Wildix Magazine #8 by Wildix srl

THE FIRST MAGAZINE FOR SYSTEM INTEGRATORS ON UNIFIED COMMUNICATION & COLLABORATION

WOMEN IN TECH

COVER STORY

NORTHWEST PIPE FITTINGS: A WILDIX SOLUTION IN THE AMERICAN WEST p.10

p.31

p.11 p.20

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FOCUS: SMART WORKING

WILDIX VERSUS

FOCUS: SMART WORKING

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Get Scammed on Your Smart Working Platform

Wildix VERSUS Zoom: A Security Showdown

Activating Smart Work Technology

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SUMMARY

WILDIX U.K. LIMITED Rolt house, Coventry Canal Basin, St. Nicolas Street, Coventry, West Midlands, CV1 4LY Phone Number +443300 563 634 WILDIX MAGAZINE Issue # 8 is published 4 times per year by Wildix U.K. Limited in 2500 copies. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Emiliano Tomasoni EDITORS: Chiara Turrini, Steve Osler, Austen ReadMcFarland, Alla Daleko, Sarah Basile, Alexandre Daugas, Giulia Perotta, Ceferino Agüeros, Katie Trombetti, Dimitri Osler, Elena Kornilova, Robert Cooper, Emiliano Tomasoni

EDITORIAL

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Smart Work: The New Way of Working

According to Gartner, CFOs around the world are already thinking about the “after” emergency

LETTERS FROM ESTONIA

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Enter the Vampire Vendor

Photo Credits: Pexels, Adobe Stock

The MSP’s New Enemy and How to Beat Them

Editorial comments or articles should be addressed via email at: info@wildix.com May not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of Wildix U.K. Limited

COVER STORY

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Northwest Pipe Fittings: A Wildix Solution in the American West

A New Wildix PBX Bridged Huge Distances Across the American West

PARTNER STORY

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Wildix & Netmetix – A Winning Partnership Wildix is the perfect match for Netmetix as 87% of our business each month is recurring

Enter the Vampire Vendor, page 8

PARTNER STORY

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Comtex Continues Their Growth with Wildix

Improving Dedicated Service Through VoIP

PARTNER STORY

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Converting 50% of Turnover Customers to OPEX Thanks to Wildix

FOCUS: SMART WORKING

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Staying on Track When You’re Working from Home

4 Tips for Better Productivity

ANALYSIS & TRENDS

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The Concrete Value Found in the Cloud

Data Shows What Drives Digital Transformation

RC Line Has Never Stopped Growing

WEBRTC

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END USER CASE STUDY

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Wildix WebRTC Solutions Give Value-Adding Services to Channel Partners

Ambrosoli Spa: Passion, Tradition and Innovation

Wildix and “Liquid Modernity”

How “the Honey Company” Successfully Mixed History and Disruption

FOCUS: SMART WORKING Don’t Get Scammed on Your Smart Working Platform 3 Common Fatal Errors to Avoid

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END USER CASE STUDY

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CAF Places Its Trust in Wildix Remote Communication Solutions to Remain Close to Its Beneficiaries

Wildix Technology Supports the Aude Region Family Allocations Office

Wildix Magazine

END USER CASE STUDY

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FOCUS: SMART WORKING

Children’s Hospice South West Connects Families with Wildix

“Too Small for Smart Working”? Think Again!

“We really liked what Wildix could offer, it just so straight-forward compared to the other systems, which seemed massively complicated”

Business Continuity is Essential for Every Company

WOMEN IN TECH

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FOCUS: SMART WORKING

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Equal Pay, Equal Respect and Equal Results

Activating Smart Work Technology

“At this challenging time, I cannot imagine how problematic it would be to operate effectively without Wildix.”

What Does It Take to Activate Smart Working in a Company, from a Technical Standpoint?

WILDIX TECH WIZARDS

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FOCUS: SMART WORKING

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Smart Working with Slow Internet

Six Tips to Work Beyond Your Connection Speed

WILDIX VERSUS

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SALES

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Wildix VERSUS Zoom: A Security Showdown

Appreciating Your Overlooked Assets

Key Differences in Privacy and Safety

Why an Existing Customer Base is a Partner’s Top Priority

Wildix VERSUS Zoom: A Security Showdown, page 35

Wildix Magazine

If you’re not on LinkedIn, you’re only halfway there, page 51

MARKETING

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Make Chat Part of the e-Commerce Customer Journey

Essential Elements for Your Website

MARKETING

FOCUS: SMART WORKING

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Smart Working, Smart Loving, Smart Living

You Have to Be Smart, Too. Period.

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If You’re Not on LinkedIn, You’re Only Halfway There You have a free tool to do more business. It’s up to you whether you want to use it or not.

MARKETING

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Do You Know Where Your Marketing Stands?

The Seven Step Marketing Audit and the Path to Success

Wildix Magazine

EDITORIAL

Smart Work: The New Way of Working According to Gartner, CFOs around the world are already thinking about the “after” emergency.

Chiara Turrini, Journalist and Copywriter

artner’s predictions unveil a revolution in the world of work that began because of the coronavirus, but is destined to become a stable trend even after the emergency. In fact, globally, by 2024 30% of office workers will work partially or totally remotely – compared to just 5% in 2019. “Thanks to smart working, companies save around 300 euros per employee, per month on direct and indirect costs,” says Nicola Giovanazzi, CFO of Wildix. “In addition, there is a general improvement in the

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quality of life for workers, who no longer have to drive hours in traffic, can save on gasoline and, finally, can better manage their family and career. All this translates to increased productivity. Many decision makers are skeptical because they think that, from home, you work either poorly or not at all, but the reality instead shows an increase in productivity and satisfaction. I myself have practiced, currently practice and will continue to practice smart working more and more, and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this choice is good for companies, employees and the

environment.” The investment required to move workers from the company to home offices during the emergency thus becomes an investment in a strategy for the future.

Here are some numbers to consider:

What does this mean for a system integrator or mana‑ ged service provider? The revolution in the world of work will bring a growing demand for unified communications sys‑ tems capable of meeting precise requirements – first and foremost of which is the ability to run on any device (BYOD).

27% of CFOs interviewed by Gartner say they will move 5% of their staff to smart working permanently, even after the end of the pandemic

25% of CFOs will turn 10%

of employees into smart workers of decision-makers will reach 20% of the staff

17%

4% will convert 50% of workers to permanent smart working

Smart working solutions will also need to be remotely configurable and ensure total data protection. If security is at the top of the list, then the usability of the system must also be guaranteed. The solution must be intuitive and easy to use for the user; whether it is to chat, share a screen or documents or start a videoconference with colleagues or customers, workers must find immediacy and speed in the platform. On a financial level, As a Service will become the model par excellence in negotiations between system integrators or MSPs and their customers. In fact, it will be essential to provide scalable solutions to adapt systems to customers’ evolving needs. The paradigm shift underway represents a great challenge for industry professionals, but also an opportunity to make the most of their time – to be the first in the race for smart working solutions that has already begun. Wildix Magazine

LETTERS FROM ESTONIA

Enter the Vampire Vendor The MSP’s New Enemy and How to Beat Them

Steve Osler, CEO Wildix

or today’s MSP, the road to success is long, bumpy and full of suspicious hitchhikers who’ll rob you the second you let them into your car.

here to steal you from us – their real goal is to kill the channel by selling VoIP solutions directly to endusers.

This isn’t anything I haven’t said before. I and the rest of Wildix have talked a lot about “enemies” in the marketplace – competitors for Partners and Wildix ourselves.

This new nemesis is the Vampire Vendor: an enemy that lures you in with the promise of high margins, then drains your business’s “life blood” by stealing your customer base.

Surprisingly, these familiar, unpleasant faces are still around to bother us: there’s the old, outdated Walking Dead Vendors; the young, mismanaged VoIPTruz; and the gigantic, yet otherwise unremarkable Carriers.

A Matter of Perception

What more can we say about these old foes? Wildix Partners have already proven they can beat them. That’s why Wildix’s MRR grew by 274% in 2019 compared to the year before. But the bad news is, there’s a new enemy in the market who wants to steal this growth away. Unlike other sources of competition, this menace is a threat to Partners and Partners alone. They aren’t 8

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By now, Vampire Vendors have popped up everywhere. But there’s something strange about their growth: it isn’t because of a superior product. (You’ll find all their tech is usually just 3rd-party Asterisk junk). Actually, it’s all because of the power of branding. In reality, the Vampire Vendors’ advantage isn’t that they are stronger, but that to your customers, they appear stronger. Thanks to ad campaigns and a massive market presence, your customers see them as a reliable international solution, for both now and the future.

Meanwhile, those same customers see the Wildix Partner as small and unreliable – even though that isn’t true at all!

It’s only by joining together that you can get bigger in the customer’s mind. This is the point Wildix Partners have to stress: they are all part of the Blue Ecosystem, the most phenomenal network of UC professionals in today’s market. They aren’t just “John Doe, Local Reseller” – they are Wildix, the big and powerful worldwide UCC network. So, from now on, when a Partner faces any enemy, what I want them to say is, “I AM WILDIX!”

Striking at the Heart of the Matter

Because that message – and the features that come with it – are just as good as a stake through a Vampire Vendor’s heart.

To beat the vampires, you have to play their game; you have to leverage the Wildix brand. And really, doing that is much easier than you think. The truth is, the Wildix market has a greater presence in the market than any Vampire Vendor. Their strongest company has less than 5,000 employees and covers fewer than 80 countries; meanwhile, Wildix and our Partner companies have a global ecosystem of over 10,000 team members, and we cover over 133 countries with Classound.

Steve Osler, CEO of Wildix lives in Estonia, a.k.a. the European home of the digital world.

1st

in adopting WebRTC Technology i Unified Communications in

>1,209,332

BY THE NUMBERS

135

W Wildix users worldwide (as of May 2020) (a

Undeterred by the harsh climate and complex local language, he studies new technologies and changes in the ICT sector from his “observatory” in Tallinn.

c countries with active W Wildix Certified Partners

Company growth in 2019 +32% C

tteam members 10,000 te

This information is invaluable in the customer’s mind because, today, they expect the security of a powerful global brand. They only want to do business with companies that they think will be around to sell them services in the future. So to beat this global coven of Vampire Vendors, we must get together and present ourselves for what we truly are: a worldwide organization of professionals united under a single brand, Wildix. Wildix Magazine

COVER STORY

Northwest Pipe Fittings: A Wildix Solution in the American West A New Wildix PBX Bridged Huge Distances Across the American West

Austen Read-McFarland, Copywriter

Left to right: Adam Dompier (IT Manager), Randy Bentley (President), Blake Malone (Marketing Manager)

The Challenge

wholesale distributor of pipes, plumbing, and other industrial supplies across all of Montana, (the fourth-largest state in the US), Northwest Pipe Fittings has an inherent need for a centralized, remotely configurable communications system. Compounding this necessity is the fact that the company’s six locations do business throughout Wyoming as well, broadening the area their business covers.

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Although Northwest Pipe’s previous PBX was effective on its own, it was also inflexible and outdated, making it a poor fit for managing the increasing scale of the company’s operation. “Our old system was hard to expand,” said Blake Malone, marketing manager at Northwest Pipe. “The equipment took up a lot of real estate–like, actual, physical real estate–because it had 50-pair cables, punchdown blocks, all that old stuff. The system was really hard to expand as you grow.”

The constraints of this setup became all the more apparent as Northwest Pipe sought to settle into a new office space to head up their business. Mr. Malone elaborated, “As we moved into this new building, we decided to go with a new phone system that we could share and manage from the headquarters, but it could be in all the cities. That way, everybody would get the same new phone system at the same time.”

The Solution That new phone system came from Wildix, provided by certified Wildix Partner Proficient Technologies. “We were looking to grow, looking to have better tech than we had in the past, and Wildix offered it,” said Mr. Malone. He also added: “Proficient has just been great since day one. When there’s some weird error that shows up, they’re always responding right away and helping us figure out the problem.” Currently, Northwest Pipe Fittings utilizes between 150 and 160 active Wildix devices, making regular use of Collaboration as well as hardware such as WelcomeConsoles and the Vision phone.

The Result A pivotal benefit from the Wildix PBX was the ability to remotely provision and manage phone systems across Northwest Pipe’s multiple locations. This allowed the company to add new employees in any office onto the system quickly and conveniently, without IT teams having to trek across the state.

“People who can are working at home using the Wildix phone app,” Mr. Malone said. “With the app, you can just turn yourself online and all your office phone calls come to your cell phone, just like you’re at your desk. That way, customers don’t get that message about being forwarded to another number. It’s also nice that when employees make phone calls from the Wildix system it appears that they’re in the office, even when they’re not.” He added, “Right now, we’re in a situation where a portion of our staff is not in the office, so being able to answer an email from them and say ‘download this app and sign in, I’ll change your settings and your phone will work just like you’re at your desk.’ That’s not something we thought we would use a ton of, but it turns out, it was a really great thing to have.” On a day-to-day basis, the system has proven to be a highly capable means of streamlining collaboration between offices and employees, even with how far apart they can be across the vast Montana and Wyoming regions. “Wildix improves communication just by being able to reach our far-flung locations easily,” Mr. Malone said. “It’s also got great flexibility; being able to change, to grow, to add on, that’s been amazing.”

Through group chats, call routing, and constant flexibility, the Wildix solution and Proficient’s installation have kept Northwest Pipe well connected as they continue toward larger growth. “Downtime is down,” Mr. Malone also said. “I have peace of mind now, and being able to communicate quickly and easily adapt to our changing situation has been great.”

Furthermore, this setup has enabled the company to provide their employees with smart working capabilities for the first time. Wildix Magazine

PARTNER STORY

Wildix & Netmetix – A Winning Partnership Wildix is the perfect match for Netmetix as 87% of our business each month is recurring

Alla Daleko, Marketing Manager UK

Paul Blore (Managing Director )

hen Wildix started recruiting partners in the UK at the end of 2017, the UK management team were aware of Netmetix’ reputation for their outstanding customer service, technical excellence and expertise, therefore Netmetix were one of the very first companies that Wildix approached when setting up business in the UK. In the interview with Paul Blore, Managing Director at Netmetix we found out what convinced them to partner with Wildix:

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“We are always looking for innovative technologies that push the boundaries and deliver new technological solutions for our customers. Wildix and the WebRTC technology fit within our vision perfectly: extremely simple to deploy, highly functional, and – a recurring business model that didn’t require us or our clients to enter into a long or minimum term agreement. “Wildix is the perfect match for Netmetix as 87% of our business each month is recurring.”

When discussing the difference between Wildix and other vendors that Netmetix have partnered with, Paul Blore stated: “We constantly review our products and services to ensure that we are always providing the best in class for our clients and Wildix is the third VoIP vendor we have partnered with. Wildix is the first of a new breed of VoIP services and provides a complete Unified Communications Solution and not just a telephone system. It touches all aspects of digital communication within an organisation.” The fact that Wildix offers a complete Unified Communications solution in one single platform is one of the key reasons for Netmetix choosing the solution. With Wildix, Netmetix can provide their customers with the functionality they need, and thus build closer relationships with their clients. Wildix’s collaboration with numerous technological partners is among other advantages that attract Netmetix: “As Zoho CRM customers we are very happy about Wildix’s collaboration with Zoho, and we are already taking advantage of the integration between the two.” “There is no one single reason why we like Wildix. It’s more because it provides the complete solution we are looking for to give our customers:

the conferencing, geolocation, presence information, desktop sharing and file transfer, virtual Post-It reminders, attendant console, shared phonebooks and security all provide an unequalled feature set.” *Netmetix are Cloud Network Specialists based in Coventry, UK. Since the company’s launch in 2001, they have evolved from an on-premise IT systems specialist into an innovative managed services provider at the cutting edge of the cloud revolution. The company prides itself on combining knowledge, trust and quality to deliver an outstanding service to their clients.

Address: 4 Sycamore Court, Birmingham Road, Allesley, Coventry CV5 9BA Website: netmetix.net Phone: (+44) 024 7640 8100

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PARTNER STORY

Comtex Continues Their Growth with Wildix Improving Dedicated Service Through VoIP

Austen Read-McFarland, Copywriter

ndustry experience, long-lasting business relationships and personalized customer care are all values that Comtex Inc. is proud to call part of their business statement. A technology vendor with offices in New Jersey and New York, the company has worked to fulfill clients’ telephony, access control and CCTV needs for over 59 years. They have since made an even greater impact for their thousands of cus-tomers by becoming a Wildix Partner. Telling us about Comtex and how they meet new business challenges was company VP Cheryl Sawyer. 14

Wildix Magazine

“We’re, as we like to say, a type of white-glove service,” she explained. “You know we’re going to support you if you work with Comtex.” It was their dedication to customers that drove Ms. Sawyer and Comtex to buck hosted telephone sys‑ tems in favor of on-premise solutions. Using this model, the company became able to offer more powerful communications technology while still providing exceptional service before, during and after installation.

However, market shakeups seemed to threaten that approach. Phones and similar solutions were beco‑ ming available to businesses outside of dedicated tech vendors, such as the internet.

Of course, Wildix has presented Comtex with additional benefits as well. In particular, Ms. Sawyer recognized an additional advantage in Wildix’s mobile Collaboration tool:

As Ms. Sawyer put it: “The difference in the industry is, I’m sure, all individual vendors’ sales are not what they used to be, because now IT does it, and IT’s in there usually before a telephone vendor. So we are losing part of the market share, there’s no question.”

“The cell app, I’ve seen that solve a bunch of client’s issues, such as the caller ID of the business – whe‑ ther it’s doctors, or even if it’s for the service industry. One of the complaints I was getting was they’d call from their own cell phone and nobody would answer the call, because they thought it was spam. I said, ‘Well, I’ve got a perfect solution. This app is gonna solve that.’”

Despite this hurdle, Comtex now faces no difficulty in adapting to their on-premise model. This is thanks in large part to the company’s capacity for retaining clients and the seamless systems conversion offered by Wildix. “While we’re servicing those clients, we are starting to migrate them to Wildix,” Ms. Sawyer explained. “A lot of clients are migrating to Wildix for security purposes – and for, of course, the advanced features. And it’s a simple migration for our clients because we’re still the vendor supporting them, equipment- and dial tone-wise.” That effortless transition and ability to give cus‑ tomers specialized attention especially helped convince Ms. Sawyer to partner with Wildix. “It was because of the fact that we are still the vendor in all aspects,” she recounted, “and can still offer that white-glove support to our current clients and new clients; that’s why we signed on. “With Wildix, our clients can remain our clients: we program, we bill, and it’s all within our control.”

Past that, Ms. Sawyer particularly emphasized Wildix’s support for established clients as a prime benefit in being a Partner. With Wildix, Comtex’s customer base can change to an innovative, featurerich UCC solution without giving up the top-quality customer care they know their vendor for. “I’m not losing my clients,” Ms. Sawyer reiterated, “because I now can transition them to the Wildix solutions, and because we are still their vendor that they know and trust, and will take care of them no matter what.” Company: Comtex Inc. Address: New Jersey Office 29 Poplar Street, East Rutherford, NJ 07073 New York Office 182-04 Liberty Avenue, Queens, NY 11412 Website: comtex-nj.com Phone: NJ: (201) 935-2000 | NY: (718) 673-9444

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PARTNER STORY

Converting 50% of Turnover Customers to OPEX Thanks to Wildix RC Line Has Never Stopped Growing

Giulia Perotta, Regional Marketing Manager

“I chose Wildix because I was looking for a young company that, on the one hand, would invest a lot in research and development - so as to always be at the forefront – and on the other hand, would allow me to maintain a family relationship with the brand, with the people who are part of it and with the ecosystem partners. Wildix is the only vendor that listens to the partners’ voices”. Riccardo Cammarota - RC Line

iccardo Cammarota, founder of RC Line, has no doubts: according to his experience, Wildix is the only UC&C vendor that really listens to its partners. And certainly, in more than 20 years of activity, Mr. Cammarota has seen a lot of things; after studying in a small workshop in Ravenna that dealt with the maintenance of telephone systems, he decided to set up his own business and founded RC Line in 1993. Passion, commitment and dedication supported the growth of this small company in Faenza, in the province of Ravenna, initially managed by Mr. Cammarota with the help of his father. RC Line has never stopped growing; today, it consists of 11 professionals who believe in the future and innovation. 16

Wildix Magazine

Mr. Cammarota has always had a clear vision of the future: in 2009 he was already looking for an innovative VoIP system, a solution that is easy to program and simple to use for the end-user, in particular for the SMEs of the territory to which RC Line is dedicated. But he wasn’t just looking for high technology and product quality. He wanted support and a human relationship with the vendor. “For 10 years, until 2008, we were Bosch partners,” said Mr. Cammarota. “Then, after the acquisition by Avaya, a lot of things changed: customer service got worse and the human and personal relationship that is so important to us had disappeared. When I met Wildix in 2009, I had no doubt that he was the vendor we were looking for.” Therefore, Mr. Cam‑ marota and his team chose to bet on Wildix, and the choice proved to be a winning one.

First and foremost, this was because RC Line’s customers like the features and services of Wildix systems. The completeness of the product, its ease of use and its integrations with other software or solutions already used by the company are the three great advantages that RC Line customers immediately appreciated. Secondly, this success was because of the relationship established between Mr. Cammarota and his team with the Wildix staff and the many Partners that make up the ecosystem. “Despite the fact that it is a large company, at Wildix I have my points of reference and careful and quick assistance, even in case of emergencies,” said Mr. Cammarota. And on the ecosystem, he added, “I don’t think there are other realities where there is this strong collaboration between the Partners of an ecosystem. We compare notes and support each other with integrations or advice about installations and strategies.” Thinking about the future, Mr. Cammarota has very clear ideas. Among these is to convert 50% of his turnover customers to OPEX (a recently adopted model which is already bearing fruit, as their last three negotiations concluded with the signing of a 5-year maintenance contract and an as-a-service sale), continue to sell the Wildix solution, start setting up marketing and communication strategies initiatives and sales and change their location.

Mr. Cammarota showed confidence when he talked about Wildix, and he has no concerns with the system: “My life has changed in the last 3 years, and not only my working life but also my personal one, I am more serene, I have organized and structured my team in the best possible way, giving responsibility to the individual professionals who work with me every day, and this is also thanks to the adoption of the OPEX model. My choice continues to fall on Wildix, because it is a young company that continuously invests in research and development and that firmly believes in the relationship between people, and this can be seen by the technical and sales support we receive. “As an entrepreneur, I want to rely on a brand that can support me and take me to the top of the market in the coming years, and I believe that Wildix is the only brand to give this certainty in terms of research, expansion, product quality, promises kept, human relations and trust.”

Company: RC Line srl Address: Via Malpighi 88/50 48018 Faenza Italy Website: www.rcline.it Phone: +390546622421

Wildix Magazine

WEBRTC

Wildix WebRTC Solutions Give Value-Adding Services to Channel Partners Wildix and “Liquid Modernity”

Ceferino Agüeros, Area Manager of Wildix Spain

Three points of Wildix’s strategy

uoting Zygmunt Bauman’s concept of “liquid reality,” “the old doesn’t die and the new doesn’t break.” We firmly believe that there’s no such thing as final solutions, and in all honesty we don’t even like them!

features: the possibility of working remotely, process automation / AI, cloud-based applications (such as CRM or collaborative projects tools) and external users. The digital workplace is evolving and the tools must be adapted to this “liquid” environment.

Let’s analyze together the 3 points of Wildix’s strategy. Wildix’s WebRTC Unified Communication allows you to adapt to this new reality, simplifying the evolution of the current “solid” state of digital workplaces, by implementing and adjusting them during their lifecycle.

In Spain by 2021 Unified Communications will be implemented in 40% of workstations.

Since the previous proven solutions haven’t been able to satisfy certain demands throughout the years, UC are still requested to provide the same

The user experience is a key cultural factor and cloud-based designs (multicloud/edge) make it easy to integrate functions and services.

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FIRST: Wildix’s WebRTC design naturally facilitates the integration of applications during their lifecycle.

Reality is both hybrid and “liquid”, therefore open and customizable protocols such as WebRTC simplify the adoption if compared to classic protocols ( proprietary or “standard” ). The cohabitation of Unified Communication devices for IoT is initially a differentiating factor and later on, a mandatory one, as it smooths out automation of processes. Services like “Huddle Room” are already included. SECOND: Wildix’s WebRTC facilitates the cloud-based Unified Communication’s adoption thanks to its simplicity, guarantees security by design, naturally provides mobility and an user friendly experience, ensuring the digital workplace can evolve. The key to deploying a new generation of UC is the marketing model: the value chain must follow the channel model, especially from an integrator’s or Service Provider’s side. The reason why is that the customization and adaptation of UCs in evolving (liquid) environments require tailored services. No one has all the answers to all specific situations, not even Wildix. Wildix’s WebRTC provides these tools. We divide these into two types: Cross-industry; are technological services common to all sectors, and Verticals; specific to each industry.

Let’s list the cross-industry ones: identity authentication, next-generation conference and Collabo‑ ration, customer service, IoT, process automation (AI), perimeter security, VDI with UC, emergency services, and contact center support and integration. THIRD: The channel is key in the integration process due the fact that they can provide the exact solution the end user is looking for.

To summarize, the digital workplace must be: • • • •

Flexible Secure Mobile Designed within the Cloud that integrates existing applications to facilitate future use • Financially affordable • Counting on the experience of professional channels that guarantee the “liquid” state during the adoption of future requirements

THAT IS WILDIX’S WEBRTC.

Wildix Magazine

FOCUS: SMART WORKING

Don’t Get Scammed on Your Smart Working Platform 3 Common Fatal Errors to Avoid

Steve Osler, CEO Wildix When choosing the right platform there are three categories of errors that you should not make: • • •

owadays, everyone knows the benefits of smart working. Smart working means working anywhere outside the office, as long as you have a connection. By now, most companies have come to understand the advantages of smart working. As demand incre‑ ases, so does supply. Never before has the market been swarming with offers for smart working systems. I am the CEO of a company that, even before producing these systems, has employees work from home even without an ongoing pandemic. That’s why I’m here today not to sell you our sys‑ tems, but to give you some tips on what you shouldn’t buy if you want to be able to work and really produce while you’re at home.

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Errors due to SAVINGS Errors due to going with an option because “EVERYONE USES THIS” Errors due to SUPERFICIALITY

All three categories are enclosed in a macro set that we will call “big mistakes”, because, as you know, the choice of a smart working system is as delicate as the software you use in your physical offices. The wrong solution means that instead of putting you in smart-working mode, you could end up suspending business, period. Saving money, following the flock and superficiality are, however, the three main causes of the problem. So let’s look at the first category of fatal errors, those due to SAVINGS. Now, how would you like strangers to get into your meetings and listen to your speeches while you’re videoconferencing? It happens. Worse, strangers can hack into your network, they can basically steal your data. It happens when you want to save money. Or, the solution is free. Beautiful! But it does not work on a smartphone and it has a lot of bugs, even on the desktop. In short, something is not working and it happens often. What if you need to customize the management of a group of calls, or have your VoIP phone system dia

logue with your management system, for example SAP B1? Who knows. You can’t, so you call technical support, which puts you in a queue. There are a thousand other paralyzing consequences to the choice of a free system, but we will stop here. If you choose a solution because your soccer friend told you that his company uses that brand...that is another fatal mistake. Here’s the category EVERYONE USES THIS. Often, the traditional solutions of what we call big brands are light years behind on the technological front. I will not mention names, but several large listed groups stopped developing several years ago be cause their core business has now moved from technology to finance. So, for example, you will find yourself with a solution that is too complex to install, maintain and above all to use. It doesn’t work mobile and needs firewalls and anti-hacker applications – which you have to buy separately.

It’s easy nowadays to choose old, unsafe, free solutions with complex interfaces, no mobile functions and no integration with your management systems. Not because the buyer is an idiot, but because the economy around the world today is looking for fast and effective answers to move forward. That’s why so many are adopting solutions that they regret after two days. And they discovered that they would rather suspend activity instead of wasting days figuring out how to start a conference. That’s why my advice today, if you want to make a winning choice, is to ask an installer you trust, not to buy directly from the provider. And when you ask for his advice, make your needs clear.

These are often solutions that you cannot have ins talled remotely, which take days to migrate your lines. Heavy solutions for hardware and complicated interfaces demotivate the user from the start. These brontosauruses of unified communication systems – this is jargon in the world of smart-working solutions – demand that we users spend a few days training on how to use their platform. Which, especially in emergencies, is madness.

Ask for a system that is: •

Now we come to the third type of errors, those due to SUPERFICIALITY. It means that when you are looking for a smart working system you will certainly make mistakes if you don’t analyze the needs and objectives of your company. What are my employees to do from home? What are their needs? Can they keep their own computers when they work? Will they be able to produce more, as promised, thanks to smart working?

• •

•

100% secure with no need to buy more firewalls; “user-friendly”, with an “analog” user-proof interface; actually functional from any PC or smartphone, allowing the worker to access his “virtual office” with a click or a tap on a smartphone, ensuring speed and synchronization between mobile and desktop; able to communicate perfectly with the management software adopted by the company, i.e. that it is integrated.

When you don’t ask yourself this kind of question, any provider can come to you and convince you that what they want to sell you is the Solution for You. That’s why a little marketing done well in a moment of need is enough. Wildix Magazine

FOCUS: SMART WORKING

Staying On Track When You’re Working From Home 4 Tips for Better Productivity

Katie Trombetti, North America Marketing Manager

MAINTAIN PRODUCTIVITY BY WORKING FROM HOME

ow more than ever, employers are asking their employees to work from home. Although at first glance there is nothing better than smart working, we know that there are many pitfalls when it comes to working from home. That’s why we’ve put together a list of the best ways to maximize productivity at home while avoiding distractions or, worse, a meltdown.

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1. SET UP A REAL OFFICE Although the temptation to work from the comfort of your bed is strong, it is imperative that you have a dedicated office space to work from. If you’re lucky and already have an office at home, perfect! Other‑ wise, look for a relatively quiet, distraction-free place to start working. Having an “office” specific to your work can help you make a clean break between your work and your personal life. The office is for working, the bedroom is for taking a nap, the living room is for watching reruns of The Office, etc.

You may not have to go to a physical office, but in any case having a designated work area is essential. Tip: If your children are at home and concentrating is very difficult due to the noise, investing in a pair of earplugs or noise-reducing headphones can be a ve‑ ry useful solution. 2. GET READY FOR THE DAY Without the usual routine, like having to take public transportation, wear office clothes and the fact that your new “office manager” is really just your cat, it’s hard not to get out of bed at 7:55 if you have to start work at 8:00. However, getting up early to start the day can make all the difference in terms of productivity. One of the steps that is often skipped is dressing in “work clothes”. By making sure that at least the top half of your outfit is appropriate for video conferencing, your colleagues (and your boss) will know that you are ready to work, even if you are at home. Even if you’re just changing out of your pyjamas, still half-asleep, into your comfortable home clothes, make sure you start the day off on the right foot.

Tip: Make sure you wear pants. If you have to stand up to take an expense report from across the room during a meeting, you don’t want to have to slip out of frame clumsily to hide the bottom half of your outfit.

take your lunch break as if you were at the office, and when you’re done at the end of the day, turn off your computer to concentrate on spending time with your family. While the attraction of your email may seem tempting at all hours, now that your office is at home, creating separate hours for work and your personal life can help keep you from having a breakdown. Tip: Rest for the whole lunch break. Seriously. 4. FIND A NEW DAILY COMMUTE Now that we’ve been spared being stuck in traffic for an hour to get from home to the office, it’s time to think about your daily commute in a new way. By leaving home at least once or twice a day, you will avoid the urge to go out after a few weeks of isolation. When you take a walk around the block or do a little yoga in the backyard, your brain has the ability to change gears so that you are not constantly stuck in work mode. The fresh air will do you good.

Tip: According to one study, enjoying large open spaces can help reduce fatigue. In addition, people’s mental energy can be recharged just by looking at images of nature.

3. KEEP A SCHEDULE One of the negative aspects of smart working is the constant confusion between work and home life. This is why it is essential to maintain a normal work schedule, even if your daily commute is only from one room of the house to another. Make sure you Wildix Magazine

ANALYSIS & TRENDS

The Concrete Value Found in the Cloud Data Shows What Drives Digital Transformation

Austen Read-McFarland, Copywriter

or all the changes we talk about in telecommunications, few hang as heavy as the Cloud. Largely invisible entity, the Cloud can be easy to ignore. But its presence is nevertheless undeniable. Cavell Group analyst Dominic Black, among others, points out that by 2024 there will be over 35 million Cloud communications users in Europe alone – double the amount from 2020. In the face of this commanding trend, those who haven’t adapted tend to stay put for one simple reason: they haven’t been shown the concrete be‑ nefits of making this change. 24

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“There’s been a lack of education, both from the channel and from service providers, explaining why the cloud is going to be the future,” – Black says. To actually offer that education, it’s beneficial to first look at why so many businesses are currently opting in on Cloud technologies.

A Cavell Group study of 1,800 businesses found

four primary reasons for investing in Cloud technologies:

1. 2. 3. 4.

Enabling remote working Growth of subcontractors Increased automation Growth in cloud applications

The prevalence of these interests becomes more obvious if we consider their advantages. Working from home, for one, cuts operating costs such as rent and utilities while boosting employee morale and productivity. Similarly, automation reduces a business’s overall expenses, and cloud applications serve to efficiently handle day-to-day tasks. Meanwhile, subcontracting is gaining popularity due to the benefits of hiring experts to help create shortterm projects with long-term benefit. The hard data the Cavell Group cites for these conclusions speaks more clearly to the popularity of the aforementioned “core four” features:

60% of businesses moved to the Cloud to enable smart working

72% cite improved flexibility as

a reason for adopting collaboration solutions

status of the Cloud is a recipe for failure, particularly because of the telecom industry’s increased competition. “The market’s becoming more congested,” Dominic Black points out. “There’s more competition in there. Doing what we do now and thinking that’s okay – thinking the status quo is okay – is not going to be okay in two or three years.” Facing this competition effectively will require, in part, expansion into new verticals and customer seg ments. But also important is finding differentiation within the solution itself. While telecom Cloud offers will naturally center around call control, building or discovering technology with better UI, security, auditing systems and so forth will also set an MSP apart – all the more so if these features address business efficiency and flexibility. Employing this targeted differentiation is pivotal for an MSP’s future growth and indeed survival. Because make no mistake: the Cloud is getting bigger.

The only question that remains is who will be the one selling it to your customer base.

84% of organizations use contractors, and 41% will use more contractors in the next two years

61% of organizations will reduce their staff over the next two years due to automation

One enterprises uses an average of 8.3 Cloud applications The implications of these data are hardly earth-shattering. At their heart, they just show something we already know: companies value being able to get more from their current resources, whether it’s technology, mobile employees or temporary hires. To sell prospects on the Cloud, MSPs must therefore communicate how their solution promotes business efficiency. Simply relying on the “next big thing” Wildix Magazine

END USER CASE STUDY

Ambrosoli Spa: Passion, Tradition, and Innovation How “the Honey Company” Successfully Mixed History and Disruption

Giulia Perotta, Regional Marketing Manager

The Wildix solution is really user-friendly and flexible. We are all very satisfied with our choice; being upgraded to a solution that is so simple to use has improved our management of everyday operations. Luca Torri, General Manager Ambrosoli Spa

ounded in 1923 by Giovanni Battista, Ambrosoli, the company known by all as “the honey company,” is still permeated by great tradition and passion. Their main market remains Italy, but today they also conduct export activities, especially in the United States and in the Far East. Luca Tirelli is the IT manager of Ambrosoli Spa, and he told us about the migration to the Wildix solution, which took place a year ago. “Before Wildix, we had a Samsung PBX, which we found obsolete and not at all flexible, not to mention the high maintenance costs and the fact that it always broke. Then we decided it was time to change, and we started to inquire and to explore different hypotheses.” The management of Ambrosoli Spa therefore met SEN Srl, a Partner Wildix, and it was precisely on this solution that their choice fell. “The Wildix solution we have seen has struck us from the start, especially because it was adaptable to our needs and very flexible,” said Mr. Tirelli. “We were looking for a solution that would help us 26

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consolidate our structure, a system with shared address book and data that would also allow us to standardize the over 50 appliances present in the company today. Wildix was (and is) the answer to these needs.” Luca Torri, general manager at Ambrosoli Spa, continued the story, offering a less technical and more managerial perspective: “From my point of view, I can say that the Wildix solution is really simple to use, versatile and fast. I’m not the only one who thinks so; talking to my col laborators, I only received positive feedback. The Wildix solution is truly user-friendly.” Flexibility and modularity: these are the great advantages that the Wildix solution offers to the Ambrosoli Spa team today. Mr. Torri concluded, “We would like to recommend this solution, both from an initial configuration point of view and from a usage point of view. Having a simple to use Unified Communications solution improves the management of our everyday operations.”

END USER CASE STUDY

CAF Places Its Trust in Wildix Remote Communication Solutions to Remain Close to Its Beneficiaries The Wildix technology to support the Aude region Family Allocations Office

Sarah Basile, MKT Assistant France & Alexandre Daugas, MKT Manager France

AF relies on Wildix’s remote communication solutions to stay close to its beneficiaries. Advancements in technology... What if we had to move away to improve communication? In these exceptional times of pandemic and lockdown, can technology allow us to communicate better and limit travel?

We try to keep up with all the latest technologies in order to stay ahead and not suffer”.

Xavier Sejalon, IT manager at Aude’s CAF, answers confidently and with an affirmative tone to this quote by the famous author Harlan Coben.

It is with this desire to always provide the best service to its beneficiaries that the IT manager has chosen a totally web-based tool. In fact, faced with the multiplication of held systems according to social partners and the difficulty for beneficiaries to access services due to their location, the structure had to rethink its needs and respond, as closely as possible, to the requests of its beneficiaries.

It is within the scope of his national mission for CNAF, as a referent for technological innovation for 2 years, that Xavier Sejalon has participated in the development of the VisioContact tool, in partnership with Wildix. “Aude’s CAF has always included innovation in its DNA by looking for new services to offer to its beneficiaries. VisioContact is the evolution of a product previously called VisioPart, a heavy system that required the installation of software.

“Our beneficiaries are people who benefit from the services offered by Aude’s CAF through a national context, since CAFs have the same attribution system across the country. Our target audience is therefore the same in all of France, even though Aude is the second poorest department in France and we cover a fairly rural area. People live in more isolated areas, so our main goal is to optimize ac‑ cessibility to public services.” Wildix Magazine

Facing a solution with limited ways out, computers were made available at MSAPs (Houses of Public Service) in order to limit customers’ travel and allow them to claim their services. The new tool created, VisioContact, now makes it possible to offer these same services, but directly from their homes with the only condition of having an adequate Internet connection.

extended to other CAFs listed in various departments. Wildix at the heart of a national launch? Today, 32 CAFs have joined VisioContact and more than 4,100 appointments have been made since the solution was installed. Although users seemed reluctant at first, they adopted the videoconferencing system very quickly.

If Xavier Sejalon is satisfied with the solution today and wishes to go even further, it’s thanks to the complete package of the Wildix solution that immediately convinced him:

“A web-based solution that was in French, a demo that left an impression with a videoconference explored in very little time, a WebRTC module that was more than accessible, not to mention the proximity of the management and the agility of the R&D department, made me discard other solutions that we had previously considered, solutions that required the creation of an account or the downloading of a plug-in. “We are aware that the operation took place directly, without first going through an integrator, and this is what gives us the feeling of being privileged because the goal was to find a complete solution that would meet our needs. “Wildix allowed us to develop our product by integrating videoconferencing, but also to take a new turn thanks to the integration of screen sharing. With Wildix’s many possibilities, we are testing a new version of VisioContact, VisioConnect, which allows us to integrate and test the chat functions combined with screen sharing during the support mission of our remote advisors. “The beneficiaries are now pushed to make declarations remotely on our website following strict remote procedures, we must assist them with the best tools.” What if Xavier Sejalon didn’t want to stop there? The developed solution has now been assigned to the national DSI for a generalization project for other CAFs, because if the product corresponds at first sight to local needs, the solution can be quickly 28

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“We are living a great adventure! The barrier-free proximity and the simplicity of staying in touch with your teams are Wildix’s real strengths.” Xavier Sejalon

Caisse d’allocations familiales (CAF) make up the family-oriented sector of the French social security system through a network known as the Caisse nationale des allocations familiales (National Office for Family Allocations) or CNAF and the 123 Caisse d’allocations familiales (Family Allocations Office, or CAF). The institution serves more than 10 million beneficiaries. Website: caf.fr

END USER CASE STUDY

Children’s Hospice South West Connects Families with Wildix We really liked what Wildix could offer, it just so straight-forward compared to the other systems, which seemed massively complicated

Alla Daleko, Marketing Manager UK

“The most important benefit of Wildix, firstly, is presence – knowing you can get hold of somebody when you need to talk to them. In a hospice scenario, if you are a family member trying to phone in, it’s so important that they know someone is there to pick up.” Matt Argyle, Head of IT at Children’s Hospice South West

ince 1991, Children’s Hospice SW has worked tirelessly to make the most of short and precious lives through the first-class care and enrichment programs, putting children and families at the centre of everything it does. Being fortunate to have HRH The Duchess of Cornwall as their Royal Patron, the hospice dedicate themselves to dependable and compassionate support that families trust. Thanks to a Wildix solution, they are now better equipped to carry out that promise of dependability.

causing us many difficulties as we look after about 500 families across the South West. “We looked at Microsoft’s phone systems,” he con‑ tinued, “we looked at some of the Avaya offerings, as well as various other Voice over IP offerings that are out there.” But in the end, they found Wildix was simplicit and dependable – as well as having a reassuring sense of presence – after the partner had trained the users and deployed the solution.

What Children’s Hospice South West needed was a solution that was reliable, easy to deploy and flexible enough to accommodate their 400 staff members across the three hospice sites.

“We really liked what Wildix could offer, it just so straight-forward compared to the other systems, which seemed massively complicated.” Mr Argyle explained.

“We had a traditional telephone system for a number of years, that system was old and it had various problems, but also, being located in the South West, a lot of our hospices are quite tucked away in rural locations,”says Matt Argyle, head of IT at Children’s Hospice South West. “We had issues with phone lines going down and being cut-off, and that was

“I would recommend Wildix to anybody who is working in charity sector or any other sector,” he added. “It is really easy to deploy, it is simple to use, and there’s a lot of flexibility around whether you have a phone on your desk, a mobile phone with an App or whether you’re having a soft phone on your computer.” Wildix Magazine

With Wildix installed at each location, Children’s Hospice South West now has a communications system that is powerful enough and offers the flexibility to guarantee that the centre’s dedicated staff and families can contact each other when they need to hear from one another most.

•

Reduced administration cost through the ability to easily accommodate new admins, users and phones

•

Reduced cost of staff travel as now users can operate from any hospice, from home or even on the road without loss of functionality

GOALS: Set up a flexible, easy-to-deploy phone system to accommodate 400 staff members spread across 3 sites in rural locations Provide families and carers with a reliable means of contacting each other to relay information about children receiving care at any time VALUE GAINED: Ability for staff and family to know they can pick up the phone and speak to someone without the fear of there being an issue Ability to track staff between locations and knowing who is the best online person that can give updates to families Alongside voice, reduced travel requirements for family as now its possible to video call or video conference without using the legacy equipment that required using specialist software and hardware within a dedicated room

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*The project at the Children’s Hospice South West is run and maintained by the Wildix Platinum Partner in the United Kingdom, Taurus Clearer Communication Ltd, an Exeter-based ICT company providing bespoke network solutions for businesses, schools and charities.

WOMEN IN TECH

Equal Pay, Equal Respect and Equal Results “At this challenging time, I cannot imagine how problematic it would be to operate effectively without Wildix.”

Alla Daleko & Austen Read-McFarland

“I’ve been working for quite a long time and have seen a lot of changes in the workplace, and although I have never felt that gender was relevant, I look back and can see that a lot of change did need to take place. “I was lucky I was surrounded by strong characters, both male and female. We came from the ‘work hard play hard’ attitude –we were all equals.” Linda Stiles, HR Manager

n facing the challenges ahead in tech, women continue to drive the industry forward through leadership, innovation and a perpetually courageous spirit. At Wildix, we’re getting to know examples of these inspiring figures with our ongoing “Women in Tech” column.Forthisfeature,wehadtheexceptionalpleasure of interviewing Linda Stiles, HR Manager for Wildix UK Partner ElemenTel Ltd. STARTING OUT Although she currently works in HR, Linda spent over 20 years in a career in sales where she discovered her ability to understand the psychology of sales – in other words, to determine how and why people behave the way they do. Having learned this, she was able to modify her own behaviour to make the most of relationships that affect sales productivity.

With this insight and Linda’s own drive and enthusiasm, she carved out for herself a highly successful career in sales, sales training and sales management. In time, Linda joined ElemenTel, where due to business growth she switched tracks from Sales to HR. “The training I received early on in my sales career is still relevant today, and although the methods have changed as technology and the language we use has evolved, it is fundamentally the same method,” she said. “If we understand our own personality traits, become an expert on ourselves, we have a better chance of knowing when to assert ourselves and when to remain silent.” Linda goes on to say, “Traditionally, a salesperson would need to be driven and maybe a little outgoing, dare I say gregarious – I admit I was completely full Wildix Magazine

of myself and often had to calm myself down. I had to learn to speak in a lower, slower tone. I was about 100 miles an hour back then, but this did not always get the results I needed. “If I was selling to a prospective customer who was outgoing, unless I calmed my personality down we got absolutely nothing accomplished, On the other hand, if I was selling to a calmer individual, a ‘thinker’ who wanted to know all of the facts and figures, I would need to follow the ‘script’ and go through all of the details. I did find modifying my personality which is essentially me, difficult, but I learned quickly that this was the route to sales success.” She continued, “I realised I had quite a gift for understanding what made my prospective customers tick, which did really help me carve out a very decent living, people buy from people, as the saying goes. The transition from Sales Manager to HR Manager was very smooth, and my sales experience has helped me immensely in helping the team stay on track and keeping good working relations.” In a largely male-dominated industry, Linda sees her gender as no obstacle in advancing her career. “I’ve been working for quite a long time and have seen a lot of changes in the workplace, and although

ElemenTel at Southampton Hospitality Awards 2020

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I have never felt that gender was relevant, I look back and can see that a lot of change did need to take place,” she said. “I was lucky I was surrounded by strong characters, both male and female. We came from the ‘work hard play hard’ attitude –we were all equals. Equal pay, equal respect and equal results were expected. “These values drive me today in my role in HR: equality and fairness for everyone, regardless of gender or anything else for that matter.” A PERSONAL TOUCH Outside of considering her own professional skills, what else has shaped the trajectory of Linda’s career path and kept her invested at ElemenTel? “At ElemenTel we have, like every good business, a solid strategy for all, and each individual knows how their efforts helps us realise our overall business objectives,” Linda said. “But we interrogate the processes we use to get us there. We do not agree with ‘if it is not broken don’t fix it’ – quite the contrary, we feel if it is working, let’s try to see if it is possible to make it better. It depends what your definition of ‘better’ is, since we are all different. At ElemenTel, we know that our most valued asset is our employees, so we feel that it’s an investment of our time to interrogate our own

methods. What effect do our processes have on our employees? Are they happy? Do they need training? Do they need more time? Is this task the right fit for their skill set? Are we pushing them too hard? Are we rewarding them in a way which suits them? “Our ‘better’ is, we need a happy workforce who feels valued and listened to with a good work-life balance. This is so important to me – it must be the ‘work hard play hard’ attitude ringing in my ears from the 80s! On a serious note, this shows me that I work for a business with stakeholders who listen to and value their workforce.” TRUST STARTS AT HOME Linda’s idea of employee wellbeing also extends to her reasoning behind instituting a smart working policy. Encouraging employees to work from home when the need arises, she stressed, should be a natural choice for managers, as they should expect employees to operate effectively on their own. “It goes without saying that if your recruitment process is strong and you hire candidates who share your own values, this makes things easier,” she explained. “We like to think we are flexible, and we are happy for our team to work in an agile manner, whether this is in the office or at home. “We as a company offer Wildix as a solution to our customers. With its ability to be operated from any browser and any device, Wildix has helped us become the agile company we are today. It is so easy to set up and we find that there is no compromise on the service offered to internal or external customers. “At this challenging time, I cannot imagine how problematic it would be to operate effectively without Wildix.” FORGING CONNECTIONS Beyond the platform’s work-from-home capabilities, Linda also sees value in Wildix’s ability to keep people and businesses connected. “As an HR Manager, my to-do list is all about calling people or having a web conference. I can video call any of my colleagues – it’s one click away! I can set up a confidential web conference easily. Wildix is an integ‑ ral tool for our business and helps me immeasurably with my role.”

According to Linda, these benefits have also been appreciated by her fellow team members in tech and sales. “We have business consultants in the office who do not have to paint a picture with prospective customers anymore. They can show our customers clearly and concisely how Wildix works, and they like this way of working. Our customers really get involved at this stage. They can see for themselves how easy it is to operate and how it could help them with our ever-increasingly agile way of working.” “And then how it works from Sales to Tech.” She continued, “Our engineers always spend time with new customers showing them how Wildix works, ensuring that they are confident users and that they understand the system’s full potential. In the past, this could be very time consuming, and we would get resistance from customers as they were concerned about staff downtime and loss of productivity, but as Wildix is so intuitive and easy to navigate around it takes much less time to train staff, which keeps downtime to an absolute minimum. “In my opinion, Wildix is the best bit of telecoms tech in the marketplace, and I consider myself to be lucky to work for a company who not only values its employees but strives to offer the best comms solution to its potential customers.”

“At ElemenTel we have, like every good business, a solid strategy for all, and each individual knows how their efforts helps us realise our overall business objectives. But we interrogate the processes we use to get us there. We do not agree with ‘if it is not broken don’t fix it’ – quite the contrary, we feel if it is working, let’s try to see if it is possible to make it better. ... At ElemenTel, we know that our most valued asset is our employees, so we feel that it’s an investment of our time to interrogate our own methods.”

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WILDIX TECH WIZARDS

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WILDIX VERSUS

Wildix VERSUS Zoom: A Security Showdown Key Differences in Privacy and Safety

Austen Read-McFarland, Copywriter

mid the sudden surge in demand for smart working, one option that’s caught on with literally millions of consumers is Zoom. With its rise to the spotlight, the freemium videoconferencing app has drawn a lot of attention – but not always for the best reasons. The explanation for Zoom’s popularity is most likely that it does what it says on the label: it provides a fast, approachable means of connecting people over video (albeit without providing the degree of endto-end encryption it promises). In a perfect world, this would be all an end-user needs out of a web conferencing app. But the problem is, we’re living in a world full of security and privacy threats.

This means using Zoom poses enormous problems for businesses and individuals alike. Because, at the end of the day, Zoom does very little to keep you safe from those threats. In fact, it even does a whole lot to make you more exposed to them. Let’s dive into all the ways Zoom gets security and privacy wrong – and what Wildix does instead.

UNSECURED, INSIDE AND OUT A well known exploit in Zoom is the ability for stran‑ gers to enter videoconferences uninvited. In fact, the practice is so common it’s been given its own name: “Zoombombing”, a term which even the FBI has recognized after having to step in to warn about the attacks. This issue has garnered attention because of the shocking disruptions Zoombombers cause: Wildix Magazine

shouting obscenities or even screensharing sexually explicit material, they aim to disturb attendees as much as possible and make their harassment all anyone can focus on. These intrusions were made possible largely through Zoom’s lax approach to conference security. The big issue is that Zoom’s conference URLs all use a simple nine- to eleven-digit numerical code, making it easy for malicious agents to enter a conference room through brute-force hacking – meaning that Zoom conferences can easily be disrupted even if their room invite is kept secret. Further complicating matters is that, until recently, Zoom’s preventive measures against such disruptions, such as password locks and waiting rooms, had been turned off by default. All this suggests that Zoombombing is not the result of user error, but of poor design. Practically speaking, a program’s security is only as good as the average end-user can be expected to maintain it. Consequently, it’s essential that communications software is secure automatically, without the need for endless user guides and video tutorials. Yet what we see in Zoom is just the opposite; instead of the program ensuring users are safe on its own, the program makes it the user’s responsibility to understand the platform in perfect detail or else be subject to security breaches. The poor design in Zoom is even more apparent in the app’s rather odd choice of using pre-installation tools in its Apple software. This code, security experts have revealed, allows Zoom to install itself 36

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on macOS without user permission – and, alarmingly, is usually seen in malware, not web conferencing tools. This is a problem not because Zoom itself is malicious, but because it can become an unwitting accomplice for malware. Thanks to pre-installation exploits and the permissions you’ve given the app, Zoom can be leveraged by viruses as a way to record you without your knowledge. Yes – with Zoom on a Macbook, it’s actually easier for malware to hijack your webcam and mic. Meanwhile, with Wildix, these vulnerabilities are effectively non-existent. First off, the issue of unwanted guests entering a conference is solved automatically thanks to a more complex alphanumeric URL. By including both random numbers and letters in conference URLs, the platform automatically makes it exponentially more difficult for intruders to enter (let alone disrupt) a conference. As for malware, that problem is solved through browser-based design. By running through WebRTC, Wildix requires your explicit permission to use your mic and webcam from new web domains. But more importantly, the program is exceptionally difficult to hack in the first place thanks to the near-impenetrable design of WebRTC. As far as security is concerned, Wildix operates efficiently and transparently from the word go. Zoom, meanwhile, utilizes design that keeps users in the dark about its security operations.

A NOT-SO-PRIVATE BRANCH EXCHANGE Zoom’s secretive approach to its functionality has also extended to their privacy policy, which cybersecurity expert Doc Searls described as “creepily chummy” with ad tracking companies. Per a complaint by Consumer Reports, Zoom’s longstanding privacy policy allowed the software to not only store the data it captures during a videoconference – which includes anything from your face to the objects in your call’s background – but to then sell your data to the marketing sector. While, thankfully, this practice has ended with Zoom’s latest privacy policy, it’s still concerning why such a policy was ever included, considering a competent web conferencing developer ought to be making money off their proprietary software, not by mining data. Yet more concerning still is the way Zoom handles video recordings of conferences. As revealed by the Washington Post, when Zoom stores a recorded conference, the service defaults to saving the file to a public URL – so public, in fact, that Zoom’s recordings can be found through a simple Google search. By default, Zoom quite literally puts conferences out for the entire internet, and thus the entire world, to see. While user settings and custom names can again add a layer of privacy to these recordings, it is nevertheless mind-boggling that such a lack of security is possible at all. More worrying still, your Zoom account may not be safe even if you skip recording your conferences. Since January 2020 onward, databases containing

Zoom account names and passwords have been circulated and sold on the dark web. As Zoom took on more and more users, that database has only grown larger and more valuable to hackers, meaning there’s all the more reason for new accounts to be exposed. With Wildix, these privacy issues are outright nonexistent. Wildix does not store any video communications for ad tracking purposes – in fact, since the app works directly from browser to browser, it’s impossible to intercept or save such data, even for Wildix technicians. Recorded conferences are also private by default, since they’re given a complex, randomly generated URL that’s inaccessible from the outside web. Again, privacy is the built-in, automatic default with Wildix. With Zoom, meanwhile, the responsibility for protecting privacy is once again relegated entirely to the end-user. THE TAKEAWAYS To Zoom’s credit, the company has taken active notice of their system’s flaws. As of April 1, 2020 – not long after undergoing investigation by the New York Attorney General – they announced they would suspend feature updates for 90 days to focus on existing security issues. This announcement came in an apology for Zoom’s security flaws issued by the company’s CEO, Eric Yuan, which also highlights why the product was released with such defects at all. In the post, Yuan states that the number of active users on the platform “far surpass[ed]” what the company expected to ever Wildix Magazine

host, and that Zoom “was built primarily for enterprise customers – large institutions with full IT support.”

If there’s anything to take away from these examples, it’s that security must be integrated into communications platforms.

Yuan is certainly correct, though more through omission than admission. With all the security issues that have come to light, perhaps it’s appropriate to say Zoom should be used only in conjunction with an internal tech team – provided said team is large enough to devote much of their working hours to upkeep on the program.

Since user error is guaranteed to happen, safety must always be active in the solution, not something that can be casually flipped on or off.

Of course, the underlying implication of this point is equally correct: for small to midsize businesses, and even for individuals, Zoom is not a worthwhile, purpose-built solution. This seems to be a conclusion shared by New York City public schools, who are now dropping the platform, and by self-described “public interest technologist” Bruce Schneier, who wrote about the software’s issues at length. Princeton computer science professor Arvind Naraya‑ nan, meanwhile, outright calls Zoom “malware.”

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We’ve often talked about how being secure by design is an integral part of the Wildix solution. With Wildix, security is not simply a setting that you have to turn just right or else be exposed to threats – security works automatically as soon as you start using the platform. Here, there’s no need to choose between convenience or security, because Wildix gives you both. In fact, what we’ve seen is that nothing makes a solution inconvenient quite like a lack of security. As Zoom’s example shows, once you lose security, you lose usability. After all, no solution is less usable than one that puts you and your organization at risk.

FOCUS: SMART WORKING

“Too Small for Smart Working”? Think Again! Business Continuity is Essential for Every Company

Austen Read-McFarland, Copywriter

espite all the ways that smart working has come to dominate the conversation in office work, for many small businesses, the practice still seems a bridge too far.

Sure, governments and private citizens alike are clamoring for quarantines and social distancing. But that doesn’t always translate to localized players deciding to start smart working themselves. It seems a risky investment, for one thing, as the ROI on it is unclear. For another, smart working still carries a certain connotation of high-earning salespeople or companies set up with a scenic view of the downtown skyline – painting the picture of a luxury that more humbly sized teams can’t afford.

The reality, though, is the value in smart working transcends business size. Less important than the scale of your operation is the feasibility of doing it off-site; if your organization has work that can be done from a home setup, it’s worth making the investment. End of story. The biggest reason why is one that recent events have taught us painfully well: business continuity. With self-quarantining now the norm, the idea that work can continue outside the office has shifted from a far-off ideal to an immediate necessity. Now, the traditional workplace is no longer an option for continuing productivity; that means either work from home, or shut down entirely. To say that’s an option Wildix Magazine

only the big players can have is to needlessly limit the vast possibilities of smart working. In fact, it’s just as short-sighted to limit smart working’s usefulness only to the current pandemic. After all, a traditional workplace can get shut down for a variety of other, less drastic reasons: flooding, power outages, construction and mechanical issues all lead to an unusable office as well, after all. Except, with smart working, who cares if your office is unusable? With remote working, none of these disasters will lead to a company shutting down. Instead, they just create a detour in your business’s path forward. Still, smart working doesn’t only function as a kind of insurance policy. We also shouldn’t discount the benefits that smart working has outside of disaster scenarios: to name a few, there’s increased employee

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retention, better company morale, more productivity and fewer employee absences due to illness. (We’ve got more on this in previous posts.) All of those benefits have real value, as on their own they can easily lead to increased profits for an organization of any scale. Yet what’s really shifting the model from “benefit” to “necessity” is that point of business continuity, the reliability of ongoing work. It’s one thing to go from good productivity one month to great productivity the next – but going from zero productivity to regular levels of work? That’s a profit margin no business owner should have room to turn down. Given that understanding, the question really isn’t what size your business is; it’s whether you want to keep it running under any circumstances. No matter what scale you operate on, a team of 500 coworkers or 5, that degree of stability is well worth investing in.

FOCUS: SMART WORKING

Activating Smart Work Technology What Does It Take to Activate Smart Working in a Company, from a Technical Standpoint?

Elena Kornilova, Documentation & Tech communications Manager

ctivating smart working in a company in just one working day — is it technically possible, or it is just another marketing trick?

In the recent weeks and months, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, many companies around the world have been struggling to provide their employees with tools that can enable them to work from home while maintaining the same level of productivity and availability. This is especially true for those companies who never had the practice of remote working in

place before the outbreak. Just a few months ago, smart working was simply “nice to have”, and was used only by a small percentage of companies. Today, it is no longer optional; it has become a must-have capability for every business as a means of survival. In this article we will analyze, from a technical perspective, whether it is possible to quickly and seamlessly activate smart working in a small to medium scale company and how much time it will take. Wildix Magazine

As an example, we will consider a small company composed of 50 employees that needs to activate smart working solution and has the following requirements: INTERNAL COMMUNICATION Teams are no longer able to conduct face-to-face meetings. They need a powerful web conferencing solution to be able to host online gatherings that would allow them, in addition to hold video conferences, to work together on documents and share their screens. Colleagues can no longer come to each other’s desks or go to a meeting room to discuss something when working on the same project. They need efficient real-time collaboration tools – including chat, calls, screen sharing, group chats and file sharing. All the necessary features – one window in the browser

IMPLEMENTATION AND DELIVERY OF THE SOLUTION As for delivery – installation must be done remotely. Technicians now cannot go on-site to the office of our company, and they cannot go to people’s homes to install and set up any software or hardware. Their solution must be installed remotely, from start to finish. No on-site training for employees is possible in our current situation. A corporate solution must therefore be intuitive and easy-to-use by people of different ages and skills and even by people without any technical background. It should not require any plugins or programs to install, troubleshoot or update. One more thing to consider when activating smart working and letting people use their own devices: the solution should guarantee full security without complicating the infrastructure by requiring VPNs and SBCs in the office or at people’s homes.

EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION Customers are in a lockdown, and so they’re buying products and ordering services online. This means companies need to focus on increasing online sales. A simple way to do so would be through their own corporate website; this can be achieved by adding a feature wherein the end customers can get in touch with company call agents right from the landing page. All meetings with partners, suppliers or potential customers have to be moved online as well. This means a corporate web conferencing solution must be easily accessible by external users in addition to internal employees. It should be easy-to-use and should not require any additional hardware or software.

HOW DO YOU DELIVER A SMART WORKING SOLUTION REMOTELY? Now that we understand a typical company’s needs, the question is whether it is technically possible to implement a solution that would meet all those requirements, and if yes, how quickly can it be done. Wildix, the first browser-based Unified Commu nications and VoIP PBX, advertises that just one wor‑ king day is enough for this implementation. Additionally, the entire process can be done remotely, without any on-site installation. From a technical standpoint, how exactly is it possible to enable smart working in a company in just one working day?

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1) Create a new cloud instance = 5 minutes All Wildix partners have access to the Wildix Management Portal, where they can see and manage all of their customers’ phone systems. It takes just a few minutes to create a new cloud PBX and add user licenses.

Support, Sales department, etc) to manage queue calls, create IVR trees, etc.

The Wildix solution is very scalable – you can add as many user licenses as you need, and you can add more of them any time they are needed, in real-time. You also get quite a bit of flexibility in terms of recurrent payment periods; you can choose between one month, one year and five years. In just a few minutes, our PBX is ready and activated, and we can access its admin interface via the browser from any laptop. There’s no need to install anything to be able to access and manage our PBX. 2) Set up the PBX = 40 minutes to several hours + 12 hours for porting of phone numbers At this point, we can add our users. The easiest way is to import them from some backend: LDAP, Active Directory, MySQL, MSSQL and other sources are all supported, as well as a simple CSV file. The same goes with phonebooks. Once we import them, we can set up a scheduled job, and our users will have access to all the shared phonebooks in realtime from all of their devices, unless we want to restrict it. At this point, our system’s users can already call each other. You don’t have to do anything further to enable internal calls. For external calls, we recommend using the service called CLASSOUND, provided by Wildix. It offers HD audio and video, encryption and failover are enabled by default and more than 130 countries are supported at the moment. Migration is easy, meaning companies can keep their existing phone numbers. In just 12 hours, their employees will be able to receive calls directly to their homes and use their existing phone numbers to call customers, partners and suppliers. Now it’s time to work on our Dialplans! This part will take us longer, because we will need to understand the customer’s needs and set up the system based on them. Wildix Dialplan offers countless scenarios for managing incoming and outgoing calls. You can set up timetables, create groups of call agents (Tech

3) Enable Collaboration, internal and external calls = 5 minutes How do employees access the interface for Colla boration, and how can they start making and receiving calls if they don’t have their desk phone at home? The system administrator sends out an invitation email to all of our employees. This email contains a link to join the web-based Collaboration and access credentials. Web-based means that they don’t need to install anything on their laptops – they can access it right from the browser. Once our users have accessed the web-based Collaboration, all they need to do is to add their user picture, the roster and set up their preferences for call forwarding. They can place and receive calls directly from the web interface without having to install any plugins. This is possible thanks to their browser’s native support for WebRTC, the technology that enables browser-to-browser communication. Colleagues can manage their calls in the same way they do from their office phone; all the same features are available, including call transfer, hold, call recording, etc. In addition, employees can download a smartphone client from Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store that brings all of the Unified Communications capabilities, including group chats, to their smartphone.

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4) What about a desk phone? = 2 minutes What about those employees who literally cannot live without a physical phone? Those users can opt for Vision and SuperVision Android desk phones. You can easily take this phone home and start using it after only a couple minutes through the following process: 1. Connect the phone to the power supply 2. Connect the phone to your home WiFi network 3. Log in to the Wildix app

tutorials explaining all of the advanced features. All videos, the same as our user documentation, are available online without any registration. SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS Security is one of the top concerns for companies that embrace smart working and BYOD (bring your own device) policy. Wildix designs its solutions with security in mind, making sure all the security features are built-in inside the product. This means the Wildix system is secure-by-design and security is never delegated to third party devices. Here are just several points explaining how we guarantee the 100% security of the Wildix solution: •

5) Set up a web conference = 30 seconds One of the most powerful solutions that Wildix offers for remote workers is our web conferencing functionality. You create a new conference room right from our Collaboration web interface, then invite users in and schedule the conference for later. You can also invite external parties, and everyone will receive an invitation email with instructions on how to join the conference. To participate in a video conference, all you need is a laptop or a smartphone and an internet connection. It’s very simple as it’s also based on WebRTC and again, doesn’t require that you install anything. HOW DO YOU TRAIN REMOTE EMPLOYEES? The point here is to choose a solution that is so easyto-use and intuitive that it requires no end-user training, even in a situation where our employees are of different ages and have minimal to no technical skills. For those users who would like to take full advantage of the Wildix solution, we offer a series of short video 44

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Single Sign-On option with Active Directory, Google, Microsoft • Two Factor Authentication (2FA) • Secure hash functions SHA-512 + salt for user passwords encryption • TLS encryption of HTTPS traffic to the PBX, screen sharing sessions, web conferencing • SIP TLS – SIP signaling over TLS • Intrusion detection over all services managed by the PBX • DoS protection over all services managed by the PBX • Audio, video calls and web conferencing via WebRTC: - WebRTC offers security “out-of-the-box”, its security is contained within the browser - All media streams sent via WebRTC are encrypted using DTLS and SRTP, making wiretapping, tampering and eavesdropping impossible - External servers (e.g. TURN) do not decode the application data layer and do not touch DTLS encryption, they do not have access to the information exchanged between the peers

Looking to enable remote work? FIND OUT MORE www.wildix.com/videoconference-smartworking

FOCUS: SMART WORKING

Smart Working with Slow Internet Six Tips to Work Beyond Your Connection Speed

Austen Read-McFarland, Copywriter

you live out in a rural location where cable lines aren’t the most reliable. Or maybe the ISPs in your area just don’t deliver good service. Whatever the case, the frustrating fact is you’re trying to move ahead with your work situation, yet that all-essential factor of your connection is blocking your path. So, does that mean your only choices are to go back to the office or stop working entirely? Of course not! Just take note of these tips, you’ll be able to master smart working even while stuck on the lowest of bitrate speeds.

o, you’ve finally got the green light to move ahead with smart working. Your employer’s given you the OK, your remote-working tech is all in gear and you’ve even set up a totally profesh home office. By all measures, you should be good to blaze ahead with working from home! …Right? Well, unfortunately, there may be one last obstacle standing in your way: a painfully slow internet connection. For a huge number of smart workers, slow internet is a roadblock that’s simply out of your control. Maybe

1. LIMIT YOUR USE OF STREAMING MEDIA Plenty of us work better if we have an album, podcast or YouTube video playing in the background. Trouble is, those sources of entertainment will put a costly strain on your bandwidth. Depending on your connection quality, that data could come at the cost of maintaining your online presence. If you need to stay online for work, first make sure your connection isn’t being eaten up by excess streaming media. And if you absolutely need to put on a video, you’ll want to drop the quality by a notch or two. 2. CREATE AN INTERNET USAGE SCHEDULE Along the same lines as the last tip, anyone else in your home who’s plugged into the internet will necesWildix Magazine

sarily slow down your already less-than-speedy connection. Obviously, that’s something that can’t be helped if those other users are also smart working. But if they’re just web surfing, it’s usage that’s better kept under control. For all non-essential browsing, set up a schedule limiting who can use how much internet and when. This could be as simple as saying those not smart working get a couple hours of internet use, max, or as complex as specifying what kinds of net usage are okay, such as banning online games but allowing reduced-quality video streaming. Really, the specifics of this policy can and should be tailored to your household. The only constant in the process is to keep it consistent and keep it enforced. (And don’t tolerate complaints – there are offline sources of entertainment, after all!) 3. HAVE MULTIPLE METHODS OF TRANSFERRING FILES Frustratingly, email alone isn’t a reliable way of sending or receiving files when you’re on limited bandwidth. Sometimes, the connection can comp‑ letely fizzle out if you’re trying to push an attachment onto an email server. Worse, the problem can persist even after you’ve tried a tech forum’s “guaranteed” fix – leaving you to just sit there, stuck with that important document still left unsent. To avoid these disasters, you really need a backup file sharing service. This can be an upload site or a UCC tool, but either way, it’s essential to have an extra way of sending documents in case one isn’t cooperating. After all, in times of stress, it’s much easier to jump to a fallback than comb through the web for a fix. 4. DIAL INTO THAT VOIP CALL OR VIDEOCONFERENCE While VoIP and video obviously have their perks, those advantages sadly aren’t possible if your ISP can’t keep pace with the bandwidth demands. In plain English, this means that when it’s time to hop onto a group call or videoconference, you’re better off just dialing in through your phone’s data plan. 46

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Sure – that’ll mean losing out on that all-important visual component of the conference. But considering it’s either no video or no connection at all, that’s a small price to pay under the circumstances. 5. AVOID THE DEAD ZONES This one is probably going to be familiar to most WiFi users – but to the less experienced, it’s important to remember that wireless coverage isn’t always consistent across the home. In larger spaces, you often end up with so-called “dead zones”: areas where the internet lags, or even cuts out altogether. These spots are best avoided in any smart working scenario, but it’s a warning that rings doubly true for those of us with slower connections. So before you settle into a particular location to handle your remote work, first make sure your internet there is stable. Remember, a constant connection is what will ultimately make or break the feasibility of a smart worker’s office space. 6. CONSIDER A WIRED OR LIMITED CONNECTION It’s time to address an inconvenient truth about WiFi: it’s always going to be slower than a wired connection. That on its own isn’t a reason to ditch wireless connections altogether, obviously. But it is an important factor to consider if your home office has to account for slow internet. As nice as it is to keep a distance from your modem, that may be an unaffordable luxury if doing so shifts your network into the slow lane. Alternatively, you may want to consider if it’s necessary for you to be online for the full extent of your working hours, or if you only need your connection to share results. When you’re dealing with an especially slow connection, it’s worth talking to your team and establishing just how often you’ll need to be online. That way, you can reserve data usage for those most essential moments of upload and download instead of stret‑ ching it across a whole day of maintaining your online presence.

SALES

Appreciating Your Overlooked Assets Why an Existing Customer Base is a Partner’s Top Priority

Robert Cooper, North America Country Manager

hen businesses look at a cloud-based communications solution like Wildix, I often hear them try to gauge its value with a familiar question:

And the thing about your competition is, they aren’t just competing with you over new leads. They also want a piece of your current business: those custo‑ mers you’ve left sitting on legacy products and services.

“How will this help me generate new leads?” Frankly, asking that means you’re thinking about the upgrade in the wrong way. The problem here is that you’re considering your company’s switch to UCaaS only by looking at your own upgraded offer. What you’re not taking into account is your competition – or the fact that they’re ahead of the curve in the tech department.

With how fast the tech market is moving, you can’t count any of your existing customers as a sure thing. Yes, you’ve built a relationship with them. Hopefully, you’ve even won their trust. But at the end of the day, what matters to them is whether you can deliver up-to-date tech, and the expertise to maximize its value. Without those factors, you’re not giving clients much reason to stay signed on with you. Wildix Magazine

So instead of asking about generating new leads, the better question is: “How are you doing with your current leads?” The term I use for existing customer bases is “overlooked assets,” because of how often vendors take that business for granted. And letting those assets remain overlooked is one of the biggest mistakes a vendor can make; that oversight allows big UC vendors to step in and fill the gap, flaunting their new technologies and name recognition to make off with the contracts you thought you’d already nailed down. Now, any company should already know that focusing on current customers is just smart business. You’ve probably already heard boilerplate advice about how customer loyalty is the most cost-effective source of income out there. Well, people say that because it’s true. To put numbers on it, boosting customer retention by just 5% can lead to a 70% increase in profit. Those easy earnings are right there, waiting for you, so long as you go back and reclaim your overlooked assets. But the other side of the situation is worth reiterating: when you leave those assets alone, you allow them to look at alternatives. If you haven’t made it clear that you’re keeping up with the market, the next call you get from your customers won’t be them asking for an upgrade – it’ll be them asking you to get your equipment out of their office.

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Robert Cooper Managing Director of Wildix in North America In addition to his military background, he has over 20 years of experience in leading technology sales teams and has served on the White House Conference on Small Business.

MARKETING

Make Chat Part of the e-Commerce Customer Journey Essential Elements for Your Website

Austen Read-McFarland, Copywriter

That seamless integration is important to any chat tool, not just because it creates a cleaner aesthetic, but also because it provides an uninterrupted site experience. One particular thing customers love about live chat is how it doesn’t divert their attention to a separate tab or phone conversation; instead, it allows them to browse while getting their problems or inquiries addressed.

hopping online these days, you’re likely to see a lot of fresh communication features. In parti‑ cular, chatbots, messaging boxes and “call an agent” popups now abound on digital storefronts. Just based on these trends, it’s clear that people expect more than a barebones “Contact Us” page. But maybe that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Increasingly, customers want immediate gratification when they interact with companies. So you should also expect them to want their questions answered quickly, without the wait time of email or an external call. Stepping in to solve that issue are live chat services. When properly implemented, these tools give cus‑ tomers a way to connect with a company representative for instant insight and information.

Wildix Kite, a WebRTC tool capable of full PBX integration, is one tool leading the way in this platform shift, thanks in particular to how it seamlessly fits into web pages instead of prompting users to join the chat on a different app.

The convenience and streamlined simplicity of ins‑ tant messaging on company sites is quickly winning support, too. Consider, for example, that:

83% of consumers enjoy using a chat feature as their primary interface for customer support 83%

17%

Chat services earn a 73% satisfaction level from users, a notably higher rate than email or phone 73%

79% of customers prefer live chat over other services because it answers their questions quickly, while 51% appreciate the ability to multitask while using it 79%

21%

44% of customers consider the ability to ask about a product during the actual purchasing process is “one of the most important features a website can offer” 44%

56%

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Taking these figures into account, it becomes apparent that another benefit of live chat is you don’t even have to convince customers to start using it. The fact is, they already want to make use of ins‑ tant messaging, right when they click onto your site. The caveat here, though, is that you should view live chat as a customer expectation rather than an added bonus for your site. According to one study, a whopping 67% of B2C companies and 66% of B2B companies already use live chat for customer ser‑vice; in the context of sales usage, those figures go up to a 74% use rate for B2C, and 85% for B2B. In other words, if you haven’t added a chat feature on your site, now’s the perfect time to implement one.

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And considering that Kite features all those services, complete with the added bonus of voice and video call options, Wildix is an especially compelling provider of that investment. The fact is, even on digital storefronts, consumers want the same 1-on-1 care and attention they’d get at a brick-and-mortar shop. A live chat function lets your company’s representatives provide that attention right when site visitors ask for it, all without holding up their browsing experience. Because to keep your customers around, you’ll want to keep them talking to you. And with live chat, it’s easier than ever to encourage them to do exactly that.

MARKETING

If You’re Not on LinkedIn, You’re Only Halfway There You have a free tool to do more business. It’s up to you whether you want to use it or not.

Giulia Perotta, Regional Marketing Manager

have already told you about it several times, but I will never tire of repeating it: being on LinkedIn, from a professional point of view, is essential.

I’m sure many of your competitors are already on LinkedIn looking for potential customers, collaborators or partners.

I feel I can say this with certainty because I have seen, both for myself and for other professionals, excellent results.

I’m also sure that among the users of this social network you can find potential customers and collaborators, whom you may be trying to find and contact through other channels, wasting time and energy.

I always tell it like this: more than 5 years ago I arrived in Barcelona, from Milan, without knowing anyone, and after 6 months I found my first customer – a B2B company in Barcelona – and after 1 year I started to be contacted to organize training courses in Spain. All this was certainly possible thanks to tenacity, networking and a well-defined strategy – but the tool that made all this possible was LinkedIn. In other words, LinkedIn works.

How about trying LinkedIn, too? It’s just a matter of following some advice, getting informed, learning and then taking action. To support my thesis, I think it is also right to share objective data and statistics. According to Business Wildix Magazine

Insider Intelligence’s research, LinkedIn is the most reliable social network, winning for the third year in a row the first place on the podium of the Digital Trust Report 2019. The categories measured in the panel of 1,974 people were security, legitimacy, community, user experience, sharing and relevance, the six pillars on which the value of a social network is based. The fact that LinkedIn has been perceived for several years as the most reliable social network depends on the fact that it is (still!) a professional platform, where you can find relevant and interesting content and where you can interface with professionals from all sectors - unlike social networks such as Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest, where professional content increasingly mixes with personal, leisure-related content. LinkedIn’s numbers are significantly lower than others: today LinkedIn has more than 675 million users worldwide, while the Zuckerberg giant has more than 2.6 billion users (data updated to January

Giulia Perotta at UCC Summit 2020

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2020 in the annual research carried out by We Are Social and Hootsuite). But in this case it is not quantity that counts, but quality. And this principle is at the basis of the whole LinkedIn operation: it doesn’t matter how many posts a week we write, but it is essential that the content is valuable. It doesn’t matter if we have 500 or 5,000 connections, what matters is that they are professionals who can add value to our professional lives, and that they can really give us the opportunity to generate business opportunities or to achieve our goal – whatever it is. QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY. It is not essential to add 10 contacts to our network every day, but it is certainly important to maintain an active relationship with those we add, even if only one per month.

FOCUS: SMART WORKING

Smart Working, Smart Loving, Smart Living You have to be smart, too. Period.

Emiliano Tomasoni, CMO

Total Recall – Behind the scenes

re we going to live a digital life? Virtual work, virtual sex, virtual travel?

How to decapitate your customers’ resistance and offer them a smart working solution. Total Recall was one of my favorite movies when I was a teenager. First, because there was Arnold Schwarzenegger (which may not mean much to the millennials, but to us young people in the 90s, he was a demigod). Second, because he went to Rekall and had memories of fantastic trips to Mars implanted in his brain.

Douglas, the protagonist of the film, went to Mars, had sex with the most beautiful Martians, and in fact they all wanted it, because that was not reality, but a memory manipulated by Rekall. Today we have Tinder, Pornhub, Netflix, DAZN. Everything is available as a service; activate your subscription from home, from your mobile phone. Of course the sex and entertainment industry moves much faster than business to business, but it often marks the way forward. It is the forerunner we should look to (in moderation :)) to guide our future. Wildix Magazine

“Smart” means smart. And when it comes to smart working, they say that, in 2020, there should be a smarter way to work than going to the office every morning, losing hours in traffic, dealing with colle‑ agues we can’t stand and eating industrial canteen food.

•

At the very least, I don’t have to come to your office to install it. → Wildix solution installs 100% remotely.

•

I don’t have to install clients or software on 10-year-old computers of all employees, going crazy trying to navigate the compatibility of dozens of operating systems. → The Wildix solution is browser-based, accessible via links.

•

I don’t have to do a week of employee training on how to use it. → User experience is the heart and engine of the Wildix Solution.

Working from anywhere is working smart and I hope that 2020 is the beginning of the SMARTLIVING era. The coronavirus has had a heavy impact on our ha‑ bits: staying locked indoors for weeks is not easy. Yet we have discovered that we can do everything from home, even though we know that this approach will only be temporary. Happy hours over videoconferences, flashmobs from the balcony, lunches and birthdays via video links. Pornhub has given free access to its premium content, as well as many newspapers, libraries and film libraries and museums are offering virtual tours. What about the job? Not that. For that you have to go to the office, risking your health. Today there is the virus, but before that there were car accidents or weather conditions. It is not possible for all workers to work from home; doctors, nurses, plumbers, hairdressers, hauliers and many others cannot. But a lot of people can. And if they worked more often from home, they would make other people’s work easier, freeing up roads, service stations, parking lots and even a little smog from the cities. Great revolutions are made with simple ideas. Cutting off the heads of French rulers was a simple message at the end of the 18th century, though terrifying. The masses understood it and believed it. Smart working, agile work, digital mission...they’re all wonderful words but they risk making people say: “Too complicated, not for me. Microsoft or Apple can do it, not me.” The concepts must be simple to create a revolutionary mass. And the technology must also be simple. Can I offer you a smart working solution? 54

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So the message is:

You can work from home, starting tomorrow, with all employees connected to a communication system accessible from smartphones and PCs, even personal ones, without having to install anything, and our technician will do everything remotely, without ever coming to your office. This message is understood. It stimulates your client’s imagination, as Douglas imagined Mars, and “beheads” his belief that smart working is not something accessible in his reality. More smart working to revolutionize the way we work!

MARKETING

Do You Know Where Your Marketing Stands? The Seven Step Marketing Audit and the Path to Success

Katie Trombetti, Marketing Manager Wildix North America

stablishing the current state of your marketing can seem like a huge, overwhelming task, especially if your company doesn’t have anyone dedicated to a marketing role. But fear not, because with this easy marketing audit you’ll be able to assess what your marketing impact looks like now and how you can create a plan for a successful future. 1. ESTABLISH YOUR GOALS The most important part of creating an effective marketing plan is to establish your goals and what you want to accomplish. As Alex Chris, author and

Digital Marketing Consultant said, “If you don’t write down your web marketing strategy that includes what you want to achieve online and how to actually do it, then it’s like driving with your eyes closed.” 2. GAUGE CURRENT PLATFORMS This includes your website, email and social media sites, but also any additional places your company might show up on or offline. You could find anything from your company name as a location to an ill-fated Snapchat account your intern from two years ago set up. Every contact point you create with your custo‑ Wildix Magazine

mers outside of your sales team needs to be included in the media audit.

to move your customers to the platform where you’re most likely to get ahold of them and make that sale.

3. COLLECT YOUR DATA Next, collect as much data as possible on your mar‑ keting platforms so that you can accurately assess what your reach currently looks like. If you’re running an email campaign, it’s important to take a close look at your delivery, open and click-through rates. When taking a look at your website, it’s vital that you look things like at how many visitors are coming to your page, how much time are they spending there and how many times are they clicking through to different pages. For social media, it’s critical that you’re looking at the percentages of your engagement.

If people are finding you on social media, is there a way for them to get back to your website? Are people able to click through your emails to find out more on your landing pages? Your marketing points must all work together to help you convert potential customers into current customers.

4. ASSESS INFRASTRUCTURE First and foremost, you must have a website, but more than that, it has to be easy to navigate and it needs to work quickly. The same goes for social media: the infrastructure must be in place. The fundamental structure needs to be that of an actual business page, not just a-run-of-the mill personal profile. 5. ANALYZE INTEGRATIONS AND CONVERSIONS All of your marketing platforms must be fully integrated with each other in a marketing sense. By making sure that these sites are intertwined you help

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6. PLAN FOR THE FUTURE It’s important that you stay firmly within realistic bounds for your team. If you’re struggling to post on social media once a month, every day is going to be a hard adjustment. If you don’t have the time or budget for an entire overhaul of your website, update some of the graphics or make your buttons easier to navigate. These marketing changes don’t need to be an entire revamp upfront for your company but a continually evolving process. 7. STUDY, RINSE, REPEAT The final step in this audit is to make your changes, study the results, rinse and repeat. Because you’ve had a plan from the beginning, you’ll be able to accurately assess how your actions so far measure up to where you want to be. After one month, three months, or even six months, start at the beginning of this audit again and see how it compares with the first one.

Wildix is 100% dedicated to the channel, offering you concrete technical support and a secure-by-design architecture that does not need a VPN or SBC to guarantee the systemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impenetrability.

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