v56 · 2022 www.technologyreseller.co.uk THE MAGAZINE & ONLINE CHANNEL RESOURCE FOR MSPS, IT RESELLERS & IT SUPPORT PROVIDERS PAGE 23 COLLABORATION TR AWARDS DISTRIBUTION PAGE 38 PAGE 18 EnableX and Ribbon helping partners profit from collaboration Ignition Technology ‘stronger than ever’ says Sean Remnant How to write a killer entry and wow the judges ‘Build Your Own Contact Centre’ becomes a reality – cover story page 30 joins forces with officially lands in the UK 2023
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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 This is the last issue of 2022, and what a year it has been. I’m not going to list all the stresses and strains of the last 12 months – I don’t think I’ve got the word count. Suffice to say that many readers will have been very thankful for their choice of career. There are not many who can say they are as in demand as fruit and veg pickers but cybersecurity professionals are among that lucky band. Whatever 2023 brings – and who can be confident what that will be – it seems probable that the IT channel will continue to prosper. Investment in IT really does seem to be the solution to many of today’s business challenges. For that reason, I am really looking forward to the Technology Reseller Awards 2023 – an unmissable opportunity for everyone in the tech industry to celebrate their achievements in everything from product design and IT implementations to sustainability and DEI activities. There are awards for resellers and vendors – and for distributors, which are decided by public vote. I have no doubt that this year’s entries are going to reflect the incredible job that everyone in the industry continues to do for their customers. The awards ceremony is taking place on May 25, 2023 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London. I know that is going to be a fantastic evening, but for now the important date is February 24, 2023, the deadline for awards entries. This is just two months away, which is really no time at all, so get working on those entries! We have tried to make the process as painless as possible via a dedicated website – www.technologyresellerawards.co.uk – where you can find all the information you need about the different categories and how to enter. Our awards team have also put together a great article on how to write a killer submission, which you can read on page 18 of this issue. In the meantime, it just remains for me and the whole Technology Reseller team to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 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 v56 · 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 News What’s new in the world of IT and communications 08 Working Together A round-up of the month’s new distribution agreements 09 Distributor News TD SYNNEX moves up sustainability rankings 12 Reseller News Flotek makes landing in West Country 18 Technology Reseller Awards How to write a killer submission 23 Distribution Ignition Technology ‘stronger than ever’ says CSO Sean Remnant 26 Research IT service providers unconvinced by Metaverse 27 Q&A With Andre Schindler, General Manager EMEA, NinjaOne 30 Cover Story 2Connect supercharges growth with INOVO 32 View from the Channel Just keep talking, says D-Link’s Neil Patel 34 I couldn’t do my job without... Catherine Amran picks her Top 5 work tools 36 Software Cloud bet pays off for Scottish firm 38 Collaboration EnableX helping partners to profit from collaboration 40 First Steps in IT Teenage entrepreneur plans to shake-up IT procurement 41 Cloud Crisis at Christmas turns to cloud for savings 42 People New faces, new places www.trawards.co.uk
Straight-talking provider Broadband provider BeFibre has adopted a new visual identity and slogan – Broadband as it should be. Devised by integrated agency The Bigger Boat (TBB), the brand revamp combines a simplified logo and vibrant typography with a bold, straight-talking tone of voice, which it is now using across an array of creative assets including social and paid media adverts, direct mail, email and out-of-home (OOH) placements on vans, roadside banners and kiosks. · · · · · · The gen on Gen NortonLifeLock Inc. has changed its name to Gen Digital Inc. (Gen), following the completion of its merger with Avast. Gen’s family of cybersecurity and identity protection brands, including Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG, CCleaner and ReputationDefender, is trusted by more than 500 million users in 150 countries. Now trading on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange under the symbol GEN, instead of NLOK, Gen has dual headquarters in Tempe, Arizona and Prague, Czech Republic and teams in more than 150 countries. · · · · · · Owl Labs spreads its wings with HP Owl Labs, a Boston-based developer of AI-powered, 360-degree video conferencing solutions, has announced a new partnership with HP and $25 million of Series C investment, bringing its total funding to more than $47 million. The latest funding round was led by HP Tech Ventures, the venture capital arm of HP Inc. and supported by Owl Labs’ strategic partner in Japan, Sourcenext, as well as existing investors Matrix Partners, Spark Capital and Playground Global. Along with its investment, HP plans to deepen its commercial engagement with Owl, starting in France where local HP sales teams will launch Owl Labs products, including the Meeting Owl 3 all-in-one 360-degree camera, microphone and speaker, the Whiteboard Owl whiteboard camera and the Meeting HQ in-room computer and control centre for video meetings. The HP partnership and Series C funding round will enable Owl Labs to build on its existing global activities which include the recent appointment of Stuart Collingwood as General Manager of UK and Europe. OwlLabs.com · · · · · · Manchester base for Workspace 365 Workspace 365, the Netherlandsheadquartered digital workspace platform, is entering the UK market with the opening of a British HQ at Spaces in central Manchester. Aimed at medium-to-large businesses with 200+ users, Workspace 365 integrates users’ software requirements into a secure, browser-based workspace (with single sign-on) available on any internet-connected device, meaning users no longer need to open separate windows for tasks such as word processing, spreadsheets, web browsing or email. As well as saving time, Workspace 365 streamlines processes, simplifies document management and increases collaboration and engagement by improving communication via apps such as Yammer. Erik Nicolai, CEO and Co-founder of Workspace 365, said: “With its thriving tech ecosystem and talent pool, Manchester was the natural location for our UK headquarters, and we’re excited to be a part of this great city.” Workspace365.net · · · · · · Software budgets to rise again More than half (55%) of business leaders in the UK plan to increase their software budgets in 2023, according to a new study by work operating system company Monday.com. This represents a slight increase on the 54% who increased their budgets in 2022. Key priorities for 2023 are simplification, with 87% of UK-based IT decision-makers planning to explore ways of consolidating their software platforms in 2023 to improve efficiency and productivity. Two thirds (65%) of UK respondents currently use four or more software tools every day for their work. Nearly one third say they could remove at least three tools from their tech stack without impacting productivity. · · · · · · End to end skills training and recruitment TechTalent, a tech training and recruitment specialist, has announced it will be creating 150 new tech jobs in the West Midlands through an end-to-end Attract, Train and Deploy model under which it handles the entire administrative process of recruiting and training individuals before placing them with businesses in the region. Through its TechTalent Academy, the EdTech business already has a pool of specialists in cloud computing, cyber security, data science and software development that businesses in the West Midlands can call on for bespoke projects or long-term placements. TechTalent CEO and Founder Janice Rae said: “Our Attract, Train and Deploy model allows us to adapt to meet the requirements of businesses across the region, providing them with the specialist tech talent they need to continue to grow.” Tech specialists who gain roles through this new model will receive job-specific training in advance of their placement. Skills benchmarking at the outset will inform TechTalent what modules an individual should complete before deployment. With offices in London, Birmingham and Bristol and a team of 40, TechTalent gives students the skills and certifications they need to kickstart a career in tech. It also works directly with organisations, offering skills benchmarking and training for existing team members through its immersive learning platform TechTalent Connect. TechTalent recently signed the Armed Forces Covenant, signalling its commitment to support military veterans with the IT skills and contacts they need for a career in tech, including cybersecurity. www.techtalent.co.uk/businesssolutions/attract-train-deploy NEWS 01732 759725 04 N E W S
technologyreseller.co.uk 05 Lack of space contributing to UK techno-stress The UK doesn’t just have the least energyefficient homes in Western Europe, it also has the smallest amount of space for homeworking, according to a new report by telecommunications service provider NFON. Its Wellbeing Report Working from Home 22 reveals that UK citizens have just 15.35 m² of homeworking space, compared to a European average of 20.32 m². Moreover, just 19.6% of UK homeworkers have a dedicated home office, compared to 31.8% of EU respondents. UK home/hybrid workers also have higher levels of techno-stress, with 24.4% complaining of unreliable and inadequate equipment and poor internet connectivity. More than one third felt stressed by the lack of communication with colleagues (37.2%) and lack of separation between their professional and private lives (33.6%). http://www.nfon.com · · · · · · SaaS price hike SaaS prices are rising 3.5 times faster than inflation in the US and as much as five times faster in the UK, claims SaaS purchasing and spend management platform Vertice based on an analysis of 10,000 SaaS contracts. Overall, spending on SaaS products grew more than tenfold between 2010 and 2020, from $13 billion annually to $157 billion or an average of $3,112 per employee (rising to $4,552 in technology companies). SaaS software now accounts for 12.7% of all business expenditure. www.vertice.one · · · · · · Wayleaves made easy Full fibre network provider CityFibre is taking the hassle out of wayleaves through a new Permission to Work (PtW) process that has cut the average cycle time for on-net (CityFibre-based) Ethernet orders by 60%. Instead of putting orders into a wayleave process by default and involving external solicitors and legal representatives, the PfW process gains approval from the end user customer at the point of order, prior to provisioning or at the point of survey. Andrew Wilson, Sales Director – Wholesale Channel at CityFibre, said: “The new PtW process is game-changing. I really can’t stress enough how significant this is for our partners. By adopting this process, partners can reduce the time between an order being placed and an invoice being raised. We encourage every partner to adopt it and see the benefits first-hand.” CityFibre’s £4bn 100% fibre network rollout programme is on track to serve up to 8 million homes, 800,000 businesses, 400,000 local authority sites and 250,000 5G access points in 285 cities, towns and villages by 2025. CityFibre’s rollout has already passed 2 million homes. NEWS Nearest city 2G 3G 4G 5G* Glasgow 20% 20% 61% 49% Cardiff 14% 19% 56% 48% Sheffield 8% 15% 43% 45% Liverpool 6% 14% 48% 43% London 11% 17% 61% 40% Nottingham 11% 8% 53% 39% Birmingham 12% 15% 64% 39% Newcastle 6% 12% 47% 38% Bristol 12% 29% 66% 37% Plymouth 9% 14% 41% 33% Leeds 14% 21% 51% 32% Manchester 6% 17% 53% 28% Belfast 14% 22% 66% 27% Edinburgh 12% 18% 57% 24% Brighton 12% 18% 61% 23% Norwich 13% 16% 55% 22% Southampton 7% 10% 62% 13% ‘Overhyped’ 5G failing to meet user expectations Three years on from its UK launch in 2019, one in six mobile phone users (16%) feels 5G technology is ‘overhyped’, according to new research from comparison and switching service Uswitch.com. More than 16 million people own a 5G-enabled handset in the UK, with a further 23% planning to buy or upgrade to a 5G handset within the next two years. However, less than half of 5G users (41%) say they have experienced improvements in speed or reliability despite realistic expectations of 20x faster speeds than 4G. One in six (17%) 5G mobile users in the countryside has never been able to connect to the network, nearly three times the proportion of those in cities (6%). In some parts of the UK, poor connectivity extends beyond 5G. In Yorkshire, less than half of residents (48%) receive a reliable 4G service, and one in seven (14%) reports that they often have to use the 2G network, which dates back to the early 1990s. One in six mobile users (17%) feels providers should focus on improving 4G coverage instead of building a 5G network. From 2023, the 3G network will begin to be phased out across the UK enabling its bandwidth to be freed up for 4G and 5G services. Vodafone has announced it will turn off its 3G network in 2023, followed by EE and Three in 2024. O2 has yet to announce switch-off plans. Source: Uswitch.com. 5G figures are based on how often those with 5G handsets regularly get a 5G signal Astrocast IoT satellite network grows Astrocast, a global nanosatellite IoT network operator, is improving the capacity, reliability and resilience of its SatIoT network with the launch of four Astrocast 3U spacecraft. The launch at Sriharikota, India’s Satish Dhawan Space Center, will enable the company to increase its commercial constellation to 14 satellites, making Astrocast one of the top 40 satellite operators in the world, based on the number of satellites in orbit. Astrocast’s network went live in January 2021 with an initial launch of five nanosatellites, followed by five more in June 2021. In February 2022, it launched its bi-directional satellite IoT Service, which enables companies to monitor, track and communicate with remote assets from anywhere in the world. Use cases include tracking shipping containers across the globe, the remote control of water management systems to prevent flooding and, in farming, the ability to command silos to release food, open gates or manage irrigation systems, without the need for expensive and often hard-to-source human intervention. www.astrocast.com Andrew Wilson CityFibre continued...
Alexa for care homes The UK launch of Alexa Smart Properties for Senior Living continues Amazon’s integration of Alexa into different business applications. Following last year’s launch of Alexa Smart Properties for Hospitality, the new solution makes it easy for managers of care homes and assisted living facilities to manage and service a fleet of Echo devices remotely and at scale. With features such as Alexa-to-Alexa voice and video calls and announcements and the ability of residents to control lighting, blinds and thermostats by voice and property managers to display menus, activities and reminders using Echo Show, Alexa Smart Properties for Senior Living helps elderly residents to stay connected, informed and entertained. Its first UK locations include Majesticare’s Cavendish Park Care Home, Morris Care Isle Court, The Royal Airforce Association’s Rothbury House and Blind Veterans UK’s respite care centre in North Wales. amazon.co.uk/about · · · · · · The difference one letter makes Cyber security specialist Linten Technologies is advising UK businesses to strengthen their defences by adding an extra letter, digit or symbol to company passwords. CEO and Founder Steven Allan said: “Typically, a 10-character password can take hackers just 26 minutes to break whereas a password with 11 characters can take about three days. The world of cyber is rapidly evolving. Previously, eight to 12 characters was a typical password length, but now between 10 and 18 and sometimes 16 and 24 are becoming the standard.” He added: “We advise clients to stay well away from common password types, such as password123 or the names of loved ones, and to incorporate a password with three random words that is hard to figure out.” · · · · · · Data backup needs blamed for cloud budget overspend Veritas Technologies, a leader in multicloud data management, is warning of significant over-spending on public cloud service providers (CSPs) like AWS, Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure. According to new research by the company, 83% of enterprises are paying more than they originally planned on public cloud. On average, UK businesses are exceeding their original cloud budget by 33% largely due to unplanned data backup and recovery costs, cited by 42% as their leading area of overspend. An international survey of 1,500 technology and IT decision-makers for The Veritas Securing Your Enterprise in a Multi-Cloud Environment Research report shows that while enterprises with 1,000+ employees value the flexibility and scalability provided by public CSPs, many don’t fully understand what they will need to pay for. For example, 98% believe that the CSP is responsible for protecting some of their assets in the cloud, even though most CSPs make it clear that while it is up to them to ensure the resiliency ‘of’ the cloud, customers are responsible for data and applications ‘in’ the cloud. This misunderstanding, suggests Veritas, stops companies from factoring in the requirement for third-party data protection, leaving critical data vulnerable to ransomware and other attacks. Two thirds (68%) agree that current offerings from CSPs fall short of their organisation’s security needs, with 24% saying they have lost data as a result of relying on backup tools built into solutions by their CSPs. Ian Wood, UK Head of Technology at Veritas, said: “Our research highlights the need for a better understanding of what purchasers are actually responsible for and the paramount importance of including comprehensive cloud data protection and management in their budgets. Without it, organisations are taking a huge risk and are likely to experience vast overspend when subjected to the extensive damage to brand and operations caused by a cyber attack.” · · · · · · Spitfire enhances hosted PBXs Spitfire Network Services Ltd has added mobile and desktop softphones and optional full system call recording to its new hosted PBX for SMEs. Hosted PBX 2.2, branded FireSwitch, is currently available with no connection or set up charges for £10 per telephone extension per month. www.spitfire.co.uk 01732 759725 06 NEWS continued... Steven Allan Linten Technologies 76 thousand and counting The UK’s largest organisations each have an average of 76,600 internet-facing assets to identify and protect, according to analysis of 22 FTSE 50 companies by Tenable. One organisation has more than 500,000 assets. Assets include domain names, subdomains or IP addresses of internet- or network-connected devices, such as web servers, name servers, IoT devices, network printers etc., spread across 51 countries. Just 11% of assets are located in or delivered from the UK, compared to 61% in/from the US. On average, 25% of companies’ infrastructure is public cloudbased, mainly with Amazon Web Services. Worryingly, every company looked at by Tenable had thousands of web-based assets that still support TLS 1.0, a security protocol for establishing encrypted channels over computer networks defined in 1999 and disabled by Microsoft in September 2022. Twelve of the 22 companies analysed still have a few instances of SSL 2.0, the precursor to TLS. Jeremiah Grossman, Security Strategist at Tenable, said: “Internetfacing assets are essential for organisations in the modern business world. The flipside is that any one of these assets is a potential entry point for an adversary. Threat actors are probing these openings, looking for one to climb through. Security professionals need to know what assets they’re protecting in order to secure themselves.” www.tenable.com Jeremiah Grossman, Tenable
technologyreseller.co.uk 07 WORKING TOGETHER 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 08 WORKING TOGETHER Seceon, provider of a fully automated, realtime cyber threat detection, containment and elimination platform, has appointed Exertis as its first UK distributor. Seceon empowers enterprises, service providers and MSSPs to detect and prevent known and unknown cyber threats in real-time, from outside and within an organisation, via the Seceon Open Threat Management (OTM) platform and award-winning aiSIEM, aiMSSP and aiXDR solutions running on it. Dominic Ryles, Director of Sales and Commercial – Security, Exertis Enterprise, said: “I’m excited to have Seceon join the Exertis Enterprise – Security solution stack as it gives our channel partners the tools they need to equip themselves for visibility and actionable insights into the types of malicious threats that are targeting organisations today. It’s estimated that the Detection & Response market will grow at a 40% CAGR until 2026 (Canalys Estimate: October 2022).” Seceon combines Dynamic Threat Models, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) with actionable contextual awareness to surface threats and breaches and automatically contain and eliminate them in real-time. www.exertis.co.uk • www.seceon.com Global smartphone vendor OPPO has appointed Eurostar Global Electronics (EGE) as an official UK distribution partner to power significant gains in 2023 and solidify its position as the third largest smartphone manufacturer in the UK by sales volume. The agreement will enable OPPO to deliver its handsets into the business market via EGE’s current customer base and further expand its retail presence via high-street and online retailers. EGE Managing Director Peter Carnall said: “It’s the perfect time to collaborate with OPPO to help expand their distribution into the UK consumer and commercial sectors as we continue to grow our vendor portfolio. As a rapidly growing global brand, with an extensive range of handsets, OPPO are well placed to plug gaps left by previous brands in the UK market. Their 5G mobile devices, which include cuttingedge imaging capabilities and ultra-fast charging, will challenge market-leading manufacturers.” https://uktrade.eurostarglobal.co.uk/ TD SYNNEX is expanding its portfolio of 5G LTE mobility and enterprise solutions through a European distribution agreement with Panorama Antennas, a manufacturer of radio communications antennas for M2M, IoT, mobility and cellular 5G LTE. The addition of the entire range of Panorama Antennas to TD SYNNEX’s networking portfolio will make it easier for partners to offer complete 4G/5G connectivity solutions to their customers and participate in the high growth private LTE/5G wireless infrastructure market. This is forecast to hit revenues of $8.3 billion by 2026, with a CAGR of 35.7% in the 2022-2026 period (source: IDC). Panorama Antennas is an approved antenna partner to Cradlepoint, a TD SYNNEX vendor partner, and has a wide range of solutions configured and approved to work with Cradlepoint routers, enabling partners to access plug-and-play solutions for 5G applications. [email protected] Zoom is extending the reach of its fully integrated communications and collaboration solutions portfolio to all Maverick partners in Europe, following an agreement with the specialist business of TD SYNNEX. As well as giving access to the entire Zoom offering, including the recently launched Zoom Contact Centre, Maverick will help partners develop smart, future workplace-focused solutions through Zoom-enabled hardware and software from other brands. Partners will be able to access technical accreditations needed to deploy Zoom solutions through Maverick. Hugo Graça, Senior Vice President, Specialised Solutions, TD SYNNEX, said: “This new agreement with Zoom represents a great opportunity for our partners in Europe to accelerate their smart collaboration offerings at scale with a market-leading solution that has become a byword for innovation in the unified communications space.” www.TDSYNNEX.com Pax8 has added the Todyl all-in-one security platform to its cloud marketplace. Delivering the capabilities of 15 separate security and networking solutions, the cloud-first, single-agent platform gives MSPs access to an easy-to-use security suite focused on prevention, detection and response, with multi-tenant capabilities and a single plane of glass for monitoring and management. Its six modules include: SASE (Secure Access Service Edge); SIEM (Security Information and Event Management); MXDR (Managed Extended Detection & Response); Endpoint Security – EDR + NGAV (Endpoint Detection & Response and Next Generation Anti-Virus); GRC (Governance, Risk and Compliance); and LZT (LAN ZeroTrust). Flexible licensing options allow businesses to pick and choose what they want based on their needs and budget. pax8.com Global wireless broadband solutions provider RADWIN is extending its market reach in the UK through a new partnership with Cogent Distribution, a UK valueadded distributor of wireless network connectivity equipment. Under the agreement, Cogent Distribution will offer an extensive selection of RADWIN wireless broadband solutions for Point-to-MultiPoint and Point-to-Point connectivity in the UK, backed by technical support and design advice. Jim Kernahan, Managing Director of Cogent Distribution, said: “We have been involved with RADWIN for many years and know from experience that it is a quality, high-performing and reliable product range made by a reputable company. That is why we are delighted to help distribute the solutions and to assist RADWIN as they grow in the UK market.” https://radwin.com/ www.cogentdistribution.com/ TD SYNNEX Maverick is strengthening its portfolio of AV/IT connectivity and management solutions by offering the Working together This month’s round-up of new distribution agreements Dominic Ryles, Exertis Enterprise Peter Carnall, Eurostar Global Electronics
technologyreseller.co.uk 09 NEWS : Distributors TD SYNNEX moves up sustainability rankings From January 2023, more than 90% of the electricity used by TD SYNNEX in the UK will come from renewable sources, claims the technology distributor. By then, three out of four of its UK locations will run on renewable energy. These include the Magna Park warehousing facility at Lutterworth, its largest consumer of electricity in the UK, which has just made the switch to green energy; the company’s Warrington office, which was the first location to use renewable sources; and its Basingstoke office, which will move to green power when it is relocated to a more energy-efficient building in January 2023. TD SYNNEX is in negotiations with the owners of its fourth location about converting the Bracknell premises to green energy by the end of 2023. Last month, TD SYNNEX moved into the top half of the EcoVadis Ratings for environmental, social and governance (ESG) for the first time, gaining a Bronze rating as a result of work carried out across the entire organisation. It also recently achieved ISO 9001: 2015 (Quality) and ISO 14001: 2015 (Environmental Management System) as part of a recertification of its European Quality and Environmental Management System (QEMS), which now covers all four UK sites. Kevin Wragg, Director, Environment and Quality Compliance, UK, said: “The whole business is putting a lot of effort into making everything we do more sustainable and more ethically and socially responsible. That ranges from running community-based activities and employee business resource groups, focusing on LGBTQ+ and diversity and inclusion, to refurbishing our premises in Bracknell and sending (unwanted) furniture with a fair market value of more than £25,000, via redistribution specialist charity Waste to Wonder Trust, to the You Are Not Alone Foundation in Ghana, to signing up for the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) at a global level.” https://uk.tdsynnex.com/ entire line of ATEN Pro AV and USB connectivity accessories to its partner ecosystem across the UK and Ireland. Anup Rai, Go-to-market Development Manager, UK, Maverick, said: “The addition of ATEN to our portfolio of best-in-class brands provides our partners with an opportunity to offer their customers a complete range of integrated connectivity and management solutions that deliver world-class performance and reliability.” https://uk.tdsynnex.com/ Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) has appointed CMS Distribution as its sole distributor in the UK and Ireland. Founded in 1987 in Taipei, ECS is a leading motherboard, Mini-PC, notebook, mobile device and smart city solutions provider. Its products have applications in a variety of sectors, including education and digital signage. Chris Chen, Head of ECS for Europe, said: “With this relationship and commitment, we believe we can provide the best product service to professional customers in the application of cloud computing, digital signage and IoT.” www.cmsdistribution.com Tufin, the channel-first network security policy management leader, has selected e92plus to build its channel presence in the UK on the strength of its specialist security focus, its network of more than 1,200 VARs, MSPs, SIs and CSPs and its track record in building out UK sales opportunities for vendor partners. Tufin’s platform centralises, automates and orchestrates network and cloud access for more than 2,900 enterprises worldwide, implementing accurate network changes in minutes instead of days, accelerating secure application deployments and virtually eliminating manual tasks. www.tufin.com • www.e92plus.com Westcoast has announced a new partnership with cybersecurity experts Xcitium, previously known as Comodo. The partnership will give UK resellers the opportunity to expand their offering and diversify their portfolios with Xcitium’s AI-enabled ZeroThreat platform, leveraging Westcoast solutions bundles, marketing support and vertical expertise to reach new customers across the UK. Ben Vadgama, Head of Westcoast Cyber division, said: “We are very interested in unique, market-changing solutions from cybersecurity vendors that don’t accept the status quo of legacy cybersecurity. Xcitium isolates the attacker’s execution path to prevent a threat from harming any endpoint. ZeroThreat platform offers customers compelling differentiation to move away from ineffective detection-first solutions with patented breach prevention technology, helping their clients neutralise ransomware, malware and cyber-attacks.” Ezra Correa, Vice President, Global Alliances at Xcitium added: “Over 450,000 unknowns and files are released by threat actors every single day and companies around the world in all industries are clamouring for solutions to fend off these breaches. Other endpoint security providers only offer solutions that detect a threat once it has attacked a system. Xcitium Zero Dwell Containment can reside with third-party endpoint solutions, such as Crowdstrike, Sentinel One and others, and is the only technology today that can fully protect, isolate and prevent breaches at run-time whilst thwarting an attack before it can happen.” Macrium Software, a backup solution and disk imaging provider, has appointed Climb Channel Solutions, a subsidiary of Wayside Technology Group, Inc., as its UK distributor. The partnership gives Climb customers access to the full image backup solution Macrium Reflect. Available in three editions – Workstation, Server, and Server Plus for Exchange and SQL – Macrium provides backup and recovery for standalone endpoints, site-wide deployments and multi-site deployments. Simon Noble, Channel Sales Director EMEA, Macrium Software, said: “We are delighted to have further strengthened our relationship with Climb Channel Solutions with this appointment across the UK market. Our long-standing partnership in the US has been key to Macrium’s sustained double-digit growth and we look forward to replicating that in the UK.” Kevin Wragg
01732 759725 10 NEWS : DISTRIBUTORS OT Group gets planting OT Group, a distributor of business services and workplace solutions, has signed a multi-year partnership with The Tree Council in a bid to preserve the UK’s natural landscape and plant 10,000 trees. As part of the partnership, OT Group will participate in a raft of fundraising and volunteering initiatives, including committing £5,000 to the ‘Big Give Match Fund’ campaign to raise funds for The Tree Council’s Orchards for Schools programme. As one of 70 corporate Jubilee Partners for The Queen’s Green Canopy, it will also help plant 35,000 trees and seven kilometres of hedgerow in communities across the UK before the end of the Jubilee planting season in 2023. Andrew Jones, OT Group CEO, said: “We are delighted to have signed a multiyear partnership with The Tree Council. As OT Group is a Royal Warrant Holder, the Queen’s Canopy is something we were particularly keen to be a part of, to celebrate the late Queen’s Jubilee.” He added: “With a large proportion of OT Group’s office supplies being paper-based, we’re keen to try and mitigate the impact that has on the planet and have committed to planting 10,000 trees by the end of 2023.” otgroupltd.co.uk • treecouncil.org.uk Exertis Enterprise gains Dell co-delivery certification Exertis Enterprise has been certified to offer Dell co-delivery installation services in collaboration with Dell Services Specialist and Support Organisation, enabling it to provide a complete end-toend service, from pre-sales consultancy to installation. The service is provided through Exertis Enterprise’s professional services installation team, whose engineers have undergone the same rigorous training as Dell’s own installers, and covers an expanding range of Dell solutions, starting with Dell PowerStore and PowerScale. Paul Hickingbotham, Technical Director of Exertis Enterprise, said: “With this new capability, we are enhancing our Dell value-add to customers, strengthening our longstanding vendor/distributor relationship with Dell and also bolstering the skills and services to help customers maintain their significance and value.” www.exertis.co.uk OpenMPS enhanced with on-site warranty TD SYNNEX has added an onsite warranty option with full monitoring of devices to its OpenMPS managed print service. Combined with existing installation and configuration services, this gives partners an end-to-end service proposition they can take to their customers. It has also updated the dashboard for OpenMPS to provide partners with information on when devices are nearing end of life and need to be upgraded or replaced. Peter Lunn, UK Technical Lead for OpenMPS at TD SYNNEX, said: “With the extended warranty and monitoring added into OpenMSP, partners can take a complete managed services proposition to their customers. It’s simple to understand and sell, and ideal for partners that want to offer a managed option without investing in their own dedicated service and capability.” The OpenMPS Data Collection Agent installed on a customer’s system to provide monitoring will alert TD SYNNEX’s warranty services provider to identify and respond to any issues with no touch or intervention needed from the reseller. https://uk.tdsynnex.com/ OCI services added to ArrowSphere Arrow Electronics, an Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) member, has extended its collaboration with Oracle by adding Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) services, including storage, compute, database and analytics, to ArrowSphere. Eric Nowak, President of the Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions Business in EMEA, said: “Our relationship with Oracle spans over two decades, and adding OCI services to ArrowSphere is the next logical step. We’re committed to helping our customers grow their cloud businesses, and these products combine the flexibility and cost benefits of a public cloud with the predictability, security and control of an onpremises environment.” fiveyearsout.com Aruba award for Ingram Micro UK Ingram Micro UK has been named the Aruba 2022 Instant On Distributor of the Year, in recognition of its success in generating more Aruba Instant On business with existing channel partners whilst also enabling new partners through training, education and sales enablement. Steve Gillen, Product Manager for the Aruba Instant On business at Ingram Micro UK, said: “The award is a proud acknowledgement of our team’s efforts over the last 12 months. I know we are all excited about the potential that FY23 holds for the brand and our relationship with Aruba.” AWS award Amazon Web Services, Inc. has named TD SYNNEX as its EMEA Distributor Partner of the Year 2022 in recognition of the significant contributions it has made to revenue and the number of channel partners reached on behalf of AWS. www.TDSYNNEX.com Barco Event Master range added to PSCo trade rental fleet PSCo has strengthened its trade rental fleet for the live events market with the addition of Barco Event Master image processing and screen control systems solutions, including the flagship E2 Gen 2 and S3 Tri-Combo 4K presentation systems, the EC-50 event controller, and PDS-4K presentation switchers. Trade partners will benefit from rentalready trade hire packages across all Barco products, as well as access to Barco image processing demonstration facilities at Innovation House, PSCo’s experience centre in Bracknell. PSCo will also stock select items from the Event Master range for resale, to support rental partners with time-sensitive project opportunities. Tom Allott, Asset Manager at PSCo, said: “We are excited to partner with Barco to expand our trade rental offering to the live events industry with a focus on the latest image processing solutions. The investment in the Barco Event Master suite of products will complement and add value to our existing range of LED and projection packages.” Peter Lunn Eric Nowak
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01732 759725 NEWS : RESELLERS 12 EvolveODM expands capabilities with GB3 acquisition Wigan-based managed network solutions provider EvolveODM is creating an IT services powerhouse in Lancashire with the acquisition of Preston-based IT support company GB3 from EG Group. Both companies have 45 employees. The acquisition backed by Barclays Corporate Bank is part of EvolveODM’s broader strategy to grow its network management footprint amongst restaurants, convenience stores and fuel forecourts from more from 7,500 locations to 15,000 by 2025, creating 40 new jobs. The move will give EvolveODM customers, including Robinsons Brewery, Hydes Brewery and franchises such as KFC, Starbucks, ESSO, BP and Leon, access to IT strategy, due diligence, cybersecurity, IT security audits and cloud computing solutions. GB3 customers will benefit from access to network management and EvolveODM’s 24/7 helpdesk. Alan Stephenson-Brown, Director at Evolve Business Group, said: “We’ve been working closely with GB3 recently to fulfil mutual customer contracts, so we knew that acquiring GB3 would help us create a broader IT services business with a more expansive offering for our customers. The two companies provide truly complementary services and together create a centre of excellence for IT in Lancashire’s growing digital sector.” Flotek acquires foothold in South West England IT and comms service provider Flotek Group is expanding beyond its South Wales heartland with the acquisition of MazingTree, an IT support service provider serving customers in Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall. This is the second acquisition made by Flotek in the last two months as it pursues a strategy to triple in size over the next six months. The integration of the two businesses will enable MazingTree, a partner of Microsoft Cloud, Dell and Veeam, to offer existing customers a broader range of Microsoft Cloud services with a key focus on cyber security and Cyber Essentials certification. Jay Ball, CEO and Co-founder of Flotek Group, said: “We know how important having a dedicated IT provider with a local presence is to SMEs, and the high-quality services MazingTree offers are a natural fit with Flotek. We’re excited to be able to serve our existing clients in this region even more efficiently, with the support of MazingTree’s excellent team of IT experts. This is the perfect base for us and unlocks a hugely exciting potential for growth.” www.flotek.io n Flotek Group is taking advantage of a Welsh Government initiative to improve the digital skills of Welsh businesses and offering customers in Wales fully funded digital skills courses in partnership with Aspire 2Be, a Professional Development Partner for Apple, Google and Microsoft Aspire. Christian Bleakley Iain O’Kane Investing for growth Mid-market private equity firm Bowmark Capital has invested in IT services provider Xperience to facilitate its organic and acquisitive growth and to accelerate the expansion of its services in high-demand areas such as cyber security. With more than 170 employees and offices in Lisburn, Bury St Edmunds, Glasgow, Peterborough and St Neots, the Microsoft Gold Partner supports over 800 small and medium-sized companies with a range of services, including managed IT, cloud, business applications and cyber security. Xperience Chief Executive Iain O’Kane said: “Bowmark’s track record in our sector and their understanding of what we are seeking to achieve made them a natural partner for our business. Our vision is to grow Xperience into one of the UK’s leading managed IT service providers and we look forward to working with Bowmark to achieve this goal.” The company is already delivering double-digit revenue and profit growth and, since 2021, has completed the successful acquisitions of two complementary IT solutions businesses, Green Duck and Riverlite. www.xperience-group.com Raspberry Beret a good fit for Firstcom Kartesia-backed cloud telecoms company Firstcom Europe is continuing its buy and build strategy with the acquisition of Raspberry Beret, a provider of mobile phones and unified communication products to customers in the North- West of England, where Firstcom is headquartered. Founded in 2010, Raspberry Beret has annual revenues of £1.4m, 90% of which are recurring, and a customer base that represents a potential new market for cloud solutions from Firstcom’s expanding product portfolio. Firstcom CEO Christian Bleakley said: “This is the sort of company I love to buy. It has a strong and personal relationship with its customers that has been built up over many years. I am delighted that the staff of Raspberry Beret have decided to stay on with us; they will complement the skill sets of our own people. It’s also great to reinforce our presence in the North-West which we are proud to call home and where many of our UK customers are based.” Firstcom Europe specialises in unified communications, including video, messaging, voice and fax, and has operations in the UK, Denmark, Germany and Sweden. www.firstcomeurope.co.uk n Firstcom recently celebrated the opening of a new European HQ at the Parklands office complex in Bolton. The office includes open plan workspaces for the company’s UK employees, hot-desking facilities, meeting rooms and subsidised gym membership. CEO Christian Bleakley said: “The move is part of our drive to overcome the legacy of the pandemic and to encourage colleagues to meet each other regularly in the office. We are proud to have created an environment our teams want to come to, rather than feel they have to attend. There is even enough space for the all-important pool table!” l to r: David Middleton, John Allan, Malcolm Holland, Jay Ball
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14 01732 759725 NEWS : RESELLERS NHS win for Future WorkForce Black Box partners with Gamma Global IT solutions provider Black Box has entered a partnership with Gamma Communications plc to deliver the latter’s connectivity, SIP trunking and Unified Communications solutions as part of its own managed services offering. Matt Thomas, Vice President and General Manager EMEA, Black Box, said: “By building Gamma’s business communications into our service offering, we’re now able to provide a full Unified Communications portfolio and meet evolving market needs in the UK as businesses migrate from PSTN/ISDN to SIP.” Neil Taylor, Head of Partner Sales at Gamma, added: “Black Box is an exceptional partner for us because the company shares our vision of where the market is going and because it already has a strong customer base that will bolster our partner ecosystem.” www.blackbox.com Velocity and Getronics form strategic alliance Velocity Consulting has formed a strategic alliance with Getronics to support the ICT service provider’s newly launched Getronics Consulting division with its own ServiceNow expertise. Part of the Velocity Group, Velocity Consulting is a ServiceNow Premier Partner providing consultancy, support and licence sales to customers such as Autotrader, Marken (UPS) and Drax Energy. It will now deliver ServiceNow consultancy as part of the eco-system supporting Getronics Consulting. The Velocity Group also includes Velocity Smart Technology, which designs solutions for automating the collection and delivery of IT assets, including Velocity Smart Collect, the world’s first ServiceNowintegrated smart locker and smart vending solution for Enterprise IT support. As part of the alliance between the two companies, Getronics has embedded Velocity Smart Collect ServiceNow Smart Locker technology into the Getronics 2023 global solution offering and is working on making it an integral part of the Getronics Workspace Alliance’s global digital workplace strategy. Partner recruitment Partner recruitment has been a big feature of Snom’s 25th anniversary year, with the addition of 33 reseller and distributor partners in the UK alone. Snom UK Channel Manager Lee Underwood said: “We’re seeing increased interest in IP telephony as a communications tool for UK businesses. The impending ISDN switch off and demand for flexible working post-pandemic makes the need for these solutions even more pressing.” www.snom.com Future WorkForce, the intelligent automation services company, has been selected by NHS Barnsley to automate key business processes across Patient Booking, Clinical Referrals, Back Office and Finance functions so that doctors and nurses can focus more on critical patient care. The certified Microsoft implementation partner will automate processes using the Microsoft Power Platform, which includes low code tools, robotic process automation, intelligent document understanding and AI, backed by a 12-month managed support and maintenance contract. Headquartered in Bucharest, Romania, Future WorkForce has delivered more than 200 automation projects since 2017 for clients such as Vienna Insurance Group, BCR Erste Bank, Euler Hermes, SEPHORA, Garrett, SNC Lavalin, Deloitte Romania, Orange, Telekom (a T-Mobile subsidiary) and the National Bank of Romania. www.fwfcompany.com Thrive acquisition Thrive, a US-based provider of cybersecurity and digital transformation managed services for small and medium-sized businesses, is bringing its next-generation managed services and cybersecurity offering to the Midlands with the acquisition of Nottingham-based IT support company Custard Technical Services. This is Thrive’s fifth acquisition of 2022 and its second acquisition outside the US since 2021. Custard provides customers in the East Midlands and surrounding areas with a range of IT solutions including consultation, managed services, disaster recovery planning, IT security backup solutions and software and hardware support and maintenance. thrivenextgen.com Kingsfield on list Public sector IT service provider Kingsfield Computer Products Limited has been awarded a place on a £1.5 billion framework to deliver IT solutions to NHS Trusts up and down the country. The single lot, two-year Total Technology Solutions (NOE.0552) Framework is designed by the North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative (NOE CPC) and hosted by the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT). www.noecpc.nhs.uk/contracts/ total-technology-solutions https://www.kingsfieldit.com/ public-sector-frameworks/ Lee Underwood
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