The 10 Best Enterprise Collaboration Solution Providers 2017

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December 2017 www.insightssuccess.com CLOUD COMMUNICATIONS Driving Digital Transformation through Cloud Solutions that Put People at the Heart of the Workplace The10 Best Solution Providers 2017 ENTERPRISE COLLABORATION Tech Concern Technology, The Core of Every Single Company Today Workodynamics What makes a Company the best place to Work for?
Christophe
Reyes Managing Director UCaaS

Editor’s Note

AdvancedEnterprise Collaboration TechnologiesIntroducing areal-timeRevolution intheBusinessWorkflows Arena

Weliveinanerawhereadvancedtechnologyalliessocietieswiththedevelopmentsinthearea

ofcommunicationexpertise,nowwehaveaccesstomoresophisticatedandactivemethods ofcommunication.Peoplecaninteractwitheachotherthroughelectronicmediums,andthis haspavedthewayforcorporationsandindustriestoconnecttheirtreasuredpartnersandemployeeswith superiorapproaches. Therearelotsofwaysinwhichmeetingsandconferencescantakeplacewith participantsbeingatdifferentlocationsatthesametime.Technologydevelopmenthasenabledusto connectwithpeopleanytimeanywhereintheworldeffortlessly.

Organizationsarebenefitingfromtheaugmenteddigitizationoftheworkplacethroughtheproductivity, costsavings,moremobileandagileworkforce,andgenerallyamplifiedflexibilityandadaptabilityinan everincreasinglycomplexmarketplace.Enterprisesarecollaboratingmoreglobally,andwithmore diverseandglobalstaff.Today’sworkforcesarefreertogowheretheywanttoworkinsteadofstaying whereworkoriginates.Easieraccesstoskilldevelopmentresourcesismakingverticalmoveseasier,too, forbothpeopleandorganizations.

Thesedigitalapproachesempowerdigitalcollaborationintheworkforceandaresetforoneofthelargest shiftsinthiscurrentyear.Newtechnologiesandtechniquesprovideseveralpathstowardstheinnovative andeffectivemethods.Alloftheseadvancedtoolseitherencompasslightweightchat,reasoning

technologies,andappintegration. Additionally,allnewmethodsareverymobilefriendly,unlikethe previousgenerationsofenterprisecollaborationtools.

Inshort,thecollaborationworldisempoweredagainwithnewinventions.We’venotseenanew waveofcollaborationofferingslikethisfromsignificantvendorssinceenterprisesocialsoftwarefirst arrivedoverahalf-decadeago.Withtheseadvancedtechnologies,solutionprovidersaredelivering real-timerevolutionandaremakingeffectsintraditionalworkculturethroughtheirinnovations. Allthesefutureadvancementsinthecollaborationtechnologiesareenablingustothinkbeyond physicalboundaries.Furthermore,thedevelopmentsincommunicationmethodswillalsoaid organizationsinmodernizingtheworkculture.

Inordertohighlighttheenterpriseswhicharegreasingthewheelsofcollaborationinthisevolving industry,InsightsSuccesshascriticallyevaluatedandcuratedalistof“The10BestEnterprise CollaborationSolutionProviders2017,”whicharerevolutionizingcollaborativebusinessesand drivingdiversestrategiestohelporganizationsextendtheirbusinesshorizons.

FeaturingintheissueastheCoverStoryisArkadinCloudCommunications,whichisoneofthe fastestgrowingcloudcommunicationsserviceprovidersintheworldandisensuringincreased growthandsuccessbydeliveringpositivecollaborationexperiences.

Theissuealsoincludes,Wildix,amultinationalcompanythatdevelopsbrowser-basedUnified CommunicationssolutionsandVoIPproducts;SilexPro,whichcreatesrevolutionaryvideo collaborationservicesforenhancedaudio-visualcommunicationacrosstheglobe;HoyluAB,a premierinnovativecompanythatdeliversplatform-basedsolutionstoenablepowerfulcollaboration andhighlyscalabledigitalworkspaces;andReviewStudio,whosecollaborativeplatformoffers creativeteamsareal-time,mobile-friendlyapplicationformanagingthereviewandapproval workflowsoftheirdigitalmediaprojects.

Also,makesuretoscrollthroughthearticleswrittenbyourin-houseeditorialteamandCXO Standpoint'sofsomeoftheleadingindustryexperts.

Let's Start Reading!

Poulami Das
The Power of Converged Solutions Arkadin Cloud Communications: Driving Digital Transformation through Cloud Solutions that Put People at the Heart of the Workplace 08 COVER STORY Technology, the Core of Every Single Company Today Tech Concern What makes a company the best place to work for? Workodynamics Implications of Workload Management in Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Cloud Management 30 20 36 Unity Insights Is Unied Communications Worth the Effort? 16 22 Expert’s Viewpoint A R T I C L E C O N T E N T S
Hoylu: Introducing Advanced Group Collaboration in Highly Scalable Digital Workplaces SilexPro: Enhancing Group Collaboration through Innovation ReviewStudio: Reinventing the Collaborative Platform for Creative Review Wildix: Providing Browser Based Unied Communications and VOIP PBX 18 26 38 34
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COVER STORY

CLOUD COMMUNICATIONS

Driving Digital Transformation through Cloud Solutions that Put People at the Heart of the Workplace

The10 B e s t E n t e r p r i s e Collaboration Solution Providers
2017

While most organizations approach UC and Digital Transformation programs from a technology perspective, I take a more holistic view since ‘people’ adoption in all areas of the organization is critical to success. ‘‘

MorebusinessesthaneverbeforeareusingCloud Communications,drivenbythesimplicityofthe technologyandthelowerinvestmentand maintenancecosts.Cloudcommunicationsismorethan simplyVoiceoverIP(VoIP),hostedPBX,CaaSorUnified Communications(UC).Itisarevolutionarywaytobuild, deploy,andscaleenterprisecommunicationsystemsthat reduceCapitalandOperationalcosts,provideservicesin higherdefinition,andallowpeopletoworkinwaysand placesthattheyneverimagined,addinggreatlyto productivity,operationalefficienciesandabetterwork-life balance. TheCloudenablesenterprisestomoveawayfrom outdatedandexpensivetechnologiesatamuchfasterpace.

ArkadinCloudCommunicationsisaworldleaderinthe field,innovatingandcustomizingcutting-edgeUnified CommunicationsandCollaboration(UC&C)solutionsfor itsclients.Thecompanyistransformingandadapting rapidlytotakeadvantageofnewbusinessopportunitiesin thefastgrowinganddynamicCloudmarketsectorwhichis expectedtoreachupto€30billionby2020.

Arkadinbeganasanaudioconferencingservicesprovider butdiversifiedapproximately10yearsagotoincludeweb conferencing,videoconferencingandlargevirtualevents, whileUnifiedCommunicationsserviceswereaddedinthe lastfiveyears.Today,Arkadinhasthemostextensive UC&Cpresenceintheworld,withover50,000customers spanningthelargestglobalFortune500enterprisestosmall businessesthatareservicedthroughanetworkof56 operationscentersin34countries.

AsamemberoftheNTTGroup,oneoftheworld’slargest ICTcompanies,Arkadinhassophisticatednetworkingand telecommunicationscapabilitiesforunmatched performanceandreliability.Togetherwithitspartnerships withleadingtechnologycompanies,suchasMicrosoftand Cisco,Arkadinisabletoofferanattractiveall-in-onevendorservicepackagetomeetallCloudCommunications needs,resultingintremendousefficienciesandscalefor clients.

Arkadin’smissionistoleadcompaniestogreatergrowth andsuccessbydeliveringoutstandingCloud Communicationsexperiencesthatputpeopleattheheartof thedigitalworkplace.Itsproductandoperationsteamsare constantlysearchingforinnovativetechnologiesand businessstrategiestoensureitscustomersarepreparedfor thedemandsofachangingdigitallandscapeandnew generationofworkers. Itisgainingwidespreadsupportfor itsapproachbydemonstratingthatClouddeploymentisthe bestandmostefficientwaytodeliverdigital communications.

TheTrailblazersoftheCompany

ThroughtheleadershipofBoardmemberOlivierde Puymorin,whofoundedthecompanyin2001,Arkadinhas grownintooneofthefastestgrowingprovidersofCloud UC&Cservices,withaworkforceofover1,300Arkadians. ToensureasmoothtransitionintotheCloudsector,Mr.de Puymorinassembledatalentedteamofexecutivesunder theleadershipofCEODidierJaubert. Mr.Jaubert appointedChristopheReyestoleadthecompany’sglobal CloudUCpracticeasManagingDirector,UCaaS.

Mr.Reyes’25+yearsofexperienceinthehigh-tech industryinEMEAandtrackrecordofsuccessindriving strategyforglobalcompaniesthroughArkadin’sGlobal StrategicAccountsGroup(GSA)hashadasignificant impactonArkadin’sgrowth.Andithasgivenhimvaluable insightsintowhatcustomersrequirefortheirdigital transformationjourneysandCloudUCdeployments.

TurningChallengesintoaRoadmapofOpportunities

Whiletheneedfordigitalworkplacetransformationiswell understood,Mr.Reyessaysthechallengeforbusinessesis howtoharnessCloudtechnologiesthatdeliverthe productivityandoperationalefficienciestomeettheir businessobjectives,andthatwillreceivebroadsupportand engagementthroughouttheorganization.Withoutthat, manycompanieswillbereluctanttogiveuptheirlegacy, premise-basedequipment.

Mr.Reyespointstofourkeychallengesfortheindustry,

‘‘

eachofwhichisbeingaddressedbyArkadin toensurelong-termleadershipintheCloud.

Ÿ DigitalWorkplacesthatAlignwith CulturalIdentities: Digital transformationsinvolvebothtechnologicalandcultural evolutions.Thisisoftenmisunderstood.The environmentalandculturalimpactsonemployeesmust beaddressedtocapturetheirheartsandminds. Otherwiseitwillbevirtuallyimpossibletoachieve wide-spreadadoptionofnewCloudtechnologies.

Ÿ ConvergenceofTraditionalandNon-Traditional Ecosystems: TheCloudCommunicationsmarketis becomingattractivetoamuchwiderswathofvendors thaninthepastfewyears.TelephonyandTelecom operators,Cloudinfrastructurespecialists,software providersanddeviceandinfrastructuremanufacturers arevyingforthisbusiness,resultinginacrowded marketplacethatmakesitcomplicatedforbusinessesto choosetherightpartners.

Ÿ ConvergenceofSynchronousandAsynchronous TechnologiesintheCloud: Combiningsynchronous technologies,suchastelephonyorconferencing,and asynchronousapplications,suchasemailormessaging, iscomplicatedsincetheyhavedifferentspecifications fordeployments.Agoodexampleisthemigrationof voicefromonpremisePBXsystemstoCloudUC

Ÿ

deployments.Theco-existenceofthetwo causesalotoffrustration,asaresult manybusinessesarenotwillingorableto replacetheirPBXsystems.Arkadinhas respondedtothisneedwithservicesthat combinecloudPBXfunctionalitywithleadingUC technologies.

NetworkReadiness,SecurityandDataSovereignty: MigrationtotheCloudresultsinincreaseddemandon networkresources.Serviceprovidersneedtoenhance theirnetworkinfrastructuresforanacceptablelevelof service.Therearealsonewsecurityandintegration issuestobeaddressed.Arkadinfollowsbestpractices withISO27001certifiedservicestoensureahighlevel ofsecurityforlargeenterprises.

Mr.Reyesunderscorestheimportanceofseekingthe guidanceofexperiencedserviceproviderswiththe technologicalandcustomersupportcapabilitiesfor satisfyingimmediateandlong-termneeds.

DistinguishedServicesthatFocusontheUser:It’sa PeopleThing!

AccordingtoMr.Reyes,Arkadin’ssuccessandlong-term strategyforleadershipintheCloudisbasedontheuser:It’s apeoplething!Everythingstartswiththeuser,notthe technology.HecitesspecificArkadinprogramsthatensure customerssucceed:

Cloud Communications technologies can fundamentally change the workplace by enabling a true anytime, anyplace, any device work culture, which underscores the need for all departments to embrace it, particularly HR and Top Management.

‘‘ ‘‘

‘‘
Our ability to offer a one-stop-shop for all of our clients’ digital communications needs gives us a tremendous competitive advantage.
‘‘

Arkadin understands the wider digital transformation agenda of its customers and how UC is integral to digital maturity.

‘‘

DigitalReadinessAssessments:Thefirstrequirementfor anyCloud/DigitalTransformationinitiativeisan assessmentofthepeopleimpactforensuringbroad engagementatalllevelsoftheorganization.Arkadin’s assessmentprogramidentifiesclient’sbusinessprocesses andnetworkanddesktopreadinesstodetermineifthey supporttheneedsoftheirworkforce.

ChangeManagement:Acompany’sdigitaltransformation andmigrationtoCloudUCtechnologiesprovidesa platformformassiveorganizationalchange.Bundledvoice, conferencingandvideoapplicationshavethepowerto determinewhereandhowpeoplework,howthey collaboratewithcustomers,partnersandemployeessothe effectsarefarreachingwithbothtechnologyandpeople revolutionsatplay TobesuccessfulwithmeasurableROI, organizationsmusthaveaplantoaddressimpactson employees.Catalyst,arecentArkadinclient,neededa partnertodrivechangetosupportatelephonyoverhaulto SkypeforBusiness. AccordingtoProjectManagerOwen Davis,Arkadin’schangemanagementservicewas instrumentalinwinningtheirbusiness:“Arkadinhasbeena greatpartner.Theyfocusedonthechangeandhowto manageitsoourpeoplewouldnotbeleftbehindorleft out.” Arkadin’schangemanagementprogramincludes intensivetrainingandtheappointmentofearlyadoptersas evangeliststochampionthenewtechnologies.

CustomerSuccessTeams: Dedicatedcustomersuccess teamsareinallregionstoensurecloseclientrelationships andservicesareupandrunningsmoothly.End-usertraining programsarecarefullymeasured,andregularCustomer SatisfactionSurveysareimplementedtoaddressissues. Arkadin’sCloudexpertsarealsodedicatedtoconsultancy fordevelopingfutureITroad-maps.

InnovativeCustomerAdoptionProgram: Toaddressthe long-standingchallengeofuseradoption,Arkadincreateda best-in-classend-userproductonboardingportalcalled SmartStart Theeasyandintuitiveportal,whichis customizedforeachuser’spreferences,haseverything requiredforanonboardingjourneyinaneasilyaccessible place. Smartstart hassignificantlyshortenedtheadoption timeforArkadin’scollaborationservices,andminimized

thedisruptioncausedbybusinesschangeforgettingusers upandrunningquicklyandefficiently

GlobalSupport:Arkadinisaglobalcompanybyits presence,cultureandreach.Itsteamsoperateinthesame timezoneastheclientstheyserve,speakthesame language,andsharethesameculture.Thisenablesthemto betrulyresponsiveindeliveringend-to-end,24-hour multilingualsupport,fastandefficientroll-outs,highly effectivetrainingandimmediateresponsetocustomer issues.Thisisahugeadvantageandakeycompetitive differentiator

EndeavorsforaBrightDigitalFuture ArkadinaimstoremainattheforefrontofDigitalCloud Communicationstechnologiesbybringingtheirclientsinto thefuturewithsimpletouseUC&Ccloudservicesthat enableatrulydigitalworkplaceforgreaterproductivityand ROI. AllianceswillcontinuewithleadingCloudUC&C companiestoensureclientshavethemostadvanced services.

ArkadinisalsoplanningtoleverageinnovationslikeAIand Bottechnologytofacilitategreateruseradoptioninthe digitalworkplace.Thecompanyhasavisiontointegrate UCintobusinessapplicationsandisnowfocusingon innovativeapproachestoallaspectsofthebusiness (operations,productdevelopment,support,marketing,etc.) todeliverapremiumcustomerexperience.

‘‘
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Aerohive aerohive.com

ArkadinCloud Communications arkadin.com

Atlassian atlassian.com

DavidK.Flynn CEO

ChristopheReyes ManagingDirector

MikeCannon-Brookes CEO

AerohiveprovidesFast,Reliable,andSecureHQ-LIKE networkaccessforremotelocationsandteleworkers.

Arkadinisoneofthefastestgrowingcloudcommunications serviceprovidersintheworld.

AtlassianEnterpriseoffersthebusinesscriticalproducts, premiersupport,andstrategicservicesyouneedtogetthemost outofyourAtlassianapplications.

Fluix fluix.io

HOYLUAB hoylu.com

IgorZhadanov CEO&Co-founder

SteinRevelsby CEO

Fluixisarobust,secureandcost-effectivesolutiontotransform yourorganization’sdocumentprocessesbytakingthemtothe iPad.

HoyluAB,apremierinnovativecompany,deliversplatform solutionstoenablepowerfulcollaborationandhighlyscalable digitalworkspaces.

IronBow ironbow.com RENEB.LAVIGNE CEO

LuwareAG luware.com

ReviewStudio reviewstudio.com

PhilippBeck CEO

StuartFeldman Founder&President

IronBowtransformstechnologyinvestmentsintobusiness capabilities.Theyareflexibleinthedeploymentoftechnology usingtherightcombinationofonpremise,cloudandas-aservice.Theirteamislaserfocusedondesigningasolutionthat willmakethedifferencein client'sday-to-daywork.

Luwareisaleadingproviderofcustomserviceplatformsbasedon MicrosoftUnifiedCommunicationstechnologies Theportfolio includescontactcenter,teamACD,orsingleworkstationsolutions forthechat,voice,video,email,socialmedia,andco-browsing channels

ReviewStudio’scollaborativeplatformofferscreativeteamsa real-time,mobile-friendlyapplicationformanagingthereview andapprovalworkflowsoftheirdigitalmediaprojects.

SilexPro silexpro.com

RonaldHajj CEO&Founder Wildix wildix.com

SteveOsler CEO

SilexProcreatesrevolutionaryvideocollaborationservicesfor enhancedaudio-visualcommunicationacrosstheglobe.

Wildixisamultinationalcompanythatdevelopsbrowser-based UnifiedCommunicationssolutionsandVoIPproducts.

Management Brief CompanyName

Is Unied Communications Worth the Effort?

Pickupanyperiodical;monitoranyblogandyouwill heartaleofthepowerofUnifiedCommunications andhoworganizationsgalorearebaskingina connectedworld.Butisthisfactorfiction?

Fordecades,businesshasprogressivelysoughtquicker, moredirectandeffectivewaystocommunicateboth internallyandexternally.Nottoshowmyage,butIgrew upintheworldofreceptionists,largemailrooms,andpink messageslips.Wejust knew wewerecuttingedge.This gavewaytofaxmachines,WordPerfectonourdesktops, andDID(DirectInwardDial)whereincomingcallswere automaticallyrouteddirecttomydeskphone,bypassingthe

receptionistandmyadmin.Greattostartwith;quicklya securityholewhereallsortsoffolkswereringingmeup direct.Yuck!Notafanoftoomuchcommunication.

Fastforwardto2016,wherethemantraisaUnified, Global,Universalworldwhereweareallpeers communicatingviaphone,email,text,mobile,video,social media,andgroupware(Slack,Yammer).Weevenusetextto-speechandspeech-to-textaswearetoolazytolistento ourvoicemails.Arewegaininggroundorhasthenoise levelrisentowherelittleisaccomplishedwhileweare bombardedwithinformation?MyfriendHeatherClancy opinesonthesocialaspectinherFortunecolumntoday:

December 2017 16

AtPeak,wetendtoactinanadvisory rolewithclientsandstrivetomatch theirdefinedbusinessprocesseswith theavailabletechnology.Akey componentisprovidingjusttheright amountofunifiedconnectivityforeach roleorusagemodel.Forexample,a callcenteragentneedstelephony,text, andperhapspointtopointvideoto servetheclient,butshouldnotreceive incomingpersonalcalls,extraneous emails,orbeorderingshoesonZappos attheirdesk.Accesscontrolisstilla validterm.

Irecentlyrentedacarusingakioskat therentalcallcenter.Greatexperience! Whileothersformedalineinfrontofa harriedcounterperson,Ihadaquick videocallwithapleasantanefficient agentinafarcityandwasbehindthe wheelinasnap.Wehadadata,video, andaudioconversation.Mypaperwork wasdeliveredtomyphonewhileI strolledtothecar.IbroughtupaQR codewhichwasquicklyscannedasI reachedthegate.Effectiveuseof technology….

TherearemyriadUCsystemsavailable todaywithvariedcapabilityand marketacceptance.Twocharacteristics definethewinners;simplicityin function,andtightintegrationto applicationplatforms.

Thebesttechnology,poorlydelivered andoverlycomplicated,willbeswiftly berejectedbytheusercommunity ThereisareasoniPhonestriumphover technicallysuperiorandfarless expensivecompetingdevices. Simple. Intuitive. Bulletproof.

SawthisfirsthandonaUCrollout severalyearsago.Atthetime BlackberryandNokiaruledthe corporatemobilemarketwithMotorola

closebehind.Aswetrainedusersinthe useoftheirmobileclientapp,the universalquestionfromexecutives(not salesorengineering)was“WhencanI usemyiPhonetoconnect?”Eachhada companyphone(Blackberry)inone pocket,andapersonaliPhoneinthe other ThatiswhenIpredictedApple wouldwin.(AndIwassmartenough topurchaseafewshares).

Applicationintegrationiswherea properlyimplementedUCsystemcan leveragetheincrediblesumsspenton EnterpriseERP,CRM,andintegrated databases.Informationisdelivered directlytostakeholdersattheirdesk, ontheroad,athome,andunfortunately evenonvacation.Theflipsideis deliveringaflawlesspresentationto yourbestclientviadesktopsharing fromyourtabletwhilststandingonthe sidelinesattheyouthsoccergame. Withyourbossandteamconferenced in.Wehaveseencorporationswin “BestPlacetoWork”rankingsdueto

employees’appreciationoftechnology toenablethemtoworkanywhere. SoUCisworththeeffortwhen properlydesignedandimplemented.It mayrequiresomeopenminded analysisasthecompany’scurrent providersoftenmaynotbethebest choiceforaUCrollout.Andsome folkswillhavetothinkahead…. At Peak UpTime, our goal is to help you elevate the IT conversation to address business challenges. We identify innovative IT solutions to help you effectively serve your clients, and leverage technology to keep your teams operating efficiently

Celebrating our 30th anniversary in business in 2013, Peak has experienced growth and change in IT technology, but never wavered in its passion for serving our clients. Our history of serving clients and their corresponding reference, our strong financial position and capable, skilled team make Peak your natural choice to support your IT infrastructure.

Unity Insights December 2017 17
Dave

Hoylu: Introducing Advanced Group Collaboration in Highly Scalable Digital Workplaces

Tomanageadvancedigitalindustrychanges,many leadingorganizationsacrossbusinessand governmentsectorshaveimplementedadigital workplacestrategy.Byintelligentlymergingthe technologiesthatmanybusinessesalreadyuse,thedigital workplacehasbrokendownthecommunicationbarriers andistransformingemployeeexperiencetoonepromoting efficiency,growth,andinnovation.Thekeytosuccess, however,dependsontheimplementationofadigital workplacestrategy—requiringonethatiscapableof drivingtruechangewithintheorganization.

Asworkplacesbecomedigital,thewholeworkforceand uppermanagementcancommunicateandcollaboratein manynewandeffectiveways.Theabilitytocombine productivebusinessrelationshipsbeyondthenaturalwork groupsenablesknowledgesharingacrosstheorganization. Keepingtheinclusivevideoconferencingsolutionindustry inthemind,HoyluAB,apremier,innovativecompany, deliversplatformsolutionstoenablepowerfulcollaboration andhighlyscalabledigitalworkspaces.HoyluSoftware Suiteisthecriticaltoolofmodernworkplaces.

We do not try to engage our customers with one solution. We prefer to encourage their freedom of choice and believe that it helps to future proof as technology continues its rapid innovation and change ‘‘ December 2017 18
‘‘

RemarkableVoyageofthe Organization

Smartboardswereinitiallyintroduced 25yearsago,butmostpeoplestilluse analogwhiteboardsandpaperpost-it notesintheoffice.Videoconferencing solutions,launchedintheearly90s, havebecomebetter,especiallythe qualityofvoiceandvideo;although thequalityisstillnotidealfortrue collaborationandsharingofcontent. Mostsystemsdonotoffergood interoperability,andincludeexpensive andproprietaryhardware.Themarket forunifiedcommunicationand collaborationisdominatedbylarge globalcompaniesthathavealegacyof proprietarythinkingandtheambition tocontrolthecustomeranditscontent. Today’smarketplaceisbecomingmore fragmented,workforcesmore dispersed,andashardwarebecomes commoditized,therealcompetitive advantagecomesfromtheabilityto innovateandbeeffectiveasateam. Hoyluhastakentheentirescenarioas anopportunityandstartedtheir journeywithdigitalinnovationinthe user-friendlyinterface.

Hoylu,establishedinDecember2016, recruitedtheirteamthroughalong establishedpersonalcontactsand network.Theyhadhugeglobal enterprisesaspilotcustomerswhich helpedtheminitiatetheirbusinessand gavevaluableguidancetotheirproduct roadmap.Byworkingcloselywitha teamandmovingfastwithan experiencedmanagement,theyhave managedtocontinuouslyimproveand preparethemselvesforstronggrowth.

TheEruditeLeaderoftheCompany SteinRevelsby,CEOofHoyluAB, hasmorethan30yearsofexperience indomainsliketechnology,investment banking,venturecapital,strategy

consulting,andoperationalroles. Stein,originallyfromOslo,Norway, spentmanyyearsworkingin ScandinaviabeforemovingtoLos Angeles.Heispassionateabout technologyandunderstandsthe importanceofbeinghands-onand satisfyingcustomers’needs.Heoften comparesbusinesstosportsandthe importanceofhavingagreatteam, alongwithgoodtiming,hardwork, andpersistence.

Efficient&ProductiveVisionofthe Organization

Hoylu’sVisionistoconnectpeople andinformationinwaysthataremore efficient,productive,engaging,and fun.Hoyluenablespeopletocreate, share,present,ormanageprojects, structuredaswellasunstructureddata usingultralargeworkspaces,projector walls,largetouchdisplaysand personaldevicesfromanywhere,in real-timeorwhenoff-line.

Theorganizationisaspin-offfrom MediaInteractionLabinAustria combinedwithanexperienced managementteamandasenior softwaredevelopmentteaminSeattle, US.Thecombinedteamhasmany yearsofexperienceandbackgroundin workingwithintuitivetechnologies, touchandpen-basedinput,user interfacedesignandunified communication.

DeliveringExclusiveProductsand Services

HoyluSoftwareSuiteisaplatformthat consistsoffourapplications: Sketch (unlimitedfree-formcanvas), Flow (pin-boardthestructuringofcontent), Insight (dashboardsolutionfor visualizationofdataandassets),and Paper (connectrealinkonpaperin vectorformatwithdisplaysand

devices).Thecompanyprovidesa cloud-basedplatformbutcanalsobe usedasalocalsolutionandanoffline rd aswellasincombinationwith3 party applicationsforleanplanning, designing,andanyvideoconferencing solutionsinthemarket.

Providingbenefitsfortreasured

clients

Steinacclaims,“Clients are able to be more productive and efficient within their teams while using our platform. Our easy-to-use software allows for full participation from remote locations so everyone can contribute regardless of their location. Clients can get a better overview of projects and information with all artifacts saved in the same digital workspace and with input from third-party applications and data.”

Mostcollaborationsoftwaretodayis prominentlysellinghardware.Hoyluis differentbecausetheirplatformis hardwareagnostic.Theyprovide multiplesolutionstocreatean innovativetechnologywhichcanbe appliedinfuture,giventherapid changesinthecurrentindustrytrends.

ForthcomingIntends

We will continue to develop our product portfolio with a strong focus on meeting large enterprise needs and growing our user base. We will continue to champion highly intuitive and innovative software solutions while we work closely with hardware companies to make more surfaces interactive and expand our market reach through a global network of resellers,”assertsStein.

December 2017 19

What makes a COMPANY the best place to WORK for?

Herearefourwordswedon’thearveryoften:“I

lovemyjob.”

Anextensiveresearchintheareahavenowfoundthatthe mostengagedemployees—thosewhoarefullyinvestedin theirjobsanddedicatedtotheirfirms—aresignificantly moreproductive,enhancecustomersatisfactionand outperformthosewhoarelessengaged.

It’simportantforemployeestoparticipateintheirtask enthusiastically,forthesakeoftheirgrowthalongwiththe company.Butitturnsoutthatonly20%ofemployees aroundtheworldarefullyengagedatwork.

It’sacutoffthatservesnoonewell.Sowhatcouldbethe solution?Whereisthewin-winforemployeesand employers?

Thesolutionisthatemployersmustshifttheirfocusfrom tryingtogetmoreoutofpeople,toinvestingmoreinthem bysupportingtheircoreneeds—emotional,physical, mentalandspiritual—sothey'refreed,fueledandinspired tobringthebestatworkandprovethemselveseveryday

Ourprimaryneedistomakeenoughmoneytoliveadecent lifestyle,butevenatthat,wecannotlivebybreadalone.

Takeamomenthereandthinkaboutwhatmakesyoufeel mostexcitedtogettoworkinthemorning,andmakesyou mostloyaltoyouremployer.

ThekindofcompanyIhaveinmindwouldnurturethe employeefriendlyenvironmentiftheycould:

· Committopayingeverymemberalivingwage.Andthat largelydependsonthestandardofliving.Many

corporationsdonotmeetthatstandardformanyoftheir jobs,simplybecauseofanunfairenvironmentwherea CEOispaidmillionsofdollarsayearwhileanemployee getsamodestsumforfulltimeworkthatinsomecases fallsbelowthepovertyline.

· Treatemployeeslikegrown-ups.Sharestatisticswith employees,listentotheirideas(orbetteryet,activelyseek outandactupontheirideas).

· Everyemployeewhocontributeshis/herworkmusthave astakeinthecompany’ssuccess.Itcanbeintheformof profitsharing,orstockoptionsorbonusestiedto performance.Ifthecompanyperformswellinthemarket, allemployeesshouldshareinthesuccess,inmeaningful ways.

· Designoffice’sworkingenvironmentsthatare comfortable,safeandappealingtoworkin.Someoffices includearangeoflateralspacesthatallowforprivacy, collaboration,orsimplytohangout.

· Providehighquality,healthyfood,atthelowestpossible pricesincanteens,cafeteriasandalsovendingmachines atworkplaces.

· Createsittingroomsforemployeestorestandrenew duringthecourseoftheworkingdayandencouragethem totakeregularbreaks.

· Offerawell-equippedgymandotherfacilitieswhere employeescanwork-outandstayfit.Donotseefun, humorandrelaxationastheenemiesofhardwork;instead perceivethemasitsallies.

· Describeclearandspecificexpectationsforwhatvictory

December 2017 20

lookslikeinanygivenjob.Then,trytogiveyour employeesasmuchliberationaspossibletochoosewhen theywork,wheretheydotheirwork,andhowbestto concludeit.

· Organizetwo-wayperformancereviews,sothat employeesnotonlyreceiveregularfeedbackabouthow they’redoing,inmeansthatsupporttheirgrowth,butare alsogiventheopportunitytoprovidefeedbacktotheir supervisors,anonymouslyiftheywould,toavoid recrimination.

· Adviceleadersandmanagerstoberesponsiblefor treatingallemployeeswithrespectandcareand encouragethemtoregularlyidentifythosetheysupervise fortheprogressivecontributionstheymake.

· Makepoliciesthatencourageemployeestoallota considerableamountoftime,tofocuswithoutdisruption ontheirmostimportanturgencies,includinglong-term projectswithplannedandcreativethinking.Preferably, givethemtimetopursueprojectsthey’reparticularly passionateaboutandwhichhavethepotentialtoadd valuetothecompany.

· Offeremployeesopportunitiesandincentivestolearn, developandgrow,bothinformingnewjob-specifichard skills,aswellassofterskillsthatservethemwellas individuals,andasexecutivesandleaders.Actively encouragevolunteerismamongtheemployees.

· Standforsomethingbeyondjustincreasingprofits. Provideservicesorcreateproductsorservecausesthat openlyaddvalueinthesociety,sothatemployeescould deriveasenseofmeaningfromtheirwork,andwouldfeel goodaboutcompaniestheyworkfor.

Life,asthefamousphilosopherHobbessosuccinctly pointedout,canbesolitary,brutish,nastyandshort.Ifwe spendaboutone-thirdofourlivesworking,don’tyouwant ittobelessmiserable?It’snotthateasyasitissaidtobe. Butsomecompaniesareadmirablyclose,andothersareto beapplaudedfortheirvaluedefforts.Theonethatcomes closestisGoogle.I’mconvincedit’soneoftheirkeyto success.

December 2017 21
Workodynamics

Converged The Power of Solutions

December 2017 22

Foryearsexpertsandanalystshavepredicted,pushed,andproddedbusinessestoafutureofunified communications. Theirclaimwasthatinaworldwhereallofourtechnologiesandtoolstocommunicate weretrulyintegrated,therewouldbeatransformativeimprovementinefficiencyandworklifebalance. However,ourworldtodayfeelslessunifiedthaneverbefore.Itseemsasifeveryday(oreveneveryhour)bringsa newstand-alonebusinessapplicationdesignedtosuperchargeproductivity.Theproblemisthatveryfewofthese appstrulyworktogether,andveryfewbusinessusersderivethesamebenefitfromeach.Thus,wehaveactually createdanewworldof“dis-unification.”

Wherethereispain,thereispromise.

WithinourcurrentsituationtheredoesliethepotentialthatinterapplicationAPIscanbeleveragedsothatdifferent appscanworktogether,eachusercanchoosetheappoftheirchoice,andintheendeverythingwillbeunified again.ThisISatechnicalpossibility.However,inrealitythecompetingbusinessinterestsofdifferentapplication developersstandsinthewayofseamlessandreliableintegrations.Oftentimesevenappsthat could beintegrated havetheirinterfacecapabilitiesturnedofforremovedforbusinessreasons.Furtheraddingtothiscomplexity,many companyacquisitionscanleadtocapabilitiesbeingdisabledinthebestbusinessinterestsofthenewowners.

WheretoTurn?

Therearemanypathsbusinessescantakeinlightoftheserealities.Somechoosetogrinandbearthecurrent situation. Somechoosetobuildsolutionsoftheirown. Someattempttoselectahandfulofkeysupplierstopartner with,andbuildatightlycoupledecosystemtheyhopewillstandthetestoftime. Andstillotherskeeplookingfor theperfectsolutionthat mightnotexistyet,thatcouldbejust aroundthecorner,notrealizingthatbychoosing inactiontheyruntheveryrealriskoffallingbehind.

TheApplicationMonopolyGameviaM&A

Throughaggressivemergerandacquisition(M&A)activities,manyorganizationsarelookingtoropetogether impressivecollectionsofcomplementaryapplications. Theseappsareintendedtoattractbusinesseslookingto garnerawideassortmentoffunctionalityfromasinglevender,oratleastfromasmallercollectionofvendors.A troublingcomponentofthisapproachthough,isthatmanyofthevendorswiththelargestapplicationcollections alsohavetheleastbusinessinterestinallowingcompetingapplications tointegratewell.

WhataboutTelco?

Mostbusinessapplicationdevelopersarelackingthecapabilities(andtheunderstanding)tointegratecomplex PSTNservicesintomoreadvancedapplications.Eventraditionalphoneservicecompaniesstrugglehere,and appeartohavelittleornopathtothefuturefordeployingmoreadvancedcapabilitiesviatheirdatedandbloated infrastructures.Theyrelyontwoprimaryvendors,MetaswitchandBroadsoft,whobothhavecriticalbillingsystem integrationcapabilitieswiththelegacycarriers,butlackmoreadvancedapplications.So,wherearebusinessesto turnfortrulyintegratedunifiedcommunicationssolutions?

Expert’s Viewpoint December 2017 23

NeverGiveUp

Whiletheneedsarecomplex,andthemorewell-knownvendorstochoosefromare lackinginkeyways,all hopeisnotlost.Thereisanewbreedofsolutionprovider,onethatpossessesthepedigreeofPSTNservice integration,andalsothenextgenapplicationintegrationcapabilitiesthattraditionalproviderslack.Thesenew solutionprovidersareabletodelivertrulyintegratedunifiedcommunications,callcenter,contactcenter,and analyticssolutionsinasingleplatform,providingnotonlyahugearrayofcapabilities,readilycustomizablefor eachcustomer,butalsobuilttointegratewithothervendors'solutions. Thesesolutionprovidershave engineeredanddesignedforthedemandsofthemodernbusiness,andtheyaretheonestowatch. Whilethey maynotbehouseholdnamestoday,theyaretheforward-thinkingpartnersthatinnovativeorganizationsturnto whentakingtheirnextstrategicleapintheirbusinesssuccess.

December 2017 24
www.emirates.com

ReviewStudio: Reinventing the Collaborative Platform for Creative Review

Whenitcomestocreativereview,consistencyisthekey Yet, eventoday,manycreativeagenciesandproductionstudios useamixedbagofsolutionstomanageworkflows, consolidatefeedbackandfacilitateapprovalsoftheirdigitalmedia projects.Thiscanbeanightmareforproject-relatedcommunication–makingdelays,inefficientworkflowsandbudgetoverrunsalltoo common.

CanadiancompanyReviewStudiooffersareal-time,mobile-friendly collaborativeplatformforcreativeprojectgroupstoshare,markupand approvedigitalcontentincludingvideos,images,andPDFfiles.Unlike mostgenericprojectmanagementapplications,thetooloffersaunique “media-centric”approachthatpresentsallprojectcommunicationsand managementtasksdirectlyinthecontextofthemediabeingproduced.

ReviewStudiodevelopsservicesandsoftwaretoolsformarketing, educationandcreativeteamswhoneedafasterandeasierwaytoview andreviewcommentsontheirdigitalmediaprojects.ReviewStudio offersavisualandcollaborativeapproachtocollectingand consolidatingfeedbackandapprovals,keepingeveryoneonthesame pagethroughoutthecourseofaproject.

Theirclientscomefromawidevarietyofcreativedisciplines–includingmarketing,digitalproduction,videographyandphotography, design,andeducation.ReviewStudiogivestheminnovativetoolsto collaborateeffectivelyandrealizethefullpotentialoftheircreative efforts.

AnEnthusiasticFrontrunner

StuartFeldmanisaCo-founderandPresidentofReviewStudio.Witha backgroundinboththefieldsofarchitectureandcomputergraphics, Stuartstartedhiscareerasaco-founderofLightscapeTechnologies,a pioneering3Dvisualizationsoftwarethatgavearchitectsanddesigners theabilitytoaccuratelyvisualize,analyzeandpresenttheirvirtual3D projectsunderreal-worldlightingconditions.

AftertheacquisitionofLightscapebyAutodesk,Stuartbecameasenior

Stuart Feldman Co-founder & President We continue our mission of providing creative teams the best tools possible to help them collaborate more effectively and realize the full potential of their creative efforts ‘‘ December 2017 26
‘‘

projectmanagerat Autodeskfordesign visualizationsoftwareand latermanagedaprojectto extendtheavailabilityof 3Dtools(“Virtual Photography”)to marketingprofessionals.

Throughhisrolesat LightscapeandAutodesk, Stuartdevelopedclose relationshipswithmany design,productionand advertisingagenciesandbecamevery familiarwiththespecificworkflow issuesincoordinationand collaborationthatallthese organizationsweredealingwith.

BornofNecessity ReviewStudiobeganasaprojectto helptheartproductionstaffofamajor motionpictureaddresstheirchallenges andgettimelyfeedbackandapprovals frommultiplestakeholdersspread acrossthreecontinents.Poor communicationandalackofeffective collaborationwerehavingasevere impactontheirproductionschedules andbudget.Inresponse,the ReviewStudioteamdevelopeda simple,web-basedsolutionfor uploading,sharingandreviewing digitalcomps significantly–streamliningthereviewandapproval cycles.

Sincethatinitialsolution,the ReviewStudioteamhascontinued engagingandcollaboratingclosely withclientstoaddresstheirneeds.“We havenowexpanded,”notesStuart,“to addressamuchbroaderrangeof creativeworkflowsinadvertising,film andvideoproduction,education,and publishing.”

AnEmergingLeaderinCreative ProjectManagement ReviewStudio’sinnovativeapproachto media-centricprojectmanagement helpscreativeteamsdelivertheir projectsontimeandonbudget.Some ofitsmostimportantfeaturesand

benefitsinclude:

Ÿ Simplicity:Aneasy-to-use,nontechnicalmarkuptoolthatlets collaboratorsandclients immediatelyreview,markupand approveawiderangeofdigital mediafilesfromanywebbrowseror mobiledevice.Usershavenoneedto purchase,installorlearnspecialized toolsorsoftwaretoprovideclearand effectivefeedback.

Ÿ Agility:Accelerateddesignand productioncyclesthrough centralizedcontentdisplayand markups.Collaborativethreaded discussionshelpavoidmultiple iterationsbycentralizingfeedback fromallprojectcollaborators.An integratedversiontrackermakesit easytofollowandcomparethe progressofaprojectfromearly designtofinisheddeliverable.

Ÿ Dialogue:Projectteammemberscan holdliveonlinereviewpresentations whereallcollaboratorscanview, discussandmarkupcontenttogether. Thisfunctionalityhelpstoresolve issuesfasterandavoid communicationerrors.

Ÿ Reference:Theplatformmaintainsa complete,searchablerecordofall content-relatedcommunicationsand activitiesthattakeplaceoverthe courseofprojectdevelopment.This helpsteammembersstayorganized andavoidconflictsbyprovidinga verifiableaudittrailofallreview activities.

UniqueMethodologyistheKey ReviewStudio’sdistinctiveadvantage

isthatsupportsboththe independentand synchronizedcollaborative reviewofdigitalmedia.

Independentreviewsallow clientsorcollaboratorsin differentlocationsortime zonestoviewcontentand providefeedback independentlyattheir convenience.

Synchronizedreviewsallow teamstoworktogetherfromremote locationstobrainstormordiscuss variousaspectsofaprojectinliverealtimereviewsessions.Ateammember cansynchronizetheplaybackofa slide-showorvideowithanynumber ofonlineparticipantsandstoponany frametodiscussandmarkupthe contenttogether.

Thiscombinationofindependent reviewandreal-timeconferencing makesReviewStudioparticularlywellsuitedfortheiterativeand collaborativenatureofcreativeproject workflows.

UpcomingEndeavors

Inthecomingyear,ReviewStudiois extendingtheirprojectmanagement workflowstofacilitatetheiradoption byeducationalinstitutionsand agenciesworkingwithlargenumbers ofclientsandprojects.Theyarealso focusingontheirAPIsandintegrations withpopularprojectandasset managementplatformswhile extendingtheirsupportforemerging mediaformatssuchasimmersive360 imagesandvideos.

StuartattributesReviewStudio’s successtoitsteam’sextensive experienceinthecreativeproduction environmentanddeepunderstanding ofclientworkflows.Heconcludes,“We are very engaged with our clients and see the ongoing development of ReviewStudio itself a highly engaged and collaborative effort to meet their needs and goals.”

December 2017 27

Today,nomatterwhatservicesorproductsitprovides,everycompanyisatechnologycompany Thecompaniesthatshape

ourworldtruthfullyembracethisfact.

Today,nocompanycanmake,deliverormarketitsproductcompetentlywithoutthehelpoftechnology.WhiletheInternetand smart phones used to be cutting edge, these days, new application release dates and time to market for new technologies are dwindling.Companieswhicharehabituatedtoafour-yearreleasecycleareforcedtoadapttothesechangesfaster Businesses mustlearnhowtoincorporatereleasecyclesofthetechnologyintotheirproductionandservicecycles.

Companiesthatarekeentowardsadaptingthesenewtechnologiesquicklygainafootholdonthemarket.Followingaresome insightsonhowyoucanembracetechnologicaladvancementsandwaystheyaffectyourbusinessandcustomers.

PerceiveTechnologyasavitalaspectofcompanyculture,notanaddendum Forcompaniestoefficaciouslymakethechangeoverandbecomeatechnologycompany,culturesneedtobealteredtotakeinto

xÝÓì - ĊąÓÝęą December 2017 30

account the unique way that software development works and to highlight the importance of technology and the people who manageandbuildit.Theengineersandinnovatorsneedtoworktowardsit.

Itisimportanttokeepinmindthatbuildingatechnology-drivencultureisnotjustaboutfreelunchesandmassages. Themost important and scarcest commodity for developers is the uninterrupted ‘time’ to concentrate. So emphasize on providing techexpertsaprivatespaceor‘work-from-home’facilitiesandnotthePing-Pongtables,lounges,firepitsorchocolatefountains.

Companiesneedtoadoptagilepracticesprogressively Thepaceofadoptingnewtechnologieshasbecomefasterovertheyears.Forexample,previouslyittookdecadesfortelephones and electricity to reach 50% of US households, but today it only takes a few years or even less time for new technologies like smartphonesandtabletstoinfluenceamajorityofthepopulation.Thisaccentuatestheimportanceforcompaniestocontinuously adoptnewtechnologiesthatcanimprovetheproductivityandalsotoconstantlyexperimentwiththeseemergingtechnologiesthat havethepotentialtobedisruptivetothebusiness.

December 2017 31

Inthisageoftechnology,wheretheworldismovingtowardscloudcomputingandotheradvancementsinthatgenre,continuous development and continuous updates are the name of the game. Agile practices involve adaptive planning, evolutionary development, continuous improvement and early delivery. It enables you to continuously deliver better experiences for your customersencouragingrapidandflexibleresponsetochange.

Companiesneedtolookforwardandavoidgettingcaughtintheinnovator’sdilemma

Thechiefreasonforwhylegacycompetitors,despiteofdoingeverything“right,”fail,andthatbecomesistheforceofdisruptive innovation as described in Clayton Christensen’s The Innovator’s Dilemma. Businesses tend to reject innovations based on customers’existingneeds,whileinnovativeupstartsdevelopproductsinawaythatmeetsthecustomers’futurenecessities.

Ithasbeenevidentrecentlythatautomakerstakeveryinnovativeapproachestoautomotivetechnologyasautonomousvehicles moveviciouslyinthestartupworldwiththeacquisitionsofcorporationslikeOtto,Cruiseandpublicpilotsofnewtechnological expertiselikeUber’sself-drivingcarsorTesla’sAutopilotfeature.

Anautomobilegiant,Fordparticularly,hasbeenveryfocusedontheautonomousfutureandtheimportanceofbeingremarkable byworkingdisparatelyintoday’sfast-pacedtechnology-drivenworld.Ford’sCEO,MarkFields,haswrittenthat“Aslittleas fouryearsago,ourapproachwasalignedwiththethinkingofmostautomakerstoday,whichistakingincrementalstepstoachieve fullautonomybyadvancingdriverassisttechnology.Thisisnothowwelookatittoday.Welearnedthattoachievefullautonomy, we’dhavetotakeacompletelydifferentpathway.”

Apprehendhowtechnologyisaffectingyourbusiness

Initially, leaders must recognize how technology affects their business. This doesn’t constrain to one idea for a new app or website.Itmeanscategoricallyunderstandingofhowtechnologyorganicallyflowsthroughthebusiness.

Synthesizehowadvancementsinmobilesolutions,cloudcomputing,extremecustomersegmentationandconnectivityareall impactingthebusiness.Perceivethedecreasingcost,increasingfunctionality,changingcustomerbaseandsocialimpactofthe companyasandwhenyoumovewithinthechangingageoftechnology.

The employees, hardware, software and data must all flow together in harmony to produce results within the business. Since, technologyisawave;youcaneitherridealong,orbewipedalong.

Appreciatehowtechnologyaffectsyourcustomers

Furthermore,leadersmustunderstandhowtechnology,apartfromaffectingtheirbusinesses,isalsoaffectingtheircustomers. Companyleadershavetostrategicallydesignbusinessplans,basedonhowcustomersadaptandusetheirtechnology.

Previously,asacompanyyouwouldhavetosettheintervalsinwhichyouwereopenforbusiness,andcustomershadtoputup withitandadjustwithoutthatparticularproduct.Now,technologyhascompletelychangedthat,withtheintroductionof e-commerceandmobilephones,customerscanaccessproductsatanytime.Theyhaveoutstretchedexpectationsonwhatisan acceptablecustomerserviceandwhatisnot.Asabusiness,youhavetokeepupwiththechangingconsumerbehaviororbeoutof business.

Conclusion

The competition to become a market leader across variety of subdivisions and geographies is getting fierce amongst older incumbents and the promising, young startups. Startups have a lot to learn from the financial practices and established managementofincumbents,butincumbentsalsohavealottolearnfromstartupsaswell.Thecompanies,youngorold,thatuse technologytoitsbest,whilecreatingcompetitiveadvantagesforthemselves,willcertainlywin.

Technology needs to be a fundamental trait of the company’s DNA and culture as companies truly internalize that “Every companyisatechnologycompany”.

xÝÓì - ĊąÓÝęą December 2017 32

SilexPro: Enhancing Group Collaboration through Innovation

TheInternetandsocialmediahavebrought internationalnetworkingintothereachofsmall businesses.Moreover,livevisualcommunications arepossibleusingnotjustPCsbutalsosmartphonesand othermobiledevices.Thisrapidevolutionofcollaboration technologyisusheringinanext-generationofworkplacethatis moreproductiveandefficient,anddeliverssignificantcost savingstoorganizationsacrosstheglobe.

Oneoftheforerunnersofthisburgeoningfieldoftechnologyis SilexPro. SilexProcreatesanddevelopsarangeofdigital platformstohelpitsclientsembraceandfullyutilizethe communicationsenvironmentofthefuture.

AFuturisticLeader

RonaldHajjistheveteranleader,CEOandFounderof SilexPro.HeinventedandpatentedtheCenterofTable(CoT) conceptfornaturalcollaborationthatisatthecoreofthe company'scommunicationproducts.Underhisleadership,the greatteamatSilexPro,hasinventedtherevolutionarySilexPTE rangethatistransforminggroupcommunicationasweknowit.

Ronaldstronglybelievesincreativityandsays,“People should dream and extend their imagination and creativity beyond traditional boundaries to create the required positive force which inspires innovation.”

Hestartedhiscompanywithamissiontoenhancetheway peoplecommunicateandcollaborateremotelyovervideo,andto makegroupvideomeetingsmorenatural,moreenjoyableand moreproductive.Ronaldasserts,“'Innovation beyond imagination’ is the mindset by which we will positively disrupt and change the way people collaborate!”

SilexPro’sInnovativeRangeofProducts

NewtechnologiessuchasWebRTCandstandardwireless displayprotocolsarechangingtheverybasicsofgroup collaboration.Soft/web/cloud-basedvideoclientsaretakingover

Ronald December 2017 34
Hajj Founder & CEO We do not just follow the trends; we have the courage to SET the trends
‘‘ ‘‘

legacyvideoconferencing systems,andcustomersare lookingforeasyall-in-one solutionstodeploy

Toalignwiththismarket transformation,SilexProhas createdanewgenerationof uniquely-designedCoT endpoints.Twoproducts,Silex PTETrioandSilexPTE Quattro,notonlyfitseamlessly withthenewmarkettrendsbut alsofixmanyoftheinherited discomfortsandchallengesof traditionalmeetingrooms.

AnExceptionalGroupCollaboration Experience

SilexProisatechnologyinnovatorin thefieldofvisualcommunicationand groupcollaboration.Their Center of Table (CoT)concepthasdrastically changedthetraditionalgroup communicationexperience.

Theorganizationisvigorously promotingthe ‘Silex PTE series’ which isarangeofagnosticall-in-oneCoT visualcollaborationsystems.SilexPro wantstocombineinnovation, technology,andelegancetocreatean unparalleledmeetingexperience, virtuallyinvolvingallthesenses.

TransformingtheTraditionalVideo Conference

TheSilexPTEvideoagnosticsystems offerasinglehardwarebaseforall platformsandarecurrentlytheonly devicesthatprovideatrulynatural groupcollaborationexperience.

TheSilexPTEnewgeneration endpointswerecreatedfromscratchto include:

Silex PTE Quattro collaboration system

oneCenterofTableconcept.

SilexProbelievesthatCoT meetingsaremorenaturaland thathavingtheremote participantappearinthecenter ofgravityofthemeeting (whichisthecenterofthetable) promotesengagement.Itopens updifferentwaysofvisual communicationandSilexProis proudtobethefirstandonly companyprovidingthis innovativesolutiontoday

Ÿ

Intelligent360-degreevoicetracking Ÿ

Wirelesspresentationsystembased onmarketstandardslikeMiracast,

AirplayandIntelWiDi. Ÿ Onebuttonsessionrecording

TechnologyCoupledwithEaseof MindforourClients

Ronaldsays,“Customers who do business with us like the technology revolution we provide and the cuttingedge advantages we offer, be it with the Silex PTE Center of Table solutions or with the customized Smart conference rooms solutions.”

SilexProemphasizesontheintegral elementsoftheirsystemwhichdeliver enhancedserviceavailability,quality, andcost-effectiveness.SilexPro's customersbenefitfromitsadvanced replacementplanwhichcoversall hardwaredefectsandfailures.

HavinganEdgeintheMarketplace

SilexProhasintroducedluxurydesigns andintegratedcustomizedfull-fledged smartconferencerooms.Ithas establishedanewgenerationofvisual collaborationendpointsthattakeinto considerationcurrentmarkettrends.

Theirextensiveexperiencegivesthem anedgewhencreatingtheirown advancedsolutionswhichcombineand exploittechnologyalreadyavailablein themarket.

UpcomingEndeavors

SilexProwasthefirstcompanyto introducenaturalvoicecommandsin itscollaborationsystems,andit recentlyalsointroducedIntelligent 360-degreevoicetracking,oneofthe mosteffectualvoicetrackingsystems inthemarket.

Theyrecentlycameupwithaniceidea tocompletelyhidethePTEsystem insidethetablewhenthesystemisnot used,usingaspecialmotorizedliftfor thispurpose

Ÿ

Multipleinteractivetouchscreens providingaseamless,multi-sided white-boarding experienceand exceptionalviewing. Ÿ Multiple(3or4)camerasfor360degreecoverageoftheroomfrom theCenterofTable Ÿ Centralspeakerphoneforradially symmetricalaudiocoverage

SilexPTEisbasedontheWindows10 ProOS,sothereisnoneedof specially-trainedstaffforperiodic maintenanceandcheckups.Aslongas thesystemsarecoveredbyaservice contract,updatesandupgradescanbe automaticallyperformedtomaintain optimalperformancelevels.Remote troubleshootingsessionscanbeeasily scheduledonthePTEsystems.

UsingCenterofTableConceptto Stand Apart

SilexProisthefirstcompanythatdared todefythetraditionalwaysof conductingvideomeetingsby introducingitsdisruptive,trueall-in-

Theorganizationalsohasplansto releaseanewcompactQuattroversion forsmallerhuddlerooms.

Additionally,SilexProwillsoon enhancethecollaborationexperience forusersonthemovewiththenew Silexmobileseriesthatwillgreatly enhancethewaypeoplecollaborateon themove.

Ÿ
December 2017 35

Implications of Workload Management

in

Hybrid and Multi-Cloud

WiththeevolvingscenarioinCloudcomputingeverchanging,therearenumerouscloudserviceprovidersinthe marketofferingvarietyofservicesandnewercapabilities.Theresultantistheimpendinggrowthinhybrid/ multi-cloudarchitectures,fueledtypicalchoicesoforganizationsoptingforthebestofbreedsinthecloudtomeet theiroverallneeds.

Thisisalsobringingouttheinevitablechallengesofmultiple‘cloudsilos’,facedbytheseenterpriseswhileadoptingthe hybrid/multi-cloudinfrastructuresandreapingitsbenefits.Herewediscussfewtypicalchallengesfacedbyorganizations whilemanagingworkloadsacross‘cloudsilos’intypicalhybrid/multi-clouddeployments.

Cloudnativelock-inforworkloadprovisioningandmigration

Thereareveryspecificinterfacestomangeandprovisionofworkloadswiththecloudserviceproviders,leadingtotightly coupledworkloadprovisioningengines.Thiscreateschallengestoseamlesslyprovisionandmigrateworkloadsacross multiplecloudsandembracediversecloudproviders.

Anefficientapproachtothischallengeistoisolatetheworkloadprovisioningandmigrationsfromthecloud-nativeworkload managementinterfacesandmakeitvoidforthefundamentalsofcloud.

Fragmentedoutlooktoresourcesacrossclouds

Thestorageresourcesandcomputeofaparticularcloudisusuallyleveragedandviewedindependentlyoftheresourcepools inotherclouds.Thiseventuallyleadstoscaling,disconnectedschedulingandmonitoringofworkloadsacrossclouds,which alsocreatessignificantoperationaloverhead.

Anoptionalwayofhandlingthistocreateasingleviewpointapproachintoyourresourcepools,inordertooptimally

December 2017 36

Cloud Management

managetheworkloadsacrossthebasement,publicandtheprivateclouds.Thisapproachoffersageneralviewofthe availableandutilizedresourceswhichwillgeneratetheidealworkloadschedulingandscaling.

UtilizationofCloudresources

Workloadsaresometimesstrategicallydeployedonpre-determinedhostsandVMsinthecloudwhichcreatesstaticcompute andstoragepartitions.ThisleadstosprawlingofthefinestVMsandhosts.Thesestaticpartitionscreatebarrierstorunmixed workloadswhichleadstosub-optimalusageofresources.

Onesolutionforthiscanbeistocreateasharedresourcepoolacrossmultiplecloudsanddynamicallyallocateresourcesto therespectiveworkloadsbasedonpoliciesandchangingneeds.Thiswillenableoptimalexecutionofmixedworkloadsand eliminatestaticpartitioning.

Inabilitytoautomaticassigningacrossclouds

Workloadsrelatedtocloudareusuallyveryresilientacrossthecloud,whichautomaticallyrecoversincaseofafailure. However,theremightbesomecomplicationswiththeworkloadwhenaparticularcloudisinaccessibleduetositedisasters, plannedandunplannedcloudoutages.

Arecommendedwaytotacklethisglitchistosetupadistributedsystemwhichcandetectfailures/outagesinaparticular cloud,andthenautomaticallyfailovertheworkloadtoadifferentcloud.

Obstructionindevelopmentandperformance

fordistributedworkloads

Distributedworkloadsareusuallydeployedacrosswidegeographiesleveragingmultipleclouds.Theseworkloadstendtouse publicinternetwhilecommunicatingandexchangingdatabetweenclouds,leadingtounpredictablelatencycausingslow performance.

UsingPlatformEquinixcapabilitiesyoucanenableprivatelow-latencyconnectionsacrosscloudsoastoimprove performance.

December 2017 37

Wildix: Providing Browser Based Unified Communications and VOIP PBX

HeadquarteredinTrento,Italy,Wildixisa multinationalcompanywhichdevelopsbrowserbasedUnifiedCommunicationsolutionsandVoIP products.Theorganizationcompletelyreliesuponthe networkofcertifiedbusinesspartners,whoinstallWildix systeminEuropeandintheUnitedStates.In2005,the companyformeditsResearchandDevelopmentcenterin Ukraine.

Wildixsolutionisaimedatsmallandmedium-sized businesses,between50and2500userswhichneedto providetheiremployeeswithefficientyetsimpletouse communicationtoolsthatenableinternalandexternal collaborationcapability.Wildixsystemwasdesignedtobe easytoinstallandtomanage,withlowmaintenancecosts. Wildixsystemisacompleteandscalablesolutionfor companiesthatneedtoupgradetheircommunicationtools byintroducingadvancedfeaturessuchas videoconferencing,chat,SMS,userpresenceandgeo locationmapping,andatthesametime,improve productivityandreduceoperatingcosts.Asawhole,the companyisconstantlylookingaheadatnewtechnologies andhowitcanbestutilizethemitsproductline.

Unlike other solutions available in the market, Wildix offers a complete range of Hardware products and Unified Communications & Collaboration features
‘ December 2017 38
‘‘ ‘

AnEnthusiasticCEO

SteveOsler,CEOofWildix,has alwayshadaninherentlovefor technology.Hisparentsbroughthim hisfirstcomputeratthetenderageof eleven,promptinghimtobecomean informationtechnologyenthusiast. Lateron,hereceivedadegreein ComputerSciencefromPadua University,andstartedtoworkon softwaredevelopmentandanalysisin thefieldofhuman-machineinteraction. Sincethen,hewentontoCo-Found StarSystem,whichofferedsoftware servicestobusinesses,in1998.

Laterin2002,whiledrinkingGuinness withhisbrother,Steveandhisbrother startedfantasizingaboutstartinga businesstogether.Stevelovedthetaste ofGuinness,Irishdrystout,and admiredthefactthatitsspecifictaste canberecognizedamonghundreds.He thought, “This is the winning factor; to stand out from the crowd, to be unique, to distinguish one’s self.” Fast-forward to2005,alongwithhisbrother,Steve startedtoworkonthedevelopmentof anewcommunicationsystemand dedicatedhimselftotheproject managementactivities,forwhatisnow knownasWildix-withtheshared visiontostandoutfromthecrowd,to beunique,andtodistinguish themselvesfromothers.

AUniqueOrganizationthat ProvidesUniqueServices

Wildix’sgo-to-marketstrategyis completelycenteredonahigh-touch, high-valuechannelmodel. Organizations’valuethepartner relationship,andasavendorit providesacompleteroadmapto successthatprovidesallthenecessary toolsforthemtosucceed.Wildixnever sellshardwarethroughdistribution;its pricingandlicensingissimpleand easytounderstand,withnohidden costsunderneath.Thecompany delivershighermarginandrevenues foritspartnersbecauseitprovidesan exclusiveanddirectpartnership. Additionally,Wildixpartnersalso enjoyadditionalbenefitssuchasfree techsupport,softwareassuranceanda 5-yearoutoftheboxwarrantyforall theequipment.Inadditiontotechnical training,Wildixprovidessalestraining andmarketingsupportandassistance topartners,asmarketingtheirbusiness shouldn’tbeaseeminglyimpossible task.

TacklingBadPatchesand Competitors

Wildixbeganasasimpleconversation backin2002and,tilldate,thejourney hasdefinitelybeenonthefunsidefor thecompany.However,therewere someinitialstruggles,asisthecase withanyothercompany.Oneofthe struggleswastryingtoconvinceacar repairshoptoplaceWildix’sPBX boxesintotheirpaintkiln,sothatthe bluepaintwouldadhere.

However,amongallthesestruggles, thereweresomeexcitingtimes;which includedhearingaboutthetremendous engineeringtalenthiddeninUkraine andflyingoverin2005,hiring

engineers,andopeninganofficein Odessa.Or,researchingbrowser communicationcapabilities,andasa result,becomingthefirstintheworld todevelopWebRTC;workingwiththe teamofdevelopersfromGlobalIP SolutionsthatdevelopedWebRTC, beforeGoogle’sacquisition. Eventually,alltheseexperiences shapedWildixasaresilient,forward thinking,andinnovativeorganization. Accordingtotheorganization, ArchitectureandDesignisofoptimum significance.Unlikethesolutions availableinthemarket,Wildixoffers itsowncompleterangeofIntegrated Hardwareproducts&Unified CommunicationsandCollaboration features,whichworktogether seamlessly.

Wildixisquitedifferentfromits competitorsbecauseitsdesign philosophyissimple:

Ÿ Makeit:“Simple”–Everyfeature isdeliveredinaSingleIntuitive WebInterfaceandsmartphoneapps, whileremovingthecomplexity.

Ÿ Makeit:“SecurebyDesign”Securitymustbeinherentatevery touchpoint.SBCandVPNarenot secure.Moreattackscomefromthe inside.

Ÿ Makeit:“Relevant”Communicationshasswitchedfrom telephonytotheweb,sowemustbe abletoconnectthemontheweb.

“Technology is only improving and expanding, and it is essential that we do the same,” mentionsSteveOsler
December 2017 39

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