vCom Solutions, the pioneer of Telecom Management as a Service, has announced the release of vManager® 4.1, a new version of its Telecom Expense Management (TEM) software.

vManager 4.1 makes advancements in three key areas of the software platform that give customers control, visibility and business intelligence for the telecom expense lifecycle:
1. Configurable workflows for invoice approval are now available and eliminate the need for manual approval processes and paper audit trails, and also guarantee and expedite enforcement of approval procedures.
2. vManager now supports the loading of PDF invoices from wireless carriers, alleviating the need for obtaining this data from other sources. Besides improving ongoing support to customers, this feature also enhances the completeness of the billing data, giving customers a more granular view of their telecom spend.
3. A new detailed report library, with complete report descriptions, affords vManager users the ability to find information quickly and efficiently.

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2011 will go down in history as the Year of Revolutions. Whether it’s a revolution against an oppressive government or a revolt against “more-of-the same;” things will look quite different in the coming years, and 2011 paved the way… 

On the International political front, we all watched with bated breath the rise of the Arab Spring, and witnessed as millions of young people took to the streets to fight the status quo. The Western world saw glimpses of that spirit, in the form of riots in cities like London, and the occupy movement on Wall Street.

On the technology front, Cloud service providers led the revolution to a computing world where they challenged the way we do things. From small businesses to Fortune 500 conglomerates, companies explored cloud services that ranged from basic offsite backup to deploying mission critical applications in public and private clouds. 2011 saw more businesses than ever focus on reducing their carbon footprint and adopt a green strategy. 

Read more: Letter from the COO: The Year of Revolutions

With the move to nearly all digital telecommunications, which include data, voice, and mobile/tablet devices, big carriers have had to invest billions in building up mobile and fiber-optic networks. The cost of those systems is being paid by, well, your company and many others. Unfortunately many companies lack visibility and control over their telecom spend. And the more the company grows with multiple offices across many states, the more time consuming and labor intensive it becomes to manage the complicated infrastructure. 

Nowadays, often only Fortune 500 companies can dial up the volume discounts that help to reduce costs and increase efficiency. These large companies are able to afford the typical approach of Telecom Expense Management firms, which is to charge expensive software licenses and professional services fees to companies to manage their telecom through a single, online dashboard. 

However there are other unique options of TEM that mid-size companies can afford. For example, a company called vCom Solutions provides the software and professional services for free. No charge. Instead, vCom distributes the carriers’ services — such as Verizon or Sprint — to its customers and uses its wholesale buying power to pass along savings. 

Gary Storm, CEO and founder of vCom Solutions, said that the high cost and complexity of telephone bills and service hassles with the phone company are making the carrier direct model cumbersome and obsolete. Tomorrow’s businesses will expect telecom service to be a low-cost commodity with the invoicing and carrier relationships left to a management firm. 

“From our company’s earliest days we recognized the significant transformation that was going to happen in telecom,” said Storm. “It’s why we continually invested in the development of software-as-a-service products. Technology has now reached a point where the transition from a ‘carrier direct’ model to a ‘distribution’ model is happening.”

 Source: CFO Evolution,   AMF,  July Edition 

 

Lamb processor ends ‘carrier direct’ purchasing model; contracts with vCom Solutions.

Superior Farms, a leading producer of high-quality lamb for retailers and foodservice, has announced it has contracted with vCom Solutions to manage the company’s telecom environment for its offices and production facilities nationwide. 
The decision by Superior Farms to use vCom’s cloud-based management portal for its telecom and end ‘carrier direct’ purchasing and interaction is in keeping with the company’s culture of leadership and innovation in its industry. 
“We believe we’re ahead of the field in bringing leading-edge technology to the food processing industry,” said David Waggoner, V.P. of Information Technology for Superior Farms, based in Davis. Ca. “The cloud-based software solution provides comprehensive visibility and control over our telecom environment and spend.”

Read more: Superior Farms Extends Industry Innovation to Telecom

East Coast Verizon workers are returning to work.  The 45,000 land-line employees who have been on strike for two weeks will return to work Tuesday, August 23, though contract negotiations are ongoing.   The previous contracts will be extended with no specific deadline for a new contract.

Please note that Verizon workers will initially focus on trouble issues relating to priority services such as schools and medical facilities.  They do have a back log with regards to maintenance issues which need to be addressed. Verizon will begin issuing new “due-dates” on orders processed after the strike and we expect those dates to be secured later this week or early the next.  vCom Solutions will be updating you on those new due dates as they are secured.  Provisioning escalations will not be permitted except for orders impacting Public Safety, Medical, E911 or Out of Service situations.  As a reminder, the areas that may be affected with ordering and provisioning include:

• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• New Jersey
• New York
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Virginia
• West Virginia

We will continue to work closely with our management contacts within Verizon to minimize potential customer impact, related to repair activities and installations.  We will pass on relevant information regarding this matter as it becomes available.  As we continue to monitor this situation closely, please feel free to reach out to your vCom Account Team with any questions.  Our technical support team is also available 24x7 at (800) 804-VCOM if you experience any service issues.

 

SAN RAMON, Calif. (Aug. 19, 2011) — vCom Solutions, the pioneer of Telecom Management as a Service (TMaaS™),  is unveiling its latest software at the International Legal Technology Association Conference at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tenn., on Aug. 21-24.

ILTA is the premier peer networking organization for the legal profession, providing information to members to maximize the value of technology in support of the profession Led by Co-Chairs Meredith Williams, Knowledge Management Attorney at Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz, and Kathy Lentini, Director of Information Services at Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels, LLP, the 34th ILTA Conference will include nearly 200 education sessions centered around four areas of discipline – Information Management, Organization Management, Applications / Desktop and Technology Operations.

“ILTA is a must for the user and vendors as it showcases the latest technology being deployed by the Legal Services Industry,” said Roger Topp, director of partner development for vCom Solutions. 

At the conference, vCom will highlight the upcoming release of their vManager 4.0 which has a feature set that is unmatched by competitors, including a new procurement module for selected services, and a carrier management module offering order intervals and SLA’s across multiple carriers.    Read More