Digital transformation was the theme at GITEX 2017, and companies from around the world came together to show vendors, partners, and customers what they could do to facilitate the next stage of UC development. For Polycom, the focus is on simplifying the communication process, while still giving customers access to the diverse range of new solutions on the market, from huddle spaces to HD video. I sat down with Glynn Jones, the EMEA Channel leader for Polycom, to talk more about the future of the company.
Tell Us a Little About Your Experience with Polycom
Glynn is a Polycom Veteran who has worked with the business for more than 17 years now, managing huge elements of the company.
"I think one of the key changes for me was in 2007 when I was invited to take on the voice business. Polycom was known for its conference phones, and at that time we were starting to explore SIP technology. I put together a team of people who were focused on understanding the marketplace, and the types of go-to-market strategies we needed to employ to thrive. It was an interesting ride involving a few acquisitions and a lot of learning."
How Is Polycom Changing?
As Jones mentioned himself, the shift for Polycom into the Open SIP market was a huge change, so I was interested to discover what he considered some of the most significant evolutions in the Polycom strategy were right now.
"In technology, a lot of changes are taking place constantly. Every company needs to make sure that they're embracing those changes and driving forward. However, one of the main things that Polycom does, as a business, is focus on the partnership side of our organisation. We're a partnering company, strengthening connections on the back-end for open SIP with companies like BroadSoft and Microsoft."
Polycom's first public strategic alliance with Microsoft took place in 2004, and they've followed with the company on their journey through Skype for Business, and now with Teams. Of course, there are other partners in the works too. "The backend is about making sure we're working with the right partners to provide the best solution. However, the go-to-market partners are key too, as we strive to create a more complete solution."
Do You Think We're Going Full-Circle with UC Complexity?
Right now, Polycom is focusing on offering simplicity to their customers in an increasingly complicated marketplace. However, in the desire to make things simple, Polycom is now integrating their solutions with a range of new technologies. I wondered whether Glynn believed that the market was going full-circle in the search for simplicity.
