www.printitreseller.uk PRINT, MFP, SOFTWARE, SERVICES, DOCUMENT & CLOUD NEWS & INFORMATION FOR VARS, CONVERGED RESELLERS & MFP DEALERS PRINT IT AWARDS A DECADE IN PRINT Find out who made the shortlist PAGE 20 PAGE 22 PAGE 40 VOX POP Meeting customers’ green aspirations Cameron Mitchell shares his print experiences 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 Authorised Distributor Turn to pages 28 & 29 to learn more! UFP PROMOTION 10 YEARS · ISSUE I09 IN PRINT & ONLINE ISSUE 109 · 2023
Be a part of the biggest night of the year for the workplace Print & Document workflow industry You don’t have to be shortlisted to attend, we welcome all OEMs, MPS providers, distributors, channel vendors and dealers to join us and we can guarantee that it will be a night to remember! The Print IT Awards 2023 will take place at The Royal Lancaster Hotel, London on December 5. The event will bring together the industry’s great and good. We have a limited number of Tables, ½ Tables of 5 places and individual places still available... so if you fancy joining your industry colleagues and celebrating the success of this phenomenal industry book your place at this year’s Print IT Awards today – simply call Ethan or Neil on 01732 759 725, or download the booking form at https://printitawards.co.uk/attend 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 • Doors Open: 7.00 p.m. • Dress Code: Black Tie • Drinks Reception • Three-course Meal • Followed by Pétits Fours & Coffee • Awards Presentation by Special Guest Presenter • Music & Dancing with Live Band & Bar • After Show Party
PRINTITRESELLER.UK 3 The PrintIT Awards judging panel came together on September 5, to discuss and debate which companies deserved to win a 2023 PrintIT award. I have to say it was no easy feat, not only did we receive a recordbreaking number of entries this year, but the quality of the submissions was top-notch too, which made our jobs a whole lot harder. Congratulations to everyone who made the shortlist (check out page 22) – that in itself is something that should be applauded, and I look forward to revealing the winners and celebrating your successes at the Royal Lancaster on December 5. Sustainability is very much front of mind at the moment, and the focus on companies doing their bit is only set to intensify as we strive to achieve net-zero. PrintIT Reseller invited some of the sector’s leading print vendors to comment on recent findings from Quocirca’s Channel Sustainability Study 2023 – see page 40 and next month we’ll feature the views of several prominent channel companies. Also in this issue, Kevin McNally, UK & Ireland Sales Director at Asolvi, picks the work tools he uses every day and couldn’t do his job without (page 18). This month’s Q&A is with Arwel Griffiths, Managing Director, Ar Graff Cymru, and PITR spent 60 seconds with Arjan Paulussen, Managing Director, Western Europe and English-Speaking Africa at Lexmark. 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... Kevin McNally picks his favourite work tools 20 A decade in print Cameron Mitchell shares his print experiences over the past decade 22 PrintIT Awards 2023 Find out who made the shortlist 26 MPS Delivering print-as-aservice 30 Interview Epson UK MD Duncan Ferguson 36 Focus on: What’s New A round-up of recent product launches 39 Scanners Canon eyes up growth 40 VOX POP Meeting customers’ green aspirations 46 One-to-One Matt Hill, VP Document Automation & Security Sales EMEA, Kofax 48 View from the Channel Arwel Griffiths, Managing Director, Ar Graff Cymru 50 60 seconds with... Arjan Paulussen, MD, Western Europe and English-Speaking Africa, Lexmark 2023 ISSUE 109 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 109 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 Key findings from the Healthier Nation Index The State of the Nation’s Health and Wellbeing in 2023 10 YEARS · ISSUE I09 IN PRINT & ONLINE
BULLETIN 01732 759725 4 A good night’s sleep Nuffield Health’s 2023 ‘Healthier Nation Index’ – a survey of 8,000 UK adults - has highlighted that poor sleep is still a huge issue across the nation. On average Brits are only getting 5.91 hours of sleep a night. Of those surveyed, only 36% said their sleep was ‘good’. The study reveals those in the 45-54-year age bracket claim to have the worst sleep, with only 29% saying theirs is ‘good’ and with most averaging only 5.72 hours a night. The industries with the worst sleep and least likely to rate theirs as ‘good’ are retail (32%) and those in HR (34%). Industries that rated their sleep as the best are IT (48%) and finance (44%), but noticeably for both industries, the statistics are still under half. These findings are especially pertinent during September’s ‘Sleeptember’, which focuses on promoting better sleep quality. www.nuffieldhealth.com Working latte again? Brits are treating coffee shops as their second office, with one in four (23%) working from them at least once a week, research by comparison site Broadband Genie reveals. With 33 million people employed in the UK, that means over seven million workers are regularly choosing a café over their home or office to get the job done. When it comes to mixing the daily grind with their daily brew, three in five (60%) coffee shoploving remote workers named Costa Coffee as a favourite place to work, ahead of Starbucks (38%) and Caffè Nero (26%). The most common reason given for working in a coffee shop is to be around other people (34%), while a quarter claim it improves their productivity (27%) Alex Tofts at Broadband Genie said: “The last few years have seen a huge shake-up in the ways we work. Remote roles, initially forced by the pandemic, have now evolved to become flexible jobs where people divide their working week between the office and their home. “Our research shows that many hybrid workers are also now adding their favourite coffee shop into the mix. The change of scenery can be particularly tempting if you’re not a fan of your home set-up or frustrated by misfiring Wi-Fi.” www.broadbandgenie.co.uk 96% of people use technology to unwind The latest survey performed by Cint and commissioned by cybersecurity company NordVPN showed that 96% of people turn to technology for relaxation during the day. 60% of respondents said they turn to their gadgets a few times a day to relax, and 21% said they do so at least once a day. Two-thirds of respondents choose to unwind by watching TV. While watching Netflix or scrolling Instagram can help alleviate stress, it may also eliminate users’ privacy awareness. “In the past, very few cybersecurity issues were associated with the use of television. However, now many people use smart TVs. In 2019, the FBI released a warning stating that smart TVs can make users vulnerable to surveillance and attacks by bad actors. Since then, user security technology has become more advanced, but internet-connected devices remain vulnerable,” said Adrianus Warmenhoven, a cybersecurity expert at NordVPN. Smartphones are the second most used item for relaxation (69% globally). “When people are relaxed, they often forget about possible cybersecurity risks. Smartphones are especially at risk because today, no other gadget knows more about its user. That makes smartphones a very appealing target for hackers,” he added. https://nordvpn.com/ AI and automation A new market study conducted by Computer Futures' parent company SThree in collaboration with IntelliSurvey, finds that 52% of IT and technology professionals in the UK are worried they will lose their job to AI and automation. As well as an apprehension surrounding AI, remote working continues to hold significant importance to UK IT and tech pros with 80% stating that it is important that their next role allows them to work remotely. On flexible working, 83% of respondents stated that it is important to them that their next role allows them to work when they want. www.sthree.com Crook, line and sinker The majority of Brits are struggling to sniff out one of the most common traps laid for them online – fake websites designed to take their money and data, according to NordVPN. Around two in three (63%) consumers could not correctly identify all the red flags of phishing websites, and many were relying on out-ofdate safety information to protect them. NordVPN’s National Privacy Test – a global survey aimed to evaluate cybersecurity and online privacy awareness – revealed that more than four in five UK consumers (85%) believe a padlock icon in a web browser’s address bar suggests they are using a trusted site. However, this icon, which is due to be retired by Google Chrome later this year, only indicates a secure encrypted connection and is now common on scam websites. When it came to spotting fakes, nearly three quarters (72%) correctly identified that a website’s digital certificate – or SSL – showing a random individual or company name would be a warning sign, with 81% accurately highlighting poor visuals and copy and 86% singling out a suspiciously named web address. https://nordvpn.com/ Key findings from the Healthier Nation Index The State of the Nation’s Health and Wellbeing in 2023 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 Shortlists See page 22
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BULLETIN Sabio Group named on CCS framework Sabio Group has been named as a supplier on Crown Commercial Service’s Network Services 3 (NS3) framework. The NS3 framework inclusion comes a few months after Sabio was included in the UK Government’s G-Cloud framework, strengthening its ability to serve the UK public sector as a recognised cloud software and cloud support supplier. This year’s framework, with its enhanced emphasis on ‘cloud first’ connectivity solutions and emerging technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Cities, aligns with Sabio's progressive approach to digital transformation – providing an accessible and effective route for buyers to market all network and communication services. Danny Seaborne, Managing Director for UK, Nordics, and Africa said: “Being named as a supplier on the NS3 framework is a further testimony to our commitment to the highest standards of service and delivery. “Our named supplier status will help to open doors to deeper collaborations with public sector organisations. We’re eager to support them in their digital customer experience transformation journeys.” www.sabiogroup.com 01732 759725 6 Apogee to acquire Datatron Apogee has agreed to acquire Datatron Document Image Archiving Ltd, to further strengthen its outsourced document services scale and capabilities. Datatron will complement Apogee’s existing portfolio allowing it to deliver a scanning operation coupled with a virtual record management platform. Datatron currently processes over three million documents per week, delivering services to a large number of customers across the private and public sectors. It also has expertise within the NHS and is responsible for building and maintaining one of the UK's largest digital patient record archives. Aurelio Maruggi, CEO of Apogee said: “The Datatron acquisition forms part of our ongoing strategy to be the market leader in managed workplace services, both in the UK and throughout continental Europe. This acquisition will strengthen our existing portfolio of services, helping Apogee’s and Datatron’s customers to accelerate their adoption of more secure and efficient ways to manage documents and personal records.” Datatron’s Managing Director, David Popay, added: “This is an exciting new chapter in Datatron’s 27 year history, the opportunity to blend our specialist digital transformation skills into one of Europe’s leading business service providers is a once in a lifetime event and opens up a wealth of opportunity for Apogee clients.” www.apogeecorp.com New Scotland HQ SCC has invested £100,000+ in new Scotland headquarters, located at Interchange Business Park in Livingston. The move is expected to create dozens of new jobs and forms part of the firm’s ambitious long-term growth plans with SCC targeting 20% growth in Scotland this year and 40% over the next five years. SCC is investing heavily in people and services to expand its specialist IT solutions and drive digital transformation. Earlier this year, Rigby Group, SCC’s parent company, announced in a £300m technology programme to accelerate growth across SCC’s territories in the UK, France, and Spain over the next five years. The company is targeting acquisitions and investments to expand its portfolio with new and innovative services. Lindsey Hunter, Country Manager for Scotland and NI at SCC, has been appointed to lead SCC’s Scotland & NI business. She has worked for SCC in various customer-facing roles for more than two decades. She said: “This is an exciting time for SCC and in particular for our business in Scotland. I'm thrilled to have been appointed to lead SCC’s Scotland business. Our new office in Livingston is just the beginning, as we continue to invest in the local economy and in extending our partnerships with Scottish businesses, including considerable support across NHS Scotland.” www.scc.com Agilitas receives silver medal Agilitas IT Solutions has been awarded the Silver medal from EcoVadis in recognition of its ongoing efforts to embed sustainability into the organisation’s core values. Superseding its Bronze medal achieved in 2021, Agilitas is now listed in the top 25% of the 100,000-plus companies assessed. EcoVadis has recognised Agilitas’ latest sustainability achievements, with the company’s environmental score increasing from 60 to 90 out of a possible 100. This is a testament to its dedication to strengthening its commitment to sustainability and extending the lifespan of its clients’ IT infrastructure through refurbishment and reuse programmes. In addition to establishing its Green Team, Agilitas has also committed to Science Based Targets, which involves setting carbon reduction goals across all 3 scopes and using these platforms to show transparency to its customers, which in turn helps customers to track their own scope 3 supply chain emissions. Deborah Johnson, Head of ESG at Agilitas said: “Receiving the Silver status in our EcoVadis assessment is an exceptional recognition of our commitment to prioritising sustainability and implementing practices that contribute towards a better future. This score gives our team even more motivation to further increase our ESG efforts and move forward with our roadmap to have a carbon-positive workforce by 2031 and be 100% carbon neutral before the UK Government’s target.” www.agilitas.co.uk 2 0 2 3 Final 2023 event – 19th October at Robin Hood. For more information please email [email protected] or call Paul on 07887 944433
BULLETIN Aurora opens office In response to the ever-changing landscape of modern workplaces, Aurora Managed Services has opened its new office location in Reading, Berkshire. With this latest expansion, the company is positioning itself to better serve customers in the South and establish a physical presence in a region that has experienced rapid growth. The Reading office will act as a hub for innovative solutions that cater to the unique needs of businesses as they adapt to the demands of hybrid work environments. The Reading office also doubles as a showroom, currently showcasing the Konica Minolta C3070 production press. This advanced digital press printer offers a comprehensive suite of capabilities, from rapid printing speeds to high-resolution output and versatile paper handling options. The launch of the new office marks a significant step for Aurora towards helping businesses achieve their hybrid working goals. By combining cutting-edge technology, dedicated service, and innovative solutions, the company is positioning itself as a leading provider in the ever-evolving world of hybrid work. www.aurora.co.uk 20 years of partnership Printerbase has sold more than 25,000 printers and 35,000 multifunction printers since the company first partnered with Brother UK, 20 years ago in 2003. The reseller has also sold 10,000 label devices and 2,500 scanners from the vendor, with more than 250,000 ink and toner cartridges provided to customers. The relationship has strengthened since Printerbase began offering Brother MPS in late 2021. Brother MPS now makes up more than half (58%) of all the printas-a-service contracts that Printerbase agrees. Khalil Hussain, Sales Manager at Printerbase, said: “So much has changed in the channel over the last 20 years. You just have to look at the technological improvements from the first devices we were selling in 2003 compared to today, as well as the whole shift towards printas-a-service. But the reason we’ve been able to adapt with the times and be successful is by having a trusted, reliable partner in Brother.” Chris Grimshaw, Business Manager – Online Partners at Brother UK, added: “The success that Printerbase has achieved over the last two decades is testament to the strong, collaborative relationships that we build with our partners.” www.printerbase.co.uk • www.brother.co.uk PRINTITRESELLER.UK 7 Apogee partners with MyEmpire Group Apogee has partnered with cyber security consultancy firm MyEmpire Group, to expand its managed workplace services offering. MyEmpire Group has provided specialist capabilities to support cyber improvement programs for over ten years. Specialising in cyber governance and leadership, security health checks, penetration testing, and security frameworks (Cyber Essentials, ISO 27001, etc.), MyEmpire Group also provides ongoing programme support and management via STaaS (security team as a service). By partnering with an external independent organisation that is already well-established in the cyber security field, Apogee has further strengthened its portfolio of managed workplace services. With service excellence complemented by industry-leading technology, Apogee will continue to provide customers with hardware and software support, while MyEmpire Group’s team of consultants will take the lead on security projects to enhance customers’ security practices. Alex Woerndle, Co-founder and UK lead for MyEmpire Group, said: “We’re very excited about our partnership with Apogee. I think the cyber security knowledge and resources our team brings to the table will complement Apogee to further protect their customers online, which ultimately means peace of mind for all parties involved. MyEmpire Group specialises in designing, implementing and managing custom cyber security programs to fortify businesses online.” The partnership provides a more integrated and diverse solutions portfolio, opening up new conversations with organisations about their security concerns and priorities. MyEmpire Group will also benefit from additional resources and access to Apogee’s 200+ strong engineering team. www.apogeecorp.com SOS Systems acquires Abbey Office Solutions SOS Systems has completed the acquisition of Abbey Office Solutions, a Canon print services provider headquartered in Hampshire. This move strengthens SOS Systems’ presence in a key market area but also reinforces its guarantee of delivering solutions to a broader client base. “Our ethos has always been customercentric,” said Managing Director Chris Sills. “Our acquisition of Abbey Office Solutions fits perfectly with our medium and long-term goals. Growing our Canon Business Centre within our territory has been a key objective for the group and the Abbey acquisition complements this overall strategy.” Abbey Office Solutions’ customers will receive enhanced digital transformation benefits from SOS’s extensive technology portfolio, along with industry expertise. With its Canon Platinum Service accreditation, SOS Systems is distinguished as only the second UK business to attain the Canon Business Centre Status. These serve as a testament to the superior standards and exceptional support it offers to businesses. www.sossystems.co.uk Chris Sills
BULLETIN 01732 759725 8 Distributor of the year TD SYNNEX has been named UK and Ireland Distributor of the Year 2023 by Hewlett Packard Enterprise for the second year in a row. The HPE Partner Awards recognise HPE partners that embody the company’s ‘Partnership-First’ value and their commitment to delivering better outcomes to shared customers, helping them unleash their wgrowth potential. Andrew Stuart, HPE Business Unit Director, UK, TD SYNNEX, said: “This achievement is a result of the consistent and highly focused approach taken by the TD SYNNEX HPE team, both to driving growth for partners and supporting them on their journey towards everything- as-a-service (EaaS). It demonstrates the power and effectiveness of our partnership. We are closely aligned with HPE’s strategy and priorities, and we will continue to enable partners and help them accelerate their sales with HPE technologies.” https://eu.tdsynnex.com Exertis launches B2B recycling portal Exertis has bolstered its sustainability initiatives with the launch of a new channelfocused trade-in portal. The self-serve portal allows customers to build a quote for the recycling of multiple devices in a simple and straightforward way, and covers various categories such as handsets, tablets and laptops. Once received, all traded-in devices are fully data wiped using Blackbelt Smartphone Defence – a failsafe mechanism that prevents any device leaving the facility with data on it. There is the option to provide individual data wipe certificates, if required. Exertis has a proven track record in the recycling of devices via its company MTR, which for more than a decade has hosted a trade-in website for end-users, meaning more categories of customer are now targeted by Exertis’ recycling efforts. MTR operates as a standalone, autonomous business division focused on delivering best-in-class, marketleading trade-in solutions. Devices received by MTR have their useful life extended via the secondary device market, with only a small fraction requiring disposal. These are dealt with in an environmentally friendly manner and are compliant with the WEEE directive. Tim Griffin, Exertis IT CEO, said: “Sustainability is a core part of the values we hold as a business. The importance of sustainability in the secondary sales market is more important than ever before, and the market for traded-in handsets is a circular economy that is growing year-on-year. For Exertis to provide another sustainable option to our customers, as part of the everyday interactions they have with us, is a great opportunity for us.” https://recycle.exertis.co.uk Tech Xpo Midwich’s Tech Xpo took place at Ascot Racecourse on September 13 and 14 and for the first time included a dedicated security area, Tech Xpo Secure. The new zone, in partnership with DVS, Nimans and, headline sponsors Hikvision, focused on security technology giving attendees direct access to the latest product releases, technical support within the market and the opportunity to discover complementary technologies across AV. In its 12th year, Tech Xpo brings groundbreaking technology, interactive demonstrations, and connects industry leaders and tech enthusiasts from around the country, all in one place. www.midwich.com Global distribution partnership Exclusive Networks has expanded its successful relationship with Thales, creating a global distribution partnership across EMEA, APAC and North America. Building on its partnership to date, Exclusive will double down on the growth of Thales’s data security and identity and access management channel business, helping existing partners to scale, recruit and enable a diverse mix of new partners, and leverage its existing vendor portfolio to generate synergistic sales opportunities. Exclusive’s long standing and successful partnership with Thales has been built on common foundations. With a strong track record of growth and headquartered in France, both are specialists in cybersecurity, are extending their ambitions to the cloud, and have a shared vision of trust through cyber protection. “We are excited about the new global partnership with Thales, taking our relationship to the next level, building on our success across EMEA and APAC, and expanding our established Thales practice into North America,” explained Denis Ferrand-Ajchenbaum, SVP Global Business Development and Ecosystems at Exclusive Networks. “Data security and access management are key pillars in any cybersecurity strategy, and we see significant growth opportunities for our channel partners around these technology areas. We also see strong synergies within our existing vendor ecosystem to generate cross-selling and upselling opportunities for partners to drive incremental business. We are very much looking forward to the next chapter in our partnership as we continue to scale existing territories, penetrate new regions, and drive future growth.” www.exclusive-networks.com Denis Ferrand-Ajchenbaum Tim Griffin Andrew Stuart
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01732 759725 BULLETIN 10 BIXOLON relaunches partner programme BIXOLON has reinvigorated and relaunched its Unite Partner Programme (UPP). The UPP will provide current and potential partners from across Europe – predominantly the VAR and the software integrator community – with valueadded benefits that enable it to promote and sell BIXOLON’s technology. The programme has been updated to make it more attractive to new partners to be able to unlock new revenue streams from the sale of advanced receipt, label and mobile printers, while maintaining its appeal to existing partners. Managing Director Jay Kim, said: “The opportunity for new and existing partners to profit from selling advanced printing technologies today is vast. This includes offering point-of-sale receipt, label, Auto-ID and mobile printers from a wide range of environments. The size and potential of the AIDC printing market continues to grow across the whole of Europe. What is more, millions of BIXOLON printers are already proven and in use today in retail, hospitality, healthcare, banking, ticketing, post/parcel, warehousing and other transaction-intensive industries.” Key benefits of the updated programme include personalised support, leads, price concessions and priority technical assistance. www.BixolonEU.com/unite The Connect advantage Computer tech firm Gbics has launched its own direct channel partner program called Gbics Connect. GBICS Connect is a direct partner model for IT resellers and service providers where all the required distribution services are fulfilled inhouse by the Cirencester-based company. Gbics also handles all deal registration, pre-sales support and logistics services in-house, whilst also providing partners with product release dates, technical support and tailored product catalogues. www.gbics.com/ Tech hub ANS has opened a new tech hub in the heart of Manchester. The new campus which was opened by peace activist Prof. Erinma Bell, will serve as a dynamic space where employees, customers, local businesses and communities can collaborate, learn and innovate. The multi-million-pound investment is designed to empower local talent and contribute to the growth of the northwest tech ecosystem by providing a dynamic, accessible hub and a joint-venture educational programme. www.ans.co.uk Barcode Warehouse opens innovation centre The Barcode Warehouse has opened its new cutting-edge immersive Innovation and Customer Experience (ICE) Centre in Newark, Nottinghamshire. The unveiling event brought a number of tech brands to Newark including, Samsung, Epson, Zebra and Honeywell, and also entailed tours of the technology innovation suite, seminars and keynote talks delivered by brands such as Android. The ICE Centre provides visitors and businesses with the opportunity to see a range of technology solutions and applications first-hand, specific to a range of sectors including manufacturing, healthcare, and warehousing and logistics. The purpose-built 25,000-square foot facility includes interactive meeting and training rooms, demonstration areas, a café, an auditorium and break-out spaces. www.thebarcodewarehouse.co.uk GoTo implements AI to improve CX GoTo has rolled out AI Chat Analysis, an AIpowered sentiment analysis and chat summary function within GoTo Connect’s Contact Centre. This new optional feature will expand the level of data-driven insight available to customer service supervisors and analysts, resulting in a better understanding of customer interactions. Head of Product Damon Covey said: “In a year when innovation and AI seem to go hand in hand, businesses continue to navigate how they, too, can take full advantage of the increased efficiencies AI can provide. Within the broad area of AI, Large Language Models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s ChatGPT have played an outsized role in changing the game for businesses across almost any industry, offering up time-saving solutions and more advanced comprehension than ever seen before. These AI-powered advancements will not only save customer service personnel time, but also will provide insights to improve the customer experience.” www.goto.com Customised programme Multi-cloud data management specialist, Veritas Technologies has introduced the Veritas Managed Service Provider Programme, a specially designed initiative within Veritas Partner Force. The purpose-built programme offers MSPs a set of incentives, a wide range of training and enablement, and flexible pricing models to expand their offerings and capitalise on the growing demand for data protection and cloud-native cyber resilience solutions. To accelerate profitability for MSPs, the programme allows Veritas-powered backup-as-aservice, analytics-as-a-service and data recovery-as-a-service offerings to be rapidly engineered. MSPs can take advantage of subscription and consumption-based pricing options, in addition to commitment-based commercial models. Qualifying Elite partners will also be eligible for joint go-to-market initiatives and product roadmap engagements, solutions development workshops and incentives. Underscoring its own commitment, Veritas has further invested in this segment by creating a dedicated global team and carving out specific demand development funding for MSPs. www.veritas.com 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 printitawards.co.uk Business insights day Over 20 young students from Garth Hill College had the opportunity to explore the possibilities of a career in the technology industry, thanks to Business Insights Day TD SYNNEX held at its Business Solutions Centre (BSC) in Bracknell. The event was organised in partnership with local non-profit organisation, Learning to Work. www.TDSYNNEX.com Prof. Erinma Bell
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01732 759725 12 BULLETIN Trend Micro empowers partners to grow Trend Micro has announced an extension to its partner programme and launched a new offering designed to empower MSSPs, service partners and pure-play managed detection and response (MDR) companies to build or grow their MDR and SOC-as-a-service offerings. Trend Vision One for Service Providers provides turnkey threat detection and response with extended SOAR capabilities built for managed security service partners, offering multi-tenant SOC capabilities and hundreds of third-party integrations across the IT environment and with other security vendors. Partners who sign up will receive benefits including white-glove onboarding and enablement, leveraging Trend's industry knowhow working with hundreds of SOCs to help partners accelerate adoption and delivery of SOCaaS and MDR. Highly competitive pricing to allow new and existing MSSPs to penetrate the market quicker. Choice of partnership, which means partners can choose the partnership right for their business: fully managed MDR or SOCaaS or API integration to offer co-managed services for ‘bring your own technology’ clients, where MSSPs help configure and manage Trend SOAR solution deployed on customers' premises. www.TrendMicro.com Global strategic partnership Cisco and Nutanix have forged a global strategic partnership to accelerate hybrid multi-cloud deployments by offering the industry’s most complete hyperconverged solution for IT modernisation and business transformation. “Customers are asking for solutions that are simple, sustainable, and future-ready,” said Jeremy Foster, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Cisco Compute. “This partnership answers with a complete solution spanning virtual compute, networking and storage across customer data centres and public clouds. By combining Cisco’s SaaSmanaged compute portfolio with Nutanix’s cloud platform software, we can help customers develop a balanced approach to power modern workloads on-premise and in the cloud." The new offering integrates Cisco’s SaaS-managed compute and networking infrastructure (Cisco Unified Computing System with Cisco Intersight) with the Nutanix Cloud Platform (Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure, Nutanix Cloud Manager, Nutanix Unified Storage, and Nutanix Desktop Services) and will be sold by Cisco using its extensive go-to-market reach. Customers will benefit from a fully integrated and validated solution that is sold, built, managed and supported holistically for a seamless end-to-end experience. The solution will offer flexible deployment options with support for Cisco UCS rack and blade servers, including initial support for C-Series Servers and planned, future support for UCS X-Series. The new offering will integrate advanced Cisco servers (UCS), networking and security (ACI), and management (UCS Manager, Intersight) with the Nutanix Cloud Platform software. www.cisco.com • www.nutanix.com Pure Storage expands Microsoft partnership Pure Storage has announced an expanded, multi-year strategic product and go-tomarket partnership with Microsoft, that brings the vendor’s storage capabilities to native Microsoft Azure services by leveraging Azure's new Premium SSD v2 and introducing them to Azure VMware Solution (AVS) in Preview. Ajay Singh, Chief Product Officer, Pure Storage said: “This expanded partnership creates a significant milestone, ushering in a new age of cloud migration, and ultimately driving faster, more cost-effective adoption of cloud services. Pure Cloud Block Store for Azure VMware Solution is just the beginning. By optimising performance and cost at scale, we look forward to unlocking the number of mission-critical use cases that we can serve in the coming years.” www.purestorage.com Recurring revenue rise Integrated cloud business communications provider NFON has had a good first half of 2023 and enjoyed positive performance in revenue and earnings. Recurring revenue, a central performance indicator for NFON, rose by 5.1% to EUR 38.4 million (previous year: EUR 36.5 million). Total revenue increased moderately by 2.7% to EUR 41.2 million (previous year: EUR 40.1 million). As a result, the share of high margin recurring revenue climbed to 93.2% of total revenue in the first half of 2023. The company says the high share of recurring revenue underscores the loyalty of its customers and forms a very strong basis for ongoing revenue planning. www.nfon.com Stone secures place on CCS framework Stone, a Converge company, has secured a place on the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Network Services 3 RM6116 framework. The circular IT company has been named to five lots: Lot 2a Intra-site Connectivity (LAN) and Local Connectivity Services; Lot 3a IoT and Smart Cities; Lot 4b Digital Communication Services (Unified Communications); Lot 4c Contact Centre Solutions; and Lot 4e Paging and Alerting). www.stonegroup.co.uk Sustainable packaging Clover Imaging Group, a division of Clover Environmental Solutions has announced its commitment to convert all its printer cartridge exterior packaging to coated recycled paperboard (CRB) by the end of 2023. With its use of 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content, CRB is the most sustainable paperboard available, and it is also fully recyclable after usage, making it a highly sustainable packaging option. This exterior packaging conversion will enable Clover Imaging to conserve 593,559 pounds of cardboard annually. The new paperboard is also certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). SFI certification provides purchasers with a trusted source of products focused on conservation, waste and pollution reduction, and promoting environmentally friendly solutions for a healthier environment. www.cloverimaging.com 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 BOOK YOUR TABLE NOW www.printitawards.co.uk DECEMBER 5 ROYAL LANCASTER
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01732 759725 14 BULLETIN Ricoh UK shortlisted Ricoh UK was shortlisted for Best CSR/ESG Initiative at the 2023 CIPD People Management Awards. The awards are the benchmark of excellence in HR, L&D and OD, recognising outstanding work by both national and international organisations, regardless of sector or size. Ricoh was nominated for its successful integration of the social value challenge with the company’s L&D Emerge initiative. This year, over 80 Ricoh UK employees worked to deliver social value to their designed area of the UK. This included organising and delivering CV and interview workshops, gifts in kind and fundraising, as well as raising awareness of the global climate crisis through the development of a climate crisis workshop targeted at young people in primary schools. Through these efforts, Ricoh delivered over £149,000 of social value to 12 UK counties in total, working with over 20 different delivery partners and impacting hundreds of people. Partners which Ricoh has worked with include Leeds Hospital Charity, The Forward Trust and Turning Tides. www.ricoh.co.uk GoTo receives TrustRadius award For the fourth consecutive year, TrustRadius’ Tech Cares Award recognised GoTo as a technology company dedicated to upholding values in corporate responsibility through the company’s ESG programme. This includes efforts across areas such as volunteering, the company’s robust diversity, equity and inclusion programs, charitable efforts, hybrid workplace culture, and support for environmental sustainability. The company actively supports the communities where employees live and work in order to help businesses navigate an evolving work landscape and reduce the environmental impact of the company and its customers and partners. www.goto.com Remanufactured print devices The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the world governing body of cycling, along with Glasgow Life and CGI selected Xerox to provide devices certified to meet internationally recognised security and product sustainability standards and onsite support to the UCI Cycling World Championships which took place in Scotland, August 3 to 13. Xerox supported the UCI’s essential print and copying services across the full cycle championships, the world’s largest cycle event, spanning 11 cycle disciplines in multiple locations, with 284 different teams and country delegations from around the world. The company supplied a team of onsite engineering support staff and service delivery team, from Glasgow and the surrounding areas. The devices have been remanufactured near Glasgow at Concept, a Xerox Business Solutions company, in Clydebank, which was recently awarded the BSI kitemark BS 8887-220:2010. The devices have earned Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), Blue Angel and ENERGY STAR ecolabels Darren Cassidy, Managing Director, Xerox UK&I said: “Xerox has a proven legacy in supporting similar scale events throughout the UK, including the London Olympics in 2012, European Championships in Glasgow in 2018, Glasgow 2019 European Short Course Swimming Championships and most recently the COP26 Climate Action Conference also in Glasgow in 2021, so we are delighted to provide print services for the UCI Cycling World Championships. “The UCI’s Sustainability Vision to make cycling one of the world's most sustainable sports and promote the bicycle as a key transport mode in combating climate change, improving population health and building a more sustainable future for all, is fully aligned with our core values. Our appointment is a testament to our commitment to fighting climate change, and our journey to net zero by 2040 whilst helping to make a positive difference on one of the world’s most pressing issues.” www.xerox.co.uk PaperCut ranked number 1 For the third year running, IDC has ranked PaperCut software at number 1 for Worldwide and U.S. Device and Print Management market share in its recently published, IDC Worldwide and U.S. Device and Print Management Market Shares, 2022 report. While navigating the hybrid working era and the uptake of cloud solutions, PaperCut gained share in the device and print management software market in 2022, retaining the number 1 position as top vendor in the market for the third year in a row. Whereas 2021 experienced a decline in industry revenues, 2022 was marked by a slight modest recovery. With COVID-19 as a global health crisis coming to an end, businesses worldwide started returning to the office. As a result, most vendors experienced growth in 2022. This delivered a 3.1% increase from 2021 in worldwide device and print management document solution software market sales. PaperCut remained in the top spot with $83.9 million at 12.9% market share. IDC’s report states that PaperCut is driving the move to the cloud with public or private cloud suitable solutions. Its built-for-cloud products, PaperCut Hive and PaperCut Pocket, launched in 2021, continue to deliver on customers' needs to save costs, simplify print enablement, and reduce waste. Steve Holmes, Head of Global Sales & Channels, PaperCut, said: “PaperCut’s success is our channel partners’ success. Our Authorised Solution Centers, OEM partnerships, and reseller network are in tune with customer needs and the state of printing in the world today.” www.papercut.com Steve Holmes 2 0 2 3 October 19 at Robin Hood For more information please email [email protected] or call Paul on 07887 944433
01732 759725 16 BULLETIN : PEOPLE Crump assumes Presidency at the MPSA Eric Crump has been elected as the President of the Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) for the next two years. With a career spanning over 27 years, Crump brings a wealth of industry expertise to his new role. As the Director of Strategic Alliances at Ringdale, Crump has established himself as a prominent figure in the managed service space focused on document and print services. His extensive background includes strategic alliances, global OEM relationships, collaborations with independent print providers and direct customer engagements. Crump’s journey began at Lexmark, where he spent 18 years, including seven years in Europe, developing a deep understanding of the imaging and managed print services industry. He has served at Ringdale for more than nine years and has participated as a volunteer member of the MPSA since 2017. “I am honoured to lead the MPSA,” he said. “Working alongside industry leaders, I am excited to foster an environment of collaboration and innovation. Together, we will shape the future of managed print services.” www.yourmpsa.org GoTo bolsters C-Suite team Peter Mahoney has joined GoTo as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), reporting to CEO Paddy Srinivasan. Mahoney joins the GoTo team on the heels of the company’s rebrand in 2022, a new triannual product innovation release cadence, the promotion of Meredith Hawkins to Chief People Officer and appointment of Attila Török as Chief Information Security Officer. He will lead the nearly 200 GoTo marketers, including customer marketing, partner marketing, IT solutions group marketing, unified communications & collaboration marketing, marketing operations, digital marketing, brand & creative, and corporate communications. www.goto.com Leadership additions to fuel next stage of growth Cohesity has announced the appointment of Eric Brown as Chief Financial Officer and Srinivasan Murari as Chief Development Officer. These leadership changes mark the beginning of a significant milestone in Cohesity’s history, as the company has made a strategic shift in pursuit of a sustainable growth model that prioritises positive cash flow from operations. With this plan in place, the company expects to reach positive cash flow within fiscal year 2024 (August 1, 2023 – July 31, 2024) while preserving a healthy cash position. www.cohesity.com Canon appoints HR Director Kathryn Scott has been named HR Director at Canon UK & Ireland. In her new role, she will be responsible for driving forward Canon’s people vision including its inclusive culture and supporting the business in continuing to develop a growth mindset to help it realise its mid-term growth ambitions. Prior to joining Canon, Scott has held roles at Cisco, Imimobile, Antenna International, Sky and T-Mobile. She said: “I am looking forward to working with my team and all the people leaders to nurture the talent we have. It’s an exciting time to join Canon, and I’m optimistic about what we can achieve together for our employees.” www.canon.co.uk Chhatwal to lead Rigby Foundation Rigby Group has appointed Sonia Chhatwal to lead the family’s charitable trust, The Rigby Foundation. Chhatwal has more than 25 years’ experience working with corporate foundations, charities and blue chip companies. In her most recent role as Director of the DHL UK Foundation, she was responsible for devising and implementing the foundation’s first formal strategy, recruiting a new Chair and board of trustees, building a portfolio of highly impactful charity partnerships and engaging hundreds of employees in DHL Foundation activities. As Executive Director of The Rigby Foundation, Chhatwal will continue to build on the trust’s work in the community, which over the past year has supported charitable causes including: Unite by 2022, Birmingham’s Commonwealth Games legacy appeal; South Warwickshire Foundation Trust’s cancer work; the creation of a sensory garden for the Shakespeare Hospice in Stratford Upon Avon; Place2Be, the children’s mental health charity; and becoming principal sponsor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. The registered charity founded by Rigby Group founder and chairman Sir Peter Rigby more than 30 years ago is operated on the principle that success in business goes hand in hand with putting back into society and our communities. The foundation operates separately from the group but receives group funding, currently pledged at £2million annually. www.rigbygroupplc.com Parkinson named RealWear CEO Dr Chris Parkinson, Co-founder, and former CTO of RealWear and the visionary mind behind the HMT-1 flagship headset that started the RealWear story in 2016, has been named Chief Executive Officer. He said, “I am deeply honoured and excited to have been appointed as the CEO of RealWear. Our mission is clear: to empower frontline professionals with cutting-edge XR wearables and artificial intelligence-driven solutions that enhance their productivity and overall work experience. It is essential to provide them with the same or even better level of technological support that has been enjoyed by knowledge workers for years.” www.realwear.com Sonia Chhatwal Kathryn Scott Eric Brown Srinvasan Murari
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