Access4 Acquires Channel UC to Scale Capabilities in Cloud Communications

Melbourne, 16 September 2024 – Access4 has announced the acquisition of Channel UC, a move that brings together two Australian industry innovators with complementary strengths and creates a comprehensive product portfolio that addresses the evolving needs of modern businesses.

Access4 will leverage Channel UC’s expertise in omni-channel contact centre solutions, AI product development, professional services and proprietary Session Border Control as a Service to further round out Access4’s existing portfolio of UCaaS, analytics, messaging and security products.

The combined entity is well placed to deliver enhanced value to partners and customers through Access4’s leading SASBOSS® unified cloud communications and collaboration platform. The acquisition now grows the combined transacting reseller base to over 600 partners and over 300,000 services on the platform.

A Unified Vision and Strategy

The acquisition also brings the 22-strong global Channel UC team into the Access4 family, ensuring a seamless transition and continuity of service for all staff and partners. Channel UC’s Managing Director, Brad Milne, and Director, Matt Milne, will become new members of the Access4 senior leadership team. Both will continue to play pivotal roles in shaping the strategy of the business and deepening relationships with partners and vendors while driving the shared vision of both organisations.

Brad Milne and Matt Milne bring with them a wealth of industry knowledge and a track record of proven results. Their addition bolsters Access4’s vision of expanding into the European market in the near term, further strengthening the company’s ability to execute on its profitable growth.

Strengthening Product and Service Offering

This acquisition is a key milestone in Access4’s mission to deliver industry-leading unified communications solutions. Channel UC’s expertise will add significant value to Access4’s product portfolio, specifically in the areas of:

Omni-channel Contact Centre Solutions: Enhanced multi-channel communication capabilities to meet the diverse needs of modern businesses complimenting the existing CCaaS connectors that Access4 launched earlier this year.

Artificial Intelligence Integration: Vendor agnostic advanced AI tools to optimise both partner and customer interactions to streamline operations in existing and new communication platforms.

Professional Services: Expanded service offerings to support partners in deploying and optimising solutions, especially for complex CCaaS solutions.

Session Border Control as a Service (SBCaaS): Virtualised, self-managed SBC’s, which allow our partners the ability to connect third-party UCaaS or CCaaS solutions anywhere in the world, to our robust ecosystem of products.

These enhancements align perfectly with Access4’s commitment to providing comprehensive, future-proof solutions that empower the organisation’s partners to excel in the competitive landscape.

Benefits for Partners: A Better Together Story

“For both Channel UC and Access4 partners, this acquisition represents a “better together“ story,” said Tim Jackson, Managing Director at Access4. “By combining our strengths, we are positioned to deliver greater innovation, expanded support, and enhanced business opportunities. With an innovation first approach, the combined team plans to fast track integration of Channel UC’s solution into SASBOSS® and provide a scalable and automated approach to communication in different regions.”

Partners will benefit from:

Improved Product Offering and Automation: Access to a broader and more robust product portfolio that addresses a wider range of business needs whilst delivering on the opportunity to scale through SASBOSS®, Access4’s innovative OSS/BSS platform that empowers service providers to scale through self-service.

Consolidated Support Resources: Enhanced support capabilities, including soon to be released follow-the-sun capabilities that ensure smooth operations and faster issue resolution. As well as access to additional marketing resources and enablement, events and thought leadership.

Seamless Business Continuity: A commitment to ensuring limited disruption during the transition. Channel UC partners will have access to a flexible transition program designed to allow them to migrate to the new environment over an extended period of time based on their demand for the broader product portfolio.

Looking Forward

“The merger marks a new era in cloud communications,” said Brad Milne. “As we integrate our operations, our priority remains focused on supporting our partners and delivering exceptional value. With months of behind-the-scenes preparation we are excited to offer our partner network access to both organisations combined strengths to deliver innovative solutions that empower meaningful partnerships and outcomes that solve problems for customers and to thrive in an increasingly digital world.”

This latest acquisition by Access4 follows the company’s acquisition of Perth-based Novum Networks in December 2022, which resulted in the consolidation of Novum’s network and platform into Access4’s industry leading Voice and UC environment.

Sydney-headquartered Channel UC was previously a stand-alone division of Mia Distribution and was launched as a separate, independent business when Mia was acquired by Bluechip Infotech in 2022.