ChannelVision March-April 2017

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Verizon Enterprise Solutions (VES)
has debuted a new business division,
focused on local businesses and gov-
ernment technology. Dubbed Verizon
Business Markets, it will rely on the
channel partner ecosystem as its pri-
mary distribution path, consisting of a
combination of existing Verizon part-
ners as well as partners from XO Com-
munications, which Verizon acquired
for $1.8 billion in February.
“We see an immense opportunity in
the local markets,” said Janet Schijns,
vice president of solution and sales
channels at Verizon. “Innovation is
flowing from small and medium-sized
businesses (SMBs), and from state
and local governments – and, in fact,
the biggest influence on our GDP is
SMBs and local organizations. They’re
the lifeblood of America.”
The idea is to reinvigorate and
reassess the technology that is made
available to this sector.
“We are seeing a heightened
amount of investment returns and suc-
cessful start-ups in city and town cen-
ters, after a decades-long ‘mall-conomy’
phenomenon,” Schijns said. “Business-
es are coming back to downtowns, and
to compete for foot traffic, they need
rich but simple tech solutions. A small
bakery, for instance, needs a Facebook
page, mobile ordering, Google search
elements, etc. We are looking at how to
help them with technology that hasn’t
been shrunk down from enterprise plat-
forms or grown up from the consumer
space but rather with solutions tailored
specifically for them.”
Plenty of local start-ups are pioneer-
ing things that need connectivity, to
start with. In New York City, a company
called Dog Parker is installing self-con-
tained dog houses in front of local busi-
nesses. It’s a convenient way to shelter
and protect one’s dog while on the go –
and the idea is simple yet ingenious.
Users are issued membership cards,
which they can swipe to unlock the Dog
Parker (the key card is unique to each
person, so only he or she can unlock
the door to retrieve their dog). Users
can access dozens of Dog Parkers
By Tara Seals
Verizon Debuts SMB Business
Unit, Incorporating XO
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ChannelVision | March - April, 2017 60