PRINTITRESELLER.UK 37 specifically designed for networked devices like printers and MFPs. Document security is another growth area, with PDF editing and e-signature solutions in high demand,” he added. In addition, Johnson points to the growing adoption of AI. “Businesses of all sizes are now looking for solutions with AI built in. Companies want a more agentic workforce, which means they will 100% be working with AI. That’s the future workplace,” he said. “Several DSolutions offerings already incorporate AI capabilities, positioning partners to meet this rising demand.” Cloud is another huge opportunity. “Something like 80–85% of UK businesses have a cloud strategy,” Johnson noted. “Our solutions plug directly into that.” From awareness to focus With the foundations now laid, Johnson believes the next phase is about depth rather than breadth. “The first year was about seeing as many partners as I could and talking about these solutions,” he said. “Now people are aware of them, it’s about focusing on the solutions that are growing massively in the market.” That means doubling down on cyber security, AI-enabled tools and cloudready platforms – areas where partners can differentiate themselves and build recurring revenue. And the appetite is growing. “We’re seeing more partners wanting to transition to solution selling. The ones who understand it were easy to bring on the journey, while others understand the need to diversify, but they don’t know how. That’s why DSolutions exists,” he said. In conclusion, Johnson says he loves seeing partners win. “Whether it’s a big solution sale or a single licence, it means they’re moving forward and the opportunity is only getting bigger. We’ve built something strong. Now it’s about carrying on what we’re doing – helping partners diversify, helping them win more business, and making sure they’re ready for the future.” www.develop-uk.co.uk ISVs and his depth of experience and willingness to engage in end-customer conversations is a key differentiator. We’re now confidently talking to customers about solutions, and we know we’ve got the support we need from Andy, if we have a question or a query, he’s straight on it.” Officeflow is also leveraging the new solutions offering. Director Tom McCarthy said: “We’re not new to solutions, we have extensive experience with PaperCut, and our in-house team are adept in terms of delivery. “However, Develop UK has transformed from being a hardware distributor and has significantly evolved with its solutions offering. They’ve built a diverse portfolio across multiple areas, and that’s where they’re helping us look beyond our initial brief and expand past PaperCut into new opportunities. Bringing together a range of providers across different fields is something they’re doing particularly well, and it was great to meet some of those vendors at their recent sales summit.” Johnson added: “We know hardware revenue and page volumes are declining, so partners need to bolt on solutions to make up the revenue. Ultimately, partners are winning more business with solutions and there is still much more that we can do. We’ve got around 80 partners who haven’t yet taken advantage, some simply don’t want to sell solutions and I get that. But many do want to diversify; they just don’t know how. They haven’t got the resource or the knowledge. That’s where we come in.” Empowering partners beyond print He continued: “Cybersecurity attacks are increasing and securing the print infrastructure is front and centre for organisations of all sizes. Within that you’ve got device security, network security and document security.” Develop UK’s portfolio includes Bitdefender. “That resonates strongly with end customers. Hacking is a massive issue. Bitdefender includes advanced antivirus and threat detection before sell their first licence,” Johnson said. “They get it. They say, ‘That was easy, I’ll sell more of that.’ And then they’re on the solutions journey.” Scott Passmore, Scansation said that working with the team at Develop UK has been a genuine pleasure. “Scansation has integrated seamlessly with their organisation, and together we remain committed to delivering exceptional service and support to all customers. “In our first 12 months, we achieved rapid success in the solutions space, securing a multi-thousand-seat Power PDF agreement with a major corporate client. This milestone has already generated further opportunities for 2026/27, and our teams continue to collaborate closely to scope and develop new business initiatives.” Starting from zero Launching a solutions division from zero was always going to take time. “The first year was a slow burner,” Johnson said. “But then we started seeing a spike in sales. And this year it’s just carried on. We’re getting more and more partners contacting us.” Some partners know exactly what they want, for example PaperCut licences, while others come with a customer problem and ask Johnson to help build the solution. Steve Clark, Sales & Solutions Director at A1-Digital Solutions said: “We’ve been a Develop UK partner for many years, but it was when I joined a couple of years ago that we identified that the market had changed and it wasn’t just about print devices – it’s about delivering value to the client with solutions that make their life easier. “We then started to look seriously at solutions. We originally partnered with another company, but they couldn’t give us the level of support to help transition our business to be a solutions-led partner. “Working with Andy has been invaluable, in fact we’ve opened up two new opportunities this week alone! Andy’s close relationships with the SOLUTIONS
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