Sangoma’s Mark Jones is the Channel Manager (UC) for the UK and Ireland. Mark kindly took time out of his busy schedule to chat with us about what he’s been up to and where the value lies with Sangoma’s portfolio for resellers and end users across the IT channel.
If you have any questions about what Sangoma offer, feel free to contact us and we will respond to you as soon as possible.
Hi Mark! It’s great to see you, how have you been?
Very busy thanks for asking. In fact, I’m so busy following up with partners that my golf has started to suffer! But now I’ve combined the two by doing business around the course, and at the 19th hole!
Sangoma is a key player in the telecom and unified communications (UC) space. Can you share a bit about Sangoma’s journey in this industry and how the company has evolved over time?
Certainly! When I think about Sangoma’s journey in the telecom and unified communications industry, it’s really been an impressive evolution over the past 40 years. We’ve grown into a $270 million global company, we are cash rich, and have customers in around 200 countries. It’s a journey marked by strategic decisions, especially with more than 12 key acquisitions, including companies like VegaStream, Dialogic, and Digium. These moves have been pivotal in enhancing our technological expertise and expanding our market footprint.
What really sets Sangoma apart is our commitment to delivering a comprehensive suite of UCaaS solutions; we want businesses to know they can rely on us for everything from telephony to meetings and messaging, all with robust network and security services. It’s this dedication to providing reliable and secure communication that has helped us seamlessly connect businesses around the world.
In your experience, what trends and challenges are you seeing in UC market today? And how are businesses adapting?
The unified communications market is constantly evolving, we’re seeing both exciting trends and complex challenges! One major trend we’re seeing is the shift toward remote work, largely influenced by the pandemic. This has led to diverse working styles; some employees are happy just to be connected via a phone based at home or a mobile app to keep in contact while on the move to the full work from home agent who requires voice connectivity along with full integration into the company CRM and other systems and wants access via the secure company laptop.
The challenges accompanying these trends are substantial. Companies need to navigate HR and security policies, ergonomic considerations, and ensure employee welfare. Larger organisations and proactive SMEs are increasingly collaborating with a single supplier that offers complete solutions to address these multifaceted needs.
A critical challenge looming on the horizon is the ISDN Switch-Off by Openreach, postponed to January 2027. This unavoidable transition is prompting businesses to reassess their communication infrastructures. At Sangoma, we’re proactively addressing this through the industry-led ‘Fit to Switch’ initiative, guiding our partners and end-users through this transition, ensuring they understand the available options amidst the often confusing landscape of the switch-off. This proactive approach helps businesses stay ahead in a rapidly changing market.
With many options available in the UC space, how does Sangoma stand out to resellers and end users?
Yes, you are correct, the market is flooded with options, and we understand that end users often feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices and fear making the wrong decision. That’s where we step in, our key differentiation is that we are a true one-stop-shop vendor for unified communications and offer a platform tailored precisely to what the customer needs – other vendors with just one solution will force this on an end-user, even when it isn’t what is right for their needs.
At Sangoma we believe in giving customers the choice – we provide a fully featured platform that with our own handsets and mobile app and desktop softphone included, all designed to work seamlessly together.
What truly sets us apart is our flexibility. Customers can choose to deploy our solutions as a cloud, on-premise, or even as a hybrid model. We also offer the option to provide the platform as software-only, allowing it to be housed on the customer’s own servers.
All of this is backed by our proprietary technology, our products are designed to work seamlessly with each other, meaning there are no awkward third-party handoffs, ensuring smoother operations and quicker resolution of any issues.
Moreover, our extensive and knowledgeable partner network is a significant asset. These partners work closely with end users to ensure they not only get the best product fit but also an exceptional customer experience. This collaborative approach helps resellers and end users navigate the UC landscape with confidence, knowing they have a trusted partner by their side.
We noticed that Sangoma’s P series phones and peripherals are gaining attention. How does this hardware cater to the needs of modern workforces?
At Sangoma, we recognise that even in a shifting market, there’s still a strong demand for reliable desk phones alongside mobile solutions. Our award-winning P Series phones address this need, offering options from the entry level P310 for common areas to the sophisticated P370 with a touch screen Android interface for executives.
We also provide purpose-built headsets for hands-free multitasking and PM200 expansion units for enhanced system visibility on the P330 and P370 models. These features ensure our hardware meets the diverse needs of modern workforces, supporting seamless communication and adaptability.
What are some of the unique selling points of the P Series phones that resonate with end users?
What users like about the P-Series phones is its ease of use and native integration into all Sangoma platforms from Opensource platforms to the latest version of Switchvox.
The national coal museum particularly liked the larger screen on theP325, another comment we receive on a regular basis is just how robust they are when in the field. The users have handsets that look the same at the end of a contract as they did when they were first installed.
A major concern for many IT resellers is how well hardware integrates with popular software platforms. Can you confirm how flexible these phones are with platforms like Microsoft Teams? How simple is this process?
Our P-Series phones are designed for seamless integration with Sangoma UC Solutions and have been optimised to work with Microsoft Teams and other platforms. This flexibility allows users to easily mix Sangoma and Microsoft Teams endpoints based on their preferences, ensuring a smooth and straightforward integration process for IT resellers and end users alike.
Sangoma has built an impressive relationship with the channel network. Do you have any active programs or incentives running that can help resellers succeed in offering P Series phones and headsets?
Our partner program is designed to help resellers be successful and thrive, our comprehensive onboarding process ensures partners fully grasp the benefits of all our products and solutions, including P-Phones. One incentive is a free P310 for every user on Switchvox.
We‘re also currently offering 10% off all telephony connectivity products, including gateways, Digium cards and SBCs.
Thanks so much for your time today, Mark. We wish you all the best.
No, thank you!
