Business VoIP

There is no question that the burgeoning Latin and South American markets will play an increasingly important role in telephony in the coming years. With that in mind, I was excited to have the opportunity to speak with Alexandre Hebra of Commlogik Corporation about opportunities in the region amid a global economic downturn, the strongest segments of the communications space in those markets, and the overall outlook in the coming years.

 

Commlogik Corporation is a value-added Computer Telephony (CT) distributor for Latin America with local offices in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, also attending to Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Central America and the Caribbean.

The company provides technical support, training, technical seminars, warranty services, RMA, and same-day shipping on most products. They also provide consulting services for projects and implementations, including projects involving the SS7 protocol, digital telephony, Contact and Call Centers, PC based PBX (News - Alert) systems, corporate telephony communications solutions and VoIP.

Are you generally optimistic, Pessimistic or realistic?
Optimistic with caution. The world won't be the same next year.

How many frequent flyer miles have you amassed?
Since I started? A few million, since PanAm started with the program back in the 70's (now I'm on American, Exec Plat).

How surprised are you at the global financial situation?
I knew it was coming.

How is your company changing the way it does business as a result?
Lower inventories, tight cash flow control, shedding unnecessary expenses and costs, better incentives for sales people, new product lines, more training and services being offered to customers.

How have customers reacted to the slowing global markets?
Retracting strongly. Business down 50 percent so far, specially due to major currency devaluations in LatAm (CALA), our main market.

Do you see this time as an opportunity or a rough spot to get through quickly?
Opportunity.

What will companies need to do to survive this downturn?
be creative. Downturns usually bring a lot of opportunities.

How do your company’s’ products help customers in a slow market?
Lower CapEx.

What do you feel is the strongest segment of the communications space? Technology?
VoIP and Video over IP.

Which would you rather be president of and why? Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Cisco (News - Alert), the United States.
Microsoft. I would chop it up and transform it in a "real" software company, that actually produces useful software.

What does President Bush need to accomplish before he leaves office?
Prop up the economy as much as he can (use bailouts, incentives, lower taxes, etc.)... then Obama has less room to make mistakes.

What does an Obama administration need to do to help communications and technology become more pervasive?
Stop interfering, less regulation, improve infrastructure (fiber, etc.), open spectrum, facilitate competition.

Will this slowdown present an opportunity to reinvest in your company/market? If so, where will you invest?
Not reinvest, but re-invent. New ideas, new products, new services.

Which country will present the largest opportunity for your company in 2009/10?
1.Brazil, 2.Colombia, 3.Peru.

What device(s) do you use and wish you used?
Treo 650, notebook, desktop. I wish I had the Treo Pro with the Palm OS (or the new Palm OS that is being talked about for a long time). Don't care about Blackberries and iPhones.

If Nokia (News - Alert), RIM, Google and Apple devices are stranded together on an island, who survives and why?
Depends on the type of island and what I'm doing there! If all I need to do is survive eating coconuts then the iPhone (News - Alert) will keep me entertained. If I want to be remotely accessible and productive, the Blackberry would be better. If all I want is talk, Nokia, if I'm an open source freak the G1 would be perfect.

I understand you are exhibiting at ITEXPO (News - Alert) which takes place Feb 2-4 2009 in Miami. What will you be showing there?
VoIP, Video, Biometric Security, data security.

What sorts of companies/people should come to your exhibit?
Resellers, developers, system integrators, carriers.

Why should customers choose your company’s solutions – and how do they justify the expense to management?
We carry a great product portfolio, with local presence in several LatAm countries, with local support and training. Value, Value, Value....

I am a purchasing decision-maker, why do I need to speak with you before I buy?
Again: Value, Value, Value....

What is your favorite part of your job?
Travel to interesting places.

What do you look forward to in the future and why?
When each person on the planet (and each device) has a unique identifier, like an IP address that you get when you are born. That person could be in touch universally anytime. Same with devices. The real Universal Comm model: sound, video, presence, web, e-mail, msg, geo-location, etc all the time, anywhere, for anyone and anything. Also affordable space travel. And world peace.