Technology Reseller - v14 2018

01732 759725 NEWS : VENDORS 10 Acronis and Microsoft are working together to provide native integration of Acronis solutions with Azure services, making it easier for customers and service providers to store their data, and their clients’ data, in the Azure cloud. Following the agreement, service providers can choose to buy Azure storage directly from Microsoft or they can include the costs on a single invoice from Acronis. As part of the strategic partnership, the two companies plan to extend the AI capabilities of Acronis Active Protection, which in the last 12 months has prevented over 200,000 ransomware attacks across 180,000 consumer devices. www.acronis.com Acronis expands Azure opportunities with Microsoft partnership Formpipe Lasernet expands partner network Formpipe Lasernet, a provider of document output management solutions for Microsoft Dynamics, is continuing to expand its reseller network in the UK and overseas, including its first reseller in Portugal. New partners include: n Arquiconsult, a team of 130 consultants with offices in Lisbon, Porto, Barcelona and Luanda (Angola) that also holds the Spanish Microsoft template for Dynamics; n HSO, a provider of managed services and ERP & CRM solutions based on Microsoft Dynamics 365, which now gives customers the ability quickly to create, modify, control, disseminate and archive branded documentation across their organisation; and n XAPT, Microsoft’s only partner focused on the equipment and materials handling industries, which will be introducing a turnkey solution (Lasernet for NAXT, Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Equipment Dealers), giving equipment dealers a solution for rental, sales, service and finance in combination with Microsoft Dynamics 365. www.lasernetbyformpipe.com Ventrica to open third site in 2019 To meet growing demand for its services, outsourced customer contact centre Ventrica has increased its workforce by almost 50%, from 450 to 650, and announced plans to open a third site in Europe in early 2019. Founder and Managing Director Dino Forte said: “We have had a phenomenal 12 months that have seen the opening of our second site and the winning of additional business particularly in the retail sector. International brands have chosen Ventrica to represent them, not just in the UK but across Europe and the world, delivering highly responsive 24/7 service across popular and emerging channels from web chat and phone to digital platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.” www.ventrica.co.uk Spitfire support for Gigabit Voucher Scheme Business ISP Spitfire is participating in the government-backed Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme as a registered supplier. Under the terms of the scheme, eligible SME businesses can receive a voucher worth up to £3,000 to upgrade their business broadband to a fast and reliable connection over gigabit capable infrastructure. www.spitfire.co.uk Waterstones turns to VoIP Bookseller Waterstones is looking forward to annual savings of more than £120,000 after implementing an IP telephony solution supplied by Pennine. The data, networking and communications specialist replaced a network of PBXs and ISDN lines in Waterstone’s London and Birmingham offices and 285 stores with a centralised, 2,500 extension VoIP solution running over the company’s existing IT infrastructure. Savings will come from the removal of line rental charges, annual telephone switch fees, PBX maintenance costs and call charges between stores. Other benefits include full Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance through call encryption and system ringfencing. www.wearepennine.com Acronis guards the Gunners Acronis has formed a three-year technology partnership with Arsenal Football Club to help increase its brand awareness globally. Under the agreement, the cyber security company will protect all of Arsenal’s data, applications and systems, including the team’s Microsoft OneDrive and Office 365 accounts, and provide secure storage for videos of every first-team and academy training session recorded at the club’s Colney training ground. In return, Acronis will enjoy pitch- side LED signage at every home Premier League, Emirates FA Cup and Carabao Cup match; branding on interview backdrops; and access to Arsenal first-team players and legends for publicity purposes. www.acronis.com StorCentric acquires Drobo and Nexsan Recently formed storage solutions company StorCentric is expanding its portfolio with the acquisitions of enterprise storage company Nexsan and Drobo, a provider of storage solutions for prosumers and SMEs. Both brands will be run as independent divisions under StorCentric. StorCentric CEO Mihir Shah said: “StorCentric is strongly positioned for future growth and innovation in the storage industry. We will continue to execute on our growth strategy, both organic and through acquisitions. Our focus will be on additional software and hardware products that address the needs of our customers and partners.” https://storcentric.com/ Dominic Norton