Newsletter | Q1 2019

Ted Schuman
Founder/CEO, PlanetOne

From the CEO’s Desk

Never Better

We’re closing in on the first quarter of 2019, and the energy around PlanetOne has never been better. We kicked off the year with new relationships, a new series of incentive rewards and an incredible recognition in the online hit Amazon Prime’s “Self Made!” In case you missed it, check it out: https://bit.ly/2S82v3h. The team at Self Made did an amazing job capturing how we got started and why we’re the ones you trust to get it done.

Adding to the excitement of the New Year was our first 2019 Tech Tour, held in Las Vegas last month; it sold out fast and is still being talked about by our partners and providers in attendance. The program was incredible – from the 8×8 workshop to the Hybrid IT partner / provider panel on and then of course, the VIP NHL experience at T-Mobile stadium. It may be one of the few times in my career where I am happy to see that what happened in Vegas didn’t stay in Vegas! #WorkHardPlayHard

Fast forward a couple weeks, and here we are on March 1 celebrating our new digs in Scottsdale with two months of record-setting sales behind us. This new space is perfect for us, and for those who made it to our Open House last week, the writing on the walls says it all. For more on what I mean check out these pics on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/planetone-communications #EverythingMatters

As I said earlier, the energy around PlanetOne has never been better, and on behalf of the entire team here at PlanetOne, thank YOU. Your friendship and your business mean everything. You’re the reason we do what we do and work harder than the rest to earn your business each and every day. If there’s anything more you need from us, just ask. Pick up the phone, shoot us an email or better yet, come by and say hello in our new office space!

And one more thing…our next PlanetOne Tech Tour is March 28^th in Anaheim, California. For those not on the West Coast, the weather alone may be all the incentive you need. It’s going to be beautiful in SoCal and just like Vegas, this Tech Tour will sell out and we have another powerful program so if you’re planning to join us, register here.

Enjoy the week and I look forward to seeing you soon,

Ted Schuman, Founder/CEO
PlanetOne

Company Name: IN8 Solutions
Headquarters: Tempe, Ariz.
Website: www.in8solutions.com
Year Founded: 2002
Key Markets/Verticals Served:Retail, Wholesale, Call Centers, Financial Institutions, ISP’s, Health Care, Hospitality, Restaurants, and System Integrators.
Specializations: IN8 Solutions is a full-service communications agency offering communications products and services from numerous Communication Service Providers (CSP’s) and Carriers.

IN8 Solutions: PlanetOne Inspires its Partners to Win
IN8 Solutions is a full-service communications agency offering products and services from a broad range of communication service providers (CSPs) and carriers. Tom Giannaros of IN8 Solutions says, “Our focus and expertise enables us to effectively work with businesses to select, acquire and manage voice, data, and internet solutions. We leverage our relationships with CSPs and carriers to provide our customers the best pricing, terms, quality, installation intervals and SLAs. Further, our carrier-neutral position allows us to work with the providers, but work for our customers.”

Exceptional Leadership and Customer Experience Drive Recent UCaaS Win
It has been several years since IN8 Solutions first started teaming with PlanetOne. “We had been working with other master agents, but had a customer looking for a specific solution, so we decided to shop around and look at other options that were available,” says Giannaros. “We met with Ted and the team and were able to quickly identify the provider the customer wanted to go with. Since that time, we’ve found PlanetOne to be a great partner with exceptional leadership.”

One of the things that IN8 Solutions appreciates most about PlanetOne is the customer experience. Giannaros adds, “Customer service has become almost nonexistent in our world today, yet PlanetOne continues to excel in this area, creating a foundation that drives success all around. Their expertise in the field, along with their knowledge of the carriers in their portfolio, helps us find the right solution each and every time.”

In the case of IN8 Solutions’ recent UCaaS win, Masergy, a PlanetOne Preferred Partner, had the right product for the customer. Giannaros says, “We have always been a very self-sufficient organization, but where our engagement with PlanetOne adds tremendous value is when we come across emerging technologies, like UCaaS, that we are not as familiar with. Without PlanetOne, we would not have had the ability to bring this product to the table.”

Masergy Eases Management, Improves Flexibility for Heavy Equipment Firm
The customer IN8’s recent UCaaS win with Masergy and PlanetOne is a heavy equipment rental company that has 70+ locations throughout the southwestern United States with plans to expand further east.

After attending a seminar, the customer’s leadership team realized that in order to drive productivity and efficiency within their organization, they needed more efficient communications between employees working in their branch offices. They no longer wanted to have dedicated resources responsible for the management, monitoring and remediation of their telephone systems.

“They found the Masergy UCaaS solution to be very attractive given that they were already using the provider’s networking and SIP solutions,” says Giannaros. “Further, they were also Cisco customers, and when Cisco purchased Broadsoft, that made it even more appealing given Masergy’s relationship with Broadsoft. It really was a win-win-win for the customer, Masergy and IN8 Solutions.”

Initially, the customer was planning to roll-out its UCaaS system one branch at a time, but found that the ease of management and flexibility of the solution enabled them to go at a faster pace, rolling out 40 branches during the first phase.

A Culture of Winning
IN8 Solutions is fond of telling customers “forget what you know about IT, if you can dream it, I can draw it, we can do it.” It’s a strategy that has worked well for the communications agency over the years, and one that contributed to their success with the Masergy UCaaS win. “We are committed to going the extra mile to get our customers from point A to point B, and will bring whatever solutions to the table that are available to ensure what we are implementing meets their unique needs and requirements,” says Giannaros.

He continues, “One of the reasons we enjoy working with PlanetOne is the tools they provide that empower us to implement new solutions and strategies for our customers. We always feel confident in knowing they are up on the latest trends and technologies, and love the fresh ideas that come from their team. Further, the great support they offer and on-time payments help to foster a culture that is all about winning.”

Giannaros reflects on his decision to team with PlanetOne as one of the best moves his company has ever made. “We are grateful for the partnership and look forward to many successful years ahead,” he says.

For more information on the PlanetOne Partner Program, visit https://www.planetone.net/partner-program/.

Frontier Communications is pleased to share some recent updates regarding new services and products available to Commercial customers through our Partner community.

Frontier Connect – Cloud

Frontier Ethernet customers (using EIA, E-LAN, EVPL, or E-Reach) can easily add Frontier Connect-Cloud to establish private cloud connections with an extensive list of major Cloud Service Providers. Connectivity occurs via private Ethernet Virtual Connections (EVCs) from customers on the Frontier Ethernet network into a cloud exchange point-of-presence with Equinix.

Benefits of Frontier Connect-Cloud:

• Increased security. Our private cloud connections improve security by helping your business avoid exposure to Internet threats such as DDoS attacks.
• Access to cost efficiencies of the cloud. Enables you to securely take advantage of the cloud’s shared infrastructure and pay-as-you-go pricing model and eliminate the high costs of maintaining and managing in-house data centers.
• Improved performance. Service Level Agreement maintains access to cloud applications with reliable, high-performance Ethernet connectivity. In the event of an issue, redundant connections can divert traffic to maintain business continuity.
• More convenient management. Provides a single network connection to access multiple Cloud Service Providers.

Frontier Commercial Broadband Overhaul

Frontier is standardizing its Commercial FiOS, Fiber and Copper Internet speeds nationally, including CTF, Legacy, and CT markets.  This results in performance improvements and a better overall Internet experience for the Commercial customer.  In addition, this update standardizes our pricing nationwide, simplifies customer billing and guarantees customers receive 90% of the speed they select.

Overall, this allows Frontier to focus on productivity and being a trusted partner for the customer’s business needs.

FiOS and Fiber speed packages are available to commercial customers at qualified locations in the following states/markets.

FiOS and Fiber Capable Locations in the following states:

At PlanetOne, we value the contributions our employees make to ensure both our success and that of our providers and partners. In our newsletter each quarter, we shine a light on one of our amazing employees. This quarter, we are featuring Jonathan Hartman, Senior Vice President of Sales.

Responsible for driving sales initiatives, increasing revenue and closing record deals across PlanetOne’s growing nationwide partner base, Jonathan joined PlanetOne in 2011. Since that time, he has focused on transitioning partners from selling traditional telecom services into more complex and complete connectivity, cloud and IT solutions. He is also a regular presenter at PlanetOne’s nationwide Tech Tour events and at various vendor forums. In February 2019, Jonathan was recognized for the fifth consecutive year as a CRN Channel Chief, for his exemplary sales leadership and channel advocacy.

We recently sat down with Jonathan to learn what he likes most about working at here at PlanetOne, and how he spends time away from the office.

Q: What do you like most about your job? Working with PlanetOne?

Every minute of every day at PlanetOne is different. Because I’m involved in so many facets of sales and the business itself, there is always a new challenge which makes for a very dynamic work environment. During my career, I’ve never had such an opportunity to utilize my entire skill set as I do here at PlanetOne. The diversity in my interactions with our partners, suppliers and my co-workers, and the ability I have to truly provide a meaningful experience motivates me to drive harder every day.  

Further, the culture here at PlanetOne makes it possible for me to both relate to and interact with our partners in a manner which is most conducive to ensuring their success. We are never going to demand that our partners do business with us where they are required to fit a certain mold. This freedom and flexibility is what differentiates PlanetOne from our competition.

Q: What is your favorite thing to do when you aren’t working?

 I love spending time with my wife and our family. Whatever activity it is, whether playing cribbage or touring a winery, we have a lot of fun together.

Q: Do you have a ‘bucket list’? What are some of the things you would want to do if time or money were no object?

My bucket list getting longer with the passing of each year. I can’t help but keep adding things to it! As such, my goal now is to focus on being around long enough to accomplish everything I want to do. At the top of my list is returning to Switzerland to spend some quality time, unplugging from work and getting away from it all. I spent two years there before college and I would love the opportunity to go back. 

Q: Do you have a favorite saying, mantra or quote?

“Exist to make a difference”. I always aim to make a difference. We are put on this earth to do exactly this. It is what my father taught me growing up, and what I strive to demonstrated to others.

Via Linda Senior Center in Scottsdale was the organization chosen by the PlanetOne team this quarter for the From the Heart philanthropy. The Senior Center is part of Scottsdale Senior Services which provides an integrated system of services, resources and opportunities to help people improve their lives, neighborhoods and community through recreation, social services and health and wellness services.

Recently, the Via Linda Senior Center was in need of care packages for their low-income seniors and the FTH team stepped in to package and deliver 20 kits which contained Toothpaste and Tooth Brushes, Deodorant, Chap stick, Sunscreen, Ensure, Snacks (Raisin; Pretzels; Trailmix; crackers) Kleenex and Soap. We are excited to think of these care packages bringing joy and brightening the days of those who receive them.

For more information on how to help seniors in the Scottsdale, AZ area go to https://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/seniors

Join us for these educational and networking events focusing on emerging technologies, industry trends and valuable product information. Our mission is to enable agents with the knowledge and tools to succeed in the ever-changing world of telecom & IT services. Each Tech Tour stop features executive speakers from our 2019  Preferred Providers, creating valuable engagement with some of highest regarded executives in the industry.

Win great prizes and receive gift packages just for attending. There is no cost to attend and meals are complimentary. These events are exclusively for PlanetOne agents, prospective channel partners and our Preferred Providers.

The PlanetOne Tech Tour 2019 schedule includes the following stops:

Join us for these educational and networking events focusing on emerging technologies, industry trends and valuable product information. Our mission is to enable agents with the knowledge and tools to succeed in the ever-changing world of telecom & IT services. Each Tech Tour stop features executive speakers from our 2019  Preferred Providers, creating valuable engagement with some of highest regarded executives in the industry.

Win great prizes and receive gift packages just for attending. There is no cost to attend and meals are complimentary. These events are exclusively for PlanetOne agents, prospective channel partners and our Preferred Providers.

The PlanetOne Tech Tour 2019 schedule includes the following stops: