Avaya, Taking Aim At UC Rivals, Hires Former Mitel Cloud Leader As Channel Chief
.png)
Unified communications giant Avaya has a new channel chief at the helm: telecom veteran Jon Brinton, who served most recently as UC competitor Mitel's cloud leader.
Brinton has been appointed to vice president of North American channel sales for Avaya. The executive is now responsible for Avaya’s channel sales strategy and supporting and educating the company's extensive network of partners, distributors and resellers on cloud opportunities, Avaya said.
Brinton is filling the spot that Avaya's former channel chief, Gary Levy, left in March when he joined Oracle as vice president of worldwide enterprise alliances and channels.
Reports surfaced in April that UCaaS leader Mitel was looking to buy Avaya in a merger valued between $2.2 billion and $2.4 billion. The deal, which was thought to help the two companies compete against their larger UC competitors, including Cisco Systems and Microsoft, never panned out. Avaya was also reportedly considering a leveraged buyout from a private equity firm that would have valued the company at more than $5 billion in March.
Brinton most recently served as President of Mitel's cloud division and saw the business segment from its inception through expansion to a global market share leader in the UCaaS space over the past 11 years, according to Santa Clara, Calif.-based Avaya. Brinton has also held senior leadership roles with companies in the networking and telecommunications industry.
Since emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2017, Avaya has been focused on shifting its business to a cloud-based business model. The company said that Brinton's appointment signals Avaya's transformation as the partner-of-choice for communications solutions for SMBs and enterprises with an emphasis on cloud and new subscription models.
Avaya in October formed a cloud alliance with UC rival RingCentral, bringing to the table Avaya Cloud Office by RingCentral. Via the terms of the deal, RingCentral said it would purchase $125 million in Avaya stock for a 6 per cent equity position in the company, while also advancing Avaya $375 million for future payments and licensing rights.
“I am pleased to be joining Avaya at such an important time, as the company works to reshape a customer-driven approach to delivering innovation in its communications and collaboration solutions,” Brinton said in a statement. “I am also excited about the opportunity to build the partner infrastructure to help drive the success of the new Avaya Cloud Office UCaaS offer resulting from the recent partnership with RingCentral."
Avaya does about 80 per cent of its business through the channel today.
source crn
Industry: Unified Communications
Latest Jobs
-
- Senior Presales Consultant | Managed Security Services | London
- London
- N/A
-
Senior Presales Consultant – Managed Security Services Location: London-commutable (Hybrid) A well-established cyber consultancy is seeking a Senior Presales Consultant to drive growth across its managed security services / advisory portfolio. This hybrid role bridges commercial and technical expertise supporting solution design, shaping customer proposals, and guiding conversations from scoping through to delivery. Key experience: Background in managed security services, including SOC operations and threat detection Strong knowledge of cloud and on-prem security tooling (SIEM, EDR, IAM) Penetration testing Proven ability to translate technical concepts into clear business value Confident in customer-facing engagements and pre-sales delivery Experience contributing to bids, proposals, and RFI/RFP responses To find out more contact me on 07884666351 Visa sponsorship is unfortunately not available for this role.
-
- New Business | Cyber Security | Overlay sales (UK Based- London commutable)
- London
- N/A
-
New Business Sales Hunter needed | Cybersecurity (UK Based- London commutable) Are you looking for uncapped commission, a fun and sociable team that drives success with no politics? If so...You must Have a demonstrable history of sales success in Cyber Security Follow Weatons law. The role: Seeking a proven New Business Sales Hunter to join an established, successful and expanding team. New business focused - £500-750 GP Sell a blend of security services & professional services. Ideal experience selling some or all of the following Cyber strategy & risk management Managed detection & response (MDR) Penetration testing Compliance & audit support You: Strong cybersecurity/IT services sales track record. Confident selling into mid-market & enterprise. UK based - London commutable Hunter mindset, full sales cycle ownership. Don't just send an email to apply give me a call on 07884666351
-
- New Business Sales Hunter | Cyber Security (UK Based)
- London
- To attract the right person
-
New Business Sales Hunter needed | Cybersecurity (UK Based) Are you looking for uncapped commission, a fun and sociable team that drives success with no politics? If so...You must Be UK based - and able to achieve UK SC clearance. (sorry no visas) Have a demonstrable history of sales success in Cyber Security Follow Weatons law. The role: Seeking a proven New Business Sales Hunter to join an established, successful and expanding cyber security firm. New business focused - £1m GP year one target (ramped). Sell a blend of security services & professional services. Ideal experience selling some or all of the following Cyber strategy & risk management Managed detection & response (MDR) Penetration testing Compliance & audit support You: Strong cybersecurity/IT services sales track record. Confident selling into mid-market & enterprise. UK based - London commutable 1x per week. Hunter mindset, full sales cycle ownership. Don't just send an email to apply give me a call on 07884666351