This month, explore what’s new across the AVANT Sales Engineering—from new vendor additions and webinars to Training & Enablement updates, SE insights, and real-world testimonials. Each section is designed to give you practical takeaways, fresh perspectives, and ideas you can apply to move opportunities forward.
Here’s what to expect:
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Sales Engineering Updates
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Pathfinder Updates
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New Vendors
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Trusted Advisor Testimonials
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Engineering Spotlight
Sales Engineering Updates
AVANT New Vendors Webinar Recording: The AVANT New Vendors webinar recording is now available in Pathfinder. Hear directly from our newest provider partners—CMC Networks, Inoria (A CallTower Company), Kiwi Data, Syringa Networks, and Verint (fka Calabrio), as they introduce their solutions and share how they fit into today’s evolving market. Gain insights to expand your customer’s tech stack, strengthen your expertise, and uncover new opportunities to grow your pipeline. Log in to Pathfinder and head to AVANT Academy to watch.
Meet Your New Training & Enablement Team:
We’re excited to welcome Rick Mischka and Tyler Thompson to AVANT’s Training & Enablement Team alongside Andrew Pryfogle, reinforcing our commitment to education in 2026. As AI continues to transform the market, this investment is designed to give you hands-on experience and real-world guidance—helping you sharpen your sales strategy, lead more strategic conversations, and confidently navigate evolving customer needs. Explore upcoming training opportunities and download the full events calendar to get started.
Pathfinder Updates
Updated Connectivity IQA: The updated Connectivity IQA, developed by Sarah Arnstein, aligns the IQA with the Connectivity Matrix, enabling Trusted Advisors to quickly and efficiently translate their customers’ requirements into tailored solution recommendations.
New Vendors
Ariento
Solution Type: Security
Geographic Coverage: United States
What does Ariento offer? Ariento helps public sector contractors confidently achieve and maintain Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) compliance. As a CMMC Level 2 certified MSP, Microsoft Government partner, and authorized CMMC Third-Party Assessment Organization (3PAO), they provide advisory, managed services, readiness support, and official assessments.
Key Differentiators:
- Authorized 3PAO delivering official CMMC Level 2 assessments
- CMMC Level 2 Certified MSP providing compliant managed services
- Enclave One compliance bundle with fast onboarding and fixed-cost certification
- Microsoft AOS-G and Azure Government partner for GCC/GCC-High solutions
- Gold status on CMMC Marketplace for top reviews and NPS
- Transparent pricing and simple quote tools
- Continuous monitoring with 24/7 SOC and auditable controls
What kind of client is best fit for this provider?
- Ideal customer for Managed Services is a cloud-based organization with under 100 employees
- Ideal customer for Consulting Services is a defense contractor generating over $5 million in revenue
Learn more about Ariento here.
Weave Communications
Solution Type: UCaaS
Geographic Coverage: United States
What does Weave Communications offer? Weave Communications, Inc. is a publicly traded customer communications and payments platform that combines cloud-based communications with practice management integrations to help businesses attract, retain, and engage patients more efficiently.
Key Differentiators:
- Secure, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant messaging for safe patient communication
- Real-time two-way texting with patients via their preferred channels
- Digital intake and patient-facing forms with e-signatures for streamlined onboarding
- Integrated payment processing including online, text-to-pay, and in-office options
- Unified platform combining calls, texts, payments, and forms for operational efficiency
- VoIP features with Call Pop, softphone, and remote mobility capabilities
- Automated marketing and campaign tools to grow patient engagement and practice reputation
What kind of client is best fit for this provider?
- Small to medium-sized healthcare practices
- Service-based businesses seeking to streamline communications, billing, and customer engagement
- Practices who want to consolidate multiple tools into one platform
Learn more about Weave Communications here.
Explore our full vendor portfolio including their offerings and key differentiators by logging into Pathfinder today!
Trusted Advisor Testimonials
What are your peers saying about their experience working with AVANT Sales Engineers?
“The team is so knowledgeable and friendly. Really makes the customer feel they are being steered in the right direction and not sold a bill of materials that doesn’t help them.” – Matt McCowan, LAVA Technology Services
“Anytime I need an engineer, they always go above and beyond to make sure my team and I have everything we need to close an account.” – Christopher Taylor, Technology Consultants Group Inc
Engineering Spotlight
This month, we’re spotlighting Dave Watson, Field Sales Engineer with a focus on UCaaS, CCaaS, and CX AI.
Dave has 25 years of experience in the industry, selling, installing, and maintaining UC platforms and contact centers. Prior to joining the team, Dave was also a Trusted Advisor, giving him the depth of experience and ability to see deals from several perspectives.
Here’s a bit more about Dave, in his own words!
Tell us about something you do for AVANT that Trusted Advisors may not know.
Together with the broader UC, CC, and CX AI team, we hold twice-weekly educational sessions with key AVANT portfolio providers. These meetings ensure our knowledge stays at the forefront of emerging technologies and industry leadership. As a team, we also convene weekly to refine existing dynamic matrices for Pathfinder and brainstorm new ones. Additionally, 4-6 times per year, our team participates in intensive 2-3 day “deep dive” sessions with carefully selected AVANT portfolio providers. These in-depth engagements offer comprehensive insight into their products, roadmaps, and the broader industry landscape.
Where are you located?
Oceanside, CA
If you could be any movie or TV character, who would you be?
Bud Ricks, the youngest son of Porter Ricks, the park ranger for the fictional Coral Key Park and Marine Preserve who appeared in the classic 1960s TV show Flipper.
Picture this: a kid growing up in the Florida Keys with a brilliant pet dolphin as his best friend and protector. Bud had total freedom to hop into his little 10-foot skiff, powered by a 6.5-horsepower outboard motor, and zoom off on unsupervised adventures day or night, exploring the waterways, chasing trouble, and getting rescued (or saved from sharks) by Flipper himself.
What’s your favorite hack for staying productive or organized?
I treat my Outlook inbox like a to-do list. It must be cleared out twice a day (or at minimum once at the end of each day). Any email I can’t handle right away gets turned into a calendar appointment scheduled for the appropriate time as a built-in reminder. I apply the same zero-tolerance rule to red notification badges (those “red dots”) on my iPhone apps whenever I spot one, I address it immediately. Maybe this relentless drive for inbox zero and badge-free icons is less of a productivity hack and more of a mild compulsion… but it keeps my mind clear and my focus sharp.
Ready to level up your sales game with expert guidance? Our Engineers have your back and are available for you to bring them into your opportunities! Connect with them and get started by filling out an IQA on Pathfinder!