https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • MSP 501 Rankings
    • NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Channel Futures 20: Top Tech Providers
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
    • Channel Leaders Lists
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2023 Call for Speakers
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • MSP 501 Rankings
    • NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Channel Futures 20: Top Tech Providers
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
    • Channel Leaders Lists
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2023 Call for Speakers
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Agents
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • Channel Partners Events
 Channel Futures

SDN/SD-WAN


Q&A

New Channel Chief: Windstream a ‘Hedge’ Against AT&T, Verizon, CenturyLink

  • Written by Edward Gately
  • November 7, 2017
"We're going to stop apologizing for things that may or may not have happened 5 years ago," says Curt Allen.

Channel vet Curt Allen left the channel in September with plans to take a year off, and then return with a new entrepreneurial pursuit.

Then Windstream came calling and changed everything. Allen is taking over as Windstream’s channel chief, replacing Olen Scott, who took over the position in late February. Allen will start his new job on Nov. 13.

Scott became Windstream’s channel chief immediately after the company’s acquisition of EarthLink closed. He previously was EarthLink’s vice president of partner channels.

Windstream's Curt Allen

Windstream’s Curt Allen

Allen’s official title is senior vice president of channel. He was president of X4 Solutions, the master agent that was acquired by fellow master agent Sandler Partners. He became Sandler’s president of channel before leaving in September.

Layne Levine, president of Windstream’s enterprise business division, said Allen is somebody “who really understands what we are going through.”

In a Q&A with Channel Partners, Allen gives his assessment of Windstream’s channel strategy, and shares his plans for building an improved partner program and increasing channel sales.

Channel Partners: What made you want to come out of retirement to take the Windstream channel chief position?

Curt Allen: After initial conversations with Brian Crotty (president of Windstream’s midmarket and small business division) and then Layne Levine and Tony Thomas (president and CEO), and several other folks over there, it became apparent to me quickly that this was a group, both the existing leadership team and then the new folks coming on board, that was really committed to creating what I think will be the world-class organization in our space and, more importantly, very committed to channel playing a huge role in that. So running a carrier program wasn’t on my short list of things that I was going to do next, but it became apparent for a couple of reasons that this was the right thing for me to do.

The first one that jumped out at me was the underlying assets in the combined companies. From a pure network perspective, you look at the diversity of network assets, with broadband all the way up through big fiber and mixed wireless, and that type of diversity was always going to be a pretty powerful story. But you couple that with a really robust SD-WAN play to leverage those underlying network assets, and then you wrap in the Broadview Networks acquisition and what I think is one of the coolest, most compelling UCaaS plays in their OfficeSuite, and you’ve got a jumping-off point … for something that can really take advantage of the market from a networking solutions perspective. Second is the overall marketplace. You have two really large cable companies and you’ve got AT&T and Verizon, and then CenturyLink acquiring Level 3 and being really clear that their goal is to go after AT&T and Verizon … (and a) massive void in the space that used to be PaeTec, Windstream, XO, TelePacific — there were dozens in that space kind of filling that void as the agile CLEC, kind of easy to do business with, reliable, residual commission-paying companies that would be …

  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
Tags: Agents Mobility & Wireless SDN/SD-WAN Telephony/UC/Collaboration

Most Recent


  • contact center
    Alvaria Appoints Oracle, Avaya Vet as Channel Leader
    He is currently in “listening mode” with partners.
  • Hybrid Work Model: Keeper Security, Open Systems, More Address Security Concerns
    The human element plays a big role in hybrid work security.
  • Samuel Wilson named 8x8 CEO
    Samuel Wilson Named 8x8 CEO
    He has more than 25 years of executive experience in the technology sector.
  • IoT Technology, state of telco channel
    State of the Telco Channel: Partners, Suppliers Weigh in on Challenges
    Transactional vs. transformational. Upmarket vs. down-market. Nuance abounds in the network services channel.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Cloud security
    VMware Debuts Cloud Web Security on SASE Platform
  • zero trust security
    Leveraging Partner Expertise to Build a Zero-Trust Strategy
  • Twenty, 20, SD-WAN providers
    The CF List: 20 Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Providers You Should Know
  • Security shield on digital background
    VMware Security Connect Focused on Redefining Security, Increasing Threats

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Europe

June 13, 2023 - June 14, 2023

Channel Futures Leadership Summit

October 30, 2023 - November 2, 2023

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

March 11, 2024 - March 14, 2024

Galleries

View all

Hybrid Work Model: Keeper Security, Open Systems, More Address Security Concerns

May 31, 2023

VMware, Rackspace, Pax8, Dell on Cloud Trends Impacting Channel

May 31, 2023

Cyber Insurance: ThreatBlockr, Open Systems, Sectigo, More Address Challenges

May 30, 2023

Industry Perspectives

View all

Dell Technologies World: Dell Apex Expanded Across On-Premises, Cloud and Edge

May 22, 2023

Identity Is Increasingly Valuable – and Targeted

May 18, 2023

Gaining a Competitive Advantage through AV Managed Services

May 10, 2023

Webinars

View all

From Problem to Profit: Mastering the Science of Selling Using Business Outcomes

May 9, 2023

Meet the 2023 Channel Futures Channel Influencers

April 13, 2023

DE&I Dialogue: How the Right DE&I Initiatives Can Propel Your Business

April 5, 2023

White Papers

View all

6 UCaaS Reseller Challenges and How Real World Businesses Solved Them

February 1, 2023

Frost Radar: North American UCaaS Market, 2022

February 1, 2023

The Complete Guide to White-Label UCaaS for Reseller Success

February 1, 2023

Channel Futures TV

View all

Coffee with Craig and James Episode No. 123: MartinWolf M&A Advisors, CP Expo Preview

UScellular Takes On Rivals with Partner Program Simplicity

April 21, 2023

OpenText Simplifying Deal Registration, Doubling Down on MDF

April 21, 2023

Everything-as-a-Service: CloudBlue Touts Critical Customer Transition

April 18, 2023

Twitter

ChannelFutures

.@Zendesk #layoffs impacting 8% of global workforce. #cloud dlvr.it/Spxpsh https://t.co/Tb6pVTeF0R

May 31, 2023
ChannelFutures

.@Veeam urges partners to migrate customers with perpetual socket licenses to its Veeam Universal License.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 31, 2023
ChannelFutures

.@Alvaria_Inc's new channel leader is currently in "listening mode" with partners. dlvr.it/Spxk9Y https://t.co/bxhx1piPSL

May 31, 2023
ChannelFutures

#CPExpo roundtable tackles #hybridwork cybersecurity, with @keepersecurity, @ThreatBlockr, @RealOpenSystems,… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 31, 2023
ChannelFutures

.@8x8's new CEO has more than 25 years of executive experience in the technology sector. dlvr.it/SpxZsF https://t.co/ZjlABJvVH6

May 31, 2023
ChannelFutures

LIVE Tomorrow at 2PM EDT! Please join @Cynet360 to address ways in which automation can be implemented to beef up… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 31, 2023
ChannelFutures

Curious about #cloud trends in the channel? @VMware, @Rackspace, @Dell, @Pax8 chimed in at the recent #CPExpo!… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 31, 2023
ChannelFutures

Today we celebrate ⭐ Courtney Humphrey, one of our 50 #ChannelInfluencers of 2023 - celebrating leaders driving gro… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 31, 2023

MSP 501

The industry's largest and most comprehensive partner awards program.

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Galleries

Educational slide shows and images from live events.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Events
  • Telecoms.com
  • MSP 501
  • Black Hat
  • IoT World Today
  • Omdia

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X