Upcoming Meeting Notice


SAVE THE DATE:

JANUARY 21 - 24, 2009
Annual Meeting
Hard Rock Hotel - San Diego, CA

(Click here for more information.)

NATD in the news
Book review
Cisco
Conferences
Filters
MACs
NEC
Nortel
Sales effectiveness

NATD in the news

Avaya names Voda One the 2008 Distributor of the Year for North America
Avaya announced that Westcon Group, Inc.'s Voda One business practice was named the recipient of Avaya's 2008 Distributor of the Year award for North America. The award honors the leading distributor demonstrating year-over-year growth and innovation in delivering Avaya products and solutions to BusinessPartners. In 2008, Voda One achieved double-digit growth in Avaya revenue and initiated several programs to drive BusinessPartner success, including: a development program for mid-sized BusinessPartners; an SMB-focused BusinessPartner Council; IP Office Custom Solutions Configurator including lease rates and related Avaya vendors; and Avaya Certified Learning Program (ACLP) trainings.  "The Avaya Distributor of the Year designation recognizes a company's commitment to their relationship with Avaya and our BusinessPartners, and the important role played in the success of the entire sales spectrum," said Carol Neslund, vice president, North America Channels, Avaya. "Voda One has demonstrated strong growth and developed innovative programs and tools to help their channel partners efficiently and effectively meet the needs of our customers."
Visit www.avaya.com or www.vodaone.com.


ScanSource Communications names new president
ScanSource Communications has named Glen “Buck” Baker as its new president.  Baker formerly served as senior vice president of merchandising for the Catalyst Telecom sales unit.  He replaces Jill Phillips, who has decided to retire after more than 20 years in the technology industry.  Phillips joined the ScanSource team in 2006 when her company, T2 Supply, was purchased by ScanSource, Inc.  She has served as president of both the T2 Supply sales unit and, most recently, ScanSource Communications when it was created by a merger of T2 and the Paracon sales unit in October 2007. As president of ScanSource Communications, Baker will oversee the strategic management of the company’s sales, marketing and merchandising functions.  He brings more than 18 years of technology distribution experience to this position, with more than 13 of those years at ScanSource, Inc.  Baker has led the strategic direction of both the Catalyst Telecom and ScanSource POS & Barcoding merchandising teams.  He has been instrumental in managing the company’s vendor relationships from a marketing, inventory and leadership perspective.  In addition, Baker has provided guidance and direction to the sales teams, enabling them to enhance their product knowledge and selling skills. 
Visit www.scansourceinc.com.
^Back To Top

Book review

Webster’s New World Telecom Dictionary
Webster’s New World Telecom Dictionary by Ray Horak includes more than 4,600 terms essential to a clear and complete understanding of voice, data, video and multimedia communications system and network technologies, applications and regulations. Although the book is an excellent technical dictionary, Horak‘s plain-English, commonsense style yields definitions that are as thoroughly understandable to the business professional or student as they are to the electrical engineer. It is thoroughly researched, highly objective, absolutely accurate and includes just about every essential term, phrase, abbreviation, acronym, backronym, contraction, initialism and portmanteau you might encounter in the telecom and datacom domains. Many entries are encyclopedic in nature, discussing applications and issues, as well as technical specifics. The book clearly is the most authoritative contemporary telecom dictionary.

Published by Webster’s New World (October 2007)
568+ pages, $29.99 (Full retail)
ISBN-10: 047177457X
ISBN-13: 978-0471774570 ^Back To Top

Cisco

Westcon Group's latest Cisco Solutions Handbook provides ultimate desk reference
Westcon Group, Inc. announced that it has released the fifth global edition of the Westcon Group Cisco Solutions Handbook. This year the handbook is being offered both as an online ebook and as a standalone printed version to Westcon's worldwide customer base. The handbook is a unique, comprehensive desk reference book that contains detailed product and positioning information for all the Cisco-oriented products Westcon carries on a multi-national basis. Each year, the handbook includes the invaluable Cisco Products Quick Reference Guide (CPQRG), which provides descriptions and detailed specification information on hundreds of Cisco's core networking and advanced technology products. The latest edition of the Cisco Solutions Handbook also features products from network security manufacturers Nokia and IronPort, in addition to updated information from each of Westcon Group's multi-national OneVoice, OneDefense, OneNetwork and OneWave programs.
Visit www.westcongroup.com.
^Back To Top

Conferences

TMC, Digium agree to co-host Digium|Asterisk World at ITEXPO East 2009
Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) and Digium announced they have partnered to host Digium|Asterisk World during INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO East 2009 in Miami, Florida. Entering its third year, Digium|Asterisk World at ITEXPO will be the conference that addresses "Everything Asterisk" for business users, resellers and executive decision-makers. The event will be held February 2-4, 2009 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. All can come to Digium|Asterisk World to discover how Asterisk, the world’s most widely used open source telephony software, can save them money and allow them to create more flexible telephony solutions. The conference will include both booth exhibition space and a Presentation Theatre on the EXPO floor. In addition, TMC and Digium will collaborate to create the conference track agenda, which will be announced in the coming months. ITEXPO East 2009 is the world’s largest communications technology event, featuring more than 200 companies exhibiting on the EXPO floor and hundreds of sessions led by the industry’s most prominent thought leaders.
Visit www.digium.com or www.tmcnet.com

^Back To Top

Filters

UAF expands 3D CAD service to include two popular models
Universal Air Filter has added online 3D CAD capabilities for two of its most popular frame models: the Windowpane and Flex-Frame air filters. Now, designers will be able to configure these filters and visualize them from all angles before downloading models into their final designs. UAF’s Flex-Frame air filters are designed for electronics equipment that cannot accept a rigid air filter frame because of internal chassis obstructions or the necessity to follow a curved track. These frames use flexible, flame retardant, polypropylene plastic frames that meet the stringent filtration and UL 94 flammability requirements of Telcordia NEBS, CE and UL. Design engineers can access the 3D models through UAF’s Web site (www.uaf.com) or SolidWorks’ 3D ContentCentral Web site (www.3dcontentcentral.net). Within minutes of answering a few specification questions, a customized SolidWorks 3D air filter will be generated. 2D drawings also are available for download to support procurement and documentation. This enhanced modeling offers online downloads to models previously available only by request.

^Back To Top

Moves, adds and changes

Amcom Software acquires CommtechWireless
Amcom Software announced the acquisition of CommtechWireless, a leading provider of technology that connects critical data sources, such as nurse call alarms and patient monitors, to the right people via their preferred communication devices. The addition of CommtechWireless will enable Amcom Software to meet growing demand from customers—especially in the healthcare, government, and hospitality industries—to further streamline communications, improve response time and enhance effectiveness. CommtechWireless has operations in the United States, Australia, Hong Kong and Europe. Its employees and operations will remain in their current locations, forming a new division of Amcom Software. CommtechWireless CEO Nathan Buzza and President Zane Lewis will join Amcom Software to lead the division.
Visit www.amcomsoftware.com.
^Back To Top

NEC

NEC Sphericall gives Voorhees College the technological edge
NEC Unified Solutions, Inc. (NEC) announced Voorhees College in Denmark, SC, is using the NEC Sphericall solution to provide student employees, faculty and staff in five locations with software-based voice and desktop communications tools allowing it to achieve a 40 percent savings over its previous traditional telephony solution. NEC Sphericall is a 100-percent software-based alternative to traditional telephony that leverages open standards for flexible, pure IP-based unified communications.  Voorhees faculty and staff leverage a number of the unified communications (UC) features within Sphericall including instant messaging, click-to-call, presence-based call routing and unified messaging to the Microsoft Outlook inbox.  Developing solutions that can help improve organizational efficiency is part of NEC’s UNIVERGE360 vision to unify business communications. The approach enabled Voorhees College to provide enhanced software-based communications services to faculty and staff as well as students at a significant cost savings over its previous traditional telephony option.
Visit www.necunified.com/sphericall.
^Back To Top

Nortel

eTelemetry’s Locate911-N and LENS now Nortel Select Products
eTelemetry announced that its Locate911-N and LENS products have been designated Nortel Select Products and that it has achieved the status of Developer Partner in the Nortel Developer Program. Through the Select Products designation, Nortel recognizes Locate911-N and LENS as best-in-class technologies that strategically complement Nortel’s Communication Server 1000 (CS 1000). Locate911-N and LENS achieved Nortel Select Product status based on Nortel’s analysis of eTelemetry’s business plan and input from Nortel customers. Additionally, eTelemetry successfully completed compatibility testing in a Nortel lab environment, earning the designation of Nortel Compatible Product.  

eTelemetry’s Locate911-N and LENS enable Nortel users to immediately notify personnel when anyone on a voice network places an emergency call, resulting in improved response time and greater E911 compliance. Locate911-N, a VoIP asset tracking appliance, complements the Nortel CS 1000 by automatically detecting the location of IP Telephones and reporting that information back to the CS 1000 each time an IP Telephone registers with the call server. Additionally, local first responders are alerted when any defined emergency number is dialed providing location information to personnel for accurate emergency response and greater E911 location compliance. LENS is the Locate911 Emergency Notification System, which is available for all VoIP and TDM users requiring only On-Site Notification. LENS is available as software or dedicated appliance, providing immediate alerts to personnel when an emergency call is placed.
Visit www.nortel.com or www.etelemetry.com.
^Back To Top

Sales effectiveness

New study of channel chiefs suggests strategic shift toward sales effectiveness needed in 2009
A new survey by BLUEROADS and SiriusDecisions has demonstrated a clear link between the types of partner programs that top channel executives emphasize and their impact on revenue growth in the indirect channel. Of those executives surveyed who said they focused on sales 'effectiveness' strategic activities such as lead management and deal registration, 62 percent reported an increase in revenue in 2008. Paradoxically, 80 percent of the channel investments by the vendors that were surveyed focused around tactical issues such as training, partner portals, and partner communication tools -- all activities that simply automate the relationship with partners. Of those who focused investment on these types of 'efficiency' programs, only 40 percent reported an increase in channel revenue in 2008.

"The Channel Survey: 2009 Priorities," which polled an audience of over 1,000 high ranking vendor channel leaders, also indicates that vendors are seeking to drive revenues but don't always know how, and often resort to brute force tactics including channel partner recruitment in their existing markets rather than focusing on programs that increase the productivity and yield of their current resellers and partners. The survey covered a variety of channel-dependent industries -- including software, telecommunications, computer hardware, and information services -- on their channel plans, investments, and expectations.
Visit www.blueroads.com or www.siriusdecisions.com.
^Back To Top