www.printitreseller.uk PRINT, MFP, SOFTWARE, SERVICES, DOCUMENT & CLOUD NEWS & INFORMATION FOR VARS, CONVERGED RESELLERS & MFP DEALERS T uprang et o2 9 DISTRIBUTION A DECADE IN PRINT Introducing Xvantage PAGE 20 PAGE 34 PAGE 50 60 SECONDS WITH.. Mark Gemmell, Trade Copiers Shaun Wilkinson shares his experiences 10 YEARS · I03 ISSUES IN PRINT & ONLINE ISSUE 103 · 2023
The PrintIT Reseller and Technology Reseller Golf Society is open to everyone; Resellers, Dealers, VARs, System Integrators and Vendors – the maximum number of players being 72 at each event. The cost per event is £107 per player or £428 per four ball + VAT. Includes breakfast and dinner. At each event there will be a prize for Overall Highest Score for the Day, Longest Drive and Nearest the Pin. Not sure about running your own golf day? No problem, bring customers along to this friendly industry relevant event. This year’s events: & The Golf Society is open to everyone no matter what your handicap is... so don’t be shy. Come and join us. 2023 2 0 2 3 The First round will take place at Carden Park on the 11th May The Second round will take place at Luton Hoo on the 8th June The Third round will take place at Olton Golf Club on the 13th July The Final round will take place at Robin Hood on the 28th September Sponsors Merchandise Sponsor If you would like to join us at any of the events please email [email protected] or call Paul on 07887 944433 SPONSORSHIP If you would like to discuss the opportunities available, please call Paul on 07887 944433, email [email protected] www.binfo.co.uk/ golf-society.php
PRINTITRESELLER.UK 3 We’re marking our 10th anniversary year by inviting industry veterans to share their experiences over the past decade, what they’ve learned, and the highs and the lows of our unique and challenging industry. In this issue, Shaun Wilkinson, Managing Director, UTAX UK tells us about his (more than a) decade in print (page 20), and Stuart Sykes, Managing Director, Sharp Business Systems UK takes a step back in time reflecting on the changes both in terms of technology and customer needs, he’s witnessed over the past ten years (page 46). If you’d like to be featured, please get in touch with me – [email protected]. Also in this issue, Andrew Smith, Chief Information & Strategy Officer at Kyocera Group UK, picks the work tools he uses every day and couldn’t do his job without (page 18). This month’s Q&A is with David Smith, Group Marketing Director, Xeretec, and PITR spent 60 seconds with Mark Gemmell, Head of Sales & Operations, Trade Copiers. If you’ve got any news about your business to share, would like to be included on our monthly VOX POP panel, have a compelling business success story or simply wish to comment on any industry issues, please get in touch with me at: [email protected] Michelle Ryder, Editor PRINT.IT Reseller is published by Kingswood Media Ltd., 10 Amherst House, 22 London Road, Sevenoaks TN13 2BT • Tel: 01732 759725 Email: [email protected] www.printitreseller.uk No part of PRINT.IT Reseller can be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher. ©2023 Kingswood Media Ltd. Design: Sandtiger Media www.sandtiger.co.uk 04 Bulletin What’s new in printers and printing 16 People A round-up of new hires 18 I couldn’t do my job without... Andrew Smith picks his favourite work tools 20 A decade in print Shaun Wilkinson shares his print experiences over the past decade 22 PrintIT Awards First peek at the 2023 categories 26 Focus on: What’s New A round-up of recent product launches 30 Opinion Understanding your data 34 Distribution Introducing Xvantage from Ingram Micro 36 Opinion Sustainability and the future of print 37 Events PaperCut empowers the channel 39 Sustainable Distribution TD SYNNEX publishes first corporate citizenship report 40 VOX POP The race to net zero: part two 46 One-to-One Stuart Sykes, Managing Director, Sharp Business Systems UK 48 View from the Channel David Smith, Group Marketing Director, Xeretec 50 60 seconds with... Mark Gemmell, Head of Sales & Operations, Trade Copiers 2023 ISSUE 103 printitreseller.uk Comment Register online To receive your regular FREE printed copy of PrintIT Reseller Magazine simply fill in our online registration form at www.printitreseller.uk/register If you no longer wish to receive PrintIT Reseller magazine please email your details to [email protected] Read PrintIT Reseller online at: www.printitreseller.uk Join us : Follow us @PrintITReseller Issue 103 ISSN 2055-3110 (Print) ISSN 2055-3129 (Online) Group Editor: James Goulding 07803 087228 · [email protected] Editor: Michelle Ryder 01732 759725 · [email protected] Publishing Director, Social Media and Web Editor: Neil Trim 01732 759725 · [email protected] Advertising Director: Ethan White 01732 759725 · [email protected] Account Manager: Jeff Root 07976 950285 · [email protected] Art Director: Nick Pledge 07767 615983 · [email protected] COMMENT 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 10 YEARS · I03 ISSUES IN PRINT & ONLINE
BULLETIN 01732 759725 4 Printer sales surge CONTEXT reports that sales of printer hardware through European distributors increased in Q4 2022, with both volumes and revenues exceeding expectations. Data revealed a 12.3% year-on-year increase in unit sales and a 27.8% increase in revenue during the period. “This is in part due to the aggressive promotions designed to clear entry-level stock and strong business demand for higher-end devices,” said Antonio Talia, Head of Market & Business Analysis. By contrast, the consumables market declined significantly in the same period down 18.2 YoY % in unit sales and 11.4% in revenues. A decrease in sales of the ink cartridges that make up over 80% of consumable sales in the region was the main reason but toner sales also fell sharply. The average number of pages printed also fell sharply in December (by 12% YoY) despite the return to the office. CONTEXT says that with paperless policies proliferating in the public and private sectors, this fall is likely to continue. www.contextworld.com Logistics businesses losing weeks to faulty labelling Logistics businesses are losing weeks of time at the hands of faulty labelling equipment, according to a new study by Brother UK. Annually, downtime is also costing a third of logistics businesses between £1,001-£2,000, with 6% hit by more than £3,000 in costs. Just 15% said the cost impact was typically under £500. The research found that more than half (59%) lost more than seven days in productive employee time last year, with 15% losing a month or more. Just 14% experienced less than a day lost in productive time last year due to labelling related disruption. The findings show that more than half said that unscannable labels were a major cause of sapped time (57%), while organising repairs (50%) and waiting for new equipment (47%) were also widely cited as causing disruption for the sector. Gary Morris, Senior End User Client Manager for transport and logistics at Brother UK, said: “The time lost to sub-optimal labelling shows the significance of its role in warehouse and logistics operations. “But downtime due to offline labelling tech is something firms can seldom afford. Operators need to maximise employee productivity amid skills shortages, while delivering the efficiency commanded by fast and traceable delivery services.” To remedy time and money lost to poorquality labelling, the research found that most firms are looking for better integration between software and printers (63%) from their labelling systems. Easy repair and replacement services (51%), and reliable equipment (47%), also fell highly on firms’ labelling wishlists. www.brother.co.uk Shift in attitudes toward cloud Nearly three quarters (71%) of companies believe the cloud or a hybrid solution will be their preferred deployment method for labelling within the next three years, according to an annual report published by Loftware. The global survey, which draws on insights from almost 500 professionals across industries in 55 countries, found a shift in attitudes toward cloud technology. Driven by the need to insulate operations from ongoing supply chain disruptions, product shortages, cost pressures, process inefficiencies, and manual errors, Loftware’s 10th annual report revealed that 50% of businesses already deploy important business applications in the cloud. This compares to just under 40% of companies embracing cloud-first strategies for enterprise applications a year ago. “Cloud adoption is proving to be the cornerstone of impactful digital transformation programs, as evidenced by the strong feedback we have received from our customers and partners. Among the many benefits on offer, the cloud provides quick deployment times, lower upfront costs, easy access, the ability to scale, and automatic updates," said Josh Roffman, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Product Management at Loftware. "As companies of all sizes strive to increase profitability, drive growth, and streamline operations, we expect to see a growing number of forward-thinking organisations adopt the cloud for mission-critical business processes including labelling.” www.loftware.com Employees frustrated by misaligned technology investments Research released by Ricoh Europe reveals a disconnect between employer and employee perceptions of the workplace experience. The research, conducted by Opinium and analysed by CEBR on behalf of Ricoh Europe, polled 6,000 workers and 1,500 decision makers across the continent. It finds that almost three quarters (72%) of decision makers say they design employee workplace processes and systems with employee experience in mind, but only 58% of workers agree. Furthermore, more than a third (36%) of workers report that new technology being introduced across their organisation won’t impact their work. This suggests that many employers are failing to understand and reflect the needs of their people when it comes to digital transformation. As a result, technology investments designed to improve the working experience may be missing the mark. Businesses that fail to act could risk productivity and growth, as well as talent attraction and retention. This is particularly pertinent given one in three (30%) employees cite working conditions and employee experience as a reason to stay with their current employer. What’s more, replacing top talent can be an expensive process for businesses, with the research finding the average cost of replacing an employee stands at €10,600 across the EU. However, uptake of digital workspace technology designed to enhance employee experience is low. One-in-three European businesses do not currently use productivity and project management software (32%), automation software (34%) or hybrid meeting technology (30%), despite employees wanting to see these implemented. www.ricoh-europe.com
BULLETIN United Business Group launches charitable foundation United Business Group has launched the United Charitable Foundation, a new charitable organisation dedicated to making a positive impact on the community and the world around us. The United Charitable Foundation was established with the goal of providing support to those in need through the business expertise of United Business Group, its network of contacts, and the distribution of funding. The foundation will focus on supporting causes that align with the company’s values and make a meaningful difference in the lives of those in need. “We are excited to launch the United Charitable Foundation and use our resources and expertise to make a positive impact on the world,” said CEO Terry Woods. “We believe that by working together, we can make a real difference in the lives of those in need, and we look forward to supporting the causes that matter most to our community.” The United Charitable Foundation will work closely with non-profit organisations and other charitable foundations to identify and support causes that align with its mission, and it encourages members of the community to get involved and support its efforts. www.unitedfoundation.charity 01732 759725 6 Espria to host more events Espria is championing how to ‘do more with less’ through a series of Optimise events in 2023. The digital workspace solutions provider will hold four regional Optimise IT events, where the Espria team and some key strategic partners, will present a variety of new developments and services aimed at assisting businesses to do more with less. Each event, which starts with a hot breakfast, will include up to three keynote segments plus additional exhibitors sharing their latest innovations. The first keynotes will be delivered by Xerox, Sophos and Microsoft on March 28 at Newmarket Racecourse. Doncaster Racecourse will host the second Optimise event of 2023 on June 28, followed by Cheltenham on September 19. The Optimise IT ‘tour’ will conclude on November 22 at Gray’s Inn in London. Andrew Lashley, Chief Client Officer said: “During our regional interactive exhibition events, you will hear insightful keynote speeches, network with peers, and discuss business-related issues with industry experts. At Espria, we are committed to making Optimise IT 2023 our most accessible and informative event ever, it is not to be missed.” www.espria.com HP and SCC PLANT 500 trees HP Inc. and SCC have planted 500 trees in New Forest National Park, in partnership with Forestry England As part of SCC’s ongoing commitment to global sustainability and HP’s Climate Action Goals, the event held on February 7, included talks from experts at Forestry England and HP on the importance of biodiversity and forests. Paul Southall, Head of Sustainability at Rigby Group, SCC’s parent company, who took part said: “We’re delighted to have partnered with HP and Forestry England in support of this wonderful cause, which provided an opportunity to directly contribute to the UK’s reforestation journey. “Not only that, but the opportunity to learn from expert speakers on biodiversity was fascinating and concerning in equal measures. The UK is in the bottom 10% globally for biodiversity and restoring the UK’s tree coverage is essential to improving biodiversity levels and the country’s ability to reach net zero. “It’s important that companies like SCC and HP continue to take their responsibility to sustainability and the environment seriously and keep setting and meeting ambitious targets such as HP’s Climate Action Goals.” To date, HP has planted more than 60,000 trees in the UK and Ireland, with more planned this Spring planting season. These local initiatives contribute to HP’s global target of planting 1 million trees in 2023. www.scc.com • www.hp.com ASL acquires Sharples ASL Group has acquired Warrington-based Sharples Group Limited, one of the largest independent suppliers in the northwest. The move, which follows the acquisition of B&M Office Machines in 2020, extends ASL’s reach in the region and further enhances its service for customers. Sharples is the sixth acquisition ASL has completed since the investment by Primary Capital Partners in 2019, and continues its vision to be the largest independent managed office services provider in the UK. Duncan Forsyth, CEO of ASL, said: “We are delighted to welcome Sharples onboard, they have established a fantastic reputation over the past 45 years for providing exceptional customer relationships. Sharples pride themselves on placing their customers’ needs at the front of their trading practices which aligns with our core values entirely. It’s our mission to be able to provide impartial, independent advice for all business office requirements, and we look forward to working with their well-established service base in the northwest and building on its success.” Mark Brocklehurst, Managing Director of Sharples added: “We have been discussing this opportunity with ASL for a while and are very happy that we have chosen a company who will continue to maintain the values and customer service levels that Sharples customers expect whilst providing access to further services. The acquisition is fantastic news and is a direct reflection of both companies’ shared values, passion and culture.” https://asl-group.co.uk 2 0 2 3 2 0 2 3 For more information please email [email protected] or call Paul on 07887 944433
BULLETIN Principal sponsor The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) has announced SCC as its new principal sponsor. The three-year agreement includes support of £100,000 a year, aligning with the orchestra’s Sound of the Future campaign, and will see audience development opportunities for SCC staff including concert experiences and hospitality. CBSO musicians will also perform at SCC venues and locations throughout the sponsorship period, bringing music to new and diverse audiences across the UK and France. The CBSO’s Sound of the Future campaign aims to raise £12.5 million over five years, culminating in 2025. The CBSO is about to launch the ‘transformational’ stage of the campaign, which will reinvigorate the way it works so that it can make an even bigger contribution to West Midlands cultural life in its second century. The gift will be a leadership gift for the next stage of the campaign. Founded by Sir Peter Rigby and headquartered in Birmingham since 1975, SCC has grown to become one of the largest IT solutions providers in Europe. As a local business with international reach, the family-owned firm shares much in common with the CBSO. Chief Executive of the CBSO, Stephen Maddock OBE, said: “This is an imaginative partnership between two outstanding and longestablished Birmingham organisations. Both SCC and the CBSO are committed to promoting our home city, and this new sponsorship will provide outstanding opportunities for SCC staff and clients to experience world-class music-making from the CBSO on a regular basis. I am hugely grateful to Sir Peter Rigby for his generosity and vision in making this new partnership a reality.” www.scc.com Demand for MPS drives growth at Printerbase Printerbase is targeting further growth in its managed print services offering after recording a surge in contract sales over the last 12 months with Brother UK. The reseller which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, reported a 50% increase year-on-year in Brother MPS contracts. This includes the vendor’s new PrintSmart Essential package, a Netflix-style subscription service for print designed for small businesses. Printerbase says that it allows customers to pay a monthly fee for print supplies, installation, supplies recycling and maintenance services. Packages range from £5.78 to £61.37 per month, with plans available for low, medium or high print requirements, or on a pay-as-you-go basis. The packages don’t require customers to undergo credit checks or sign credit agreements, making the benefits more accessible for smaller companies. The firm is targeting a further 50% growth in sales this 2023, which it forecasts will boost its total revenue to up to £8m – an increase of 23% on the previous year. Khalil Hussain, Business Manager at Printerbase, said: “There is significant momentum behind the shift to print-as-aservice, and we expect this to continue as offices strive to find cost-efficiencies in their operations this year. More small businesses are making the change as they see the benefits of smaller monthly payment options that free up cash to support other areas of their business.” Chris Grimshaw, Business Manager – Online Partners, at Brother UK, added: “Innovations such as PrintSmart Essential are giving resellers an option to provide customers with a more streamlined and cost-efficient solution that meets the needs of businesses with reduced printing requirements. It also gives partners the opportunity to capitalise on the recurring revenues that MPS provides, and it’s why Brother is throwing its full weight behind MPS and supporting resellers to make the most of the opportunity.” www.brother.co.uk PRINTITRESELLER.UK 7 MPS Workflow partners with Kodak Alaris A new alliance between MPS Workflow Ltd and Kodak Alaris will see the Wigan-based print and document management services provider expand its offering to include scanners from Kodak Alaris and Kodak Info Input Solution web-based capture software. The partnership with Kodak Alaris represents an important step by MPS Workflow to help organisations across the northwest to digitally transform across areas including accounts payable, hybrid mail and document management. MPS Workflow will also be able to integrate scanners and software from Kodak Alaris into its well-established managed print services (MPS) offering. The MPS Capture Agent and Scanner Manager tools enable scanners from Kodak Alaris to be incorporated into MPS contracts for smarter reporting and management. The MPS Capture Agent provides MPS Workflow and end-user customers with visibility over key scanner operational data and status via existing solution dashboards, while the Scanner Manager smart, cloud-based device management dashboard enables partners to directly monitor and collect scanners’ operational data, deliver usage reports and manage multi-variate alerts for customers’ devices. “MPS Workflow Ltd is delighted to be working with Kodak Alaris,” said Managing Director, Frances Dawber. “We are very much looking forward to introducing our customers to a market-leading suite of solutions that will enable them to accelerate their digital transformations and are excited about what we can deliver together.” www.mpsworkflow.co.uk • www.alarisworld.com Voting open until April 14 www.trawards.co.uk
BULLETIN 01732 759725 8 Gamma partners with Ingram Micro Gamma has announced a new strategic relationship with Ingram Micro UK to offer Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams to its UK partners. Operator Connect, a new operator-managed programme from Microsoft Teams Phone, has been designed to enable seamless and integrated calling. Gamma is one of only a select number of providers on the programme in the UK. By pairing the global Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace with Gamma’s 15-year experience in delivering Microsoft voice solutions, the two organisations aim to provide partners with a new opportunity in the business voice market. Additionally, Gamma will become the first provider to offer Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams to Ingram Micro's partners in the UK. Partners will also benefit from Operator Connect’s easy deployment, simple administration, and native fraud management, underpinned by Gamma’s national network. Mike Mills, Director of Cloud and Infrastructure Partners, at Gamma said: “We are excited to be partnering with Ingram Micro as a strategic vendor in their modern workplace practice. The global adoption of Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), and particularly Microsoft Teams, has unquestionably created unprecedented opportunities for partners new to the voice market. We look forward to strengthening this partnership beyond Operator Connect to enable Ingram Micro and its partners to leverage these opportunities.” www.gamma.co.uk • www.ingrammicro.com Five-year deal Ingram Micro and C-Facts have signed a five-year deal making C-Facts Cloud Cost Management services worldwide available for all Ingram Micro Cloud Partners and their customers. C-Facts provides a single pane of glass for cloud usage and costs for all Ingram Micro Cloud Partners. On top of that, the partner can provide a user-friendly dashboard to all its customers. Primarily enterprise customers must deal with the complexity around the proliferation of public cloud usage by their organizations with a lack of insights into Cloud costs. This strategic cooperation creates mutual benefits for both organisations. Ingram Micro helps C-Facts boost its international sales, and Ingram Micro Cloud can deliver valuable services to its partners and their customers with low-touch handling. Besides cloud usage and cost reporting, C-Facts announced a cloud optimisation module that will be available for Ingram Micro Partners in 2023. www.c-facts.com • www.ingrammicrocloud.com Global agreement Arrow Electronics has signed a global agreement with Lenovo to deliver its TruScale Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) solution through value-added resellers, managed service providers and telcos. TruScale Infrastructure-as-a-Service operates on a consumption-based subscription model that allows companies to use and pay for data centre solutions – onpremise or at a customer-preferred location – without having to purchase the equipment. Delivered through Arrow’s cloud management platform, ArrowSphere, TruScale will provide customers with a flexible cloud experience with the security and control of an on-premises solution. They can provision the services they require for a seamless, responsive and reliable hybrid cloud operation, making it easy to align costs with business growth. www.arrow.com TD SYNNEX joins with Chorus TD SYNNEX is collaborating with managed security services provider Chorus to give partners access to a 24/7, managed eXtended detection and response (MXDR) service. This UKbased service will enable reseller businesses to offer customers comprehensive protection of their IT environments without having to make upfront investment in building and maintaining their own specialist security practice or recruiting and retaining their own team. Built on Microsoft 365 Defender and Microsoft Sentinel, this new offering combines the broad cybersecurity expertise, maturity and reach of TD SYNNEX with the specialist focus and service capability of Chorus. The MXDR service is provided on behalf of the partner by Chorus while TD SYNNEX’s security experts support resellers on engagement, go-to-market activity, and initial sales. Matt Child, Managing Director, Advanced Solutions, UK and Ireland, TD SYNNEX, said: “We have worked with Chorus for many years and have seen their evolution into a truly market-leading security business. Our approach at TD SYNNEX has always been to continually enhance our line card with incredible services. We believe that with the combination of TD SYNNEX’s own skills as a solutions orchestrator and Chorus’s deep security specialism, we can deliver an outstanding end-to-end security practice that complements any partner who is either beginning the security journey, is already at an advanced level, or anywhere in between.” TD SYNNEX is ready to work with any partner interested in taking the MXDR offer to their customer base. https://uk.tdsynnex.com/ Most admired TD SYNNEX has been named one of the 2023 World’s Most Admired Companies by Fortune. This marks the company’s second time on the list, after debuting as a World’s Most Admired Company in 2022 after just six months as a combined company. “It’s an honour to be included in this esteemed list and to see our team recognised for their commitment to empowering our global partners to achieve great outcomes with technology,” said CEO Rich Hume. “This achievement is made possible by our dedicated co-workers, who embody our purpose, vision, mission and values in service to our vendors, customers and each other.” https://uk.tdsynnex.com/ Mike Mills Matt Child Rich Hume
PA6000x PA5500x PA5000x PA4500x PA6000x Series KYOCERA Document Solutions (UK) Limited ECOSYS just got greener. Introducing the new ECOSYS PA6000x Series of mono print devices from Kyocera. These ultra-ecient devices deliver great performance with a low total cost of ownership, thanks to long-life image drums and energy use that is Scan the QR code or visit: www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.uk/pa6000x-series Discover more: But low energy consumption, the use of recyclable plastics and fully recyclable packaging aren’t even the greenest things about the new ECOSYS PA6000x Series. That’s because these new workgroup devices are carbon neutral as standard. as low as 0.5w in sleep mode.
01732 759725 BULLETIN 10 NTT DATA partners with Swimlane NTT DATA has announced a new partnership with Swimlane that will deliver low-code security automation to help transform risk for businesses throughout the UK. Both companies will be able to work in tandem to help improve security for businesses by reducing risk through the Swimlane platform, Swimlane Turbine. The partnership has a natural synergy as well, with both companies operating in a wide range of shared verticals, including retail, energy & utilities, healthcare, public sector, telco and banking, insurance and financial services. Toby Van de Grift, VP EMEA at Swimlane, said: “We are pleased to be partnering with NTT DATA, who like ourselves are leaders in the security sector. Our platform complements NTT DATA’s knowledge and expertise in security, and together we will be able to work in synergy across multiple shared industry sectors.” uk.nttdata.com/ • https://swimlane.com/ Sustainable donation Following the recent relocation of its Basingstoke office, TD SYNNEX has donated furniture with a fair market value of £158,828 to UK charities and schools in Senegal and Cameroon. The cycling back of desks, chairs and other items has resulted in 135,205 kilograms of carbon savings. With 100% of all materials being re-used, none of the furniture or equipment that TD SYNNEX has recycled will go to landfill. Kevin Wragg, Director of Environment and Quality Compliance, said: “Just as we did when refurbishing the Bracknell site, when we moved the Basingstoke office, we wanted to make sure we stood by our commitment to sustainability and reduce, re-use and recycle any unwanted furniture and equipment. We’re delighted that we’ve been able to do so much and send everything – through Waste to Wonder – to places where we are certain they will be put to good use.” https://uk.tdsynnex.com/ Bytes to collaborate with AWS IT services and digital transformation services provider Bytes has announced a strategic collaboration agreement with AWS which will see both companies collaborate to address the demand for cloud migration, modernisation and cloud security services in the UK and Ireland region across both commercial and public sector organisations. The collaboration will see Bytes expand its business as an AWS Solution Provider for existing and new customers. It will offer end-to-end AWS services to enterprise, small and medium business (SMB), independent software vendor and public sector customers and will collaborate with AWS to offer packaged solutions to the SMB market across customer engagement, sales and marketing. Bytes will also leverage AWS Marketplace to expand its business and enable customers to procure cloud professional services and thirdparty software from partners such as Veeam, Druva, CrowdStrike, Trend, Checkpoint and Alert Logic. www.bytes.co.uk Konica Minolta expands presence at The Print Show 2023 Konica Minolta will showcase how it is improving the productivity, efficiency and versatility of professional and industrial print companies at The Print Show 2023. Jon Hiscock, Head of Production & Industrial Print at Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) Ltd said: “The Print Show is an important event for Konica Minolta, attracting existing and future customers and partners, some of which we will be inviting to join us on the stand.” www.theprintshow.co.uk www.konicaminolta.co.uk ConnectWise accelerates AI initiatives ConnectWise has announced an integration with ChatGPT and its remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools—ConnectWise Automate and ConnectWise RMM. The company says it is the first software vendor in the MSP space to release an integration with OpenAI into its existing portfolio of solutions to enable its partners to solve complex problems for their end customers. ConnectWise’s use of AI technology will enable MSPs to automate customer ticketing and issue-tracking processes, leading to faster response times and improved customer service and engagement. www.connectwise.com inTEC Group completes thirteenth acquisition Manchester based inTEC Group has acquired IT managed services provider FROG IT Services as part of its ongoing acquisition strategy. The deal marks the thirteenth acquisition since 2016 and inTEC says it has ambitious plans to further extend its geographical reach throughout the UK and Ireland this year. Richard Fella, Managing Director of FROG IT Services said: “We are delighted and excited to become a part of the inTEC GROUP family. This will allow both our customers and staff to benefit from being part of a larger organisation but whose core values remain the same as those of FROG IT. This will mean that additional services will be available to our customers which were not part of our internal offering previously. Our staff will have access to further areas of expertise and can use their own high skill levels to enhance the inTEC Group in those areas where we have great depth of knowledge.” https://intecbusiness.co.uk/ Richard Fella Jon Hiscock Chris Davies Kevin Wragg Business Design Centre · London · 12 September 2023 23 ICT · MANAGED IT · MOBILE · PRINT www.techlive.co.uk 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 THE 2023 CATEGORIES – PAGE 22
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01732 759725 12 BULLETIN Global innovator Ricoh has been recognised in the Clarivate Top 100 Global Innovators 2023 list. Recognition is given to organisations that demonstrate consistent, above-the-bar innovation excellence and sit at the very top of the global innovation ecosystem. This marks the fourth time Ricoh has been featured on the list. www.ricoh.co.uk Recognition for Konica Minolta Konica Minolta has been listed among the 2023 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World (2023 Global 100). The Global 100 is announced annually by Canada-based Corporate Knights at the meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), known as the Davos Meeting. Konica Minolta’s inclusion on this prestigious list will mark the sixth time and the fifth year in a row, following 2011 and 2019-2022. www.konicaminolta.co.uk EKM joins forces with @DOCS EKM has announced an international partnership with @DOCS, an end-to-end provider for document, records, print and visitor management solutions. The new relationship will see @DOCS take to market EKM’s Insight RMM for managing distributed multi-vendor fleets of print and imaging equipment for corporate enterprises on a global scale. EKM will leverage @DOCS well-established international presence and resources including major hubs in Australia, the USA and UK. Additionally, @DOCS has strong proven expertise and experience in servicing clients in all regions across key sectors including banking and finance, legal, education and health where document, records and print management security, and compliance are critical. Colin Bosher, CRO and founder, EKM Global said: “@DOCS supports our continued success across the corporate enterprise and Fortune 500 sector on a global scale. They understand how our unique RMM software puts organisations fully back in control of their large, distributed, and multi-brand printing and imaging device fleets. As a result, workflows are fully integrated and streamlined with IT service management systems, user satisfaction is enhanced, and significant operational savings can more easily be achieved.” www.ekmglobal.com Global collaboration IMSCAD has announced a new global collaboration with HP via the HP Anyware solution, a move that reinforces its place at the forefront of remote work solutions for graphics-intensive applications. The collaboration combines IMSCAD’s expertise for deploying and supporting graphical applications and workflows, to facilitate user and enterprise mobility with HP Anyware’s technology, which leverages the PC-over-IP (PColP) protocol to stream highly interactive desktop displays between almost any host (cloud, data centre, edge, workstation) and end-user device (PC, Mac, laptop or tablet) without any data ever leaving the safety of the customer’s network. IMSCAD CEO Adam Jull said: “We are excited about HP Anyware as it provides customers with a secured, high performance solution running on their existing workstations. One step before VDI and easy to use. Remote working done!” www.hp.com/anyware https://imscadglobal.com/ New enhanced partner programme Konica Minolta has launched a new enhanced partner programme and partner portal, designed to recognise, differentiate and reward partners on their product and services specialisms as well as their overall commitment to selling and supporting Konica Minolta’s solutions. Cameron Mitchell, Business Leader for Indirect Channel said: “With our channel partners offering a more complex set of print and IT business solutions we recognised that our partner programme accreditations and support need to reflect this evolution. The new and enhanced partner programme supports all our partners but specifically recognises those that have invested in specialist areas such as ITS and professional print. We are also excited to announce additional support for those partners aligned exclusively to Konica Minolta. We believe that this level of commitment needs to be rewarded and nurtured to further cement our relationship and grow our market share together.” Mitchell said that the channel is a key focus for Konica Minolta. “The additional support and rewards reflect our commitment to the channel, our appreciation of professional partners who exclusively specialise with us, and the requirement to support the evolution of the channel.” www.konicaminolta.co.uk UK repair centre TSC Printronix Auto ID has opened a UK repair centre to better support customers. “By opening a satellite repair centre in the UK, we can deliver faster resolution of repairs and a more cost-effective service for our distributors (VAD), resellers (VAR) and end customers nationally,” said Jaime de Sousa, Service Specialist, TSC Printronix Auto ID EMEA. “The centre enables us to abolish the shipping and import/export charges of returning failed printers to and from Germany, as well as get rid of delays caused by completing paperwork and awaiting custom checks. A UK base also ensures greater spare parts availability and alleviates any language barriers.” In practice, end-users will report TSC printer faults to their VAR or VAD who will troubleshoot the issue with TSC’s technical team in Germany. Targeted repair times will typically fall within 3-7 days of receiving the device, depending on spare parts availability and the type of failure. The satellite centre will repair in-warranty and potentially out-ofwarranty printers. https://emea.tscprinters.com Cameron Mitchell
For the best prices, next day delivery, industry-leading warranties & so much more! 01189 734 564 [email protected] DEALING WITH US COULDN’T BE SIMPLER DATA DIRECT PARTNER PROGRAMMES - DELIVERING VALUE TO YOUR BUSINESS EVERY DAY TONER & MORE www.data-direct.co.uk
01732 759725 14 BULLETIN Geared up for 2023 NFON UK, a subsidiary of NFON AG, a European provider of integrated business communications from the cloud, is kickingoff 2023 on the back of a successful 2022 and planning year-long celebrations with its channel partners to mark its 10th anniversary. 2022 saw a growing number of new channel partners choosing to join the NFON Ngage Partner Programme and the total is still climbing. Myles Leach, Managing Director, NFON UK said: “We are extremely proud to be working with many of the partners who joined us when we first opened in the UK back in 2013. We believe the longevity of our partner relationships is a reflection of how we put the partner experience at the centre of our Ngage programme and our commitment to providing 360-support.” To mark its 10th anniversary year the company plans to raise a minimum £10,000 through a sponsored distance achievement under the title Tour de NFON as well as a number of partner events across the next 12 months. www.nfon.com/gb ECI recognised as employer of choice ECI Software Solutions has been Certified by Great Place to Work for the fifth year in a row in the US and for the second year in row in Canada, UK, Belgium and Australia. The company was also officially certified as a Great Place to Work in the Netherlands for the first time, expanding its global footprint as an employer of choice. Great Place to Work is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. This certification is based on direct feedback from employees, provided as part of an extensive and anonymous survey about their workplace experience at ECI. “It’s an honour to be recognised once again as a Great Place to Work here in the US and to add the Netherlands to our group of international certifications,” said Andrew Pryor, Chief Human Resources Officer, ECI. “Our employees are the foundation to our business and the reason for our continued success over the years. As part of this, we remain committed to investing heavily in the employee experience to make ECI a great place to work. Knowing this feedback comes directly from employees validates the work we have been doing to cultivate a positive and inclusive culture across our global footprint.” www.ecisolutions.com Security standards MPS Monitor has announced the successful completion of its System and Organization Controls 2 Type 2 (SOC 2 Type 2) examination, which included compliance to CSA Star Level 2 CCM requirements. In January 2023 the company also successfully passed an audit for the renewal of its ISO/IEC 27001 certificate. MPS Monitor’s certified compliance with these three top security standards demonstrates its commitment to ensuring the highest levels of security and privacy for its customers. The company has, for many years, adopted a holistic approach to print security, with the goal of providing the industry with the most secure cloud infrastructure for remote monitoring and management of print devices. CEO Nicola De Blasi, said: “Security is a fundamental component of MPS Monitor’s culture and strategy. This is increasingly important as the print market evolves towards massive usage of SaaS and cloud platforms for every aspect of the business. Certified compliance with these three standards is an extremely valuable demonstration to our customers that their security is our first priority. Our Information Security Management System, now certified as compliant to ISO/IEC 27001, to SOC 2 Type 2 and to CSA Star Level 2, provides by far the highest security profile currently available in our industry.” www.mpsmonitor.com M-Files acquirest M-Files has acquired Ment (formerly Contract Mill Oy), a no-code document automation technology company based in Espoo, Finland. With this acquisition, M-Files now delivers robust document automation capabilities that enable new and existing customers to quickly automate their own documents. Once automated, the creation of new customised documents can be completed in minutes, in full compliance with a company’s own rules and best practices. “The acquisition of Ment amplifies our ability to help organisations increase productivity and improve their bottom line by minimising time consuming, manual work processes,” said Antti Nivala, founder and CEO, M-Files. “Ment’s robust document automation capabilities strengthen our offerings and commitment to bring customers solutions that enable knowledge workers to work smarter and deliver significant business impact.” www.m-files.com Cohesity earns top scores Cohesity has been named a Leader in the Omdia Universe: Protecting and Recovering Data in the Cloud Era, 2022–23 report. The global technology research organisation positioned Cohesity as a leading solution provider for its latest Omdia Universe for Data Protection and Backup in the Cloud report. Cohesity is recognised for its modernised data protection approach and strong capabilities in core backup and recovery, and monitoring and reporting. Additionally, Cohesity earned the top capability score, above other market vendors, due to its high ratings in solution breadth, roadmap and strategy, and solution capability – underscoring its robust innovations for data security and management, and value to customers. www.cohesity.com Voting open until April 14 www.trawards.co.uk Myles Leach Nicola De Blasi
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01732 759725 16 BULLETIN : PEOPLE SYNAXON Hub growth continues SYNAXON continues on its growth trajectory for 2023 with the addition of further personnel for its Hub distribution business. Jamaine Francis joins as an Account Executive and will be working directly with partners and prospects, helping them to maximise the benefits of working with SYNAXON. Ryan McLoughlin joins as Category Manager, managing Hub’s stock profile and ensuring the right products are available at the right price. Both new recruits bring extensive experience of working in similar roles and will be working closely with their colleagues in the UK and Germany to support partners. Miguel Rodriguez, Head of the German distribution business, said: “SYNAXON Hub is all about giving partners access to topselling products that help them meet the needs of their customers and drive profitable sales. We have made this investment to bring in additional personnel so that we can continue to deliver the personalised service and exceptional deals we know our partners value so much.” https://synaxon-services.com New hire at CovertSwarm CovertSwarm has hired Will Morrish as its Chief Revenue Officer to spearhead the development and implementation of the company’s sales and commercial strategy. The appointment is the next step in CovertSwarm’s steps to strengthen its leadership team after appointing Julio Taylor as Chief Marketing Officer in November. www.covertswarm.com Rylands joins Right Digital Solutions Right Digital Solutions has appointed Paul Rylands, as Group Sales Director, in his new role he will be responsible for driving growth and expanding Right Digital Solution’s portfolio of products and ensuring customers are able to enjoy the same industry leading service across a full range of IT services. Rylands will work closely alongside Ian Jones (Managing Director), James Smallman (Regional Sales Director) and the existing sales team to grow the existing client base, strengthen Right Digital Solutions’ presence in the public sector and increase the product set provided to current customers. He has held senior sales positions over the last 20 years within national managed technology businesses most recently as Vice President of Managed IT Services with a leading global IT brand. www.rightdigitalsolutions.com Griffin named Exertis CEO Exertis UK has made changes to its senior management structure as part of its ongoing commitment to growth and customer experience. Tim Griffin has taken operational leadership of the Exertis UK business, becoming CEO. In this capacity he will take direct responsibility for the entire Exertis UK, Retail & B2B operations and have oversight of other businesses in the UK and Ireland of parent, DCC Technology. Griffin will lead an ambitious development plan for the business in the UK to drive growth, innovation and market leadership. He said: “The size of the opportunity in the UK, both now and in the future, is a major prize and I’m excited to be taking the CEO role leading the evolution of our UK business as we drive it onwards to ever greater success. The work we’re doing now will bear fruit for many years to come, and I’m incredibly proud to lead the amazing team we have here in the UK, who are helping me implement a vision that will keep Exertis in its market-leading role long into the future.” UK Managing Director, Paul Bryan, moved into a new international role from January 1 2023, leading DCC Technology operations in the Benelux, Nordics, France and Middle East. The management changes support the continued growth ambitions of DCC Technology across North America, the UK and EMEA. www.exertis.co.uk KYND appoints new chairman Cyber risk management products and services provider, KYND has appointed Dave Moreau as its KYND Chairman. Moreau succeeds Mike Harris, who recently retired after serving as Chairman since KYND’s inception and supported the company’s growth and transformational journey over the last four years. Moreau brings more than 30 years’ international executive-level experience in the media services and technology arenas, with particular focus on strategic partnership development, operational excellence, corporate governance, and leadership mentoring. www.kynd.io New Ignys MD Nottingham-based electronics and embedded software consultancy Ignys is building on recent successes with the appointment of new Managing Director Neil Carter. Founder and CEO Richard Fletcher said: “Neil brings a very strong technical background to Ignys, along with strategic experience in hardware, software and product development. He has previously held positions as CTO in both IoT and wearable tech, with proven results in multiple industries and in a number of geographies. His background and our future are perfectly in sync, he was the natural choice.” www.ignys.co.uk New FD at Network Group Network Group, the member-owned community of Managed Service Providers, IT resellers and retailers has welcomed Sharon Billingham to its Executive Board as Financial Director. Billingham was nominated to join the executive board in October 2022 to manage the group’s financial governance and replaces Paul Moore of Urban Network who stepped down from the position after a four-year tenure. She brings a wealth of experience from her current role as Director of Finance at member company CWL Systems Ltd, a Cambridgeshire based MSP. https://www.nbg.co.uk Sharon Billinghm Tim Griffin Miguel Rodriguez Will Morrish
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01732 759725 18 WORKPLACE Andrew Smith, Chief Information & Strategy Officer at Kyocera Group UK picks the tools he uses every day and couldn’t do his job without I couldn’t do my job without... 3 OneDrive OneDrive is the central hub for all my data, it’s the way I collaborate and share information. O365’s document libraries are indispensable – I use them to organise projects, and ‘privately’ share files or folders of information to team members. But instead of sharing files, we’re working on live documents collaboratively which is quickly becoming the new norm. Co-editing documents and seeing changes in realtime is a big change and a massive aid to development. 4 SharePoint My department’s one-stop shop and a key way IMHO to bring a large, dispersed team together. It’s so simple to share information and communicate and everyone gets involved. We’ve implemented SharePoint across the business and every function has its own central repository of documentation, lists, and libraries – most use it for intranet, some use it quite visually, my teams make great use of centralised Wikis which are brilliant for our service desk and support response. It’s a great self-serve tool, which allows our service technicians and other field-based communities in Kyocera to keep in touch at their convenience. O365 has spades of flexibility as it allows you to work the way you like to work. This is good for multi-site organisations like Kyocera with a varied workforce demographic embracing the hybrid working culture. It provides us with reliable access to customer or business information 24/7/365 from any location with confidence in the security that Microsoft delivers alongside our advanced security suite. 1 Office 365 This is the go-to tool at Kyocera. Like most, I specifically rely on MS Outlook, Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint. I heavily use planner to manage priorities across our teams and project workstreams; and regularly check our service dashboards, which pull operational information in a visual format from PowerBI. I think the key element for me is O365’s use as an ecosystem. It’s easy to switch between all of the day-to-day apps and access them on the go from wherever I’m working. Security is a top priority at Kyocera and one of the reasons we standardised on O365, coupled with our security suite. In terms of compliance, we love the DPA features and the ability for us to choose where our data sits, confident that it’s mapped across multiple locations, which I believe is vital for business continuity. 2 MS Teams Jumping on Teams is a must for agile communication, meetings and internal and external calls. Walk into any Kyocera office and you will see all departments using Teams for virtual 1-to-1s, training sessions, customer webinars, collaboration etc. Teams has really made collaboration and hybrid working easy post-pandemic. But it’s become second nature. We now have to make the effort to have F2F conversations rather than rely on the software - especially when we are working together in the same place! We use Teams to reduce email traffic and communicate in a more agile way via IM, Team chats and Teams apps. I also use Teams to livestream our QBR and facilitate discussion with chat, reaching more than 450 Kyocera online participants. 5 Power Apps/Power Automate No one can park at work without consulting the Kyocera Desk & Parking Booking app which my IT team developed using O365’s development tools. The app integrates with Outlook and posts your confirmed booking to calendar, essentially telling me which bay to park in. I am really enthusiastic about using this tool to automate the more mundane tasks, especially those that need complete governance, compliance or sign-off elements. In this day and age, it’s essential. 6 Kyocera Cloud Print Scan Our very own cloud solution. KCPS allows me to print and scan at anytime from anywhere. This is especially useful for those times when a digital document won’t do and I’m short of time. KCPS integrates with third-party cloud storage, like OneDrive, so I can print and scan direct from my central hub. It also gives me the flexibility to print on the go, on my way to our London showroom for instance, and securely release the document from any one of our MFPs or printers when I get there. 7 ToDoist If you’ve not heard of ToDoist, it bills itself as the ‘world’s #1 task manager and to do list app’ and promises to bring clarity and calm to your life. I’m a big fan, I use this tool to organise my personal life. It’s the perfect zen antidote to work, it allows me to manage my personal tasks and follow ups. It’s easy to get absorbed by work in my type of role and Todoist helps me stay in control of my work-life balance and well-being. Above all else it helps me sleep! www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.uk Andrew Smith
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