Page 3 - SkypeBuzz Fall 2015

Autumn 2015
SkypeBuzz by Telecom Reseller 3
Hosted Lync/Skype Microsoft’s Top Communications Partner

Leads with Skype User Adoption
for Business Trends

As originally seen in the Redmond Channel
Parter (https://rcpmag.com/blogs/service- Barb Levisay
Itrends/2015/06/microsoft-partner-leads-
t’s been a signi cant year in hosted Lync/Skype skype-adoption.aspx)
Owner - Marketing for Partners
Eric Krapf for Business. e biggest news in this regard
was Microso ’s announcement at Enterprise
W
Connect Orlando 2015 that it was adding PSTN creating passionate users who are excited about Program Co-Chair of Enterprise ith a new brand presence, Skype
connectivity to its Skype for Business Online evangelizing the new tools.”
Connect events
for Business simpli es the uni ed
o ering, with implications that Ovum analyst e rst step in Enabling Technologies’ communications message for
Brian Riggs discussed on No Jitter shortly a er the show. But of course in addition to Microso ’s “Lights, Camera, Adoption” program is to work with stakeholders to develop the project had adopted a hosted service for some Lync functionality. Among those who had not adopted partners. Promising much more than just a name change, Microso ’s Skype for Business
own Skype for Business Online o ering, there are success criteria. Next is creating an e ective any hosted services, the breakdown was basically team wants the O ce 365 suite to be at the
a host of hosted services providers who that are user communication plan, which identi es
into thirds: One-third said that they either center of all business conversations -- written,
combining the Lync/Skype for Business platform the users most likely to champion the new planned to adopt a hosted Skype for Business audio and video.
with their own connectivity and integration technology and help other employees who
service, or planned to at least evaluate such a For some advice on how partners can take
services for a broader o ering. In short, as uni ed are more resistant to change. Quick reference service. Just over a third (37%) were dead-set advantage of the growing opportunity led by
communications moves to the cloud, it’s likely guides used in admin and end-user training against hosted Lync/Skype for Business -- they Skype for Business, we looked to Enabling
that Skype for Business will be in the vanguard of are customized to support the client’s unique have never evaluated it and don’t intend to, or Technologies, Microso ’s 2015 (and 2009,
the transition.
business processes. At the end of each client’s they evaluated it and determined it de nitely 2010, 2012) Communications Partner of the
I recently went back and revisited our No Jitter change management program, a user survey wasn’t a t for them. e remaining respondents, Year.
Research survey, elded in April, on Lync/Skype helps identify any problem areas that should be just under one-third, had evaluated hosted and “We are seeing success because we are in
for Business adoption trends, and looked at the revisited.
had decided against it, but were open to re- alignment with where Microso is going, and
question of hosted Lync/Skype for Business. I Interest is re ected in the numbers, with evaluating it in the future.
must go -- user adoption,” said Bill Vollerthum,
found some interesting results, where hosted 80 percent of Enabling Technologies’ clients When I dug into the attitudes of those who president of Enabling Technologies. “About a
adopters’ attitudes and adoption trends diverged opting for organization change management said they’d already adopted a hosted Lync/Skype year ago, we developed a formal organizational
somewhat from the CPE base.
as part of their project engagement. O ered
for Business service, they seemed to be further
change management program which we call
On the basic adoption question, just shy of CONTINUES ON PAGE 9
CONTINUES ON PAGE 9
‘Lights, Camera, Adoption.’ It’s been a very
30% of our 259 respondents said their enterprise
e ective way to promote user adoption, even

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