Technology Reseller v46

v46 · 2022 www.technologyreseller.co.uk THE MAGAZINE & ONLINE CHANNEL RESOURCE FOR VARS, IT RESELLERS & IT SUPPORT PROVIDERS PAGE 23 DISTRIBUTION EVENTS Q&A PAGE 31 PAGE 19 With Diego Tedesco, Director of Wholesale Fixed at Virgin Media O2 Business How Infinigate plans to double turnover in the next three years New dates for Technology Reseller Awards and Tech Live 2022 New A4 Mini Business inkjet range designed for home working 61 TECHNOLOGY RESELLER cover.indd 1 21/01/2022 10:35 22

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technologyreseller.co.uk If you no longer wish to receive Technology Reseller magazine please email your details to [email protected] COMMENT 03 The Covid carousel keeps turning. This month’s decision to end mandatory mask-wearing and to scrap work from home guidance will be welcomed by many; others will view it with concern. When it comes to Covid restrictions, there is no right answer; all one can do is assess the evidence and make a judgement call. Time will decide whether your decision was a wise one or a reckless gamble. Kingswood Tech Events, like every other business, has spent the last two years dancing to Covid’s tune, making judgement call after judgement call in line with the rise and fall in infection rates and the lifting and imposition of Covid restrictions. You could argue that we were over-confident holding our inaugural Tech Live event in September 2021, when the appetite for live events was still untested, but no one who was there on the night would argue that we weren’t right to go ahead with our memorable PrintIT Awards evening in December. Since then, of course, there has been another spike in infections and new restrictions (now lifted), so, reluctantly but I think wisely, we have decided to postpone the Technology Reseller Awards to May 26 and Tech Live 2022 to September 13 (see page 19 for more details). The good news is that this means we have also extended the deadline for entries to the Technology Reseller Awards to February 25. So get writing. The ‘shoemaker always wears the worst shoes’ is an enduring saw because it is so true – even in the IT industry. In our Q&A on page 23 Diego Tedesco, Director of Wholesale Fixed at Virgin Media O2 Business, highlights how important it is for Virgin Media O2 not just to talk about new digital technologies, but to make use of them. And, on page 31 Infinigate Chief Business Development Officer Julien Antoine points out that while the IT channel constantly promotes digital transformation, many distributors, MSPs and resellers are years behind their customers on that journey. Some aren’t, of course, and the Technology Reseller Awards are the perfect opportunity for such organisations to celebrate those achievements and demonstrate their industry leadership. James Goulding – Editor, [email protected] Technology Reseller is published by Kingswood Media Ltd., 10 Amherst House, 22 London Road, Sevenoaks TN13 2BT • Tel: 01732 759725 Email: [email protected] www.technologyreseller.co.uk No part of Technology Reseller can be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher. © 2022 Kingswood Media Ltd. Design: Sandtiger Media www.sandtiger.co.uk 04 What’s New A selection of the month’s best new products and services 08 Distributor News DCC makes biggest acquisition to date 09 Working Together A round-up of the month’s new distribution agreements 10 Reseller News Tactus expands into Europe with NBB partnership 16 Investment Record year for UK tech sector 18 View from the Channel With Greg Tuohy, CEO of Cantec Group 19 Events New dates for Technology Reseller Awards and Tech Live 20 Managed Services Appgate extends channel reach with MSP offering 23 Q&A With Diego Tedesco, Director of Wholesale Fixed at Virgin Media O2 Business 31 Distribution Infinigate outlines ambitious growth plans for UK and EMEA 35 Observability The benefits of an observability pipeline 38 Predictions We ask the experts for their 2022 predictions 42 I couldn’t do my job without... NEC’s Kieran Dalton picks five things he couldn’t do his job without 43 People New faces, new places v46 · 2022 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 · [email protected] Publishing Director, Social Media and Web Editor: Neil Trim 01732 759725 · [email protected] Advertising Director: Ethan White 01732 759725 · [email protected] Group Sales: Martin Jenner-Hall 07824 552116 · [email protected] or [email protected] Art Director: Nick Pledge 07767 615983 · [email protected] Advertising Executive: James Trim 01732 759725 · [email protected] ISSN 2632-9301 (Print) ISSN 2632-931X (Online) 2021 Thursday 26th May 2022 The Hilton London Bankside 2022 AWARDS www.trawards.co.uk Thursday 26th May 2022 The Hilton London Bankside ENTRIES NOW OPEN

01732 759725 04 INNOVATIONS What’s New Modular UPS for harsh sites Riello UPS has launched a range of uninterruptible power supplies for industrial sites with harsh environmental conditions, such as high dust and humidity levels. Based on its transformer-free Sentryum series, the Sentryum Rack is available as a 20 kVA standalone rackmount UPS, suitable for plug and play installation in standard 19-inch server racks, or as a modular UPS that can be scaled to a maximum capacity of 160 kVA. Power connectors (input, output, batteries) are isolated from communications connections to eliminate the possibility of any disturbance from the grid supply network – a common issue in industrial environments. Available with single-phase or three-phase output, the UPS has an operating efficiency of up to 96.3% in online mode and the ability to deal with sudden load peaks without having to transfer to bypass. https://www.riello-ups.co.uk/ products/1-ups/144-sentryum-rack www.riello-ups.co.uk Brother has enhanced support for its TJ range of industrial thermal printers with the launch of a next-day maintenance service on top of the standard three-year return-to-base warranty. Available with the options of five-day or seven-day cover, Brother ONSITE guarantees a next-day visit from an engineer for any fault reported before 3pm. The introduction of Brother ONSITE follows the launch of Brother’s Managed Label Services (MLS), which enables firms to acquire Brother label printers, third party hardware, software, services, supplies and warranties like Brother ONSITE via a monthly payment plan. www.brother.co.uk Enhanced support Smarter glasses Dynabook has updated its dynaEdge AR smart glasses solution with a new mobile edge computing device offering improved mobility, performance and security for diagnostic and repair applications, information capture/sharing and data processing in remote locations. Key features of the Windows 10/11 Pro dynaEdge DE200 include 4G LTE integration so that users can connect via 4G independently of a smartphone; an AI engine that offers improved image quality and video streaming; a choice of 11th Gen Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processors; better data security, with support for Active Directory, in conjunction with two-factor authentication; on-device data classification to mandate how data is shared; and the option to extend battery life by connecting a power bank via the device’s universal Type C charging connector. uk.dynabook.com/generic/dynaedge/ Green software standard The Green Software Foundation has produced a new specification that will enable developers to give the same consideration to the carbon intensity of software that they already do to cost, performance, security and accessibility. The Software Carbon Intensity (SCI) Specification provides a rate of carbon emissions (per minute or per user device) that developers can use as a benchmark when comparing the environmental impact of similar types of software (e.g. messaging apps and video conferencing solutions) or the same software system as it is updated over time. Developers can reduce a product’s SCI score by using less hardware (e.g. by reducing the size of upgrades so that users can keep their old devices longer or by architecting cloud applications to use fewer machines), by using less energy (e.g. by improving the speed of task completion) or by doing more when energy supply is cleaner (e.g. by scheduling routine backups to occur during peak times of solar energy supply). preview-greensoftwarefoundation.gtsb.io A healthy App-etite With Steambox, there is no excuse not to eat warm, healthy and fresh meals wherever you are. The portable, rechargeable steamer can produce a nutritious meal in just 15 minutes, and heat three meals on a single charge. Just press a button or use the associated app to start a specific steaming programme. The first Steamboxes are due to be delivered in April, following two years of development and successful crowdfunding campaigns. A bed with a view PPDS is bringing personalised viewing to hospital patients in a new partnership with display mounting specialist Glamox. Supporting faster and more economical installs, the agreement enables PPDS to provide partners and healthcare customers with a complete TV and mounting solution comprising a 19in Philips Heartline Android TV and a Glamox Luxo Maximum self-balancing arm that enables patients to adjust TV position and angle for viewing comfort. https://www.ppds.com

technologyreseller.co.uk 05 INNOVATIONS Cyber exercises The Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) has launched a Micro Exercise in a Box programme to help organisations protect themselves from cyber-attack. Providing real world scenarios against which businesses can test their cyber resilience, each free, 90-minute session combines aspects of existing SBRC Exercise in a Box workshops with broader cyber security learnings. Available in virtual and in-person formats, Micro Exercise in a Box workshops cover topics such as password security, identifying phishing emails, connecting securely during remote work and responding to a ransomware attack. www.sbrcentre.co.uk Easier cloud migration Ultima is adding sustainability and disaster recovery capabilities to its IACloud cloud management platform, which, as well as reducing cloud management costs by up to 46% and consumption by 30%, provides businesses and MSPs with security features like automated patching and monitoring, security compliance and a vulnerability analyser. New features include a Migrate tool that enables organisations to replicate on-prem workloads to Microsoft Azure for testing purposes before turning off on-prem equivalents; the ability to build out an Azure DR capability for on-prem resources; and integration of a carbon footprint calculator that shows customers how they can shrink their carbon footprint by moving compatible workloads to Azure. The calculator is part of a quick assessment tool that enables businesses and MSPs to evaluate which on-prem workloads would be suitable for Azure and the cost of hosting those workloads within the platform. Three’s a crowd Powell Software’s recently launched intranet for small businesses has been garlanded with a trio of awards. Accessible from Microsoft Teams, Together provides a secure, all-in-one workspace, deployable in minutes, and a single, intuitive interface through which workers can collaborate, share documents, socialise on a Virtual Coffee Machine app and access support via the HR Hub. Together’s success in helping SMEs support remote and hybrid workers was recognised at the International Brilliance Awards, where it won Gold awards for Innovative use of Technology in HR and for Brilliance in use of Technology in Internal Communications, and at the 2021 HRO Association awards, where it won the award for Innovation in HR Technology Small-Mid Market EMEA. https://powell-software.com Welcome to the metaverse Mesh for Microsoft Teams, due to roll out in the first half of the year, offers 250 million Teams users a gateway to the metaverse – a persistent digital world inhabited by digital twins of people, places and things, where people gather to collaborate. Bringing together the mixed reality capabilities of Microsoft Mesh, launched last March, and the productivity and collaboration tools of Microsoft Teams, it enables users to create an animated avatar they can use in Teams meetings (instead of live video or a static picture) and in immersive spaces within Teams where they can mingle with colleagues, collaborate on projects and attend virtual presentations. Mesh for Teams is being rolled out with a set of pre-built immersive spaces, but in time organisations will be able to build and deploy their own metaverses. www.microsoft.com/en-us/mesh Say goodbye to bottlenecks Xerox is helping overcome delays and bottlenecks in everyday processes with the launch of a cloud-based software platform that gives 24/7, secure access to workflow automation and digitisation tools from any device (PC, tablet, smartphone, multifunction printer), when in the office, at home or in transit. Xerox Workflow Central enables users to transform printed and digital documents into the optimum format for sharing, editing and processing. Core capabilities include the ability to turn handwriting into text; to translate to and from over 40 languages; to convert PDF or image files into Microsoft Office formats; to redact sensitive information; to convert documents into audio files; to merge and combine files; and to summarise lengthy reports. Advanced subscriptions include additional functionality, such as the ability to create custom workflows, to route documents to cloud-hosted repositories and to encrypt and track emails and attachments. xerox.com Ransomware survival Zero Trust data security company Rubrik has expanded its offering with Rubrik Cloud Vault, a fully managed cloud archival and ransomware recovery solution that maintains immutable and instantly recoverable copies of a customer’s most critical data logically air-gapped from customers’ production environments. Built on Microsoft Azure, the SaaS solution offers end-to-end data immutability to ensure data isn’t compromised, corrupted or maliciously deleted; strong encryption; multi-factor authentication and role-based controls so that only authorised users can access sensitive business data; and accelerated recovery of key digital assets in the event of a cyber-attack or ransomware demand.

01732 759725 06 INNOVATIONS Partnering with the best Arctic Wolf has entered into a global partnership with Formula 1 world champions Red Bull Racing Honda. As official cybersecurity partner, Arctic Wolf will implement its cybersecurity operations platform across the team’s existing technology and security infrastructure – at the factory, the track and at all points in between – to ensure that all cloud, network and endpoint activity is safely monitored 24x7 to reduce exposure to cyber threats. Christian Horner, CEO of Red Bull Racing Honda, said: “Our partnership with Arctic Wolf will enhance our team’s world-class cybersecurity operations that are required to help design and test the car, win races, achieve world championship titles and keep our data safe.” arcticwolf.com Three and EE customers can look forward to uninterrupted mobile use across the London Underground network after the two mobile operators became the first to partner with BAI Communications (BAI) in the delivery of 4G and 5G-ready connectivity on the London Underground. In June 2020, Transport for London (TfL) awarded BAI a 20-year concession to provide mobile coverage in ticket halls, platforms and tunnels across the entire Underground network. Billy D’Arcy, CEO of BAI Communications UK, said: “We’re pleased to welcome Three and EE as our launch partners and the first operators who will be transforming customer experience on the London Underground by enabling them to access seamless, 5G-ready connectivity.” The first stations (on the new Elizabeth Line) are due to be connected this year, with all stations and tunnels scheduled to have uninterrupted mobile coverage by the end of 2024. https://tfl.gov.uk I’m on the Tube! Encrypted USB drive The F-Secure Armory Drive combines encrypted storage on the world’s smallest secure-by-design computer with multifactor authentication. The solution, which works on any desktop or laptop without the need for additional drivers or software, consists of two parts: firmware, which adds F-Secure Armory Drive functionality to the USB armory; and an iOS app that turns an iPhone into an authentication mechanism for data stored on the device and an unlimited number of microSD cards encrypted by the solution. Using an iPhone for authentication means that even if a microSD card or the USB armory is lost/stolen, data stored on it remains secure. It also ensures the solution’s encryption keys are not exposed to laptops/desktops that might have been compromised. Additional security is provided by the authentication of firmware updates pushed to the USB armory by the desktop installer and the device itself, which helps protect the system from compromise via malicious updates – a common tactic in supply chain attacks. www.f-secure.com/armory-drive Simpler SASE Aryaka’s new range of all-in-one SD-WAN and secure access service edge (SASE) solutions offer a non-disruptive way to accommodate the migration of workloads to the cloud and to meet the connectivity and security needs of a hybrid workforce. Based upon Aryaka’s FlexCore architecture, Aryaka’s new EZ and Pro lines for SMEs and midto-large enterprises respectively provide a simpler way to acquire managed SASE and SD-WAN offerings, with T-shirt size pricing models (a-la-carte pricing is also available), standardisation of the five most requested service tiers and a new silver support tier for customers with lower response time and support requirements. www.aryaka.com Application monitoring for all Cloud technology specialist Vapour has introduced Application Monitoring as a Service (AMaaS) for an organisation’s entire IT infrastructure, including onpremises, cloud and hybrid applications. Through performance metrics, proactive alerts and monthly recommendations, Logic Monitor enables organisations of all sizes to identify IT issues, such as broken processes, bandwidth drains and potential network risks, before they become a problem. Carol McGrotty, Vapour Head of Transformation, said: “We liken Logic Monitor to the ultimate fault finder. It allows us to tell a customer – if you continue working like this, your server could fail in X days. It also aids informed decision-making when it comes to inefficient device usage and energy consumption.” Carbon neutral cartridge recycling Brother UK has achieved carbon neutral status for its cartridge recycling centre in Ruabon, North Wales, following an audit of Scope 1 and 2 emissions by The Carbon Trust and the purchase of carbon credits to offset the 173 tonnes of CO2e produced by the site in FY2020. Offsets will be used to support renewable energy projects in Kenya, Ghana, Indonesia and India, to provide 820,000 fuel-efficient stoves to help reduce deforestation and to make affordable water filters. Brother’s Ruabon facility is powered by 100% green-certified electricity and sends no waste to landfill. For every cartridge returned by customers, Brother makes a donation to the rainforest charity CoolEarth. Brother Group aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions across global operations by 2050, with a 65% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions (from 2015 levels) by 2030. www.brother.co.uk

technologyreseller.co.uk 07 INNOVATIONS Logitech is hoping to boost the learning potential of students – and the revenues of its channel partners – with the launch of a Works With Chromebook-certified, rechargeable stylus for touchscreen Chromebooks that support the Universal Stylus Initiative (USI) standard. Arguably the first Chromebook stylus created for use by students in a school setting (Logitech also offers the Logitech Crayon for iPads), the Logitech Pen boasts a number of features designed to unlock the full potential of Chromebooks in the classroom. These include: n a comfortable, non-slip silicone grip and triangular design optimally sized and weighted for children at all stages of motor development, created with input from ergonomic experts, teachers and students aged 6 to 17; n an active tip with 4,096 levels of pressure-sensitivity that enables students to create lines or characters more clearly and accurately than with a finger or rubber tip stylus. The stylus can also be used as a precise pointing device; n USI-compatibility, which removes the need for pairing and enables a student to pick up the stylus and start using it immediately on any USI-enabled Chromebook; teachers benefit from being able to make notes and corrections on students’ screens with their own pen without having to change settings; n a robust, spill-proof design offering military-grade drop protection of up to four feet (1.2 metres); n easy charging, using the same USB-C charger as the Chromebook, with up to 15 days of battery life under normal school usage and the ability to gain an extra 30 minutes of use from a 30-second quick charge; and n a 3-year warranty. A useful optional extra is an adhesive pen loop that sticks to the back of the Chromebook screen, enabling the stylus to be kept with the device rather than separately in a pencil case. At launch, Jackie Young, Chief Marketing Officer, Logitech for Education, pointed out that Chromebooks are much the most common devices in education, with about 40 million currently in use and 15 million new purchases annually – a figure that is growing as more educators understand the impact that adding a stylus for annotation, sketching and note-taking can have on comprehension and retention. “Attaching a stylus to a Chromebook really gives students more flexibility and choice,” she said. “It allows them to work the way they choose and to switch between different inputs as needed, and it enables them to write much as they would with a regular pen or pencil on paper. They can support everything from taking class notes, brainstorming on projects to homework assignments. One example is maths, where students can show their workings-out in multiple steps. They can also do really complex annotations and equations for STEM-related projects.” Young added: “One of the key enablers here is the pen’s high level of accuracy. This really gives students confidence that their writing will be legible for their teachers, who benefit from being able to read the written work of their students. It also helps enable interaction and collaboration between students and educators and between students and their peers.” In the UK, the Logitech Pen will have a price tag of £64.99, with distribution via its usual reseller network. www.logitech. com Introducing Logitech Pen McAfee wins Antivirus Product of The Year Award AV-Comparatives, the independent ISOcertified testing lab for security software and mobile security solutions, has announced McAfee as winner of its 2021 Product of the Year Award. Throughout 2021, AV-Comparatives subjected 17 consumer Windows security products to long-term testing to gauge their ability to protect against internet threats, identify malicious programs, defend against targeted attacks, and provide protection without slowing down a PC. In these assessments, McAfee received 6 Advanced+ Awards and one Advanced Award. It took a Gold Award for the Malware Protection Test, along with joint Silver Awards for the Real-World Protection and Advanced Threat Protection Tests. A review found its user interface to be clean, modern and touch-friendly and the McAfee Firewall co-ordinated perfectly with Windows settings. Avast, AVG and Bitdefender all won Outstanding Product Awards, with Kaspersky winning the Top-Rated Product Award. Andreas Clementi, Founder of AVComparatives, said: “Congratulations to McAfee and the other award-winning vendors. Whilst all of the AV solutions in our tests achieved an acceptable level overall, some outperformed others. We are happy that last year’s tests helped several vendors to find bugs in their software and that this information contributed to improving the products. “AV-Comparatives conducts the most rigorous tests on the market, so vendors whose products were recognised with an award should take this as a recognition of excellence.” The Product of the Year Award is given to the AV solution with the highest overall scores across all the tests in the Public Consumer Main Test Series and is based entirely on a product’s technical capabilities rather than any other factor such as cost. New digital stylus points to the future of learning The AV-Comparatives 2021 Summary Report is available for free at www.av-comparatives.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/avc_sum_202112.pdf

01732 759725 08 NEWS : Distributors DCC makes biggest acquisition to date Technology distributor DCC Technology, trading as Exertis in the UK, has accelerated its North American expansion plans and strengthened its presence in the Pro AV sector with the acquisition of Almo Corporation, a distributor of Pro AV and consumer appliances. The biggest transaction ever undertaken by Exertis parent company DCC plc builds on other recent North American acquisitions, including those of Stampede, Jam Industries, The Music People and JB&A, transforming DCC Technology’s North American operation into a $2.4 billion business. When complete, the merger of the Exertis and Almo Pro AV divisions, rebranded as Exertis Almo Pro AV, will form the largest specialist Pro AV business in North America. In addition to its Pro AV business, Almo Corporation is North America’s largest distributor of consumer refrigeration, ventilation and cooking appliances and lifestyle products, with nine distribution centres and more than 2.5 million square feet of warehousing space. Almo will continue to be managed by its erstwhile owners, the Chaiken family, with Warren Chaiken acting as President and CEO and Gene Chaiken as Chairman. www.exertis.com Exertis supports gaming industry Raise the Game campaign Exertis has become a pledge partner of Raise the Game, a gaming industry initiative to improve equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) within the sector. Initiatives already introduced by Exertis include a dedicated Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team (EDIT) focused on improving recruitment and induction practices from a D&I perspective and driving education through celebration and awareness days and third party engagement. In addition, Exertis has provided all managers with a diversity and inclusion toolkit, to help them make a demonstrable contribution towards diversity representation within their area of the business, and launched an unconscious bias online training module that has already been viewed by 97% of employees. UK HR Director Jo Lawrence, one of two Board member sponsors of EDIT (the other being Chief Digital Officer Vishal Chhatralia), said: “We’re so pleased to have seen great engagement from our people when rolling out new and improved D&I initiatives. The pillars of the Raise the Game pledge fit perfectly with our strategy.” www.exertis.co.uk VOW Wholesale product range added to EGIS Channel services group SYNAXON UK has added VOW Wholesale’s full product range to its EGIS stock availability, pricing and order management platform. EGIS enables partners to check stock availability and pricing for millions of IT and office products from over 40 distributors and manage their orders through the platform. Mike Barron, Managing Director of SYNAXON UK, said: “This agreement opens up new potential for SYNAXON UK partners, giving them access to over 24,000 products from more than 700 suppliers that VOW represents and helping SYNAXON UK to reach further into the office products channel.” https://synaxon-services.com/ Tech Data TaaS capabilities enhanced with ATTCo acquisition Tech Data, a TD SYNNEX company, is enhancing its partners’ ability to offer fully integrated technology-as-a-service (TaaS) and managed print offerings with the acquisition of specialist hosted platform provider Advanced Technology Trading (ATTCo) and its subsidiary EKM Global Limited (EKM). ATTCo’s online platform, which is fully integrated with Tech Data’s ecommerce tools and connects to a growing list of finance partners, enables end customers to manage an automated, end-to-end process for hardware, software and services subscriptions, while its EKM solution enables partners to remotely manage printing/imaging device fleets at scale on behalf of end user customers. Roman Rudolf, Vice President, Strategy and Services Endpoint Solutions, Europe at Tech Data, said: “The ATTCo and EKM platforms will enable Tech Data partners to position themselves at the forefront of the fast-growing XaaS and managed print services markets. They bring unrivalled customer experience built on robust technology to cut through complexity and reduce time to market when developing service-based solutions.” Tech Data helps partners address the fast growing as-a-service market with a services portfolio focused on TaaS, lifecycle management, sustainability and automated remote service management. www.TDSYNNEX.com Tech Data strengthens cloud support services Tech Data is strengthening its cloud support services in Europe with the launch of a new services framework that enables partners to build a profitable cloud services and licensing portfolio and deliver bespoke service packages based on each customer’s individual needs. The ELITE Cloud Support Service (CSS) Partner Program includes a range of core and optional pay-as-you-go service modules, available in co-branded or whitelabel versions. These include multi-channel partner and end user access; highest ticket prioritisation; 24/7 incident management; guaranteed Initial Response Time SLAs; multi-language support; unlimited cloud tickets; on-premise and hybrid environment support options; and a Premier Support for Partners L3 escalation path when needed. Modular add-ons include: end customer direct access, in which Tech Data addresses end customer requests directly rather than through the partner; custom SLAs; discounts for Tech Data Managed Services; Tech Data Academy offerings; and access to Tech Data’s Click 2 Run Solutions. Denis Fouquet, Tech Data Vice President of Cloud and Software, Europe, said: “The ELITE CSS program heralds a new era for cloud services, enabling the partner to develop truly customised service offerings by mixing and matching between the numerous add-ons and white-label options.” techdatacloud.eu Roman Rudolf Denis Fouquet Mike Barron Jo Lawrence

WORKING TOGETHER technologyreseller.co.uk 09 Luke Hasty, Nuaware Kristin Russell, Arrow Electronics Tech Data and NVIDIA are expanding an existing European distribution agreement for NVIDIA Networking solutions to cover the accelerated computing leader’s complete solution stack. This includes NVIDIA DGX systems, which enable businesses to scale AI development with solutions purpose-built for enterprises; the NVIDIA AI Enterprise software suite, an end-to-end, cloud-native suite of AI and data analytics software; and the NVIDIA Omniverse Enterprise platform for 3D design collaboration and real-time simulation in a shared virtual space. Tech Data will provide professional and managed services, develop customised solutions with NVIDIA products at the core for a variety of vertical use cases and offer partners the opportunity to accelerate their NVIDIA expertise and business readiness through its Practice Builder programs. Miriam Murphy, Tech Data Senior Vice President, Advanced and Specialised Solutions, Europe, said: “It’s hugely exciting to extend our NVIDIA offering to cover the full solution stack and to have the opportunity to incorporate NVIDIA’s cutting-edge AI and Omniverse simulation technology into the solutions that we develop for our ecosystem partners. AI is fast becoming a vital ingredient for enterprises, governments and other public institutions in the race to leverage data to enhance efficiency, make better decisions and make the world safer. Meanwhile, platforms that enable digital twins and virtual worlds like Omniverse Enterprise are set to fundamentally transform the way that societies interact, collaborate and create. There is no better time for our partners to engage in this growth area for technology.” www.TDSYNNEX.com Following changes to licensing terms for its collaborative application development platform, Docker has appointed Nuaware to distribute Docker Business subscriptions and open up new recurring revenue streams for channel partners. Part of specialist cybersecurity services group Exclusive Networks, Nuaware is a hyper growth, bornin-the-cloud distributor of cloud, DevSecOps and cloud-native application development solutions and services. Taking effect from January 31, 2022, Docker’s new licence terms require large commercial organisations to take out a Docker Pro, Docker Team or Docker Business paid subscription in order to use Docker Desktop. Small businesses with fewer than 250 employees and less than $10 million in revenue, educational institutions, open source projects and individuals can continue to use Docker Desktop through a free Docker Personal subscription. Nuaware MD Luke Hasty said: “Demand for cloud-native application development technologies, with Docker leading the way, has never been stronger. Whether you’re a DevOps consultancy, an app modernisation company or a cloud migration firm, this announcement allows our partners to put Docker front and centre in their arsenal – going beyond the traditional IT infrastructure buyer and deeper into their existing customer set to touch app developers and development teams.” www.docker.com www.nuaware.com Arrow Electronics is extending its collaboration with Commvault with the addition of Metallic DMaaS (data management-as-a-service) backup and recovery solutions to the ArrowSphere cloud management platform. Metallic delivers scalable, affordable SaaS-based backup and recovery of data stored in on-premises, cloud and hybrid environments and across multiple workloads including Microsoft 365, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Salesforce, VMs, containers, databases, file and object data, as well as laptops and desktops. Integration with Azure gives Metallic DMaaS coverage across all three Microsoft clouds – Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 and Azure. Kristin Russell, Global President of Arrow’s enterprise computing solutions business, said: “The addition of these powerful backup solutions to ArrowSphere will help fast-track customers’ journey to the cloud. Metallic now joins the growing list of products available through our cloud management platform that allows channel partners to access streamlined quoting and ordering, automated provisioning and comprehensive billing integration.” ArrowSphere also offers a white-label turnkey marketplace that channel partners can use to enable end customers to manage their own transactions. fiveyearsout.com Proactive threat detection company ESET is building on a period of recordbreaking growth in the UK by appointing CMS Distribution as a UK distributor. The partnership will enable ESET to increase its penetration of the enterprise market, while giving CMS Distribution and its reseller network access to ESET’s full suite of business and consumer solutions and partner programme. ESET UK Sales Director Karl Barton said: “This agreement will allow CMS Distribution to recruit new channel partners to ESET, enabling them to access the entire portfolio of security products, together with marketleading services and support from CMS Distribution. We believe this relationship will enhance our channel commitment, whilst broadening our market reach into the enterprise community.” www.cmsdistribution.com CMS Distribution has expanded its smart technology offering through a new partnership with smart home security and IoT service provider IMOU. With over 18 years of experience in the video surveillance industry, IMOU provides homes and small businesses with security solutions encompassing the IMOU Cloud, smart devices and intelligent technologies. Its product line-up includes everything from doorbells and doorlocks to alarms and cameras with human motion detection, smart colour night vision, weather-resistant options and storage. www.cmsdistribution.com Mesh has appointed managed services distributor Technology To Go (TTG) to take its email security platform to MSPs and TSPs in the UK and Ireland. Purposebuilt for managed service providers, Mesh gives MSPs a holistic view of email security across their entire tenancy, from hunting and removing threats to cross-tenancy analytics and global rule creation. David Tulip, Managing Director of TTG & Network Group, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Mesh to bring not only first-class email security to the marketplace from a team we trust but tangible benefit to the UK & Ireland’s Managed Service and Technology Service Providers (MSPs) community through their cross-tenancy approach.” Working together This month’s round-up of new distribution agreements

01732 759725 NEWS : RESELLERS 10 Pro2col secure MFT capability enhanced with ACS acquisition Pro2col, a specialist in on-premises, hybrid and cloud managed file transfer (MFT) solutions, is expanding its technical and consultancy services capability with the acquisition of Advanced Cyber Solutions (ACS). Led by Director Chris Payne, who will be joining Pro2col as Technical Director, ACS provides specialist consultancy in secure, managed file transfer as well as broader information security solutions. The integration of ACS will strengthen Pro2col’s expanding footprint in secure MFT, workflow automation and data integration consultancy, in which it has specialised since being founded by Managing Director James Lewis in 2004. Pro2col technical consultants advise organisations at every stage of a file transfer, workflow automation or integration project, from scoping requirements, product demos and proof of concept/software evaluations to negotiating the best deals with vendors, installation and training. To date, Pro2col has delivered over 800 solutions to a global client base that includes KPMG, the NHS, RSA Insurance Group (Royal Sun Alliance), Prudential and TalkTalk. Pro2col is also the developer of Certified File Transfer Professional, the only vendor-independent certified file transfer programme. www.pro2col.com Phoenix Software partners with Deep Instinct Phoenix Software, the first public sectoronly IT solution and service provider to be named Microsoft Partner of the Year, is partnering with Deep Instinct to bring endto-end deep learning cyber security to the UK public sector, starting with government and education establishments. Following a reseller agreement between the two companies, Phoenix Software will sell and market Deep Instinct’s Prevention Platform, which uses a proprietary deep learning framework to stop unknown and previously unseen malware and threats at the endpoint before they can infect the network. Deep Instinct claims that its Prevention Platform can identify zero-day attacks in less than 20 milliseconds, 750 times faster than the fastest known ransomware can begin to encrypt, with a high degree of accuracy and a low false-positive rate. The partnership broadens Deep Instinct’s geographical reach and extends its channel program to include a dedicated focus on the public sector, alongside its established enterprise partnerships. deepinstinct.com • www.phoenixs.co.uk Scott Brenchley Tactus expands into Europe with NBB partnership Following its acquisition of award-winning PC gaming brand Chillblast, multichannel e-commerce business Tactus has expanded its international footprint with its first European partnership. This will see Notebooksbilliger (NBB), one of Germany’s largest online retailers of consumer electronics, offer the North-Westbased company’s Geo range of Windows 11 laptops to consumers and SMEs across the DACH region (Germany, Switzerland and Austria). Scott Brenchley, CEO at Tactus Group, said: “Expanding into European markets is an important milestone for the business as we continue to establish our position as a globally recognised technology group. We have already experienced huge success from our commercial partnership with Best Buy in the US earlier this year and I am confident that this venture into Europe will reap similar benefits.” Werner Selch, Notebooksbilliger CPO, added: “In times of non-reliable supply chains and higher prices for the end consumer, Tactus has done an outstanding job to extend into the DACH region. We are thrilled to accompany the rise of a new notebook brand in Europe with an up-to-date operating system and high product quality.” Last year, Tactus was named Microsoft Device Partner of the Year and secured a £40 million investment from Chrysalis Investments to accelerate its plan to become a globally recognised gaming and technology group. www.tactusgroup.com/ Christmas cheer Apogee has declared its 2021 Christmas Charity Advent Calendar fundraiser its most successful yet, after raising £4,776.93 for the Rethink Mental Illness charity. Prizes donated by partners and suppliers for the daily raffle included a Virgin experience days voucher, a Nespresso coffee machine, a Sonos speaker and more. Mark Winstanley, Chief Executive of Rethink Mental Illness, said: “This money will help us support people severely affected by mental illness while raising vital awareness of the importance of mental health. Thank you so much to everyone involved.” www.apogeecorp.com PRS Telecom enrolled on BigChange partner programme PRS Telecom has become the first member of a new Partnership Programme set up by BigChange to introduce more businesses to its field service management software, which is already being used by 1,700 organisations around the world to eradicate inefficient paper-based processes and the complexity of managing multiple systems. The BigChange Job Management Platform brings together customer relationship management (CRM), job scheduling, live tracking, field resource management, financial management and business intelligence in one easy to integrate system. PRS Telecom offers a range of mobile and office-based telecommunication solutions for businesses across the UK and sees BigChange as a logical addition to its portfolio. PRS Telecom Chairman Patrick Gill said: “Our vision is to make and keep our customers happy and we achieve this by providing the best telecommunications solution and service. However, we realise that good communication is only part of the challenge our customers are facing. Like many businesses our clients are struggling with issues around capacity, compliance and customer expectations. By partnering with BigChange, we are confident we can support existing customers and attract new companies to the PRS community.” The BigChange Partnership Programme is aimed at equipment suppliers and consultants in sectors such as facilities management, plumbing and heating, fire and security, hire and building maintenance. Successful applicants will be allocated a distinct territory and will be supported with training, professional sales support and marketing assistance as they transition from a BigChange introducer to a full reseller. www.bigchange.com

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01732 759725 14 NEWS : RESEllers Synextra acquires The Hosting Heroes Peter Sweetbaum Martin Roberts Enreach branding Enreach, the fast growing unified communications and cloud contact centre group, has brought Benemen under the Enreach brand as part of its strategy to present a unified identity across its European markets. Based in Helsinki and Stockholm, the company has been part of Enreach since May 2021. Enreach CEO Stijn Nijhuis said: “The rebranding from Benemen to Enreach is another important step on our journey to be Europe’s UC and CCaaS market leader. Now, we can also target upper mid-market and enterprise businesses as well as strategic partners with our cloud embedded voice solutions. With Benemen, we add enhanced voice capabilities to our broad portfolio of unified communications, cloud contact centre solutions and other value-add services, such as conversational AI and Teams integration.” Enreach was formed in 2018 from the merger of Swyx (rebranded to Enreach DE), Voiceworks and Centile Telecom Applications (rebranded to Enreach for Service Providers). Since then, the group has grown through a dynamic buy-and-build strategy and organically. https://enreach.com/ Content+Cloud acquired by Avania Nordic technology services group Advania is gaining a UK presence with the acquisition of Content+Cloud, the Microsoft cloud services, digital transformation and managed services provider. The deal, Avania’s first outside its core markets of Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Finland and Denmark, gives the combined group a turnover of £800 million and a workforce of 3,500 employees. Content+Cloud will continue to operate as a Microsoft-focused cloud services and digital transformation partner under its existing senior leadership team led by CEO Peter Sweetbaum, with the added benefit of access to Advania’s breadth of services and the opportunity to introduce its own services into the Nordics. Operating across all three Microsoft clouds, including Modern Workplace, Azure and Dynamics, Content+Cloud is the most awarded Microsoft partner in the UK, with 16 Microsoft Gold Certifications and six Advanced Specialisations in Intelligent Cloud (Azure), Modern Workplace and Security, and Business Applications. Mikael Noaksson, CEO of Advania, said: “Being able to join forces with Peter and his team is an exceptional opportunity for Advania to enhance our customer proposition and to scale our offering outside the Nordics. For Advania, the acquisition of C+C is a major step towards becoming a leading northern European IT services provider with our decentralised model, customer intimacy focus and longterm relationships.” contentandcloud.com • www.advania.com Synextra Ltd, a provider of cloud hosting services to small and mid-market IT departments, is setting up a new division focused on web hosting, domains and virtual private servers (VPS) after acquiring The Hosting Heroes, a UK-based web hosting and cloud provider. Following growth of more than 40% over the last 12 months, Synextra is aiming to become the ‘go to’ for organisations looking to host IT solutions in the cloud. Chris Danks, who founded The Hosting Heroes in 2002 and has grown the business through the acquisitions of EZPZ Hosting, Yeti Host and Reyaltec, will stay on as Managing Director. He said: “I’m excited that The Hosting Heroes is now a part of the Synextra Group and we’re looking forward to the future of the two businesses working alongside each other. The same excellent team at The Hosting Heroes will continue to support our customers.” www.synextra.co.uk OVHcloud Bechtle partnership European cloud computing provider OVHcloud has announced a pan-European partnership with IT service provider Bechtle to help each other expand across Europe and offer B2B and public sector customers extended access to the latest cloud solutions with full data sovereignty. The alliance will see European customers benefit from a combination of Bechtle’s cloud expertise and state-of-theart cloud solutions from OVHcloud. As a founding member of GAIA-X, OVHcloud offers complete GDPR compliance and has all relevant cloud certifications in core European markets, including C5 in Germany, SecNumCloud in France and G-Cloud in the UK. Hiren Parekh, VP – Northern Europe at OVHcloud, said: “As one of the largest and most advanced cloud system houses in the DACH region, with a strong UK presence, a partnership with Bechtle was an obvious choice for us. Now we want to join forces to jointly tap into new potential across Europe.” corporate.ovhcloud.com • bechtle.com Free Teams migration services TWC IT Solutions is offering UK businesses free migration services from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams before the service goes end of life in April 2022. TWC claims that its Teams Telephony application, built on Microsoft infrastructure, is more feature-rich than Microsoft’s standard Teams telephony thanks to its use of BT and Gamma, the UK’s primary voice carriers, and an online portal for management of call routing, time schedules, AI agents, IVR, call analysis, international local presence DDIs, voicemail and more. twc-it-solutions.com One of the best Derby managed services provider Neuways has been listed as one of Britain’s Top 50 Best Managed IT Companies for the third year in a row, based on an assessment by TechnoPlanet. Neuways Managing Director Martin Roberts said: “It is a source of great pride to be named as one of Britain’s best IT businesses, as it highlights the excellence of the IT experts throughout our business and reaffirms the belief we have in our team and the exceptionally high levels of customer service we provide.” In 2021, Neuways increased its Customer Satisfaction Rating to 98% and the Neuways Support Team maintained its record of hitting 100% of the Service Level Agreements (SLAs) agreed with customers. www.neuways.com Stijn Nijhuis

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