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Intermedia Exec: UCaaS ‘Much More Relevant, Profitable For Partners Right Now’

The question is not if a business moves their phone or communications to the cloud, it’s when. That’s according to Intermedia’s Mark Sher, who discussed new research about the UCaaS market with CRNtv.

“One of the biggest takeaways was around what millennials felt was important from a technology perspective,” said Sher. “They felt it was extremely important that they were mobile. They needed mobile applications, and 25 percent said they wouldn’t work for a company that didn’t have instant messaging and video conference.”

[Related: Over 80 Percent Of New Business At Intermedia Is Coming From Partners]

The Mountain View, Calif.-based UCaaS specialist examined evolving work behaviors in its 2018 Workplace Communications report. With over a thousand surveyed responses, the study highlights the value of a unified communications toolset with more than two-in-five reporting that voice-activated virtual assistants would be helpful in a work setting. And, while tools like chat and video conferencing have become much more prevalent, email still isn't going away: 87 percent of respondents agree that email is the primary mode of communication employees use within their organization.

Intermedia, which received a 5-star rating in CRN's 2018 Partner Program Guide, differentiates itself in the UCaaS market by giving high margins to its channel partners with a major focus on simplicity. According to Sher, it’s a great time in the market for partners to get started with the technology.

[Related: Intermedia Sales Leader On 50 Percent Partner Margins And UCaaS Surge]

“Some technology starts in the enterprise and works its way down as it gets more inexpensive. That’s actually the most common way technology gets into the small business. Unified Communications and cloud phone business is a little different. It actually started in the small business and work way up in the enterprise. So we are in the transition to the next step, where it started with the very, very small business and now it’s working to the SMB – the small to midsize.”

Sher also offered advice for partners in his interview with CRNtv. Watch that portion of the interview in the above video.

Learn More: Routers and Switches| Telecom| VOIP and Unified Communications| Video| Wireless| Cloud Channel Programs| Cloud Infrastructure| Cloud Platforms| Cloud Security

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