AT&T Partner Awards, Avaya UC Initiative, Fiery Wildix Statements Among the Week’s Top Stories

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… contribute to the rise of direct B2B technology sales. He said one also ought to consider how many of the growing indirect players will not look at all like the traditional channel partner.

The aging channel and the changing purchaser profile were also subjects of the speech.

Read more about McBain’s talk, which he gave at the Wildix UC&C Summit.

McBain: The data shows that more and more C-level execs and departments other than the CIO and the IT are making tech purchasing decisions:
“Shadow IT turned into the new normal.”#UCCSummit pic.twitter.com/f6aS6TweL7

— James Anderson (@JamesAndersonCP) February 4, 2020

1. Wildix Exec Blasts RingCentral, 8×8 as ‘Vampire Vendors’

Wildix‘s general manager of North America absolutely laid into his company’s rivals this week.

Robert Cooper delivered a scathing critique of four categories of UCaaS providers. While he dismissed three categories as posing an immaterial threat to the Wildix, he warned partners of providers that use globally recognized brand names to attract customers. Customers may buy the household name from you for the time being, but it’s an untenable position for partners if the vendor doesn’t put them at the center of its go-to-market strategy, Cooper said.

People are still talking about the fiery speech.

Tough talk or bitter talk? Wasn’t there but sounded like a bad competitor who can’t win without bashing someone to win to my ears – ps I’m keeping the tough talk going

— Janet Schijns (@channelsmart) February 7, 2020

Read more of Cooper’s comments.