The September Sales Engineering Braintrust is back with exciting updates! Get ready to explore new vendor additions, a $99K MRR win, SFS insights, and more.
Dive in to catch all the highlights:
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Special Forces Updates
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Pathfinder Updates
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New Vendors
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Win Wire
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Trusted Advisor Testimonials
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Engineering Spotlight
Special Forces Updates
SFS Attendees, Level Up Your Experience with the Event App: Stay connected to key moments of 2025 Special Forces Summit with the official event App! Explore 60+ breakout sessions by solution focus, discover the full speaker lineup, review the day-to-day agenda, networking opportunities, evening events, and more—all in one place. Download the app to your phone from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to make sure you don’t miss a single highlight. And if you haven’t already, make sure to register today!
Pathfinder Tools & Resources
- Updated UCaaS: Microsoft Teams Matrix : Created by Amanda Bean, Dave Watson, Hunter Edmisten, and John Paullin, the updated Microsoft Teams Matrix highlights UCaaS providers offering alternatives to Microsoft Calling Plans for PSTN dialing in Teams. Trusted Advisors can use this tool to quickly compare options, identify the best fit for their client’s needs, and make informed recommendations.
New Vendors
LevelBlue
Solution Type: Security
Geographic Coverage: United States, EMEA
What Does LevelBlue Offer? LevelBlue simplifies cybersecurity through industry leading managed security services, veteran strategic consulting, threat intelligence, and distinguished research.
Key Differentiators:
- Large consulting practice with a variety of specialties and talents
- SOC security service options aligned with public and government sectors
- 24/7 monitoring with over 1,000 cybersecurity professionals
- Analyst recognition from Frost & Sullivan as a leader in Global MDR
What kind of client is best fit for this provider?
Mid-size to large enterprises (500+ employees) seeking Infrastructure-as-a-Service and comprehensive cybersecurity solutions, primarily in North America and Europe.
Learn more about LevelBlue here.
Vsol
Solution Type: Connectivity, Cloud, Colocation, & Pro Services
Geographic Coverage: United States
What Does Vsol Offer? Vsol is an infrastructure-first partner focused on data center and cloud transformations — designing, building, migrating, and operationalizing the data center and cloud environments where customer data lives.
Key Differentiators:
- Unified expertise
- End-to-End ownership
- Proven track record
- Execution-focused approach
- Zero guesswork framework
What kind of client is best fit for this provider?
Companies starting fresh with new equipment, migrating to a hybrid infrastructure, or expanding their data center or colocation space.
Learn more about Vsol here.
Explore our full vendor portfolio including their offerings and key differentiators by logging into Pathfinder today!
Win Wire with Hunter Edmisten
The Breakdown
- Technology Category: CX/AI
- Customer Type: Bank
- Size and Scope: 32 locations
- Industry Type: Financial Services
- MRR: $99K MRR
- Winning provider: Kore.ai
- Competitors: Amelia.ai, Glia
The Details
What were the drivers for the client?
The client was looking to automate their customer experience in order to improve agent efficiency.
How did the Trusted Advisor close the deal?
The Trusted Advisor brought the right stakeholders to the table, which helped AVANT quickly uncover the customer’s real challenges and possible opportunities, based on their CX strategy. By addressing each need directly instead of offering a generic solution, we demonstrated the value of AI agent automation and closed the deal.
How did AVANT support the win?
Hunter Edmisten, AVANT CX/AI Engineer, was brought in for the discovery call to share insights on CX/AI market trends and on how other financial services companies were shaping their CX strategies. He highlighted a few specific vendors that could alleviate the client’s pain points and suggested deploying their solutions for agent automation, ultimately helping the client identify the right provider to best fit their needs.
Trusted Advisor Testimonials
What are your peers saying about their experience working with AVANT Sales Engineers?
“Such a seamless and easy process to engage the correct resources. The process also allows for great data collection through the IQA and can use that to land and expand into our customers” – Matt McCowan, LAVA Technology Services
“I rate the AVANT engineering team a 10 because of their exceptional responsiveness, clear and consistent communication, strong team-oriented approach, and the overall ease of working with them. These qualities have made my experience highly positive and efficient, and I would confidently recommend them to colleagues.” – Tyrone M. Robinson III, Opportunities 2 Serve, LLC
Engineering Spotlight
This month, we’re spotlighting Dane Menke, Senior Sales Engineer with a focus in Cyber Security, Cloud, and Managed Services, who brings 13 years of industry experience to AVANT Trusted Advisors.
Here’s a bit more about Dane, in his own words!
Tell us about something you do for AVANT that Trusted Advisors may not know.
I create pricing comparisons for IaaS and DRaaS, similar to what our pricing analysts do for colo and connectivity. My previous role as a Sales Engineer at a hosting provider allows me to translate the various terms and services of our cloud providers into a unified format.
Where are you located?
Chicago, IL (Western suburbs)
What’s your favorite way to spend a day off?
As the father of two young girls, I spend my days off going where I’m told. Water parks are our favorite place right now. I spend the day going down slides with one daughter while my wife pushes our other daughter around the lazy river. The oddest thing about this is that I can’t swim!
What was your dream job as a kid? Why did you want to do that?
I dreamt of being an architect as a kid. I’ve always loved the look of Frank Lloyd Wright’s homes and Prairie-style architecture. Obviously, I went a different direction, but designing things is still a passion of mine.
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!