I've been meaning to post this since Monday, but the Smart Grid Summit is just keeping me too busy. Anyhow, I've been a Skype follower from the beginning, and try to keep up as best I can. I don't have the dedicated focus of Skype Journal or Jim Courtney's blog, and those are the places to go for the in-depth low down on what Skype is up to.
That said, I get asked by the media a lot about Skype for business in particular. It's always been a bit of a conundrum, as you don't always think of Skype as a business application, even though it's so widely used in the office. Problem is, most people associate Skype with PC-based telephony, but of course, it's so much more.
Aside from the Summit activity, we're off on vacation tomorrow, so I don't have the luxury to time to give you any real analysis of the purpose of this post. Basically, on Monday Skype announced the winners of their global Skype For Business Competition. The results were posted on Stefan Oberg's Skype blog that day, and you can review them all there. I don't know how many entries were submitted, but it's great way to get the Skype developer community focused on real world applications that add value for business users.
It's great to see the global breadth of the winners, although it's too bad there were no Canadian winners! Anyhow, just a quick scan indicates there are business applications that go beyond basic voice calling, and hopefully Skype is takig some good steps forward to develop a suite of features that can be monetized with business users. There's lots of latent opportunity for building on everyday Skype features and extending that to collaboration, and there are some examples of that in the posting.
What really stands out for me, though, is how many winning apps have to do with language translation and learning English in foreign countries. Skype sure is a natural tool for that, and all Skype users get their share of random requests from people who just want chat to learn English - I know I do. The international community is probably the one thing Skype has over all the other IM platforms, mainly because they are largely U.S. in origin. By extension, I would think this could be the pot of gold for Skype as a business tool - either to support multinational businesses or as a platform to enable international business, regardless of language. That's my two cents for now, and if you have another take, I'd love to hear it.
All told, though, congrats to the winners, and I sure hope this is a sign of good things to come for Skype in the business world.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Smart Grid Summit Press Release Issued
Am working at warp speed this week on the Smart Grid Summit trying to get our roster set, add new content to the portal, and strategize our marketing plans with TMC. Lots going on, and things are coming together nicely.
I just have time to pass on the latest news, which comes in the form of yesterday's press release, which you can read here.
I'd also like to steer you to the latest content, a piece written by my partner, Shidan Gouran, which was just published today. Next up is a Q&A I did with the SIP Forum - look for that by Friday.
I just have time to pass on the latest news, which comes in the form of yesterday's press release, which you can read here.
I'd also like to steer you to the latest content, a piece written by my partner, Shidan Gouran, which was just published today. Next up is a Q&A I did with the SIP Forum - look for that by Friday.
Google Voice - UC Strategies Roundtable Podcast
Yesterday's UC Strategies podcast topic was Google Voice, which is a pretty interesting topic. Everyone has an opinion, and we had a lively roundtable discussion about it. Most of us - myself included - do not see Google Voice being a real enterprise-class offering, but it can certainly find a home with SMB/SOHO users. I do see opportunity for GV in the enterprise market, but more as part of the overall Google Wave concept, and more as an application to voice-enable other things as opposed to being a substitute for telephony.
And of course, we think GV has lots of legs in the consumer space, and some good examples were given as to how great a fit it will be on college campuses, as kids go back to school and need to get set up there.
Anyhow, why don't you give it a listen to get the whole story? I don't chime in until the end, but I'm just one of many voices, and there's a lot worth listening to here. To download the podcast, here's the link from the UCS site.
And of course, we think GV has lots of legs in the consumer space, and some good examples were given as to how great a fit it will be on college campuses, as kids go back to school and need to get set up there.
Anyhow, why don't you give it a listen to get the whole story? I don't chime in until the end, but I'm just one of many voices, and there's a lot worth listening to here. To download the podcast, here's the link from the UCS site.
Monday, August 10, 2009
No Tex, No Tomorow for the Sox
We may never know if the Red Sox were serious contenders in the Mark Texeira sweepstakes, but it was made clear with an exclamation point this weekend, how costly it was for him to sign with the Yankees.
No need to dwell on the painful details of the last 6 games, but as I've said before, their weaknesses have been exposed and exploited completely. The road trip started out with promise, sweeping the Orioles, and being within a half game of the Yankees. But, just like they did in their recent visit to Texas, they got swept by the teams that matter the most. They have a hard enough time as it is beating hapless teams like Oakland and Seattle, but they can't even win ONE game against the good teams. So, just like that, they've fallen completely flat, with no answers in sight.
Plain and simple, once again, the Yankees are our daddies. The Sox have stayed competitive this long by good fortune, but weak hitting catches up sooner or later, and as expected, the injuries to older players are taking their toll as the season wears on. When everybody is clicking, I still think they're the best team in baseball, but that's become the exception rather than the rule, and they simply lack the consistency to stay on top.
We've seen these crushing sweeps by the Yankees before, so there's nothing new there. It's just so hard to take when our pitching goes the distance with theirs over the final 3 games, but to get shut down/shut out over that many innings puts the onus squarely on the hitters. We know the Sox have aging hitters and overpaid hitters playing well below their potential - but hey - so do the Yankees, and they managed to get their late inning heroics and two out rallies - and that's really the difference.
Aside from those intangibles, though, when you go up and down the positional rosters, the Yankees simply have the edge in almost every area - Posada/Varitek, Texeira/Youkilis, Cano/Pedroia, Jeter/??, A-Rod/Lowell, etc. The Sox have good - even very good players at almost every station, but theirs are simply better. The only edge I'd give the Sox is at second base, and not by much. On a good day, I'd give Jason Bay the edge in left, but he hasn't had many of those lately. Rivera is still the best, and the pitching is a coin toss. Both staffs have holes, but we have more right now, especially with only 2 reliable starters.
Enough said. I concede that the AL East belongs to NY - that race is officially over. I'm not optimistic about the Wild Card, unless the Sox suddenly revert to early season form. It's just so hard to see how that can happen, let alone sustain it through October. Stranger things have happened, but without a bona fide slugger - Texeira - there's nobody in our lineup that makes everyone play better or instill fear in the other team. That's what Texeira would have brought, and we're paying the price. Since Manny left town, there's no serious punch in the lineup, and it looks like now, NY will finally spend its way to another championship.
The future all of a sudden doesn't look too bright. It could be time to blow up the roster and re-tool - the problems are too fundamental for some spot fixes. There's still lots of good pitching in the system, but not nearly enough good bats. The competition keeps improving, and we're going to have to give up a lot to get those bats. Even the Angels - who lost Texeira to NY - have managed to stay strong - probably even stronger after losing Tex. I don't see the Red Sox getting better if Bay moves on next year.
Ugh - gloom is setting in and I don't want to go there right now. There's still some baseball left to be played, and we're just trying to hang on for the Wild Card. Maybe the Sox have enough character to shape up, but if we had Texeira, I have no doubt we'd still be the frontrunners. But we don't, and we're not, and may not be for quite some time.
No need to dwell on the painful details of the last 6 games, but as I've said before, their weaknesses have been exposed and exploited completely. The road trip started out with promise, sweeping the Orioles, and being within a half game of the Yankees. But, just like they did in their recent visit to Texas, they got swept by the teams that matter the most. They have a hard enough time as it is beating hapless teams like Oakland and Seattle, but they can't even win ONE game against the good teams. So, just like that, they've fallen completely flat, with no answers in sight.
Plain and simple, once again, the Yankees are our daddies. The Sox have stayed competitive this long by good fortune, but weak hitting catches up sooner or later, and as expected, the injuries to older players are taking their toll as the season wears on. When everybody is clicking, I still think they're the best team in baseball, but that's become the exception rather than the rule, and they simply lack the consistency to stay on top.
We've seen these crushing sweeps by the Yankees before, so there's nothing new there. It's just so hard to take when our pitching goes the distance with theirs over the final 3 games, but to get shut down/shut out over that many innings puts the onus squarely on the hitters. We know the Sox have aging hitters and overpaid hitters playing well below their potential - but hey - so do the Yankees, and they managed to get their late inning heroics and two out rallies - and that's really the difference.
Aside from those intangibles, though, when you go up and down the positional rosters, the Yankees simply have the edge in almost every area - Posada/Varitek, Texeira/Youkilis, Cano/Pedroia, Jeter/??, A-Rod/Lowell, etc. The Sox have good - even very good players at almost every station, but theirs are simply better. The only edge I'd give the Sox is at second base, and not by much. On a good day, I'd give Jason Bay the edge in left, but he hasn't had many of those lately. Rivera is still the best, and the pitching is a coin toss. Both staffs have holes, but we have more right now, especially with only 2 reliable starters.
Enough said. I concede that the AL East belongs to NY - that race is officially over. I'm not optimistic about the Wild Card, unless the Sox suddenly revert to early season form. It's just so hard to see how that can happen, let alone sustain it through October. Stranger things have happened, but without a bona fide slugger - Texeira - there's nobody in our lineup that makes everyone play better or instill fear in the other team. That's what Texeira would have brought, and we're paying the price. Since Manny left town, there's no serious punch in the lineup, and it looks like now, NY will finally spend its way to another championship.
The future all of a sudden doesn't look too bright. It could be time to blow up the roster and re-tool - the problems are too fundamental for some spot fixes. There's still lots of good pitching in the system, but not nearly enough good bats. The competition keeps improving, and we're going to have to give up a lot to get those bats. Even the Angels - who lost Texeira to NY - have managed to stay strong - probably even stronger after losing Tex. I don't see the Red Sox getting better if Bay moves on next year.
Ugh - gloom is setting in and I don't want to go there right now. There's still some baseball left to be played, and we're just trying to hang on for the Wild Card. Maybe the Sox have enough character to shape up, but if we had Texeira, I have no doubt we'd still be the frontrunners. But we don't, and we're not, and may not be for quite some time.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Remember When Rock Was Fun?
It's been a very intense week getting the Smart Grid Summit planned and launched. Anyone who thinks conferences are easy to do haven't done this before! It definitely gets easier over time, but we're after a new market and new audience, so most of what we're doing is laying the foundation for something we think has a long road ahead.
It's Friday, and to look on the lighter side, I wanted to de-stress a bit with a post about the Chickenfoot concert the other night. For those who follow these things, Chickenfoot is a very fun, happening hard rock mashup, with 4 veterans playing some great rock music - Joe Satriani, Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony and Chad Smith. I'm not a huge fan of their legacy bands, but I'm a guitar guy, so Satch is pretty special. More importantly, my younger son is a budding guitar shred-meister, and seeing players like this in person is a real treat. Chickenfoot is just finding their touring legs, and their Toronto show here on Wednesday was fantastic.
All I can say is if you love a good rock show, go see these guys. There's a reason why 80's rock went away, and there's only a little of that in their show - and hopefully they'll winnow that out as their tour progresses. Otherwise, these guys really rock, and just plain have FUN. I don't know about you, but I don't have enough fun any more, and it really takes you back to when all the rock shows were this good and this much fun. Sure makes you miss being a teenager, but I can take turning back the clock for a few hours for something like this.
I'm back to work now, but here's a bit of what we were seeing the other night.
It's Friday, and to look on the lighter side, I wanted to de-stress a bit with a post about the Chickenfoot concert the other night. For those who follow these things, Chickenfoot is a very fun, happening hard rock mashup, with 4 veterans playing some great rock music - Joe Satriani, Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony and Chad Smith. I'm not a huge fan of their legacy bands, but I'm a guitar guy, so Satch is pretty special. More importantly, my younger son is a budding guitar shred-meister, and seeing players like this in person is a real treat. Chickenfoot is just finding their touring legs, and their Toronto show here on Wednesday was fantastic.
All I can say is if you love a good rock show, go see these guys. There's a reason why 80's rock went away, and there's only a little of that in their show - and hopefully they'll winnow that out as their tour progresses. Otherwise, these guys really rock, and just plain have FUN. I don't know about you, but I don't have enough fun any more, and it really takes you back to when all the rock shows were this good and this much fun. Sure makes you miss being a teenager, but I can take turning back the clock for a few hours for something like this.
I'm back to work now, but here's a bit of what we were seeing the other night.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Nice Blog Recognition - Top 15 VoIP Blogs of 2009
Tippit Inc. has become one of the better-known sources of IP communications news and insights, and I've done a few things with them from time to time. One of their portals is called Focus.com, and yesterday I became aware of their list of Top 15 VoIP Blogs.
I commented earlier today that this list came out on August 5, but that's not correct. While I only found out about it then, it was published back in May - mea culpa!
Anyhow, I didn't see it before a few people pinged me to say congrats, and I'm very happy to be in such good company again. All the familiar names are there - Jeff Pulver, Andy Abramson, Rich Tehrani, Alec Saunders, Brough Turner, Irwin Lazar, etc., so no big surprises, really. Was nice to see my name in the #1 spot, but I wouldn't read too much into that (it's not in alpha order) - unless you'd like to!
I mentioned that it's nice to be back, as they last published a list like this in late 2007, and my blog was there as well. I've made a few other top blog lists along the way, but it's always nice to repeat from the same source. I'll take that as a sign people continue to follow me, and for that I thank each and every one of you. My job is to continue the dialog, and once again, thanks to Focus.com for the recognition.
I commented earlier today that this list came out on August 5, but that's not correct. While I only found out about it then, it was published back in May - mea culpa!
Anyhow, I didn't see it before a few people pinged me to say congrats, and I'm very happy to be in such good company again. All the familiar names are there - Jeff Pulver, Andy Abramson, Rich Tehrani, Alec Saunders, Brough Turner, Irwin Lazar, etc., so no big surprises, really. Was nice to see my name in the #1 spot, but I wouldn't read too much into that (it's not in alpha order) - unless you'd like to!
I mentioned that it's nice to be back, as they last published a list like this in late 2007, and my blog was there as well. I've made a few other top blog lists along the way, but it's always nice to repeat from the same source. I'll take that as a sign people continue to follow me, and for that I thank each and every one of you. My job is to continue the dialog, and once again, thanks to Focus.com for the recognition.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
July Media Roundup
July turned out to be one of my busiest media months ever, and it sure made up for a light June. I'll start with the most newsworthy, which is my new venture with TMC to launch the Smart Grid Summit, coming September 1 at the IT Expo.
- First, the press release, announcing the formation of Intelligent Communications Partners, as well as our Smart Grid Summit venture with TMC
- Supporting this was a post on Rich Tehrani's blog
Otherwise, I had a nice variety of citings in the press, as well as a TV interview and two podcasts...
- Nortel/Ericsson deal - TV interview on BNN (interview can be viewed from the link on this page)
- Avaya's bid for Nortel - roundtable podcast on UCStrategies.com
- SIP Trunking roundtable - podcast for Business Trends Quarterly, along with Ingate, Avaya, AudioCodes and Panasonic
- SIP Trunking roundtable - published transcript, June/July issue of Business Trends Quarterly
- Using Twitter for business - Backbone Magazine
- Fonolo's latest updates - Tech Media Reports
- Status of Nortel/Microsoft Alliance - IT World Canada
- Avaya/Nortel deal scenario - InformationExec
- Google Voice/Skype impact - Business Week
- Avaya's Aura - InformationExec
- Cisco telepresence in the home? - TelecomTV One
- IT Expo Preview - interview with Rich Tehrani - TMCnet
In addition to the media coverage, I had a white paper published along with a webinar on SIP Trunking with Mitel (registration required for both)...
- SIP Trunking webinar replay
- companion White Paper for the webinar
Finally, my regular bi-monthly Service Provider Views column on TMCnet...
- BroadSoft, Microsoft and Chinook Hosting - Getting Hosted Right
- Google Wave Offers New Challenges for Service Providers
All in a day's work - now back to my current projects, and getting the Smart Grid Summit put together...
- First, the press release, announcing the formation of Intelligent Communications Partners, as well as our Smart Grid Summit venture with TMC
- Supporting this was a post on Rich Tehrani's blog
Otherwise, I had a nice variety of citings in the press, as well as a TV interview and two podcasts...
- Nortel/Ericsson deal - TV interview on BNN (interview can be viewed from the link on this page)
- Avaya's bid for Nortel - roundtable podcast on UCStrategies.com
- SIP Trunking roundtable - podcast for Business Trends Quarterly, along with Ingate, Avaya, AudioCodes and Panasonic
- SIP Trunking roundtable - published transcript, June/July issue of Business Trends Quarterly
- Using Twitter for business - Backbone Magazine
- Fonolo's latest updates - Tech Media Reports
- Status of Nortel/Microsoft Alliance - IT World Canada
- Avaya/Nortel deal scenario - InformationExec
- Google Voice/Skype impact - Business Week
- Avaya's Aura - InformationExec
- Cisco telepresence in the home? - TelecomTV One
- IT Expo Preview - interview with Rich Tehrani - TMCnet
In addition to the media coverage, I had a white paper published along with a webinar on SIP Trunking with Mitel (registration required for both)...
- SIP Trunking webinar replay
- companion White Paper for the webinar
Finally, my regular bi-monthly Service Provider Views column on TMCnet...
- BroadSoft, Microsoft and Chinook Hosting - Getting Hosted Right
- Google Wave Offers New Challenges for Service Providers
All in a day's work - now back to my current projects, and getting the Smart Grid Summit put together...
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