Technology Reseller v36

01732 759725 14 NEWS : RESELLERS Cloud technology specialist Vapour has revealed a new brand identity as it significantly expands its product offering with three new technology partnerships, a £350,000 investment in its toolkit and the creation of seven additional jobs. A new partnership with Tech Data and extended relationships with Fortinet and Veeam present new business opportunities for the Yorkshire-headquartered firm that are expected to propel it to a turnover of £7 million by the end of 2021. Through its agreement with distributor Tech Data and its accreditation as a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (Microsoft CSP), Vapour can now supply end user organisations with any Microsoft product or service, including Teams licences, Azure, hybrid cloud and backups, with wrap-around support and analytics across the collaboration stack. Customer support will be provided by Vapour’s own specialist engineers, with the option to call upon the Tech Data helpdesk and Microsoft itself, if necessary. In an extension of its existing relationship with firewall partner Fortinet, Vapour is to launch a security-first SD- WAN network proposition with zero touch provisioning, including SD-WAN overlays for MPLS networks and ‘plug and play’ SD- WAN boxes to protect corporate traffic in remote working setups. It is also expanding its long-standing relationship with Veeam, with the launch of a new suite of hybrid backup, data management, servers, storage and disaster recovery solutions. Other enhancements to its toolkit include robotic process automation (RPA) capabilities, UC&C analytics and consultancy services to bring the tech stack together. CEO Tim Mercer said: “When we entered the voice market in 2013, we were very vocal about what cloud could do. In truth, people weren’t really ready. Yet, with the support of our investors, a considered recruitment strategy and a lot of hard graft, we built an ultra-resilient network – not to mention a straight-talking reputation – which transformed the space. “Fast forward to 2020 and I knew we could do more. I knew our network could be a real enabler of digital transformation. We enjoy innovating. We aren’t afraid to disrupt. And now I think we can shake up the norm in wider segments of the market too – especially with these tech giants by our side.” He added: “We’ll continue to collaborate with resellers throughout the channel and hope we can further strengthen their proposition by enhancing our toolkit, while satisfying some of the opportunities that are coming in directly to our business.” cloudsolutions.co.uk New look Vapour to target end user customers CCS win for Softcat IT reseller Softcat has won a place on Crown Commercial Service’s new Technology Online Purchasing Content, Europe’s largest public sector IT catalogue worth an estimated £500 million. Replacing Lot 6 on the Technology Products 2 framework, which expires at the end of October 2021, the catalogue enables public sector customers to purchase off-the-shelf hardware and software from private vendors without having to go through a lengthy procurement process. Softcat Contract Manager Andy Bruen said: “This framework win will enable us to continue our successful engagement with customers in the UK public sector. In the last four years Softcat and our customers saw real value from the Technology Products catalogue. With this new Technology Online Purchasing Catalogue we intend to do better still. Our new dedicated catalogue manager will be working to ensure that Softcat proactively continues to add the products and value that customers require.” www.softcat.com Top Microsoft Azure accreditation for Six Degrees and Phoenix Software Secure cloud services provider Six Degrees and public sector-focused MSP Phoenix Software are both celebrating after joining a handful of UK organisations to achieve Microsoft Azure Expert MSP status. David Howson, CEO of Six Degrees, points out that the accreditation is testament to the company’s ability to combine managed cloud services (cloud infrastructure, virtual desktop solutions, SD-WAN connectivity and unified communications) with high-calibre security, including a new Managed Detection and Response service facilitated by the company’s Azure-aligned UK onshore Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC). He said: “At Six Degrees we want to go beyond what other MSPs offer. In today’s world, it’s never been more important for organisations to continuously transform and innovate. We help our customers do exactly that through best of breed technology, deep technical expertise and proven best practice service delivery. Everything we do has our industry-leading cyber security at its core, giving us, we believe, the best cloud solutions available in the UK.” He added: “Being a Microsoft Azure Expert MSP is a great validation of our approach and solutions. We’re proud to be part of a very small group of providers who are using the transformational power of Azure to take customers to the next level.” So, too, is Phoenix Software, which claims to be the first Microsoft partner in the UK focused 100% on the public sector to achieve Microsoft AEMSP accreditation in recognition of its expertise in cloud transformation services, covering planning, migration, optimisation, operation, and management of cloud services on the Azure platform. Professional and managed services offered by Phoenix span the entire lifecycle of cloud services running on the Azure platform, including (but not limited to) infrastructure workloads, DevOps, Azure Sentinel, Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) and Azure VMware Solution (AVS). In addition to AEMSP accreditation, Phoenix Software recently gained Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop Advanced Specialization and Microsoft Windows Ser ver and SQL Ser ver Migration to Microsoft Azure Advanced Specialization . www.6dg.co.uk