PCs Acer boosts SMB sales with new AI-enabled notebooks PAGE 20 SECURITY · CLOUD · ICT · SOFTWARE · HARDWARE PRINT · AV MANAGED.IT SECURITY · CLOUD · ICT · SOFTWARE · HARDWARE · PRINT · AV www.managedITmag.co.uk THE IT SERVICES MAGAZINE & NEWS SITE FOR IT MANAGERS, IT DIRECTORS & CTOS THE IT SERVICES MAGAZINE & NEWS SITE FOR IT MANAGERS, IT DIRECTORS & CTOS IN PRINT AND ONLINE MANAGED.IT SECURITY · CLOUD · ICT · SOFTWARE · HARDWARE · PRINT · AV www.managedITmag.co.uk IN PRINT AND ONLINE IN PRINT AND ONLINE www.managedITmag.co.uk SECURITY · CLOUD · ICT · SOFTWARE · HARDWARE PRINT · AV IN PRINT AND ONLINE Issue 72 · 2026 TECHNOLOGY Meet O2 Business, the new name in connectivity & communications PAGE 22 AI How Hammer plans to fix AI’s dodgy plumbing PAGE 18 See page 15 Panasonic strengthens professional display portfolio
www.spitfire.co.uk/all-ip-special-offer Telecoms and IP Engineering Solutions for Business since 1988 Innovative • Flexible • Reliable • Supportive • Cost Effective Sales 020 7501 3333 • Partner Services 020 7501 3150 www.spitfire.co.uk Your telecoms journey in 2026? • No migration charge from legacy analogue line, ISDN or broadband circuits. • Choice of minimum contract periods from 3 months +. • Digital voice line with call bundle included. • Quality of Service options with performance SLAs up to ‘Ethernet’ standard. • Upgrade to super fast fibre on availability within minimum term. • Also consider Spitfire’s FireSwitch® 2.3 hosted pbx, a feature rich, latest generation telephone system with low cost monthly rental and no up front cost. Spitfire offer a range of easy upgrade paths to All IP and super fast fibre. Key Awards Legacy analogue, ISDN, broadband contracts change in 2026. Take our high road to All IP & Full Fibre. Future proof your business and save costs. Big Switch Off 31st January 2027.
3 www.managedITmag.co.uk Read Managed.IT online... www.managedITmag.co.uk ISSN 2055-3099 (Print) ISSN 2055-3102 (Online) Editor: James Goulding 07803 087228 • [email protected] Publishing Director, Social Media and Web Editor: Neil Trim 01732 759725 • [email protected] Advertising Director: Ethan White 01732 759725 • [email protected] Advertising Executive: Jeff Root 01732 759725 • [email protected] Designer: Brian Cloke 07484 288189 • [email protected] MANAGED.IT is published by Kingswood Media Ltd., 7 Amherst House, 22 London Road, Sevenoaks TN13 2BT • Tel: 01732 759725 No part of MANAGED.IT can be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher. © 2026 Kingswood Media Ltd. The paper used in this magazine is obtained from manufacturers who operate within internationally recognized standards and which is sourced from sustainable, properly managed forestation. CONTENTS @manageditmag facebook.com/BinfoMag SECURITY · CLOUD · ICT · SOFTWARE · HARDWARE PRINT · AV IN PRINT AND ONLINE www.managedITmag.co.uk THE IT SERVICES MAGAZINE & NEWS SITE FOR IT MANAGERS, IT DIRECTORS & CTOS ISSUE 72 · 2026 COVER STORY: Six of the best Page 15 Managed.IT GET YOUR FREE COPY To make sure you get every issue FREE, as soon as it is published, just visit www.managedITmag.co.uk, click the ‘FREE Registration’ button and add your details to our mailing list. If you no longer wish to receive Managed.IT magazine please email your details to [email protected] Panasonic Projector & Display is reinforcing its commitment to deliver a complete ecosystem of visual solutions with the addition of the SQ3 Series of 4K LCD displays to its professional MEVIX display portfolio. Featuring high-visibility 4K performance and reliable 24/7 operation, the six new models support a wide range of applications from always-on digital signage and monitoring feeds to eye-catching presentations in corporate meeting rooms. 4 News IT buyers happy to pay 24% more for peace of mind 10 What’s New A round-up of the latest technology products for the office, the home and all places in-between 14 Headsets Steven Schmidt of EPOS highlights four trends shaping the professional headset market 16 What’s New in Printing & Scanning The latest print and document processing solutions 18 AI Could Hammer’s new sovereign, AI-ready on‑prem platform help fix AI’s dodgy plumbing? 19 Workflow Kyocera introduces new cloud suite to modernise document workflows 20 PCs Acer looks to boost SMB and public sector sales with diversified technology offering and expanded range of AI-enabled notebooks 22 Suppliers O2 Business rebrand highlights technology provider’s focus on simplifying the customer experience 24 IT Management How Node4 helped South & Vale Councils regain control of their IT 26 Networks Cloud Gateway CEO Victor Holmin makes the case for NaaS and SASE 28 Sustainability Katrina Anderson and Rachel McDonnell on the increased financial and reputational risks of greenwashing 30 AV Mid Ulster District Council updates meeting spaces with Kramer ecosystem 32 Security How converged credentials enable organisations to strengthen security without adding complexity 33 Software Why the Microsoft E7 Frontier Suite heralds the biggest shift yet towards the agentic AI era 34 On test Jeff Root reviews the HP Elitebook Ultra G1 Ai
4 01732 759725 NEWS NEWS Paper still a risk, warns Officeology Don’t let the risk of digital data breaches blind you to the vulnerabilities of paper-based workflows and processes, warns workplace solutions provider Officeology. Its analysis of ICO data shows that between 2020 and 2025 there were more than 11,000 incidents of paperwork containing sensitive data being lost, stolen or disposed of incorrectly. Of these, almost one in five included employee data such as personal identifiers and health and financial information. In 2025 alone, there were 1,820 paperwork-related data breaches reported to the ICO, 330 of which involved employee data. Based on the size of organisations involved, as many as 28,000 employees could have been affected. CEO Adam Butler warns that while organisations are investing heavily in cyber defences many are leaving document workflows, storage and disposal processes under-protected. He said: “The physical theft, loss or incorrect disposal of paper records remains a significant risk to companies’ data security, including their own employees’ private information. GDPR legislation, the legal framework that aims to protect the privacy and personal data of individuals, is technology-neutral and applies whether data is processed online or offline. It covers any filing system intended to be used in a searchable way.” Butler advises businesses to minimise the risk of paper-based breaches by implementing document management systems that will enable them to streamline workflows and store information in secure, centralised environments. www.officeology.com Power costs trump sovereignty in AI deployment calculations CUDO Compute, a UK-based fullstack AI infrastructure provider, has released new research highlighting a disconnect between the UK’s AI sovereignty ambitions and the practical realities of energy pricing and infrastructure restraints. While almost half (46%) of UK organisations say geopolitical instability is pushing them to keep AI workloads within home markets, with 31% prioritising sovereign or regionally controlled compute even if it comes at a higher cost, 43% say cost and performance considerations still carry more weight than sovereignty in deployment decisions. Indeed, 20% of British firms polled say they have already moved AI workloads out of the UK due to high power costs, with one third saying energy costs are Output to rely on In March, residents in Clapham, south London witnessed a firstof-its-kind demonstration of the reliability and large ink capacity of HP Smart Tank printers when the printer manufacturer created a large billboard poster from 319 A4 sheets printed on-site, in real time. The stunt was one element of a new campaign to raise awareness of HP Smart Tank printers, which come with up to three years’ worth of ink in the box, giving households predictable, low running costs and peace of mind that they will be able to print when the need arises. To reinforce the point, HP enlisted broadcaster Alexander Armstrong to help launch a mobile printing service from a branded Piaggio Ape vehicle outside London’s Farringdon station. Providing members of the public with on-the-spot emergency printing, HP’s Rapid Response Print Squad later moved to high-footfall locations in Manchester and Bristol. In a survey of 2,000 UK adults undertaken as part of the campaign just 20% of respondents said they have access to a printer at home. https://www.hp.com/gb-en/ printers/smart-tank.html IT buyers paying 24% more for ‘peace of mind’ Trust has overtaken cost and specifications as the deciding factor in technology purchases, with IT decision‑makers prepared to pay 24% more for brands they believe won’t let them down, reveals Brother’s Tech Trust Index 2026 report. In its survey of 250 IT decision-makers, 74% said emotional factors such as trust now matter more than rational criteria like cost or product specifications. Nearly as many (72%) said trust in technology vendors is more important today than it was five years ago. On average, buyers are willing to pay a premium of 24% for technology from a vendor they trust, with one in 10 prepared to pay 51–75% more and some even willing to pay double. As part of its research Brother also polled 250 IT resellers, 88% of whom said that trust is often the deciding factor in deals when there’s little to separate products on paper. For IT buyers, trust is a product of better quality products (49%), good customer support (43%), transparent and clear pricing (36%), enhanced cyber security support (32%) and full lifetime product support (29%). Purposeled factors like sustainability carry far less weight. Factors that make it harder for brands to earn trust, cited by IT resellers, include buyer caution caused by economic pressures (55%), negative brand experiences being amplified on social media (51%) and greater competition and choice (47%). Nine out of 10 IT resellers highlighted the important role they play in validating whether a vendor can be trusted. https://www.brother.co.uk/businesssolutions/trust
www.managedITmag.co.uk 5 NEWS continued... limiting their ability to scale AI operations. Companies building and running the most computeintensive workloads are the most likely to look beyond the UK when economics tighten, with 32% of AI-first businesses saying they would consider moving workloads overseas due to power costs, compared to 18% of enterprise organisations. The US is the most attractive location for new AI cluster capacity, followed by India (62%), Eastern Europe (58%), Western Europe (45%) and the Nordics (44%). CUDO Compute commissioned the research to coincide with the launch of its Land, Power, Compute Report, which highlights the extent to which access to land, affordable energy and scalable compute, or the lack of it, is constraining the growth of physical AI infrastructure in the UK. CUDO Compute CEO Matt Hawkins said: “AI sovereignty is being hotly discussed as a priority for UK organisations, but it only works if the infrastructure exists to support it. What we are seeing is a growing tension between where businesses want to run AI and where they actually can. AI is not abstract software. It is physical infrastructure that depends on power, land, cooling and grid access. When those constraints tighten, economics take over. If it is cheaper or easier to run workloads elsewhere, they will move, regardless of sovereignty ambitions.” He added: “Right now, every UK boardroom is talking about AI, but almost nobody is talking about the infrastructure needed to power it. Until we close that gap, there will continue to be a disconnect between policy, ambition and reality. The countries that solve this first will shape the future of AI, and the UK still has a window to lead, but it needs to act quickly.” Founded in Bournemouth, CUDO Compute designs, builds and operates high-performance GPU infrastructure across secure, compliant and renewablepowered data centres in the UK and Europe, delivering fully managed, enterprise-grade GPU clusters for training and inference environments. https://www.cudocompute.com/landpower-compute Stonesthro and Cornerstone collaborate on micro-edge computing PoC StonesThro, a UK-based edge cloud specialist, and Cornerstone, a UK mobile infrastructure services provider, have successfully completed a micro-edge computing Proof of Concept (PoC) that points the way to a distributed, green and secure alternative to traditional cloud and on-premises solutions. The trials, conducted across sites in Southampton, Solihull and Milton Keynes, show that high-performance data centre technology deployed directly into external infrastructure environments can deliver sub10ms latency, essential for many IoT applications such as drone and autonomous vehicle technology, while significantly reducing the carbon footprint of AI and data processing. Gregg Mearing, CTO of Stonesthro, said: “This PoC proves that it is entirely possible to take the compute power usually locked away in massive warehouses and deploy it in the regions where it is actually needed and can make a noticeable societal difference. It’s about making the cloud local, sovereign and sustainable.” Following the success of their PoC, which married Stonesthro’s edge cloud expertise and bespoke hardware/software combination with Cornerstone’s mobile infrastructure capabilities, the two partners are now working on their next 10 to 20 sites, with a vision to scale to a thousand sites nationally. Mearing said: “A core objective of our mission is to address the AI power requirement challenge. Traditional data centres are often clustered south of Watford, requiring massive power transmission from the North of the UK. The National Grid consumes approximately 8% of all power generated just by moving it across the country. By moving compute to the micro-edge and the regions closer to where power is generated, we can eliminate that transmission waste.” He added: “Furthermore, our partnership uses existing infrastructure and more efficient cooling processes, avoiding the carbon cost of laying new cables for ‘Big Data’ centres.” www.Stonesthro.co.uk www.cornerstone.network Poor WiFi limiting benefits of full-fibre Businesses are losing an average of 11 hours a week to connectivity issues, despite growing access to full fibre, reveals new research from Zen Internet. The main culprit for 49% of the 500 small businesses surveyed is poor WiFi within business premises. On average, businesses experience WiFi disruption 13 times a month, with more than six in 10 encountering problems two to three days a week and 6% facing issues every day. Nearly four in 10 (39%) say they have lost revenue and missed sales opportunities as a result. Jon Nowell, Managing Director of Zen’s Business Division, said: “Full fibre rollout is transforming UK connectivity, but speed alone isn’t enough. If WiFi inside the building can’t keep up, businesses won’t see the benefit. Reliable in-premises connectivity is now essential infrastructure for organisations.” Zen Internet carried out the research to promote its new WiFi solution for small businesses. Eero Business delivers reliable, consistent coverage across offices, retail spaces and hospitality venues through a combination of high-performance fibre, intelligent mesh WiFi and business features like guest networks, security and network controls managed through an app. zen.co.uk/business Matt Hawkins Gregg Mearing
6 01732 759725 BT report highlights benefits of sovereign AI As concern about over-reliance on nonsovereign digital platforms intensifies, a new study suggests that giving organisations greater certainty over where and how data is stored, accessed and governed could alleviate the security worries limiting AI adoption in the UK and give the economy an £18bn productivity boost. Publication of The UK’s Digital Sovereign Opportunity by Assembly Research and BT follows the commercial launch of BT’s end-to-end sovereign portfolio of connectivity, voice, cloud and AI solutions. As part of the portfolio, BT is building sovereign AI capability with Nscale and NVIDIA that will enable organisations to run AI workloads domestically, scale capacity on demand and meet data residency, security and regulatory requirements. In the report, Assembly Research claims that by giving businesses the confidence to scale AI securely, digital sovereignty could accelerate investment in UK-based data centres to the tune of £14.6bn by 2030 and power an estimated £13.6bn of additional revenue from sovereign cloud services. BT is also launching Sovereign Cloud, a private cloud platform hosted and operated entirely within the UK. Designed for organisations handling sensitive or regulated workloads, it provides compute, storage and backup capabilities underpinned by Rackspace Technology’s UK data centre infrastructure, with UK-based, securitycleared teams and managed services to support migration, operations and ongoing compliance. Jon James, CEO of BT Business, said: “Organisations, public and private, want to move fast with AI and cloud while keeping control over the sovereignty of their data. That’s why BT is the first UK provider to offer a complete sovereign portfolio, from secure connectivity and voice to sovereign cloud and AI, all delivered in one place.” bt.com ...continued NEWS continued... CWCS quadruples cloud and colocation capacity CWCS Managed Hosting has quadrupled its cloud and colocation capacity with the opening of a new data centre in Nottingham that provides secure rack space, high power availability and direct access to on-site engineers. Designed to support more than 200 racks at full capacity, the state-of-the-art, Tier-3-aligned facility in Beeston is built to accommodate a wide range of enterprise workloads, including high-density servers, GPU servers and AI workloads. CWCS Managing Director Karl Mendez said: “Opening a new data centre in Nottingham significantly increases our capacity to offer flexible options comprising cloud hosting, dedicated server hosting and colocation services. Above all, it ensures we can continue to meet the individual needs of our customers and positions us as a trusted partner for mission-critical data hosting.” Mendez adds that CWCS is seeing a big increase in demand for colocation from organisations that want more control and lower cloud costs. In line with CWCS’s commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030, the facility is powered entirely by renewable energy supplemented by on-site solar panels. With free cooling and hot-aisle containment, it has a target Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.15, compared to a UK industry average of around 1.5. Mendez said: “We are committed to becoming a leader in secure, low-emission hosting, and our new Nottingham site is a big step towards that. Designing to a target PUE of 1.15 is something the team should be genuinely proud of. If we hit that figure, it would place us among the most efficient data centres in the country.” CWCS also has facilities in London and Manchester. www.cwcs.co.uk Turning the UK into an AI maker not taker Locai Labs, the UK’s sovereign AI company, and Civo, the British sovereign cloud provider, have joined forces to create the UK’s first pretrained, sovereign large language models (LLMs). Dubbed Project Mercury, the programme brings together Locai Labs’ advanced Mercury model development capabilities and Civo’s UK sovereign cloud infrastructure to create a homegrown frontier-level AI ecosystem that ensures sensitive British data and AI usage stay strictly under British jurisdiction. Mark Boost, Founder and CEO of Civo, hopes the initiative will free the UK from reliance on hyperscale cloud providers and overseas-controlled data centres and AI models. He said: “This partnership proves the UK can develop, train and host sovereign LLMs entirely on home soil, showing what two UK founded companies can deliver for the security and trust of other UK based enterprises.” Available from the UK-resident Civo Sovereign Cloud or deployed and hosted on-premises within an enterprise’s own IT infrastructure, Mercury series LLMs are built and trained entirely in the UK and engineered to meet the stringent security, residency and compliance requirements of public and private sector customers. The series, developed using 100% renewable energy, will feature Edge Intelligence models designed for local, low-latency applications and Frontier Power models capable of handling the most complex generative AI tasks. www.civo.com Mark Boost Karl Mendez
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8 01732 759725 ...continued NEWS Tech trade marks fail to resonate with UK public Technology brands come low down in the affections of British consumers if the results of a poll conducted by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) are anything to go by. To mark 150 years since the UK’s first trade mark was registered, Bass & Co’s red triangle label on 1 January 1876, the IPO asked the British public to vote for their favourites. The highest ranked technology-related trade mark, coming in at number 23 is BT, followed by Apple in 24th position. Today, more than 2.5 million trade marks (names, images and identities) are protected in the UK, including 400plus from the Victorian era, among them Cadbury, Bovril, Lyle’s Golden Syrup, Bird’s Custard Powder and Rose’s Lime Juice Cordial. Every year, the IPO receives around 200,000 new applications from UK and international brands. When the Trade Marks Registration Act 1875 came into force, applications were limited to marks used on physical goods. Since then, trade mark law has expanded to include services as well as goods, and what can be registered as a trade mark now includes not just words and logos, but motion marks, multimedia marks, holograms and even patterns of light. www.gov.uk/how-to-register-a-trade-mark Beware fake customer service numbers Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) is warning UK consumers to be wary of customer service numbers presented by AI tools and search engines after its research revealed that such numbers are often fake and could be putting callers at risk of fraud. Around 1 in 8 (13%) Brits, rising to more than a quarter (27%) of older Gen Z and Millennials aged 25–34, say they have been presented with a fake customer service number by online tools, with an additional 22% saying they might have been. Rather than being the result of an AI hallucination, VMO2 warns that numbers presented by chatbots and search results are frequently the work of criminals who are exploiting such tools to show consumers fake numbers, websites and search results, which they then use to capture data and perpetrate fraud. It advises anyone looking for a customer service number online to use numbers listed on official company websites, apps or bills; to be cautious of numbers returned by search engines, social media posts or AI tools; never to share security codes or personal details with unsolicited callers; and to report suspect calls and texts to 7726 on any network to help shut down scams. Murray Mackenzie, Director of Fraud Prevention at Virgin Media O2, said: “At Virgin Media O2, we’re doing all we can to keep customers safe by blocking known scammer numbers on the network and using AI to flag more than 1 billion suspicious calls to date. But with scammers looking to exploit new channels to target victims, everyone can help us keep people safe by reporting dodgy numbers to 7726 so we can shut down scams faster.” IT teams hit with ‘AI brain fry’ AI’s ability to do time-consuming, repetitive manual work is beyond question, but what if it is adding to people’s workload in other areas? In a global survey of more than 1,000 IT professionals carried out by Solarwinds, 67% of respondents admit that AI is reducing manual work. However, even more (71%) say it has made their role more demanding by introducing new AI management and oversight responsibilities. More than two thirds (71%) say they need to double-check AI’s work; 62% say they struggle to trust AI recommendations; and 48% say AI generates too many insights without enough context, making results harder to interpret and act upon. Cullen Childress, Chief Product Officer at SolarWinds, warns that as AI becomes more widely embedded across businesses, the burden of oversight, from managing risk to ensuring tools are used correctly, is increasingly falling on the shoulders of IT teams that are already stretched thin. He said: “IT teams are being hit hard with additional cognitive load resulting from AI implementations. While the wider workforce is embracing a growing number of AI tools, IT is left to manage and secure them, as well as extract value from data that often lacks context. “Without proper planning, AI can introduce more risk through gaps in security and governance, while adding more fragmentation, reviews and sanity checks for teams that don’t have the capacity to absorb it. However, the right AI tools can change that, helping teams move away from constant reactive work towards more intelligent, automated environments that identify issues earlier and reduce the need for manual oversight.” https://www.solarwinds.com/campaign/it-trends Cullen Childress Top 30 trade mark icons 1. Rolls-Royce 2. Radio Caroline 3. Twinings 4. Cadbury 5. Burberry 6. Bass 7. TfL – the Underground roundel 8. Calpol 9. Mini 10. BBC 11. Coca Cola 12. M&S 13. British Rail 14. Jaguar 15. Tate and Lyle 16. Heinz 17. Boots 18. Marmite 19. Penguin books 20. NHS 21. Greggs 22. BT 23. Apple 24. Royal arms 25. McDonalds 26. BSI kitemark 27=. Guinness, HMV, Virgin, Marine Shepherd, Nike, Hoover, Tunnocks, Dyson, ICI, Royal Mail, Shell, Woolmark, British Airways, Landrover
10 01732 759725 WHAT’S NEW February launch with an update that makes it easier for users to identify the root causes of slowdowns, fan spikes or unexpected background activity. A Model Context Protocol (MCP) integration with AI tools like Claude, Cursor, Windsurf and Gemini CLI allows users to ask AI what their PC has been doing over the last three days and get a plain English explanation to questions like ‘which app caused the biggest CPU and GPU spikes during my gaming session last night?’ or ‘did any apps access my location or microphone while I was away this morning?’. www.appcontrol.com … AI receptionist European cloud service provider IONOS has launched the first product in its new Momentum ecosystem of automations for frontline operations in SMBs. The AI Receptionist handles calls 24/7, books appointments, answers customer questions using machine learning trained on a company’s website, forwards calls to the right team members and sends call summaries for tracking and analysis. It is fully GDPR compliant and integrates seamlessly with existing systems. Prices range from £9 per month for 30 calls and one forwarding option to £29 per month for unlimited calls and forwarding. www.ionos.co.uk/momentum/ ai-receptionist … Now in metallic blue Toshiba’s Canvio Flex 2.5in portable hard disk drive (HDD) is now available in a metallic blue casing in addition to the original warm silver option. With capacities of 1TB, 2TB or 4TB, the Canvio Flex is pre-formatted with exFAT, enabling it to be used seamlessly with Windows PCs and Macs, as well as compatible Android and iOS tablets and smartphones. With both USB Type-C automatically locks when disconnected from the smartphone, preventing unauthorised access. The URBAN TAPSAFE has capacities of up to 2000GB; data transfer speeds of up to 1,900 MB/s; an integrated clip-on design, allowing it to be securely attached to smartphone cages or camera rigs; and two magnetic swappable decorative covers for colour-coding purposes. The chassis is made from 50% postconsumer recycled (PCR) plastic. www.adata.com … Clear answers Appcontrol, developer of a new Windows utility that provides a 72‑hour record of how applications and background processes have affected PC performance, is following up its Mission-critical headset Savox Communications is introducing its next generation hearing protection and communications headset for the defence, fire & rescue, law enforcement and industrial sectors. With its refined modular cable architecture, harsh environment durability (MIL-STD-810H verified), controls for gloved operation and advanced audio system, the NoiseCOM 200X2 is designed to deliver reliable performance in the toughest conditions. The NoiseCOM 200X2 offers full interoperability with the Savox dismounted soldier suite and Savox Pack-COM wireless systems. www.savox.com … Urban chic The first product in ADATA Technology’s URBAN series of portable storage devices, the URBAN TAPSAFE External SSD combines high-speed performance with an NFC tap-to-unlock mechanism that enables users to securely access and manage data on the go. A companion app transforms the user’s smartphone into a personalised security key, allowing users to unlock the drive with a simple tap. It also supports multi-user management for up to nine people, with customisable Read-Only or Read/Write permissions. The device Quantum-resistant security HP describes its new mono LaserJet printer as the industry’s first SMB printer with quantum resistant security, as well as tamperresistant toner chips, firmware and packaging, and the option of security compliance and device management across an entire printer fleet via HP Security Manager. Designed for small teams and SMBs with limited IT support, the HP LaserJet Pro 4000/4100 Series also delivers the fastest two-sided printing in its class, 25% lower ongoing print costs and smaller, longer-lasting toner cartridges. www.HP.com WHAT’S NEW
www.managedITmag.co.uk 11 WHAT’S NEW movement, to personalise the mouse to suit their requirements. The Waver combines a convex, upright shape that allows the mouse to be used with a straight wrist for improved blood flow to the hand, with a patented mechanism that rotates the curvature 180° to give optimal support to both right- and lefthanded users. R-Go Tools has launched a crowdfunding project on Kickstarter and, if the target amount is reached, aims to bring the Waver to market in mid‑September 2026. www.r-go-tools.com … Auto-switching bridge New from Boom Collaboration, the ARC bridge protects businesses’ investment in dedicated room systems while meeting demand for flexible, userfriendly meeting experiences by giving users the freedom to connect their own devices to those systems. Designed to unify in-room conferencing systems with Bring Your Own Meeting (or Device) workflows, the smart bridge autoswitches between a dedicated in-room PC running MTR, Zoom Room or Google Meet and a BYOM laptop via a single USB-C connection. https://boom.co/products/boom-arc requirements. The MFC-J6975DW and MFC-J6977DW offer faster print speeds of up to 31ipm (50% faster than earlier models), more memory (up to 1GB) and lower running costs thanks to optional high-yield cartridges. Both new models feature print, copy, scan and fax functionality, an 8.8cm colour touchscreen and flexible connectivity including dual-band wireless (5GHz), Gigabit Ethernet and NFC. www.brother.co.uk … No PC required PFU (EMEA) has enhanced its ScanSnap iX2500 scanner with new standalone capabilities including the ability to generate searchable PDFs and save them to network folders or Network Attached Storage (NAS) without the need for a PC or smartphone. Other enhancements include the ability for ScanSnap Home (for Mac) software to run natively on Apple Silicon Macs; the integration of an Office file conversion feature directly into ScanSnap Home (for PC) so that users can now convert scans into editable Word, Excel or PowerPoint files without the need for a separate software installation; and an extension of the iX2500’s standard scanning length from 360mm to 500mm (excluding Excellent mode), which allows longer items to be scanned without manual switching to ‘Long Page’ mode. www.scansnap.com … Left, right, left, right The R-Go Waver vertical mouse brings the promise of improved ergonomics to flexible workspaces in offices and shared workstations in schools, universities, libraries and even large households by allowing right-handed and left-handed users, with a simple and USB Type-A cables included, users can start transferring photos, videos, files and documents straightaway. https://www.toshiba-storage.com/ products/canvio-flex/ … Sign of quality SIGEL has been awarded a Stationers’ Company Warrant for its Desk Sharing Bags on the strength of their functionality, practical design and use of sustainable felt made from 100% recycled PET. Designed for use in corporate offices, home offices and on the move, the bags feature an adjustable shoulder strap and integrated handles for easy transportation and a wide base, sturdy construction and open design giving quick and easy access to work materials arranged in two large and five smaller compartments. SIGEL’s Desk Sharing Bags are available in a choice of sizes and three designs (Classic, Bicolor and Basic). www.sigel-office.com … A3 upgrade Brother UK has completed the refresh of its four-strong X-Series A3 inkjet portfolio. Following the release of two models optimised for SOHO customers, last November, it has now introduced two upgraded models for SMBs with mission-critical A3 printing 5G bubble The Acer Connect M6E 5G mobile Wi-Fi device is an essential ‘alwayson’ companion for business travellers, event production teams and hybrid workers who cannot afford to rely on spotty public Wi-Fi. Combining ultrafast 5G speeds and military-grade durability, the M6E automatically identifies and connects to the strongest available 5G signal in more than 135 countries. Features include support for both physical SIM and Virtual SIM technology; Wi-Fi 6E for high-speed performance in congested areas; NFC Touch-toConnect that enables Android phone users to connect by tapping their phone rather than typing long passwords; and WPA3 encryption, built-in firewalls and VPN support to ensure corporate data remains protected even on public backbones. www.acer.com continued...
12 01732 759725 ...continued Parent company HannStar Display’s Transflective LCD technology, aka ecoVISION, enables the Hybri Monitor to deliver full-colour, full-motion performance with a refresh rate of 75Hz, a 5ms response time (fine for productivity and casual gaming) and True 8-bit (16.7 million colours) visuals. At the same time, ecoVISION’s dualmode operation (reflective and backlit) sets new standards for eye comfort and power consumption by making optimum use of natural light and reflective viewing to minimise the need for backlit mode. At above 1000 lux, common in offices, classrooms and outdoor-adjacent environments, ‘eye-care mode’ uses ambient light as its light source, mimicking the comfort of paper and producing clear, high-contrast imagery with no backlight and no blue light. Then, when light levels drop below 500 lux, ‘smart mode’ automatically uses backlighting to provide the necessary level of brightness for comfortable viewing. HANNspree says that by using natural light as its primary illumination source, the monitor consumes as little as 5.2W, reducing overall power consumption by up to 80% compared with traditional LED displays. … 5G on the go New from Ericsson, the Cradlepoint R2400 in-vehicle 5G router delivers reliable, intelligent connectivity for public safety, mass transit and fleet operations. Designed as a modular, future-proof platform, it features the first single modem with a Dual SIM/Dual Standby (DSDS) failover capability, offering carrier switchover roughly 10× faster than previous approaches. Also featuring centimetre-level positioning, Wi-Fi 7 and built-in edge AI, the R2400 supports real-time, mission-critical applications such as live video streaming, connected and autonomous vehicle/drone tracking, on-board local AI inferencing and safety monitoring. https://cradlepoint.com configuration control, product traceability and continuous improvement. www.apricorn.com … Best of both worlds Professionals who spend many hours working at a screen, as well as those with existing eye conditions or sensitivities, are among those likely to welcome the launch of the Hybri Paper-Like Eye-Care Monitor by HANNspree. The specialist display and consumer electronics company describes the full HD (1920×1080 resolution) 23.8in display as a ‘major leap forward in sustainable display innovation’ on the basis that it is the first display to combine a flickerfree, paper-like reading experience with the responsiveness of a modern multimedia display. Outage cost calculator Cloudhouse, a UK provider of application modernisation and change control software, has launched a free online tool to help organisations quantify the true financial impact of IT outages and operational disruption. The Outage Cost Calculator can also be used to compare outage risk against peer and regional benchmarks. Cloudhouse cites research suggesting that 80% of IT incidents are linked to change, misconfiguration or human error, much of it the result of modernisation programmes, platform upgrades and constant change across complex IT estates. https://cloudhouse.outgrow.us/itoutage-cost-calculator … In a league of its own Apricorn, a manufacturer of software-free, 256-bit AES XTS hardware-encrypted USB drives, has become the first hardware-encrypted USB storage device manufacturer accredited to supply the aerospace, aviation and defence industries after achieving AS9100 certification. For those sectors specifically, the internationally recognised Quality Management System incorporates additional criteria, including enhanced risk management, supply chain oversight, Health and efficiency Bureau has become the first soundproof booth company to be granted a ‘Works with WELL’ trademark licence from the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). The qualification provides reassurance that the company’s booths meet health and wellbeing requirements within the WELL Building Standard (WELL), particularly around air quality and exposure to harmful chemicals. Bureau has been appointed the manufacturing and materials partner for WeWork Go, a global network of bookable workspace pods being rolled out across airports, convention centres, hotel lobbies and public venues by the real estate platform. Bureau has created three distinct formats for WeWork Go: a single-user pod; a multi-user configuration for up to four people; and an ADA-compatible unit designed for universal accessibility. withbureau.com WHAT’S NEW Owl for all The latest Meeting Owl 360-degree camera, speaker and mic offers a seamless single-cable Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) experience for hybrid meetings. Purpose-built for enterprises, the Meeting Owl 5 Pro supports virtually any room setup, from standalone BYOD to full in-room systems, with instant USB connectivity to the room’s A/V system and a choice of wired or wireless pairing. Multiple devices can be linked together to provide secure, reliable coverage in larger rooms, while Direct Ethernet connectivity provides centralised device management for enterprise IT. owllabs.co.uk
When your customers choose the TASKalfa Pro 15000c inkjet production printer, we’ll reforest their paper use in partnership with PrintReleaf. + Reduce – 70% less energy + Reforest – 25,257 trees planted so far + Rethink – what you can offer See why our green printer is still making an impression. www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.uk/taskalfa-printreleaf Our green printer still turns heads.
14 01732 759725 A high-quality headset has become an essential business tool, even in the age of video, says Steven Schmidt, VP of Global Commercial Innovation & Marketing at headset and speakerphone manufacturer EPOS. “Today’s workforces are reliant on these digital tools and platforms to enable successful communication, including clear calls where both sides of the conversation can be heard. Although video collaboration tools have quickly grown in popularity, audio is (and will always be) the most important tool for successful verbal communication,” he said. “If you can’t be heard, the communication is over!” Buying considerations Keeping in mind the competing demands of hybrid working and return to office, what does Schmidt think are the key trends buyers should be aware of when choosing a professional headset? Here, he picks his top four buying considerations. 1. Wired v Wireless Debate A couple of years ago the assumption was most headsets would become wireless to support freedom of movement and flexibility. Whilst wireless adoption is growing quickly, high quality wired headsets like the EPOS IMPACT 100 remain popular especially where webcams are connected to desk screens. Industry research indicates wired devices still account for over half of the general market. 2. Adaptive Noise Cancellation (ANC) Maintaining productivity and focus are essential ingredients for success in today’s hybrid world, especially now that ‘return to the office’ is increasing noise levels in open plan environments. It is good practice to use ANC to shield people from distractions (the number one issue for workers, according to EPOS research) but, equally, it’s very important not to block everything as doing so can create feelings of isolation. Hybrid ANC, which enables wearers to hear some background sound, helps users maintain focus and feel more connected to their surrounding environment. 3. All Day Comfort, All Day Performance Using a headset all day, every day can lead to discomfort and brain fatigue. EPOS counters these risks by using high quality materials for comfort and ground-breaking audio technology to reduce mental effort. EPOS BrainAdapt, for example, is a group of technologies that work together to improve speech recognition accuracy by as much as 48% and minimise the amount of energy it takes to process sound. 4. Professional, Discreet Conversations From the gym to the morning commute, audio devices are an integral part of daily life – for music as well as calls – so having a single audio device that does it all is becoming the holy grail for many professionals. The consequent Bring Your Own Device trend reinforces the importance of specifying high quality headsets with excellent audio performance to ensure sensitive information is kept safe and not overheard, whether in a café or insurance call centre. www.eposaudio.com Steven Schmidt highlights four trends shaping the professional headset market Heads-up for headsets HEADSETS Designing for impact EPOS has launched an enhanced version of its popular EPOS IMPACT 100 ultra-lightweight wired headset for ‘talk‑heavy’ professionals. Available in mono or stereo variants, the high-value, entry‑level headset, originally launched last year, offers allday comfort, clear audio and seamless integration with Microsoft Teams and other UC platforms. Jessica Harrison, EPOS Sales Director, UK and Ireland, says the new version represents a significant improvement on its predecessor with softer materials for added comfort; clearer voice transmission through an improved boom arm; an advanced noise cancelling microphone; and dual USB-C and A connectivity. “The EPOS IMPACT 100 balances lightweight comfort, high-quality audio and robust build. Its noise-cancelling microphone, versatile connectivity and extensive platform certifications make it suitable for office professionals, remote workers and anyone needing reliable communication tools for extended periods. “We have put intuitive call control at the user’s fingertips, with distinctively shaped buttons and LED icons ensuring there’s no need to look down to find the right function. In addition, the versatile boom arm can be worn on either side, as a uni-directional microphone with noise cancelling algorithms to improve call quality.” Jessica adds: “Durable leatherette earpads are combined with an amarid fibre reinforced cable, ensuring the IMPACT 100 is a headset to rely on, even in the most demanding settings, at home or in the office.” Steven Schmidt Jessica Harrison
www.managedITmag.co.uk 15 Panasonic Projector & Display has strengthened its professional MEVIX display portfolio with the introduction of the SQ3 Series of 4K LCD displays, reinforcing its commitment to delivering a complete and future-ready ecosystem of visual solutions. With all sizes available from Q2 2026, the new range has been designed to support a wide range of always-on applications with high-visibility 4K performance and reliable 24/7 operation. The introduction of the SQ3 Series forms part of Panasonic’s broader strategy to strengthen and expand its professional MEVIX display offering across both Projection and LED technologies. By continuously refreshing its line-up, the company is enabling customers to deploy scalable, fit-for-purpose visual solutions that meet the diverse demands of modern workplaces and public environments across the full vertical market spectrum. In today’s fast-moving digital landscape, organisations demand display solutions that are not only visually impactful but also dependable and easy to integrate. The SQ3 Series addresses these requirements with a balance of performance, flexibility and operational reliability, making it well suited to applications where consistent, around-the-clock operation is essential. Featuring 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution, the SQ3 Series delivers clear and detailed image reproduction for everything from digital signage content to meeting room presentations and monitoring feeds. Support for 4K/60p signals ensures smooth, high-quality video playback, while a 25% haze anti-glare treatment reduces reflections in bright environments, maintaining visibility in retail and corporate settings alike. Available in six different sizes (86, 75, 65, 55, 50 and 43-inch), the SQ3 Series offers optimal flexibility to fit a wide range of spaces, from expansive retail displays and corporate boardrooms to university classrooms and hallways, and even security monitoring rooms. On larger sized SQ3 displays designed for expansive viewing areas (65-inch and above), Advanced Super Dimensional Switch (ADS) panels ensure a wide viewing angle, with consistent colour and brightness across a range of viewing positions. Vertical Alignment (VA) panel technology is utilised in 55‑inch, 50-inch and 43-inch models. Installation flexibility is further enhanced by tilt capability of up to 20 degrees forward and backward, supporting a wider range of mounting positions. To assist operation costs, a built-in signal-detection function automatically switches the display on or off based on input activity, helping to minimise unnecessary power usage across always-on environments. To simplify integration into existing AV environments, the SQ3 Series is equipped with three HDMI inputs and HDMI CEC functionality for seamless device control. HDCP 2.2 is supported on all three inputs. Additional features such as signal-based power management and compatibility with RS-232C and PJLink enable efficient remote management and reduced operational workload, making the displays suitable for centrally controlled deployments. Hartmut Kulessa, Head of Marketing at Panasonic Projector and Display EMEA, commented: “The introduction of the SQ3 Series reflects our ongoing commitment to strengthening our professional display portfolio in line with realworld customer needs. While this range is focused on delivering reliable, high-quality performance for everyday applications, it also plays an important role within our broader strategy to provide a complete and scalable ecosystem across display technologies. As customer requirements continue to evolve, we remain focused on expanding our offering with new innovations – including upcoming touch-enabled displays – to ensure we can support a wide range of professional environments both now and in the future.” New 4K LCD range designed for reliable 24/7 operation across retail, corporate, education and monitoring environments forms part of a broader, full display ecosystem roadmap Panasonic strengthens professional display portfolio with new SQ3 Series and expanded MEVIX visual solutions strategy COVER STORY For more information, please contact your local Panasonic representative or visit: https:// eu.connect.panasonic.com/gb/en/ professional-displays/th-86sq3
16 01732 759725 MPS & DOCUMENT WORKFLOW What’s New in Printing & Scanning Epson announces DS-530III duplex A4 scanner for fast, reliable business digitisation Epson announces the launch of the DS-530III, a compact, high-speed A4 duplex document scanner designed to help small and medium-sized businesses digitise paperwork quickly, reliably and efficiently. Replacing the popular DS-530II, the new DS‑530III delivers scanning speeds of up to 40 pages per minute / 80 images per minute, combined with a 60-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF) and single-pass, double-sided scanning. With its compact footprint and SuperSpeed USB 3.2 connectivity, the scanner is ideal for busy office and home office environments where desk space is limited and time is critical. Designed for everyday business use, the DS-530III supports a wide range of media, from business cards and receipts to A4 documents, and includes Epson’s Paper Protection technology to help prevent misfeeds and protect original documents. A robust 6,500-page daily duty cycle ensures reliable performance for regular, highvolume scanning tasks. The scanner is supplied with Epson Scan 2, Document Capture Pro for Windows and Document Capture for macOS, enabling users to scan directly to folders, cloud services and email. Built-in OCR and barcode recognition make it easy to create searchable PDFs, automatically name files and separate documents, helping businesses organise and access information more efficiently. “Businesses continue to look for simple ways to reduce paper and work more efficiently,” said Kevin Toes, Epson Europe. “The DS-530III is designed for users who want fast, reliable scanning without complexity. By combining high speed, strong media handling and intuitive software in a compact device, it makes everyday document digitisation quicker and easier.” The Epson DS-530III is aimed at SOHO, small and medium-sized businesses across sectors such as finance, public services, healthcare and professional services, where fast document capture and reliable handling of mixed media are essential. The Epson DS-530III will be available through Epson resellers and online retailers from April 2026. IT buyers paying a 24% ‘peace of mind premium’ for brands they trust, new research reveals IT decision-makers are willing to pay a 24% premium for brands they believe won’t let them down, according to new research from Brother UK – with trust now ranked above cost or specifications as the deciding factor in tech purchases. The business technology specialist surveyed 250 UK IT leaders and 250 resellers for its new Tech Trust Index 2026 report. Three-quarters (74%) of IT decision makers said emotional factors such as trust now matter more than traditional rational criteria like cost or product specifications. Nearly as many (72%) said trust in technology vendors is more important today than it was five years ago. On average, buyers are willing to pay a premium for technology from a vendor they trust. Almost nine in ten (88%) say they have paid a premium in the past, with one in 10 prepared to pay 51–75% more – and a small minority even willing to pay double. In competitive deals where specifications are closely matched, Brother’s polling suggested trust acts as the tie-breaker. Nine in ten (88%) resellers say it becomes the deciding factor when there’s little to separate products on paper. The research also highlights the importance of trust in the channel partner itself, not just the vendor. More than nine in ten (92%) channel professionals say customers rely on them to validate whether a vendor can be trusted, reinforcing the reseller’s role as a critical bridge between brand promise and buyer confidence. The findings are published in Brother UK’s new report, The Tech Trust Index 2026, which explores how trust is built – and broken – in technology purchasing decisions. Phil Jones MBE, managing director at Brother UK, said: “IT leads put their neck on the line every time they introduce new technology into their business. They need to know it will perform and add commercial benefit - whether that’s laptops, AV, software systems or printers - without creating disruption or support downtime. “As our research shows, they’re willing to pay on average 24% more for a brand they trust. That’s a premium they’ll pay for peace of mind. And brands are earning that trust through the everyday moments – when products do what they’re supposed to do, support shows up without excuses and the relationship is easy.” Dean Birks, MPS & digital transformation specialist at OfficeXpress, said: “We see it every time we present our options. The trusted brand nearly always gets the nod, even when it costs more. Customers see it as buying confidence. They want to know that if something does go wrong, the vendor will stand behind them. That peace of mind has a price, and most are willing to pay it.” Trust: do resellers feel it’s easy to earn? IT buyers revealed to Brother UK the top factors that earn their trust, including better quality products (49%), good customer support (43%), transparent and clear pricing (36%), enhanced cyber security support (32%) and full lifetime product support (29%). By contrast, purpose-led factors – like sustainability – carried far less weight in driving trust. Encouragingly, resellers overall felt that tech brands had become more trustworthy over the last three years. Around three in five (63%) said it had become easier for brands to earn trust due to increased regulation and consumer protection (42%); greater transparency from brands on pricing, data use and product performance (41%); and improved product quality and reliability (38%). Yet nearly one in five (18%) resellers felt it had become harder for brands to earn trust, with economic pressures driving buyer caution (55%), negative brand experiences being amplified on social media (51%); and greater competition and choice (47%) among the top factors holding back customers’ trust in brands. Greig Millar, chief revenue officer said: “Trust drives how technology is sold, not just bought, so the channel is absolutely key. Resellers help customers judge which vendors deserve investment. When a partner trusts us with their customer, it carries real weight in decisions. “As a channel-centric vendor, we’ve always focused on being easy to work with, dependable in our support, and clear in our commitments – if the channel trusts us, they’ll recommend us.” To read more insights from the report, visit: www.brother.co.uk/business-solutions/trust Phil Jones MBE
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