Brother goes platinum three times in a row Brother UK has become the first firm in the UK to retain the Investors in People (IIP) Platinum status three times in a row. The platinum award is widely viewed as the highest recognition a firm can be given in people management in the UK, with just 2% of businesses meeting the rigorous standard. Sam Johnson, Learning & Organisational Development Manager, said: “Our ethos has always been ‘at your side’, which is as true for our employees as it is for our customers. It’s their expertise and experience that drives our business forward, so it’s integral to our success to always review and improve how we can support them. “Achieving the Platinum accolade three times in a row is a huge achievement for us but this one is particularly special. Like every other business, we had to adapt how we support our people quickly through the pandemic and this award is meaningful as it comes at a time when we faced some of our greatest challenges as people and as an organisation.” Brother UK employs 150 people at its headquarters in Tameside, Greater Manchester, where employees stay for an average of 14 years. The company moved to a hybrid working model, where around 90 employees work from the office three days a week instead of five. The new policy came alongside a significant investment to redesign its Greater Manchester HQ to support collaborative working and social interaction, with new break-out spaces and meeting rooms created. Managing Director, Phil Jones, added: “Expectations for employers have totally changed. With such an active jobs market, you have to really offer something that attracts people to your company and our proposition to invest in personal and career growth helps us to do this. Retaining our Platinum status for the third time is something we feel really proud about.” www.brother.co.uk 01732 759725 BULLETIN 10 Pax8 secures new funding Fast growing cloud products marketplace business Pax8, has raised $185 million in new equity capital from new investor SoftBank Vision Fund 2, increasing its valuation to $1.7 billion. Pax8 simplifies the IT buying experience for small and medium-sized businesses through the IT channel ecosystem by connecting 20,000 managed services partners to a transactional cloud marketplace that provides billing, provisioning, automation, PSA integrations and pre- and post-sales support. CEO John Street said: “As we continue to evolve our technology and marketplace to meet the needs of SMBs, the new investment will provide capital to accelerate innovation and continued expansion into new global markets. This strong funding round reflects the powerful work Pax8 is doing to enable and grow SMBs through our partners, employees, technology, education and support.” www.pax8.com Microsoft overhauls partner programme Microsoft has overhauled its partner programme, a move that that will affect the 400,000+ organisations currently delivering Microsoft products and services to customers around the world. The four big changes are: Cessation of the Microsoft partner network and its silver and gold badges. Introduction of the Microsoft cloud partner programme with two qualifying levels: a solutions partner level and a specialisation/ expert level, which enables solutions partners to highlight additional expertise in specific areas. Application of partner designations to six solution areas aligned with the Microsoft cloud: data & AI (Azure); infrastructure (Azure); digital & app innovation (Azure); business applications; modern work and security. Introduction of a partner capability score, a new framework for evaluating partners and tracking their proficiency in the six solution areas listed above based on their performance in four areas: certifications, added customers, successful deployments and overall growth. All existing partners can transition into the new Microsoft cloud partner programme with a base membership and then qualify for solutions partner and specialisation/expert levels by meeting certain standards, measured by their partner capability score. www.microsoft.com SharpenCX announces new global partner program SharpenCX has announced its new global partner program, focused on enabling channel partners to achieve success levels, driving a unique partner experience, creating strategic alignment, and mutually acquiring new logos together. The partner program is a major move for SharpenCX on its mission to deliver engaging agent and customer experiences anytime, anywhere with its agent-first, unified contact centre software. “SharpenCX is committed to creating a pure, frictionless partner experience that will enable partners to close more deals faster, and expand their markets,” says Mike Berlin, Chief Partner Officer. "We're looking forward to continuing to grow our partner community while delivering a world class, modern AI solution for customers.” www.sharpencx.com Milestone for Konica Minolta Konica Minolta is celebrating the 1000th installation shipment for its successful AccurioLabel toner digital printing press less than seven years after entering the labels market. Just two years after announcing the 500th installation, the digital toner-based presses continue to break ground and have helped Konica Minolta achieve a market leading position in digital label presses with a 28% brand market share in Europe in 2021. www.konicaminolta.co.uk SEE THE 2022 CATEGORIES AND HOW TO ENTER PAGE 22
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