As a young girl, Hanna Yanovsky was influenced by Jo March from the book “Little Women.” She appreciated Jo’s independence and the fact that even though she lived in an environment that didn’t necessarily respect creative women, she nonetheless succeeded in becoming a writer, even going against the time’s social standards. This resonates for Hanna today, as she believes it is important to recognize that any ‘glass ceiling’ that exists is only a barrier because of some social standard, and in 10-15 years, the situation will be different. Hanna encourages women and others today not to ‘obey’ these rules, but rather to question them, “sometimes it’s a matter of questioning those ‘rules’ that will drive the changes over time.”

“Caja offers a robotic mini-load ASRS for goods-to-person order fulfillment and robotic warehouse automation.”

Hanna is a critical member of the leadership team at Caja Robotics, where she is in charge of building the platform to meet market needs, business development, and growth strategy. Hanna oversees marketing and sales at Caja Robotics, with other horizontal responsibilities that include identifying relevant segments, determining which customers to approach, a closing transaction with customers, entering new markets, and making sure the company addresses customers’ needs. She is responsible for “how and when” Caja Robotics enters a new market, which strategic partners to cooperate with and how, and works across departments to ensure the company meets customers’ needs. A critical component of Hanna’s role is introducing Caja Robotic’s technologically advanced solution to different industry segments and players and ensuring that Caja’s solution matches their needs. She also focuses on overall growth for the company, experiencing significant opportunities and growth in the US, EU, and the Middle East. This is done closely with other management and team members, as Hanna believes in team’s efforts.

Caja was founded in 2014 by Guy Glass to understand that the fulfillment centers market needed an automated solution, based on his personal experience in the sector. He decided to establish the company and develop the Caja solution together with others – Reuven Della-Torre, who became co-founder and a CTO, and Dr. Ilan Cohen, who became the Chairman CEO. Since then, they have developed the robotics solution and products to meet some of the major pain points of the market, including the drive for retailers and 3PLs to automate their fulfillment centers, the rapid growth of eCommerce globally, together with an increase in daily deliveries, and the recurring labor shortage of warehouse workers.

Hanna joined Caja Robotics in 2019 together with Ilan Cohen, intending to take the company, with the other team members, to the next level as a global player in the industry. Together with Ilan Cohen, they led several financial rounds of the company, most recently in 2020. In the past year, she has overseen the team’s building, especially in Israel, the US, and Europe.

“The logistics market and the world of ecommerce is changing rapidly, and as we have seen this past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the market, with dramatic increases in demand and e-commerce activity that has grown across all segments,” says Hanna. “Caja offers a unique robotic and software solution for warehouse automation. Warehouse automation is a dynamic and evolving sector.”

Caja is becoming gloabal and currently experiencing significant growth; 2020 was a turning point for Caja, both internally and externally. “We have prepared all the building blocks to address high volume projects with hundreds of robots in different territories and we’re expanding globally,” she says. “We operate in the fashion, footwear, 3PL and grocery verticals, with projects of varying scales and we have customers and opportunities in the US, Europe, the Far East and Middle East.” The company is constantly working to enhance and develop technology to meet the needs of the dynamic, fast-evolving sector as eCommerce and global markets evolve exponentially.

“The core of Caja’s solution is our advanced technology,” says Hanna. “We’re able to address the specific pain points of our customers with a set of tools that include AI and machine learning, advanced robotics, and relatively fast deployment that maintains an attractive ROI for customers. At every given time there will be a customer working with our solution somewhere in the world. At Caja, we see ourselves as partners with the customers, our solution will continue to operate within the customers’ fulfilment center for many years and thus needs to offer stability, reliability as well as ability to address some changing needs along the way.” IE

Caja Robotics

Management

Hanna Yanovsky
GM & CRO

Description

Caja Robotics is a goods-to-person (G2P) solution for unit picking that increases order picking efficiency and storage capacity of warehouses, whilst improving the work environment of warehouse employees. Caja achieves this without large investments in warehouse infrastructure, as the robotic system adapts to the warehouse and not vice versa, by using existing infrastructure like shelving, boxes, flooring.

Anita Kovacic, CEO of Raiffeisen Bank Kosovo, has a lot of reasons to celebrate. She has just completed her first year as CEO with the best performance of the bank, including the best bank in customer experience, and the bank has received several local and international awards as the best Bank in Kosovo. According to her, she prioritizes customer centricity along with the digital transformation of products and services and the bank has high adaptability rate to respond to market and industry changes. “I am committed to keep Raiffeisen Bank Kosovo the number one bank in the market and the employer of choice!” says Anita. Being vision-driven, strategic thinker, and goal-focused with a proven history of international achievements, Anita has been setting the standards and maximizing returns to harnessing team strengths to improve corporation-wide performance.

For Anita, collaboration stands for building consensus among executive teams and stakeholders to promote transparency and influence positive change, which has been repeatedly proven. “Clear and effective communication with a wide range of stakeholders, including employees, customers, shareholders, and regulators is the key,” she explains. “I am also paying attention to my impact of leading by example, by being true to myself, being aware that I am being observed and sometimes seen as a role model to other female colleagues.” She has been promoting learning and creative thinking to keep curiosity for leading-edge trends in the financial industry as well as self-development. She is striving for change that builds and rebuilds the organization that serves the customers well and performs at its best.

The steadfast leader has established a reputation as a transformational leader who is driven by challenge, undeterred by obstacles, and committed to furthering standards of excellence. Anita promotes balance in gender equality. “Many studies nowadays show that adding women to leadership teams brings more balanced decisions, and consequently companies are more successful. We are very proud at Raiffeisen Bank Kosovo to have more than 50% female employees including the 50% proportion of females at the Management Board,” she says. “I also participate in Raiffeisen Women Empowerment career talks, which reach female colleagues across the entire Raiffeisen Group with presence in twelve countries in Central and South-Eastern Europe.”

Raiffeisen Bank Kosovo many achievements have been to become a well-established brand built on trust, responsibility, and innovation, alongside living its vision of being the most recommended Bank, implemented via a sustainable business model! “We are proud to be the Employer of Choice and have highly engaged and professional staff,” elucidates Anita. “We care for our customers and have adopted customer-centric innovation alongside offering a leading edge in digital transformation and cyber security.”

Under the leadership of Anita, Raiffeisen Bank Kosovo has been inspiring innovation based on customer centricity, giving space for a ‘try and fail culture’ when it comes to elaborating on innovative approaches and products. Raiffeisen Bank Kosovo is part of the Raiffeisen Bank International group based in Austria. Raiffeisen Group offers a wide range of standard and up-to-date banking services used by more than 2.5 million customers. The Group strives to improve the quality of customer services further, using its experience and the experience of other subsidiaries of the Raiffeisen Group, as well as the latest technologies.

For the future, Anita assures Raiffeisen Bank Kosovo will continue its journey and, most importantly, stay tuned and adoptive to market trends; customer needs, and all in alignment with our Raiffeisen Bank International Group goals. “We will be developing teams and leaders of the future. In today’s global need for tech skills, we will focus to attract and retain community of tech experts needed for continues leading edge digital transformation!” she says. “Raiffeisen Bank Kosovo will further leverage on ESG (environmental social governance) sustainable business approaches and practices.”

“There are challenges and opportunities, on both personal and institutional levels, when I see the future. I am confident that by working together we will embrace the challenges and further rise on the opportunities to achieve continues success. By embracing and pioneering for necessary environmental, social, and digital transformations of Kosovo economy and by keeping the organization fit for the future. And last but not least, by developing leaders and communities for continues sustainable growth,” asserts Anita.

Elyse Boulet, President & Managing Partner, Pigeon Brands, is an out-of-the-box thinker with an energetic and entrepreneurial spirit that is highly contagious. A forward-thinking leader, she is known for her honest and collaborative approach that creates impactful brand strategies and creative solutions which deliver business ROI. As such, she has been on a transformation mandate since she joined Pigeon almost six years ago. Pigeon is a well-known design and branding company that has been building brands for 46 years. With a core business helping CPG companies define or redefine their brands and stand out on the shelf. For years, the company had laid the groundwork for further growth and expansion and put Elyse in place to deliver to this broader mandate, given that this is where her strengths lie.

Elyse gave wings to her people to do what they do best: develop brilliant brand strategies and express them through brand design across multiple marketing and communications channels. Elyse’s approach almost immediately enabled Pigeon to attract new clients and a broader service offering which has been the building blocks for the agency’s expansion into a full-service brand strategy, design and communication agency, working across many verticals across Canada and on the global stage.

Whether it is being a guest speaker, an article where she is quoted, or being part of the Première en affaires female led businesses’ list, friends, female (and non female!) clients and many others have reached out to Elyse, knowing that it is part of her values set to support other women in business. “I have made it one of my personal missions to demonstrate to women that they are a valued part of the business community and that anything is possible for them if they can dream it and work for it,” she elucidates. “Part of this mission is to hire with diversity, equity and inclusion in mind and am proud to run a company that is well balanced in that regard.” Elyse wants to inspire others being more ambitious. For her, ambition emanates from within. “Ambition for a better tomorrow where everyone, no matter their background, their ethnicity or their gender is able to contribute, for everyone to benefit,” says Elyse. “All decisions and actions are impacted by that mindset. Whether it be training, mentoring, or day-to -day activities, it is the driver that puts everything into motion. And although the work remains the main activity, other decisions and actions are important so we live our values and support the communities we live in”.

Through its proprietary Brand Thruth Model, Pigeon builds brand value with every engagement. They help brands navigate a changing world with thoughtful insight, brilliantly creative and relentless execution. “At a time where trust is at an all-time low, truth has never been more important. As design and communication thinkers, truth is the lense that helps us build brands by finding a place for them in people’s changing lives. Truth is not only our rocket fuel, it’s the currency of positive collaboration. Our model helps us in our work for clients, and it also builds a strong culture within our organization”.

One of Pigeon Brands’ best achievements is that their approach has helped them build or expand long-lasting relationships with their clients and employees. In an industry that has high turnaround, it is quite rare to see an average client tenure of 14 years. Working with renowned brands like Danone for 25 years or expanding a 7 years collaboration with IKEA into a broader scope are just examples of those great relationships. This is the same for their average employee tenure of 8 years. “Both are milestones that I am immensely proud of,” says Elyse.

For the road ahead, Pigeon Brands will continue their expansion here and abroad by keeping on their toes for what’s new, how the market is evolving and nurturing the strong partnerships they have created over the years and the new ones they are creating now. “We see the world as one big playground and it’s up to us to continue to showcase our expertise and business understanding to make brands come true,” adds Elyse. WL

12 Oaks Senior Living’s key differentiators are the 1) Symphony of Life Memory Care program 2) Leadership IMPACT training -12 Oaks collaborated with Capacity Leadership Center to create a leadership development curriculum for Executive Directors and Resident Care Directors. Competency and Character are the two main Core Values addressed in this program. 3) High-touch management model – The individualized focus of this concept is complemented by a limited geographical reach. Each Region in the 12 Oaks model is assigned a Regional Vice President. The Regional Vice President, 12 Oaks Solutions-Consultants, and 12 Oaks Office staff members support a maximum of 4-5 communities in a local geographical area. As a result, the experienced RVP spends more time with each community, becoming an expert in the community’s day-to-day activities as well as the surrounding area, and is able to develop personal relationships with community staff, residents and referral sources. 4) Accushield screening process for visitors- The residents’ well-being is important. 12 Oaks employs a cutting-edge guest and vendor screening module that does rapid COVID-19 screening on all visitors and background checks on vendors, including criminal histories and registry checks.5)Prospect-Centered Selling with Sherpa CRM- When faced with life-changing decisions, people need helpers who empathize with their uncertainty and guide them toward a solution. Sherpa CRM is a person-centered technology solution that empowers leasing counselors to intuitively help prospects step-by-step through the emotional obstacles they face while trying to make a senior living decision.

12 Oaks Senior Living’s goal for 2022 is to reintroduce “fun” into daily life. Everyone has been strained by COVID-19, and the focus has been on compliance and wellbeing. Both the staff and the residents benefit from shifting the focus to having fun, enriching activities and finding purpose and belonging. 12 Oaks is likewise committed to innovation. It is looking at telemedicine services for its citizens, as well as Elli-Q.12 Oaks have been experimenting with Bear robotics. This is a robot that assists with service in the dining room. It is a support to the servers and the residents love it.

Lori and her team are very proud of the 12 Oaks Symphony of Life memory care program, which has been patented. The term Symphony of Life™ is an accurate description of what 12 Oaks Senior Living and its crew aim for in their Memory Care communities every day. Lori and the team place high importance on combining the exceptional abilities and potential of each team member and working together to create something amazing, unforgettable, and deserving of the praise of their colleagues, Residents, and the families they care about.

Lori Colwell Jones is an enthusiastic visionary and loves to create momentum, excitement, and a fun environment for staff and residents. Lori is a Registered Nurse, BSN. She has worked with seniors for 35 years in operations and in clinical roles including skilled nursing, assisted living, independent living, and she built the home care company for Holiday retirement. Lori became the Director of Nursing at 21 years of age. She is also a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator and an Eden Associate. Lori is passionate about the core values of 12 Oaks: character, competency, stewardship, servanthood, and its Efficiency focused CQI/ continuous quality improvement / LEAN work. 12 Oaks lives out its values.

Lori says, “ I would say that my mom is my motivational role model. She is a strong woman and ever since I was young she has encouraged me to think beyond my potential and reach for the stars. I was the first in my family to go to college. I came from humble beginnings. My dad was a police officer and my Mom stayed home and was my Brownie leader, the PTA president, among other leading lady roles at that time. She was a great leader and a great example. I took out student loans to go to college, and after five years of college I had some debt, but I paid it all off within 10 years of graduating. My mom would never let me give up and she has been my biggest fan and cheerleader throughout my career. She is my best friend. Lori also adds, “My favorite quote is, “Fate whispers to the warrior, “You cannot withstand the storm.” The warrior whispers back, “I am the storm.”Lori Colwell Jones’s dedication and passion for the organization, as well as her ability to see beyond her own potentials and her desire to do something unique for the senior community, have made her a compassionate and admired woman leader.

“12 Oaks Senior Living brings over 30 years of Senior Living experience to clients, providing highly effective and exceptional third-party management and Consulting Services to senior living communities.”

Lori has substantial senior living experience in her work as Chief Operating and Officer as a Registered Nurse. She oversees a team of regional vice presidents and operational support personnel that are responsible for the operational and financial aspects of 12 Oaks Senior Living properties. Lori began her senior living career as a Registered Nurse and spent the first seven years of her career as a Director of Nursing. After that, she moved on to operations. Lori worked at Holiday Retirement for many years before joining the 12 Oaks team. She worked as Regional Director for 17 of their communities in Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Hawaii most recently. She also held many executive positions at Holiday Retirement, including designing and establishing their home care segment and managed as vice president for their assisted living branch, Spectrum.

Lori says, I love what I do and I nurture the relationships that I have whether it is knowing and supporting my team or helping staff and residents know that they matter no matter what position they serve. I believe in a team approach including mutual respect and caring for associates. The key is that we are all in it together and it is important to always do what is right in the eyes of everyone. I have remained loyal in my positions and to the companies, I have worked throughout my career. I have been promoted to the next level of leadership and responsibility through diligence, passion, and the sheer joy of serving.

Lori began her career in pediatrics after graduating from nursing school. Then, in her early twenties, she moved into elder care and began her career as a Staff Development Director in a Nursing Home. Lori established a state-approved Nursing Assistant certification program at the institution where she worked at the start of OBRA. Within a year, Lori was promoted to the position of Director of Nursing. Lori relocated to Hawaii for two years as a Director of Nursing after a few years of clinical leadership. Lori earned her license as a Nursing Home Administrator in Hawaii. Lori worked as a Nursing Home Administrator for three years, achieving two deficiencies-free surveys in Washington State before being elevated to Regional Director. She has worked in Skilled, Assisted Living, and Independent Living as a regional and vice president.

12 Oaks is an amazing company. Lori considers herself lucky to work for and with a group of people who are passionate about living out and exemplifying the company’s core values, which include character, competency, stewardship, and servanthood. The company’s culture is one of the reasons for the high retention of leaders and employees. All of the company’s executives and leaders receive leadership coaching and training from 12 Oaks. The organization believes in and practices “knowing” its employees and residents, “caring and believing” in everyone, and emphasizing the value of why everyone “matters” at all levels. It’s very amazing that 12 Oaks has such high retention in this day and age when staffing is such a challenge.12 Oaks offers unique services that set it apart from other senior living management companies, giving 12 Oaks-managed communities a competitive edge.

12 Oaks Senior Living manages Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care communities. It provides specialized memory care as well as a 24-hour staff response system with a high touch regional management model.12 Oaks Senior Living has trained staff to support Veterans in obtaining pension benefits.12 Oaks offers one-of-a-kind services that give it a distinct competitive edge. It’s consistently achieving goals via people—building relationships, establishing connections, and pushing forward as a team. It’s all about the people in senior living: community owners, staff, residents, relatives, prospects, vendors, and more.12 Oaks has an integrated, simplified, and quick response management strategy to provide the best service, allowing it to stay tuned in to the needs of its managed communities and respond promptly to any request, challenge, or opportunity.IEWL

DeAnn McClain, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer at Heartland Dental, grew up in the company, starting as an accountant in the support office department and then moving to field operations, learning the inner workings of a dental office. In her years at Heartland Dental, she has also seen the company grow and expand. When DeAnn started at Heartland Dental in 1996, the support office staff had under 20 employees who supported less than 20 offices. Fast forward to today, and DeAnn leads Heartland’s field and clinical operations team which supports more than 1550 offices. DeAnn’s deep knowledge and background allows her to connect the dots from the support office, field, and the dental office itself. Her goal is always to stabilize and guide her team and help them navigate complex situations while remaining calm and analytical. Her experience throughout the years working at Heartland has taught her that trust and strong collaboration are both keys to being a successful leader. “We are a people business so that sort of connection to people and commitment to relationships is key.”

“Heartland Dental is the leading dental support organization in the United States. With 1,550 supported dental offices in 38 states, Heartland Dental is experiencing phenomenal growth nationwide. Our success can be attributed to our focus on culture and a commitment to ongoing advancement.”

As a female leader, DeAnn has been fortunate to have worked alongside Heartland Dental’s founder and executive chairman, Rick Workman, DMD and President and CEO Pat Bauer, who consistently supported her and believed in her strong leadership qualities, expertise, and unique insights. “There have been times where throughout my career I have been the only female in a board room, but even on those occasions, I knew that Dr. Workman and Pat were my constant champions and were going to support my contributions. Heartland has created an environment anchored in its Mission, Vision and Values and at its core is open, welcoming, and fair,” she says.

The pioneering leader’s advice to other female leaders is to start with themselves. “Be open to building yourself as a leader. This means seeking feedback, doing homework, listening to colleagues, identifying the areas you need to focus on, and embracing your strengths.” DeAnn adds, “The more you know about yourself, the better you’ll be able to handle challenges as they come up. You must make sure you are always investing time to build yourself as a leader. This is something I strive to work on every single day.”

DeAnn’s role model is CEO, Pat Bauer. He has always believed in her and – at times – pushed her in situations where she doubted herself, all the while ensuring she was set up for success. “Great lessons have come out of those experiences I didn’t initially embrace. Because of his exemplary leadership, I often find I’m driven to live up to the great example he has set,” she explains. “For such a long time early in my leadership career, I would envision him on my shoulder and say to myself internally, ‘I am going to act before Pat has to ask the question, or – better yet – ask the critical questions before Pat has to even think about them.’ I am an introvert by nature, so it’s been helpful to have that encouragement and push to get out of my comfort zone.”

She believes that female leaders are often expected to have a high EQ, and emphasizes how critical it is to have a healthy balance of EQ and IQ as well as the advantages of being able to leverage both in expertly navigating complex situations. Armed with everything she’s learned and with a focus on developing herself and others, DeAnn and her team have been helping take the company to new heights with the support of leadership.

This focus on leadership and continuous improvement is core to the Heartland philosophy. The company was founded by Dr. Workman, who knew there had to be a better way for dentists to focus clinically while also operating a business. Knowing how to support one dentist well has allowed Heartland Dental leaders to expand this incredible support to more doctors. The company is also laser-focused on enhancing the support they provide doctors, staying informed of trends in the industry, and forward-thinking solutions for supported doctors. DeAnn’s role as the COO is to make sure she is constantly the doctors’ champion and advocate.

As Heartland fulfills their Mission and Vision for its supported doctors – being that advocate remains at the forefront of all situations, innovations, or strategies they take on as a company. “I need to make sure that I am always taking on that role of being a doctor champion. Or making sure I am bringing in the right people and points of view when handling different situations to ensure they have a voice and that they understand the “why” behind our actions/initiatives.” DeAnn adds, “We also have a strong vetting process for new initiatives that always works to balance being leading edge vs. bleeding edge. We don’t want to be aggressive before things have been vetted fully.”

When DeAnn reflects on her career at Heartland Dental, from creating reporting systems in accounting to leading the Operations team through this period of growth, she is motivated by the opportunities that lie ahead. “I am looking forward to working with the Operations team and all of Heartland Dental to bring fresh ideas and new initiatives to life and continue to provide Heartland supported doctors the best support in the industry.” IEWL

Brad Carrell, IT/Telecom Solutions Consultant

With over 250+ Hosted/Cloud PBX providers out there you should know what you are really buying when you peel the onion layers off. This article was written with Enterprise IT departments in mind.

Hosted PBX providers are usually telco carriers or were at some point. Most use Broadsoft, Metaswitch, Shoretel, or Cisco HCS. A few examples (not even close to an all-inclusive list) are West IP, Vonage, Comcast, Momentum, CenturyLink, Windstream, Shoretel, a local data center or local MSP. Hosted PBX providers are hosting someone else’s technology. There are hundreds of hosted PBX providers out there.

Cloud PBX
suppliers built their systems from scratch usually and control all aspects of the service and feature sets. A few examples are companies like Ring Central, Jive, Fuze (formerly Thinking Phone Networks), 8×8, and Broadview. Cloud PBX providers are offering their own technology. Cloud PBX providers will integrate some features from 3rd party suppliers but usually own the majority of their features themselves. When they integrate from a 3rd party, it is usually a feature that all their customers get with a specific Seat type. There is a fairly small number of Cloud PBX providers out there that have made the investment to build their own system.

Large Enterprise customers can often go through an extensive RFP process and still not understand the differences between these options
Failure to understand the differences can result in some missed opportunities on the negotiations, misunderstandings on the redundancy you think you are buying and on the actual end results of the project. If your C-Suite wants a certain feature and it doesn’t work the way they thought it would, then it reflects poorly on the Infrastructure Team. It is a common misconception to think that these 2 models more or less deliver the same service. That is also not at all true. There is an old saying…”the devil is in the details” and that is certainly true in this discussion.

Hosted PBX :
PBX providers do not own the system they are running. They are usually doing one of two models. I will focus on the Broadsoft platform since it is used by the widest variety of service providers in the Hosted PBX space.

Hosted Business Model #1 –
They are buying 2 or more Broadsoft switches for instance and putting them in their own data centers. These multi-tenant switches are very expensive and often the case is they only have 2 switches even if they are a huge national telco provider. If they have 3+ switches it is rare. They still need to buy maintenance and licenses from Broadsoft to run the platform. These providers often already have nationwide DID services and don’t need a full resale model but usually are not Hosted PBX providers as a core business.

Hosted Business Model #2 –
The 2nd model is a resale model where a service provider is renting a Broadsoft “instance” in multiple data centers. If your provider says they are diverse in 5 or more geo-redundant regions, then this is likely what they are doing and worth a follow up question. These providers have higher costs because they are renting the system, the licenses and the maintenance. They are only self-sourcing the support, the sales team, and the billing. This is a “we also” model. We are a MSP but “we also” offer nationwide Hosted PBX services and use Broadsoft to get DID’s in every market. We are a national carrier that sells circuits but to stay relevant “we also” offer Hosted PBX. We are a local data center but “we also” offer national Hosted PBX service. We are a cable company that doesn’t want to lose market share as customers drop their local phone lines and move to SIP so “we also” sell Hosted PBX service to offer more services to our customers. These setups usually work well for smaller companies with a few locations.

Cloud PBX
providers usually built their system from scratch on Asterisk or their own proprietary gear. They are putting their own system in multiple carrier hotels without the need to license or buy maintenance for their core product from a 3rd party. This is where a lot of confusion comes in with Hosted vs Cloud PBX. A cloud PBX is in multiple data centers so that sounds like it is being hosted because technically it is a company hosting their own gear. In this UCaaS environment the difference in the term “hosted” is whether or not they are hosting their own technology (cloud) or someone else’s technology (hosted). Hopefully that makes sense. Cloud PBX vendors tend to be 100% all-in as a Cloud PBX player that doesn’t get involved in selling other products such as circuits except as a necessity to support their core business. Hosted Providers are a mix of companies that range from small local MSP’s all the way through to large global UCaaS specialist suppliers.Understanding the differences in a supplier’s infrastructure can play out in a big way during a proper evaluation and negotiation.

Hosted PBX
vendors can only add some features on their own to a Hosted PBX environment. If you need a feature, they do not have, then they have to stand in line to ask the manufacturer to offer it most of the time. In order to add a feature for a specific customer project they have to stand up a custom instance of just your configuration and make the manual adjustments. When the manufacturer (Broadsoft for example) releases a new software version, then everyone gets it. But if you have a custom configuration with your own “instance” of the deployment, then they have to re-implement the customization every time an upgrade happens. There are always exceptions and this is not an absolute statement but more times than not, this is how it will play out. It is always possible that a future Broadsoft update could make your customization incompatible and no longer work. That has happened before! Your Hosted Provider is not the only one asking for features so they are at the mercy of their supplier for most of the features on their roadmap and when they get them, then all the Broadsoft vendors will get them as well (most of the time). Custom setups for large deployments require complex customizations and if you aren’t buying off the standard menu, then be aware!

Cloud PBX
suppliers are the PBX manufacturer (OEM) and the service provider. They add new features and everyone gets them. If a large customer demands a feature in order to sign up it will get developed and everyone benefits. The downside is this is usually customer project based but the upside is that if enough people are asking it may get built anyway. What has really changed a lot over the last few years is the Cloud PBX vendors for the most part have caught up to the large switch manufacturers and are rarely missing any important features and often have some unique features that they invented.

Food for thought.

1) Understanding the service provider’s business cost model helps you understand who can control pricing and who can’t. Does your provider own their own costs or do they resell someone else’s products?

2) Understanding the training the sales engineers have that are answering your questions comes into play here. Do they only sell this one product or is this a “we also” add-on product. There are Hosted PBX providers that sell Hosted as a core business. I am only asking you to keep in mind if you are working with a specialty supplier or a supplier that offers this service as an add-on product. A common RFP miss by “we also” suppliers is the following. “Do you integrate with Outlook and offer presence?” UCaaS Sales engineers say, “Yes we do!” The problem with this is that what a customer really means usually is that they want to see presence in their actual Outlook screen and that is not what an Outlook API plug-in offers. Now take this same example and think through how you are going to carefully ask questions about the next 80 features you want to have to make sure your true question is correctly answered. RFP’s are for commodities and this is not a commodity product. Experts are needed for UCaaS deployments.

3) You need to really think about whether you want to have your UCaaS environment run by a UCaaS supplier that runs this as their core business or trust your national MPLS vendor with this product as well. The feature sets are really materially different as well between Hosted and Cloud. Some customers truly prefer a telco supplier that can sell them 10 different products with one back to pat. Some customers will take important business decisions to specialty suppliers. Either answer is OK as long as you understand the strengths and weaknesses of each option.

4) There are a lot more ways to compare Hosted vs Cloud and this is just a starting point.Just know for sure what you are buying and how to negotiate with each supplier. Know their cost model and their strengths and weaknesses. Be thorough. Ask for advice.

About Strategic Telecom Partners, Inc. –

Strategic Telecom Partners is a vendor neutral independent telecom consulting firm based out of Overland Park, KS that specializes in helping clients accurately match multi-location IT infrastructure project challenges with the optimal vendor or multi-vendor(s) solution strategy. Strategic Telecom Partners delivers better service, better advice, better overall technical solutions for better prices by providing customers with instant strategic relationships and detailed knowledge of the capabilities of over 60+ global, national, regional, local and niche providers.

Sabine is a goal-oriented person with boundless energy and determination to achieve her ambitions. She is extremely communicative, expressing her ideas clearly, making friends with everyone, being extremely well connected, and therefore managed to pitch her brand very well internationally. She is very Passionate and bubbly about life and her brand ( which is her baby). Sabine Arias was born and raised In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Coming from a family of historical businessmen and entrepreneurs from Brazil, she had a solid background in finance and in managing people, however, her greatest passion had always been fashion.

After graduation from Columbia, she persuaded a diploma at Parsons School of Design and then started working in product development at Salvatore Ferragamo in New York. At this point, using her great communication skills, she made many connections and started pitching her idea to many buyers around the globe. She made the decision to return to Brazil and start her own business, Sabine Arias Brand: which is a brand that brings the Brazilian lifestyle to international women around the globe. All of the production is based in Brazil (with local artisans and all of the pieces are handmade). Sabine like this helps support and help the local workers from the favelas, train them and give them a better opportunity in life. Now, Sabine lives in London where she has her own showroom. Besides London, our biggest showroom is in Milan, and in only 2 years, Sabine Arias sells in over 30 stores over the globe, including the four seasons hotel in Jumeirah, Dubai, the Maldives, and her ultimate destination: her Capri Store.

Sabine Arias brand was born because the founder while living in New York, found that there was a lot of demand in the market for Brazilian fashion: a lifestyle brand that sells versatile dresses to international women that are always on the go. The reason why the brand was such a huge success in so little time is that Sabine produces dresses in Brazil that have strong DNA, brand value and that represent a greater cause. The young designer not only is spreading her dream to the world but at the same time finding jobs for unemployed workers in the favelas in her atelier. She is providing jobs and a better quality of life for the people in her community while spreading her dream and her beliefs in fashion. Every piece of Sabine Arias represents her culture and style in detail.

Sabine Arias’ main point of uniqueness is that it is made in Brazil and sold primarily in Europe. Because Sabine Arias uses her brand to sell international ladies a dream of a different lifestyle and culture. Not only that, but the real (Brazilian currency) is 7 times less than the euro, therefore the brand is able to make pieces that are handcrafted (by local artists) and of higher quality, and sell them in Europe for a considerably lower price than any European-based and produced brand. Upcycling throughout covid and international roots is one of Sabine Arias Brand’s greatest achievements, although other companies took a long time.

Sabine Arias has managed to open stores in over 10 countries around the world, including more than 15 in Italy, selling for major retailers such as the Four Seasons hotel chain in Dubai and the Maldives, and the Rinascente and Coin Excelsior in Italy, in the last two years ( although it was during Covid and it was not easy). The objective now is to keep opening additional stores across the world and to expand even further in the American market. Sabine Arios will attend her first New York Fashion Week in February, with the business having its own exhibit at the Coterie Fair and Javis Center and showcasing her new season designs on the catwalks. Sabine’s success as a trendsetting women leader is due to her spontaneous creative thinking on when, where, and how to market a brand, as well as her successful execution. IEWL

1. While you may freely discuss topics of interest to you, and the Service may include general Content relating to a range of topics, including medical, health, legal, tax, or financial issues, you should not rely on the Service for individual advice on such issues. Instead, we recommend that you talk in person with a qualified professional. You alone will bear the sole responsibility for evaluating the merits and/or risks associated with use of Content obtained on or through this Service before making any decisions based on such Content.

2. The content available on or through this service is in no way intended to and shall not be construed to: (a) constitute professional medical, health, legal, tax, or financial advice; (b) recommend, endorse, or advise regarding any financial instrument or investment strategy in addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in the agreement, we and our licensors, vendors, and/or service providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content obtained on or through this service.