Technology Reseller - v19 2019

technolog y reseller.co.uk NEWS : VENDORS 19 Joint venture to offer full technology lifecycle management BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions is partnering with technology lifecycle management specialist 3 Step IT in a joint venture called BNP Paribas 3 Step IT. The new company will provide complete, sustainable technology lifecycle management solutions to end user organisations, manufacturers and distributors, including needs analysis; funding; equipment tracking and monitoring; data destruction; and the refurbishment and resale of returned equipment. Headquartered in France, BNP Paribas 3 Step IT will trade in 11 countries, starting with France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK this year, before expanding to Poland, Spain, Portugal, Austria and Switzerland in 2020. Carmen Ene, CEO of 3 Step IT, said: “The 3 Step IT team is very excited to partner with Europe’s leading professional equipment finance company. Our company was built around sustainability. Now, together with BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions, we can make the circular economy a reality and develop more sustainable leasing for technology assets across Europe. This will benefit our clients and build an ever more successful business relationship.” Where the joint venture doesn’t have a presence, i.e. in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Romania, Sweden, BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions and 3 Step IT will offer similar services individually. BNP Paribas 3 Step IT will be 51% owned by BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions and 49% by 3 Step IT. Panintelligence takes off with new contract win Software developer Panintelligence is providing its data analytics and business intelligence (BI) platform to a hydraulic engineering firm that has helped restore droop-nose functionality on three Concorde aircraft at Manchester Airport, the Imperial War Museum, Duxford and the Brooklands Museum in Surrey. South Cheshire-based Hydraulics Online supplied the tailored hydraulic system in time for Concorde’s 50th anniversary celebrations in March. Hydraulics Online provides specialist support for design and engineering projects, as well as sourcing elusive or obsolete hydraulic equipment. It was started from home by husband and wife Mark and Helen Tonks in 2004 and now has seven employees and customers in 130 countries, It is using the secure cloud-based BI and analytics platform, Panintelligence Pi, plugged into its Sage system to turn rich but inaccessible data into business knowledge that can help target UK and export markets. Helen Tonks said: “The Panintelligence platform, which we installed in December, has pinpointed the US and India as growth markets for us and we are working to exploit their export potential. Although the insight has come from our own data, we would not have had that visibility without the high- tech but incredibly user-friendly new data analysis software.” L-r: Graham Cahill, Heritage Concorde; Helen Tonks, Mark Tonks Hydraulics Online at Concorde, Manchester Airport Gamma adds extra tier to partner programme Gamma, a provider of cloud telephony and UCaaS services to the UK business market, has added a new tier to its Partner Programme for partners that have made a commitment to Gamma solutions and to developing the technical knowledge of their teams. The Technical Alliance programme supplements Gamma’s Platinum and Gold programmes and gives qualifying partners annual marketing funding; an accreditation logo to use on their website and marketing collateral; full access to Gamma Accelerate premium features; and support from the Gamma Marketing team. Gamma Managing Director Daryl Pile said: “Gamma and its partners have had huge success over the last few years, following the launch of its Platinum and Gold programmes. We’ve recognised an opportunity to broaden the programme to include a new Technical Alliance Programme, acknowledging the fact that there are many, often newer, partners of ours that are equally committed to selling Gamma products and solutions, but are not necessarily yet selling at the volumes required of a Gold or Platinum partner.” Bristol based telecoms provider Blackstar Solutions is the first partner to join the programme. Its Head of Marketing Dylan Pepler said: “The market place is crowded and we see this is an excellent opportunity to differentiate ourselves whilst demonstrating to our customer base that we have a highly skilled team and the technical knowledge to support their business.” Cyber insurance made easy An online insurance agency is promising to change how the insurance market protects SMEs from the threat of cyber-attack by providing a one-stop- shop where they can access the cover they need rather than having to piece it together from different providers. Cybercovered.com co-founder Dennis Culligan said: “At present the ability to protect against loss via the use of insurance cover is complex and products are often too opaque for SMEs to understand. The aim of Cybercovered.com is to demystify the cover and the issues for our clients and brokers so that there is a greater degree of certainty on what can be covered and how. “Clients want a one-stop-shop, a place where they can access the cover they need rather than having to piece together different strands of cyber cover from different providers. Such a piecemeal approach can lead both to needless overlaps and, with it, wasted premiums, but more importantly gaps in cover that all too often only become apparent when a claim is made and it is too late.” Cybercovered.com will target UK businesses directly and via strategic partnerships with brokers and intermediaries. Its capacity for cover is provided by Lloyd’s insurer Hiscox. Dennis Culligan Carmen Ene Gamma has launched a new unified communications solution that integrates fully with the company‘s Horizon hosted PBX, giving resellers a clear up-selling opportunity and a stronger proposition when selling to new customers. Horizon Collaborate offers services, such as instant messaging and presence, voice, video, desktop and application sharing and document sharing, as well as end user apps that enable users to collaborate anywhere using their favoured device.