News in the Channel – issue #25

PREVIEW 2025

allows smaller businesses to compete with larger players by creating a bigger local relevance and deeper customer connections. Again, this will become a growth area for MSPs as they can help clients leverage hyperlocal data to adjust

their products, services and marketing strategies accordingly. Many MSPs already operate in clearly defined markets and are well positioned to understand their clients’ needs as well as those of their clients’ customers.

John McKindland , head of partner channel UK, Sona Business Last year was a momentous period for Sona Business as we officially entered the UK market from a base in Hull and I started as head of partner channel UK,

in the channel over the past year as the number of top tier communication providers continues to diminish. But we have also seen the next batch of resellers striving for growth, brand building and looking for more white label solutions to bolt into their portfolios. Creating a distinct identity and values will see these businesses grow backed by dedicated channel-only vendors such as Sona. This year will be even bigger and better for us as we host an official launch event at the end of January to formally announce our arrival and engage directly with new partners, as part of a phased nationwide introduction to the UK market. We are also launching a partner program as part of a host of ways resellers can accelerate their revenue streams through Sona Business over the next 12 months.

to spearhead operations over here. In terms of trends, I expect vendor and reseller consolidation will continue in 2025. The contact centre market rallied last year with greater choice available from vendors and we will see a continuation in the deployment of cloud contact centres with omnichannel capabilities. Channel partners are looking for vendors such as Sona to provide a single proposition of a secure hosted contact centre with high-speed reliable connectivity. Elsewhere, the PSTN countdown continues to move ever closer. In addition, there has been a lot of consolidation

John McKindland

sonabusiness.com

Fredrik Hörnkvist , co-founder, Boom Collaboration 2024 was a standout year for Boom, marked by global expansion and

quality video has become a standard expectation, audio often receives less attention – but it’s just as critical. Clear communication is the backbone of effective meetings, and, without it, even the best visuals fall short. We expect to see growing demand for intelligent, wireless and portable audio solutions as businesses prioritise fully optimised meeting experiences this year. Also, AI in many ways is still at an early stage but its impact is gaining traction and will continue to grow. Some video conferencing elements have been around for a while such as echo cancellation in

groundbreaking product innovations. One highlight was the launch of our 'meeting room in a box' kits, designed to streamline equipment selection, enhance user experiences and eliminate installation challenges. I expect the trends in the channel in 2024 to continue into 2025. For instance, the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend is set to accelerate even further. Additionally, we anticipate a significant shift in focus toward the audio side of meeting room equipment. While high-

Fredrik Hörnkvist

boomcollaboration.com

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