Leveling Up: Beyond UCaaS

But it’s worth noting that a large number of agents have evolved their portfolios. Telarus shared at its recent Partner Summit that 60% of sales currently involve advanced solutions. That compares to network comprising 90% of partner sales five years ago.

But this begs the question: Is UCaaS, which has become such a staple of the agent portfolio, an advanced service? No doubt it has proven disruptive to the telecom world – judging by its role in the pandemic. Avant said customer interest in UCaaS increased 86% near the beginning of COVID-19. Clearly, UCaaS was a key resource for customers who rushed into digital transformation during the work-from-home era. And market penetration shows plenty of room still.

However, many agents say they see need to do more than just UCaaS. Of course, UCaaS remains a solid foot in the door and a profitable venture in some respects. But agents widely report that UCaaS commissions are falling as providers cut prices to compete for market share. 

In particular, contact center and cybersecurity have emerged as key areas for partners who want to expand their influence with customers. Just as unified communications was high on customers’ minds in 2020 as a way for them to create business value, similarly CCaaS and cybersecurity represent important technology topics that lines of business – not just IT departments – want to understand. Are partners prepared to answer clients’ questions about those topics?

Of course, one does not simply snap a finger and create a cybersecurity practice. It requires entirely new knowledge and most likely new personnel. It’s a key reason Convergent (CTI) agreed to an acquisition last year.

“I could never afford to hire a CISO. But security is a big conversation right now in the partner marketplace. And a lot of partners are very afraid to tackle that conversation,” said Kate Jaffe, who sold Convergent to Helm Partners.