Where Vonage Is Heading

Tsahi has a transcript of a really good interview with Vonage CEO Alan Masarek on his BlogGeek.me blog along with a video. In reading the interview, it struck me that Vonage has clearly moved into the business communications market fully, following the successful integration of all of their acquisitions which included two Comunicano clients, Simple … Read more

Do The Blockchain Shuffle

I had to laugh in a very twisted way as I read the Wired article today entitled "The Hustlers Fueling The Cryptocurrency's Marketing Machine." No not because in some ways with some clients past and present I could be easily cast in that lot, but more because of the similarities of what my agency, Comunicano, … Read more

The Traditional Phone Call is Dead

Like many, I've been a Skype user forever. I also use WhatsApp, Facebook's Messenger and a host of other "calling apps." Many of my calls are scheduled, so it's UberConference or Zoom and sometimes GoToMeeting or WebEx. For some "personal" calls its a combination of Apple's FaceTime and Google's Hangouts. And as far as the … Read more

WeWork and Regus Both Need An Affiliate Model

When it comes to co-working spaces WeWork is the elephant in the room. They are the giant. The monster. The leader far and away. About the only organization that can compare, albeit with a different goal and model, is Regus, perhaps the first mover in the world of co-working. But both have gaps in their … Read more

Microsoft Moves More into Conversational AI

Last week when 8×8 made an acquisition I remarked that there would be more. A day later Dialpad announced their purchase. Today, it's Microsoft's turn with the purchase of Semantic Machines. It's easy to speculate why its become a BUY vs. BUILD game surrounding AI. The smart money on the BUY side recognizes that there … Read more

Dialpad Adds Voice AI via TalkIQ Acquisition

Today Dialpad announced the acquisition of  TalkIQ. Just like yesterday's 8×8 AI acquisition this underscores my belief that VoiceAI will be as ubiquitous as collaboration. That means if you're a telco and you're not moving down the AI path and you offer functions like IVR, Voice recording, contact center or conferencing, not to mention regular … Read more

8×8 Makes an AI Acquisition

Today long time VoIP pioneer 8×8 (the company formerly known as Packet8) made another in their ongoing acquisitions to bolster feature set, capabilities and likely to acquire more talent. They purchased MarianaIQ (MIQ) a company which has been around since 2013 in the AI space. AI is the next battleground in telecom, and just like … Read more

Starbucks: One Place to be Working Anywhere

When Starbucks first arrived on the scene I’ll admit I was a bit late to the party. When it came to coffee I was more of an after a meal coffee person, not a coffee addict. In reality, it was Wi-Fi that got me hooked on Starbucks. I would spend time locating the Wi-Fi locations … Read more