Print.IT Reseller - issue 59

PRINT IT RESELLER.UK 27 CLOUD Authorized Solution Center HELPINGGROWYOUR PRINT.COPY.SCAN BUSINESS printandcopycontrol.com est. 1988 I n f o T e c h n o l o g y S u p p l y L t d . YOUR PARTNER FOR: PaperCut - Print Management Umango - Scanning & File Conversion PrintAlerts - Print Fleet Management Card Readers & Biometrics Online Payment Gateways NFR Showroom Licensing Technical & Sales Training Joint Customer Visits Presales Support plug replace; the end user won’t even notice the change; they will still see their drive in Windows Explorer and they will have the same permissions. The value-add we are bringing, which isn’t available as standard in Microsoft Azure, is the whole layer of security and the ability to make sure the drives are fully compliant and secure and only available to those who are defined in the management console.” Giacom plans to launch the cloud network attached drive in January, followed by a cloud server. After that, it is looking at back-up and what Connor calls the small business cloud, which is like a managed desktop, with Office or Microsoft 365, secure backup and storage, but delivered as a package, on demand. Future-proof business By making it easier for smaller resellers and MSPs to implement Azure cloud solutions, Giacom enables them to future-proof their own businesses and help their customers to improve their business operations and efficiency. This, says Connor, is becoming an unavoidable requirement. “The SMB/ SME market is very similar to the mid-market/enterprise one, in that for companies to be successful they have to adopt technologies for efficiency improvement. A lot of the applications and business processes they need to run their business are now being delivered by the cloud. Whereas once they would have had a small business server sitting in a cupboard, today things like Sage or Security with Symantec are being delivered by the cloud. Resellers have to move with the times and be able to bring their customers with them,” he said. Connor admits that doing this is not always easy, which is why Giacom is investing so much time and resource in developing the products, support and educational materials to help its customers make the most of the opportunities in Microsoft Azure. “It’s great if a reseller can sit in front of something, if they can touch it, if they can open it up with a screwdriver. But that’s not where the enterprise/ mid-market is or where the micro SMB/ SME segment is moving. With Azure and other solutions, we are helping our resellers position themselves for a more secure future and enabling them to provide value-add services to their end customers. It lets them focus on specific capabilities, such as security or compliance, rather than being the guy with the screwdriver who can change the hard drive when it goes wrong. The need for that kind of skillset is reducing,” he said. “Bringing out so called industry standard IT solutions that just happen to be delivered from Azure using our overall approach of click-to-buy, Easy on, Easy off makes a lot of sense for MSPs and resellers that are really ambitious to move their business along and to secure their longevity and their customers’ business into the future.” To find out more about Giacom and Microsoft Azure, please call 0333 332 0888 or visit cloudmarket.com/ Microsoft-azure-reseller/ . Giacom plans to launch the cloud network attached drive in January, followed by a cloud server