PlanetOne’s Ted Schuman Named One of the IT Channel’s Top 25 “Disrupters” by CRN® Magazine
Founder and CEO Earns “Top 100 Executives” Title for His Leadership and Advocacy around the Need for MSPs to Manage the LAN and the WAN and Embrace Secure SD-WAN and Data Center Solutions
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. , Aug 1, 2017 – PlanetOne Communications, the IT and telecom industry’s preferred connectivity partner, announced today that CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, named its Founder and CEO Ted Schuman as one of the Top 100 Executives and Top 25 Disrupters in the IT channel. The annual list recognizes leaders from the technology industry who have played an integral role in shaping today’s IT channel, whether by driving huge cultural shifts, creating rich new opportunities, or forging innovative routes to success.
In 1992, Schuman founded PlanetOne Communications with a vision of greatness and a relentless drive to achieve his American dream – to make a difference in the success of others, be his own boss and be a great boss. Over the last 25 years, PlanetOne has built a reputation as “more than a master agent,” serving the IT channel and telecom industry’s as a preferred business partner for identifying and delivering cloud, connectivity and IT solutions to small, midsize businesses and enterprises.
A sophisticated, family-owned company, PlanetOne is able to offer what many big corporations can’t – a boutique-like engagement model that helps partners and agents realize their goals and become trusted advisors to their customers. Through this engagement model, PlanetOne is able to tailor how its partners and agents engage with providers – helping them to define collaborative relationships that are solutions-focused and based on the unique needs of the end customer.
“Today’s IT ecosystem is undergoing major changes, from a disruptive, technological innovation boom to the unprecedented shift to a services-driven market,” said Robert Faletra, CEO of The Channel Company. “For both technology suppliers and solution providers, navigating these uncertain waters and maintaining a competitive edge requires strong leadership and vision. CRN’s 2017 Top 100 Executives actively embody these qualities, providing the exemplary guidance their companies need to thrive in this new environment and move the IT channel forward.”
With offices in Irvine, Calif., and Scottsdale, Ariz., PlanetOne currently supports more than 16,000 commercial clients and has alliances with more than 250 global services providers across the most “in demand” categories in tech and telecom. A founding member of The Alliance, a consortium of the industry’s top distribution partners with more than $500M+ under contract, PlanetOne is celebrating a quarter of a century of consecutive growth and market disruption, documented by high profile wins.
“Ted is a visionary who challenges the status quo, sets the standard and raises the bar every day to ensure our people and our partners win big, work hard and play harder,” said Lauren Shapiro, president, PlanetOne Communications. “Since founding PlanetOne 25 years ago, Ted has maintained the highest ethical standards in all of his business dealings with partners and agents, and he expects the same from his team. This alone has earned him the respect of the industry’s top providers and had contributed greatly to our success over the years. Congratulations Ted on this well-deserved and perfectly suited honor as one of the industry’s most disruptive leaders and top executives.”
The Top 100 Executives list will be featured in the August 2017 issue of CRN® and online at www.crn.com/top100.
About PlanetOne Communications
PlanetOne is the IT channel and telecom industry’s preferred business partner for identifying and delivering cloud-based and connectivity solutions to small and midsize businesses and enterprises. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., the industry pioneer is celebrated by Inc. Magazine as one of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies and regarded as a top-performing partner for hundreds of telecom agents and channel partners nationwide. In 2015, PlanetOne ranked No. 1 in the Phoenix Business Journal’s annual “Best Places to Work” survey, and in 2016 was recognized as one of the largest privately-held companies in the 2016 Arizona Corporate Excellence (ACE) Awards program. The award-winning PlanetOne Partner Program has also been included in CRN’s Connectivity Solutions Partner Program Guide since 2014. To reach PlanetOne call (877) 487.8353 or e-mail sales@planetone.net.
To learn more, visit www.planetone.net. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube.
About The Channel Company
The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelco.com
Follow The Channel Company: Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook
CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved.
PlanetOne Communications Press Contact:
Suzanne Collier
WhiteFox Marketing Inc. (for PlanetOne)
(714) 469-0140
suzanne@whitefoxpr.com
Channel Company Contact:
Melanie Turpin
The Channel Company
(508) 416-1195
mturpin@thechannelco.com
# # #