VoSky Technologies has recently signed a distribution agreement with White Radio, a Canadian telecommunications and technology distributor, to help expand its reach within Canada.
A Sunnyvale, Calif.-based solution developer that leverages the Skype VoIP network, VoSky’s products include the Exchange series of solutions, which are PBX-to-Skype gateway solutions that enable businesses to make free to low-cost long-distance and international calls using Skype. Promising ease of with no end-user training needed, once Exchange is installed the company said users just need to input a preset number (such as 8 or 9) before making a call and Exchange will then find an open line over the network.
David Tang, vice-president of global marketing at VoSky Technologies, said the company decided a Canadian distributor was needed to expand its Canadian reach.
“Up until a while, we [had] to refer our Canadian dealers to our U.S. distributors,” Tang said. “Our policy from a channel perspective is that we don’t sell direct to VARs or end users. Now, with the help of White Radio, they will help us better cover the Canadian market space.”
Tang said White Radio was chosen as VoSky Technologies’ distributor because it’s a well known telecommunications distributor in Canada that is driven by performance. Tom Taylor, director of telecommunications at White Radio’s Burlington, Ont. office, said he sees a lot of opportunity for VoSky in the Canadian market.
“We decided to partner up with them because they’re the only company we found that addresses the growing Skype market,” Taylor said.
Steve Yang, associate analyst in the communications practice division at IDC Canada, said customers are looking to reduce costs and improve productivity.
“They also want to improve their long-distance savings and their relationships with customers. The most important driver with the (VoSky Exchange) solution is (that businesses) don’t need to replace their current PBX systems.”
White Radio wants to keep these solutions fairly exclusive to Canadian dealers by looking to sign only about 50 partners across Canada. Along with training, Taylor said partners that deploy VoSky solutions through White Radio can expect to see anywhere between 35 to 40 per cent profit margins.
“We’re introducing these solutions as a cost-savings method to help connect offices,” Taylor said. “We want to get dealers interested in selling the product and hopefully the end users will see a large cost savings once they start using this.”
Based on current Canadian market trends, IDC’s Yang forecasts VoIP solutions to fully take flight over the next few years.
“Companies are moving to VoIP solutions and IP-based networks,” Yang said. “It’s only a matter of time until businesses will make the move. It’s just a question of when and what factors will trigger the move.”
