Synopsis For Monthly Features
Please submit all responses to the editorial team by the deadline shown. Feel free to contact us with any content questions.
David Dungay: david.dungay@markallengroup.com
Tel: 07799654400
Ian Hunter: ian@commsbusiness.co.uk
Tel: 07818043276
All editorial will be considered based on the merit of the submission alone and is independent of all advertising/ event spend with Comms Business or any of its related publications. We do this to maintain editorial standards and integrity in order to furnish our readers with the highest quality of information and expert opinion. This is not negotiable.
MARCH 2020
Data security – prevention or mitigation?
Data security has risen up the list of concerns businesses are now facing, mostly driven by compliance (GDPR) factors. The value of business data has never been so great and the cyber criminals have never been so active. But what does this mean for Channel Partners?
As a reseller with numerous options, what should be their major considerations before stepping into the complex world of security?
To include:
- Is it now a case of ‘when’ not ‘if’ when it comes to security breaches?
- How clued up are customers when it comes to security now? What kind of questions can resellers expect to get from their customers?
- What have we learned since GDPR regulations came in nearly two years ago?
- What are the main sales opportunities for data protection solutions?
- Do you need to specialise when it comes to security? How can non specialist partners still provide a solid offering without investing?
- What can we expect out of the next 12 months in data security?
Submit to: ian@commsbusiness.co.uk
Deadline: 3rd February 2020
Conferencing – is it all about the huddle?
Conferencing has become far more personal in recent years with desktop, web based applications readily available and sweeping compatibility issues aside. At the same time video and audio conferencing has become a key part in any team working and collaboration application. The Huddle Room concept has been one which has driven the conferencing space over the last few years but is that the only opportunity for partners?
Comms Business will focus on:
- Facebook, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and to a lesser extent Apple have all made moves to take a bigger bite out of the social and enterprise video markets. How is this impacting the business market?
- With low cost Huddle Room options becoming more popular, is there still decent margins to be made in conferencing?
- Is Video finally taking place of audio-only solutions?
- How do you convince a small business to STOP using consumer grade applications like FaceTime?
- What is the next for conferencing over the next year?
Submit to: ian@commsbusiness.co.uk
Deadline: 3rd February 2020
Vertical Horizon: Channel in… Retail
In this series of features we will be looking at industry verticals the Channel is currently serving with a view to determining opportunities, challenges and market movements which are impacting those partners selling into that particular vertical.
Comments are sought from: Vendors, distributors and partners that operate in this space. They will sell a range of technologies and products across the sector, some of which will be industry specific, others will be horizontal solutions that sit across many verticals.
For the retail vertical we will ask:
- What kind of challenges is the retail sector facing right now?
- Is the Channel equipped to digitally transform this sector? How can the Channel protect retailers from digital disruption or even enable them to develop disruptive strategies themselves?
- Are resellers with traditional services like connectivity or EPOS services at risk from more digitally enabled partners with IoT or application offerings? How is the purchasing behaviour of this vertical changing?
- Which products and services are selling well?
- What do you expect to see over the next 12 months from the vertical?
Submit to: david.dungay@markallengroup.com
Deadline: 3rd February 2020
2020 Monthly Features
| Market Report 1 | Market Report 2 | Market Report 3 | Live Stream | |
| Jan | Voice, Data & Mobile Distribution | Selling to businesses in 2020 – pt 1 | Diversity – why it matters | |
| Feb | Call Recording (including Mobile recording) | Adding value around Microsoft | Vertical Horizon: Channel in… Public Sector | |
| Mar | Vertical Horizon: Channel in… Retail | Conferencing – all about the huddle? | Data security – prevention or mitigation? | |
| Mar | Channel Profiles Supplement | |||
| Apr | Multi-cloud vs public cloud vs private cloud – does it matter? | Enterprise UC in the SME | The latest from Mobile World Congress | |
| May | Vertical Horizon: Channel in… Healthcare | SIP Trunks & Phones | 5G – do the use cases stack up? Channel opportunities | |
| Jun | The power of analytics – gaining an edge | Why aren’t you closing more deals? Selling to businesses in 2020 – pt 2. | Vertical Horizon: Channel in… Education | |
| Jun | IP Telephony Guide Supplement | |||
| Jul | The power of SD-WAN | Reacting to change – the collision of UC and CC | Should you be an MSP? Assessing your share of the value chain | |
| Aug | Vertical Horizon: Channel in… Finance and Banking | Hosted & Cloud Based Telephony | Cloud storage vendors – all born equal? | |
| Sep | Team Collaboration – time for a shakeup? | Delivering the Desktop (DaaS) | The purchasing habits of the future – the ‘Amazon Effect’ | |
| Sep | The Road To Full-Fibre Supplement | |||
| Oct | Building smarter offices – the workplace of the future | Billing Services for Business | Devices as a Service – new Channel models | |
| Nov | Call and Contact Centres – AI and delivering Customer Experience | Vertical Horizon: Construction | The Channel salesperson of the future – selling to businesses in 2020 – pt 3 | |
| Dec | Preview of 2021 | Provisioning Portals – AI and Bot Takeover? | The fibre whirlwind of 2020 reviewed | |
