v55 · 2022 www.technologyreseller.co.uk THE MAGAZINE & ONLINE CHANNEL RESOURCE FOR MSPS, IT RESELLERS & IT SUPPORT PROVIDERS PAGE 27 Q&A TR AWARDS DISTRIBUTION PAGE 38 PAGE 19 With Paul Eccleston, Exclusive Networks, Managing Director UK & Ireland Eurostar Global Electronics dials up growth with new warehouse opening Technology Reseller Awards 2023 now open for your entries
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technologyreseller.co.uk 03 If you no longer wish to receive Technology Reseller magazine please email your details to [email protected] COMMENT By the time you read this, the Technology Reseller Awards 2023 website (www.technologyresellerawards.co.uk) should be open for entries. We had a bumper crop of submissions for our inaugural Technology Reseller Awards last year and I am looking forward to even more this year, not least because we have added a handful of new awards in areas that I know are close to the hearts of many in our industry. One I am particularly excited about is DEI Champion of the Year. I know a lot of you have been investing in this area, launching new initiatives and putting resources into creating workplaces that give all employees the opportunity to fulfil their potential. Employees benefit from this focus and so do employers who desperately need to attract and retain skilled workers. In our interview on page 38, Paul Eccleston, Exclusive Networks’ newly appointed Managing Director for UK & Ireland, highlights staff retention as one of his main priorities, which he says is not just about pay and conditions but also about enabling staff and giving them the opportunity to develop. He picked quite a time to take the helm of a successful, growing business, but seems confident about the company’s prospects despite the all the problems afflicting the UK economy. As he says: “What’s not going to change in anything we’ve looked at is the need for increased levels of cybersecurity, and that’s principally what we do.” Many others in this industry will feel the same way. In fact, if the latest Datto Global State of the MSP Report from Kaseya is to be believed, 97% of MSPs already offer some form of managed security service (see page 16 for more details). Another company that might be able to face today’s challenges with confidence is IGEL (see page 25), which has finally exited the thin client hardware market so that it can focus 100% on software. Simon Townsend, the company’s new Field CTO for EMEA, says the move will help customers stop seeing IGEL as a piece of thin client hardware and instead see it as ‘an operating system that can go on any device as an alternative to Windows and provide the best, most secure and cost-effective way of getting access to a cloud-delivered workspace’. The fact that it can be loaded on old devices, giving them a second life and saving users from having to invest in new devices, is likely to win it many more fans as businesses attempt to cut costs and shrink their carbon footprint. But enough of that, don’t let me distract you from your Technology Reseller Award entries – or at least reading about the categories and deadlines on page 19. 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 v55 · 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] Account Manager: Jeff Root 01732 759725 · [email protected] Art Director: Nick Pledge 07767 615983 · [email protected] ISSN 2632-9301 (Print) ISSN 2632-931X (Online) 04 What’s New The month’s best new products and services 06 Distributor News Pax 8 opens new EMEA HQ in Bristol 07 Working Together This month’s round-up of new distribution agreements 10 Reseller News Auxilion to make multi-million pound investment in UK 16 MSPs Key findings from Datto’s latest State of the MSP report, plus new services tailormade for MSPs 19 Technology Reseller Awards 2023 What you need to know about the 2023 awards 25 Cloud Workspaces IGEL becomes 100% software business with thin client exit 27 Distribution Eurostar Global Electronics lays ground for transformative growth with opening of 43,000 sq ft warehouse 30 Cover Story Ingram Micro showcases new LED division and new UCC relationships at inaugural Festival of Technology 34 MFPs HP eases servicing burden for managed print service providers 38 Q&A With Paul Eccleston, Managing Director UK & Ireland, Exclusive Networks 42 People New faces, new places www.trawards.co.uk
To mark the launch of its new electric bike brand Peddle, technology distributor Exertis has pledged to donate £10 to Mental Health UK for every bike sold between now and next summer. The range includes four models – the Peddle Go, Peddle Step, Peddle Ride and Peddle Pro – each of which comes with more than £500 of pre-loaded features, plus £150 of accessories. These include an LCD display with Bluetooth and app integration, so riders can track their speed and distance and follow turn-by-turn navigation; puncture-resistant and reflective tyres (not on Pro); pannier racks; mudguards; front and rear lights; gel saddle and seat suspension. https://www.peddlelife.co.uk/ What’s New Get Peddling Plug and play 5G broadband Three UK has launched a 5G-powered Business Broadband solution as an alternative to fixed line broadband, with average download speeds of more than 100Mbps and prices starting at just £14.17 per month (ex VAT). Snehal Bhudia, Director of Business Propositions & Go To Market for Three UK, said: “Everyone knows that a strong reliable internet connection is absolutely vital for SMEs, but often those connections are neither convenient nor great value for money. That’s why we’ve introduced a broadband connection that runs on 5G, meaning no waiting for roads to be dug up or engineers running wires through the walls, simply plug and play out of the box. All for less than the cost of fixed line alternatives with similar speeds.” Field work The all-new Algiz 10XR ultra-rugged 10-inch Windows tablet from Handheld Group, part of MilDef, brings enhanced performance and IP65 and MIL-STD durability to field work and challenging environments in logistics, mining, public transport, public safety, waste management and GIS. Despite being smaller and lighter than predecessors, the tablet is claimed to have two times better graphics, measurably faster performance and future-proof 5G communications for live video streams and bandwidth-heavy tasks like mapping. The Algiz 10XR is available with NFC and barcode scanner options and multiple accessories, including carry cases, vehicle cradles, pole mounts, extended batteries and a vehicle dock with antenna pass-through for both GPS and Wi-Fi. www.handheldgroup.com More secure authentication New from digital agreements security company OneSpan, the DIGIPASS CX range of cloud-connected identity verification devices offers a more secure alternative to authentication by username and password or multifactor authentication based on email or SMS. It achieves this through a combination of next generation identity and authentication, including high-security fingerprint biometrics, and secure remote updates that enable organisations to react to new threats or changing business needs. Users can log in or authorise transactions and agreements on a desktop, laptop or smartphone and select from multiple authentication protocols including the OneSpan secure DIGIPASS protocol. DIGIPASS CX devices are due to be launched in the second quarter of 2023. www.onespan.com Zoom contact centre Zoom is launching an omnichannel contact centre as a service (CCaaS) solution in the UK and Ireland ahead of a roll-out to other countries in EMEA. Previously only available in the US, Zoom Contact Center, with built-in video capabilities, enables businesses to engage with customers over voice, chat, SMS and video and switch from one channel to another during a call. Features include a waiting room where callers can view videos and documents; advanced skills-based routing; a conversational AI chatbot; integrations with applications such as Salesforce, Zendesk and ServiceNow; and agent monitoring, reporting and analytics. Zoom Contact Center also incorporates a UC platform for easy collaboration between agents, supervisors and other employees including Zoom Team Chat. www.zoom.us OneDrive protection WithSecure (formerly F-Secure Business) has added advanced protection for Microsoft OneDrive for Business to its cloud-based security platform WithSecure Elements. Available for implementation in-house or as a service from an MSP, WithSecure Elements gives organisations the flexibility to pick and choose from a variety of modules, including endpoint protection, endpoint detection and response, vulnerability management and collaboration protection. The latter provides protection for cloud-based collaboration applications, such as Microsoft 365, Salesforce and now Microsoft OneDrive for Business. Files are scanned as they are uploaded to OneDrive or modified, with any suspect files run in an isolated cloud sandboxing environment where malicious content can be safely blocked or removed. www.withsecure.com INNOVATIONS 01732 759725 04 Snehal Bhudia
technologyreseller.co.uk 05 The modular seven Interactive display and video conferencing company Avocor is launching a range of modular room solutions in partnership with Logitech. CollabTouch collaboration solutions marry Avocor E and G series displays with Logitech video collaboration room kits and work seamlessly with the customer’s preferred UC software application. Unlike most all-in-one display solutions, the seven CollabTouch configurations can be tailored to meet the specifications of any room and give users the freedom to repurpose gear and swap components to make the most of any space without replacing the entire room kit. www.avocor.com More natural VR Announced at Meta Connect 2022, the Meta Quest Pro is the first in a new class of VR headsets featuring an all-new design with guided Fit Adjustment for comfort. Other enhancements include high-resolution sensors that enable digital content and the real world to be shown together in full-colour mixed reality and eye tracking and Natural Facial Expressions for more reactive avatars. All of this, claims Meta, makes Meta Quest Pro the perfect device for collaborating and working more naturally in VR. The $1,499.99 price tag includes a headset, two selftracking controllers, stylus tips, partial light blockers and a charging dock. meta.com Remanufacturing as a service Circular Computing has launched an industry-first Remanufacturing-as-aService (RaaS) to help organisations give a second life to their laptops, including enterprises with a large installed base, leasing companies with their own owned products, system integrators/ resellers and OEMs. The carbon neutral remanufacturer will take in laptop estates from these organisations and give them a second life via its BSI Kitemarkcertified remanufacturing process at a fixed cost of £150 per laptop. Circular Computing says the as-a-service model will enable companies to lower their IT procurement costs by up to 70%, cut their Scope 3 emissions and mitigate supply chain issues, as Circular Computing remanufactures existing products to ‘equal or better than new’. www.circularcomputing.com Better connected Brother UK has upgraded its P-touch desktop label printer range with enhanced connectivity and new models for intermediate (the PT-D460BT) and advanced (PT-D610BT) applications, as businesses turn to professional labellers for help in organising hybrid workspaces. Brother Product and Solutions Manager Aaron Hopkinson said: “We’re seeing significant growth in demand for professional labellers as more people are using the office within hybrid working models. Speaking to customers, it’s clear that workplace organisation is a challenge, especially following the explosion in flexible working arrangements. The upgraded range ensures we offer a solution to every labelling challenge, whether it’s identifying equipment like headphones and laptops or identifying storage containers in a warehouse or tidying up cables in a home office.” With QWERTY keyboards and LED screens, all devices can be used as standalone labellers as well as connected ones. www.brother.co.uk Turn handwriting into text Laserfiche, the SaaS provider of content management and business process automation, has added intelligent data handwriting recognition to Laserfiche Cloud, enabling organisations to extract handwritten text from forms and document for processing as digital data in business process automation. This follows the addition of new intelligent capture capabilities earlier this year including full-text searchability of audio and video files stored in Laserfiche, including voicemails and recordings of video meetings. Laserfiche.com Reusable cups Cauli, the reusable food packaging scheme, is building on the success of its reusable CauliBox lunchboxes with the launch of reusable and recyclable CauliCups. Made sustainably in the Czech Republic, the 100% polypropylene cups can be reused 400 times before being recycled into new products. They are currently available in 10oz and 12oz sizes, with a 16oz cup in the pipeline. Each year, 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups end up in landfill. www.wearecauli.com EE connected laptops EE has announced a new range of Connected Laptops that enable sole traders and micro-businesses to run their businesses from anywhere. The range brings together tools and capabilities from EE and BT and a choice of devices from Samsung, Lenovo and Acer paid for monthly over two and three-year plans. Connected Laptops come with a built-in 4G/5G SIM and mobile data plan; a choice of one ‘smart benefit’ from a list that includes Microsoft Office 365, entertainment options like Apple Music and BT Sport, and EE’s Roam Abroad pass; a free campaign on BT’s Digital Marketing Hub advertising platform; a free Square digital payment reader for contactless payments; and the reassurance of a Stay Connected Guarantee, Next Day Device Replacement and an Annual Device MOT. www.bt.com/about INNOVATIONS
01732 759725 06 NEWS : DISTRIBUTORS Pax8 opens EMEA HQ in Bristol Cloud marketplace Pax8 is continuing its two-year push into Europe with the opening of a new EMEA headquarters in Bristol. This follows the establishment of an office in Zwolle, Netherlands earlier this year. Pax8’s new multi-million-pound office in The Distillery, Bristol reinforces its commitment to the city and the talent within the region which helped it achieve 800% growth within one year of setting up operations in the city. John Street, CEO and Founder of Pax8, said: “It’s such an exciting time for Pax8 as we continue to expand across EMEA. Our presence in Bristol has opened so many doors to our success, and those prospects will only continue to grow with our fantastic new office. We also look forward to welcoming our partners and vendors to the space, which will generate further opportunities for collaboration and creativity in the Channel.” The new office provides an inclusive space with multipurpose break-out rooms, state-of-the-art boardrooms and spaces designed to support a strong team culture, staff wellbeing and diversity. Pax8, which earlier this year raised $185 million in new equity capital from investor SoftBank Vision Fund 2, increasing its valuation to $1.7 billion, has cloudenabled more than 350,000 enterprises through its channel, including almost 3,500 partners in EMEA. pax8.com RS Components win Electronics and maintenance products distributor RS Components was amongst the winners at the 8th annual Talend Data Masters Awards announced by the data integration and management company at its virtual Talend Connect conference on October 18. The global awards honour companies that have implemented Talend to derive value from data and increase business agility and effectiveness. In its case, RS Components is using Talend to improve data governance within its operations and to meet customer needs better through data-driven insights. www.talend.com Distributors earn high marks from resellers Resellers continue to rate the vast majority of services provided by their distributors extremely highly, continuing several years of strong performance, according to the latest annual ChannelWatch report from CONTEXT. The IT market intelligence company asked 5,308 B2B and B2C resellers of all sizes in Europe, Turkey and South Africa to give marks out of five for distributors’ performance in 14 key areas, including billing, pre-sales, product availability, customer portals, supply chain & configuration services and financial and field support. Most areas achieved a score of around 4, which is consistent with results since 2020 when there was a notable uptick from the year before in areas including training and certification, channel incentive programmes, configuration services and field and financial support. The only area where the average score has failed to rise above 3.5 over the last three years is ‘lead generation to help secure new customers’. Adam Simon, CONTEXT Global Managing Director, said: “We know that many distributors are currently investing in how to help their resellers in this area, for example through more intelligent use of data to identify new opportunities. It’s clearly an area where resellers look to them for help and feel that they could do better.” www.contextworld.com Lyreco launches 2023 microbusiness support programme Lyreco UK & Ireland, a distributor of workplace products and services, is relaunching its award-winning Microbusiness Support Programme under the new name of the Lyreco Goodness Support Programme. After awarding ten companies support packages with a combined value of £250,000 in 2021, it is now opening applications to the 2023 programme from micro businesses and social enterprises in the UK and Ireland. Winning applicants will each be offered a business and marketing support package worth £25,000/€29,000. This includes a bespoke page on the Lyreco webshop, external marketing and communication support, a free catalogue listing of up to 10 products or services, preferred payment days, access to the Lyreco salesforce, a dedicated account manager and 12-months of ongoing business support. The scheme is aimed at businesses, including social enterprises for the first time, that align with Lyreco’s CSR and environmental credentials and provide products and services in a similar field (PPE, hygiene, catering supplies, office furniture, workplace technology and general office supplies). Lyreco’s original Microbusiness Support Programme won the Best Private Sector Project Award at the 2022 National Social Value Awards. Jake Elliott-Hook, Director of successful 2021 applicant S’wheat, creators of reusable plant-based water bottles, said: “Lyreco’s programme is a great opportunity for start-ups who are looking to scale their business and find new business opportunities. The connections we’ve made since joining the programme have become an invaluable asset to our company.” https://why.lyreco.com/lyrecogoodness/supplier-support-programme/ support-programme-apply/ EU approval for Infinigate to acquire Nuvias EU authorities have officially approved Infinigate’s acquisition of Nuvias. The acquisition establishes Infinigate as a pan-European leader in cybersecurity, secure networking and secure cloud and significantly boosts its presence in the UK, France, Benelux and Nordics. The Unified Communications business of Nuvias Group (Nuvias UC) is not part of the transaction and will remain a separate entity under the continued ownership of Rigby Private Equity. Rigby Group will be a shareholder in the Infinigate Group which, with its acquisitions of Nuvias, Vuzion (31 August) and Starlink (4 October) now has more than 1,100 dedicated personnel and estimated Group turnover of €2.2 billion in 2023. Adam Simon
technologyreseller.co.uk 07 WORKING TOGETHER Northamber plc has signed an agreement with ViewSonic Europe to distribute the latter’s complete range of ViewSonic workspace, portable and gaming monitors, interactive displays, large format displays and projectors from January 2023. Peter Dosanjh, AV Director at Northamber, said: “The new distribution agreement will deliver significant benefits to our reseller partners, combining the quality of ViewSonic’s product portfolio with our high level of technical, finance, logistics and marketing support.” www.northamberav.com CMS Distribution is now offering Infinidat software-defined storage architecture solutions to CMS partners and customers in the UK and Ireland. CMS says Infinidat provides a better and faster way to store and protect multiple petabytes of data, with the highest possible availability and comprehensive cyber storage resilience, all at the lowest possible cost. Stefan Ferrari, Enterprise Solutions Manager at CMS Distribution, said: “This is a truly innovative product that tackles the challenges of traditional tier 1 storage and can be a real disruptive force with large scale storage customers who want resilient, high-performance storage.” www.cmsdistribution.com Exertis is partnering with Australian software-as-a-service provider CT4 to bring its data backup services to resellers across the UK. CT4, formerly Canopy Tools, offers data protection services to simplify data control and safety processes, including Cirrus automated backup software for Microsoft 365 to protect clients’ data from accidental deletion or ransomware. Exertis Cloud Services Director Rik Hubbard said: “The Cirrus Backup service forms a key part of helping our partners protect their customers’ Microsoft 365 data against accidental loss or malicious actors. The All You Can Eat value of the service makes this a simple bolt-on to any user licence.” www.exertis.co.uk TD SYNNEX has added the consumer line-up of Amazon Fire TV sticks, Fire tablets and Kindle e-readers to its product offering for retailers and Working together This month’s round-up of new distribution agreements continued... Rik Hubbard, Exertis TD SYNNEX drops Tech Data name in UK, Europe and LAC TD SYNNEX has formally dropped the Tech Data name from its branding in Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), replacing the formula Tech Data, a TD SYNNEX Company, which it had used since its acquisition of Tech Data in 2021, with TD SYNNEX. Now, the only place where the legacy branding will still be used is the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, with the exception of Japan. Rich Hume, CEO of TD SYNNEX, said: “This is a special moment of celebration as we launch the TD SYNNEX brand in Europe and LAC. In this new phase, we will double down on our commitment to deliver higher value to our ecosystem of partners through our end-to-end technology portfolio and our comprehensive services offerings, all underpinned by the passion, commitment and deep knowledge of our 22,000+ co-workers around the world.” Recent services enhancements in the UK include: n Authorisation to fulfil Dell Professional Services contracts for server or storage products sold by reseller partners in the UK after attaining extensive technical accreditations from the vendor. Services range from pre-sales consultancy and support to chargeable post-sales implementation, maintenance and servicing. n The launch of a fully automated process that enables Lenovo partners to respond faster to special bid requests for quotes on notebooks and PCs. Bid applications made on Lenovo’s website, where TD SYNNEX is named as the preferred distribution partner, are sent directly into TD SYNNEX’s system, with confirmation of special bid prices sent within minutes. n The launch with IoT solutions provider Vodafone Innovus of connected solutions for the monitoring and tracking of refrigerated units. Combining IoT sensors, connectivity, a web portal and back-end solutions for monitoring, data collection and analysis and specialist pre-sales support and technical assistance, they include Connected Cabinets (for distributed networks of refrigerated devices), Mobile Asset Tracking (for refrigerated containers that are being transported or moved) and Easy Fleet (for vehicle tracking). All three can be deployed independently or as part of an end-to-end, integrated system with remote monitoring and alerting done by the customer or offered by partners as a managed service. n An enhanced collaboration with enterprise open source solutions provider Red Hat that enables independent software vendors (ISVs) in Europe to fast track their Red Hat offerings with a standardised process for program access and consistent, streamlined execution across the region. Kevin Bland, director, EMEA partner ecosystem, Red Hat, said: “ISVs have always been an important part of our ecosystem. Working with TD SYNNEX, we hope to make it easier and faster for ISVs to scale their businesses with platforms such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat OpenShift as well as our extensive application services offerings.” https://uk.tdsynnex.com/ Westcoast to merge with KOMSA KOMSA AG in Germany and Westcoast (Holdings) Ltd in the UK have agreed to establish an ICT sales alliance, making them Europe’s largest private sales, marketing and service partner for global brands in the technology sector, with a combined turnover of more than EUR 5.5 billion and more than 400 technology partners and 30,000 retail partners. The merger of the two companies, with Westcoast gradually taking over the shares of KOMSA’s founders by 2025 at the latest, will give Westcoast access to the growing German market and KOMSA access to markets in the UK, Ireland and France, where it has not been significantly active to date, while also adding IT capabilities to its existing expertise in telecommunications. KOMSA intends to use this regional expansion to strengthen its business relationships with technology partners and to market the lease and operation of smartphones (deviceas-a-service) on an international scale. Joe Hemani, Chairman and Founder of Westcoast, said: “In combination with the logistical strength of both companies, the joint technology expertise to link IT and TC and the expertise around repair and refurbishment, we help industry, trade and business to participate in technological progress. KOMSA also contributes extensive knowledge in the area of unified communications into our partnership, and its specific know-how in setting up agile structures is of strategic importance for Westcoast.” The merger is still subject to approval by the competent authorities. The first closing is expected for January 2023. www.westcoast.co.uk Rich Hume
01732 759725 08 WORKING TOGETHER webstores, backed up by its range of specialist, logistics and financial services, including a Credit Elevator programme that enables partners to extend credit lines without having to re-apply for higher limits. Ryan Thomas, Business Unit Director – Consumer Electronics at TD SYNNEX, UK, said: “There is strong and growing demand for Amazon products to be sold and supported by trusted independent retailers and this will make it easier for our partners to access and offer Amazon products and take advantage of all the value-added services TD SYNNEX offers to grow their business.” www.TDSYNNEX.com Exertis Enterprise is bringing new levels of innovation and value to the enterprise storage market through a partnership with NGX Storage that gives businesses throughout EMEA a unified storage space of up to 20 petabytes under a single namespace, eliminating the need for multiple systems for different workloads. With NGX, the same system can be used for multiple protocols – block, file and object – across a range of performance requirements, from demanding transactional workloads that are extremely performancesensitive to archival applications that are highly sensitive to density and cost. NGX’s predictive analytics capabilities protect protocols from crashes and other issues through continuous automatic inspections for system errors, while the NGX Support Portal uses AI/ML to provide insights, guidance and actions to help businesses improve system availability, security and performance. www.exertis.co.uk Following its recent $70 million Series C funding, AppOmni has appointed Exclusive Networks company Ignition Technology as its first EMEA distribution partner with a remit to spearhead channel recruitment and stimulate enterprise demand for its SaaS security platform. Alongside this move, it is rolling out its INFINITY partner programme to help partners in EMEA increase their SaaS security capabilities and expertise and differentiate themselves in a crowded cybersecurity market. Dave Risk, Country Manager UK&I at Ignition Technology, an Exclusive Networks company and security distributor for the SaaS world, said: “Global SaaS sales are predicted to reach $176 billion this year. However, many organisations lack the knowledge, skills and tools to secure these environments. This is a massive opportunity for channel partners and with AppOmni’s SaaS security solution they are well equipped to help clients fully secure their SaaS ecosystems.” www.ignition-technology.com Following its acquisition by global investment firm Permira in May, email and collaboration security company Mimecast is strengthening its focus on Europe via a new distribution agreement with Exclusive Networks. To support the partnership, Exclusive Networks is building a dedicated Mimecast team with the aim of increasing new business by more than 50% over the next two years. The agreement initially covers the UK and Ireland, the Middle East and Israel, with possible expansion into other regions in 2023. Arrow Electronics has strengthened its security offering on Arrowsphere with the addition of data backup, business continuity, disaster recovery and threat detection solutions from Assured Data Protection, the largest Rubrik MSP and the first MSP to receive official Rubrik Authorised Support Partner accreditation. Built on Rubrik technology, Assured products are available through a flexible capex or opex model, with full visibility via the ProtectView management platform. Rob Mackle, Managing Director, EMEA for Assured Data Protection, said: “Our offerings not only make it easier for channel partners to provision our managed services, but also for customers to purchase services in whatever financial model works for them.” fiveyearsout.com Cybersecurity VAD e92plus is helping MSPs deliver enterprise-grade security to the mid-market profitably and at scale through a new partnership with Censornet, provider of an integrated cloud security platform that frees partners from having to juggle multiple point products by integrating web, cloud and email security with Identity and Access Management. Censornet, which already offers MSPs easy-to-use tiering for any channel model and unlimited admin users, straightforward management, provisioning and billing, as well as security awareness training, plans to expand its MSP offering throughout Q4 and Q1 2023 in response to growing demand for managed services caused by the cybersecurity skills shortage. Jamie Pearce, Sales Director of e92plus, said: “There is a strong demand for solutions that aren’t just cloud-native, but MSP-native. The Censornet platform is built for MSPs to help reduce their operational and management costs without compromising security, and with a range of products that can consolidate their existing toolset. The drive from VARs to build a managed service practice, or even just migrate customers to a consumptionbilling model, makes Censornet the perfect addition to our portfolio.” www.e92plus.com Cymulate, provider of a cybersecurity risk validation and exposure management platform, has appointed Exclusive Networks as its first multi-region distribution partner, following its $70m Series D funding in September. The agreement covering APAC and EMEA will enable Cymulate to scale its channel operations in those regions and raise awareness of its platform. Denis Ferrand-Ajchenbaum, SVP Global Business Development and Ecosystems at Exclusive Networks, said: “Today, more than ever, it is imperative for organisations to have full visibility across the entire cyber kill chain to protect IT and cloud environments and safeguard critical data from attack. With the Cymulate platform seamlessly integrating with a number of our existing security vendor solutions, including XDR and SOAR systems, partners will be able to generate cross-selling opportunities within existing customer accounts to drive incremental revenues.” Arrow Electronics has expanded its relationship with Sophos by adding its security products and services to the ArrowSphere cloud delivery and management platform and by signing a new distribution agreement with Sophos in Ireland. The addition of a suite of API-ready products from Sophos’ business portfolio to ArrowSphere gives channel partners in the UK, France and Austria access to a choice of cybersecurity tools that can be rolled out across customers. Channel partners can also manage Sophos products in the cloud-native Sophos Central platform or via Sophos MDR, a dedicated 24/7 threat hunting, detection, investigation and response service. fiveyearsout.com Working together This month’s round-up of new distribution agreements Ryan Thomas, TD SYNNEX, UK Dave Risk, Ignition Technology continued...
technologyreseller.co.uk 09 NEWS : Distributors Brother Genuine Supplies Worth it every time. Brother’s Genuine Supplies are as reliable as they come, with more consistent performance and a longer lifespan. Meaning you can use fewer cartridges and reduce the amount of waste you produce. They’re much safer than non-genuine supplies too. It’s a dierence you’ll appreciate every time you need to print. brotherzone.co.uk/worth-it-every-time Worth it every time.
01732 759725 10 NEWS : RESELLERS Auxilion to make multi-million pound investment in UK Ireland-based Auxilion, a provider of managed services and IT solutions for the public sector, construction, insurance, renewable energy, maritime and healthcare sectors, has announced a £15m investment package for the North of England as part of a three-year expansion strategy. The company, which already operates in Sheffield, Telford and Warrington, is making the investment to strengthen its presence in the UK, expand its partner ecosystem and meet rising demand for managed services, modern and hybrid workplace solutions, digital transformation strategies, ICT development, Business Process Optimisation solutions, resourcing and project governance services. Key elements of Auxilion’s UK expansion plan include: n An increase in its existing UK workforce by 60 people over the next two years; n A 60% increase in floor space at its Services Centre of Excellence in Sheffield, which delivers 24/7 support to customers in the public and private sectors including Dell, HP Inc, BT, Canford Health, Applegreen and Mainstream Renewable Power; and n The acquisition of a mid-tier IT service provider within the next three years. Earlier this year, Auxilion announced that it is on course to grow its revenues by 25% this year to more than £40million. Philip Maguire, CEO of Auxilion, said: “Our acquisition plans and this significant investment show how committed we are to expanding our presence in the UK market, where we have operated for more than 20 years. By taking advantage of the talent pool in the north of England and acquiring a like-minded, similarly aligned company we can lead digital change and make a real impact.” https://www.auxilion.com/ SCC and Panasonic extend relationship IT systems integrator SCC is extending its successful working relationship with Panasonic TOUGHBOOK to bring tailored mobile computing solutions to the UK’s Emergency Services. Together, the two companies will develop Emergency Services Network-ready solutions based on SCC’s wrap-around support services and Panasonic’s modular, rugged notebook, tablet and handheld devices, including ESN-ready Mobile Data Terminals for the fire and ambulance services, demountable devices for firefighters to access critical safety and rescue information and tablets to help police officers spend more time in their communities. Chris Jump, Branch Manager for Police, Central Government and Defence at SCC, said: “The combination of Panasonic TOUGHBOOK’s reliable mobile computing technology and SCC’s proven wrap around services, such as Break/Fix, onsite repair services, specialist installation and innovative As a Service solutions, already makes us a powerful IT partnership for the Emergency Services. This closer working relationship allows us to build on that success by developing innovative new ESN-ready solutions as the new network comes online.” https://www.scc.com/police/ Billing People Award winners The Billing People Awards celebrated the achievements of billing professionals throughout the ICT channel at its first standalone awards ceremony held at the Soho Hotel in London last month. The Awards, launched in 2020 and previously part of the Billing People Summit, are run by Billing People, a free to join membership body that champions the work of the channel’s billing professionals. This year’s Awards attracted a record number of entries and saw the introduction of five new categories, including awards for ‘Billing Hero’ and ‘Customer Experience Champion’. Congratulations to all the winners: n Billing Hero – Lily Comms n Ones to Watch – SSE/OVO n MSP Billing Team of the Year – Arrow Business Communications n Wholesaler Billing Team of the Year – Eclipse Wholesale n Commitment to Customer Ser vice – Tailor Made Technologies n Billing Return on Investment – Adept Technology Group n Customer Experience Champion – Boxx Communications n Billing Revenue Growth Champion – ITS Technology Group n Billing Empowerment – Southern Communications n Continuous Billing Ser vice Leader – Southern Communications Billing People was founded by Union Street and the company continues to support the organisation as its platinum sponsor. Union Street Managing Director Vincent Disneur said: “The Billing People Awards has once again proven to be a fantastic success. We’d like to thank all the entrants for their efforts, our judging panel for their diligence and our fellow sponsors, Audio Pro, Technology Reseller, Giacom and DWS, for lending their support to the event and helping to make it such an incredible occasion.” Billingpeople.com ATG targets private sector to power growth in 2023 Academia Technology Group (ATG) is aiming to build on a successful 2022 and power growth in 2023 by targeting the private sector and adding new services through acquisitions. The IT solutions and services business for the education, creative, public and private sectors enjoyed 34% year-on-year revenue growth to £114m in 2022 and a 29% increase in its headcount from 140 to 180 to support the delivery of its service portfolio from a new HQ in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. The company’s 2023 growth strategy is based on four pillars: the establishment of new vendor partnerships; an expansion of its customer base in the private sector, NHS and wider public sector; the addition of new services, especially in the areas of managed cyber security and IT asset disposal; and geographic expansion through the creation of regional hubs to support its managed service business for schools and wider availability of its fast growing IT asset recycling business. ATG will continue to invest in partnerships with sports clubs through which qualifying schools can claim free Acer devices and IT support services from ATG. Mark McCormack, Chief Commercial Officer at ATG, said: “We know from our sustained growth in the education sector that where we provide the right combination of services we’re seen as the long-term partner of choice for our clients. By growing the number of vendors we work with and diversifying our services to meet the evolving needs of our clients, we’ll be in a strong position to deliver on our ambitious growth plans in our current sectors of strength and in new ones such as cyber security services, sustainability and cloud storage solutions.” Mark McCormack Philip Maguire
WORKING TOGETHER technologyreseller.co.uk 11 AD SYMBIANT Needs updateing – tel number is wrong The next generation of Telecommunication Billing Software With our customisable and tailored SymBill billing solution, our team will help your business reach it’s full potential A truly independent billing provider serving the industry for over 20 years Accurate · Bespoke · Secure It’s not the strongest of the species that survives... but the most adaptable “ ” Charles Darwin Symbiant’s friendly support team will always make you feel like our most important client. To find out more visit: symbiant-technologies.com [email protected] 01227 455 002
01732 759725 NEWS : RESELLERS 12 OSF Digital makes sixth acquisition of 2022 OSF Digital, a provider of digital transformation services to companies worldwide, is strengthening its Salesforce multi-cloud expertise with its sixth acquisition of 2022. The acquisition of Oegen Ltd., a UK-based Salesforce consulting firm with expertise in Salesforce Experience Cloud, as well as Marketing Cloud, Sales Cloud, Service Cloud and B2B Commerce, will enable OSF Digital to establish a Salesforce Experience Cloud team in the UK and expand its multi-cloud centre of excellence and delivery team both in the UK and EMEA, where Oegen has a growing customer base. OSF Digital has over 2,200 employees and 49 offices worldwide, with over 1,000 Salesforce certifications and over 1,000 global clients, including Gatwick Airport and Marks and Spencer. osf.digital Tisski acquired by Node4 Node4, a cloud-led digital transformation MSP, is strengthening its Microsoft Enterprise Cloud Solutions capabilities with the acquisition of Tisski, a UKbased independent Microsoft Business applications partner focused on delivering enterprise cloud solutions using Dynamics 365, Power Platform and Azure Technologies. Founded in 2011, the Microsoft Gold Partner and Cloud Solutions Provider has 184 employees and a track record of success in the public sector. Its acquisition will allow Node4 to create a strong Microsoft Centre of Excellence and enhance its ability to help organisations move to secure, cloud-based platforms. Tisski, Node4’s third acquisition under principal investor Providence Equity Partners after those of TNP (The Nav People) and Azure-focused MSP Risual, brings the MSP’s headcount to more than 1,100 and its customer base to more than 2,000 organisations. www.node4.co.uk n Node4 has also announced the expansion of its country-wide Managed Azure Hybrid Cloud solution to meet growing demand from northern businesses. Launched in February this year, the service was initially accessed via Node4’s Northampton data centre. It will now also be available via the MSP’s Leeds data centre in closer proximity to customers in the company’s new UK North region, while providing additional UK-wide capacity and regional diversity to Node4’s infrastructure. Node4’s Managed Azure Hybrid Cloud solution aims to simplify hybrid cloud adoption by bringing Microsoft Azure technologies into the data centre and enabling customers to scale on demand without the long lead times often associated with hybrid infrastructure expansion. It also introduces modern Azure tooling across the entire hybrid environment, including site recovery, backup and update management and, because it’s a managed service, Node4 handles all the Azure infrastructure setup and configuration — and maintains the hardware in its data centres. node4.co.uk/our-services/cloud/ Name switch for Switch My Server Yorkshire-based international IT company Switch My Server has changed its company name to Balliante to better reflect the services it provides to clients. When the business first started, it was primarily a Web Hosting and Server company, but as it has grown its offering has evolved to incorporate a much wider range of services including IT Support, Website Design and Development, CRMs and IT Consultancy, in addition to Hosting and Servers. Managing Directors Craig Boddy and Louis Marcus said: ‘’Although it’s always an anxious and nerve-wracking time for a big change, we are super excited by the new brand and feel the new name is a true reflection of our values and beliefs.” The company’s rebrand follows the opening of an office in Middlesbrough earlier this year to drive expansion in the Northeast. www.balliante.com Integrity 360 and XM Cyber partner up Integrity360 is adding automated mitigation of hybrid cyber risk to its portfolio through a partnership with XM Cyber. The UK and Ireland’s largest independent cyber security services specialist will integrate XM Cyber’s attack path management platform into its end-to-end service offerings, enabling customers to benefit from continuous and automated mitigation of hybrid cyber risk for improved threat visibility, shorter time-to-remediation and superior vulnerability management prioritisation. Richard Ford, CTO at Integrity360, said: “With the addition of Attack Path Management, we can enable businesses to continuously view their hybrid networks through the eyes of an attacker, spot attacks before they happen and importantly stop them quickly and efficiently, effectively limiting the blast radius of any potential attack.” www.integrity360.com CAE establishes in-house software lab IT infrastructure solutions provider CAE Technology Services Ltd (CAE) is building on its 30-year heritage in security, networking, data centre, workforce and cloud solutions with the establishment of an in-house software development practice. CAE Labs will enable CAE developers to pool their knowledge, work with clients on developing new ideas and solutions and bring products and services to market more quickly. Justin Harling, Chief Executive Officer at CAE, said: “Since its creation in 1992, CAE has always tried to innovate and help customers through their digital transformation journeys with a common theme: providing services they need to operate efficiently. By creating CAE Labs, we can provide an unrestricted, freethinking space that allows our industryleading developers to connect with customers and partners to collaborate on early ideas and prototypes, creating solutions that are truly unique to their specific requirements, but with the security and stability of an established business.” He added: “Just like we did when we first started out translating diplomatic documents over thirty years ago, we continue to bring design, business, people and technology together to help solve some of the most complex problems facing our customers today. CAE Labs is just the next step in our evolution.” Today, CAE has more than 350 employees and sales of more than £130m in the UK and Europe, North America and Asia. https://www.thisiscae.com/ Justin Harling
THE AWARDS THE WINNERS OF THE CATEGORIES ARE AS FOLLOWS: WE WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE OUR 2022 BILLING PEOPLE AWARD WINNERS CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE CHAMPION Boxx Communications BILLING REVENUE GROWTH CHAMPION ITS Technology Group WHOLESALER BILLING TEAM OF THE YEAR Eclipse Wholesale MSP BILLING TEAM OF THE YEAR Arrow Business Communications BILLING RETURN ON INVESTMENT Adept Technology Group ONES TO WATCH SSE/OVO BILLING HERO Lily Comms COMMITMENT TO CUSTOMER SERVICE Tailor Made Technologies BILLING EMPOWERMENT Southern Communications CONTINUOUS BILLING SERVICE LEADER Southern Communications We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all our award entrants, finalists, and sponsors for making it a night to remember. If you would like to join our billing community and be part of next year’s awards, please visit www.billingpeople.com
14 01732 759725 NEWS : RESELLERS MITSG to rebrand as Everything Tech Group Version 1 turns to Scotland for 14th acquisition Version 1 has added to its rapidly expanding global customer base with the acquisition of Scotlandheadquartered data and business intelligence experts Instinctive BI. Founded in Edinburgh in 2016 and with a team of more than 60 consultants in Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and Canada, Instinctive BI has long-standing relationships with customers across the UK public and private sectors, generating multi-million-pound revenue through the delivery of solutions and resources that solve data change challenges. The acquisition of BI, Version 1’s 14th to date, increases its headcount to 2,800 employees, 550 customers and projected revenues of over £218 million in 2023. Enda Diggins, Head of UK Digital, Data and Cloud at Version 1, said: “As demand rises for world-class digital, data and cloud capabilities across our diverse customer base, we felt Instinctive BI was the perfect fit for Version 1’s next acquisition to meet this demand. We are excited about the level of specialist talent, knowledge and shared experience Instinctive BI brings to the table, particularly in leveraging the power of data to solve significant business challenges.” In April, Partners Group acquired a majority stake in Version 1. Kevin Ryan, Head of Corporate Development, Version 1 (left) with Instinctive BI CEO Nicholas McFadden and COO Kelly Scanlon following the deal completion in Glasgow, Scotland. Gympanzees support BOM IT Solutions, the Bristol-based IT services provider, has become technology partner to Gympanzees, a provider of pop-up play centres for disabled children, young people and their families. The Bristol-based charity recently launched an appeal to raise £2.2 million to build the first permanent Gympanzees leisure centre in Bristol for the 60,000 disabled children and young people living within an hour of the city. BOM IT Solutions will support Gympanzees over the next three years, donating time and resources, including free IT support services and technical systems within the facility. Andy Carter, Managing Director at BOM IT Solutions, said: “We chose to support Gympanzees because we feel passionate about this cause and the work they do within the local area. Bristol has a severe shortage of facilities to cater to the needs of disabled children and young people. As a local business we want to support local charities and make sure they have the IT infrastructure they need to be able to carry out their important work.” Cyber comparison site Bosch is aiming to revolutionise cybersecurity procurement with the launch of its independent cybersecurity procurement platform in the UK. CyberCompare not only enables users to buy security and associated products but also helps the selection process by providing specification templates, recommendations, anonymised requests for proposals and comparisons of quotes from more than 7,000 providers. Nehal Thakore, Country Head, UK at Bosch CyberCompare, said: “We are excited to officially launch in the UK following significant uptake amongst our customers with the delivery of over 300 external projects in German-speaking regions in the last 18 months.” https://cybercompare.com/en Following its recent acquisition of Manchester-based MSP Everything Tech buy-and-build MSP Managed IT Services Group (MITSG) has rebranded as Everything Tech Group. Phil Smith, COO of Everything Tech Group (formerly MITSG), believes the time is right to bring each of the four companies in the Group under one brand. He said: “MITSG has grown rapidly through our four material acquisitions since May 2021 and we have a sound footing in all the areas in which we wanted to concentrate, owing to the expertise of the people at each of these companies. With the addition of Everything Tech, we feel it is now time to launch a new identity for the Group.” He added: “The pre-existing Everything Tech brand and culture appealed to us just as much as it will appeal to clients of the companies that our acquired companies were already working with. The brand is fresh, engaging and something we can stand behind and build our Group around.” MITSG was founded in 2021 by Mark Allen and Phil Smith, the former CFO and COO of GCI/Nasstar. Its acquisitions to date include the MSPs IT Farm and CSS Group, cloud communications specialist Nexbridge Communications and most recently Everything Tech in July 2022. www.everythingtech.co.uk/ Enreach strengthens IT services offering Telecommunications specialist Enreach UK is strengthening its managed IT services offering with the launch of IT Security and IT Remote Support services provided with a monthly per-user pricing model. Subscribers to either service will automatically gain access to Enreach’s standard everyday monitoring service which acts as a bolt-on IT department proactively monitoring customers’ infrastructure, networks and devices so customers can focus on other areas of their business. Enreach’s IT Security managed service will identify areas of vulnerability and recommend and implement solutions, with proactive monitoring, management and reporting available to counter more complex issues. Its IT Remote Support service will enable in-house experts to access clients’ computers and networks to perform diagnostic or remedial tasks. Duncan Ward, Chief Executive Officer of Enreach UK, said: “We see this very much as the next step on our journey towards becoming the UK’s leading partner for converged contact solutions. While we’re best known for telephony solutions, these are inextricably linked to other communications tools and IT systems. This extension of our IT offering reflects the growing number and type of cyber threats facing our customers and allows them to benefit more fully from our expertise in offsetting these threats and keeping key systems up and running.” Phil Smith
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