Damovo targets telco titans in bid to be top Cisco hosting player

Integrator looks to beat comms giants as it ramps up collaboration-as-a-service game with formation of dedicated business unit

Damovo is aiming to get the best of the telco giants and become the UK's go-to provider of hosted Cisco technology.

The Horsham-based integrator recently set up a dedicated collaboration-as-a-service (CaaS) business unit based around sales of Cisco's Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS) technology. The division includes pre-sales and commercial heads, as well as design, services and installation staff.

Damovo UK managing director Simon Payne told CRN his firm had signed up its first client to HCS 10 weeks ago and is in discussions with about 10 more. He claimed that the opportunities have so far been largely with new clients and asserted that the hosted business will not cannibalise sales of comms infrastructure from Mitel and Aastra.

"A lot of people have tried to build a hosting platform but have been very regimented in what services are provided," said Payne. "We are delivering it around the Cisco HCS platform, which is the most comprehensive end-to-end hosted platform. If you look at the people who can deliver that in the UK today, we are the only non-telco. We can be incredibly innovative and flexible around our HCS offering."

The Damovo boss (pictured) added that his firm differentiates itself from rivals such as KCOM, ACS, Cable & Wireless and Fujitsu by offering a far more bespoke service, giving customers a choice in what services they want and how they are managed and reported upon.

"With the large telcos, if you want HCS, it is a case of: ‘It looks and feels like this and here is your list of 100 items - what do you want? Here is your price'," he said. "When you have a client that is moving from on-premise to hosted, there is a little bit of nervousness because they are letting go of their crown jewels. They want a partner that understands their business and how they operate, rather than just [filling in] a tick sheet."