Jan-Feb 2020 - ChannelVision Magazine

ICYMI Frontier Takes Steps to Deter Robocalls Frontier has unveiled a pair of new tools to combat illegal robocalls and protect its customers from caller ID spoofing. The company will use STIR/ SHAKEN and enhanced caller ID to flag suspicious call activity and digitally certify phone calls in order to identify fraudsters posing as legitimate callers. STIR/SHAKEN verifies that an incoming call is originating from the number listed on the caller ID display – not a spoofed robocall or scammer. “Frontier is continually evolving strategies to pro- tect our customers with a diversity of approaches including new call authentication technologies, network monitoring to detect suspicious calls, and partnering with law enforcement to shut down ille- gal robocallers. Together with Neustar, an industry expert on call-authentication technology, we have created an alert system that forms another line of defense against robocalling,” said Mark Nielsen, Frontier Communications executive vice president and chief legal officer. The carrier is supporting the bipartisan leg- islative solutions introduced by Congress and is among the first companies to commit to the Anti- Robocall Principles adopted by the Attorneys Gen- eral of 50 states and the District of Columbia. ChannelVision Named Media Sponsor of RSAConference2020 Beka Business Media, publishers of ChannelVision , has entered into an agreement with RSA Conference, the premier series of global and on-demand cybersecurity events, to serve as an official Media Sponsor of RSAConference2020. One of the world’s lead- ing information security conferences and expositions, RSAConfer- ence2020 takes place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco from Monday, February 24 through Friday, February 28. As part of the deal, ChannelVision will be represented within informational and promotional materials surrounding RSAConfer- ence2020 and host a media kiosk on the RSAConference2020 exhibit hall floor. ChannelVision also will be distributing its January/February 2020 issue at the February event. RSAC will utilize Beka’s media and marketing properties to reach its audience of partners, resellers, MSPs, carriers and services providers. The RSAConference2020 brings together thousands of security industry peers, offering them hundreds of opportunities to learn from the industry’s most-respected experts, and exposing them to the latest, most disruptive thinking and cutting-edge cybersecu- rity solutions. RSAC expects to host more than 40,000 attendees, nearly 750 speakers and security industry experts, and 700-plus presenting companies to its annual and highly anticipated event. “Security solution providers understand the importance of indi- rect sales channels in bringing all-important security solutions to the millions of small and mid-market businesses that are challenged by increasingly complex IT and communications environments,” said Berge Kaprelian, founder of Beka Business Media and publisher of ChannelVision . “Channel sales organization understand that security solutions continue to be a top priority for buyers of business com- munications and IT services. We look forward to serving as a conduit between the exhibitors and sponsors at RSAConference2020 and ChannelVision ’s audience of channel partners.” FirstLight Fiber Acquires ColoSpace FirstLight has acquired ColoSpace, a regional provider of colocation, managed IT services, cloud solutions and disaster recovery services in New England. Financial terms of the trans- action were not disclosed. “The acquisition of ColoSpace fits well with our strategy of continuing to enhance our capabilities, and as such, it is an ideal match,” explained Kurt Van Wagenen, president and CEO of FirstLight. “Its data centers, located in Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire, are in the heart of our service ter- ritory, and in fact, are currently connected to FirstLight’s fiber network. ColoSpace’s product portfolio is not only complemen- tary but deepens and expands our service portfolio.”  With the close of the the transaction, FirstLight has added four data centers with nearly 20,000 square feet of space to its 11 ex- isting, strategically located facilities. 8x8 Expands Partner Program to Include VARs After growing the referral partner program in 2019 to more than 1,000 active channel agents, and investing further in enablement and technol- ogy integration, 8×8 is now making its platform available for the global VAR community. The Elev8 partner program ensures that ev- ery member of 8×8’s channel community has the necessary resources to thrive. Elev8 offers tiered levels of dedicated funds for lead generation and conversion, as well as highly customizable, white- gloved campaigns to reach prospects. In addition, the program includes activities such as Elev8 blitz days (8×8’s channel pipeline generation initia- tive), account planning, product demos and cus- tom co-branded prospect events. 8×8’s best-in-class partner portal, PartnerX- change, is built to allow VARs to independently quote, order, provision and manage all customer needs, as well as access certification content and marketing assets. 65 January - February, 2020 | CHANNEL VISION