Technology Reseller v34

01732 759725 14 NEWS : RESELLERS Martin Flick IT@Spectrum, a Canon Platinum Partner, is working with the manufacturer to set up a Canon Business Centre (CBC) in Gateshead. The North East CBC will provide local businesses with information management services to help automate and streamline office processes; traditional print and document management services; and advice on how to enhance operational efficiency and cybersecurity. To support the new initiative and encourage business transformation across the North-East, IT@Spectrum has recruited a new Regional Director, Chris Stratford; a Head of Digital Sales; and a Head of Digital Transformation. Rob Cavill, Managing Director of IT@ Spectrum, said: “This launch represents a big step in our company’s history and we’re immensely proud to continue to build on our 37-year heritage with Canon.” IT@Spectrum and Canon open business centre for North-East KPMG opens Canary Wharf collaboration hub Professional services firm KPMG UK is expanding its digital services offering with the opening of a 28,000 square foot technology innovation, insights and collaboration hub in its Canary Wharf HQ. The Ignition centre enables people in different locations, with different devices to work together, explore concepts and solutions and design, prototype and build solutions, supported by world leading software and services vendors. Ignition provides a range of collaboration spaces including an Insights Centre showcasing the latest data & analytics and artificial intelligence tools; a Digital Garage where KPMG technologists test and assess emerging technology; a Lab where teams of 10-30 can translate ideas into specific strategies, solutions and plans; a large-scale collaboration centre; and a number of Sprint Rooms where clients, KPMG and alliance partners can design and develop detailed ideas and digital solutions. KPMG also has Ignition Centres in Vancouver, Chicago, New York, Denver, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Paris, Zurich, Madrid, Frankfurt, Tel Aviv, Riyadh, Lagos, Abu Dhabi, Sydney, Melbourne, Tokyo, Nanjing, Seoul, Hong Kong and Singapore. Olive rewarded for commitment to employee wellbeing High Wycombe-based Cloud Communications Provider and Vodafone Innovation Partner of the Year Olive has been included in the list of Best Companies To Work For 2020, earning a 2-star accreditation for its ‘outstanding’ commitment to workplace engagement. The rating is based on a 70-question survey sent to all employees, with Olive scoring 729 points out of a possible 1,000, 9 points short of a 3-star accreditation. Olive CEO Martin Flick said: “We all know the challenges this year has brought. While remote working wasn’t a new concept for us, as a digitally agile organisation, we did experience a challenge in how best to replicate the office environment and culture virtually and this accreditation is testament to our joint success.” Olive, which introduced a wellness programme in January, responded to the challenges of lockdown with a series of employee support packages including a financial support line (extended to wider family members), virtual Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, online personal training and an online kids clubs. Between May and September, Olive achieved an employee engagement, wellness and happiness score of 8 out of 10. www.olive.co.uk Air IT acquires Netstar Air IT, a supplier of managed IT and communication services, cyber security and business intelligence solutions, has strengthened its market share in the managed IT marketplace and extended its reach into London with the acquisition of London- based MSP Netstar. The acquisition has enabled the CRN UK MSP of the Year to double its size in just nine months as it aims to become the UK’s largest SME-focused cloud managed services provider. Netstar was founded in 2002 by Mit Patel and supports over 150 London businesses, mainly in the the financial services, property and professional services sectors, with managed IT support, digital transformation services, cyber security and connectivity. www.airit.co.uk Babble award Babble Contact, the contact centre division of cloud-based solution provider Babble, has been named the Five9 EMEA Reseller of the Year for the second year in a row after driving record European sales for the cloud contact centre software provider. https://babble.cloud/ Content+Cloud a preferred partner for Project Cortex UK Top 25 MSP Content+Cloud, the new name for IT Lab and Content & Code, is just one of 17 firms globally to achieve Preferred Partner status for Microsoft’s Project Cortex initiative to integrate AI capabilities into Microsoft 365. Project Cortex allows content to be transformed into knowledge, processes streamlined and security and compliance more highly automated, bringing efficiencies to common challenges such as employee onboarding, client and supplier management, expertise location and retention of corporate knowledge. Content+Cloud has worked directly with Microsoft on the development of the technology, including participation in a private preview programme, in which it provided feedback and guidance to Microsoft’s engineering teams. It also has real-world experience of implementing Project Cortex within a global financial institution, including business case development, use case identification and solution implementation. Preferred Partner status indicates that Content+Cloud has worked to close at least 20 Project Cortex engagements; has team members who have completed Project Cortex training; and has helped with adoption, usage and reporting. Peter Sweetbaum, CEO of Content+Cloud, said: “Being named as a Preferred Partner is another important step forward for Content+Cloud. We have built our business around being market leaders in how to use Microsoft technologies to make a difference to our clients and the way they operate – this status is proof of that. We look forward to passing this value on to our customers.” https://contentandcloud.com/ Rob Cavill, Managing Director of IT@ Spectrum, left, and Regional Director of IT@Spectrum, Chris Stratford