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
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
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
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
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
Tomorrow something very special is happening to. I'm being inducted into the AAHA's Hall of Fame. I'm already the youngest ever Director Emeritus since 1988 and now will become the youngest ever Hall of Fame inductee….but given how early I started, well, this should be no surprise. Thirty years ago I "retired" from the … Read more
A few days ago I wrote about the changes with Google search algorithm. The folks at Revvim have now come forward with a new video series called Workshop Wednesday, designed to help digital marketers uncover and better understand the challenges their facing. In this week's video Matt LeBaron goes into detail about the importance of … Read more
A private equity firm, Searchlight, is buying Mitel for 2 Billion dollars reports TechCrunch. This is no surprise but clearly the buy of Shoretel helped as the cloud focus of Shortel is the direction where things are heading, while Mitel has a large list of legacy telco customers. It's an interesting buyout by a PE … Read more
This weekend I ventured up to Lompoc and the 36th Annual Santa Barbara Vintners Festival. Having been to previous events as far back the early 90s the event, the participants and the attendees has clearly changed, as has the tone of the event over the years. The crowd was more local. The tone more subdued. … Read more
Tercero Wines Larry Schaffer is a long time wine industry renegade. He doesn't make wine for critics. He doesn't chase scores and he epitomizes the spirit of a Rhone Ranger. That's why every time I get the chance to taste something that isn't only oh so Rhoney from him, I jump at it. Yesterday I … Read more
