Verizon’s Workforce Cut, Avaya’s New Services Highlight the Weekly Wrap
New services, new faces and job cuts — the last week had a little bit of everything.
As the lights and trees go up and you await that long expected holiday bonus, the IT/telecommunications channel remains full of activity.
A couple of IT companies expanded their programs to give partners new opportunities, while one of the major service providers released a study on digital transformation. And our biggest story of the week was about a major workforce reduction, but it’s not as gloomy as you might expect.
We’ve gathered our seven most viewed stories of the week for you to review.
7. Avaya Unveils DaaS, Expanded UCaaS, CCaaS via Storefront
Avaya’s portfolio transformation continued with new and updated as-a-service offerings.
Its new device-as-a-service (DaaS) package offers smart desktop devices on a monthly basis. Avaya’s director of desktop experience marketing said introducing DaaS to U.S. partners creates a “win-win-win” situation.
The company also unveiled a online “storefront,” where customers can easily access new components for their contact-center-as-a-service (CCaaS) and unified-communications-as-a-service (UCaaS) solutions.
Man, that was a lot of hyphens.
Learn more from Edward Gately’s article.
6. CenturyLink: Midsize Businesses Increasingly Pursuing Digital Transformation
CenturyLink sponsored a Spiceworks survey laid out the biggest reasons for why businesses digitize themselves (note: that’s my attempt to paraphrase “digital transformation”).
There are multiple factors, but one of the major takeaways is that productivity – not cost – was the biggest driver.
CenturyLink’s vice president of indirect, strategic partnerships and alliances told us that the “ever-evolving networked world” demands more and more connectivity and digital transformation.
Get details on the study.
5. Vonage Adds Second Windstream Alum in ‘Aggressive’ Push
The cloud communications provider hired its second Windstream alumnus in a month.
Greg Franzen now serves as director of strategic partners for North America, with a focus on helping partners in the eastern U.S..
Vonage calls its recent investments “aggressive.” This year it has launched a channel program and expanded API partner program.
Read the story.
4. Nutanix Rolls Out Enhanced Channel Charter
Value-added distributors and systems integrators got their hands on new benefits from Nutanix.
The cloud software provider expanded its charter to include those two types of partners. The benefits include incentives that reward distributors for “focus, enablement and partner management.” Resellers will also get more opportunities.
Nutanix unveiled the “Power to the Partner” charter in August,
Check out what Gately wrote about Nutanix.
3. HP Premier Partners Get More MPS Accounts
HP gave its premier U.S. print channel partners thousands of managed-print services (MPS) specialty accounts.
HP previously handled those accounts directly. Now an HP lead account manager will coordinate with a “channel lead” to serve customers.
The company also has plans to target a larger subset of accounts in commercial and public-sector markets.
There’s a little bit more information to it than that, so check out the story on it.
2. Image Gallery: WTG’s Jingle Mingle Event
I traveled to Rancho Mirage last week for WTG‘s annual holiday event and came back with pictures. My snapshots capture agents networking with each other and vendors, and the beautiful conditions offered by the California winter. The main photos, however, pertain to AppDirect‘s acquisition of the master agent. The cloud commerce platform provider is buying WTG in a surprising cross-industry transaction.
Give the gallery a look if you’d like.
1. Verizon Cutting 10,400 Workers via Voluntary Separation
Verizon is easing into a workforce reduction.
The decrease, which coincides with the telco’s recent realignment around 5G, aims to phase out 10,400 workers by mid-2019.
The offer went out in the fall, and Verizon has now confirmed to employees if they were accepted for it. The chosen applicants will get 60 weeks’ salary and other benefits.
Read about Verizon’s latest developments.
