Print.IT Reseller - issue 61

helping members succeed in this arena is very much a part of Synaxon’s and the channel’s future. “There are big opportunities within the managed services space and one of the things we are working toward is making a white label remote monitoring and management (RMM) system available to members via EGIS. We have developed our own software to enable our members to remotely manage all of their customers’ endpoints for increased efficiency,” he said, adding: “It has been designed for members looking to get into the lucrative managed services space but who aren’t true MSPs, this solution provides them with a flexible cost- effective way to capitalise on this.” The group is also looking to ramp up its efforts helping members to skill up. “The Academy, still is in its infancy in Germany, is geared to enable members achieve success by developing soft skills in a number of areas, we will further develop this as a service to our members,” Jones explained. Central trading service Synaxon is also continuing to add to the EGIS procurement and information system, with the aim of making it the number one pricing, availability and procurement tool in the channel. “EGIS really is the core of the UK business,” Jones said, adding: “Members can easily check the availability of stock and pricing and place and manage orders with all of our distributor partners. We are now working towards creating a comprehensive central trading service whereby members can buy on account directly from Synaxon as opposed to via a distribution partner.” Recent developments include Synaxon enabling VARs and MSPs to benefit from the Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) programme. Cloud-iQ, a single- pane-of-glass solution that’s available via EGIS, makes it straightforward for Synaxon members to sign-up for the programme and to provision customers for Office 365 and other Microsoft cloud solutions. It also provides complete control over customer management and billing. The group has also successfully launched F-Secure products through the portal and will continue discussions with other vendors to make their ranges fully available through EGIS as well. SynMSP The channel services group launched SynMSP, a new membership category last year. The SynMSP membership is designed both for established MSPs who want to grow and members looking to develop their managed services businesses. It provides specific resources and support to help resellers grow their managed services sales and drive higher levels of customer satisfaction. According to Jones, this has been a huge success, with many more members signing up and attending the regular one-day briefing and networking events than they first anticipated. “We have more than 60 members now which is great, we are really pleased with that,” he said. Jones believes that the way the SynMSP meetings are structured is integral to the category’s success. “We are all about our members and we want them to shape the future strategy and direction of our MSP programme. We have an advisory board that act as a voice for participating members and also set strategic goals and direction for the group.” He continued: “One of the key features of the meeting is the ‘great table hop’. Each of the vendors join separate tables of between eight and 12 SynMSP members for a period of around 20 minutes, providing an opportunity to interact, exchange views and build relationships, then they move on to The SynMSP membership is designed both for established MSPs who want to grow and members looking to develop their managed services businesses PRINT IT RESELLER.UK 29 DEALER GROUPS the next table. Each table is chaired by a member of the SynMSP advisory board. Essentially the events are run by the members, Synaxon is simply the facilitator.” Geared for growth Growth is firmly on the cards for the channel services group. Jones wouldn’t confirm how much budget was to be allocated to invest for growth, but he did say that 2019 will be a ‘big investment year’ for the group. “The 11th anniversary year will be a pivotal one,” he said. “We are looking to remain a commercially robust organisation and plan to grow our membership base as well as the services we offer. By mirroring the great things that have been achieved in our German operation, we are confident we will deliver on our growth plans.” In conclusion, Jones said that he was excited about taking up this new role. “For me it is a natural evolution and after ten years of working extremely hard to establish Synaxon as the leading channel services group in the UK, one that I am relishing.” www.synaxon.co.uk

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