Technology Reseller - v21 2019

technolog y reseller.co.uk EVENTS 39 businesses and Neuways. Fortunately, we have some very supportive partners in Datto, WatchGuard, Cyber Smart and Microsoft, amongst others, who have been able to help us run webinars, provide training and support us at major IT expos. Of course, we have to make the commitment as well, so we recognise it’s a two-way street. TR: Are customers becoming more demanding, and, if so, in what ways? MR: As I mentioned before, customers are becoming more demanding, but that’s to be expected and is understandable – if they’re paying for the best in IT expertise, they want to receive the best service. When a customer outsources their IT to an MSP like us, they’re placing a huge degree of trust in our business to look after it effectively. This is where communication is key. It’s our responsibility to not only deliver the best service possible, but to outline what is reasonably to be expected of that service. Our aim is to be a business partner rather than just an IT support provider, and that means we need to understand our customers’ strategy and not just their IT needs. TR: If you could change one aspect of your job, what would it be and why? MR: Over the past few years we have had to focus absolutely on business continuity, with a particular slant on cyber security. We’ve put it at the centre of our strategy because, without a secure foundation, businesses are at risk of going out of business after a cyber-attack or disaster. When I started in IT, it was all about maximising the value of investments to ensure that processes were efficient and that a business got more out of the software they already owned. Now, with secure foundations in place, we’re again helping our customers get more from their systems and investments. With our team of business-experienced consultants, we’re starting, once again, to do the things I enjoy the most. www.neuways.com Highlights included the UK launch of holographic emitter technology from hyperVSN, the world’s first Integrated 3D Holographic Display System, offering delegates an immersive and futuristic visual experience; McLaren’s F1 simulator on which delegates could attempt to beat professional racing driver Alex Toth-Jones’s lap time; automotive demonstrations from McLaren, Tesla and JCT600; and an appearance by the ‘Nuts and Volts’ robot created by Team Apex, a school team of award-winning robot-builders sponsored by PTG. Also exhibiting were APC, Avaya, Barracuda, BitDefender, Black Marble, C2G, Canon, Carbon Black, CheckPoint, Dell, DigitalXRAID, DJI, Extreme Networks, HP, Huawei, Ikonic, Intel Technologies, Jelf, KIA, Lenovo, Mimecast, Overland Tandberg, Phillips, Rolls Royce, S2S, Sennheiser, Toshiba, TP-Link, Vapour, Veeam, VW, West Yorkshire Police and Zen. PTG Group COO Cliff Fox said: “This is our fourth annual pt event, and it’s been the biggest to-date. The aim of the day is always to bring pioneering technologies from some of the industry’s global leaders so that people can get hands-on with new tech, enabling them to experience the future in the present. Each year we strive for a better experience, additional delegates and partners, and more exclusive product launches and demos – because innovation never stands still.” A glimpse of the future Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Internet of Things (IoT) took centre stage at pure technology group’s fourth annual tech expo at its Chapelthorpe Hall offices in Wakefield, Yorkshire on Friday June 14. Hosted by The Gadget Show presenter Ortis Deley, pt19 – the largest IT partner event of its kind in the North of England – brought together more than 800 delegates, 40 tech partners and five guest speakers, including David Rowan, founding editor-in-chief of WIRED magazine’s UK edition (2008-2017) and Athletics World Champion Roger Black. For pure technology group (ptg), the event provided the ideal opportunity to reveal its pureIoT family of out- of-the-box, data-driven Internet of Things solutions, just one month after launching its virtual reality solution pureVR. Each of the three pureIoT packages, for People, Environment and Parking, uses sensors to monitor movement and environmental conditions in ‘smart spaces’, enabling businesses to save money and reduce their carbon footprint, for example by adjusting lighting and heating according to external conditions and building occupancy. PTG Group Marketing Manager James Blackburn said: “There was no better setting to launch pureIoT than pt19. Along with a core theme of AI and pushing traditional tech boundaries, the pt events are always about getting customers, guests and partners together to immerse themselves in the technologies that are blazing a trail in the industry.” This year, they included industry-first demonstrations of VR/AR, hologram and security products, as well as the return of robots, drones and advanced electric supercars. Earlier this year, Neuways became one of only 12 MSPs in Europe to achieve Datto Blue Partner status