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[email protected] COMMENT 03 If 2020 was all about giving employees the equipment and tools needed to operate from home, with speed of roll-out being the absolute priority, 2021 is shaping up to be the year in which organisations regain control and supervision over dispersed workers, standardise technology provision, tighten up security and improve the quality and professionalism of communications. While this transition is undoubtedly testament to the IT industry’s entrepreneurship and ability to spot a business opportunity, it is also a necessary piece of housekeeping for employers responsible for everything from data security to staff welfare. As successful as the IT channel and employers have been in making the transition to Work from Home, many remote workers are still operating with sub-standard equipment. According to a new sur vey by EIZO, 39% of people working at home are having to do so without any additional, employer- provided equipment, such as a laptop, mouse, keyboard, monitor or desk chair. Moreover, only one third have a dedicated office space, with one in eight working on a sofa. Not surprisingly, a large minority of those sur veyed would like their employers to provide additional equipment (32%), better equipment (25%) and individual assessments of their needs (28%). One area that many will seek to address is video communications. Almost one year and three lockdowns into the pandemic, too many people (myself included) still conduct Zoom and Teams meetings using built-in laptop/ monitor cameras, microphones and speakers; our lighting is all wrong; there are too many distracting noises and avoidable problems, from inappropriate muting/unmuting to poor broadband quality. Neil Fluester, Senior Product Manager at Poly, is surely right to say that by now ‘good enough is no longer acceptable’. With the new Poly Studio series (see page 40), employers have the opportunity to present a more professional face to the world, supply a solution appropriate to each employee’s needs and, critically, provide home-workers with remote monitoring and support. I am tempted to say that every business should make it a priority to improve their video communications in this way. But then again, where would we be without the joy of Zoom cat filters and Handforth Parish Council meetings. 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. © 2021 Kingswood Media Ltd. Design: Sandtiger Media www.sandtiger.co.uk 04 What’s New A selection of the month’s new products and services 06 Tech Trends Why European cloud providers are like King Canute 08 Distributor News Distributors praised for customer support 10 Working Together A round-up of the month’s new distribution agreements 14 Reseller News Vapour goes direct with cloud services 20 Vendor News DWS demerges from Daisy Group 25 View from the Channel With Luis Navarro, Co-founder of Totality Services 26 Recruitment How virtual onboarding is helping Solutionize Global spread its net wider 27 I couldn’t do my job without... Occupop’s Caroline Gleeson lists the five things she couldn’t do her job without 30 Broadband Are you ready for the SOGEA ‘land grab’? 34 Cybersecurity Skurio targets MSPs with automated DRP platform 36 Unified Comms Why Pod Fusion MS Teams integration is a game-changer 38 Displays First UK partner programme for Turkish TV and display giant Vestel 39 Software Are you paying too much for MS Teams? Find out with Tiger 40 Collaboration Making a good impression with Poly home working bundles 42 Predictions Our last tranche of predictions for the year ahead 43 People New faces, new places v36 · 2021 technologyreseller.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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[email protected] ISSN 2632-9301 (Print) ISSN 2632-931X (Online) Abhirukt Sapru