www.technologyreseller.uk THE MAGAZINE & ONLINE CHANNEL NEWS & RESOURCE FOR MSPS, IT RESELLERS & SUPPORT PROVIDERS PAGE 08 Hammer aims to fix AI plumbing with AI-ready platform DISTRIBUTION Learn more about Brother MPS by visiting brotherzone.co.uk/make-printing-simple PAGE 18 Key findings from the latest Kaseya State of the MSP report MSPs PAGE 23 With Kester Brookes, Head of Account Management EMEA, Slide 60 Seconds IN PRINT & ONLINE SINCE 2016 IN PRINT & ONLINE SINCE 2016
www.spitfire.co.uk/all-ip-special-offer Telecoms and IP Engineering Solutions for Business since 1988 Innovative • Flexible • Reliable • Supportive • Cost Effective Sales 020 7501 3333 • Partner Services 020 7501 3150 www.spitfire.co.uk Your telecoms journey in 2026? • No migration charge from legacy analogue line, ISDN or broadband circuits. • Choice of minimum contract periods from 3 months +. • Digital voice line with call bundle included. • Quality of Service options with performance SLAs up to ‘Ethernet’ standard. • Upgrade to super fast fibre on availability within minimum term. • Also consider Spitfire’s FireSwitch® 2.3 hosted pbx, a feature rich, latest generation telephone system with low cost monthly rental and no up front cost. Spitfire offer a range of easy upgrade paths to All IP and super fast fibre. Key Awards Legacy analogue, ISDN, broadband contracts change in 2026. Take our high road to All IP & Full Fibre. Future proof your business and save costs. Big Switch Off 31st January 2027.
The 2026 Kaseya State of the MSP Report (see page 18) highlights what you already know or maybe just feel in your bones: growth is becoming harder to achieve; existing customers are more cautious; winning new customers is more difficult than ever; and finding people with the right skills has become a major headache. These are all complaints regularly surfaced in Technology Reseller’s View from the Channel feature, along with the near-impossible task of keeping up with today’s incredible pace of change. For some reason, this is not mentioned in Kaseya’s report. Maybe because rapid change is a constant in the IT world; it comes with the territory and if you can’t handle it you’re probably in the wrong industry. As Slide’s Kester Brookes says in this month’s 60 seconds questionnaire on page 23, if he wasn’t in tech he would have to find something else ‘adrenaline-based’ to keep him busy. Back to the State of the MSP report. In his forward, Dan Tomaszewski, Kaseya’s Executive Vice President of Channel, writes: “Winning new clients now requires clearer differentiation, stronger proof of value and tighter operational discipline”. Promisingly, this is just what CloudClevr has been focusing on over the last 18 months with the integration of its previous acquisitions – NGC Networks, 4Sight Communications, Bamboo Technology Group and Twisted Fish IT. Find out more on page 16. Celebrating our industry’s success On May 21, Technology Reseller will come together with friends and supporters from across the industry for the Technology Reseller Awards at Hilton London Bankside, where we will celebrate the achievements of other businesses forging ahead in challenging times. Whether you are a winner, a short-listed company, a sponsor or just looking for the chance to network and build ties with industry leaders, I look forward to seeing you on what promises to be a great night, thanks in no small part to the generosity of our Headline Sponsor, Giacom; our M&A Partner, Knight Corporate Finance; our Recruitment Partner, Henley Executive; our Entertainment Sponsor, Keypoint Intelligence; and all our Award Category Sponsors (see page 34 for details). Many thanks to one and all. James Goulding Editor, Technology Reseller Comment 04 Distribution News Dropbox and ALSO extend partnership to the UK 08 Distribution Hammer addresses AI Proof of Concept graveyard with launch of AI-ready on-prem platform 10 Reseller News Redsquid strengthens education pillar with 16th acquisition 16 View from the Channel With Steve Harris, CEO of CloudClevr 18 MSPs Key findings from the latest Kaseya State of the MSP report 20 Business O2 Daisy rebrands as O2 Business with a focus on integrated, easy to manage solutions 22 Talking Point Steve Spittal, Technology Director at Pulsant, outlines how IaaS can help UK businesses weather the global memory shortage 23 60 Seconds With Kester Brookes, Head of Account Management EMEA, Slide 26 Events Ethan White’s report from Technology Reseller’s third ski club network event 28 Connectivity Zen brings greater choice to The Fibre Hub 31 Infrastructure Power costs trump sovereignty in AI deployment calculations 34 Technology Reseller Awards The countdown begins to the awards evening on May 21 36 Tech Digest The latest solutions and services for managed service providers 41 People New faces, new places 03 CONTENTS technologyreseller.co.uk ISSN 2632-9301 (Print) ISSN 2632-931X (Online) Technology Reseller is published by Kingswood Media Ltd., 7 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. © 2026 Kingswood Media Ltd. 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] Events & Commercial activities: Paul Johnson 01732 759725 · [email protected] Account Manager: Jeff Root 01732 759725 · [email protected] Designer: Brian Cloke 07484 288189 · [email protected] If you no longer wish to receive Technology Reseller magazine, please email your details to [email protected] 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 technology-reseller-magazine technologyreseller.co.uk IN PRINT & ONLINE SINCE 2016 IN PRINT & ONLINE SINCE 2016
01732 759725 DISTRIBUTOR NEWS 04 AMD and Hammer promote CPU‑first infrastructure strategy With grid connection queues identified as the biggest blocker to UK AI expansion, Hammer Distribution and AMD are working together to prove that the secret to unlocking AI isn’t more power, but better management of the power already available. To that end, the two partners are spotlighting the CPU as the component most responsible for whether an AI stack behaves like a high-throughput pipeline or an expensive queueing system, pointing out that in a market defined by hard power envelopes, inefficiency is no longer a technical nuisance, but a project-killer. Adam Blackwell, Director of AI, Server and Advanced Technology at Hammer Distribution, said: “The next phase of AI isn’t constrained by model ambition so much as power availability and system efficiency. By optimising the CPU’s role in the AI pipeline, from data ingest to inference, we are enabling our partners to deliver viable AI solutions that fit within today’s strict European energy reporting and power constraints.” As part of their ‘CPU-first’ strategy, Hammer and AMD argue that for many enterprise workloads, such as document workflows, search augmentation (RAG) and summarisation, AMD EPYC processors offer a more sustainable path to deployment. They also suggest that CPU-first inference is viable for models up to 20B parameters, allowing organisations to reduce unnecessary accelerators, saving their use for massive training tasks; reduce their power footprint and operate latency-tolerant workloads at a lower TCO; and avoid connection delays by deploying AI on existing infrastructure without waiting for massive grid upgrades. www.hammerdistribution.com … Westcon Comstor offers accelerated growth through Microsoft REO Westcon-Comstor is extending its cloud marketplace capabilities, following the launch of its AWS Marketplace programme in 2024, by joining the Microsoft Marketplace Resale Enabled Offers (REO) programme. This enables software vendors to authorise channel partners to create and manage private offers on their behalf via Microsoft Marketplace, with Microsoft handling customer billing and payment collection. Omdia has forecast cloud marketplace software sales to grow from $30bn in 2024 to $163bn in 2030, with partners generating the majority of that spend as early as next year. For every $1 sold via Microsoft Marketplace Omdia says partners can look forward to up to $6.26 in services revenue. Westcon-Comstor is building on Microsoft Marketplace’s reach with a suite of value-added services, including partner enablement, incremental revenue tools and support across renewals and the full customer lifecycle, that will enable partners to onboard, transact and scale more effectively within Microsoft Marketplace. Peter Woest, Cloud Marketplace Partnership Director at Westcon Comstor, said: “Hyperscaler marketplaces are redefining how enterprise software is bought and sold, but success for channel partners and vendors depends on turning activity into repeatable business. By wrapping Microsoft Marketplace with our value-added services and technical marketplace expertise, we’re making simplicity and scale a reality and allowing partners to quickly establish, build and grow their Microsoft Marketplace business.” Westcon-Comstor is already bringing partners into Microsoft Marketplace opportunities involving Palo Alto Networks and Infoblox and is discussing future Microsoft REO collaboration opportunities with several other vendors. www.westconcomstor.com Cato Networks, provider of an AI-native SASE platform, has become the latest vendor to join Westcon-Comstor’s AWS Marketplace programme which allows partners to buy products from Westcon-Comstor through private listings and then sell them directly to customers in a frictionless process entirely within AWS Marketplace. Since it was launched in 2024, this programme has resulted in more than 100 deals collectively worth tens of millions of dollars. Daniel Hurel, Senior Vice President, Westcon EMEA Go-To-Market at WestconComstor, said: “Partners want faster routes to revenue and buying models that match how customers fund cloud programmes. Enabling Cato procurement through AWS Marketplace helps partners shorten sales cycles and align with committed cloud spend while scaling adoption of a channel-friendly SASE platform that meets real customer demand.” www.westconcomstor.com … Renaissance to deliver cyber confidence with CyberSmart Renaissance, the Irish distributor and organiser of Cyber Expo & Conference Ireland, has formed a strategic partnership with CyberSmart, a UK-based provider of cybersecurity solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) spanning realtime threat detection, vulnerability management, compliance assurance and cybersecurity awareness training. Fully compatible with existing systems, CyberSmart’s platform provides 24/7 visibility across desktop and mobile environments, automated patching and audit-ready compliance aligned with standards such as Cyber Essentials Plus, ISO 27001 and NIS2. Renaissance will offer CyberSmart’s solutions to business customers and MSPs/MSSPs, helping the latter to provide scalable monitoring, training and cyber insurance services to their customers. Navigating the AI Power Crisis The Challenge The ‘CPU-First’ Strategy The Business Impact Grid Lock (The Queue) Optimising the CPU reduces the total ‘power ask’ for new projects. Faster Approval: Shovel-ready, efficient designs move to the front of the queue. Efficient Accelerator Use High-performance CPUs keep GPUs ‘fed’ with data 100% of the time. Higher ROI: No more paying for expensive GPUs to sit around waiting for data. Enterprise Workloads Moving 10B–20B parameter models (search, summaries) to the CPU. Cost Control: Reduces the number of powerhungry GPUs. Regulation (EC EED) Meeting strict new EU/UK reporting on ‘work per watt’. Future-Proofing: Ensures hardware remains compliant with green energy laws. Dropbox and ALSO extend partnership to UK Dropbox and ALSO have extended their partnership in DACH and the Nordics to six new European countries, including the UK, giving local partners access to the full Dropbox portfolio through the ALSO Cloud Marketplace. This includes storage and collaboration (Dropbox), added workflow tools (Replay and Sign) and AI-powered search (Dropbox Dash), supported by local billing, support and enablement. ALSO and Dropbox say partners can also look forward to attractive margins and performance-based incentives; tailored onboarding programs; multilingual sales, marketing and technical enablement and support; market development fund-backed go-to-market support to drive pipeline and deal velocity; and active partner community programs to foster engagement and growth. http://dropbox.com https://also.com (l-r): Drew Houston, Dropbox CEO; Artjoms Krumins, Group Lead CoC Software & Cybersecurity at ALSO; Eric Webster, Chief Business Officer Dropbox; and David Keogh, Global Head of Channel Dropbox Peter Woest
DISTRIBUTOR NEWS continued... technologyreseller.co.uk 05 Jamie Akhtar, CEO and Co-Founder of CyberSmart, said: “As leaders turn to MSPs and MSSPs for cost-effective cyber support, partnering with Renaissance allows us to bring clarity and confidence to businesses across Ireland at scale and with ease, helping them remain secure and compliant.” https://www.renaissance.ie … Pax8 introduces referral model for NinjaOne Pax8, the AI and cloud marketplace for SMEs, has announced a global partnership with NinjaOne to expand access to the latter’s unified IT operations and cybersecurity solutions through a strategic referral model. Building on an existing relationship with SaaS backup and archiving provider Dropsuite, which NinjaOne acquired last year, Pax8 will introduce MSPs seeking unified IT operations and remote monitoring and management (RMM) to NinjaOne, which will then engage directly with referred partners and manage the customer lifecycle. pax8.com … Giacom adds EE to Wholesale Mobile offering Giacom has added EE Mobile services to its Wholesale Mobile proposition, alongside its existing VMO2 and Vodafone Wholesale portfolios. Giacom has worked closely with BT Wholesale to ensure EE Wholesale Mobile is fully integrated into the Giacom Cloud Market portal so that partners, with the option of partner API integration, can manage all three networks in one place using the order journey they already use for VMO2 and Vodafone. This means existing partners have no new portals or additional processes to worry about and no disruption to existing workflows. They simply gain EE in addition to everything they already manage, with one unified view of their entire mobile base and one dedicated support team. Andrew Wilford, Managing Director – Mobile at Giacom, said: “Mobile remains one of the most important services for UK SMBs, and for many years we’ve delivered mobile solutions that enable partners to build bespoke propositions for their customers. Our agreement with BT Wholesale adds EE mobile connectivity to our portfolio, giving partners access to all three major UK mobile networks with high levels of self-service and integrated API automation. With EE’s strong performance and coverage, partners can support customers with confidence as they grow their mobile business.” Giacom’s proposition includes features such as Data Rollover and Data Optimiser and a new set of tariffs, EE Everyway, giving partners full control over margins, terms and product structure with a choice of 30-day and 24-month terms. In the coming months, Giacom plans to extend support for EE services to its Cloud Market Tools for automating the entire partner journey, from sales ordering and provisioning to billing and customer self-service. Giacom.com … TD SYNNEX named NVIDIA EMEA Distributor of the Year TD SYNNEX has been named NVIDIA EMEA Distributor of the Year 2026 in recognition of its revenue growth and the role it has played in expanding NVIDIA’s partner ecosystem in the region. This is the fourth consecutive year TD SYNNEX has been honoured by NVIDIA in EMEA, following awards for Networking Distributor of the Year in 2023 and 2024 and Software Distributor of the Year in 2025. Craig Smith, Vice President, Data, AI & Applications, Europe, TD SYNNEX, said: “This award is a powerful validation of the investments we’ve made in specialist talent, technical enablement and go to market execution to help partners succeed with NVIDIA-powered AI and accelerated computing.” NVIDIA is a cornerstone partner within TD SYNNEX’s Destination AI programme, which brings together NVIDIA’s technology portfolio with education, enablement and commercial support to help partners build sustainable AI practices and deliver real customer outcomes. www.TDSYNNEX.com TD SYNNEX has also received the inaugural 2026 Google Cloud Distribution: Market Reach Partner of the Year award for its achievements in the Google Cloud ecosystem. Target Components appointed a UK distributor for Verbatim accessories Target Components has been appointed a UK distributor for Verbatim Europe’s growing portfolio of accessories, power and display products. It will start with 80 SKUs, including GaN chargers, power banks, portable monitors, webcams, batteries, hubs and docking stations, but has the potential to add more products in the future. Gaining access to Target’s logistics infrastructure, experienced sales team and strong channel relationships will help Verbatim extend its reach across the independent retail and reseller channel, accelerate market penetration, improve product availability and enhance its brand visibility across the UK. Stuart Jeyes of Verbatim Europe said: “Partnering with Target Components is a strategic step in strengthening our UK presence across key product categories. Their proven distribution expertise, strong reseller network and commitment to service make them an ideal partner to help us accelerate growth and expand our reach in the channel.” Verbatim’s UK and Ireland distribution network also includes CMS Distribution, River Solutions, M2M, Smithie, VOW, UFP, Montara and Business Electronic Equipment (BEE). www.targetcomponents.co.uk … Sarsen Technology now fully aligned with HIPER Global UK HIPER Global UK, a provider of application-specific computing hardware and technologies to OEMs and ISVs, has completed the operational realignment Distology and Snyk address AI security gap Specialist cybersecurity distributor Distology is helping VARs across the UK, Benelux and DACH capitalise on growing demand for applicationlevel AI security through a distribution agreement with Snyk. Snyk’s AI security platform and agent security solutions help find and fix vulnerabilities as developers write code, rather than later in the lifecycle when issues are more complex and can be more expensive to resolve. Crucially, Snyk also identifies risks introduced through open-source components and AI-assisted development. Sarah Geary, CCO at Distology, points out that the increasing use of AI tools for software development has created a security gap that Distology is addressing through its partnership with Snyk. She said: “AI is accelerating software development, and customers need a security solution that can keep pace. By bringing Snyk into our portfolio, we’re giving our partners a way to step into that conversation. This isn’t a transactional sale. It’s about helping customers rethink how they build and secure applications from the outset, which opens the door to higher-value services.” Distology will provide partners with access to training, technical expertise and go-to-market support, as well as enablement to help them deliver added services such as implementation, DevOps and consultancy. www.distology.com www.snyk.io Andrew Wilford Stuart Jeyes
DISTRIBUTOR NEWS ...continued 01732 759725 06 time intelligence that helps organisations act with greater speed and clarity. It provides our channel partners with access to AI-powered intelligence solutions that support faster decision-making and improved resilience across cyber and operational environments.” arrow.com … Solstice AV moves into enterprise video distribution Solstice AV is moving into enterprise video distribution through a new agreement with Amino. Amino’s enterprise IPTV and digital signage platform will enable Solstice AV’s UK resellers to deliver centrally managed live TV and on-demand video, digital signage and internal communications to large estates and multi-site organisations in corporate, hospitality and healthcare environments. Solstice AV Managing Director Michael Tulip said: “Demand for centrally managed video, communications and signage is growing across corporate, hospitality and healthcare environments. Amino gives our partners a powerful platform to deliver those solutions as part of wider AV deployments. It’s a natural addition to the Solstice portfolio and another step in strengthening the solutions we can support our resellers with as they take on larger, more integrated AV projects.” …Infinigate UK&I and Nozomi Networks forge strategic partnership Nozomi Networks is growing its channel operations across the UK&I through a new distribution agreement with Infinigate UK&I, the specialist distributor of cybersecurity, cloud and network infrastructure solutions. Nozomi Networks offers a portfolio of solutions that address the critical challenge of securing industrial control systems (ICS) and IoT infrastructure against cyber threats and operational disruption. Their addition to Infinigate’s offering will enable partners in the UK&I to address growing demand for OT and IoT security solutions fuelled of the group following last year’s acquisition of Sarsen Technology. Now operating as part of the HIPER Global organisation, Marlborough-based Sarsen Technology is a specialist technology distributor and engineering consultancy with a focus on embedded computing and ruggedised hardware and software solutions from world-class manufacturers. As part of HIPER Global, Sarsen will benefit from the scale, resilience and resources of a global organisation. Nigel Norman, Managing Director of Sarsen Technology, said: “ Sarsen Technology has built an exceptional reputation as a leading supplier of innovative embedded computing solutions, enabling us to achieve significant success with many loyal customers in the rugged, aerospace and highperformance instrumentation markets. Being part of the HIPER Global group will allow us to offer a broader range of hardware solutions, strengthen our technical and commercial team, improve our international reach and create greater business opportunities for the outstanding manufacturers we represent.” www.hiper-global.com www.sarsen.net … Arrow to distribute Dataminr’s real‑time intelligence solutions across EMEA Arrow Electronics is expanding its security and intelligence portfolio in EMEA with the addition of AI-powered real-time intelligence solutions from Dataminr that partners can use to move beyond traditional monitoring and equip organisations with the context and insights needed to act before a crisis escalates. Dataminr’s platform delivers actionable intelligence on breaking events, emerging threats and unexpected risks across the physical, digital and cyber domains, enabling partners to provide integrated solutions that align threat intelligence, cyber security and operational response. Mike Worby, Head of Strategic Alliances EMEA at Arrow’s enterprise computing solutions business, said: “Dataminr is recognised for delivering realby the ongoing growth of connected environments and rising cyber threat. www.infinigate.com … TD SYNNEX Maverick partners with AOPEN TD SYNNEX Maverick is strengthening its end-to-end digital signage and collaboration offering through a pan-European distribution partnership with AOPEN, a provider of digital signage media players and commercial computing solutions. The agreement covers three core AOPEN solutions: eTILE all-in-one touch displays designed for commercial environments, kiosks and retail applications; the Digital Engine series of highperformance media players built for 24/7 operation and demanding signage environments; and AOPEN ChromeOS devices optimised for cloud-based deployments, digital signage and kiosk use cases. www.TDSYNNEX.com … TD SYNNEX strengthens networking portfolio TD SYNNEX has strengthened its specialised networking portfolio in Europe through a partnership with Arista Networks, a leader in data-driven, client-to-cloud networking for large AI, data centre, campus and routing environments. Building on an existing relationship between the two companies in France, Spain, Portugal and Germany, this new global agreement enables partners and end customers across Europe to access a broader range of high-performance, next-generation infrastructure solutions. Sam Paris, Vice President, Security, Networking & Communications, Europe, TD SYNNEX said: “Giving our partners access to Arista’s portfolio means they can deliver enterprise-grade networking, automation and security without complexity, backed by the innovation and reliability Arista is known for. This opens new revenue streams and strengthens our shared commitment to modern, cloud-driven solutions.” www.TDSYNNEX.com onemedia to accelerate UCC growth with MAXHUB AV distributor onemedia has strengthened its Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC) offering through a UK distribution partnership with MAXHUB, a provider of integrated technology for Microsoft Teams Rooms and UC-driven meeting spaces. Rather than leading with standalone components, onemedia is focusing on MAXHUB’s all-in-one, integrated solutions for corporate meeting spaces, from huddle rooms to boardrooms, to reduce deployment complexity, accelerate installation and deliver more consistent user experiences. The addition of MAXHUB’s meeting room solutions, supported by its wider ecosystem of UC-integrated cameras and professional displays, complements onemedia’s established portfolio of LED video walls, mounting solutions, projection and digital signage, allowing integrators to deliver fully realised collaboration environments through a single distribution partner. www.onemedia.co.uk Mike Worby Michael Tulip Sam Paris
03304 333 888 www.giacom.com Boost your mobile sales with EE from Giacom. Scan to learn more.
01732 759725 08 Adam Blackwell but a physical addition to the Hammer AI Works ecosystem that Hammer has developed to help its partner community guide customers through every stage of their AI journey and successfully transform ideas into scalable, productionready solutions. “AI has moved from a ‘nice-to-have’ to a strategic imperative, yet the complexity of the landscape remains a significant barrier,” explains Blackwell. “With Hammer AI Works, we aren’t just distributing technology; we are providing the roadmap and the engine. Our new Laboratory and ecosystem of specialists allow our partners to stop experimenting in isolation and start delivering productionready solutions at scale.” Key benefits of Hammer AI Works include access to a collaborative community of vendors, resellers, integrators, AI consultants and ISVs with the expertise required to deliver successful AI outcomes; a dedicated partner and community hub that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing and opportunity development across the full AI landscape (the Hammer AI Works Portal); a high-performance environment where partners can validate architectures and run live ‘battle-tests’ of AI use cases before full-scale deployment (the Hammer AI Works Laboratory); and access to Hammer’s networking & infrastructure expertise and integration and deployment support via the Hammer Integration Centre. The launch of Hammer Stack adds a sovereign hardware foundation that validated AI initiatives require to scale successfully into production. By addressing foundational infrastructure challenges and moving towards a validated, sovereign ecosystem, Hammer is enabling organisations to move past experimental failures, reclaim their data, control costs and build a sustainable, ROI-driven AI future. https://www.hammerdistribution.com/ Built on the simple principle that AI should run where your data, policies and priorities dictate, not where a hyperscaler decides, Hammer Stack is a validated, rack-level sovereign AI infrastructure module designed for performance, control and sustainable scale, available with flexible financing options including leasing and subscription-style models. It addresses three critical areas where enterprise intelligence currently stalls: 1. Sovereign AI and Data Control: It gives organisations the ability to control where models are trained and deployed, protecting intellectual property and meeting tightening regulatory and residency requirements. 2. Bridging the Specialised Skills Gap: Successful AI deployment requires a highly specialised intersection of data science and systems architecture. Hammer Stack provides a balanced, bottleneck-free architecture, combining AMD EPYC CPUs, NVIDIA GPUs and networking, and VDURA high-throughput storage, supported by a network of specialised AI consultancies. 3. Rack-Level Validation: By integrating infrastructure at the rack level, including APC power management and liquid cooling support, Hammer Stack removes the risk of ‘accidental architectures’ that fail when transitioning from a sandbox to production. Hammer AI Works Hammer Stack is not a standalone product The narrative of the last 18 months has been dominated by the transformative potential of Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative AI. However, the operational reality for many businesses is stalled projects and little or no ROI. So says Hammer, an enterprise-focused distributor offering technology providers across Europe best-in-class infrastructure, cybersecurity and data solutions. It blames the ‘Proof of Concept graveyard’ on AI’s plumbing and fragmented infrastructure, rather than on the actual AI applications. “To understand why projects are stalling, we must look past the software and the user interface,” says Adam Blackwell, Director of Servers & AI Technologies at Hammer. “The bottleneck is not a lack of imagination; it is a profound foundational fragmentation occurring at the infrastructure level. As we move from the era of experimentation into the era of implementation, the industry is discovering that the ‘plumbing’ of AI is far more complex than the applications themselves.” Part of the problem, suggests Blackwell, is what he calls the public cloud paradox. “For many organisations, the initial move to the public cloud provided a logical and low-barrier entry point for AI experimentation. However, as these workloads transition to full-scale production, the model often becomes a significant financial and operational burden. Public cloud infrastructure, while flexible in the short-term, introduces unpredictable costs and ‘data gravity’, the phenomenon where growing datasets become increasingly difficult and expensive to move.” He added: “Massive proprietary datasets are effectively being locked into hyperscaler ecosystems. This creates a physical separation between data and compute power, leading to architectural bottlenecks that stifle performance and prevent businesses from seeing real results.” Hammer Stack In response to this fragmentation, Hammer has created Hammer Stack, a fully integrated, AI-ready on‑prem platform designed to deliver cloud-class performance without hyperscaler dependency. Hammer says AI has become a Proof of Concept graveyard due to poor ‘plumbing’ and is introducing a fully integrated, AI-ready on-prem platform to resolve the problem Sovereignty reclaimed DISTRIBUTion
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10 01732 759725 RESELLER NEWS Restore Technology boosts IT asset visibility with new portal IT lifecycle services provider Restore Technology is giving organisations enhanced visibility and control over their IT assets with the launch of a customer portal featuring real-time tracking, a centralised dashboard and easy access to compliance documentation and other critical information. Quentin Jackson, Sales Director at Restore Technology, said: “Our customers are under increasing pressure to maintain visibility and control over their IT assets, particularly when it comes to security, compliance and sustainability. This portal gives them instant access to the information they need when they need it, reducing delays, improving transparency and ultimately helping them to make better decisions about their IT infrastructure.” He added: “We’re continuing to evolve the portal based on customer feedback and are exploring how it can integrate with sustainability reporting, ensuring our customers have complete transparency from start to finish.” Restore Technology’s services include IT asset disposition, device lifecycle management, deployment and engineering and secure destruction. www.restore.co.uk/technology/ … Opus Technology becomes latest B Corp MSP Surrey-based Opus Technology has become the UK’s second largest B Corp-certified MSP, following a near three-year accreditation journey and multi‑stage submission and approval process with B Lab UK. The privately owned company employs around 150 staff in its Reigate HQ and London office, delivering business communications, contact centre technology, managed IT services, mobile, IoT and print and document management services to more than 900 clients, including Which?, All Saints, Canon and CIPD. Opus Technology CEO Michael O’Donnell said: “Achieving B Corp certification is a significant milestone for Opus Technology. Since beginning our official B Corp journey in 2023, we have continued to strengthen our approach across the business, with a clear focus on balancing commercial success with responsibility to our people, our communities and the environment. This certification formalises much of the work already happening across Opus and gives us a clear framework to keep improving, to stay accountable and to make sure we continue growing in a responsible and sustainable way.” B Corp status builds on the company’s existing ISO 14001 environmental management accreditation and carbon offsetting, tree planting and staff volunteering initiatives. Opus Technology is also a Living Wage employer, a Disability Confident Committed company and sponsor of a research fellowship at Polar Bears International (PBI), the world’s only non-profit organisation solely dedicated to the conservation of Polar Bears and the preservation of their crucial sea ice habitat. www.opustech.co.uk … Econocom in Top 1% for ESG Econocom, a provider of workplace, AV and infrastructure solutions, managed services and technology financing, has been awarded the EcoVadis Platinum Medal, the highest distinction granted by the ESG ratings provider. This puts Econocom in the top 1% of 150,000 companies assessed by EcoVadis globally and follows several years of structured commitment to environmental, social and governance issues as part of the Group’s ‘One Econocom’ strategic plan. Angel Benguigui, CEO of Econocom, said: “Receiving the EcoVadis Platinum Medal is a great source of pride for the Econocom Group. It is a recognition of a long-term commitment driven by all our employees to fully integrate environmental, social and ethical considerations into the heart of our business model. This ambition shapes our daily actions and reflects a strong conviction: making sustainable performance a tangible driver of value for our clients, partners and all our stakeholders.” Econocom’s overall score of 88/100 was 12 points higher than its last assessment in 2024, when it achieved a Gold rating, reflecting continuous progress across the four pillars evaluated by EcoVadis: Environment (89/100), Social & Human Rights (89/100), Ethics (86/100) and Sustainable Procurement (86/100). www.econocom.co.uk UK start-up aims to fast-track enterprise AI adoption At a time when many enterprises find their AI ambitions held back by ‘black box’ legacy systems that are costly to maintain and difficult to manage, a British start-up has been set up to fasttrack enterprise IT adoption. Interrupt22 aims to do this with the roll-out of a proprietary agentic AI platform that allows businesses to modernise decades-old systems in months rather than years, supported by AI training and coaching, consultancy on how to reorganise engineering teams for AI, and AI solutions delivery to help businesses get ideas into production as fast as possible. Interrupt22 has been co-founded by Technology & Product Director James Tennant, a software engineer and former AI lead at Capgemini; Finance & Operations Director Charlotte Morris, an entrepreneur with a track record of building successful companies; and Delivery & Commercial Director Ben Scowen, a former Capgemini and Kyndryl executive. Tennant said: “Businesses across the country can see what AI offers and want to get involved, but they simply can’t if their infrastructure is outdated. Maintenance costs are climbing and the experts are retiring. Their skills are literally walking onto the golf course. Traditionally, the solution has been long and arduous. Our solution provides a team of AI agents that work with an organisation’s own experts, understand the legacy system and enable quick, safe and cost-effective modernisation so businesses can focus on the opportunities AI has to offer.” While the platform’s development was accelerated by AI coding releases in late 2025, including Claude Opus 4.5 and Codex, Interrupt22 prioritises a ‘human-led’ approach to agentic engineering. www.int22.com
RESELLER NEWS technologyreseller.co.uk 11 Qodea rebrands as Beyond Qodea, a transformation specialist focused exclusively on Google Cloud for cloud engineering, AI activation, infrastructure modernisation, security and workplace transformation, has rebranded as Beyond, following 18 months of rapid expansion and multiple acquisitions that have brought together almost 700 Google Cloud expert engineers and strengthened its footprint across the UK, Europe and North America. In EMEA, for legal reasons, the compay will be known as ‘Qodea…..powered by Beyond’. The name change has reportedly been made to reflect a ‘new era’ of accelerated Google‑first engineering, unwavering focus on Google Cloud expertise and a commitment to agile, evidence‑based transformations for global clients such as Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), PayPal, NatWest and Snapchat. Beyond CEO Alan Paton said: “The rebrand to Beyond marks a defining moment in our growth and a broader shift in the cloud market. Enterprise transformation has outgrown the traditional consulting model – evidence must replace assumption. Beyond was built to uniquely deliver Google Cloud expertise, AI grounded in evidence, and disciplined engineering at scale. That clarity of purpose is how we consistently create a measurable advantage for our clients.” Beyond says its single-platform focus enables deeper engineering capability for clients, tighter security integration and more predictable commercial outcomes. … Stand and delitter Apogee Corporation, an independent subsidiary of HP Inc., marked Earth Day on 22 April 2026 by taking part in beach clean ups around the UK. Volunteers from the company joined co-ordinated clean-ups across Kent, Lincolnshire, the Isle of Man and Jersey, helping to remove an estimated 400kg+ of litter from the UK’s coastline. apogeecorp.com Synextra recognised for Data & AI expertise Synextra, a Warrington-based Azure specialist and technology partner to mid-market and enterprise businesses, has been awarded Microsoft Solutions Partner designation for Data & AI (Azure), building on its existing Microsoft Solutions Partner accreditation for Azure Infrastructure. The Data & AI designation recognises Synextra’s ability to help organisations build and operationalise data and AI solutions on the Azure platform, spanning data management, analytics, AI-driven automation and platform engineering. It follows significant investment in AI and data capabilities, including platform engineering, DevOps, business process automation and data management, with hands-on delivery across tools including Microsoft Fabric, Power BI and Azure AI services. Synextra CEO Chris Piggott said: “Our core has always been Azure infrastructure. But the businesses we work with need more than that now – and so do we. This designation reflects where the team has been pushing – data, AI, automation, outcomes you can measure. It’s the natural next step for us.” www.synextra.co.uk … Digital Space scales services offering with NormCyber partnership Digital Space is strengthening its security practice through a strategic partnership with NormCyber that adds depth to its fully managed Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), firewalls, log management and incident analysis service layer. The extra capacity will enable Digital Space to deliver a higher volume of managed services without compromising the personalised experience customers expect. NormCyber was selected on the strength of its UK-sovereign SOC operations, alignment with Digital Space’s Fortinet security architecture and its respected accreditations, including CREST and NCSC Assured Service Provider status. As part of the relationship, Digital Space is already combining its consultancy, cloud and infrastructure expertise with NormCyber’s SOC and SIEM services in new managed security offerings that provide end-to-end protection. Nathan Steadman, Solutions and Strategy Director of Digital Space, said: “NormCyber brings deep expertise in managed detection and response, strong UK data sovereignty and a technology approach that fits naturally with our existing security stack. This allows us to elevate our managed security services while maintaining the high-touch, trusted experience our customers expect. It’s about choosing the best in the industry to strengthen every layer of defence.” continued... Onecom launches its own agentic AI platform Onecom, an independent business communications specialist, is adding AI-powered customer communications solutions to its offering with the launch of a new agentic AI platform that enables customers to deploy intelligent, decisionmaking agents to make and take calls, respond to messages and carry out defined tasks. Developed in-house by Onecom, Halo brings agentic AI to voice, instant messaging and email communications, with a choice of three agent tiers to support a range of use cases. Each agent operates within built-in guardrails and has its own name, defined role and clear set of rules. Halo agents can: Handle inbound and proactive outbound voice interactions instantly Respond across messaging channels including live chat, email and WhatsApp Business Manage bookings, appointments and service requests Integrate directly into CRM, billing and operational platforms Chase missed payments or cancelled direct debits Provide real-time call recording, transcription and sentiment analysis Use advanced emotional intelligence to understand tone, intent and customer satisfaction Route or escalate to higher-skilled AI agents or human colleagues when required Clone a specific voice, with full consent Communicate in 32 languages in real time Halo is built on the Onecom VOX carrier-grade, platform-agnostic intelligent voice core, which carries 250 million calls a year, and integrates into any PBX or CX platform including Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Five9. Agents are sold on a monthly subscription, enabling customers to scale their digital workforce up or down as required, and can be managed through the Halo Workforce platform embedded in Onecom’s OneCloud communications management platform. onecomhalo.ai Nathan Steadman
RESELLER NEWS 12 01732 759725 Apex Computing achieves third Microsoft Solutions Partner designation Manchester-based IT support and cybersecurity provider Apex Computing has been awarded a third Microsoft Solutions Partner designation, reinforcing its position as a trusted Microsoft Solutions Partner capable of delivering end-to-end solutions spanning infrastructure, workplace productivity and advanced security. Having already gained and refreshed its designations for Microsoft Modern Work and Infrastructure (Azure), the company has now achieved partner designation for Microsoft Security in recognition of its ability to deliver enterprise-level security solutions and support. … Version 1 to acquire CreateFuture Version 1, the global AI and digital transformation consultancy celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire technology services firm CreateFuture. Founded in Scotland in 2010, CreateFuture employs 550 experts across Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, London and Sofia and works with large enterprise clients in highly regulated industries such as iGaming, Financial Services and Utilities. solution, Node4 CSP Advantage. Designed to address mounting costs from accelerated cloud adoption, the custom-built LLM presents a unified view of cloud and licensing spend across a customer’s environment and uses intelligent automation to identify opportunities to reduce licensing and cloud costs by an average of 10–15%. www.node4.co.uk Powered by Datadog world-first for Critical Cloud Critical Cloud, a cloud MSP specialising in AWS and Azure environments, has become the world’s first partner to be awarded a ‘Powered by Datadog’ accreditation by the monitoring and security platform for cloud applications. The premier designation is awarded to Certified Datadog Advanced Partners that have deeply embedded Datadog into their managed services and demonstrated technical and onboarding excellence. Critical Cloud monitors, manages and optimises customers’ AWS and Azure platforms 24/7, using Datadog as its core observability, incident response, security and cost management solution. By standardising its managed services offering on Datadog’s unified observability platform, the Cardiff-based company provides a single source of truth for operational insight, eliminating fragmented tooling and reducing mean time to resolution. James Smith, CEO of Critical Cloud, said: “‘Powered by Datadog’ recognises that Datadog is not just a tool we deploy, but the foundation of how we run modern cloud operations. Being the world’s first partner to achieve this accreditation highlights our team’s deep expertise and focus on delivering reliable cloud platforms for our customers.” https://criticalcloud.ai … Node4 FinOps solution to deliver £2m in savings Node4 is expecting savings of £2 million across its client base over the next 12 months following the introduction of an AI-driven Financial Operations ...continued CybaVerse sharpens focus with rebrand UK cyber security vendor CybaVerse is making a strategic shift from consultancy-led defence to platform-driven cyber operations, following a £5 million series A funding round and last year’s acquisition of A-Ops platform SecureAck. The company, which has grown to more than 40 employees, is marking the change with a major rebrand that formalises a concept it calls the Cyber Operator, a role focused on ownership, action and responsibility rather than passive monitoring. Oliver Spence, CEO of CybaVerse, said: “We help organisations (and MSPs) move from managing cyber to operating it. When you can see clearly, act decisively and stay ahead of risk, you stop reacting to threats and start commanding your security posture.” The approach is underpinned by the company’s CybaOps platform, which combines automation, orchestration and response with certification support, continuous monitoring, incident response and AI-driven insights, enabling security teams to prioritise threats and act quickly without unnecessary complexity. With fresh investment, an expanded platform and a sharpened identity, CybaVerse is focused on scaling CybaOps for MSPs and organisations seeking greater operational clarity. “We’re not trying to add another dashboard to the pile,” Spence said. “We’re building the operational backbone that security teams actually need. Cyber security doesn’t need to be louder or more complicated. It needs to be calmer, sharper and run by people who are in control. That’s what this rebrand represents.” https://www.cybaverse.co.uk/ continued... Redsquid strengthens education pillar with 16th acquisition Redsquid, a B Corp-certified managed technology and cybersecurity provider, is strengthening its capabilities in the education sector with the acquisition of Cranfield-based Partnership Education and the appointment of its first Director of Education. Redsquid’s 16th and biggest acquisition to date, Partnership Education currently helps 170+ schools and academies with their IT and technology needs. Its acquisition adds nearly 80 employees, £8m+ in revenue and significant education sector expertise to the fast growing B Corp-certified Redsquid group. Sohin Raithatha, Founder and CEO of Redsquid, said: “This acquisition represents a major step forward for Redsquid. Supporting the education sector has long been a key focus for us, and Partnership Education brings exceptional people, expertise and shared values into the group.” Redsquid is signalling its long-term commitment to the education sector by appointing Matt Perrett, Managing Director of Partnership Education, as the group’s first Director of Education. www.redsquid.co.uk
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