Channel Partners Find Success with Speakeasy Partner Program

Speakeasy (www.speakeasy.net), a Best Buy company (NYSE:BBY), is helping its channel partners drive revenue and deliver more value to customers through the Speakeasy Partner Program. This month the Speakeasy program was among the Top 50 Channel Programs for 2008 recognized by PHONE+ magazine, a resource for the telecommunications indirect sales channel. Selected from among hundreds of companies by more than 1,000 indirect sales partners, Speakeasy was recognized for its support of the more than 6,000 partners in its program, providing each with a portfolio of voice (VoIP), broadband and managed hosting and colocation services for small businesses.

Todd Short, CEO of Chicago-based channel partner Balance Networks, is a real-world example of the success Speakeasy partners are having in the market. "With Speakeasy, I have a consistently reliable product with dedicated service and support,” said Short. "Each account I bring to Speakeasy provides a recurring revenue stream for my company, which is an exciting and motivating factor. Speakeasy products and services have been bulletproof.” Balance Networks designs, builds and maintains corporate networks for companies of all sizes.

Speakeasy offers free VoIP training and certification for its channel partners. This provides Speakeasy partners with knowledge and skills so that they can take advantage of the high demand for IT consultants with VoIP competency. Recent industry research has found jobs in VoIP commanded the highest hourly rates of all IT service positions during the second quarter of fiscal 2008 (OnForce), and 61 percent of small businesses in the US plan to invest in VoIP solutions within the next three years (Gartner).

Partners are also having success with Speakeasy’s new Business Ethernet broadband services, which offer faster connection speeds than T1 with a lower cost per megabit. Peter Goldman of Goldman Lockey Consulting, a San Francisco-based Speakeasy partner who provides IT consulting services to small businesses, says, "Nothing else in the marketplace is really matching Business Ethernet right now.”

Speakeasy customer Christopher Joyce, CEO of Philadelphia-based Joyce Co, is one of the thousands of small businesses benefiting from the dedication and service of Speakeasy’s partner channel. "If someone is considering VoIP or Internet services, they should know that Speakeasy is a real partner that is there for you and gets the job done all the time on all levels,” said Joyce. Joyce Co, based in suburban Philadelphia, starts businesses from scratch and provides access to the startups to investors across the globe.

For more about Speakeasy and Hosted Voice please visit: www.speakeasy.net or call 1-800-556-5829.

About Speakeasy

Speakeasy is one of the nation's leading broadband voice (VoIP), data and IT service providers. Speakeasy helps small businesses succeed by offering simplified voice and data solutions that improve the customer experience, increase employee productivity and help cut costs. Based in Seattle, Speakeasy has provided award-winning customer service since 1994 and joined the Best Buy family of companies in April 2007, working with Best Buy For Business to champion technology for small businesses throughout the U.S. Visit Speakeasy at www.speakeasy.net or call 800.556.5829.