www.printitreseller.uk PRINT, MFP, SOFTWARE, SERVICES, DOCUMENT & CLOUD NEWS & INFORMATION FOR VARS, CONVERGED RESELLERS & MFP DEALERS Winners Announced Tuesday December 5 Royal Lancaster, London Develop go the extra mile to support the dealer channel – page 28 Develop resellers are in pole position 2023 10 YEARS · ISSUE III IN PRINT & ONLINE ISSUE 111 · 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 Dominic Holland • Music & Dancing with Live Band & Bar • After Show Party
PRINTITRESELLER.UK 3 The 2023 PrintIT Awards is almost SOLD OUT. If you’d like to grab one of the last remaining seats call Ethan, Neil or Jeff on 01732 759725, download the booking form at www.printitawards.co.uk or email [email protected]. See page 22 for another look at the shortlists and I look forward to revealing the winners and celebrating your successes on the night. This issue features my favourite Vox Pop of the year – print predictions. Part one highlights cloud computing, cybersecurity, AI and machine learning as technologies to watch. There is also a general consensus that print volumes will continue to decline, organisations will favour A4 versus A3 devices and will continue to move toward managed services as they continue their digital transformation. Part two will run next issue. Also in this issue, Steve Pearce, Head of Marketing at Kyocera Document Solutions UK, picks the work tools he uses every day and couldn’t do his job without (page 18). This month’s Q&A is with Michael Cole, Managing Director, Equipment Rentals & Sales Ltd, and PITR spent 60 seconds with Peter Lunn, Senior Category Manager and Managed Print Services Lead, UK, TD SYNNEX. 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... Steve Pearce picks his favourite work tools 20 A decade in print Jonathan Whitworth shares his print experiences over the past decade 22 PrintIT Awards 2023 The event is almost sold out! 26 Focus on: What’s New A round-up of recent product launches 28 Cover Story Double anniversary celebrations for Develop 30 Market Trends A rising focus on sustainability 34 Report An unhealthy relationship with work 36 Research Meetings need to be shorter 37 Opinion AI will be the dominating topic for anything IT in 2024 39 VOX POP Print predictions: part one 46 One-to-One Mike Anderson, Chief Marketing Officer at Brother UK 48 View from the Channel Michael Cole, Managing Director, Equipment Rentals & Sales Ltd 50 60 seconds with... Peter Lunn, Senior Category Manager and Managed Print Services Lead, UK, TD SYNNEX 2023 ISSUE 111 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 @print-it-reseller-magazine Issue 111 ISSN 2055-3110 (Print) ISSN 2055-3129 (Online) Group Editor: James Goulding 07803 087228 · [email protected] Editor: Michelle Ryder 01732 759725 · [email protected] Publishing Director, Social Media and Web Editor: Neil Trim 01732 759725 · [email protected] Advertising Director: Ethan White 01732 759725 · [email protected] Account Manager: Jeff Root 07976 950285 · [email protected] Art Director: Nick Pledge 07767 615983 · [email protected] COMMENT Lexmark MPS Express Our turnkey cloud solution frees your customers and their teams from day-today printer management Scan the QR code to contact us now 10 YEARS · ISSUE III IN PRINT & ONLINE
BULLETIN 01732 759725 4 Cyber security concerns on the rise Concerns about cyber threats amongst UK SMEs have risen significantly in the last year as they consider the impact on brand, reputation, and revenue. According to pan-European research commissioned by Sharp Europe, nearly four in ten respondents (38%) are more worried about cyber security threats than a year ago, with over a quarter admitting to some form of security breach. The research found that around one third of businesses had their operations impacted by a cyber security breach. These breaches included phishing (31%), malware (30%), data loss (30%), and computer virus attack (25%). In addition, nearly a quarter have been subject to password attacks (24%) and cloud security issues (23%). Yet 61% lack confidence in their businesses’ ability to deal with and mitigate security risks. Given this, surprisingly three out of five of UK small businesses say their IT security budget will not be increased this year. www.sharp.eu Direction of technology Findings of TD SYNNEX’s second annual Direction of Technology Report capture the explosion of interest in artificial intelligence across the technology business partner ecosystem and show how many technology resellers are growing despite rapidly changing demands and market uncertainty. The global survey of more than 550 technology resellers finds that despite the many headwinds across the industry, technology partners are meaningfully preparing for a shifting reality by rebalancing priorities and business offerings. The report – which is based on findings from a survey conducted in partnership with Canalys – can be summarised into five key findings: n In just one year, the number of partners offering AI/ML solutions increased 625%. Several high-growth technologies like cloud, AI and IoT, cybersecurity, and hyperscale infrastructure are dominating partner offerings. Security was the top technology sold, followed closely by networking, servers and storage, and hybrid cloud. n Shifting skills needs reveal gaps in the talent pipeline. More than one-third of respondents said managed services were their top business skill needed, while the same percentage said security was their top technology skill need. Following security, networking and data analytics were the most in-demand technology skills among partners globally, and after managed services, professional services and business planning were the most sought-after business skills. n 73% of IT spending will be partner delivered in 2023, according to a Canalys estimate, underscoring the technology channel as an essential go-to-market strategy for capturing value. Cybersecurity leads the way as the technology that is most often partner-delivered (91.5%). n 77% of channel partners report seeing revenue growth this year, and partners are achieving this by shifting their business models and offerings in real time to meet changing market demands. Sales of product lifecycle services, owned IP and resale of packaged services rose 150% to 200%. n The number of partners that reported ESG management as important to their businesses jumped 125%. 37% of partners report additional ESG investment and 38% perform ESG through hybrid or outsourced partnerships. https://uk.tdsynnex.com/ IoT providers fail to deliver A new State of IoT Adoption report launched by global IoT connectivity solutions provider Eseye, revealed that companies are settling for sub-standard IoT connectivity performance, with only 1% of respondents achieving better than 98% connectivity levels on average across their device estates. In fact, only 16% of respondents are achieving more than 95% connectivity. The report highlights that respondents appeared satisfied with their service despite experiencing connectivity levels that are significantly below best practice. 95% said that cost was an important aspect when choosing their connectivity provider. However, 71% admitted that cheap commodity SIM and data connectivity providers aren't a good long-term investment, which suggests they may have been impacted in the past. This highlights the importance that value plays in IoT connectivity decisions. An example of this is that nearly all respondents (89%) agreed that an end-to-end services programme that gives them access to IoT services under one roof would be beneficial to their business. The majority of respondents (81%) expect the number of IoT devices in the field will increase over the next 18 months and nearly three quarters (72%) are planning to increase their IoT budgets in the next two years. www.eseye.com Greenwashing worries universally high Kantar’s Sustainability Sector Index 2023 – the company’s flagship global study on consumers’ sustainability concerns and behaviours reveals that worries about greenwashing are universally high. Over half of respondents believe brands across all industries are misleading when reporting their sustainability actions, even ‘born-good’ sectors, like electric vehicles or alternative meat products. A key finding from the study is that in terms of overall sustainability perceptions, the electronic devices sector is in the bottom 10 with an index score of 22 (where 100 highest and -100 lowest). Kantar’s sustainability experts suggest the sector is perceived by consumers to have inherent sustainability issues, and brands need to focus on solving these and work on radical innovation to better appeal to sustainability-conscious consumers. www.kantar.com 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 Shortlists See page 22 Direction of Technology 2023: TD SYNNEX Ecosystem Report
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BULLETIN Xuper acquired Derby-based managed IT solutions provider Xuper has been acquired by global data centre and networking optimisation firm Park Place Technologies. Xuper’s clients will benefit from Park Place’s global access to parts and engineering expertise, as well as its full portfolio of IT lifecycle offerings, including professional and managed services. Xuper’s engineers average 20+ years in the field. Park Place clients will benefit from access to Xuper’s team of experienced engineers, staff augmentation services and extensive thirdparty maintenance capabilities. Xuper Chairman and Managing Director Peter Grogan has announced his retirement but will be assisting through the transition period. Chris Adams, President and CEO of Park Place Technologies, said: “Xuper has a long list of industry accolades and certifications, and nearly four decades of exceptional customer service. Its culture of finding solutions and building long-term partnerships mirrors Park Place’s mission. Their commitment to channel partners is a complement to our work with the globe’s most accomplished channel companies.” www.parkplacetechnologies.com https://xuper.com 01732 759725 6 Mayor of Gateshead visits new Agilico office The Mayor of Gateshead, Councillor Eileen McMaster attended the official opening of Agilico’s new Team Valley office last month. The state-of-the-art, purpose-built office facility which combines two separate offices into one modern, energy-efficient building, is set to reshape the company's operations, enhance sustainability, and foster greater collaboration among its teams. The 20,000 sq. ft. facility has been designed to maximise efficiency and productivity, and Agilico has invested in cutting-edge technology to measure and monitor energy consumption, in line with its commitment to ISO 14001 standards and its pursuit of achieving net zero emissions. www.agilico.co.uk n2s extends offer into public sector IT lifecycle management provider n2s has been selected as a supplier on Crown Commercial Service’s TePAS 2 framework, a move that further extends its technology lifecycle solutions offering across education, healthcare, government and the wider public sector. n2s has been awarded a place on Lot 7 – Sustainability and Circular I.T. and on Lot 8 – Technology Catalogue. Chief Executive Officer James Bates said: “We are delighted to become a supplier on this framework, which will open new opportunities for n2s to further its reach across the wider public sector. Providing services on this framework will play an instrumental role in the growth of our business, building on the successes to date in delivering sustainable IT and circular services in the public sector.” www.n2s.co.uk Charity golf day First Class Business Solutions (FCBS), Elite Document Solutions and United Client Services (UCS), came together to raise funds for WaterAid via a charity golf day. The event, which took place at John O Gaunt golf club in Sandy Bedfordshire, raised £665, which includes a generous donation of £300 from Sharp UK. Adrian Baxter, Managing Director, First Class Business Solutions explained that his late wife Nikki, was a notable local fundraiser for various good causes before she sadly passed away seven years ago. “WaterAid is a charity that Nikki supported and although I highly doubt she would have chosen golf... I am sure she would be extremely happy to see so much money raised for a great cause,” he said. The FCBS team won the Nikki Baxter Challenge Cup for 2023. Lee Waddingham from UCS, was the individual winner. Paul Brigden from Elite won the longest drive and Paul Heywood and Olly Smalley both from FCBS, hit the two closest to the pin holes. This was the first time the three companies came together to fundraise and the plan is to organise it as an annual event going forward with the hope of growing it bigger each year and raising more money. www.elite-ds.co.uk • www.united-cs.uk www.fcbs.co.uk SCC named on CCS TePAS 2 framework SCC has been named as a supplier on the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Technology Products and Associated Services 2 (TePAS 2) framework in all eight Lots, further extending its service offering to the public sector. TePAS 2 [RM6098] provides public sector organisations with a simple, flexible and efficient route to market, to procure technology products and associated services, including end-user devices, technology infrastructure and software, to develop end-to-end digital solutions. This is the latest CCS framework SCC has been named on, having recently secured spots on the CCS Big Data and Analytics agreement [RM6195] and CCS Network Services 3 [RM6116]. The firm has also been included on every iteration of the CCS G-Cloud framework since its inception in 2012. Nigel Clark, Head of Public Sector said: “The TePAS framework has been instrumental in our continued and widespread delivery of products and associated services into the public sector, as one of several frameworks we are named on. We are thrilled to become a supplier on this latest iteration, particularly given its enhanced scope which opens up new opportunities for SCC to further extend its reach across education and healthcare. As an established supplier to the public sector, we are committed to helping organisations access digital solutions that contribute towards the transformation of our public services.” www.scc.com Nigel Clark James Bates
BULLETIN Cisco-approved sustainability specialists Hard on the heels of its achievement of the Cisco Environmental Sustainability Specialisation across the whole of its European footprint, TD SYNNEX has already helped more than 20 partners become Cisco-approved sustainability specialists in the UK. The UK operation achieved the accreditation earlier in the year and since making its initial course available in March, has helped the partners to attain their own Cisco Environmental Sustainability Specialisation. The accreditation equips them to support the customers’ lifecycle management process and deliver services tailored to their individual needs. Qualified partners can also take advantage of the Cisco Refresh programme to offer certified re-manufactured Cisco products, often at a much lower price than brand new solutions. Jon Sawdon, Business Unit Director, Cisco and Enterprise Networking, UK, TD SYNNEX, said: “Sustainability is key for customers and the Cisco Environmental Sustainability Specialisation creates new and exciting opportunities for partners. We have simplified the course and made it as accessible as possible for our partners. By giving them the opportunity to attain this accreditation, we’re enabling them to provide their customers with informed and intelligent advice on sustainability choices on Cisco technologies and how they can be used to make workspaces smarter, more energy efficient, and better places in which to collaborate.” https://uk.tdsynnex.com Exertis marks black history month Exertis marked black history month by hosting four inspirational speakers – Yemi Elegunde, Alesia Hendley, Dame Kelly Holmes, and Piers Linney. The distie’s ethnicity employee resource group (ERG) organised the events, and each speaker was chosen for their significant contributions to black history and modern culture. The ethnicity ERG’s hope is that the speakers’ own personal journeys will empower and enlighten Exertis colleagues and the wider community. Vish Chhatralia, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer said: “We are truly committed to making a positive impact during black history month and beyond. This series of webinars is not just about celebrating the remarkable achievements and contributions of black individuals throughout history, but also about fostering unity and progress. We firmly believe that together, we can be better – and that while we've made significant strides, there is still much work to be done.” www.exertis.co.uk Sectigo partners with Kite Distribution Cybersecurity technology distributor Kite Distribution is formalising its relationship with Sectigo through a new partnership to help UK organisations establish and maintain digital trust using the Sectigo certificate manager platform. In February 2023, in its Moving Forward, Together plan, Google revealed its aim to cut the maximum allowed validity of public certificates from 398 days to 90 days, creating a need to manage five times the number of digital certificates. Stuart Nairne-Clark Kite Business Development Director said: “With organisations like Google driving change in the industry by mandating 90-day certificate lifespans, we believe the CLM market is on the cusp of immense growth. Kite is working with the channel to ensure that they understand the potential disruption and the resulting opportunity available to partners who prepare for changes that will impact digital trust.” www.kitedistribution.co.uk PRINTITRESELLER.UK 7 Northwest regional event SYNAXON held its northwest regional event at the Hotel Football in Manchester on November 16. The event, the second gathering that SYNAXON has staged this year – the first having taken place at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton in March brought MSPs and resellers in the region together and updated them on the firm’s progress and plans to help them grow in the months ahead. www.synaxon-services.com Recognised four years in a row TD SYNNEX has been named Distributor of the Year in the CONTEXT ChannelWatch 2023 awards for the fourth time in a row, based on the votes of thousands of channel partners across Europe. The distie also came out on top in the European categories for audiovisual, innovation, logistics and cloud. CONTEXT ChannelWatch is one of the world’s largest online IT reseller surveys, with 7,000+ partners regularly contributing their feedback. The survey provides insight into resellers’ purchasing intentions and decisions as well as the industry trends and business issues faced by the IT ecosystem. As part of the survey, resellers in each country nominate distributors they work with for the CONTEXT ChannelWatch Distributor of the Year Awards. Patrick Zammit, President, Europe & APJ, TD SYNNEX, said: “It’s a great honour to receive the CONTEXT European Distributor of the Year for the fourth year running and we thank all our partners for their trust and their support in helping us to receive this valued recognition. “Every TD SYNNEX co-worker is focused on creating the best end-to-end customer experience in our industry, driven by a spirit of continuous improvement in technology specialisation, operational excellence, and digital innovation. For that reason, it’s especially pleasing to see the spread of categories in which TD SYNNEX has been recognised this year.” https://uk.tdsynnex.com Patrick Zammit Jon Sawdon
BULLETIN 01732 759725 8 Versa Networks partners with Infinigate Versa Networks is partnering with Infinigate to bring its AI/ML-powered Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solution to enterprises across EMEA. With this addition, Infinigate is able to provide resellers, VARs and MSPs with Versa’s full offering of on-premise, cloud and hybrid security and networking products, including SASE, Secure SD-WAN and SSE. Andreas Bechtold, President Europe at Infinigate, said: “Our partnership with Versa Networks brings new growth opportunities to our partners across the EMEA region by offering access to a leading Unified SASE solution that complements our existing portfolio. Expanding our successful partnership with Versa Networks across a wider territory is the next logical step for us.” www.infinigate.com Mixed reality TD SYNNEX has been appointed as a distributor for Lenovo’s ThinkReality portfolio of virtual and mixed reality headsets and is ready to bring partners on board and provide them with the enablement they need to take the solution to their customers. Designed for business, the ThinkReality solutions provide an innovative and highly effective platform for simulated training, collaboration and 3D design applications. Ryan Thomas, Business Unit Director, mobile / CE / mixed reality, UK, TD SYNNEX, said: “This is a good opportunity for B2B resellers to start venturing into an area of largely unexplored potential. The ThinkReality range is the first mixed reality solution that is designed for businesses and comes from a vendor that really understands the needs of commercial organisations. “It gives partners something genuinely new and potentially game-changing to take to their customers. We are ready to give them sales and technical training and provide consultancy and sales support they need to fulfil the potential of this ground-breaking solution.” https://uk.tdsynnex.com/ Exertis publishes first DE&I report Exertis Group (DCC Technology) has published its first annual DE&I report, detailing actions, progress and aspirations which support the inclusive culture across its businesses around the world. The report reflects the group’s belief that a highly inclusive culture – along with teams that are diverse in multiple senses – create not just a sustainable working environment but the essential foundations for business success. Participation rates of the group’s internal DE&I survey have increased markedly, with 2023’s survey seeing an increase of 18% compared to the previous year. Across an identical set of key questions, employee attitudes to the group’s DE&I journey were more than 9% more positive in 2023 than in the previous year. In addition, the group’s gender balance is changing steadily, with the percentage of women in the group having increased by 3% since 2020. Kim Lonas, Global Diversity & Inclusion Programme Lead, DCC Technology, said: “In our inaugural DE&I report we have proudly shared the story of our journey, spanning all facets of our business. DCC Technology's dedication to propelling our initiatives over the past year has been both collaborative and extraordinary, as we endeavour to foster an authentically diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture.” www.exertis.co.uk Guest speaker Integra Business Solutions has revealed that broadcaster and adventurer, Ben Fogle, will be joining delegates at its ‘Elevate Your Business’ National Conference which takes place on March 6, 2024, at The Hilton, St Georges, Burton Upon Trent. Fogle is an award-winning broadcaster and adventurer who has written nine Sunday Times best-selling books, climbed Mount Everest, rowed across the Atlantic, raced across Antarctica to the South Pole and crossed deserts. Through his expeditions and adventures, he has gained valuable insights into leadership and teamwork which he will share with delegates to highlight the importance of effective leadership, communication, and collaboration in challenging environments. He will also be reflecting on some of his personal experiences where resilience and determination triumphed and to illustrate how stepping out of your comfort zone can lead to personal transformation. www.integra-business.co.uk SBTi validates net zero target Westcon-Comstor’s target to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 has been formally validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The firm says it is one of the first technology distributors to have the SBTi validate its net zero targets. Westcon-Comstor has secured SBTi validation of its commitment to reach net zero GHG emissions across Scope 1, 2 and 3 by 2050; a 50% reduction in absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030; a 25% reduction in absolute Scope 3 emissions by 2030; and 80% of its suppliers having science-based emission reduction targets by 2025. Mark McLardie, Head of ESG said: “We’re extremely proud to achieve SBTi validation of our target of achieving net zero by 2050. This seal of approval from a respected global authority on climate science demonstrates that our emission reduction targets are robust and credible. We are fully committed to making our vision of a net zero future for our business a reality and rewarding the faith that the SBTi has placed in us by validating our targets.” www.westconcomstor.com Kim Lonas Ryan Thomas
TASKalfa 2554ci 3554ci 4045ci 5054ci 6054ci KYOCERA Document Solutions (UK) Limited Super secure, perfectly productive. With long-lasting components and energy-e cient design, Kyocera's TASKalfa colour MFPs deliver excellent value over their lifetimes. Thanks to our certified K-level security and features like secure print release, you can trust TASKalfa MFPs with your most sensitive data. Last but not least, all TASKalfa devices are available as carbon neutral, for a more sustainable way to print. Learn more about our TASKalfa colour MFPs at kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.uk/TASKalfa-2023 Discover more: kyoceraduk @KYOCERADUK kyocera-doc-solutions-uk +44 (0)333 015 1855 [email protected] •
01732 759725 BULLETIN 10 Lenovo and EPOS pen agreement Lenovo and EPOS have announced a strategic agreement to provide high quality audio solutions for business professionals. The agreement leverages the strengths of both brands in design, development, innovation and market reach, to address the growing demand for professional audio experiences in the hybrid work environment. Through the agreement, EPOS will be Lenovo’s global audio partner for PC audio accessories. This includes the co-development of future hardware, software and services to create professional audio solutions and drive innovative PC and audio ecosystems for greater user engagement and productivity optimisation. Additionally, the EPOS portfolio will be included in Lenovo’s third-party offering programme giving customers an extensive choice of audio devices from a single source. https://www.lenovo.com • eposaudio.com Epson extends business printer warranties In a move to further address circularity and waste reduction goals, Epson has established an extended warranty and parts replacement programme for its business printers. The new scheme will extend typical contracted printer life cycles by up to three years to a maximum of eight, in turn supporting end-user and channel partner efforts to improve sustainability. Gareth Jay, Epson Europe said: “By extending the warranty period and providing an easy parts replacement programme where needed, we’re able to provide a ‘peace of mind’ solution to using products for a much longer period of time. By doing this, we can extend the replacement cycle and reduce the need to create new products and dispose of the old. “This is something we know our channel partners and end-users want – to be able to continue using working products rather than replacing them due to established process. By breaking this standard, we can help our partners address their own sustainability goals.” www.epson.co.uk Business intelligence Konica Minolta and Intuitive BI have announced that more than 200 organisations have been able to make service improvements and efficiency gains in print management through data-driven business intelligence. The collaboration with Konica Minolta has resulted in Intuitive BI’s managed print services business going from a standing start to rapidly becoming its largest and fastest growing area, with 200 organisations and thousands of devices being supported. Today, Konica Minolta is its biggest partner globally. Intuitive CEO Roger Stocker said: “Together with Konica Minolta we are pioneering new ways to deliver managed print services that enable organisations to harness their data to optimise their return on investment, whether that is through fleet optimisation, or other opportunities to reduce costs, improve productivity and profitability.” www.konicaminolta.co.uk • weareintuitive.com Cyber marketplace Managed security services distributor Cyber Monks has joined forces with Mastercard to launch the first cyber marketplace aiming to simplify the acquisition of cybersecurity solutions, ensuring that they are tailored to address the unique challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises. https://cyber-monks.com Nutanix updates partner programme Nutanix has updated its Elevate Partner Programme, including offering a revamped incentive structure and channel-led selling motions that empower partners with deal control throughout the sales cycle. These enhancements offer partners new opportunities to grow their business, elevate their skills, and maximise earnings. “With technology continuing to advance at an extraordinary pace, organisations across every sector are eager to harness the power of digital transformation, data-driven insights, AI, and the cloud,” said Adam Tarbox, Vice President of EMEA Channel Sales at Nutanix. “To support our valued partner ecosystem in meeting this moment, our commitment goes beyond just words. We remain laser focused on placing partners into the driver’s seat of the sales cycle, allowing them to achieve tremendous business growth and satisfied users.” The updated incentive structure for FY 24 includes a larger payout for new business individual incentive; increased discount advantage for deal registration; and topperforming partners will have the opportunity to earn even more through the outperformance rebate programme. www.nutanix.com Leostream restructures channel partner initiatives Leostream has restructured its channel partner initiatives, investing additional resources to build its partner network and foster the success of partners selling remote desktop systems based on the Leostream Platform. The company has transitioned its business development department to new roles in a dedicated channel and alliances team with greater responsibility for supporting channel and solution partners. In its new role, the channel and alliances team will empower solution providers and system integrators to build their client bases by providing the tools and training they need to deliver unique remote access workflows using the Leostream Platform. Leostream has also created a new partner portal for sales and marketing materials, enablement collateral, registering customer opportunities, recruiting, and tracking revenue from Leostream sales. The portal also includes partner-only documentation such as overviews of new releases, so partners can learn about new features directly from Leostream experts, along with a roadmap to assist with strategic planning. A new training course is also available that covers configuration and deployment, with additional training modules to come. https://leostream.com Adam Tarbox
Lexmark’s print system components work BestTogether to: Need quality printing that protects your investment? Genuine Lexmark supplies delivers • Deliver long-term reliability • Save time • Reduce cost • Protect the environment • Professional quality results Learn more about Unison Toner by watching a short video that shows what happens when third-party toner is introduced into Lexmark’s Unison Print System. https://www.lexmark.com/en_gb/products/ supplies-and-accessories/genuine-supplies.html Lexmark printers are designed to perform BestTogether with Genuine Lexmark Supplies, Parts and Service. Like your dog and its ball …or like genuine Unison™ Toner and Lexmark printers. © 2023 Lexmark and the Lexmark logo are trademarks of Lexmark International, Inc., registered in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. GENUINE LEXMARK BestTogether
01732 759725 12 BULLETIN Kyocera and HPE announce new workshop Kyocera has announced a partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) to provide one-on-one 90-minute workshops to business leaders that will evaluate the challenges they face on their road to net zero, and how to overcome these difficulties. The personalised workshop is led by Kyocera Group company Annodata and can be delivered at the Kyocera UK or HPE offices, online or at a location chosen by the business. The workshop will evaluate the organisation’s current sustainability journey and identify any barriers that are slowing or hindering their progress, and identify opportunities for sustainable IT. The workshop will be carried out by leading experts in the industry, including Steve Doust, Group Sales Director at Annodata. He will be joined by Karim Abou Zahab, a Master Technologist and sustainable transformation lead at HPE, who will focus on how organisations can achieve their net zero goals. Also taking part is Kevin Wragg, Director, Environment & Quality Compliance at TD SYNNEX, who will walk through the bigger picture of what a business wants to achieve with its sustainability efforts, and how to reach the end goal. Doust said: “Reducing carbon footprint is not just the right thing for businesses to do, but it's also increasingly vital in maintaining competitiveness. Today, prospective customers in both the private and public sector are highly likely to take environmental credentials into account when making purchasing decisions, with this trend only set to accelerate in future. “Making green choices can bring other benefits too, from attracting and retaining the best workplace talent, to reducing energy bills. This is why we’re so pleased to join forces with the knowledgeable teams at HPE and TD SYNNEX to help customers make major strides in terms of sustainability.” www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.uk Ricoh establishes technology ethics charter The new Ricoh Group Technology Ethics Charter aims to mitigate ethical risks inherent in the social implementation and operation of the firm’s digital services. As a digital services company, Ricoh recognises the risks associated with development and utilisation of digital services. The risks include human rights violation risk due to unintended foment of discrimination, prejudice and inequality, and those due to malicious actions from external sources targeting AI-powered systems, which can have significant impacts on the entire society. To mitigate these risks, it established a specialised department Ricoh Family Group Ethics Office and the Charter this year composed of three technology ethics principles and seven credos.” www.ricoh.co.uk Lexmark named a leader Lexmark has been named a leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Print Transformation 2023 Assessment. The company was also positioned as a leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Print Transformation 2020 assessment. This IDC MarketScape report examined transformational offerings from print OEMs and identified vendors with strong non-print portfolios and well-integrated business strategies that will be competitive and viable over the long run. Key success factors included roadmap advancements in cloud, mobile, social, big data/analytics, a full portfolio of services, solutions and technologies, R&D investment and demonstrated thought leadership. “We are honoured to again receive this IDC MarketScape recognition, which recognises our early commitment to emerging technologies that enable us to deliver more value to customers in new and existing markets,” said Lexmark President and CEO Allen Waugerman. “Lexmark’s designation as a Leader by IDC reflects our long-standing vertical market approach, which enables us to apply our technological expertise to address each customer’s unique challenges in imaging and beyond.” www.lexmark.co.uk 25 years of planet-saving print management PaperCut Software is celebrating its 25th anniversary, marking a quarter-century of crafting planet-saving print management software. Over the past two and a half decades, the company has helped 100 million users from 100,000 organisations in 195 countries to minimise waste with a secure and easy printing experience. PaperCut calculates that to date its solutions have enabled customers to prevent 3.2B pages from being printed, which amounts to 386,391 trees saved over 25 years. In its 25 years, the company has been witness to some of the major changes in print and the workplace; from the move from mono to colour devices, the emergence of the networked MFP, the transition to print in the cloud, and, most recently, the adoption of hybrid working models. Reflecting on how the last quarter of a century has evolved, one of PaperCut’s founders and its CEO, Chris Dance, said: “It’s amazing to think that 25 years ago this little bit of software to help Parkdale Secondary College would grow into what it has. An anniversary is a great time to reflect and an opportunity to say thank you to our customers and partners. For me, the highlight has been working with our customers and partners to truly create great software together. There is something magic about building something as a team. PaperCut was founded on the vision of being a 100-year company. 25 years down, 75 to go.” www.papercut.com Business Design Centre · London · 17 September 2024 ICT · MANAGED IT · MOBILE · PRINT 24
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01732 759725 14 BULLETIN Brother UK partners with ECS Global Brother UK has partnered with ECS Global, a move that will make the full Brother print portfolio – including the PJ range of mobile printers and RJ range of rugged portable devices, alongside the TD line of desktop labelling printers and TJ industrial printer range, available to the company’s existing and prospective customers. ECS Global, which works with 40,000 clients across 20 time zones, provides a cloudbased media communication suite that helps businesses manage all of their communication channels, from impactful and colourful point of sale, all formats of digital signage, and interactive media displays, through one design suite. The partners say that the breadth of Brother’s product range, from mobile and desktop to industrial print devices, will enable ECS customers to unlock efficiencies in consumables across their operations without having to compromise on their print hardware. Ged Cairns, Head of SPS Business Category at Brother UK, said: “There is growing demand among businesses across supply chain, retail and hospitality to digitise their day-to-day operations and we have built a strong product proposition to take advantage of this buoyant market. “Our new partnership will serve to strengthen our position and provide clients with the broadest range of print devices available from a single vendor. In addition to consistent device management and deployment tools, businesses will benefit from simplifying their consumables ordering, service, support and user training.” www.brother.co.uk 15 million scanners PFU has announced the successful manufacturing and shipment of 15 million of its scanners to satisfied customers worldwide. The company says it is not resting on its laurels and continues to innovate, with exciting new products and features on the horizon. As technology evolves, it remains committed to staying at the forefront of industry advancements, delivering products that exceed expectations and redefine possibilities. Seiji Murakami, President and Representative Director of PFU Limited said: “Reaching this milestone is a testament to the incredible dedication of our team and the unwavering support of our customers and partners. We are excited to continue our journey, pushing the boundaries of image capture technology and driving innovation to new heights.” www.pfu.ricoh.com Lexmark achieves Climate+ designation A total of 43 products in the imaging equipment product category earned the stringent new EPEAT Climate+ designation from the Global Electronics Council (GEC) when the programme launched in October; 42 of which are from Lexmark. Climate+ is a new product designation from the GEC meant to connect forward-thinking electronics brands with carbon-conscious purchasers. Climate+ designated products meet progressive new requirements developed in a multi-stakeholder process meant to reduce their lifecycle carbon, potentially years ahead of the rest of the market. The products set themselves apart on the EPEAT Registry because of these climate change mitigation measures. “We are proud that Lexmark products account for 42 of the 43 imaging products that meet the stringent EPEAT Climate+ requirements,” said John Gagel, Chief Sustainability Officer, Lexmark. “These requirements extend beyond the products themselves to how we manage our own operations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Customers across the globe can be confident that by choosing Lexmark, they are making a positive choice for the environment.” www.lexmark.co.uk Kodak Alaris announces two new promotions Kodak Alaris has launched two new promotions designed to open more opportunities for its channel partners to drive sales of Kodak E1040 Scanners and Kodak S3000 Series Scanners. The offers, available exclusively through its distribution partners Midwich and Northamber, will run until 31 March 2024. Ideal for desktop use in small to mediumsized businesses, branch offices, reception and admin desks, and enterprises with remote workers, the Kodak E1040 Scanner provides superior image quality and a simple user interface for fast, reliable document capture. From now until 31 March 2024, end-users who purchase a five-year advanced unit replacement warranty (AUR) through an authorised reseller, will receive the E1040 Scanner for free (enduser’s email address for the service package must be included at time of order). Kodak Alaris is also offering a discount on Kodak 3000 Series Scanners and associated service packages. End-users purchasing any model in the S3000 Series (models include the S3060, S3060f, S3100, S3100f, S3120 Max, and S3140 Max) will benefit from an up to half price cost saving. Additionally, customers purchasing a three-year essential, three-year AUR, five-year essential or five-year AUR package can also enjoy significant savings on the RRP. www.alarisworld.com Open days Konica Minolta supported its partner SDS with its 2023 Open Days, which took place earlier this month at The Canalside in Bridgwater, Somerset. The event enabled attendees to experience first-hand demonstrations of print and scan business workflows featuring the latest Konica Minolta multifunctional print devices, along with software innovations including mobile device printing/scanning, print-on-demand booklet making, and the PaperCut print management solution. The event coincided with SDS’s celebration of over 20 years as a Konica Minolta partner and trusted expert print solutions provider. www.konicaminolta.co.uk Ged Cairns 2 0 24
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01732 759725 16 BULLETIN : PEOPLE John Conoley joins Aura John Conoley has joined Aura as Executive Chairman, succeeding Founder and CEO Alpesh Unalkat, who has left the business to pursue new challenges. “Aura is in great shape and performing very well indeed. We’ve been winning some amazing new clients, doing more with existing ones and have such great momentum for continued growth ahead. As founder of Aura this makes me so very proud,” said Unalkat. “I want to wish every success and happiness to my wonderful team. I’m sure the business will go from strength to strength under John's leadership along with the existing management team.” Conoley added: “Aura is well positioned for growth; it has great customers and a lot of opportunity. Many organisations continue to assess and reassess their requirements for premises, working patterns and technology in support of those considerations. Our job is to position ourselves to help them address those challenges.” www.aurafutures.com Hugh Simpson returns to Zyxel Networks Zyxel Networks has hired Hugh Simpson as EMEA Marketing Development Manager – Wireless LAN, underlining its commitment to becoming a leading player in this segment of the market and supporting partners in driving sales of Wi-Fi solutions. Simpson brings more than two decades of experience working in the networking business to this pivotal post – over half of which was spent at Zyxel. Previously, he spent 13 years at the company, most recently as European Pre-Sales Manager – a role he performed for three years, before leaving at the end of 2018. He has returned after an absence of around four and a half years, during which time he has worked in key pre-sales roles at specialist network and mobile services companies. www.zyxel.com Mitel names new COO Mitel has announced the appointment of Charles-Henry Duroyon as Chief Operating Officer. He will oversee Mitel’s global business operations, supply chain, and data privacy office as well as lead the company’s strategic planning and M&A initiatives. Duroyon brings a deep knowledge of international markets from prior leadership roles as Chief Human Resources Officer, COO, and Chief Executive Officer in a variety of industries. www.mitel.com SYNAXON strengthens UK customer support team SYNAXON has made a further addition to its team supporting UK partners with the appointment of Merle Althaus as Customer Sales Advisor. She joins SYNAXON having previously worked in the logistics sector, bringing plenty of relevant experience to her new role. Althaus is working full-time to support the growing number of UK partners that are making use of SYNAXON’s services to drive increased business efficiency and customer satisfaction. As well as providing partners with access to all of SYNAXON’s services – including SYNAXON Hub, SYNAXON Managed Services, and the EGIS e-commerce portal – she will also make use of her multilingual skills, acting as a key link between the UK and SYNAXON’s extended team in Germany. https://synaxon-services.com Westcon-Comstor appoints Chief People Officer Westcon-Comstor has appointed Erna de Ruijter-Quist as its new Chief People Officer. She joins from global FTSE 100 enterprise software company Sage, where she led major organisational redesign programmes and established strategic workforce planning capabilities, supporting Sage’s growth agenda. De Ruijter-Quist will continue to embed a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion and drive employee engagement, implementing programmes around innovation, internal mobility and learning and development. Priorities will include utilising her organisational development, organisation design and change management experience to accelerate the business’s transformation as it shifts further to a software and subscription-based recurring revenue model. www.westconcomstor.com Agilitas promotes John Hayes-Warren to CEO Agilitas IT Solutions has named John HayesWarren as its new CEO. He has over 30 years of experience in the technology channel and has held the position of Chief Revenue Officer at the firm for the last 12 months. Hayes-Warren has been instrumental in leading many of the changes at Agilitas over the last few months due to his expertise in strategic planning and operational execution across customer success, customer support and partnerships. As CEO, he aims to strengthen business resilience in the technology services sector and ensure Agilitas is the leading partner for customer success strategies. Commenting on his new role, he said: “I am excited to continue the great work already being undertaken at this award-winning business and I look forward to building on Agilitas’ exceptional success. The company has vast potential to help its customers benefit from technology and innovation and receive excellent customer service. I am thrilled to be working alongside the senior leadership team and be part of Agilitas’ journey in the future.” www.agilitas.co.uk Jon Conoley Erna de Ruijter-Quist Charles-Henry Duroyon Merle Althaus
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