MS Distribution at UKWISPA: All the latest from the September Members Meeting
As the newest member of the MS Distribution Team it was with a little apprehension and a bucketful of excitement that I travelled to a rather sunny York for my first UKWISPA Member's Meeting. As a commercial kind of guy, the level of expertise within the room was somewhat daunting. From WISP’s to Installation Engineers and from Technical Distributors to Land Conservation Experts, the day was certainly going to offer an abundance of variety!
Thankfully, MS Distribution M.D., Ian Bushrod, a very well-known industry figure, was able to chaperone me around the room making the necessary introductions to other key players within market. This saved me wandering around and talking to strangers with tears in my eyes like a lost 5-year-old in the supermarket. What struck me first and foremost was the exceedingly friendly welcome from everyone I spoke to along with the incredible sense that collaboration was just part and parcel of the WISPA community regardless of background or sector. Competitors and colleagues alike chatted avidly about their networks and competing products. Egos were left firmly outside of the City walls encouraging a truly synergistic environment.
Exciting Talks and New Announcements
David Burns and Hal Ponton, UK WISPA Board Members, were warm and engaging from the outset; both displaying an abundance of knowledge, a healthy sprinkling of wit and a good helping of self-deprecating humour. Ensuring engagement via various vehicles the agenda consisted of a mixture of individual speakers, panels of industry experts, and a live demonstration on customised platform branding. Throughout the day we discussed 60GHz, mused over Spectrum sharing, learned about some of the intricacies around installations at height and even discovered that The Church Conversation Trust manages over 350 historic sites up and down the UK – now there’s an interesting opportunity!
A higlight of this Members Meeting was UKWISPA launching their new Quality Accreditation Scheme. The scheme, which will introduce a new code of conduct, will be the benchmark of customer service in the industry. The incredible level of work put in to create this scheme, the fact it is free to join, and the expectation that, within weeks, all current 75+ WISPA members will all be enrolled demonstrates the power a scheme like this can and will have within the wireless industry. For more details about the accreditation scheme, or to enrol yourself please visit the UKWISPA website
OOBM: More Than a Funny Word
The one and only Ian Bushrod piqued the interest of the room with a newly developed solution for Out of Band Management developed in-house by the MS Distribution Technical Team. The solution utilises MikroTik and Teltonika hardware, aggregated data packages, and some clever software trickery all supplied as an out-of-the-box solution by MS Distribution. After all, who wants to be called out to a muddy node site when you could be investigating from the comfort of your own sofa! For more information on our turnkey Out of Band Management Solution please get in touch with me at [email protected] or get in touch with our Sales Team.
Making a Splash
As a total “Newbie” to the UKWISPA community it was with a whirling mind, a coffee-filled belly and a completely natural smile that I left my new-found companions at the end of the day. We might sometimes talk about “being thrown in at the deep end” but in this case I soon realised that, as part of the WISPA community, I was among friendly, engaging, and very knowledgeable comrades, who were always willing to extend a helping hand. Not once did I feel out of my depth and that is undoubtedly due to the warmness and honest collaboration of the WISPA UK members.
I’m already looking forward to the next meeting in January. If you would like any more information on the January event, or UKWIPSA in general please don't hestitate to get in touch. I look forward to catching up over a coffee!
Carl McGregor – Head of Sales – MS (Distribution) UK Ltd.