www.printitreseller.uk PRINT, MFP, SOFTWARE, SERVICES, DOCUMENT & CLOUD NEWS & INFORMATION FOR VARS, CONVERGED RESELLERS & MFP DEALERS PRINT IT AWARDS WORKPLACE Meet the judges PAGE 18 PAGE 22 PAGE 37 ONE-TO-ONE Michael Lloyd, Nuvola Distribution Sarah Mackay picks her favourite work tools Cloud Printing Print from anywhere. Introducing our cloud printing solutions. 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 10 YEARS · ISSUE I04 IN PRINT & ONLINE ISSUE 104 · 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 It was interesting this month to break away from the usual topic of print and explore a couple of new (to me) areas. Michael Lloyd, CEO at Nuvola Distribution spoke to me about the opportunity for print and IT resellers to expand share of wallet leveraging technologies including unified communications, cloud and video audio conferencing (page 37). And Colin Blumenthal, Vice President, IT Services Europe at Sharp, talks about the opportunity in IT services. On page 34, Blumenthal shares details about Sharp’s expansion into IT services and outlines some of the opportunities and challenges that diversification has brought. He also notes that selling IT services through Sharp resellers is definitely something the company is looking to do. Also in this issue, Sarah Mackay, Head of Operations at UTAX (UK), picks the work tools she uses every day and couldn’t do her job without (page 18). This month’s Q&A is with Ben Burridge, Director, TB Technology, and PITR spent 60 seconds with David Tulip, Managing Director Network Group and TTG. 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... Sarah Mackay picks her favourite work tools 20 A decade in print Louella Fernandes shares her print experiences over the past decade 22 PrintIT Awards Meet the judges 26 Focus on: What’s New A round-up of recent product launches 30 Predictions 2023 technology trends 34 IT Services Colin Blumenthal explores the opportunity 37 Q&A Michael Lloyd, Nuvola Distribution 40 VOX POP Let’s talk security 46 One-to-One Eric Crump, FollowMe Team at Ringdale 48 View from the Channel Ben Burridge, Director, TB Technology 50 60 seconds with... David Tulip, Managing Director Network Group and TTG 2023 ISSUE 104 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 104 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 Lexmark MPS Express Our turnkey cloud solution frees your customers and their teams from day-today printer management Scan the QR code to contact us now 10 YEARS · ISSUE I04 IN PRINT & ONLINE
BULLETIN 01732 759725 4 Sleepless nights for security chiefs According to a survey by CSI Ltd, nine out of ten cybersecurity decision-makers in companies with 250+ employees stay awake at night worrying about their organisational security. Their main concerns are a lack of cybersecurity skills (30%), limited resources within the IT team (29%), old IT infrastructure (27%) and the risk of third-party suppliers leaving them vulnerable to a cyber-attack (25%). Additionally, three quarters (78%) believe the cost of living crisis increases the risk of a cyberattack. www.csiltd.co.uk SMBs lead the way UK SMBs are less likely to have experienced downtime due to a cybersecurity issue than their counterparts globally and, also have the lowest cost of downtime, according to the 2022 State of Ransomware Report from Datto, a Kaseya company. When asked about downtime during their most recent cybersecurity issue, 18% of UK SMBs stated that they didn’t have any, compared to the global average of 12%. In addition, the average cost of downtime for a UK company was almost half the global average – £53k compared to £103k. Datto suggests that this could be because UK SMBs are more likely to have implemented security solutions such as anti-virus (74% vs. 57% globally), email/ spam protection (66% vs. 53% globally), file backup (64% vs. 49% globally), managed firewall (62% vs. 49% globally) and cybersecurity training for employees (50% vs. 43% globally). On the downside, the UK has higher than average ransom requests of £16,500, compared to a global average of £12,500. This year, the top security investment priorities for UK SMBs are cloud security (52%), network security (47%) and cyber insurance (32%). www.datto.com On the piste! We are delighted to announce the launch of the PrintIT Reseller and Technology Reseller Ski Club Network. If like us, you have a love for the channel and the mountains, then this European event could be for you. The inaugural four-day event will take place between February 27 and March 1 2024 in the legendary Italian resort and party town of Sauze d’Oulx. The Via Lattea ski area is often described as a dream come true for snow lovers offering fantastic Alpine skiing, plus extensive state-of-the-art snow making capability also makes the region a pretty snow-sure bet. This event is open to all levels of ability, and if you are a complete novice but would still like to join, then ski lessons can be organised. And if pitting your skills against the famous Kandahar Olympic Downhill run is not your thing, then Sauze has lots of other activities that don’t require skis including extensive walking routes, dog sled and Skidoo treks to name a few. On top of the skiing, there is of course the après ski, and we have a fabulous itinerary lined up which includes lots of time for everyone to network and socialise. There is a maximum of 26 places and once they’re gone, they’re gone! This is a first come first served event, so if you’re interested and would like to find out more contact Ethan, Paul or Neil via phone: 01732 759 725 or email [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. The greatest challenge The Global Perspectives on Threat Intelligence report from Mandiant reveals that security teams value threat intelligence but struggle to apply it effectively. 96% of respondents are satisfied with the quality of their threat intelligence but nearly half (47%), of organisations cited effectively applying threat intelligence as one of their greatest challenges. The report also found that 67% of respondents believe senior leadership underestimates the cyber threats to their organisation. www.mandiant.com IT experience benchmark highlights The Global IT Experience Benchmark Report from HappySignals shares aggregated experience insights into various aspects of corporate IT performance – for both in-house and outsourced IT service providers. Experience insights from the latest report include that IT support capabilities are important to what end-users think of IT as a whole. End-users most frequently selected IT support services (60%) and IT personnel’s attitude (53%) as contributing factors to their positive overall IT experience rating. At the same time, 69% of respondents gave it as a contributing factor to their poor score. The report also found that: n 80% of employee perceived lost time with IT incidents comes from only 13% of tickets. n Each time a ticket is reassigned, end-user happiness decreases by nearly eight points, and end-users perceive they lose an average of 1 hour and 49 minutes of work time per additional reassignment. n 79% of customers’ service desk teams now have experience targets, while 18% have yet to set any. n Customers are ceasing service provider sanctions, with this dropping from an 87% usage level in 2020 to 52%. n 89% of customers feel happier end-users are a key benefit of experience management. n 64% cite better IT teams focus, better decision-making based on data, and more motivated IT employees. www.happysignals.com 27th FEB 1st MAR •SKI CLUB NETWORK•
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BULLETIN Sales award Apogee is celebrating a major award from the Institute of Sales Professionals (ISP) in recognition of its commitment to customer service and ethical selling. The Investor in Sales award is gained when at least 75% of a sales team passes the ISP’s professional registration exam which tests their selling skills, knowledge, professional ethics and decision-making. 90% of salespeople at Apogee have passed the exam, based on the ISP’s fair ethics programme, and more will follow. The award marks another significant step in the sales transformation and development which has been taking place at Apogee under Chief Sales Officer, Carl Day. To make sure Apogee’s customers are happy and business relationships flourish, Day, who has worked in professional selling for more than 20 years and gained a masters in sales transformation from Middlesex University, has focused on cultivating the skills of his salespeople. He said: “Investing in our people and building their sales knowledge in partnership with Institute of Sales Professionals has strengthened our customer relationships. We are delighted to have gained the Investor in Sales award in recognition of the hard work of the whole team. “Trust is vital for good selling, and that comes from a sales team that is valued and supported and has the skills to get the best results for their customers and their company.” Patrick Joiner, ISP Managing Director, added: “The investment in learning and development at Apogee is incredibly impressive and winning our Investor in Sales award is a clear indication of the company’s dedication to building skills and knowledge and cultivating strong customer relationships.” www.apogeecorp.com 01732 759725 6 (l-r) Patrick Joiner, ISP MD; Carl Day, Apogee CSO; Aurelio Maruggi, Apogee CEO ISO 27001 accreditation Tyneside-based Forfusion has achieved ISO 27001 certification for information security management systems. The independent IT business is committed to transforming the way enterprises operate and specialises in managing, designing and implementing IT infrastructure for large public and private sector companies. “The accreditation is something we’ve been planning to do for the past couple of years,” said COO, David Griffin. “But, in typical Forfusion fashion, we set out to achieve this accreditation differently. We implemented the ISO 27001 standards across every single department and touch point within our business, reflecting our meticulous approach to how we operate.” www.forfusion.com Microsoft specialists team up Microsoft Partners, BOM IT Solutions and cybersecurity specialists Ontinue have joined forces to deliver improved digital protection to businesses in the face of rising threats and cyber-attacks. The partnership will pull on BOM IT’s knowledge and expertise in business IT infrastructure and solutions and Ontinue’s expertise in Managed Extended Detection and Response (MXDR) cybersecurity services BOM IT’s partnership with Ontinue, formerly known as Tiberium before its recent acquisition by Open Systems, a managed service provider and specialist in Microsoft software technologies, is the latest partner addition to its cybersecurity division. David Trump, Cyber Security Solutions Director at BOM IT Solutions said: “Reports are showing that there is an increasing risk to businesses of being the target of a cyberattack. Attacks over the last year or so have shown that criminal gangs aren’t discriminating against sector or industry, or the size of the business either. Actors are looking to both steal data and cause disruption to businesses services, day-to-day operations, and harm them reputationally, while also damaging the business financially though ransom demands and loss of earnings.” Ontinue’s Chief Innovation Officer, Drew Perry, added: “The partnership with BOM IT Solutions is great news for both parties. BOM has been providing IT solutions to businesses for over 60 years, its team has an unrivalled knowledge of businesses IT infrastructures. Combined with our knowledge of cybersecurity managed services and our expertise in automation and collaboration, we’re looking forward to helping stop more cyber threat actors at speed and scale with BOM.” www.bomitsolutions.co.uk • www.ontinue.com Apogee expands European presence Apogee has invested in MCA to create a new company named MCA-Apogee. This investment will enable it to expand its existing European footprint. The newly formed company has acquired French managed workplace services provider AM Trust's print management solutions business. AM Trust employees will transfer to the new MCA-Apogee company and will continue to provide a managed service to the combined customer base. Apogee Corporation has a long history of organic and acquisition growth, having completed more than 20 acquisitions to date. Apogee will use its experience, and the expertise of AM Trust Group, in financing solutions, data management, and digital dematerialisation to complement MCAApogee's portfolio of services, benefiting new and existing customers. Aurelio Maruggi, CEO of Apogee said: "This investment represents another significant step for Apogee towards establishing a pan-European presence, extending the leadership in managed workplace services established in the UK to other major European countries. MCA and AM Trust have a long and successful history in managed print services and the partnership with Apogee will open new opportunities in managed workplace solutions with existing and new customers.” MCA-Apogee will operate independently from the main Apogee Group but will leverage assets and capabilities from the parent company, as it looks to accelerate growth through the expanded portfolio of services. www.apogeecorp.com David Trump Business Design Centre · London · 12 September 2023 23 ICT · MANAGED IT · MOBILE · PRINT tech-live.co.uk
BULLETIN Bechtle extends foothold in the UK Bechtle AG has acquired value-added reseller Tangible Benefit Ltd. Founded in 1997, the London-based company’s core business is hardware procurement including related plug-and-play services and software licensing, complemented by security and network services and lifecycle management. Tangible Benefit’s rationale for selling its profitable business is to secure a succession plan along with attractive development potential for its 66 employees. Company founder, Timothy Trotman, will remain with the company for the transition phase and will closely oversee its integration into the Bechtle Group together with James Napp, Managing Director of Bechtle direct UK, before handing over the baton. All other senior managers will remain in their current positions, guiding operations at the London office. With this acquisition, Bechtle is staying on course with its previously announced strategy for international growth. After acquiring UK IT service provider, ACS Systems, in November last year, Bechtle is adding a company to its fold that offers a very similar portfolio to that of Bechtle UK. By joining forces, Tangible Benefit and Bechtle are also creating an even stronger link between major vendor partners and the UK’s B2B customer landscape. The new location also gives Bechtle a regional presence in the London market and an expanded customer base in the corporate space, which will benefit strongly from Bechtle’s international capabilities. Combined with other offices in Manchester, Northampton and Chippenham, this acquisition now sees the IT company extend its footprint across the UK. Bechtle has been enjoying success in the UK for over 20 years, offering enterprise and public sector customers a broad portfolio of hardware, software, solutions and services. With Tangible Benefit, Bechtle employs some 280 staff across four sites in the country. Consolidated revenues total around 200 million euros. www.bechtle.com Espria partners with Five9 Espria has partnered with Five9 to enhance its portfolio of cloud-based applications with the addition of the company’s cloud-based contact centre solutions. CEO Alex Tupman said: “Today, it is crucial for contact centres to unify and analyse customer interactions across channels, self-service, and live channels and to break the data silos to transform data into a winning customer experience strategy. As a result, we have been actively looking to move into the customer contact centre market, enhancing our overall solution offering. “Five9 will now enable us to resell and integrate practical and powerful tools for managing customer experiences with a solution that overcomes the inherent complexities involved in integrating multiple touchpoints across both self-service and assisted channels.” www.espria.com PRINTITRESELLER.UK 7 Agilico refurbished Agilico has opened a new, purpose-built national MFD refurbishment centre. The Leicester-based operation houses a team of engineers who refurbish and give a new lease of life to exshowroom or low-utilisation devices, resulting in lower cost yet reliable machines ready to perform at the highest level once again. With decades of experience, the team takes a quality-first approach, enabling customers to choose a ‘like new’ device with confidence. The company says that when compared with a brand new device, an Agilico refurbished machine delivers savings up to 50% cost and up to 594kg CO2e emissions. www.agilico.co.uk Key Digital attracts investment Franking Sense has acquired Key Digital a move designed to facilitate the managed services provider’s growth strategy. The venture fits well together as both are family-run businesses that are locally born but operate fully nationwide, with Key Digital's operating centre in Burnley and Franking Sense being headed up in Bolton. Andy Ratcliffe, Managing Director of Key Digital, said: "We have spent the last few years perfecting our digital-first operating model and that has allowed us to become a nationwide sales and support business. "Where many competitors have shrunk or gone out of business following the COVID-19 pandemic, we have beaten all expectations and flourished immensely in this time - and I can't see that stopping any time soon! "With Franking Sense's help, we will be able to accelerate our growth plans and maximise Key Digital's full potential." Both firms offer both overlapping and complementary services in the fields of document management and processing, managed print, IT services and mailroom solutions. Julian Gilbert, Franking Sense's Managing Director said: "I was very intrigued by the way Key Digital operate. It is a very lean way of selling to and supporting customers. "I am really looking forward to working with Andy and all the team at Key Digital, it is a really positive step forward for us both." Key Digital will continue to run from its hub in Burnley under Ratcliffe's leadership. www.key-digital.co.uk ISO accreditations Everything Tech Group has achieved ISO 9001:2015 (quality management) and ISO 27001:2013 (information security) certifications. Chief Operating Officer Phil Smith said: “It is important to us that we obtained these certifications, so that our customers can be reassured that we take our responsibilities as an IT managed services provider extremely seriously. We have invested considerable energy into embedding the best practice that these standards offer into the culture of our business, so that certification becomes a by-product of ‘doing the right thing’.” www.everythingtech.co.uk Alex Tupman James Napp 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 MEET THE JUDGES – PAGE 22
BULLETIN 01732 759725 8 Exertis bolsters AI security offering Exertis has strengthened its security portfolio through a strategic partnership with Scylla, providing both new and current customers access to Scylla's Anomaly Detection System (ADS) as part of its expanded security solutions. Scylla’s AI solutions are ideal for enhancing security in industries such as retail, sports venues, airports, video monitoring centres by offering anomaly and behaviour detection, face recognition, object detection and tracking, and perimeter intrusion detection amongst many other capabilities. AI-based security has proven to not only be more effective but also save companies money by reducing labour costs. Dominic Ryles, Director of Sales & Commercial – Security at Exertis Enterprise, said: “We are delighted to partner with Scylla and to have the opportunity to bring their leading real-time physical threat detection solution to our channel partners. This new addition to our vendor portfolio means we’re enabling our channel partners to not only open up new revenue streams for themselves, but a unique opportunity to bolster existing video solutions such as CCTV, UAV, thermal, and body cameras, with robust AI-powered technology, to deliver meaningful insights to detect objects, actions, and behaviour anomalies.” www.exertis.co.uk Record-breaking performance Exclusive Networks has announced a 38% increase in 2022 gross sales and that its EMEA business has racked up record gross sales at over €4.5bn. Chief Executive Officer Jesper Trolle, said: “I am pleased to announce that we had a record-breaking performance in FY2022, with strong revenue growth, profit margins and cash performance. Our momentum continued to build throughout the year delivering three consecutive quarters of gross sales of over €1 billion. This further demonstrates our ability to deliver sustainable growth through our specialised approach, unique business model and talented teams around the world.” www.exclusive-networks.com Preferred EMEA distributor ShareGate has named QBS its preferred EMEA distributor for Microsoft 365, Teams and SharePoint Migration Solutions. “I am delighted to have been appointed as the preferred EMEA distributor of ShareGate, a strategic vendor I successfully onboarded in 2016,” said Andreea Dumitrescu, Managing Director at QBS Software. “Since then, ShareGate and QBS have collaborated to develop a successful channel strategy for customers seeking an Office 365 management and migration solution. With the current focus and investment in personnel and processes, we are confident that we will be able to expand ShareGate’s customer base and help them fully exploit the potential of their product.” “As our preferred EMEA distributor, QBS has delivered exceptional service to the ShareGate channel partners and customers in the region. We are thrilled to continue working together to help IT teams unleash their organisation securely in Microsoft 365 while making their biggest IT admin jobs easy,” said Ana Cuadra, Manager, Channel Sales at ShareGate. Exclusive programme TD SYNNEX has launched an exclusive programme giving SMB partners the opportunity to become accredited for the Panasonic TOUGHBOOK, allowing them to accelerate their growth in sales of ruggedised systems. The exclusive TD SYNNEX partner programme provides resellers with access to TOUGHBOOK specialists, fast-track bid pricing for qualified SMB deals (for between ten and 40 devices), and enhanced pricing. In addition, partners will receive regular communications about new product launches, key initiatives and incentives, and the latest developments from TD SYNNEX and Panasonic. In return, partners need to ensure at least one member of their team attends each of the training events and webinars that TD SYNNEX is running on Panasonic TOUGHBOOK solutions. James Reed, Managing Director – Endpoint Solutions, UK and Ireland, TD SYNNEX, said: “More customers now want rugged, robust and reliable mobile products that are optimised for working on the go – and that’s exactly what TOUGHBOOK gives them. We are seeing a growth in demand for these hard-wearing, hard-working devices, especially amongst smaller and medium-sized companies, and we want to bring more partners on board to take advantage of that. Panasonic TOUGHBOOK is the leading ruggedised brand in the business and our exclusive programme makes it as simple as possible for partners to learn about and to offer TOUGHBOOK to their customers.” https://uk.tdsynnex.com/ Pax8 acquires technology solutions provider Cloud marketplace Pax8 has acquired Bam Boom Cloud, a technology consultancy and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central services organisation offering technology solutions with fixed monthly pricing for SMBs. The acquisition creates an opportunity for Bam Boom Cloud to scale its technology solutions for the channel ecosystem, while enabling MSPs to add new services that leverage Bam Boom’s Microsoft Dynamics expertise. Pax8 CEO John Street said: “Business process automation is on the rise, and the Bam Boom acquisition will enable us to create simple go-to-market strategies and services for partners to build on their Microsoft Dynamics technology offerings.” Vicky Critchley, CEO of Bam Boom, added: “Bam Boom is passionate about helping businesses build a strong foundation with reliable, cloud-based accounting solutions with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Pax8 will enable us to expand our reach and help more businesses grow with Microsoft business solutions.” www.pax8.com Dominic Ryles James Reed
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 New partnership for PAE Business PAE Business has partnered with South Africanbased solutions company Cloud Quote. The Cloud Quote Suite provides the capability to create professional consistent quotations, access price lists, distribute postsales documentation and track all activity from a single unified platform. CQ will enable dealers to create bespoke material for their business and empower their sales teams Managing Director Phil Madders, said: “We are thrilled to be able to introduce Cloud Quote to our dealer channel to help their sales teams quickly create, distribute and manage their quotations.” Patrique de Pierres, Managing Director, Cloud Quote added: “We set out to partner with an established SaaS provider with a proven track record in Europe that could add value to the sales and support cycle of Cloud Quote. We are delighted to have found just that with PAE Business! Our businesses are correctly aligned to successfully launch, implement, and support our customisable solution, and look forward to improving and streamlining the quoting and sales processes of the many MPS vendors that make use of PAE Business’s suite of excellent solution offerings.” https://paebusiness.com Midwich launches Mi Finance Midwich UK&I has launched Mi Finance – a financial services offering that supports customers’ business growth through help in acquiring new technologies or upgrading assets while protecting their working capital. Available to Midwich, Nimans and Sound Technology customers now, and plans to roll out to the wider UK&I group of companies soon, Mi Finance offers competitive rates for lease and hire purchases. Three product options are currently available including finance lease, hire purchase, and operating lease, with a fourth product in development. Simon Munday, Mi Finance Manager, said: “We are really excited to bring this proposition to market. We are constantly looking at ways to increase our service offering and Mi Finance is our answer. “We work as an extension to our customers’ team – taking the administration out of their hands, offering quotations, managing proposal acceptances, completing documents, and arranging swift payments – so they don’t have to. The service is also available as an offering to facilitate transactions with their end client.” Louise Nevard, Director – Credit at Midwich UK&I, added: “It’s great to be able to offer Mi Finance to our customers and work with the experienced and knowledgeable team at Nimans. They’ve got a proven track record of delivering results and to have them leading our Mi Finance proposition is fantastic. Using the team’s experience means that we can expand on our previous leasing services, which we launched in 2018, to provide the support our customers need.” www.midwich.com (l-r) Elle Bennett, Abbie Lock, Simon Munday, Rebecca Pendlebury and Evie Lamb of the Mi Finance team. TD SYNNEX rolls out support for disabled co-workers TD SYNNEX has launched Limitless, a business resource group (BRG) dedicated to ensuring that co-workers with disabilities and neurodiversity of all kinds feel welcome, comfortable and fully represented within the company’s UK and Ireland operations. The scope of the Limitless BRG covers all visible and hidden disabilities, such as hearing or visual impairments, Crohn’s disease, and epilepsy, as well as the broad differences in the types of minds and thinking that are defined by the term neurodiversity, such as dyslexia, ADHD, and autism. David Watts, managing director, UK and Ireland, TD SYNNEX, said: “TD SYNNEX is committed to maintaining a culture that celebrates the qualities and contribution that all our co-workers make. Our business resource groups are all about recognising that – and giving individuals every chance to express their feelings and views in a safe and open environment. Through Limitless we hope to make a really positive difference for co-workers and increase awareness and sensitivity to disability or neurodiversity right across the UK and Ireland organisation.” A series of initial launch presentations and meetings will take place over the next few weeks at which TD SYNNEX co-workers will be encouraged to get involved in Limitless. These will be led by members of the Limitless panel, which includes co-workers from HR, sales and business development, operations, and senior management. https://uk.tdsynnex.com Exertis extends cybersecurity services Exertis has extended its cybersecurity services, adding eSentire’s 24/7 multi-signal MDR, Digital Forensics & Incident Response (IR), and Exposure Management services to its enterprise portfolio of offerings. Dominic Ryles, Director of Sales and Commercial – Security at Exertis Enterprise, said: “Security expertise continues to be incredibly challenging to recruit, train, and retain. In order to ensure our channel partners and their customers can continue to scale their business ambitions securely, complete attack surface visibility, 24/7 protection and rapid threat intelligence operationalisation are paramount. We are thrilled to partner with eSentire to bring enterprise-grade cybersecurity services to our enterprise portfolio.” Piers Morgan, VP EMEA Sales and Channel, eSentire added: “We are thrilled to be part of [Exertis] enterprise portfolio expansion as we partner to help security leaders anticipate, withstand, and recover from cyber-attacks with our Managed Detection & Response services.” www.exertis.co.uk Business Design Centre · London · 12 September 2023 23 ICT · MANAGED IT · MOBILE · PRINT tech-live.co.uk Headline Sponsor Phil Madders
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01732 759725 12 BULLETIN Brother supports safe food labelling Brother has partnered with food labelling and plant-based packaging specialist Planglow to support food safety and compliance in catering and hospitality. The collaboration is one of a series of partnerships recently announced to enhance its specialist labelling offering. The new relationship sees Brother’s range of labelling solutions become fully compatible with Planglow’s LabelLogic Live app. This enables food service users to create, amend, update and print labels with ease, as they move to enhance food safety and compliance. The subscription-based service supports individual cafés, restaurants and delis through to multi-site caterers. Customers can create and roll-out data and templates across their network from head office, without having to monitor for consistency or errors. The platform also allows bespoke food orders to be sent straight from the till to the printer, creating clear, accurate and durable labels for packaging, key for food service operators to achieve best-practice compliance following the introduction of food labelling legislation, Natasha’s Law. It requires clear signposting of any potential allergens in clear and distinct text on pre-packaged for direct sale products. Aaron Hopkinson, Product Manager for labelling at Brother UK, said: “Planglow adds to a host of specialist partners, from software providers to expert technology resellers, which complement our comprehensive portfolio of print devices. These partnerships deliver the expertise, technology and supporting software that help print partners provide the support commercial kitchens need to label products more productively, accurately and compliantly.” www.brother.co.uk Ricoh receives top score Ricoh has received an ‘A’ score as part of CDP's annual Supplier Engagement Rating (SER) and been placed on the CDP Supplier Engagement Rating Leaderboard for the third year in a row. CDP's annual SER is designed to evaluate and spur action on corporate supply chain engagement on climate issues, based on the CDP climate change questionnaire. The CDP celebrates the highestrated companies in the Supplier Engagement Leaderboard, of which Ricoh features in the top 8% (approx. 650 assessed companies). Ricoh aims to achieve a zero carbon society by reducing GHG emissions in the entire supply chain by 40% (procurement, use, and transportation categories), compared to 2015, by 2030. This environmental target has been certified as 1.5°C targets by the SBT Initiative (SBTi). In addition to promoting decarbonisation initiatives within the Group, Ricoh also holds briefing sessions for suppliers to ensure that they meet the GHG reduction targets aligning with the SBTi 2°C criteria. Under the Comet Circle concept established in 1994, Ricoh has provided recycled products leveraging its 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) technology and global collection system it has cultivated over years. Along with these initiatives, Ricoh recognises its active support for suppliers' decarbonising activities and information disclosure are highly regarded internationally and led to this recognition. www.ricoh.co.uk Major player Konica Minolta has been named a ‘major player’ in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Security Solutions and Services Hardcopy 2022-2023 Vendor Assessment. The report notes its Intelligent Connected Workplace business philosophy as a key strength. The Intelligent Connected Workplace is a customer-centric distributed-work model to enable both onsite and mobile work with 24/7 access to data anytime, from anywhere, to help customers on their digital transformation journey. Konica Minolta has combined its print and IT services businesses and views print products as other IoT devices that are part of the IT framework. The MarketScape report states: “[Konica Minolta] takes a holistic view of security and includes print assets within the construct of an overall view of IT security.” IDC also notes: “Konica Minolta’s roots in print and document security date back almost 20 years when the firm decided as a print device manufacturer that it would offer essential security features such as hard drive encryption and hard drive overwrite to meet military defence standards.” www.konicaminolta.co.uk Sustainability recognition Konica Minolta has been awarded the gold level recognition medal in the EcoVadis sustainability ratings for 2023, putting it amongst the top 5% of companies in its industry. The EcoVadis sustainability ratings recognise corporate responsibility practices, and the rating reflects Konica Minolta’s sustained and committed focus on being a highly sustainable and socially responsible business. 2023 marks the eighth successive year that the company has participated in the independent audit process and been awarded a high ranking. www.konicaminolta.co.uk Toshiba and Intuitive collaboration Toshiba has introduced Intuitive for DocuWare, a new AP automation dashboard solution, created in collaboration with software partner Intuitive Business Intelligence. Intuitive for DocuWare offers in-depth reporting on DocuWare’s end-to-end AP automation solution, in the form of three ‘out of the box’ dashboards. These pre-built, customisable dashboards give accounts payable teams the full picture of the invoice approval process, including workflow status updates and alerts, and access to invaluable data on staff and supplier performance. These powerful insights are displayed in user-friendly, visual dashboard reports which have been designed with the specific requirements of AP professionals in mind. www.toshibatec.co.uk 2 0 2 3 2 0 2 3 For more information please email [email protected]
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01732 759725 14 BULLETIN Extended alliance Konica Minolta and Solimar Systems, Inc., provider of leading workflow software solutions for print production and digital communications, have expanded their strategic partnership. Now including Konica Minolta’s UK operations as well as those in the USA, the extended partnership between the two companies is a testament to this collaboration’s success to date and the many benefits it brings to both organisations’ customer base. The US and now UK partnership brings workflow-enhancing solutions from the Solimar Chemistry platform to Konica Minolta customers. Solimar’s modular software platform captures and supports the migration of print to Konica Minolta output devices and supports traditional data-driven print environments. Solimar’s solutions also support new technologies coming to market from Konica Minolta, offering PSPs streamlined workflows that drive business efficiencies and boost ROI. Jon Hiscock, Head of Production & Industrial Print at Konica Minolta said: “The addition of Solimar’s solutions to our portfolio will enable us to increase visibility across a customer’s operations and provide end-to-end workflow management. Solimar’s advanced workflow automation processes provide customers with the tools they need to take better control of the business, improve production efficiencies and boost ROI.” www.konicaminolta.co.uk Kodak Alaris partners with MPS Workflow Kodak Alaris has partnered with Wigan-based print and document management services provider MPS Workflow LTD. The alliance will see MPS Workflow LTD expand its offering to include scanners from Kodak Alaris and Kodak Info Input Solution web-based capture software. The partnership represents an important step by MPS Workflow LTD to help organisations across the northwest to digitally transform across areas including accounts payable, hybrid mail and document management. “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.” MPS Workflow LTD will also be able to integrate scanners and software from Kodak Alaris into its well-established MPS offering. The MPS Capture Agent from Kodak Alaris provides 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. www.alarisworld.com www.mpsworkflow.co.uk Epson and WWF team up Epson has launched a three-year international partnership with global conservation organisation WWF focusing on forest restoration and conservation. The partnership builds on the existing relationship between the two organisations that started in March 2022 working on marine conservation in Southeast Asia. Epson will be supporting forest conservation activities and nature recovery efforts implemented by WWF across several Deforestation Fronts and will aim to improve sustainability in their supply chain as a participant of WWF's Forests Forward program. To realise a nature-positive world together, the collaboration will also promote the responsible use of forest resources (paper) in business, as well as future considerations for the conservation of freshwater ecosystems and activities that contribute to a circular economy. Through the partnership and participation in the Forests Forward program, Epson and WWF are together committed to saving threatened forest in vital landscapes within, and beyond, Epson's supply chain by improving forest management and restoring nature. The company is planning a contribution of 240 million Japanese Yen (approximately 1.6 million Euros) over the next three years starting from March 2023 that will go towards WWF forestry projects. www.epson.co.uk Certified carbon emissions TÜV Rheinland and Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, have launched a new initiative to support Alibaba Cloud‘s customers in achieving their sustainability goals. Companies that use Alibaba Cloud’s Energy Expert service will be able to have their carbon emissions verified and certified by TÜV Rheinland experts in the future. For the certification, experts from TÜV Rheinland will verify the actual carbon emissions from a company’s daily business activities – from procurement and supply chain management to the manufacture and distribution of products. Energy Expert is a solution from Alibaba Cloud that helps companies manage their carbon emissions and other sustainability indicators. The Energy Expert solution uses Big Data computing and AI technologies to do so. Since its launch last year, Energy Expert has helped more than 2,300 companies achieve energy savings of more than two million kilowatt hours per day calculated and stated by Alibaba Cloud. www.alibabacloud.com Xerox earns BLI award Keypoint Intelligence has awarded Xerox with the Buyers Lab (BLI) 2023 Smart Workplace Software Line of the Year Award. The award recognises the vendor with the most diverse portfolio of applications, software and services that help solve modern workplace challenges. Previously titled the BLI Document Imaging Software Line of the Year, Xerox has been named the award recipient for five consecutive years and a total of nine times since 2014. www.xerox.com Jon Hiscock
In association with: MAGAZINE & WEBSITE Our awards team are busy planning and preparing to launch the PrintIT Awards 2023. We’ve introduced a few changes this year, new categories and new entry criteria, and we’ve lined up a stellar panel of experts to determine the winning entries. Entries and Voting open on Tuesday May 2. BOOK YOUR TABLE TODAY! Tables and spaces will be at a premium – secure your place at this must attend event – call us now. SPONSORSHIP To get even more involved we have a number sponsorship opportunities available leading up to and at the event. To Book a Table or to enquire about Sponsorship Opportunities call Ethan, Neil or Paul on 01732 759 725. www.printitawards.co.uk 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 SPECIAL AWARDS n Judges’ Special Award n Industry Leader of The Year CORPORATE AWARDS – ENTRIES n EOS Manufacturer of the Year n Channel Services Provider of the Year CATEGORIES CORPORATE AWARDS – VOTING FOR n A3 MFP Vendor of the Year n A4 Printer/MFP Vendor of the Year n Hardware Distributor of the Year n EOS Distributor of the Year n Finance & Leasing Provider of the Year RESELLER/DEALER AWARDS n Reseller of the Year (Turnover up to £3m) n Reseller of the Year (Turnover £3m+ to £9m) n Reseller of the Year (Turnover £9m+) n Client Project of the Year n Service Team of the Year PEOPLE AWARDS n Account Manager of the Year n Marketing Team of the Year n Rising Star Award PRODUCTS & SOLUTIONS AWARDS n A3 MFP Line of the Year n A4 Printer/MFP Line of the Year n Scanner of the Year n Device Management Solution of the Year n Cloud Print Management Solution of the Year n Security Solution of the Year n Best Workflow Solution n Mobile Print Solution of the Year SPECIAL AWARDS n PrintIT Award for Marketing Campaign of the Year n PrintIT Award for Environmental Excellence n PrintIT Award for Best Partner Programme n PrintIT Award for Employee Experience n PrintIT Award for Innovation 2023 Categories
01732 759725 16 BULLETIN : PEOPLE Paessler AG strengthens global presence Paessler AG, best known for the monitoring software Paessler PRTG, is focused on expanding its presence in the Americas, APAC, and EMEA regions. Joining the team are Tobias Jaenchen as Vice President Americas and APAC, and Thorsten Theuer as Vice President EMEA. These new hires will play a crucial role in driving Paessler's global business strategy. Theuer brings with him 20 years of sales experience and has worked in various hands-on positions such as acquisition sales, solution sales, and account management as well as in other management positions. His last assignment was with Softline, most recently in the position of Vice President Sales. He will focus on the broad diversity of digitalisation levels among EMEA clients and how to find the appropriate measures for a wide variety of challenges and customer situations. www.paessler.com Scality names new CRO Scality has appointed experienced former HPE executive Peter Brennan, as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). Scality’s addition of the CRO role reflects its mission to capture increasing market share in the thriving file and object storage space. Expanding growth activities worldwide, Brennan will lead sales and marketing efforts to maximise revenue with an emphasis on partners and the channel. With over 20 years of data storage leadership, Brennan will lean on his experience bringing hybrid cloud, hyperconverged, and data storage businesses into a new era to broaden Scality’s reach. During the last three years at HPE, he successfully transitioned a multi-billion dollar business from a pure-play infrastructure sale into an as-a-service model. Prior to this, he led a worldwide specialist sales organisation for VMware, focused on hyper-converged and hybrid cloud solutions. “Peter and I share an unfaltering belief that serving the channel serves the customer and, ultimately, maximises your success,” said Jerome Lecat, Scality CEO. “Scality’s growth is strong and steady, and we are primed to meet the new business realities - realities that are unequivocally calling for object storage. The stars were aligned when we secured such a high-calibre executive as Peter. I have every confidence he is the right person to take us to the next level of growth.” www.scality.com OVHcloud appoints UK Channel Sales Manager European cloud provider OVHcloud has appointed former Arrow Electronics exec Sam Harrison, as Channel Sales Manager for the UK and Northern Europe. Harrison managed UK teams within the networking and security practice at Arrow Electronics and played a key role in developing vendor relationships. Commenting on his new role he said: “I’m delighted to work at an organisation that can provide a compelling alternative to the global hyperscalers, but which still feels like a scale-up in terms of flexibility and culture. The team here has already made great strides in establishing a channel programme that collaborates effectively with its partners, and I’m looking forward to building this further.” www.ovhcloud.com New role supports organic growth Cybersecurity VAD Infinigate is building on its recent acquisitions with the appointment of Mathias Bachsleitner as EVP of Global Partnerships and Alliances. Bachsleitner will support organic growth across EMEA by reinforcing strategic vendor partnerships, ramping and scaling rising vendors and forming new alliances. www.infinigate.com Agilitas CMO steps down Agilitas IT Solutions’ Chief Marketing Officer, Richard Eglon is stepping down from his role at the business after eight years. Eglon joined Agilitas in 2015 as Marketing Director before being promoted to Chief Marketing Officer in 2021. During his tenure he has assembled a high-performing marketing team and a growing ecosystem of strategic delivery partners, which has successfully contributed to the company’s ongoing doubledigit growth and expansion across Europe and onto the international stage. Eglon said: “I’m extremely proud of the phenomenal journey I have shared with Agilitas, and I want to wish the team all the best for the future. I feel very fortunate to experience some amazing highs during my time with the business. These highlights include Agilitas winning multiple industry awards as recognition of the first-class service we deliver to our customers, alongside being the first channel services firm to introduce inventory-as-a-service to the global IT services market. “I’ve also formed many special friendships with some inspiring and talented people across the technology channel and I’m looking forward to building on these friendships, as well as forming new ones during the journey ahead.” www.agilitas.co.uk Sustainable IT Circularity First Group, a UK-headquartered provider of sustainable IT advisory services and solutions, has appointed technology and sustainability veteran Alastair Borissow as Chief Growth Officer. Borissow has 35 years’ experience in IT, circular IT and telecoms including spells at distributor Westcon-Comstor, Cisco Refresh (Cisco’s Global Remanufactured Equipment division) and telecoms provider Telstra. Working with Founder Anthony Levy and CEO Søren Sørensen, he has been brought in to help scale the sustainable IT movement, reach more businesses ready to embrace circular IT and onboard new vendor relationships. www.circularity-first.com Tobias Jaenchen Thorsten Theur Alastair Borissow Richard Eglon
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