Technology Reseller v36

technologyreseller.co.uk 15 NEWS : RESELLERS Blue Orange and Gold Lancashire-based IT support and supply specialist Blue Orange has become a Sharp Gold Partner in recognition of its impressive sales growth, expertise and customer support. Blue Orange MD David Silous-Holt said: “We’ve worked hard for the last 18 months with Sharp and this is another major milestone in our continued growth strategy. We currently focus on professional and interactive displays and are looking at extending our Sharp range across a combination of education and commercial products.” Possible range extensions include multi-touch tables for early years learning, battery-powered ‘meet-up’ communication platforms and visitor management systems. As a Gold partner, Blue Orange benefits from competitive pricing, access to exclusive products, as well as enhanced service and support. Node4 becomes UK’s fifth Fortinet Expert MSSP Cloud, data centre and communications solutions provider Node4 has become one of just five UK organisations to achieve Expert MSSP partner status with Fortinet, a provider of broad, integrated and automated cybersecurity solutions, including Next Generation Firewalls for managed firewall and Secure SD-WAN solutions. The accreditation gives Node4 access to more training and the latest tools and platforms and is testament to the skills of its highly trained and certified Fortinet experts. Greg Gyves, Regional Manager, MSSP – UKI at Fortinet, said: “Node4 are a true example of a Managed Security Services Provider. Their promotion to Expert MSSP status, the highest level on our partner programme, is not only recognition of their expertise, but also their ability to execute and deliver managed services with Fortinet.” Node4 has worked with Fortinet for more than seven years and now offers N4Protect, its fully managed Next Generation Firewall and advanced threat management platform, as well as Secure SD-WAN and SD-Branch solutions. www.node4.co.uk Cartridge Save profits from home printing boom A surge in home printing following the first lockdown in March 2020 helped Cartridge Save achieve record sales of £9 million in the eight months to mid-November. During that period, the online ink retailer shipped 750,000 ink cartridges to homes around the country, 100,000 more than in the same period in 2019. Cartridge Save Managing Director Ian Cowley said: “From March onwards we have seen tens of thousands of new domestic customers benefit from the unbeatable value and unsurpassed levels of customer service that Cartridge Save offers. This year has seen the way many people work utterly transformed. As offices fall silent, the home has become where millions of us now print off our documents.” Logicalis to ‘awaken sleeping giants’ with extended Oracle offering Infrastructure and service provider Logicalis UK has extended its relationship with Oracle to give clients a fuller range of technology options, more informed guidance on moving to the cloud and better use of existing technology. Already offered in Ireland and Europe, Oracle’s full product offering will give Logicalis UK’s enterprise clients more choice when selecting Oracle products to complement their existing investments when looking to migrate to new cloud services. Logicalis says that many companies are unaware of the full capabilities of their existing technology and so often end up buying a brand-new device management system when they already have that feature within an existing application. Mark Benson, platform head of business development at Logicalis UK, says that the company’s Oracle product knowledge should stop that happening by bringing out the full value of a client’s existing systems. He said: “We are not talking about sweating assets here. It’s more like awakening some sleeping giants. And setting them to work. We’re drawing on deep reserves of Oracle expertise across the Logicalis group, as well as bringing in colleagues with strong Oracle backgrounds.” www.logicalis.com Cognizant award Tricentis has named Cognizant as its Global SAP Transformation Partner of the Year, from a field of more than 350 partners worldwide. Cognizant was recognised for its success in helping to accelerate digital transformation across the enterprise and for its ingenuity in implementing best-in- class automation methodologies when moving applications from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA. www.cognizant.com www.tricentis.com Central wins IT support contract with Clothes2Order Online personalised workwear supplier Clothes2Order has awarded independent IT solutions provider Central Networks and Technologies a 12-month contract to provide a managed ICT service and infrastructure support. Central will assist the in-house IT team at Clothes2Order maintain systems and ensure business continuity, with system engineers providing a range of services, including third line support, patch management and out of hours assistance. Nicola Brown, Sales and Marketing Director at Central, says the contract win demonstrates Central’s ability to provide technical services and support to SMEs outside its core markets of social housing and manufacturing. She said: “We are delighted to be working with Clothes2Order on this project, and we’re looking forward to implementing our solutions to help with the smooth operations of its online offering. We welcome such opportunities to demonstrate our ability to work in a cross- section of industry, with expert knowledge in many areas — particularly third line support — being applicable to any business or organisation.” Founded in 1991, Central provides outsourced IT support and service desk capabilities, infrastructure and cloud services to more than 2,000 clients. www.centralnetworks.co.uk David Silous-Holt