Technology Reseller v47

v47 · 2022 www.technologyreseller.co.uk THE MAGAZINE & ONLINE CHANNEL RESOURCE FOR MSPS, IT RESELLERS & IT SUPPORT PROVIDERS PAGE 20 SECURITY VIEW FROM THE CHANNEL DISTRIBUTION PAGE 29 PAGE 18 Why it’s time to make more use of mobile device trade-in services Introducing Delinea, the new name in Privileged Access Management With Paul Anslow, CEO of Triangle Networks v34 · 20 0 w.technologyrese ler.co.uk THE MAGAZINE & ONLINE CHA NEL RESOURCE FOR VARS, IT RESELLE IT T I 5G Is it time to explore the opportunities in wireless WAN? PAGE 37 DISTRIBUTION PA E 29 Buy and sell everything as a service with X-OD virtual.technologylive.co.uk The Convergent Technology Event for IT Resellers & Providers NOV-JAN’21 VIRTUAL g Have you got smart finance? Smart finance can open up a whole new world for funding software licenses and the latest technology –turn to page 36 to read more

AD Time to take a closer look at Fortinet click here https://www.exclusivelyfortinet.com/ home/new-partners/

technologyreseller.co.uk If you no longer wish to receive Technology Reseller magazine please email your details to [email protected] COMMENT 03 This month, as we report on page 29, privileged access management (PAM) specialist ThycoticCentrify announced that it is now to be called Delinea. This trips off the tongue much more easily than ThycoticCentrify, the name adopted ExxonMobil-style following April 2021’s merger of Thycotic and Centrify and is a clear break with the past in a way that would not have been possible if the branding experts had gone down the Brangelina route and chosen Thentrify or Centrotic or some such. In contrast, Delinea is a little bland, but more serviceable as a result – the name could be used to sell anything. For that reason, it seems extraordinary that it has not been trademarked before. The name comes from ‘delineate’ and the PAM specialist has done a reasonably good job of constructing a link between that word’s definition and its area of expertise. Even more impressive is their success in avoiding the temptation to capitalise the ‘L’. Or was that a missed opportunity? It could be my conditioning, but I do feel DeLinea looks stronger than Delinea, albeit in a continental nationalised infrastructure kind of way. On reflection, maybe it’s right to avoid associations of that kind. Perhaps I’m confusing strong with sclerotic and inflexible. One of the many interesting observations made by Joanna Burkey, Chief Information Security Officer at HP Inc., in the course an HP Wolf Security CISO roundtable, edited highlights of which we publish on pages 44 and 45, is that the cybersecurity industry has done itself no favours by cultivating an aura of exclusivity through its arcane language and presentation. She suggests there is a need to make the cybersecurity tent bigger and to attract people with more varied backgrounds and educational qualifications and different areas of expertise like risk management and communications. Perhaps just the kind of people who would respond more favourably to Delinea than DeLinea. On the subject of communication, I should point out that the deadline for submitting entries to the Technology Reseller Awards is fast approaching. These are free to enter and we are all set up to help people who are unsure of what they need to do. For more details on award categories and how to enter, please visit https://technologyresellerawards.co.uk. 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 06 Distributor News Midwich announces Nimans acquisition 07 Working Together A round-up of the month’s new distribution agreements 09 Reseller News Version 1 invests in North of England 12 IT Channel Nuvias highlights growing opportunity in UC 14 Events Why you should enter the Technology Reseller Awards 16 Managed Services Barracuda enhances XDR for MSPs 18 View from the Channel With Paul Anslow, CEO of Triangle Networks 20 Mobile Devices Time to make more use of mobile device tradein services 29 Access Control ThycoticCentrify changes name to Delinea 34 I couldn’t do my job without... Kelvin Wetherill, Founder of NerdApp, on what gets him through his working day 38 UCaaS Gamma updates dealer programme 42 Q&A Tim Weller, CEO of Datto, on the company’s acquisition of Infocyte 44 Cyber Security Edited highlights from HP Wolf Security’s CISO roundtable 46 People New faces, new places v47 · 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 The missing piece Sophos has strengthened its secure access portfolio, which already includes Sophos Firewall and Sophos Wireless, with the launch of a new range of network access layer switches to connect, power and control device access within a Local Area Network (LAN). The Sophos Switch Series, featuring models with 8, 24 and 48 ports, integrates seamlessly with the Sophos adaptive cybersecurity ecosystem and can be remotely managed through Sophos Central, a cloud-based platform that enables partners to monitor and manage all customer installations, respond to alerts, and track licences and upcoming renewal dates via a single, intuitive interface. News.sophos.com Kaspersky has launched an interactive mobile video game as a complement to the traditional security awareness training programs used by 50% of enterprises. Designed to be played at work, [Dis]connected takes place in the near future and challenges players to solve a number of pressing work tasks while maintaining good relations with their partner and colleagues. The game vividly demonstrates the benefits of secure behaviour and can be used to reinforce what employees have learned in cybersecurity training programmes. A free demo is available in App Store and Google Play. www.kaspersky.com Risk and reward Highest ever Wi-Fi hotspot Global technology company Thales is helping the Airbus Perlan Mission II project to stream climate, atmospheric and aeronautical research from the stratosphere. The zero emission Perlan 2 Research Glider, which achieved a record flying height of 76,000 feet in 2018, will use a FlytLink Thales Iridium Certusbased satellite communications system to broadcast live climate-change research from the edge of space to scientists around the world. The Nevada-based Airbus Perlan Mission II team is planning a possible return to flight this year in the U.S. and El Calafate, Argentina. www.perlanproject.org Pi for all Panintelligence has responded to a dramatic rise in demand for hosted services from vendors and clients by launching a software as a service (SaaS) version of its Pi business intelligence, data analytics and visualisation tools. By offering a simpler, quicker alternative to onpremises deployments, CEO Zandra Moore expects PiSaaS to increase the company’s market reach significantly. She said: “The introduction of our first hosted SaaS product is in direct response to a change in the way vendors and developers want to deploy our tools, with us doing more of the provisioning and reducing the burden on their development teams. We’re still able to deploy our Pi solutions within clients’ own servers, but the rapid development of PiSaaS to deliver the hosted SaaS tools that scaling, agile vendors want widens our potential market enormously.” Seeing is believing Distributor Northamber has hailed Konftel’s 3D room guide as a valuable tool for UC, AV and IT resellers. Launched last autumn, the interactive tool helps users identify the optimum products and connectivity options for different video meeting spaces, from personal workspaces, focus and huddle rooms to large multipurpose spaces. Northamber UC&C Business Manager Mark Sumner says that by enabling customers to visualise how equipment fits into different spaces, the guide speeds up the sales process. “The guide brings everything to life and adds a compelling new dimension. Seeing really is believing,” he said. konftel.com No touching required The product of a partnership between Samsung Electronics Europe and iNUI Studio, the interactive AIRxTOUCH KIOSK Series 3 features a hygienic touchless design perfect for busy environments like airports and train stations. The combination of Samsung’s 55in, 4K screen, iNUI Studio’s AIR TOUCH optical sensors and a powerful processor delivers the same experience as a standard touchscreen kiosk without the need physically to touch the screen. Instead, users can click, double-click, drag & drop, slide and zoom using gesture alone. news.samsung.com L-r: Panintelligence’s Ken Miller, Zandra Moore, Charlotte Bailey Airbus photo by James Darcy

technologyreseller.co.uk 05 INNOVATIONS Recipe for success CIONET, a community of 10,000 business executives in 20 countries, has produced a cookbook for business success in which 25 of today’s most influential CIOs share their tips on how to thrive in a rapidly changing digital era. The CIONET Cookbook: Recipes for Digital Success covers what a leading digitally led business looks like; what tools make up the best IT kitchens; and what is expected of IT Master Chefs and their teams. www.cionet.com Resilience for home workers Reskube, an enterprise-grade remote working resilience solution, is designed to combat the growing threat of internet and power outages suffered by two in three people who worked from home last year. Developed in partnership with APC by Schneider Electric, the UK-made solution monitors the supply of home internet and power and instantly provides backup if either drops off. Once supply is restored, the Reskube switches seamlessly back to the home network and power. Reskube is available in models with different levels of backup, with or without a SIM, depending on customer requirements. It can be bought outright from £599 per unit or acquired as a service, from Computacenter and Kyndryl, from £39 per unit, per month. Reskube.com Surface protection Bluechipworld Sales & Marketing, distributor of the Bioarmor range of antimicrobial, antibacterial & anti-viral products, is actively seeking independent and multi-site retailers to stock the company’s wipes and sprays. Bioarmor claims that a surface coating applied by wipe or spray protects surfaces for 90 days and is 99.9% effective in reducing Human Coronavirus Type 229E, as well as phi6 enveloped virus, E-coli and MRSA. Bioarmor has surface protection packs for six categories including a home and small office pack and a mobile phone, tech and gadget pack. Interested parties should email [email protected] or [email protected]. bioarmor-nano.com/ collections/trade Foldable smartphone Huawei Consumer Business Group’s flagship foldable smartphone, the HUAWEI P50 Pocket Premium Edition, is the result of a collaboration with haute couture designer Iris Van Herpen. Highlights include a 6.9in display (when unfolded) with a 21:9 ratio perfect for viewing cinematic content; an improved hinge and seamless folding design; a smart cover screen for notifications and easy access to services; and enhanced camera functionality. Two notable features are Sunscreen detection, accessed via the Mirror app, which lets you check for bare patches; and Super Privacy mode, which automatically disables the cameras, microphone and location when the device is folded. The HUAWEI P50 Pocket is available in White or Premium Gold. http://consumer.huawei.com Bidding for business Public sector procurement contract expert OPPORTUNI is doing its bit to support the levelling up agenda by adding a bid-writing service to its suite of softwareas-a-service products designed to help SMEs find, compete for and win public sector contracts. BidNow has an annual membership fee of £3,500 for unlimited bid-finding and bid writing, compared to an average submission cost of £2,800 per bid. Once signed up, subscribers will have 12 months access to the BidNow membership which includes unlimited no win, no fee bid support from hundreds of qualified bid writers. Tim Ward, co-founder and CEO of OPPORTUNI, believes the service’s win-fee model removes one of the big obstacles stopping SMEs from competing for public sector tenders: “BidNow significantly reduces the element of risk for SMEs as they are effectively employing the best in the business, without any overheads.” www.bidnow.co.uk Built for learning After working with Microsoft on pilot programs in schools around the world, Acer is launching its first PCs running Windows 11 SE, a cloud-first Windows operating system built for learning. Designed for use on affordable devices pre-configured for student privacy and remote management, Windows 11 SE combines the performance of Windows 11, modern management tools and an easy-to-use interface with fewer distractions and a menu of education-first apps. The first Acer devices to come preinstalled with Windows 11 SE or Windows 11 Pro Education are the 11.6-inch Acer TravelMate B3 and Acer TravelMate Spin B3 (with anti-microbial protection). Prices start at £210 and £259 respectively. www.acer.com Tim Ward

01732 759725 06 NEWS : Distributors Midwich to acquire Nimans Midwich, a global specialist audio visual distributor to the trade market, is strengthening its growing UC offering with the acquisition of telecoms distributor Nimans Limited and its subsidiaries from Nycomm Holdings Limited. Completion, subject to FCA approval, is expected in the first half of 2022. Nimans is a UK-based specialist distributor of unified communications, telecoms, collaboration and audio-visual technologies. Founded in 1981 and employing more than 200 people, it trades with over 2,500 telephony, IT and retail customers and in the year ending 31 December 2020 recorded consolidated revenues of £114.3 million and pre-tax profits of £5.8 million. The aggregate consideration of £27.5 million will be paid in cash, with £16.5 million payable upon completion of the acquisition, followed by two fixed instalments of £5.5 million each after 12 and 24 months. Stephen Fenby, Midwich Group Managing Director, said: “Nimans’ traditional telecoms market has been changing, bringing with it new revenue opportunities, which the company has developed strongly in areas such as unified communications, video conferencing, security and networking. I believe that the combined skill sets and capabilities of Midwich and Nimans bring a unique offering into the market in terms of providing complex solutions involving multiple technologies.” Specialising in large format displays, projectors, digital signage, professional audio and UC, Midwich has relationships with over 600 vendors and a customer base of 20,000 mainly professional AV integrators and IT resellers. www.midwichgroupplc.com Cisco Easy Pay added to Tech Data TaaS platform In an initiative backed by CF Corporate Finance Limited, Tech Data’s finance partner for Tech-as-a-Service, Tech Data is making Cisco Easy Pay zero-percent financing options available through its Tech-as-a-Service platform, enabling customers of Cisco partners to acquire new networking equipment without upfront capital expenditure. Cisco Easy Pay provides funding for lower value requirements; the flexibility to bundle software and services into a single package; monthly payments over one, two or three years; and pre-approval for requests that meet pre-set criteria. Tony Nevill, Director of Cisco and enterprise networking, UK at Tech Data, said: “Having Cisco Easy Pay available through Tech-as-a-Service gives SMB partners a way to make use of Easy Pay for smaller customers and makes it much easier to access and use the scheme. Previously, Cisco Easy Pay would only really have been an option for deals of around £300,000 or more; with Tech-as-a-Service the deal can be any size.” https://uk.techdata.com/ Tony Nevill Mark Glasspool VIP UK added to EGIS SYNAXON UK has added the full portfolio of products stocked by independent distributor VIP UK to its EGIS stock availability, pricing and ordering platform. These include IT systems, components, software and peripherals from ASUS, AMD, Microsoft, Razer, Corsair, Gigabyte, Nvidia, BenQ, Intel, AOC, Philips, Samsung, Seagate, Western Digital, BullGuard, Tenda, MSI and many others. SYNAXON recently announced a 30-day free trial that gives suppliers the chance to try out the service without making an up-front commitment. https://synaxon-services.com Tech Data TaaS now available in Republic of Ireland Tech Data, a TD SYNNEX company has extended its Tech-as-a-Service subscription service to the Republic of Ireland, enabling partners there to offer their customers a package of hardware, software and services, including the partners’ own services, for a monthly fee, without capital expenditure. TaaS is available for any requirement, from a few laptops to a complete infrastructure refresh, and partners receive the full income from the sale up-front, with financing taken care of through the Tech-asa-Service programme. Mark Glasspool, Services Director, Tech Data, UK and Ireland, said: “For Irish partners, Tech-as-a-Service is a great option to put on the table, for commercial customers, for schools and the wider public sector. As we have seen in the UK, there are a lot of organisations needing to invest in the latest tech right now, without really having the capex budget. For them, Tech-as-a-Service is the ideal solution.” uk.techdata.com/ Pax8 extends access to SkyKick cloud automation platform Cloud marketplace Pax8 has expanded its partnership with SkyKick into a global agreement to give MSPs access to its advanced Cloud Manager application for automating workflows and tasks to increase helpdesk productivity. Ryan Walsh, Chief Operating Officer at Pax8, said: “As companies migrate more of their technology to the cloud, the number of licences and solutions MSPs manage will increase considerably. SkyKick’s solution and Pax8’s technology marketplace simplify the experience so partners can easily increase efficiency and productivity.” Combining low-code workflow automation, real-time analytics and insights and automated activity logging, SkyKick Cloud Manager enables MSPs to administer several tasks from a single command centre, resolve tickets faster, automate complex workflows across cloud, hybrid and onpremises environments, and reduce the risk of security exposure. Jan Kaan, EMEA General Manager and Director of Breadth Sales at SkyKick, added: “As IT service providers (ITSPs) around the world operate in this evolving cloud channel, they are turning to SkyKick automation to help them solve their operational and security complexities, reduce help desk support costs, strengthen security and improve customer satisfaction.” www.pax8.com Putting a price on efficiency A six-month study into the total economic impact (TEI) of the Pax8 platform, programs and operations conducted by Forrester has concluded that MSPs that work with Pax8 can look forward to an ROI of up to 249% over a three-year period. This derives from cost avoidance and higher productivity in billing; channel programs and resources to help expand sales; and automation of ticket creation to improve the productivity of technical staff and lower support costs. www.pax8.com

technologyreseller.co.uk 07 WORKING TOGETHER Tech Data simplifies Microsoft Dynamics upgrades for partners Tech Data, a TD SYNNEX company is enhancing its Microsoft Dynamics upgrade offerings through a strategic cooperation with Simplanova, a provider of Dynamics 365 Business Central Upgrade and NAV Development services. The agreement will enable Tech Data partners to access Simplanova’s automated, fixed price professional services to help their customers accelerate and streamline migration from Microsoft Dynamics NAV to Business Central. Partners can also leverage other services, including Business Central custom development, add-on migration to AppSource and technical team training. Petras Butenas, founder of Simplanova, added: “With most Dynamics NAV solutions still running on legacy on-premises versions, there is a global demand for automated migration resources and solutions. By joining forces with a leading global distributor like Tech Data, Simplanova will have the ability to produce automations at scale and our partners will have access to additional offerings, including migration to Azure and CSP licenses.” www.TDSYNNEX.com Exertis partners with SonicWall in new security offering Exertis is simplifying the way resellers deliver security to their customers with the launch of Exertis Totally Secure, designed in partnership with SonicWall. This new service provides SonicWall’s latest GEN7 UTM rewall technology loaded with security services and wrapped up with Exertis’ own ISO 27001-certi ed 24/7/365 managed service offering, with the option of bespoke add-ons to meet specific needs and a choice of upfront or monthly payments on a two or three-year basis. The offerings are flexible, giving customers as much or as little support as they need at every stage of the sales cycle, from initial scoping and discovery to ongoing management and rst-line support. Will Benton, Senior Director, Northern Europe at SonicWall, said: “We are excited about this new joint offering from SonicWall and Exertis. The ‘Totally Secure’ service reinforces our commitment to our channel partners by enabling them to meet the changing and varying needs of their customers through a flexible and scalable solution that delivers both boundless cybersecurity and value.” www.exertis.co.uk Eric Nowak, Arrow Electronics Luc Van Huystee, Tech Data Arrow Electronics has signed a Symantec Cybersecurity Aggregator agreement with Broadcom Inc. making it the exclusive distributor of Symantec security solutions to channel partners serving SMB markets in the UK, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. In this role, Arrow plans to introduce a range of initiatives to help partners grow their Symantec cybersecurity businesses including a channel partner programme, sales tools, a try & buy programme, valuebased pricing options and incentives and deal registration plans. Eric Nowak, President of Arrow’s enterprise computing solutions business in EMEA, said: “This is an exciting development for Arrow Electronics in Europe as the SMB customer segment continues to offer a significant opportunity for us and our reseller partners. With the Symantec cybersecurity portfolio, resellers can expect high quality support, great incentives, value-based pricing and quality engagement to ensure the best possible customer experience.” www.arrow.com/fiveyearsout Pax8 is giving MSP customers access to a flexible, scalable and easy-to-use solution for managing clients’ complex print environments through a global partnership with Printix, a Kofax company. The Printix cloud print management solution removes the need for onpremises hardware and supports roaming and print job release from any device. It supports any printer and offers a pay-peractive-user billing model. Ryan Walsh, Chief Operating Officer at Pax8, said: “Forbes predicts that serverless cloud will be one of the five biggest cloud computing trends in 2022. When companies migrate their infrastructure to the cloud, print servers are typically the last to move. Through Printix’s advanced technology, partners have an affordable option to establish their clients’ modern printing, creating a seamless cloud environment.” www.pax8.com In its new role as EMEA distributor of the Microsoft mixed reality headset HoloLens 2, Tech Data is building a range of market-ready AR/VR solutions for healthcare, construction, engineering and telecommunications that combine HoloLens 2 hardware with software, accessories and services from across its end-to-end edge-to-cloud portfolio. IDC expects European AR/VR spending to grow to a total value of $20.9 billion by the end by 2025, at a five-year compound annual growth rate of 69.9%. Luc Van Huystee, Tech Data’s Vice President, Mobility, Consumer Electronics and Mixed Reality Solutions, Europe, said: “HoloLens 2 harnesses mixed reality, intelligent edge and cloud technology to help people across diverse industries to work better, more safely and more collaboratively. It also offers our partners an opportunity to engage with the growth opportunity presented by the arrival of the metaverse. As we support its adoption in the region, we will look to leverage our strengths as an end-to-end solutions aggregator, combining HoloLens 2 with complementary hardware, software and service offerings from our extensive line card, making it easier and faster for our partners to go to market with complex industry-specific solutions.” Arrow Electronics has announced a new European distribution agreement with VAST Data, a fast-growing next-generation storage software infrastructure company. Launched in 2019, VAST Data’s Universal Storage platform marries innovative software algorithms with new hardware and networking technologies to provide new data insights and fast data protection in the event of a disaster or ransomware attack. Shipping as a production-ready, integrated appliance, VAST Data works with companies across the enterprise ecosystem to deliver a high-performance data infrastructure with a disaggregated and ‘shared everything’ architecture that allows customers to scale compute and storage resources independently. Channel customers can purchase Universal Storage through its Gemini software offering, which, delivered to customers as a simple managed service on pre-defined hardware, gives customers the flexibility to refresh or scale hardware Working together This month’s round-up of new distribution agreements continued...

01732 759725 08 WORKING TOGETHER without needing to repurchase software. Alexis Brabant, Vice President of Sales for Arrow’s enterprise computing solutions business in Europe, said: “As businesses explore new ways to address the growing needs of AI and big data analytics or to rethink their data protection strategies, it is important that their storage infrastructure can deliver the intensive performance needed to extract value from their data. With VAST Data, customers can realise the benefits of an all-flash data centre without the usual cost barriers. VAST Data has brought something new to the market, and we’re pleased to be working with them in Europe to help them to further scale their business.” fiveyearsout.com OpenText data protection and cybersecurity companies Carbonite + Webroot have announced a new partnership with Exertis, which will be offering Carbonite and Webroot cyber resilience products to resellers through its dedicated Cyber Security division based in Stoke on Trent, as well as through its Cloud and JEM platforms. Bee Ahmed, Head of EMEA Channel at Carbonite + Webroot, said: “With the combined power of Carbonite + Webroot’s suite of business solutions, we are the only vendor to offer full cyber resilience. We are always looking for ways to help streamline operations for our partners, and this partnership will allow more businesses of all sizes to benefit from total endpoint protection and comprehensive disaster recovery.” www.exertis.co.uk Tech Data, a TD SYNNEX company is looking to extend the reach of MSI notebooks into the gaming and education sectors, after entering into a distribution agreement with the vendor. Jay Allen, Tech Data Business Unit Manager, PC Systems, UK and Ireland, said: “MSI’s gaming laptops have a reputation for top performance, distinctive looks, quality and reliability. It’s a fantastic addition to our portfolio and this agreement enables specialist retailer and webstore partners to take advantage of our exceptional distribution services and expert marketing and business development capabilities to support their growth ambitions. With the meteoric growth of PC gaming and eSports – especially in education – there are great opportunities out there.” https://uk.techdata.com/ As part of its strategy to enable partners to add value with select add-on solutions, Datech Solutions, the Autodesk-focused business of Tech Data, has expanded its offering with the ProModel AutoCAD Edition simulation-based, analytic decision support solution. This will enable partners addressing the architectural and mechanical sectors to provide a solution that their customers can use to define and simulate a process model, which can then be viewed, modified and finalised. Mike Appel, Senior Vice President, Datech Solutions, said: “Our agreement with ProModel enables Autodesk partners to enhance the value they offer to their customers, drive closer relationships and increase their own revenue potential. ProModel makes it easy to build realistic, effective simulation models within AutoCAD’s software tools and thus gain deeper insights and drive greater efficiency for manufacturing and construction projects.” www.TDSYNNEX.com Power protection company SurgeX has appointed Midwich Group as its exclusive partner in the UK and Ireland. Midwich Group companies, including Midwich, Invision, PSCo and Square One, will carry the entire surge elimination and UPS product range and provide channel partners with technical knowledge to assist with product specification, system infrastructure design and training. Midwich Division Director Ross Floyd said: “We look forward to talking to our customers about the full SurgeX offering at our upcoming ‘New Tech Open House’ event hosted at Innovation House on Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th March.” www.midwich.com Menlo Security has selected specialist IT cybersecurity distributor Distology to roll out products built on its Cloud Security Platform powered by Isolation Core. These include Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Menlo Private Access (MPA) for Zero Trust, Cloud Data Leak Prevention (DLP), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Remote Browser Isolation (RBI), and Email Link & Attachment Isolation. Lance Williams, Chief Product Officer at Distology, said: “Web-based applications and communication tools have become the norm and it’s the responsibility of each organisation to ensure their multi-cloud environments are safe and secure to protect both their people and the business. Educating employees using cybersecurity awareness training and/or integrated human layer security (such as Zivver, Tessian, Egress) are great means of defence. However, as malware tactics become even more sophisticated and subtle, it’s overly ambitious to expect people to be on their guard 24/7. “This is where a provider like Menlo Security, which will be offered to customers as part of Distology’s workspace security solution strategy, can help. Menlo Security is not your average web security company as its Isolation Core extracts threats away from networks, giving businesses a supersimple way to protect people by making online threats completely irrelevant, wherever employees are, however they’re working and whatever device they’re working on. How Menlo Security does this is a game-changer.” LED display manufacturer Absen has entered into its largest pan-EU distribution partnership with Maverick AV Solutions, a specialist division of Tech Data. The new route to market will see Maverick distribute Absen’s commercial and data visualisation display ranges in 16 territories across Europe, helping to broaden its reach within the corporate and digital signage sectors. Joan Aixa, Smart Signage Director at Maverick AV Solutions, said: “This is a landmark new partnership for Maverick as LED displays become more suited to a distribution model, with shorter delivery schedules and an exploding number of applications. Absen is the brand of choice for some of the most prominent companies, integration partners and rental businesses around the world. This collaboration will allow Absen to work with its current customers and vendor ecosystems and enter new customer segments, including high growth areas such as the meeting room and corporate environments.” Other smart meeting, smart signage brands distributed by Maverick include Logitech, Microsoft, Lenovo, Barco, Samsung, Epson, Vision, LG, NEC, HP, Sharp and Avocor. www.tdmaverick.eu ...continued Alexis Brabant, Arrow Electronics Bee Ahmed, Carbonite + Webroot Mike Appel, Tech Data

NEWS : RESELLERS technologyreseller.co.uk 09 Pictured (L-R): Kevin Ryan, Head of Corporate Development at Version 1 and John Dunnet from the Evoco leadership team Version 1 expands North-east footprint with Evoco acquisition and Newcastle tech hub Dublin-born technology and digital transformation provider Version 1 has acquired North-east service design and digital transformation specialists Evoco Digital Services for an undisclosed sum as part of its ambitious growth strategy. Version 1’s 13th acquisition to date follows the announcement that it is setting up a tech hub in Newcastle Upon Tyne, bringing 200 new jobs to the area over the next two years and enhancing the region’s digital skills base through its Accelerate Academy. Evoco will become part of the company’s UK Digital, Data and Cloud practice, adding specialist expertise in service design and digital transformation for public sector organisations. Based in the North-east of England and with a headcount of 41, Evoco is led by five directors – John Dunnet, Chris Hewitt, Peter Stansbury, Steve Walton and Enda McCormack – who will remain with the business following the merger and become an integral part of Version 1’s growth plans. To date, Evoco has delivered £8 million in savings to 18 public sector customers across 52 successful projects. Version 1 CEO Tom O’Connor said: “Version 1 is growing rapidly across the UK public sector with customers such as Highways England, Ofgem, Ordnance Survey, Home Office and Harrow Council to name a few. This latest acquisition consolidates our position as a market-leader in delivering Digital Transformation across the UK public sector and further afield.” The purchase of Evoco follows that of the 400-person digital services specialist Neueda in June 2021 – Version 1’s largest acquisition to date – which grew the business to more than 2,000 employees across operations in the UK, Ireland, Spain and India, more than 500 customers and projected revenues of €200 million this year. www.version1.com inTEC makes first acquisition outside the UK Manchester-based inTEC Group has started 2022 with a bang, announcing its ninth and tenth acquisitions and its first outside the UK. These are Firefly Cloud, a Glasgowbased telecoms business that has been providing voice, data, mobile and systems since 2002 and the Dublin-based MSP Provident Technology Limited. With its expertise in the design and implementation of IT managed services, IT infrastructure support, hosted collaboration and communication solutions, inTEC acquires telecoms and IT businesses and transforms them into full-service ICT solutions providers with an expanded product and service portfolio. John Malone, CEO of Provident Technology, said: “Provident Technology is excited to join the inTEC Group at a pivotal time in the growth of the company. Bringing a new Microsoft Gold Partner to the heavily consolidated Irish market will introduce some healthy competition. Provident and inTEC’s respective skills and services complement each other, and we have the opportunity to leverage each other’s expertise across the UKI market to accelerate group growth.” Derek Lewis, Director of Firefly Cloud, added: “Joining inTEC offers an exciting opportunity for Firefly to strengthen and expand its service offering in communications, security, infrastructure and support. inTEC’s acquisition of Firefly provides a major growth opportunity for both businesses through an extended service offering for all our clients.” www.weareintec.co.uk ECSC expansion plans supported by BOOST&Co ECSC, the Bradford-based cyber security consultancy, has secured a £1.5m loan from alternative lender BOOST&Co to fund its growth plans. Founded over 20 years ago, ECSC supports its clients by detecting and protecting against potential breaches and by providing an incident response service should a breach occur. As a provider of growth capital for UK SMEs, BOOST&Co has provided more than £500m in 130 deals, plus close to £200m under the government’s CBILS initiative to support SMEs during Covid-19. Gemma Basharan, Chief Financial Officer at ECSC Group, said: “This loan will support us in an exciting stage of growth and enable us to continue to provide the very best assistance to our clients, further cementing our reputation as a trusted cyber security provider to businesses of all sizes and needs.” boostandco.com Integrity360 partners with Varonis Data protection provider Varonis has taken on Integrity360 as its first Irish pure-play cybersecurity partner. As a Gold Varonis partner, Integrity360 will now offer the Varonis Data Security Platform to its customers and strengthen its capabilities in the areas of data protection, cybersecurity, threat detection and compliance. Varonis protects organisation’s mission-critical data on prem, in the cloud and across today’s most popular SaaS and IaaS apps and services with DatAdvantage Cloud. Organisations using Varonis know where their important data is stored, that only the right people have access to it, and that data is being used correctly. Varonis also reduces ransomware risk by decreasing the potential blast radius – everything an attacker can access with a compromised account or system – and by identifying and stopping the encryption process. Mark Wilcox, Varonis VP and General Manager, UK, Ireland and Germany, said: “Integrity360 and its customers now have access to enhanced tools and resources to quickly assess and prioritise data risk, lock down data to a least privilege or zero trust model, and guard against cyberthreats like ransomware. We look forward to working with the Integrity360 team to bring datafirst security to our joint customers, whether their data is on prem, in the cloud or hybrid.” Integrity360.com

01732 759725 NEWS : RESELLERS 10 HP extends partner sustainability programme HP has extended its Amplify Impact partner sustainability programme to an additional 24 countries, meaning that more than 10,000 partners in 43 companies can now join HP in having a meaningful impact on Climate Action, Human Rights and Digital Equity and generate valuable business in the process. HP claims that in FY2021, it secured more than $3.5 billion in new sales in which sustainability was a procurement criterion. The company has also added new features to the programme’s automated, modular sustainability planning platform, including Carbon Footprint and 360 Diversity Equity & Inclusion assessments and toolkits designed to inspire community volunteer projects, as well as launching an awards programme. HP aims to enrol at least 50% of HP Amplify partners on the voluntary programme by 2025. To date, 20% of HP’s partners have signed the HP Amplify Impact pledge. www.hp.com Ancoris helps customers go green Cloud services provider Ancoris, which helps businesses innovate and transform through the use of Google Cloud, is enabling customers to add carbon footprint reduction to their cloud migration and IT modernisation planning with the launch of its new Ancoris GreenLab service. Created by Ancoris to help organisations understand the carbon impact of migrating to the Cloud from on-premise and hosted IT deployments, GreenLab also quantifies the financial business case. Ancoris CEO Andre Azevedo said: “I believe that our GreenLab solution is the best way for Ancoris to have a wider impact on sustainability beyond our own organisation, by helping as many companies as possible to add carbon footprint reduction to their migration business case. This can be up to 80% depending on where you run your workloads today.” https://www.ancoris.com/greenlab Neil Muller Digital Space appointed BT Wholesale Elite Partner Technology platform and solutions provider Digital Space has reached the highest level of the BT Wholesale partner programme, becoming one of just a handful Elite partners in the UK. BT Wholesale Partner Plus categorises partners in three tiers – Partner, Premium and Elite –on a points-based system centred around growth, revenue and the partner’s ability to deliver BT’s services to customers. Neil Muller, CEO of Digital Space, said: “By achieving Elite status, we now have an even stronger foundation to provide trusted technical advice and deliver unrivalled results. Our access to BT Wholesale’s early access programme allows our customers to benefit from a truly unique and exclusive customer experience. During a time of considerable digital innovation, such as the PSTN Switch Off, we can help customers respond fast to evolving technological change to meet demand, gain competitive advantage and drive future success.” www.digitalspace.co.uk n Digital Space has selected Mind (for the first time), long-term customer St John Ambulance and local homeless charity Newark Emmaus Trust as the focus for its fund-raising activities in 2022. Last year, the organisation raised £20,000 for its nominated charities and it is aiming to exceed that figure this year. Kyndryl and Pure team up Kyndryl, the world’s largest IT infrastructure services provider, and storage as-a-service pioneer Pure Storage have announced a global alliance to deliver mission-critical capabilities to enterprises. The alliance will see Kyndryl expand its Pure skills and capabilities and become a key delivery partner for Pure, including the delivery of jointly optimised solutions that address the challenges enterprises face in relation to application and infrastructure modernisation, automation, multi-cloud management and containerisation. All new and enhanced joint offerings can be delivered as-aservice and charged on a consumption basis. www.kyndryl.com UK first for Softcat and Trend Micro Softcat, a long-time Gold partner of Trend Micro Incorporated, has become the first UK and Ireland partner to be promoted to the Platinum tier of the cloud security company’s partner programme. Its elevation follows triple digit year-on-year growth in revenue from Trend Micro solutions and services and the addition of numerous new logos. www.trendmicro.com • www.softcat.com Capita agrees sale of Trustmarque As part of a strategy to reduce its debt by selling a number of non-core businesses, Capita, the consulting, transformation and digital services business, has agreed to sell IT services and solutions provider Trustmarque to One Equity Partners for £111m on a cash free, debt free basis. Taking into account cash-like and debtlike items, Capita expects to receive net proceeds of circa £115m at completion. An additional £3m is receivable by Capita contingent on certain future events. The sale of Trustmarque, following those of software businesses AMT Sybex and Secure Solutions and Services, will strengthen Capita’s balance sheet and enable it to focus on its two core divisions of Capita Public Service and Capita Experience. The proceeds from these three sales mean that Capita has already reached its target of £700m in total disposal proceeds by June 2022. Capita CEO Jon Lewis said: “We are now focused on selling the remaining businesses in our Portfolio division, with the goal of disposing of the majority by the end of 2022.” Trustmarque, erstwhile technology pillar of Capita’s Portfolio division, provides software and hardware re-sale, IT managed services, IT professional services, unified communications, testing and quality assurance and security penetration testing. Its net reported revenue and profit before tax for the year to 31 December 2020 were £122m and £16m respectively. www.capita.com • www.trustmarque.com Andre Azevedo

technologyreseller.co.uk 11 NEWS : DISTRIBUTORS Creating a recipe for success. The idea of becoming your own provider may seem daunting. That’s why our dedicated support and sales teams are always on hand. Our Service Provider model ensures that you have all of the ingredients for success. To find out more information on how we can help you take the next step, visit: www.nta.co.uk

12 01732 759725 IT CHANNEL What are the opportunities and challenges in unified communications in 2022? To find out Nuvias UC, the Unified Communications business of the Nuvias Group, polled more than 1,500 IT decision-makers in the UK, Benelux, Sweden, France, Spain and Italy Almost half (45%) of UK respondents feel UC helps enhance business continuity. Hybrid working boost Continued spending on UC is also being driven by new hybrid working models as organisations need a flexible UC infrastructure to simultaneously accommodate remote and in-office operations. For example, 43% of UK respondents say users within their business would like better integration tools or communication tools that work easily on any device. Seamless UC can also help overcome some of the risks associated with a hybrid working model, including a cultural divide between in-office and remote workers (cited by 73%) and the formation of cliques (cited by 53%). More positively, 55% of UK respondents believe modern UC can help improve work-life balance for employees. Plugging the skills gap Vendors make much of the extent to which businesses have come to rely on MSPs and resellers as trusted partners to guide them on their transformation journey, and this view is supported by Nuvias UC’s poll. More than four in 10 UK respondents (41%) said they had noticed a lack of IT and technical skills within their in-house IT teams over the last 18 months, with 55% turning to IT consultants for advice on UC challenges and 50% relying on IT resellers for technical expertise. Reseller opportunity With 38% of respondents citing technical complexity as one of the biggest barriers to the success of a unified communications deployment, Nuvias UC CEO Jeremy Keefe believes there is enormous potential for resellers to increase their value to customers. He said: “There is a clear opportunity for IT resellers to optimise on post-pandemic demand through taking a consultancy-led approach and establishing themselves as the technical experts on all things UC. Building close relationships with these experts will separate the leaders from the laggards when it comes to businesses achieving seamless communication and collaboration in a post-pandemic era.” www.nuvias-uc.com Spending surge Not surprisingly, 67% of UK respondents said that in the past 18 months their spending on unified communications was more than they had planned for. This trend looks set to continue, with 47% of UK respondents expecting to exceed original spending plans this year. For some, this is to make up for under-investment over the last two years: 22% of UK IT decisionmakers cited not investing enough to start with as their biggest regret about their digital transformation during the pandemic. Preparing for the worst Almost nine out of 10 respondents (89%) claim collaboration tools had a positive impact on how their employees coped with the transition to remote working during the pandemic. With 45% citing another wave of the pandemic as one of the biggest challenges IT teams and IT resellers will face in the next 12 months, there is a strong case for continued investment in modern UC tools, if only for business continuity reasons. Nuvias report highlights opportunities in UC Channel businesses put focus on resilience New Agilitas report highlights a more proactive approach from IT resellers Resilience is a key focus for UK IT channel leaders in 2022, according to CONNECT for Stronger Resilience, the latest report in Agilitas IT Solutions’ channel insight series CONNECT – Voice of the Channel. This reveals that 90% of UK IT Channel leaders give resilience a score of 7 or above out of a possible 10, where 10 is very important. IT resellers appear to be taking the most proactive approach to resilience, with 66% planning for it on at least a quarterly basis. This was followed by MSPs (60%), with almost a third (29%) planning on an annual basis; general technology solution providers (58%); IT distributors (54%); and independent software providers (49%). In the most recent Channel Confidence Index: New Horizons from Agilitas, decision-makers were optimistic about IT Channel businesses’ ability to build a resilient business model to survive external factors, with an overall score of 7.4 out of 10. This confidence is being driven from the top-down, with 45% of all CEO/MDs surveyed giving 10 out of 10 for confidence in the channel’s resilience. Agilitas found that COVID-19 has forced decision-makers to put significantly more emphasis on future resilience plans, with 80% giving it a rating of between 7 and 10. Of this number, almost one quarter (24%) gave it a maximum score of 10. Shaun Lynn, CEO of Agilitas, said: “The last two years have taught us a valuable lesson in what it means to be resilient, both in business and everyday life. For the UK IT Channel, there is no doubt that this change has forced leaders to place a sharp focus on how they ensure the safety of their business and plan for any eventuality that might impact their people, planet and partners. It is hugely positive to see decision-makers show such commitment to growing stronger, more adaptable and buoyant in a world of continuous change. Should the sentiment in our findings become reality, we are certainly on the precipice of a more resilient and sustainable ecosystem.” www.agilitas.co.uk Jeremy Keefe, Nuvias

Made with FlippingBook

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDUxNDM=