PrintIT Reseller - issue 72

01732 759725 12 BULLETIN NEC and Sharp announce joint venture NEC and Sharp have agreed to combine NEC Display Solutions, (NDS) a subsidiary of NEC, with Sharp. The Sharp- NEC joint venture will allow both companies to build upon their strengths and address the visualisation needs of their global customers. With a comprehensive, solution-oriented portfolio and reputation as a provider of high quality displays, NDS has a strong worldwide presence with a large number of global customers. Like NDS, Sharp is a worldwide developer of innovative business products, including professional and commercial displays, and advanced technologies like next generation 8K-Ultra High Definition monitors. “NEC offers one of the broadest visual solutions portfolios in the industry and with a consultancy- led sales approach, is recognised as a trusted advisor and total solutions provider,” said Hisatsugu Nakatani, President, NEC Display Solutions, Ltd. “This joint venture will bring even greater value and benefits to customers and partners by extending our state-of-the-art product portfolios together with a range of professional service offerings.” Under the terms of the transaction, NEC will transfer 66% ownership of NDS to Sharp, and retain a 34% equity stake in the business. The joint venture will continue to provide NEC branded products. NEC will also continue to sell the joint venture’s products and solutions to its customers around the world. The transfer is scheduled to be concluded on July 1. Going global Barracuda MSP is joining forces with CompTIA to deliver a global MSP Day celebration for 2020. The founding purpose of MSP Day, created two years ago, was to recognise and celebrate the emerging MSP sector, providing MSPs, vendors and end-user customers with an opportunity to come together and share successes, best practices and key industry insights. This year Barracuda MSP is taking the initiative to all corners of the world by going global virtually on May 21. To reflect this important step, it will be working alongside premier partner, CompTIA. “It is clear that the market is flourishing, and events like Barracuda’s annual MSP Day will greatly assist to underline the opportunities on offer for all its partners,” said Nancy Hammervik, Executive Vice President for Industry Relations at CompTIA. “So we are delighted to be a part of this initiative and join one of our key partners in promoting the fact that there is no better time than now to grasp and embrace the burgeoning managed services opportunity.” www.barracuda.com Exclusive EMEA distribution agreement Arrow Electronics has signed an exclusive EMEA-wide distribution agreement with infrastructure automation provider Puppet. By adding Puppet to its offering, Arrow opens up new opportunities for its IT channel customers to combine solutions from leading vendors with widely used options for automating their enterprise customers’ business processes. Arrow will also distribute Puppet Remediate – a solution that helps IT operations teams prioritise and remediate security vulnerabilities, faster and at scale. Channel customers will also gain access to Nebula, Puppet`s latest solution to automate the delivery of cloud-native applications and infrastructure. www.arrow.com Crossword Cybersecurity names Satisnet new partner Crossword Cybersecurity will be collaborating with security reseller and managed security services provider Satisnet, on the provision of third-party assurance technology to clients, as part of the expansion of its partner programme. Satisnet will help customers take control of third-party risks through Crossword’s Rizikon Assurance third-party risk management platform. This will help them automate supplier onboarding and gain full visibility of third-party risk exposure, so it can be proactively managed. Customers will also be able to fully outsource their assurance processes to Satisnet through the third-party assurance as a service offering, freeing internal staff to focus on other value- add tasks. Group Sales Director Sean Arrowsmith, said: “We are really excited to have signed this agreement with Satisnet and it is a great step forward as we progress our partner programme. Rizikon Assurance compliments Satisnet’s existing portfolio and will allow their clients to really take control of their supply chain assurance programmes.” www.crosswordcybersecurity.com ECI upgrades CXintelligence ECI Software Solutions has upgraded CXintelligence (CXi), its customisable analytics application for office products and furniture dealers using ECI’s Cognytics cloud-based analytics and data visualisation technology. The newly enhanced CXi platform will enable ECI’s DDMSPLUS, Red Falcon, TeamDesign, Horizon and Progress customers to deliver on-demand purchasing KPIs, best practice reporting and graphical dashboards to their customers. As a result, ECI dealers will be able to more effectively build trust with their customers, improve operational transparency and enhance the buyer-supplier relationship. www.ecisolutions.com Xerox calls off HP takeover Xerox has called off its several-month-long bid to acquire HP. The company said it was terminating its tender offer to acquire all of HP’s outstanding shares, and is dropping plans to nominate a slate of directors at HP’s next annual meeting. In a statement, Xerox said it was refocusing its efforts because the global coronavirus crisis has ‘created an environment that is not conducive to Xerox continuing to pursue an acquisition of HP’. www.xerox.com Sean Arrowsmith Hisatsugu Nakatani