July 2014
Cloud and Connectivity Driving Changes Ahead
 
Key Mergers  Perspective
 

 

Already more than $125 billion in telecom mergers and proposed acquisitions have been reported in 2014.

 

- Comcast and Time Warner Cable ($45.2B)

- Level 3 and TW Telecom ($5.7B)

- Birch and CBeyond ($323M)

- Sprint and T-Mobile US ($32B- 40B)

While these represent momentous shifts in the industry, they are only the beginning. Vodafone is looking for acquisition targets, Zayo is acquiring more European assets, and Colt's profit warning is renewing sale speculations.

 

So what does all of this activity mean for you? In short:  fewer and larger competitors.

  
In Our Community
Our Insiders are active within the technology community.  Here are just a few of the events we attended recently.
The Insiders tee off with Anil Cheriyan of Suntrust at the ATP CIO Golf Tournament. 

Jackie Boudreau and David Hicks (Cox Communications) join Insider Emily Ashley at our Happy Hour at TopGolf Alpharetta. 
Insider Carrisa Baptiste and Maree Brown of Ernst & Young attend Women in Technology's 20th Annual WIT Connect at the Georgia Aquarium. 
Welcoming Our Newest Insiders

Eddie Caamano 

Analyst

Armand Dixon 

Consulting Analyst

Brian Lemmings 

Program Manager

Marshall Goldman 

VP Lifecycle Services 

Kristy Miller 

Analyst

Sharon Penso 

Client Engagement Manager

Jim Wright 

RVP - Dallas


Insider Results


Looking for best-in-class performance, scalability and price? Our Insider knowledge and expertise will get you there faster!


Inside the Melting Pot

Advocate to Host Insider Summit
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our inaugural Cloud and Connectivity Insider Summit, taking place in Charleston, SC from November 5-7, 2014. This landmark event will be driven by 14 leading CIOs in thought-provoking panels and networking sessions that address the evolving landscape of IT. 

For registration and a complete list of confirmed panelists, please follow the link below.
Cloud Reimagined
John Johnson, Vice President Cloud Consulting

As the world of cloud and connectivity continues to evolve, the Insiders at Advocate understand we must be dynamic in our efforts to meet client needs. To that end, we are pleased to announce the formation of our Cloud Consulting Practice led by John Johnson to assist organizations with harnessing the power of Cloud Services to drive real business benefit. 

 

The "Cloud" represents a paradigm shift in computing, transforming the way IT and business services are delivered and managed.  With over 5,000 cloud based services available today, nearly all enterprises use Cloud services - whether they realize it or not. The Cloud challenges business executives to look at old problems in a new way, and create new solutions. We help our Clients uncover the Cloud Services used today, assess the business impact of these services, and define strategies for adopting and managing The Cloud. 

 

John, now our VP of Cloud Consulting, has been with Advocate for over 6 years and previously was with Sage Software and Deloitte Consulting.

 

Roaming Relief
EU Imposes Ceiling on Mobile Charges

Has Accounts Payable ever dreaded opening your company's mobile phone bill for fear of steep roaming charges? You're not alone. In fact, according to a survey by iPass, nearly 50% of mobile workers have received an exorbitant roaming bill more than once per year, with the highest bills averaging over $1,000. What causes such huge bills? The end-user's price reflects five different elements:

  1. The wholesale charge for using the roaming network
  2. Handling and routing costs between the roaming and user's network
  3. Transmission costs to the receiver's network
  4. Signaling fees between all networks and overhead costs
  5. The user's network taxes such as VAT

Since 2007, the European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, has been fighting back by capping all consumer roaming charges. Effective July 1, 2014, these caps have been lowered to €0.19 per minute for outgoing voice calls, €0.05 per minute for incoming voice calls, €0.06 per outgoing text and €0.20 per megabyte while roaming in the EEA (European Economic Area). 


Companies Leveraging Our 
Insider Advantage
  • Fortune 500 Replacement Parts Service Provider
  • Fortune 500 Mass Media Company
  • Fortune 1000 Building Products Wholesaler
  • Multinational Publishing & Information Company
  • Regional Supermarket Chain
  • Leading Financial Services Company
  • National Casual Dining Restaurant Chain
  • National Auto Insurance Provider
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