In the UK channel, it’s easy to talk about success in theory. We aren’t starved of platforms promising to deliver more capabilities, innovation or growth. But theory can only take you so far.

For partners, ‘winning’ involves clear changes to a business rather than just taking on new solutions. That’s exactly where the idea of ‘winning with Webex’ lands differently.

This phrase wasn’t built around positioning. It emerged from what partners are already seeing in practice. From the conversations happening in demos with customers, through to training sessions and live deployments.

‘Winning’ is evidenced. It has nothing to do with theory or speculation.

Moving beyond product talk

Every vendor will always claim their product is the best. But businesses want to see the results for themselves. In terms of Webex, that’s backed by evidence partners can recognise.

Again, growth isn’t theoretical. Partners are already adding significant volumes month on month. More importantly, they’re seeing that translate into real commercial outcomes.

That shows up in simple ways, like stronger pipeline conversion and higher value conversations. Partners are enjoying improved margin performance as the conversation shifts from ‘what a product does’ to ‘what a partner can achieve with it.’

A platform that creates more than one route to market

Part of that success comes from flexibility.

Webex services from Gamma don’t force partners into a single model. Each defined path is suited to a partner based on their market stance.

With Webex for Gamma, partners can adopt a transformational platform with AI, automation and CX capabilities. Horizon with Webex acts as the transactional path that supports different price points and segments.

Partners can pursue different routes to market. Whether transformational or transactional, the core proposition still holds.

That matters because it reflects a reality across the channel. No two partners are in the same place, and no two customer bases look the same. ‘Winning’, in this context, is about meeting those differences without adding complexity.

Turning an installed base into a growth engine

We’re already seeing how Webex represents more than just a net-new opportunity. Once partners understand the value of the platform, the conversation naturally extends to the existing base.

Many partners start conversations with customers whose existing platforms were once ‘good enough.’ Once those conversations take place, partners can explore opportunities to improve experience, capability, and long-term value.

This is where the model changes. Growth doesn’t have to rely on a constant stream of new acquisitions. Partners can revisit existing bases and provide a stronger, more relevant proposition.

The operational story partners didn’t expect

Interestingly, one of the more impactful advantages is the operational simplicity.

Webex behaves more like a modern software platform than a traditional UCaaS deployment. It deploys in a similar way to other modern software platforms, reducing the time and effort needed by partners. Businesses enjoy a better deployment experience, especially with a shorter time to value.

For partners trying to scale without increasing operational overhead, that becomes a meaningful lever.

Built through partner co-operation

Another factor behind the early momentum around Webex is the way the proposition has been shaped.

Rather than launching in a fixed state, we worked alongside partners through early access and ongoing feedback. That process changed how the offer evolved, from training programmes to ecosystem integration and API usage.

The outcome is a platform that feels closer to how partners operate. No assumptions. Just real-world experience and insight.

That’s why partners don’t have to adapt around the Webex proposition.

The long-term story matters more than features

Underpinning all of this is a broader shift in how partners evaluate platforms.

Partners are showing growing confidence in the Webex roadmap, especially with all the ongoing investment and innovation from Cisco. Rapid developments around both AI and security demands have crafted a platform suited for any modern business.

The question is no longer just what a solution can do today. Now, partners want to know how a supplier can support them in the long-term. Platform outcomes matter more than just a feature list.

That’s a crucial mindset in this subscription-driven world. Customers expect continuous improvement as part of what they’re paying for. With Webex, the ongoing investment in innovation, particularly around AI and security, becomes part of the value conversation rather than an aside.

Where does ‘winning’ go next?

The definition of ‘winning’ is already on the move.

Integrated CX capabilities can act as a key differentiator going forward. Partners will soon be able to offer a fully integrated contact centre and CX proposition. They’re ready for the next ‘battleground’ around giving customers the best experience possible.

For partners, this isn’t just a value add or yet another product feature. It’s an integrated approach to CX within the core platform that improves the end-to-end experience.

‘Winning with Webex’ isn’t just a campaign line. It represents a reflection on how partners are already scaling and growing with the Webex proposition.

Partners can simplify how they deliver UCaaS solutions. Having these valuable conversations strengthens existing relationships and makes ‘winning with Webex’ a repeatable process.

For partners, winning comes down to confidence, flexibility and support.

See how Gamma Communications is prepared to help partners adapt to the modern needs of any business.

Intruder has launched a free plan for its exposure management suite aimed at mid-market security teams.

The plan provides permanent access to vulnerability management, cloud security posture checks and attack surface monitoring at no charge. It includes weekly scans for up to five external targets, weekly checks across one cloud environment, weekly scans for two container images, continuous monitoring on ports 80 and 443, unlimited remediation scans, a cyber hygiene score, one automated investigation credit each month and support for up to three users.

The London-based cyber security company said the offer is designed for businesses with small attack surfaces or practitioners responsible for a limited part of a larger environment. Users can connect a target, integrate a cloud environment and identify exposures on the same day, it added.

The move targets a part of the market that often falls between products built for large enterprises and those designed for smaller companies. Research cited by Intruder found that 46% of mid-market security teams believe enterprise platforms assume more staff, budget or complexity than they can support, while 29% said tools built for smaller businesses no longer meet their needs.

Market gap

As a result, many teams rely on manual processes or a patchwork of separate tools. Lengthy procurement cycles and six-figure price tags can also slow adoption of security software among smaller and growing businesses, according to Intruder.

Founded in 2015, the company sells software intended to help organisations identify weaknesses across internet-facing systems, cloud environments and container images. It says it now serves more than 3,000 companies worldwide.

Competition in cyber security has intensified as vendors try to reach customers beyond large corporates. Many suppliers have focused either on complex enterprise platforms or entry-level products, leaving medium-sized organisations to assemble their own mix of tools.

Intruder is positioning the free plan as a way for security, IT and DevOps teams to test its software over time rather than through a short trial. Customers can use the service indefinitely and move to a paid tier only if they want broader coverage, it said.

Chris Wallis, chief executive officer and founder of Intruder, outlined the rationale for the launch.

“Security and IT teams at small and medium-sized businesses face the same risks as their enterprise counterparts, but they’ve been priced out of the tools that would actually help them avoid breaches,” Wallis said.

“We built Intruder to enable security for the 99%, and our free plan is the logical extension of that commitment. Intruder benefits from using open-source software as part of our offering. Offering a free plan allows us to give back to the security community, which shouldn’t need a six-figure security budget and 10-person team to stay secure.”

Feature set

The free tier centres on regular checks rather than unrestricted use. External vulnerability scans are limited to five targets, cloud posture checks to one environment across AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, and container image scans to two images. Monitoring is limited to web ports 80 and 443, while access is capped at three users.

Even with those limits, the package reflects a broader shift in cyber security buying as vendors try to reduce friction in procurement and evaluation. For smaller organisations, proving operational value early can matter as much as the software itself, especially when security teams must justify spending against other technology priorities.

Intruder said the free offer is intended to help practitioners improve risk visibility and reduce remediation times before extending coverage. The plan is now available on a permanent basis.

Following the planned reopening of Botley Road at the end of August, city visitors will no longer be able to purchase a £5-a-day congestion charge permit, and drivers passing automatic number plate recognition cameras during charging times will face a £70 fine.

The policy is called traffic filters, and the change is planned for September 14 with a six-month public consultation set to open on the same day.

The plans were approved in November 2022, but have been delayed due to the long-running Botley Road closure, with the congestion charge used as a temporary transition measure.

Congestion charge sign and camera (Image: Isabella Harris/NQ)

County transport boss Gareth Epps is “confident” the reopening will not be delayed again and said he hopes the switch means “people will be able to move about as freely, if not freer, than they are now with buses moving rather than being stuck in traffic jams, people being able to get around walking and cycling”.

He added: “People will enjoy the fact that the city is open for business and every point in the city will be freely accessible without passing through a charge point.”

Business owners from the Oxford Business Action Group (OBAG) do not agree – some say the impact will be “devastating”, has left them “depressed” and considering closure.

Oxford business owners at County Hall (Image: Isabella Harris/NQ)

Niaz Ali, co-owner of Hollow Way Autoparts, said the policy is creating “a hostile environment to run a small business”.

He said: “I talked to small business owners on our road today and they were all so depressed and have basically thrown in the towel.”

Yola Drage, who runs La Cucina in St Clement’s, said she and other owners had hoped the recent council cabinet reshuffle, which saw Mr Epps take the transport job, could enable a change in direction.

She said: “For St. Clement’s businesses, the councillors’ decisions concerning the traffic filter plan means we either survive or close.

“It is distressing to be in this postcode lottery.

“How is it fair that some businesses are forced to lose out on custom because they’re located near a congestion charge point while those outside Oxford are free of restrictions and customers can get to them more easily?”

Fraser Jones owns Barefoot Bakery and called the filters “another damaging move from a council that has no consideration for local businesses”. 

He described “zero consultation” with owners.

Restaurateur and OBAG spokesperson, Bernadette Evans, said: “We’re furious that customers wanting to arrive by car will be made even more unwelcome in our city when the traffic filters replace the congestion charge, and we just don’t understand why the council is doing this to us.”

She questioned why the council were not “doing their jobs properly and forming a business task force” amid “all the other economic headwinds many small businesses are experiencing”.

Bernadette added: “But they’ve done absolutely nothing to help, they have no interest or experience whatsoever in high street businesses and are making it even harder to trade by restricting how customers reach our businesses.

“If only they would get themselves to east Oxford and speak to actual business owners they might begin to have some understanding of the hardship they’re causing.”

Mr Epps previously agreed to meet with OBAG owners, but this has not yet happened.

He said: “We are getting dates in diaries.”

The transport boss says he has met with some owners, been in touch with businesses to make them aware of permit exemptions and is “open to a full discussion”.

He added: “If something feels as though it should be simpler than it is, there might be a reason for that, and I might be able to help.”

Oxfordshire residents will continue to have the same number of permits to enter the zone covered by filters, as they currently do for the congestion charge – these should transfer automatically.

Mr Epps called for residents who have not applied for permits to do so online.

He said while “most people don’t use a car to access the city centre”, there is a “range of permits available free of charge, including for people with regular hospital appointments”.

Since its introduction, over 205,000 congestion charge fines have been cancelled, including some for ‘deceased’ drivers, motorists who were in prison, and emergency service vehicles.

Thousands of those cancellations occurred due to permit errors.

Congestion charge sign (Image: Isabella Harris/NQ)

Mr Epps said: “There is an initial grace period where people will just be sent warning letters rather than fines.

“But I’m acutely conscious that we need a system that is reliable and that works without people having to go back and make corrections.”

During the first six months of the traffic filter trial, the council will send a warning notice the first time any car goes through a traffic filter without a permit.

The cameras will remain at the same locations and operate at the same times as the congestion charge.

Those locations have prompted concern about displaced traffic causing issues for residential streets outside the charge zone, including for people attempting to access the city’s hospitals.

Cycling campaign group Cyclox, which supports the plans and “believes that traffic filters can be an effective way to reduce traffic, particularly private car use”, also wants this to be “kept under review”.

The filter trial period is up to 18 months, and Mr Epps said with the creation of a “permanent scheme” after this, “there are no reasons why the existing charging points should necessarily stay -these things can be moved”.

He insists “we are listening to feedback”, “the trial will be carefully monitored” and “changes have been made to, for example, permit types, in response to feedback”.

Leader of the county council Green Group, Ian Middleton, said confusion with the congestion charge has pushed him to support the traffic filters despite being initially “concerned”.

Councillor Ian Middleton (Image: Ian Middleton)

He still has some reservations, describing them as “experimental”, saying “we have to assess it when it’s been in place for long enough”.

Ian is positive about the impact of electric buses and said the policies were “part of the deal” to enable them by making traffic move better in the city.

Siobhann Mansel-Pleydell from Oxfordshire Liveable Streets campaign described the charge as having already created “cleaner air, safer streets, and real choice about how we get around”.

She said: “We welcome the move to traffic filters and support the test and learn approach.”

Robin Tucker, co-chair of The Oxfordshire Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel (CoHSAT) (Image: The Oxfordshire Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel (CoHSAT))

Robin Tucker, Co-Chair of the Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel in Oxfordshire, said: “What we’ll be interested in, in a year’s time, is how the traffic filters compare to the congestion charge, but we are sure we won’t want to go back to the traffic nightmare of stuck traffic and dangerous rat-running from the ten years before that.”