As the Ericsson-LG Enterprise 2018 Global Partner Conference 2018 drew to a close at the end of October, it was clear to see the main focus of the event. The opportunity to connect with their partner community is incredibly valuable to the Korean based telecommunications giant.
More than 100 hundred partners travelled to the jewel of the Adriatic, Dubrovnik, for the event which featured a host of interactive content, all tailored to engage and inspire their partner community. Normally attendees, to partner conferences such as this, are restricted to individual regional events, Ericsson-LG Enterprise, however, invite their global family to attend the event. There are various interesting impacts that stem from having a global audience in attendance. A dramatic contrast, in terms of applicable technologies, is clear to see when you compare technology platform adoption region by region. Partners from the UK are leading the way in terms of cloud service provision whereas their Asian based counterparts are more reticent about the possibility of hosted services. Ericsson-LG Enterprise cater for all aspects of the market, cloud, premises-based and hybrid so their portfolio has relevance for all.
The Chief Executive of Ericsson-LG, Patrick Johansson, explains how valuable it is to gather all of their most valued global partners together at the GPC.
"Our partner network really is an extended family. All of the partners who attend are incredibly important to Ericsson-LG Enterprise and being able to receive their feedback on our solutions and services is vital to our growth around the world."
One, potentially unintended, consequence of gathering partners from across the globe is the benefit of agglomeration. Bringing the entire community together, regardless of geographical market distinctions, creates a unique atmosphere where partners can collaborate, compare, copy and compete. Partners take heed from counterparts from other regions, who may be utilising different Ericsson-LG Enterprise technology platforms. It also enables them to examine different logistics and protocols, the results of which can be translated back to their own region and organisations.
UC Today spoke to a selection of partners, from around the globe, who attended the conference to understand more about their home markets and why the GPC 2018 event is so important to them.
United Kingdom
The UK is one of the more advanced markets in terms of cloud service adoption. Pragma Distribution were rewarded as the Ericsson-LG Enterprise Cloud Partner of the Year 2018, reflecting the development of their home market. Managing Director, Tim Brooks, clearly recognises the huge value of the cloud within the UK especially when it comes to application integration. The ability to integrate communications functions within other applications is already a crucial consideration for many organisations enabling improved functionality, data visibility and analysis.
"Last year we delivered 35% of our revenue in the cloud - You can see the way which cloud really does enable much higher application attachment rates"
Italy
Technology markets in Italy tend to follow their more adventurous counterparts when it comes to the uptake of new services. Danilo Marchiori, President of Promelit Communication Systems, explains that as with the adoption of SIP, Italy will more than likely follow suit over the next few years when it comes to cloud service adoption.
"The Italian market, I think is a bit behind other European markets. We are in a migration period, we have to help our reseller partners to better understand the benefits of cloud. In the UK, for example, in the channel they developed it very well but in Italy is more of an obstacle."
South Africa
The South African market has also been slower to adopt cloud communication platforms. Although growth is now visible in the SME sector many organisations are reluctant to begin their own migration to the cloud with various factors responsible. Hannes Viljoen, Managing Executive of Aria Technologies Africa, expands on their market.
"Normally we probably 18 months behind the European market, but there is now some significant movement towards cloud. More often than not now when you have a discussion with customers or partners, cloud will be part of the conversation.
The Ericsson-LG Enterprise iPECS cloud platform is not currently available in South Africa, one of only a few regions globally where it is yet to be available. During GPC 2018 it was revealed that the cloud platform will be made available in the region by the end of 2018.
