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[email protected] COMMENT 03 On page 28, Andrew Filev, CEO and founder of work management platform Wrike, likens the growth in purpose-built applications to a Cambrian explosion – the term used to describe the period 541 million years ago when most major animal groups appeared in the fossil record. Reading what Andrew says about today’s collaborative work management platforms brings to mind an event that happened half-way between the Cambrian explosion and the present day, viz. the appearance of dinosaurs 240 to 270 million years ago. When I compare my complete reliance on email with today’s far more collaborative, agile alternatives and consider the amount of time I spend managing my Inbox and the huge backlog that builds up after just a few days away from the office (let alone a two-week summer holiday), I realise that in work terms I have become a lumbering brontosaurus. I am not alone in this, but with more and more companies, including Facebook and Dropbox, launching tools that combine collaboration with personal workspaces, it is surely time to evolve. Resellers are always being exhorted to evolve or die as if they were a special case and the need to adapt to changing circumstances was not an imperative for any organisation. Today, one of the big business challenges is the skills shortage. Although the skills or talent shortage exists, organisations are not powerless in the face of it. Brother, as Phil Jones writes on page 10, is addressing the problem through a very successful apprentice programme; and Neuways, as we learn on page 38, is nurturing the talent that it already has and challenging employees to develop innovative solutions in-house. Another option is to use technology to empower employees who have the most to contribute. A good example is Mind Foundry’s new ‘humanised machine learning platform’ (see page 26), which moves AI-assisted data analysis out of the realm of data scientists and into the hands of employees who know most about a particular process, whether that’s a machine operator on the factory floor or a marketing manager in head office. James Goulding Editor,
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[email protected] www.technologyreseller.co.uk No part of Technology Reseller can be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher. © 2019 Kingswood Media Ltd. Design: Sandtiger Media www.sandtiger.co.uk 04 What’s New The month’s best new products and services 08 Tech Trends RPA now fastest growing enterprise software segment 10 Insider Phil Jones MBE on the benefits of apprenticeships 12 Distributor News intY acquired by Scansource 16 Reseller News Procurri Europe completes the circle with recycled laptops 21 Vendor News UKFast doubles volume of Government business 24 Security Why Becrypt has adopted a single-tier channel strategy 26 AI The rise of the citizen data scientist 28 Q&A We find out more about Wrike, the fast growing collaborative work management platform 33 Supplier Snapshot New platform connects B2B suppliers and buyers 36 Channel Live Key attractions of September’s event 38 View from the Channel Martin Roberts, MD of Neuways, on doing business today 39 Events Highlights from pure technology group’s fourth annual tech expo 40 My favourite things Andrew Filev, CEO of Wrike, lists his five favourite work tools 42 60 seconds… With Jonny Rae of Union Street Technologies 43 People New faces, new places v21 · 2019 technology reseller.co.uk Comment Register online To receive your regular FREE printed copy of Technology Reseller Magazine simply fill in our online registration form at www.technologyreseller.uk/register Read Technology Reseller online, on tablets and smart phones www.technologyreseller.uk Join us : Follow us @techreselleruk www.facebook.com/TechnologyResellerMag technology-reseller-magazine Editor: James Goulding 07803 087228 ·
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