security roundup.
Attivo Networks enhanced its ThreatDefend platform designed to deceive and reveal attackers that have bypassed perimeter security.
It added counterintelligence functionality to help companies identify the specific data attackers are seeking, as well as geolocation services that indicate where the documents are being accessed. The platform’s new DecoyDocs feature provides the ability to plant deception files that allow the organization to conduct data loss tracking (DLT) on documents that have been exfiltrated.
Edward Gately discussed the Attivo enhancements in his security roundup.
Intel
Intel's new Threat Detection Technology aims to help detect advanced cyberthreats and exploits on the heels of the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities that affected many chips from Intel and competitors.
The first capability, offered as part of Intel Threat Detection Technology is Advanced Memory Scanning, uses Intel’s integrated graphics processor to enable scanning while reducing impacts on main processor performance — a result of earlier memory-scanning techniques.
Todd R. Weiss reported about Intel from the RSA conference.
Intel's new Threat Detection Technology aims to help detect advanced cyberthreats and exploits on the heels of the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities that affected many chips from Intel and competitors.
The first capability, offered as part of Intel Threat Detection Technology is Advanced Memory Scanning, uses Intel’s integrated graphics processor to enable scanning while reducing impacts on main processor performance — a result of earlier memory-scanning techniques.
Todd R. Weiss reported about Intel from the RSA conference.
Colotraq
Colotraq, the sourcing advisory firm and data-center infrastructure master agency, now gives customers and channel partners blockchain and distributed-ledger technology (DLT) solutions.
The company says blockchain is capable of transforming a company’s IT Infrastructure and offering new solutions to improve technologies, business models and employees. Colotraq has formed partnerships to become a solutions integrator for blockchain development.
Read Colotraq's press release.
Colotraq, the sourcing advisory firm and data-center infrastructure master agency, now gives customers and channel partners blockchain and distributed-ledger technology (DLT) solutions.
The company says blockchain is capable of transforming a company’s IT Infrastructure and offering new solutions to improve technologies, business models and employees. Colotraq has formed partnerships to become a solutions integrator for blockchain development.
Read Colotraq's press release.
