www.printitreseller.uk PRINT, MFP, SOFTWARE, SERVICES, DOCUMENT & CLOUD NEWS & INFORMATION FOR VARS, CONVERGED RESELLERS & MFP DEALERS 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 Don’t forget to head online www.printitawards.co.uk to cast your vote in five distinct categories. You’ve got until 5pm on Friday September 29. Brother Hosting Partner Event at 23 ICT · MANAGED IT · MOBILE · PRINT Brother launch new versatile colour inkjet MFP 10 YEARS · ISSUE I07 IN PRINT & ONLINE ISSUE 107 · 2023
In association with: MAGAZINE & WEBSITE Our awards team are busy planning and preparing 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 are now CLOSED. But VOTING is open until September 29. 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
PRINTITRESELLER.UK 3 Entries for the 2023 edition of the PrintIT Awards closed on July 21 and our judges are all set to review the entries and complete the tough task of determining the winners. But there’s still time to vote for your favourite vendor/distributor/ finance provider of the year in five distinct categories. If you haven’t already done so don’t forget to head online www.printitawards.co.uk and cast your votes – you’ve got until 5pm on Friday September 29. The entire team are looking forward to welcoming guests and revealing the 2023 award winners on the evening of Tuesday December 5 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel. If you haven’t already booked your place, call us on 01732 759 725, download the booking form at www.printitawards.co.uk or email us at [email protected]. Also in this issue, James Stacey, Solution Consultant at ECI Software Solutions, 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 Warrington, Director, Office Fox, and PITR spent 60 seconds with Simon Hill, Managing Director – EMEA & APAC, Vasion. 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... James Stacey picks his favourite work tools 20 A decade in print Deborah Hawkins shares her print experiences over the past decade 22 Q&A One-to-one with Catherine Kennedy 24 PrintIT Awards Don’t forget to vote 26 Focus on: What’s New A round-up of recent product launches 30 Research The drive for cloud print continues 34 Opinion Don’t leave money on the table 36 Device management New features added to BITS OneStop MPS Portal 39 VOX POP Keeping up in the digital age 46 One-to-One Steve Holmes, EMEA & Americas Regional Director & GM at PaperCut 48 View from the Channel David Warrington, Director, Office Fox 50 60 seconds with... Simon Hill, Managing Director – EMEA & APAC, Vasion 2023 ISSUE 107 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 107 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 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 10 YEARS · ISSUE I07 IN PRINT & ONLINE
BULLETIN 01732 759725 4 Cyber extortion jumps 39% in a year There was a 39% rise in the number of reports made by victims of cyber extortion to Action Fraud in 2022, jumping from 2,300 to 3,200, according to research by international law firm RPC. There has been an 8% rise in reports made by victims of email and social media hacking, up from 13,500 in 2021, to 14,600 in 2022. This type of fraud often involves hackers accessing the email account of a trusted individual, such as a lawyer, accountant or a vendor and then using emails from that account to trick the victim into sending funds to the fraudster’s bank account. Richard Breavington, Partner and Head of Cyber and Tech Insurance at RPC, says that small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and individuals are likely to form the bulk of victims in cyber extortion. www.rpc.co.uk Advice on tap Former Midshire Managing Director and PrintIT Awards judge, Julian Stafford, has launched a business advisory and mentoring service. Stafford has extensive experience within the print and IT sector, he headed up the northern division of Midshire, a major reseller for many OEMs, which prior to its acquisition by Sharp in 2017 had achieved an annual turnover of £35m. After a period leading the business while it continued to operate as an independent organisation and then overseeing the integration of Midshire into Sharp’s direct operation, in 2019 he decided to exit and begin a new chapter. Stafford says he comes to life when helping business owners to address and solve issues, and after supporting a number of local firms to achieve their business goals, he is now looking to take on new projects. Whether it’s finance, operations or HR, through to sales and marketing or even building an exit strategy and preparing for a sale, Stafford says he’s keen to lend an ear, help and support with a fresh perspective. There are no contractual obligations, he’s offering a wholly flexible contractual service. For more information please visit: https://julianstafford.co.uk Government engages with print and paper at No10 The IPIA participated in a joint delegation to No10 Downing Street to advocate for the print, paper and packaging industries. Its members met with a senior special advisor to the Prime Minister. The delegates participated in an industry roundtable, the aim of which was to facilitate discussion with government and set out the contribution of our industries to the economic and social progress of the UK – while highlighting the structural and strategic support that could spur new growth. The Prime Minister’s special advisor heard from participants on a range of areas where progress could be made to encourage growth in the print, paper and packaging industries, and how they in turn could assist UK economic expansion. https://ipia.org.uk Brits turn to VPNs for cyber protection New global research from cybersecurity firm NordVPN has found that more than twothirds of people in the UK (68%) are now aware of what a VPN is and over a quarter of people are now using one. Protecting privacy and avoiding security risks when browsing are the top reasons for using, representing three quarters (73%) of users, while one in four (27%) say it is to access content outside of their home country. Two in five (40%) VPN users are using free sites to access the tool, which could put them at risk of having their personal information leaked to cyber criminals or make them a target for malicious targeted ads. Adrianus Warmenhoven, cybersecurity advisor at NordVPN warns: “Free VPNs don’t charge monthly or yearly fees, making them seem like an attractive option, but using one is a real roll of the dice. These need to make money so they often end up tracking and selling user data to third parties, bombarding users with ads, or employing aggressive strategies to get their free users to upgrade to a paid version.” https://nordvpn.com Cybersecurity and data sovereignty concerns Nutanix has announced the public sector findings of its fifth annual Enterprise Cloud Index (ECI) survey, which measures enterprise progress with cloud adoption. The research reveals that public sector organisations plan to accelerate their hybrid multi-cloud deployments nearly five-fold over the next three years. Overall, public sector respondents expect to increase their general use of mixed IT infrastructure to 73%. Cybersecurity and data sovereignty – the ability to comply with national rules for data storage and control tied as the top criterion, at 13% each. The overriding driver of application movement in the past year was to improve data security. Nearly all respondents in the global public sector (98%) indicated that they had moved applications between IT infrastructures in the past 12 months, and 47% cited a desire to improve their company’s security posture or their ability to meet regulatory requirements as a reason. www.nutanix.com (L to R): Brendan Perring – IPIA, Lance Hill – Eight Days a Week Print Solutions, Charles Rogers – IPIA, Anthony Rowell – Tradeprint, Jane Rixon – HP, Marine Kerivel-Brown – Duplo International, Sarah KilcoyneGuilliam – Kingsbury Press/Bluetree Group, Simon Cooper – Solopress, and Mike Hughes – Latcham
BULLETIN XBM continues expansion Yorkshire-based XBM Limited has announced its continued expansion towards the goal of being a £30 million turnover business with the acquisition of the assets and customers of East Kilbride-based Managed Print Solutions (Scotland) Limited (MPS). After rebranding in 2021, XBM announced plans to expand rapidly through new business and acquisitions. This is the third acquisition made in just 10 months and follows the successful completion of the acquisition of Epson and HP reseller iDoc Services in August 2022 and the Apex Workflows customer base, in November 2022, another Epson reseller. MPS (Scotland) has a longstanding and loyal customer base with huge potential, which makes the business a good fit for XBM as it seeks to increase its presence across Scotland further with the assistance of the current Managing Director, Ross Archibald, who will join XBM (Scotland) as Regional Sales Director. Archibald said: “We are happy to have agreed the sale to XBM, who we know have existing relationships with key partners, Ricoh and Epson. It will be my privilege to continue to serve our MPS (Scotland) customers and further grow XBM’s existing Scottish customer base.” XBM is Epson’s second largest reseller in the UK by volume and one of only two Platinum Partners, a status Epson awarded based on a comprehensive set of criteria including product focus, expertise, sales, and the high level of support provided for customers. The business also has a long relationship with Ricoh and is a Ricoh Gold Partner, putting it in an ideal position to provide ongoing support to the MPS (Scotland) customer base. XBM businesses are also accredited by Kyocera, Sharp, and HP and are trusted resellers for other product and solutions providers including SMART, DocuWare, Square 9, MyQ, PaperCut, and InVentry. www.xbmltd.com 01732 759725 6 Apogee renews SUR sponsorship Apogee Corporation has renewed its support for the Staffordshire University Racing (SUR) team, comprised of student engineers, as they compete in the 2023 Formula Student (FS2023) event. Formula Student is the most established educational engineering competition in Europe, held annually by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). The competition welcomes students from over 50 international universities, with each team designing and building a single seat racing car before competing against each other at Silverstone circuit. The SUR team has entered the competition every year since 2018; securing 2nd place in 2021 and 4th place in 2022 out of over 100 international teams. Last year, it made Formula Student history by creating the first car to successfully pass all aspects of the scrutineering requirements for the second consecutive year. “Without sponsorship from fantastic companies such as Apogee, we wouldn't be able to achieve anywhere near as much as we have,” said Alfie Moxon, SUR Sponsorship Team Lead. “Although we design and build many components in-house, we do have to purchase critical components, and without support we simply would not be able to build a car. Not only does the sponsorship help out with the car, it also helps with developing students’ vital communication skills.” “We are delighted to support the Staffordshire University Racing team as they compete in FS2023”, Dom Gryszan, Apogee Marketing Director added. “As a technology-based company, engineers are at the heart of our organisation. We are excited to invest in another avenue of engineering, and to do our part in supporting critical industry skills.” www.apogeecorp.com Aurora opens new office Aurora has announced it has opened a new office in Leeds. The company says that with a dedicated sales team and an extensive range of services, Aurora Leeds is poised to become the go-to print, telecoms and office supply solutions provider in the area. The new office in Leeds represents Aurora's dedication to providing exceptional service to local businesses. By establishing a physical presence in the heart of the city, Aurora Leeds aims to create job opportunities and contribute to the growth of the local economy. As an independent supplier with access to partners such as Ricoh, Konica Minolta, Canon, Kyocera and Lexmark, Aurora Leeds offers a comprehensive suite of services. Its primary focus is on managed print services, but the company also offers a range of IT solutions such as equipment leasing options, including brands like Apple, Dell, and HP, software solutions that streamline workflows as well as telecom and mobile solutions. In addition, the company is committed to helping businesses achieve their sustainability goals. Through its tree-planting initiative, Aurora pledges to plant a tree for every 10,000 sheets of paper printed by its clients, effectively offsetting paper usage and reducing carbon footprints. www.aurora.co.uk Recognition for DataVision DataVision, a Ricoh company, has won the Surface Hub Reseller 2023 Microsoft Partner of the Year Award. The company was honoured among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology. The Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards recognise Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered outstanding Microsoft-based applications, services and devices during the past year. www.datavision.net
Price freeze To help celebrate 25 Years of Initiative and as a thank you to members for supporting the own brand, Integra Business Solutions has announced an Initiative price freeze for quarter 3. This price freeze is designed to help members grow sales whilst still achieving attractive margins. www.integra-business.co.uk BULLETIN Great place to work TD SYNNEX has been Certified by Great Place to Work for 2023, following a rigorous assessment process that involved a detailed survey of coworker views and experiences. To qualify for the certification, organisations must demonstrate that they have a built a hightrust, positive workplace culture. The survey revealed that 90% of participating co-workers said that they are made to feel welcome when they join the company and are treated fairly regardless of their gender, race or sexual orientation. A total of 957 TD SYNNEX co-workers responded to the survey – 72% of the total UK employed workforce. A response of more than 65% was required for the certification to be achieved. Jodie Carroll, Senior Director, Human Resources, UK and Ireland, said: “We are immensely proud and delighted with the positive feedback from our co-workers on their experience of working at TD SYNNEX UK. We make strenuous efforts to make our workplace culture open, empowering, fair and inclusive. As a business, we present ourselves as a trusted advisor to our customers – and we also aim to be a trusted organisation and employer for our co-workers. We believe this is what makes TD SYNNEX unique and sustains our long-term success.” Before certifying an organisation, Great Place to Work captures employee feedback using its research-driven Trust Index survey of co-workers and requests detailed information about the culture, the programmes and practices that make its workplace unique. https://uk.tdsynnex.com PRINTITRESELLER.UK 7 SP&C boxes clever Social Print and Copy CIC (SP&C), the Scottish charity supplier of copier and print solutions, has launched Envirobox, a landmark initiative to help the printing industry improve its carbon footprint by disposing of cartridges responsibly. Made from recycled cardboard, each container measures 600mm high, 480mm wide and 400mm deep and can take up to 60 used cartridges from any copier or printer technology. The Edinburgh-based social enterprise partnered with Glasgow packaging firm WM Watson to produce the boxes which are available for distribution throughout the country to third sector commercial, corporate and government organisations. It costs £30 per box transaction, with a dedicated SP&C team on hand to replace them every three months, or sooner should demand dictate an earlier uplift. Envirobox is the latest initiative from the rapidly expanding social enterprise, which recently opened its first office in Glasgow on the back of £250,000 funding from Social Investment Scotland. Chief executive Ian Gray hailed the Envirobox initiative as one of the company’s most significant developments since its formation four years ago. www.socialprintandcopy.org Xerox authorised Insite Business Technology has been appointed a Xerox partner and authorised service provider. The addition of Xerox products and service will further strengthen its position as a managed print service provider and help it to reach more customers throughout Nottingham, Leicester and Derby. Director Jack McPhillips said: “Our sales and service teams have been supporting and servicing customer equipment from a range of different manufacturers, using Xerox’s global brand in our portfolio coupled with our reputable levels of service, I believe this will put us in a highly favourable position to expand our customer base.” https://insitebusinesstechnology.co.uk 20 years of partnership Solutions In Technology is celebrating 20 years of partnership success with Konica Minolta. The Cwmbran-based company is the OEM’s only exclusive partner in South Wales. Group Technical Director and co-owner Simon Lacey said: “Having worked with other technology providers before setting up our own business, it was always clear that Konica Minolta is a great brand with excellent technology. Its products are very reliable, and in a business environment, avoiding breakdowns is of course vital for our customers, but it was also a big consideration for us as a startup company. Back in 2003 we were also seeing a big move over to digital print and Konica Minolta offered a colour machine which was taking the market by storm at that time, all factors which persuaded us that this was the partnership for us.” Solutions In Technology recently earned another well-respected Konica Minolta Service Accreditation Award, reflecting its commitment to service excellence. Richard Wilkins, Group Sales Director and fellow co-owner said: “We want our customers to be happy with us from day one and to continue their journey with us. We still have customers that have been with us from the start in 2003 and who are on their fifth or sixth Konica Minolta machine. Our customers are very happy with the service they get, which is proof we are taking the right approach.” www.sitgroup.co.uk • www.konicaminolta.co.uk Jodie Carroll
BULLETIN 01732 759725 8 Elevate yourself challenge A team of seventeen co-workers (pictured) from TD SYNNEX UK took part in a testing hike up Scafell Pike to raise awareness of the contribution made by women to the business and across the IT industry as a whole. The Elevate Yourself 2023 (EY23) Challenge was organised by the TD SYNNEX Elevate business resource group (BRG), which is dedicated to empowering women to thrive in their personal and professional lives. Co-workers from every part of the business were in the group that made the eight-hour trek up and back down the famous peak. Anyone in the business could apply to take part in the challenge and those making the climb included a number of individuals who have taken on the role of being an ally to women in the workplace. Alison Nixon, Director, Security, and Cochair of the UK&I Elevate panel, said: “The Elevate Challenge is all about encouraging and inspiring women to be positive and ambitious. It’s also helping us to build a community in which women and allies can support each other in progressing their careers. This year’s assignment was a really tough one and everyone who took part deserves the utmost praise and admiration. “We gave them a real mountain to climb, and they took it on with genuine enthusiasm. It took a lot of effort, teamwork, and dedication and in that regard, it was a great reflection of what we all try to do every day at TD SYNNEX and, we hope, an inspiration to all women in the IT industry.” Standing 978 meters above sea level, the iconic Scafell Pike is the highest point in England. https://uk.tdsynnex.com Strategic cybersecurity partnership Exclusive Networks together with its SaaS focused cybersecurity division Ignition Technology, have signed a strategic partnership with Mastercard to take its cyber and intelligence solutions to market across EMEA. Ignition Technology will drive partner engagement in the UK, Nordics, DACH, France and Middle East, while the broader EMEA market will be served through Exclusive Networks. Mastercard has expanded its multilayer approach to cybersecurity to further strengthen its customers' security beyond payment transactions, to safeguard and protect their evolving cyber ecosystems. Building on its foundational security assessment and risk rating capabilities powered by RiskRecon, and its recent acquisition of cloud-based cybersecurity company Baffin Bay Networks, Mastercard offers integrated solutions to customers across the world, enabling them to identify vulnerabilities, manage risk and defend against the increasingly challenging nature of cyberattacks. The strategic partnership will see Exclusive Networks and Ignition Technology provide specialist services and support, steering goto-market strategy and channel development, driving partner recruitment and enablement, creating market opportunity and momentum, and accelerating sales momentum across EMEA. Commenting on the partnership, Denis Ferrand-Ajchenbaum, SVP Global Business Development and Ecosystems at Exclusive Networks, said: “Mastercard is a globally trusted brand having built one of the world’s leading global payments networks powering today’s connected digital economy. Trust is at the core of Mastercard’s cybersecurity mission and at Exclusive Networks we share the same vision. Beyond our shared vision and values, we see a tremendous commercial opportunity for our ecosystem partners around Mastercard’s evolving cybersecurity portfolio. We very much look forward to a mutually rewarding partnership together.” www.exclusive-networks.com Exertis boosts mental health support Exertis has boosted its mental health offering by training more colleagues to become Mental Health First Aiders, bringing the total number of accredited colleagues to 31 across its UK businesses. The Mental Health First Aiders’ role is to promote greater awareness of mental health in the workplace, recognise and proactively reach out to colleagues when they spot signs and symptoms of anyone needing support, apply non-judgemental listening skills to understand a colleague seeking support, and encourage colleagues to seek appropriate professional help if they require it. Jo Lawrence, People Director, said: “We are pleased to be able to invest in our colleagues and our business to further support our efforts to create an open and inclusive work environment for our people. As part of our ongoing focus on supporting our colleagues’ well-being and belonging, we’re thrilled to be bringing more Mental Health resource on board, and to provide that safe space for those who need to talk to someone.” As well as Mental Health First Aider support, Exertis offers a range of well-being options. This includes an Employee Assistance Programme, a well-being portal, healthcare, confidential 24/7 telephone support with qualified counsellors, up to six face-to-face counselling sessions, access to financial, legal and health support, health risk assessments, cognitive behavioural therapy, and webinars. www.exertis.co.uk SolarWinds appoints Kite Distribution SolarWinds has appointed Kite as a value-added distributor in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The partnership will enable Kite to provide the entire suite of SolarWinds IT management solutions, including its full-stack observability solutions for cloud, hybrid, and on-premises, to customers in the region, helping solve today’s digital transformation challenges. www.solarwinds.com Jo Lawrence Denis Ferrand-Ajchenbaum Business Design Centre · London · 12 September 2023 23 ICT · MANAGED IT · MOBILE · PRINT tech-live.co.uk
KYOCERA Document Solutions (UK) Limited Print in green with our latest ECOSYS devices. New in 2023, our latest ECOSYS devices o er low total cost of ownership, impressive energy eciency, and high security thanks to our award-winning K-level firmware. The good news doesn't end there: in keeping with our commitment to a more sustainable world, our new ECOSYS devices are carbon neutral as standard. To learn more about our ECOSYS range scan the QR code or visit: www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.uk/ecosys-2023 Discover more: kyoceraduk @KYOCERADUK kyocera-doc-solutions-uk • +44 (0)333 015 1855 [email protected] ECOSYS MA4000 Series MA6000 Series PA6000x Series
01732 759725 BULLETIN 10 Accelerate programme TD SYNNEX UK and Ireland has launched its Accelerate programme for Amazon Web Services (AWS), providing cloud partners with access to resources that will enable them to develop their competency, clearly demonstrate their relevance and value of AWS solutions to their customers, and support their business growth. The AWS Accelerate programme provides all the training and specialist support partners need to build their capabilities and confidence in AWS solutions. TD SYNNEX also provides access to exclusive tools and services that enable cloud partners to be more agile and flexible in responding to customer needs, manage customers effectively, and keep costs under firm control. These include access to the StreamOne Ion cloud orchestration platform and TD SYNNEX’s extensive professional services capabilities. Rachel Paterson, AWS Business Unit Manager said: “With customers of all sizes now migrating workloads to the cloud, there is a real need for partners to have an in-depth understanding of the capabilities of leading hyperscaler solutions. The TD SYNNEX AWS Accelerate programme is designed to enable partners identify and address new business opportunities, equip them with the knowledge and skills they need, and provide support for them as they develop and grow their AWS business.” https://uk.tdsynnex.com Exertis teams with Poly Exertis unveiled ‘Exertis Voice’ its new UC (unified communications) platform to an audience of resellers, business customers and press at a launch event at the Gherkin in London. Exertis Voice offers a converged, feature-rich product that’s easy to use, scalable between one and thousands of users, and backed up by Exertis-managed services (including a dedicated 24/7 support team). It brings together the best of unified comms, software-as-a-service and deep analytics to power businesses of any size, and features mobile PBX, MS Teams integration, advanced analytics, call recordings with sentiment analysis and transcriptions, call centre features, video conferencing and more. Steve Jobburns, UC&C Manager at Exertis Voice, said: “2.5 million businesses are still using traditional phone lines, and there’s a huge opportunity for resellers to align themselves with a solution that can help them not only navigate this new approach, but to benefit from it. Exertis Voice and Poly provide telecoms solutions that enable resellers to help customers succeed in a hybrid work environment, completely stressfree. Exertis Voice offers competitive packages that are unlike anything else on the market, with a fully converged solution. The flexible and programmable features that Exertis Voice can provide enables the ideal solution for customers of any size to make their telephony cloud-based. There’s never been a more important time to act.” www.exertis.co.uk SYNAXON supports UK partners SYNAXON has launched its Project Support service in the UK, providing partners with a convenient and easy way to deliver complex infrastructure solutions without having to make additional investments in highly-skilled technical personnel. The service provides partners with direct access to SYNAXON’s qualified solution architects, who work with them to design and deliver the entire project, from the initial briefing and conception through to configuration, followed by final delivery and support. In addition, SYNAXON helps partners increase their competitiveness by negotiating the best hardware prices on their behalf and providing extended warranty on accredited products delivered as part of the solution. Miguel Rodriguez, Managing Director, SYNAXON Hub, said: “Today’s complex hybrid infrastructures and distributed networks make it really difficult for partners to keep up with the pace of development and change, and maintain key vendor certifications. “SYNAXON Project Support gives them access to certified skills and competitive pricing on the infrastructure products they need. That means they can not only compete for and win new business, but also deliver great results for their customers.” www.synaxon-services.com Wib signs Kite Distribution Wib – the fast-growth cybersecurity startup pioneering a new era in API security, has announced the appointment of Kite as its first distribution partner for the UK&I market. This latest appointment comes as part of Wib’s ongoing channel strategy as it continues to experience strong market demand and adoption of its holistic API security platform. Kite Distribution is a UK focused, valueadded distributor that specialises in bringing innovative and disruptive technologies to the UK channel. The new partnership will further help accelerate Wib’s go-to-market momentum, increase market reach, stimulate end-user demand and drive customer acquisition. Wib’s VP Global Partnerships & Alliances, Keren Michaeli said: “API security is one of the biggest challenges facing digitally driven organisations today. We are seeing growing market maturity and awareness around this challenge in the UK, which has led to high demand and market traction for our unique platform approach. We needed a specialist partner to help scale our channel presence and capitalise on this demand and Kite ticked those boxes. We look forward to working together to drive value and opportunity for channel partners.” https://wib.com Rachel Paterson Keren Michaeli Miguel Rodriguez Steve Jobburns
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01732 759725 12 BULLETIN UTAX earns cyber certification The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has awarded UTAX Cyber Essentials Plus certification. Cyber Essentials is an effective, Government-backed scheme designed to protect organisations against a whole range of common cyber-attacks, making it an important cybersecurity milestone for the company. The Cyber Essentials Plus certification demonstrates UTAX’s commitment to securing its systems and data. It requires independent verification by an external auditor who conducts a series of technical assessments to ensure the company is protected against various attack scenarios. As part of the assessment, the company had to prove that it has sufficient technical controls in place to defend and protect customer data. Managing Director, Shaun Wilkinson, said: “Achieving this certification, which is verified by the NCSC certification partner, IASME Consortium, adding an extra layer of credibility, reflects our commitment to safeguarding our partners’ data and infrastructure. Our partners can be safe in the knowledge that we have controls in place to ensure that we are well equipped to defend against highly sophisticated cyber-attacks.” www.utax.co.uk Reimagined professional services Avaya has announced its reimagined professional services: Avaya Customer Experience Services (ACES), formerly Avaya Professional Services (APS). The updated approach focuses on integrating artificial intelligence, cloud, and digital technologies to drive new business outcomes, and bridges Avaya’s history and expertise to the future of comprehensive customer journey support. www.avaya.com Sharp/NEC and Appspace collaborate Sharp NEC Display Solutions Europe and Appspace have announced a collaboration to enhance workplace experiences. Through the collaboration, their customers’ staff and visitors can easily interact with information in their respective workplace environments. The workplace management software from Appspace is certified for NEC displays with the integrated modular MPi4 Mediaplayer or Intel SDM slot-in PC. “The integration with Appspace technology on our modular SoC and Intel SDM computing devices brings greater choice and flexibility for our customers,” said Nils Karsten, Business Segment Lead Retail at Sharp NEC Display Solutions Europe. “As we share many strong corporate and retail brands that already appreciate our technologies, we can combine our vision to help organisations deliver on better and more engaged workplaces.” “Partnering with Sharp/NEC means our customers have access to globally available hardware that’s reliable, flexible, and sustainable, with modular computing options customisable to meet requirements,” Paul Alley, Director of Technology Partnerships and Alliances at Appspace added. www.sharpnecdisplays.eu • www.appspace.com Cloud solution capabilities Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe and 21 of its subsidiaries have attained all six Microsoft Cloud Solutions Partner designations, underscoring its capabilities across all Microsoft Cloud Solution areas. Following the restructuring of Microsoft's partner programme in 2022, aimed at highlighting organisations with proven experience in order to guide customers through their cloud journeys, Konica Minolta in Europe quickly adapted. The company secured all six available Solutions Partner designations, showcasing its expertise in data & AI (Azure), digital & app innovation (Azure), infrastructure (Azure), modern work, security, and business applications. Norihisa Takayama, Executive Director DX, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe said: “Earning all six designations is a significant milestone for our team, demonstrating the breadth of our expertise and our commitment to helping organisations expedite their digital transformation. Each designation is a testament to our team's diligence, dedication to continual learning, and the company’s proven success in delivering excellent results for our customers.” www.konicaminolta.eu Ricoh completes acquisition Ricoh Europe has completed the acquisition of PFH Technology Group (PFH), an integrated digital infrastructure and managed services company. Headquartered in Cork, Ireland, with additional offices in Dublin and Galway, PFH supports over 1,000 customers with their IT and communications technology needs. Alberto Mariani, Senior Vice President, Digital Innovation, Ricoh Europe, said: “This is a significant milestone for both Ricoh Europe and PFH. I am very excited for our customers, who will benefit from trusted support, unrivalled expertise, and the extensive opportunities afforded by digital transformation.” www.ricoh-europe.com Smart scanning solutions ibml has acquired Exela Technologies’ IntelliScan Smart Scanning Solutions. The acquisition provides ibml with an enhanced portfolio of products and expanded service coverage to meet high-volume digitisation needs of customers. ibml will acquire the assets of the highvolume scanner and North America hardware maintenance businesses of Exela Technologies. Going forward, the company will continue to offer Intelliscan customers a complete suite of scanning products and services, providing a seamless transition. Through this acquisition, ibml extends its leadership position as a provider of high-volume mission critical intelligent document processing solutions. The addition of the IntelliScan portfolio allows ibml to grow the combined business and serve its combined customer set with a broader portfolio of products and expanded service coverage. Martin Birch, CEO of ibml said: “I am pleased to welcome the team from Exela and excited to add Exela’s high-volume scanner products to ibml’s market-leading portfolio of solutions. The additional expertise and offerings will provide our customers with a more diverse portfolio of best-in-class high volume intelligent scanning solutions, and the ability to bring greater innovation to their document-intensive business processes.” www.ibml.com 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 VOTING OPEN www.printitawards.co.uk Shaun Wilkinson
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01732 759725 14 BULLETIN DocuWare acquires DocuScan Document management and workflow automation solutions provider DocuWare has announced the acquisition of DocuScan. Headquartered in Erftstadt near Cologne, DocuScan has provided IT services and customised workflow automation solutions to medium-sized enterprises throughout Germany for 20 years. Michael Bochmann, who will remain Managing Director of DocuScan within DocuWare said: “There is great value in becoming part of DocuWare. My team and I look forward to contributing core knowledge to DocuWare’s global growth plan to enable its partners and positively impact future product development.” DocuScan is fully owned by DocuWare and will continue to operate as an independent entity within DocuWare. https://start.docuware.com Strong performer M-Files has been recognised by customers on Gartner Peer Insights as a strong performer in the June 2023 Gartner Peer Insights ‘Voice of the Customer’: Content Services Platforms report. M-Files is one of four vendors in the report to receive this distinction. The company is recognised as a strong performer overall as well as the only vendor in this category for both the North America and midsize enterprise segments. Gartner Peer Insights ‘Voice of the Customer’: Content Services Platforms report rates vendors based on the following categories – product capabilities, sales experience, deployment experience and support experience. www.m-files.com Joining forces TCO Development, the organisation behind the TCO Certified sustainability certification for IT products, has announced a partnership with the Sustainable Digital Infrastructure Alliance (SDIA), to further promote and support sustainability and transparency in cloud infrastructure. The collaboration which started a year ago, aims to drive progress toward more sustainable data centre solutions. https://tcocertified.com Intuitive strengthens ecoprintQ partnership Intuitive recently attended the sixth edition of the ecoprintQ USA summit which was held in Sarasota, Florida. As a Gold Sponsor of the event, Sales and Marketing Director Catherine Kennedy delivered a presentation on the key benefits of Intuitive DX dashboards alongside Jodi Lindner, Business Development Manager for Intuitive at ecoprintQ. ecoprintQ has been an Authorised Solution Centre for Intuitive since September 2020 for North and South America, and delivers the Intuitive for PaperCut dashboards, providing both pre-sales and post-sales support to their existing and future reseller base. Catherine Kennedy said: “We were delighted to participate in the EcoSummit 2023, and to further strengthen our great working relationship with the EcoprintQ team, and their resellers and partners. The whole event was inspiring, and some great conversations were had. We look forward to further developing our partnership with EcoprintQ and their resellers over the coming months.” https://weareintuitive.com Ringdale achieves MPSA accreditation Ringdale has received the Managed Print Certified accreditation from the Managed Print Services Association (MPSA), the independent, not-for-profit association for the managed print industry. The Managed Print Certified accreditation was developed in collaboration with industry experts and leaders to identify businesses that have made a commitment to the highest levels of integrity and sustained quality service for managed print services. To earn the accreditation, organisations are evaluated on the internal practices and procedures used to run their managed print business and the external activities and operations they engage in with customers and prospects. This process validates the organisation’s commitment to meet or exceed the best business practices the MPS industry has to offer for end-user organisations. “The team at Ringdale has always adopted a customer first approach, whether it’s the development of our next generation printing platform, or optimising existing deployed solutions," said Eric Crump, Director of Strategic Alliances. "The Managed Print Certified accreditation provides confidence to our global customers and partners in the knowing that they will receive the highest level of service and support, and direct access to our experienced technical consultants, whatever the market environment.” www.followme.ringdale.com Cloud-based print The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust (DNEAT) - a school trust for primary education in Norfolk and the Waveney Valley in Suffolk – has slashed its print costs and paper wastage while realising secure and convenient printing following the deployment of PaperCut Hive as its cloud-based print management solution. DNEAT is a multi-site organisation of 35 schools with over 10,000 students and staff, but no dedicated IT team. Until recently, its printing presented cost and waste problems. With the large printing volume of an entire school district, DNEAT was spending too much on print consumables and overfilling its paper waste baskets. Additionally, the entire district didn’t have resources for onsite infrastructure. PaperCut Hive met DNEAT’s requirements for a cloud-only print solution. Specialised server infrastructure was not required onsite to run the software. Instead, schools leveraged their existing onsite computers and laptops to fulfil this role. The fully-hosted SaaS platform means schools of any size in the trust can manage their printing environment, regardless of their printer brands – all with just an internet connection – providing DNEAT with a simple and powerful solution to cut down waste and save costs. www.papercut.com Eric Crump (l-r) Dominick Bracero, Ever Milanes and Alfredo Milanes, ecoprintQ with Catherine Kennedy
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01732 759725 16 BULLETIN : PEOPLE Ricoh UK names new CEO Glenn Griggs has been appointed as Ricoh UK’s new Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds Phil Keoghan who was promoted to lead Ricoh Northern Europe in April 2022. Griggs formerly held the position of Board Director of Sales. FHe said: “I’m delighted to be appointed to the role of CEO. We’re in an auspicious moment for Ricoh and I’m confident we have a bright future ahead. In my role, together with my executive team, I will lead wholeheartedly with a people-first strategy.” Ricoh Ireland will continue to operate under the leadership of its Managing Director Gary Hopwood, reporting to Phil Keoghan. www.ricoh.co.uk Canon appoints new Marketing Director Canon UK & Ireland has appointed Khalid Aziz as its new Digital Printing & Solutions (DP&S) Marketing Director. Aziz brings with him over 24 years’ experience and a proven track record as a senior leader in marketing across various industries. In his new role, he will be responsible for leading the B2B marketing function including demand generation, campaign marketing, product marketing and channel marketing through the development and execution of a clear marketing strategy, to help the business realise its growth ambitions. Yusuke Mizoguchi, Senior Manager Director, Canon UK & Ireland said: “I’m looking forward to seeing the impact Khalid has not only on our business goals, but in supporting the team in driving our mid-term plan forward. Now is the time to lead from the front, and I have every confidence that Khalid’s experience and drive will ensure success.” www.canon.co.uk Double celebration Lee Cowin has a double reason to celebrate. Not only is it his 10 year anniversary with Woodbank Office Solutions, but he has also received a promotion from Post-Sales Installation Engineer to Solutions Consultant. His new role will now be supporting and advising prospective and existing customers when they are looking into managed print services, print & document management software technology, photocopiers and printers for their business. www.woodbankoffice.co.uk Evans promoted to VP role TD SYNNEX Maverick has announced the promotion of Andy Evans to the position of Vice President, Maverick, Europe. In his new role, Evans will lead the overall growth strategy for Maverick in Europe, with a focus on deepening the distributor’s extensive specialist capabilities, reinforcing vendor relationships and empowering the team to deliver best-in-class smart signage and collaboration offerings to partners across Europe. With more than 30 years’ experience within the AV/IT industry, Evans previously served in Commercial Director roles at integration businesses including Electrosonic and Kinly, and also held senior positions at Viju and Cisco. www.tdmaverick.eu A new chapter Integra has announced the retirement of Special Projects Consultant, Bob Davies. After more than 26 years with the group, he has decided to open a new chapter in life, leaving behind an impressive career in the office supplies and IT industry. Davies played a pivotal role in the set up and running of Integra’s former EOS distribution operation together with the introduction of the Initiative compatibles range that remains an incredibly strong proposition to this day. He was also instrumental in establishing key partnerships with suppliers and distributors such as European Office Supplies, Centrex, UFP, Exertis, and Synaxon to name a few and was a driving force behind the group’s Catalyst programme. www.integra-business.co.uk Andy Gass to retire Following a 30-year tenure, Andy Gass, Chief Digital Officer, Global at TD SYNNEX has announced his retirement, effective January 2024. Matt Child, currently executive leader of its advanced solutions division in the UK and Ireland (UK&I), will become Senior Vice President, Digital, Europe, and a member of the company’s European executive team on December 1, 2023. Patrick Zammit, President, Europe, TD SYNNEX, said: “Andy is a role model for entrepreneurial leadership in our company and is highly respected inside and outside our business for his strategic insights and outstanding track record. He left a great legacy from his tenure as leader of our UK&I business and, as digital leader during the last five years, he has assembled a fantastic team that is breaking new ground with a truly customer-centric digital and commercial excellence strategy, which will serve as a platform for our future growth for many years to come.” www.TDSYNNEX.com Glenn Griggs Andy Evans Khalid Aziz Bob Davies Lee Cowin
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