Networking News
8x8 Channel Chief: ‘The Jig Is Up’ On UCaaS Competitors Relying On Tech Partnerships
Gina Narcisi
The technology partnerships that competing vendors rely on to serve up complete UCaaS solutions end in divorce, said 8x8’s SVP and Channel Chief John DeLozier, who talks about how the company is growing and “keeping the hammer down” on UCaaS.
Best Of Suite Vs. Best Of Breed
UCaaS provider 8x8 has been on a roll. In Q3 2021, which ended on Dec. 31, the channel-first company saw its channel bookings grow 64 percent year-over-year. In fact, the 8x8 channel delivered its highest new bookings quarter on record across all regions globally.
8x8’s strategy has always been the one platform approach to UCaaS, contact center, video, and messaging, and that approach is paying off. The number of partners selling the 8x8 integrated communications platform grew by more than 38 percent year over year in the most recent fiscal quarter.
8x8 Senior Vice President and Channel Chief John DeLozier said that despite an uncertain 2020 that was rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic, the company’s unprecedented growth proves that customers are looking for a “best of suite” communications strategy that they can rely on, no matter where their employees or customers are located. A self-proclaimed “partner-obsessed” channel chief, DeLozier said that the channel has been instrumental in contributing to 8x8’s growth.
DeLozier caught up with CRN to discuss UCaaS bundling by partners, how the company stayed true to its strategy during times of crisis last year, and how 8x8 stacks up against the steep competition in the cloud UC space. Here’s what he had to share.
