CONNECTIVITY technologyreseller.co.uk 33 because they want more wallet-share and because their customers now trust them to provide end-to-end services.” Van Bunnens points out that MSPs require a more consultative, supportive approach, which plays to Comms365’s strengths, from its broad offering to its technology expertise. “Everybody can reach to cellular to solve a problem, but it can create other challenges. Likewise, fixed line. People say, ‘I would rather put fixed line in everywhere instead of cellular because it's more reliable’. Well, it depends. Cellular can be very reliable technology. It's just a question of understanding how to deploy it properly. Working with us, we can help our MSP partners win and retain more business. “As always when you're dealing with different technologies, it's all down to how you support the partner. Most partners that sell cellular services have not come from a cellular background, so they will need advice on how to sell it and how to support it. If someone who has only ever sold Ethernet, which is very resilient and rarely goes down, puts in a cellular service, all of a sudden they're using contended technology that can be affected by the weather, can be affected by buildings, can be affected by congestion. It's very easy for that partner to get spooked because their level of support calls may increase. If they have a partner behind them that can support them in a quick, efficient manner, they are likely to engage in this technology a lot more. That's one of the things we're really hot on.” Van Bunnens adds that while fixed line has become commoditised to the extent that resellers can buy most fixed line services for the same price as wholesalers, when it comes to cellular there are still a few key players, like Comms365, that have proper wholesale relationships and behind the scenes support capabilities, such as billing and portals. “Our portals have been built over 15 years. They are a single pane of glass for all our cellular connectivity and we've incorporated our fixed line and our bonded services in there as well. That's where we feel we can stand out and shine.” To find out more about Comms365’s products and services, please visit www.comms365.com The power of the network Mike van Bunnens explains the value of having a core network of one’s own Technology Reseller: What is the advantage of having your own core network? Mike van Bunnens: We started out investing in a basic core network in a datacentre in London, which gave us the infrastructure to be an internet service provider (ISP). The core network is a collection of servers and routers and switches, routing and processing traffic in a data centre or multiple data centres. It allows you, if you are an engineer or a core network engineer, to bring wholesale connectivity into your own environment and then offer complex solutions to customers. You can do your own routing, control IP addressing, provide internet access and so much more. It essentially allows you to become an ISP and provide the same types of service that most ISPs provide. That could be broadband into offices; it could be a fixed IP SIM for remote monitoring; it could be voice services; and so on and so forth. TR: What constraints did you face when building your core network? MVB: There were a lot of constraints around cost. Core networks cost an absolute fortune. In the early days, we had to buy second-hand parts and servers, so it was all a bit Heath Robinsonesque to start off with. We were trying to prove a concept in our own environment before we went and invested in more cutting-edge equipment. Three or four years in, by 2012, we'd proven that concept. We’d got Tesco’s (see main story). We'd won a very nice contract with Global Crossing to provide 3G into one of their customers, which we delivered within two to three weeks. We still have them as a customer now. And the only reason we could do that was because we had control of our own network. The mobile operators liked working with us because we were very low touch for them. And, from a wholesale point of view, we interconnected with and took control of everything else. So, we're very easy to work with from a supplier relationship perspective. TR: When you say it was a small core network does that mean you were limited on the number of people you could serve? MVB: Yes, in terms of capacity and the sorts of things you can do with it. Core networks come in many flavours, from single servers and routers right the way up to multiple data centres. Our initial network was very small and, over the years, we've been through four iterations of core network. Our current version uses the latest Cisco NCS technology. It's brand new – high capacity, multiple data centres, lots of wholesale connections – and it gives us the ability, which is core to Comms 365, to be very creative with our solutions for customers and partners. Our partners find they get a lot of benefit from us. Because we are core engineers, we know how communications networks work, which allows us to be very flexible in terms of how we deliver services for customers and partners. Partners that have got their own networks, other ISP partners, get a lot of comfort from knowing that when we interconnect with them and deliver services to them, they're getting what they expect. That is a fundamental part of our fabric as a business. We're not just a reseller of cellular communications; we actually deliver very advanced communication solutions to customers and partners. Anybody can sell a SIM card, but with our capabilities we can do a lot of very clever things with those SIMs and with fixed lines and how we deliver technology to people. As we often say, not all SIMs are the same. We can help navigate MSPs to the best options for their customers.
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