Bill Korbe

Product Line Manager

Milpitas, CA.

408-421-0338

Summary:

Unified Communications Product and Services Manager. Partner Manager (OEM Product, Interop). Both Customer Premises and Service Provider Hosted (Cloud Based) Products and Services. Solid Industry Experience in Startups, Mid-sized and Large Company Environments. VoIP and UC Subject Matter Expert.

Functional Experience in the full life cycle of product management including:Product Roadmap Ownership; Synthesize Customer, Market and Product Requirements; Product Definition and Strategy; Leveraging 3rd Party Technologies; Partner Management; Business Applications of Technology; Business Case (NPV, ROI, PBP);Competitive Analysis; Proposals, Bids, Customer Engagements; Directing Engineering Projects, and Product Marketing and Sales Priorities; Advising Senior Management and Presenting to Funders and to Stakeholders

Domain ExpertiseinVoice over IP and MultimediaUnified Communications - (Broadband Multi Services Gateways,SoftSwitch, App Servers); Next Gen Networks and Products (Both Service Provider Hosted and Business CPE); Software Applications; Networking Services & Protocols (SIP, H.323); Operations Support Systems (Provisioning Portals, Performance and QoS Mgt.);Legacy Telecom Products (ISDN, Q.Sig, SS7)

Professional Experience:

8x8, Inc. (Nasdaq Hosted VoIP, UC, Video Conferencing Company) 2010- Present

  • Proposed to BOD & Launched new interop partner program. Brought in developedPolycom as a partner
  • Launched Polycom Phones / Speakerphoneson 8x8 Hosted VoIP Service, now our mainstream vendor
  • Launched Hosted Video Conferencing, Telepresence and Videophones, and UC Video (Polycom & 8x8)
  • Partnered with Cisco and Launched Cisco IP Phones and Cisco ATA; New open devices under evaluation
  • Partnered with NetxUSA as a new automated distribution and fulfillment partner, now they are Ingraham
  • Partnered with Panasonic and launched full line of Panasonic SIP DECT phones
  • Partnered with Audio Codes and launched 4 Audio Codes ATAs; with Obihai and launched 2 Obihai ATAs
  • Partnered with Yealink, launched 2 deskphones, DECT phone, additional models are under eval
  • Partnered with Plantronics, launched and resell multiple headsets, phone,& UC, ANC models under eval
  • Created Power Keys Add-on Service, Suite of BLF Features, Multiple LAKs, PBX Admin Web Portal, huge $
  • Defined / Launched Barge, Monitor, Whisper Service, full PBX Admin control
  • Defined / Launched Visual Voice Mail Service (options managed by PBX admin portal)

Product Management Consulting (Consulting Projects) 2009

  • VoIP Training for Ensim Corp; BroadSoft Service Mgr Consulting; LeveragedAPIs for BroadSoft;

U4EA Technologies (Pre-IPO VoIP MSBG Startup Company) 2006 –2009

Product Line Manager Roles, Multi-Services Business Gateways

  • Initiated Product Mgt, Program Mgt, Systems Engr’g, Product Mktg, Tech Pubs at HQ, recruited 10 contacts
  • Managed Roadmap and Strategic Plan for Market Expansion (from Hosted VoIP to IP- PBX / SIP Trunking)
  • Launched/Managed New OEM Relationship w/ Nortel, Delivered BSG4 Product w/ Unified Communications
  • Launched MSBGs (MRD to Productization) with Fusion 500 GW designed to migrate customer base to VoIP
  • Initiated and Managed Interoperability ProgramforMSBGs w/ SoftSwitches, IP-PBXs, SIP sets, and ISPs
  • Delivered MRD for Next Generation MSBGs, to exploit market adoption of Office in a Box technology

EnsimCorporation (Pre-IPO Hosting Startup Company) 2005 –2006

Director, Product Management, Hosted VoIP Products

  • Launched new Hosted VoIP OSS product (Requirements Definition, R&D projects, Roadmap, Launch/Trial)
  • Delivered automatedprovisioning with web portals for Service providers, resellers, and end customers
  • Integrated Unify platform provisions and manages Hosted VoIP, Hosted Microsoft LCS collaboration apps,
  • Teamed with technology partners, e.g., BroadSoft, Sylantro, Microsoft (achieved product interoperability)
  • Managed project priorities of development teams of our Telegea acquisition and India SW team using scrum

Lucent Technologies Feb2005– Oct 2005

Sr. Product Manager, Performance Management Software

  • LaunchedPerformance Management Software, included Cisco and Avaya VoIPSupport and VoIP Agent
  • Led customer meetings (IBM, AT&T), supported Sales and Marketing, including VitalWorld customer event
  • Defined both market and technical requirements;Managed product roadmap for VitalNet product features

Anta Systems (New VoIP Startup Company),2003 –2005

Director, Product Management, IP-PBX, IP-Centrex

  • Performed market and competitive analysis; defined prioritiesonPBX, Centrex, and Set product roadmaps
  • Delivered feature and Product Requirements Definition for SMB, enterprise and carrier VoIP solutions
  • Produced product collateral, Business Case, RFP responses and promoted Anta products at Trade Shows

BayPackets(Pre-IPO VoIP Startup Company), 2002 –2003

Sr. Product Marketing Manager, VoIP Application Server

  • Primed SIP Application Server and Next GenerationSCP proposals, bids and quotations for Verizon, AT&T, DT, Qwest, and other Tier 1 and Tier 2 service providers
  • Delivereddetail proposals down to traffic analysis, network configuration designs, and price quotes
  • Primed product and market/customerrequirements definition(MRD) andcompetitive analysis
  • Spearheaded pricing strategy for Applications (both cost analysis and competitive based)
  • Generated customer business cases forapps and services deployments. (NPV, ROI, PBP)
  • Presented competitive analysis and positioning to VC firms for Round C of VC funding
  • Primed product collateral, conducted sales training and personally staffed VoIP Trade Shows

Clarent Corporation,(Nasdaq VoIP Products Company),2000 –2002

Sr. Product Manager, VoIP SoftSwitch and Next Gen Network

  • Defined Market / Customer Requirements (MRD) for Next GenerationNetworks Class 4 SoftSwitch
  • Defined Product Requirements and Feature Definition (PRD) and set R&D targets and schedule
  • Worked with Engineering team and with OEM Partners to deliver Clarent’s new NGN product release
  • Launched Clarent’s NGN Product at SuperComm w/ Live Demos, Collaterals, Presentations
  • Conducted Beta Trial of NGN at Telefonica, unseating competition in acceptance bake-off
  • Managed NGN product line - SoftSwitch, Media GW, SS7 Signaling Server, MediaServer
  • Developed and Owned Product Roadmap –Highly effective coupling with R&D team; deployed project mgr.

Nortel Networks, 1990 – 2000 (followed work as Systems Engineer in NT’s Bell Northern Research)

Systems Engineering Manager, Product Management Roles, and Advanced Technology Positions

Voice over IP Competitor – Partner Lab

  • Primed hands-on VoIP product analysis and competitive research on ten VoIP products
  • Primed 3rd party opportunity analysis and engagement ( Selsius, Touchwave, Calista)
  • Exposed Nortel teams at all levels to VoIP technology, business opportunities and threats

VoIP Communications Architecture

  • Explored VoIP architecture alternatives, evaluated VoIP protocol and QoS strategy
  • Consulted to set direction for Meridian Enterprise Products and on Carrier DMS products

Internet Collaboration Product

  • Defined the Market and Technology Requirements for a new T.120 Collaboration product
  • Identified and deployed third party technologies (E-Pub) and interoperability (Databeam)
  • Produced business case to enter data collaboration business and launched product initiative

Video to desk; Multi-Media Conferencing

  • Launched market probe, involving work with Ralph Ungerman of FVC that included a lab trial
  • Evaluated state of the art, performance trends, cost viability, market viability

Technology Trends Analysis

  • Primed activity to analyze technology trends in cost-performance and product opportunities

WAN / PBX Integration

  • Delivered MRD/PRD specification working for launch of MeridianPassport (IVD - Frame Relay based)

ISDN Systems Engineering

  • Managed Meridian Systems Engineering Team for ISDN Networking
  • Primed Networking Feature Definition (MCDN), ISDN Services Protocol Definition

ISDN Standards Engineering

  • Served as Nortel’s Enterprise Value Added Services Signaling Transport Prime (QSIG-GF)
  • Represented Enterprise at National ISDN (NI-2); PBX Co-prime at U.S. DOC -NIST NIUF

Strategic Planning

  • Performed Market Research; designed and conducted focus groups and customer meetings
  • Primed War Games – Designed, Executed (key NT Directors & VPs), New Product Planning

Competitive Analysis

  • Managed Competitive Analysis Team and was Nortel’s Enterprise Competitive Analysis Company Prime
  • Evaluated competitive products at all levels (system to feature) as product evolution driver
  • Introduced ATM to R&D team (ATM Forum representative, disseminated ATM training to engineers)

PBX Systems Engineering

  • EnterpriseNetworking Feature Definition – MRD, PRD, FDD for ESN(ISDN PBX) Networking Features

Education:

Masters of Business Administration,High Tech Business MBA Focus

Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA

Master of Science in Engineering, Operations Research, Simulation, Optimization, Traffic & Queuing

StanfordUniversity, Palo Alto, CA

Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computing and Communications Focus

University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

References:

Linked-in Profile and Recommendations:

Additional References Available Upon Request