www.printitreseller.uk PRINT, MFP, SOFTWARE, SERVICES, DOCUMENT & CLOUD NEWS & INFORMATION FOR VARS, CONVERGED RESELLERS & MFP DEALERS 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 ENTRIES NOW OPEN Visit www.printitawards.co.uk to view the categories and register to enter FEVER PITCH THE REMATCH! It’s the one you’ve been waiting for, our summer sizzler of a HP promotion returns to UFP, offering you the chance to win a 2023/24 PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALL SHIRT Turn to page 29 Authorised Distributor 10 YEARS · ISSUE I06 IN PRINT & ONLINE ISSUE 106 · 2023
In association with: MAGAZINE & WEBSITE Our awards team are busy planning and preparing the PrintIT Awards 2023. We’ve introduced a few changes this year, new categories and new entry criteria, and we’ve lined up a stellar panel of experts to determine the winning entries. Entries and Voting are open. BOOK YOUR TABLE TODAY! Tables and spaces will be at a premium – secure your place at this must attend event – call us now. SPONSORSHIP To get even more involved we have a number sponsorship opportunities available leading up to and at the event. To Book a Table or to enquire about Sponsorship Opportunities call Ethan, Neil or Paul on 01732 759 725. www.printitawards.co.uk 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 SPECIAL AWARDS n Judges’ Special Award n Industry Leader of The Year CORPORATE AWARDS – ENTRIES n EOS Manufacturer of the Year n Channel Services Provider of the Year CATEGORIES CORPORATE AWARDS – VOTING FOR n A3 MFP Vendor of the Year n A4 Printer/MFP Vendor of the Year n Hardware Distributor of the Year n EOS Distributor of the Year n Finance & Leasing Provider of the Year RESELLER/DEALER AWARDS n Reseller of the Year (Turnover up to £3m) n Reseller of the Year (Turnover £3m+ to £9m) n Reseller of the Year (Turnover £9m+) n Client Project of the Year n Service Team of the Year PEOPLE AWARDS n Account Manager of the Year n Marketing Team of the Year n Rising Star Award PRODUCTS & SOLUTIONS AWARDS n A3 MFP Line of the Year n A4 Printer/MFP Line of the Year n Scanner of the Year n Device Management Solution of the Year n Cloud Print Management Solution of the Year n Security Solution of the Year n Best Workflow Solution n Mobile Print Solution of the Year SPECIAL AWARDS n PrintIT Award for Marketing Campaign of the Year n PrintIT Award for Environmental Excellence n PrintIT Award for Best Partner Programme n PrintIT Award for Employee Experience n PrintIT Award for Innovation 2023 Categories
PRINTITRESELLER.UK 3 The clock is ticking; there’s just over a month left before we close off entries for the 2023 PrintIT Awards. You can find a comprehensive list of all this year’s categories and a handy summary of the key criteria for each award on page 22. Don’t leave it until the last minute to craft your entries, there’s no time like the present! This month’s VOX POP continues on from last issue, a number of the sector’s vendors explain which products, solutions and services they offer are currently most in demand and why, as well as the key challenges facing the channel at the moment (page 40). Also in this issue, Todd Curtis, Business Development Director EMEA at Keypoint Intelligence, picks the work tools he uses every day and couldn’t do his job without (page 18). This month’s Q&A is with Paul Kamlesh, Technical Director, Copybox Document Systems, and PITR spent 60 seconds with Michael Lloyd, CEO Nuvola Distribution. If you’ve got any news about your business to share, would like to be included on our monthly VOX POP panel, have a compelling business success story or simply wish to comment on any industry issues, please get in touch with me at: [email protected] Michelle Ryder, Editor PRINT.IT Reseller is published by Kingswood Media Ltd., 10 Amherst House, 22 London Road, Sevenoaks TN13 2BT • Tel: 01732 759725 Email: [email protected] www.printitreseller.uk No part of PRINT.IT Reseller can be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher. ©2023 Kingswood Media Ltd. Design: Sandtiger Media www.sandtiger.co.uk 04 Bulletin What’s new in printers and printing 16 People A round-up of new hires 18 I couldn’t do my job without... Todd Curtis picks his favourite work tools 20 A decade in print Rod Tonna-Barthet shares his print experiences over the past decade 22 PrintIT Awards An overview of the key entry criteria 26 Focus on: What’s New A round-up of recent product launches 30 Insight Canalys cloud outlook 34 Security Quocirca finds confidence in print security falls 36 Partner program HP doubles down on partner growth 37 Research UK SMEs set to increase IT investment 39 IT services Konica Minolta expands IT services 40 VOX POP Product trends: part two 46 One-to-One David Smith, Group Marketing Director, Xeretec 48 View from the Channel Paul Kamlesh, Technical Director, Copybox Document Systems 50 60 seconds with... Michael Lloyd, CEO Nuvola Distribution 2023 ISSUE 106 printitreseller.uk Comment Register online To receive your regular FREE printed copy of PrintIT Reseller Magazine simply fill in our online registration form at www.printitreseller.uk/register If you no longer wish to receive PrintIT Reseller magazine please email your details to [email protected] Read PrintIT Reseller online at: www.printitreseller.uk Join us : Follow us @PrintITReseller Issue 106 ISSN 2055-3110 (Print) ISSN 2055-3129 (Online) Group Editor: James Goulding 07803 087228 · [email protected] Editor: Michelle Ryder 01732 759725 · [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 07976 950285 · [email protected] Art Director: Nick Pledge 07767 615983 · [email protected] COMMENT Lexmark MPS Express Our turnkey cloud solution frees your customers and their teams from day-today printer management Scan the QR code to contact us now 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 10 YEARS · ISSUE I06 IN PRINT & ONLINE
BULLETIN 01732 759725 4 TechLive 23 Digital Wholesale Solutions is the Headline Sponsor of Technology Live 2023, taking place at the Business Design Centre, London on September 12. Designed specifically for the ICT channel, Technology Live 2023 is a compact, one-day event where SIs, MSPs and VARs can learn about new technologies, new entrants to the market, new partner programmes, new trends and new opportunities. Whether you attend as an exhibitor to expand your reseller network and/or engage with existing partners, or whether you attend as a visitor to develop relationships with vendors that could bring you additional business and sources of revenue, Technology Live is the place to be on September 12. Exhibitors already announced include Cablenet, Digital Wholesale Solutions, DrayTek, eci, EKM, EnGeniusa, Lexmark, nta, PFU – a Ricoh company, Static Control, SYNAXON, Union Street, Xelion – and more are being added all the time. www.technologylive.co.uk Credit scarred Brits have more stolen payment card details listed for sale than any other country in Europe, according to new research of dark web data by cybersecurity company NordVPN. NordVPN’s study of six million stolen details discovered for sale illegally on online marketplaces, showed the UK had a total of 164,143 payment card details listed on the dark web, almost as many as the next two biggest European victims, France (97,032) and Italy (78,676), added together. Two-thirds of Brits’ card data listed (63%) came bundled with a treasure trove of other private information, ranging from home addresses, phone numbers and email addresses to National Insurance numbers. nordvpn.com UK tech confidence recovering The Federation of Small Businesses’ (FSB) quarterly survey has found that the UK’s tech and science sectors are leading the way with positive confidence. The report noted that confidence is being restored after a decline at the end of last year, but ‘dark clouds’ are on the horizon as costs remain high. The study found that sentiment improved among small business owners and sole traders over the first three months of the year. However, the FSB’s confidence measure scored minus 2.8 points in the first quarter of the year, which means more firms felt pessimistic than optimistic. Interestingly, there was an improvement from the confidence drop in the final quarter of 2022, which had a negative reading of minus 45.8 points as retailers and hospitality firms were struck by higher costs and reduced consumer spending. www.fsb.org.uk Tech professionals want to go further with AI Research from STX Next has found that 29% of developers have completed courses in AI and machine learning, making it the third-most popular area for training behind web development (67%) and software development (65%). Despite this, only 6% expect to see more AI or ML tools and functionality in future versions of Python, underlining how more needs to be done to support software developers in their current and future AI and ML projects. 17% of respondents see AI, ML, data engineering and data science as the next big things in Python, ranking higher than any other area, including performance (15%). 36% are undecided on what the next big things in Python will be but are curious to find out. 25% want to enhance their AI and ML skills, only ranking behind more established areas such as software architecture (76%), software development (52%) and leadership (28%). www.stxnext.com LinkedIn scams Almost half of businesses in the UK (44%) experienced at least one LinkedIn scam this year, according to the latest research by NordLayer, a network security solution for businesses. According to the research, 65% of big companies have been contacted by a scam/ fake account on LinkedIn at least once. 58% of medium and 31% of small companies have experienced it at least once. Data revealed that fake job offers (63%) is the most prevailing LinkedIn scam among British businesses. Moreover, they also experience active phishing attempts (47%), get-rich-quick offers (43%), and fake tech support (38%). As the leading outcome of LinkedIn scams, UK companies named damaged reputation as well as stolen/damaged data (47% each) and high financial loss (43%). Moreover, they also experienced stolen/damaged client contacts (41%) and interruption to operations (36%). www.nordlayer.com A multi-billion dollar problem A new study ‘Vulnerable Software Supply Chains Are a Multi-billion Dollar Problem’ from Juniper Research has found that the total cost of software supply chain cyberattacks to businesses will exceed $80.6 billion globally by 2026, up from $45.8 billion in 2023. This growth of 76% reflects increasing risks from absent software supply chain security processes, and the rising complexity of software supply chains overall. The report highlights the need for greater emphasis on the software elements of the supply chain as a critical security vulnerability and analysed how both shifts in wider cybersecurity processes, and the mind-set around the management of the software supply chain are needed to address these risks. www.juniperresearch.com
BULLETIN 50 years of partnership Agilico Workplace Technology is celebrating a 50 year partnership with Konica Minolta. CEO Simon Davey said: “We have worked closely with Konica Minolta for around half a century, and it continues to be a true partnership because they listen to us and support our combined business. They also continue to provide us with fantastic marketleading products and services which are vital to our customers.” Today Agilico has three distinct divisions – Agile Print, its managed print service business, Agile Docs its consulting and software business, and Agile Tech which supports customers with IT and telecoms services. The business boasts 40,000 machines in field and has around 500 staff which look after nearly 14,000 customers across multiple sectors. The partnership continues to evolve to meet the needs of the market and the two companies are working closely to address the need for greater sustainability. As part of its commitment to the circular economy, Agilico has created a brand new, purpose built national MFD refurbishment centre in Leicester to give a new lease of life to ex-showroom and lowutilisation machines. Rob Ferris, CEO of Konica Minolta added: “Working in collaboration with Agilico we are ensuring we address the circular economy challenges by making sure our technology can be reused in the most effective way. Customers now have an even wider choice – either new or great used technology from Konica Minolta, through Agilico, to strike the perfect balance of matching requirements and budget.” www.agilico.co.uk • www.konicaminolta.co.uk 01732 759725 6 Award win for Espria Espria received the 2022 Xerox Technology Partner of the Year award for its outstanding performance and innovation in delivering document solutions to its customers. This accolade recognises the organisation's commitment to providing simple, seamless, and secure collaboration tools that empower digital workspaces. Sales Director Stuart Ogilvie said: “We are honoured to receive this award from Xerox, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with them. We have reduced paper consumption and waste by up to 50% with Xerox ConnectKey technology whilst also improving productivity and collaboration, enabling secure access to documents from any device and location. “Espria has also enhanced compliance and data protection by implementing advanced encryption and authentication features and streamlined business processes and workflows by automating manual tasks and integrating with third-party applications.” www.espria.com Apogee invests in local community Apogee has partnered with Aylesford Football Club to deliver a new 3G sports pitch for the local community, set to be one of the best sports facilities on offer in Kent. The new full-sized floodlit 3G pitch is part-funded by The Football Association (FA), after Aylesford FC were proudly awarded the county’s FA and McDonald’s Grassroots Club of the Year and Project of the Year awards in 2021. “Aylesford FC would like to thank Apogee for its support of the local community. Without the generous donation, this project would not have been possible,” said James Fuller, Club Chairman. “The contribution from Apogee has secured one of the best facilities in Kent for sport and will allow the growth of youth, disability, and girls’ football in the area along with many other community projects.” The project is nearing completion, with the pitch already booked in for a number of provisional activities, including holiday club, disability football, girls only football, walking football 35+, and super vets 60+ rolling out for 2023. The pitch will also host a number of social games, with some great charity events lined up. “We are delighted to support such a large community development,” Dom Gryszan, Marketing Director at Apogee Corporation added. “The 3G sports pitch will provide a centre for thousands of people to play sport, bringing together the local community and encouraging everyone to get involved. We are really proud to give back to the community local to our head office in Maidstone.” www.apogeecorp.com Red Helix partners with CyGlass Cyber security managed service specialist Red Helix has expanded its managed services offering with continuous extended detection & response (XDR), network detection and response (NDR) and cloud detection and response (CDR) solutions through a partnership with CyGlass. CyGlass provides continuous visibility of abnormal, risky cloud, network, and endpoint activities across cloud, hybrid, and on-prem environments from a 100% cloud-native platform reducing TCO by over 50% versus hardware and agent-based XDR tools. The managed XDR, NDR, and CDR services will detect and stop attacks, identify threats, and show compliance covering use cases, including ransomware defence, supply chain protection, and continuous compliance control reporting ISO27001, GDPR, and NIST regulatory standards. “Through our partnership with CyGlass, we are widening access to these important services in every company’s defence against cyber criminals. The XDR, NDR, and CDR solutions from CyGlass are the best in class. Providing these solutions as a managed service means that many more companies can benefit from this important protection,” said Marion Stewart, CEO at Red Helix. www.cyglass.com • www.redhelix.com Business Design Centre · London · 12 September 2023 23 ICT · MANAGED IT · MOBILE · PRINT tech-live.co.uk Headline Sponsor
BULLETIN Acquisition for Vision As reported in PrintIT Reseller Issue 105, a key part of Vision’s strategy is to grow through adding adjacent services to its offering. With that goal in mind, the company has announced it has completed the acquisition of Filehound, a software business that specialises in business process automation. The Filehound cloud-based records management and workflow automation software platform and the Element 3 team, Simon Thomas, Stephen Minall and Carl Barker now form a key component of Vision’s growth plans over the coming years. https://visionplc.co.uk Fastest growing partner Espria was honoured at the EnableX Partner Awards for being the Fastest Growing Pragma Partner £10m+ Turnover. Chief Client Officer Andrew Lashley said: “We're incredibly grateful to be recognised for our hard work and dedication to our craft. We wouldn't be here without the fantastic team at Espria, who work tirelessly to ensure we give our customers the best possible service. We're also incredibly grateful to our customers for their continued support and loyalty. We promise to continue working hard to exceed expectations and deliver the best customer experience to everyone interacting with our business.” www.espria.com PRINTITRESELLER.UK 7 Growth in diversification With its focus on diversification, Integra has continued to expand its supplier portfolio, giving members opportunities for growth across an increasing range of categories. During 2022 the group welcomed Beaverswood, Beeswift and Rocada to name a few together with announcing a new agreement with Bidfood earlier this year with more to follow. With 40% growth outside of GOP, categories such as facilities supplies (30%), education (55%) and workwear/PPE (119%), have seen the biggest uplift during 2022 continuing into the first quarter of 2023. To further support members in diversification categories, Integra has launched one to one supplier introductions, best practice workshops and sales training sessions. The group also continues to work with key partners to standardise data for inclusion on back-office and ecommerce solutions where otherwise not available. Alongside diversification areas, Integra has also been busy expanding its sustainability programme which includes a strategic partnership with Planet Mark and the group’s bespoke ‘Green Initiative’ portal powered by Compare Your Footprint – both designed to support members with their carbon measurement and reduction plans in line with net zero. www.integra-business.co.uk The IPIA visits No 10 to protect print As parts of its sustained efforts to grow the UK print industry, the Independent Print Industries Association (IPIA) paid a visit to No 10 Downing Street – where its Chair, Charles Rogers, met with special advisors to the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The IPIA is now gathering representations from leading associations belonging to the Graphic and Print Media Alliance (GPMA), which includes the BPIF and PICON. It will work in partnership with them to further strengthen these advocacy efforts. On the agenda for discussion with the special business and political advisors was a detailed overview of the place of the UK as top-6 global print producer, its responsibility for nearly 8% of total UK manufacturing output, and the critical part it plays in the social, cultural and economic fabric of the country. Print and paper’s role in developing sustainable technology and its contribution to the advancement of the circular economy was also highlighted. The IPIA also set out the challenges that are inhibiting the growth and competitiveness of UK print and paper, before presenting a package of structural and strategic support requests. A case was also put forward for the print, paper and allied sectors to be recognised as an ‘industry of strategic value’ – a term that describes industries that play a fundamental role in the economic health and competitiveness of the nation. https://ipia.org.uk/ BOSS board welcomes Adrian Butler Adrian Butler, Managing Director of VOW Wholesale has joined the BOSS board. Butler, who has held his position at the UK wholesale business since 2010 will bring a wealth of experience within the business supplies industry and will strengthen the existing skillset on the board. BOSS Chairman, Simon Drakeford said: “Adrian is an excellent appointment to the BOSS board, his years of experience and leadership within our industry will be invaluable to the BOSS Federation in its goals to support the industry and their members.” Amy Hutchinson, BOSS CEO, added: “I’m thrilled to welcome Adrian, his extensive knowledge of our sector will be a real asset to the Federation as we strive to build a wider community. I look forward to working alongside him and our ever-supportive existing board members.” www.bossfederation.com 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 ENTRIES NOW OPEN www.printitawards.co.uk Charles Rogers Adrian Butler
BULLETIN 01732 759725 8 ALSO expands to the UK ALSO Group is expanding its operations in the UK, offering direct access to its ALSO Cloud Marketplace (ACMP) platform. The ALSO Cloud platform not only connects over 100 vendors including Microsoft, Adobe, Dropbox and IBM with resellers. It also automates the processes for renewing subscriptions, managing, upgrading and invoicing licences according to the changing needs of customers. As a result, resellers can improve service quality, boost efficiency and reduce costs for both themselves and their customers. “Resellers don’t want to incur high costs and put up with time-consuming inefficiencies when managing IT licences and provisioning managed services for their customers,” explained Mark Appleton, Chief Customer Officer at ALSO Cloud UK. “The ALSO Cloud Marketplace meets this pressing need – it provides ICT resellers with an unprecedented level of automation. Its subscription renewal feature enables them to align the end-dates of customer subscriptions as a way to automate and streamline the entire renewal process. This improves efficiency for the reseller, increases transparency for their customers, decreases churn and reduces costs.” www.also.com Exertis relocates supplies division Exertis has announced that its specialist tradeonly distributor business of printer supplies, data storage media and office and technology products, Exertis Supplies, will move location to Interchange 26 near Cleckheaton with effect from October 2023. . The new space will offer the best service levels for customers and help Exertis Supplies to meet current and growing business needs. Andrew Beaumont, Managing Director of Exertis Supplies, said: “I’m thrilled about this decision and truly appreciative of all the encouragement and support we’ve received so far. This signifies the beginning of a promising new phase for our organisation, and we can now initiate the project planning process for the move. We are committed to keeping our people abreast of any developments as we move forward, and we are open to hearing any of our colleagues’ thoughts, opinions, or advice to ensure the relocation is a success.” www.exertis.co.uk Flexible financial solutions TD SYNNEX has launched a new range of financial and leasing services, delivered through a new UK entity known as TD SYNNEX Capital, that will enable more flexible ways to pay for customers. As the captive finance arm of TD SYNNEX, TD SYNNEX Capital solutions are designed to be fully integrated into the technology partner ecosystem, making it simpler to offer financing options as part of the sales process. They are now available in the UK and will be rolled out across Europe in the coming months for B2B customers. Wayne Peters, Global Vice President, Financial Solutions, TD SYNNEX said: “We are excited to launch TD SYNNEX Capital in Europe and thrilled that the UK will be our first country in the region. The expansion will allow our reseller partners and vendors in the region to offer more flexible payment and leasing solutions to their clients as well as engage on a transactional or even more strategic, programmatic level. Having our own captive finance company allows us to provide an exceptional customer experience from quote to funding, which is our top priority. This is the next step in delivering a truly integrated, global approach to the TD SYNNEX channel.” David Watts, SVP and Managing Director, UK and Ireland, TD SYNNEX, added: “As customers continue to digitally transform, there is more pressure on partners to provide alternative ways to pay for new technology. TD SYNNEX Capital gives partners the tools to offer a robust financing and leasing portfolio without added risk or cost. What we are saying to partners is ‘let our money work for you’, and with our channel expertise and experience, focus on the customer, and the backing of one of the world’s largest IT distributors, we are confident that TD SYNNEX Capital will be the first choice for businesses in need of financing options for technology procurement.” TD SYNNEX Capital offers a simplified and modern approach to leasing and financing. A payment solution or tech-as-a-service option for any product in the TD SYNNEX portfolio can be integrated into a product sale and will be funded for the full term up-front, eliminating credit risk for the channel partner and providing greater customer value. https://uk.tdsynnex.com Orca names Ignition as distribution partner Ignition Technology, the specialist distributor for disruptive and fast-growth SaaS-based cybersecurity vendors has been named Orca Security’s sole distribution partner across the UK, Ireland and France. Ignition will drive channel recruitment, engagement, and enablement to stimulate market demand for Orca’s cloud security platform. “Managing the security posture of enterprise cloud environments has become increasingly challenging over the past few years,” said Sean Remnant, Chief Strategy Officer at Ignition Technology. “The modern enterprise relies heavily on cloud services, yet so many organisations are still playing catch up on cloud security, leaving them vulnerable to attack. With Orca’s cloud security and posture management capabilities, channel partners will be able to help their customers identify security gaps and mitigate risk.” www.ignition-technology.com Sean Remnant David Watts 2 0 2 3 See page 49
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01732 759725 BULLETIN 10 Integra announces national conference date Integra has announced its national conference will be held on Wednesday March 6, 2024, at the Hilton, St George’s Park. Sessions will be planned around key trends, new opportunities, and growth categories, with an all-encompassing exhibition to fully support the group’s ever increasing product and service portfolio. To celebrate 25 years of Initiative, Integra will be announcing an ‘Early Bird’ incentive later this year. Members can pre-register now to secure their discounted rate. www.integra-business.co.uk Exertis joins forces with Cloudist Exertis has unveiled a partnership with Cloudist, an innovative Swedish distributor of automated green cloud services, in the world's first climate-positive data centre. Cloudist is a Swedish green cloud provider that distinguishes itself from other providers by offering 100% green sustainable cloud services, predictable costs, no lock-in, and accessible and personal service. Its vision is to be the leading pioneer in green cloud services. Jasenko Masic, CEO of Cloudist, said: “Joining forces with Exertis gives us the opportunity to continue full speed ahead to take Cloudist's climate-positive cloud platform to a whole new level and new markets. Together, we will make the Nordic IT region the greenest in Europe. Our motto ’Green Clouds Ahead’ is stronger than ever.” www.exertis.co.uk GoTo expands relationship with Ingram Micro The company’s GoTo Resolve for Managed Service Providers offering is now available for purchase in the UK through the Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace. GoTo Resolve for MSPs is the latest addition to the suite of communications and IT support products from GoTo available through Ingram Micro. The Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace is one of the UK’s largest one-stop-shops for cloudbased business solutions, enabling its resellers to easily purchase, provision, manage and invoice leading cloud applications via Ingram Micro’s central e-commerce platform. “Given the economic pressures on small businesses, and the growing number of flexible workforces, there is huge demand for managed services in the UK right now, as companies look to consolidate their technology stack and find ways to be more efficient with their IT resources,” said Robinder Koura, Head of Partner Sales, EMEA at GoTo. “We recognised the need to make access to our new GoTo Resolve solution for MSPs as easy as possible and Ingram Micro is the ideal partner to make that happen. We are excited to continue the global expansion of our relationship to provide UK businesses with the access to IT support and management capabilities they need.” www.goto.com New partnership underscores Epson's commitment to sustainability Epson has announced a partnership with the 5 Gyres Institute, a non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering action against the global crisis of plastic pollution through science, education and advocacy. Through the partnership, Epson will focus on raising awareness of plastic pollution and identify solutions for customers to reduce plastics in their work and home. Epson will support 5 Gyres leading solutionsfocused research in 2023 by investigating the environmental fate and toxicity of bioplastics, determining the release of nano and microplastics from everyday items, and assessing novel materials in waste management streams, including compost. www.epson.co.uk Disability confident employer TD SYNNEX has been awarded Disability Confident Employer Level 2 in recognition of the activities and processes it has in place to ensure that co-workers and job applicants that have a disability are treated fairly and have access to the resources they need. Disability Confident is a UK government initiative designed to encourage employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with health conditions. The award follows soon after the launch of TD SYNNEX’s Limitless business resource group (BRG), which has been formed to represent and support people who have physical or hidden disabilities or neurodivergence. Jodie Carroll, HR director, UK and Ireland, TD SYNNEX said: “The Disability Confident Employer Level 2 certificate is a significant step in driving the TD SYNNEX DEI agenda in the UK and Ireland. With the recent launch of the Limitless BRG alongside three other affinity groups already in place, the refurbishment of our Basingstoke and Bracknell locations, and other positive actions we’ve taken, we are making great strides towards making our business a really great and more inclusive place to work.” https://uk.tdsynnex.com Konica Minolta retains leader status Konica Minolta has once again been recognised as a Leader in Print Security by Quocirca. In Quocirca’s 2023 evaluation of the print security market, Konica Minolta’s security portfolio is recognised for spanning print and document security across its MFP portfolio, and IT security services, as well as video security, compliance and risk management. Konica Minolta’s managed print security services provide monitoring and management of print devices and systems, including device security profile management, vulnerability scanning and intrusion detection, and print policy enforcement. Furthermore, Quocirca states how: “Security is a core component of its Intelligent Connected Workplace portfolio, which encompasses a range of solutions to address the digital transformation needs of businesses of all sizes.” Olaf Lorenz, Head of International Marketing Division, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe, said: “Security is at the forefront of every product, service, and solution that Konica Minolta develops and delivers to its customers.” www.konicaminolta.co.uk Jodie Comer Jasenko Masic
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01732 759725 12 BULLETIN Lifecycle Software joins TMForum Lifecycle Software, a provider of business support systems and real-time charging solutions for the telecommunications industry, has announced its membership in TMForum, a global industry association driving digital transformation and collaboration within the telecoms sector. By becoming a member of TMForum, the company aims to strengthen its industry collaborations, foster innovation, and drive the development of future-proof solutions that address the evolving needs of telecoms operators. CEO Kelvin Chaffer said: “Joining TMForum is a significant milestone for Lifecycle Software. This membership empowers us to exchange knowledge, influence industry standards, and shape the future of telecoms by enabling seamless integration and interoperability. We look forward to collaborating with fellow members and contributing to the transformation of the industry." www.lifecycle-software.com M-Files reaches Centaur status M-Files has announced it has reached Centaur status, having achieved a milestone of $100m in annual recurring revenue. First introduced by Bessemer Ventures, the designation of Centaur goes to privately held SaaS companies that have hit $100m in annual recurring revenue. An elite subset of the growing unicorn herd, Centaur status is widely accepted to be an accurate measure of an organisation's success, denoting strong product-market fit, a scalable go-to-market strategy, and a growing customer base, according to Bessemer’s 2023 State of the Cloud report. Antti Nivala, Founder and CEO, M-Files said: “Our company is cash-flow positive, hyper-focused on profitable growth, and, as an independent company, we’ve never been forced to integrate with a larger, multi-product organisation. This sustainable growth approach is combined with our strong Finnish roots and culture. Our values based on equality, trust, and honesty allow us to focus on providing the best products, service, and support on the market. I’m proud of this achievement and look forward to continued success and growth to come." Bessemer Ventures estimates that only 50 new software-as-a-service businesses reached Centaur status last year. www.m-files.com Demand for ECM solutions soars Demand for efficient DMS solutions has risen in recent years, as companies increasingly recognise that managing documents and information is critical to the success of their business. This trend is reflected in DocuWare’s fiscal year figures. The provider of document management and workflow automation solutions closed the 2022 financial year extremely successfully with a 21.5% increase in revenue and over 3,000 new customers over the previous year. Supported by its network of more than 800 partners, DocuWare continues to expand its global business. With strong demand for cloud-based solutions and continuous innovation, DocuWare has established itself as a leading provider in this field since 2012 and cloud revenue grew by 47.4% YOY. Among the approximately 3,000 new customers, around 2,500 opted for the cloud, which reflects a global increase of 33%. At the end of the 2022 fiscal year, DocuWare had 8,500 cloud customers. https://start.docuware.com Paessler acquires qbilon Paessler AG, the IT monitoring specialist best known for the monitoring software Paessler PRTG has acquired qbilon GmbH, a company that provides a platform for automatically capturing, analysing and optimising hybrid IT landscapes. The acquisition is in line with Paessler’s long-term growth plans to provide the best possible IT, OT, and IoT monitoring solutions to its customers and to further enlarge its footprint, especially in the large-scale enterprise segment, with new product offerings. “As our first ever acquisition, today marks an exciting milestone in our history and future,” said Helmut Binder, CEO of Paessler. “We are passionate about giving customers the visibility they need of their IT landscapes to optimise resources, and qbilon is a natural fit with both our culture and what we are aiming to achieve. www.paessler.com Valsoft strengthens printing vertical with acquisition Valsoft has announced the acquisition of Nexera, an industry leader in providing customers the most accurate, comparative copier/printer device data and benchmarks. The company also offers a wide range of services such as virtual CFO, strategic planning, business-minded solutions, IT consulting and management with cloud-based and on-premise designs, to virtual printer management and service management. Nexera becomes the third company in the printing vertical to join Aspire Software – the operating group at Valsoft – along with MPS Monitor and Euroform. Nexera can further strengthen its presence in the North American market and expand globally by leveraging Aspire’s existing presence. www.valsoftcorp.com Cohesity partners with Google Cloud Cohesity has announced an expanded partnership with Google Cloud to help organisations unlock the power of generative AI and data. The company also unveiled Cohesity Turing, a unique, comprehensive, and rapidly evolving set of AI technologies that brings the power of AI to data security and management. The expanded partnership with Google Cloud, along with Cohesity Turing, will enable organisations to leverage their entire data estate through a single, secure workflow across on-premises, multi-cloud, and edge environments. www.cohesity.com 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 ENTRIES & VOTING OPEN SEE CRITERIA – PAGE 22 Helmut Binder Antii Nivala
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01732 759725 14 BULLETIN A leader in security solutions and services Lexmark has been recognised as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Security Solutions and Services Hardcopy 2022-23 Vendor Assessment. The study evaluates the market for print and document security solutions and services among worldwide hardcopy vendors and identifies their strengths and challenges. The IDC MarketScape report advises: “Organisations should consider Lexmark when looking for a vendor with deep industry knowledge and expertise. Lexmark should also be on the shortlist of vendors when considering factors such as security to meet hybrid work challenges, moving print infrastructure to the cloud, developing a strong security posture that can expand and evolve over time, and a need for consistent global service delivery.” The report noted several strengths of Lexmark security offerings including its secure cloud services, secure by design approach, zero trust framework, MPS and Lexmark Cloud Bridge. www.lexmark.co.uk Double industry recognition Konica Minolta’s AccurioLabel 400 high speed single-pass toner press has collected two coveted industry recognitions. The press, the first high-end model in the AccurioLabel series of digital label printers, has received an iF Design Award 2023 and a Red Dot Award: Product Design 2023. Both acknowledge improving operational efficiency by automating the printing process. www.konicaminolta.co.uk Brother partners with BarcodeGenie Research by Brother UK finds that UK SME retailers are planning to invest in labelling technology to boost efficiency and minimise error, with nearly three quarters expecting to upgrade label systems in the next 12-months. The study of 250 SME retailers and 2,000 consumers, which explored the frequency of in-store pricing errors, revealed how more than a third (38%) of retailers admit to mis-labelling prices on products at least once a day. More than a quarter (28%) said it happens multiple times per week, with only 7% saying they never mis-label prices. Only half (51%) of retailers said they currently use a label printer linked to smart devices. Brother completed the study as it launches a new partnership with technology reseller and software developer BarcodeGenie. The pair’s label printers and cloud-based labelling system links directly with a retailers’ product file to ensure store staff always print the right pricing to minimise costly mistakes. Simon Brennan, Senior End User Client Manager, at Brother UK, said: “Pricing errors happen in retail for a multitude of reasons – from human error and miscommunication to technology not working efficiently. “Minimising error is a big part of why retailers are turning to labelling technology. But many are also looking to boost efficiency, to save employees time, to have more visibility over pricing rollouts, and to be more reactive to margin opportunities. “Our new partnership with BarcodeGenie aims to make shelf-edge ticketing, reduce to clear, mark-downs and shipping label printing faster, simpler and more accurate for retailers.” www.brother.co.uk Recognised for well-being Xerox has been awarded the IBEC KeepWell Accreditation Mark, a health, safety and wellbeing program which recognises organisations in Ireland that put the well-being of employees at the heart of their businesses. The KeepWell programme, the first of its kind in Ireland, focuses on eight key areas including leadership, absence management, physical activity, health and safety, and mental health. The initiative has been awarded based on Xerox’s ongoing commitment to provide the highest standards of well-being in the workplace for its employees. In particular, the report called out Xerox’s leadership and safety, which the company has demonstrated for a number of years via its holistic well-being programme that empowers all employees and their families to thrive at home, at work, physically and mentally in body and mind. “I am delighted that Xerox Ireland has been awarded the IBEC KeepWell Mark Accreditation. Xerox has always put our people at the heart of everything we do. For us it was important to demonstrate that we will continue to support our employees’ well-being now and, in the future,” said Ryan Clarke, General Manager, Xerox Ireland. www.xerox.com Toshiba announces alliance with Loftware Toshiba has agreed to enter a global technological alliance for the development, support and approval of Toshiba drivers for the Loftware NiceLabel suite of products. Through this collaboration starting in Europe, Toshiba will expand its software portfolio enabling its barcode solutions business partners to increase their value offering by selling more advanced solutions and generating new opportunities for them. “As part of our digital transformation initiative, the newly extended product lineup shall help Toshiba business partners to meet the evolving labelling demands of their customers,” said Deyon Antoine, Product Manager for Barcoding Solutions at Toshiba UK. “By partnering with Loftware we are able to offer our European customers holistic cloudbased labelling solutions which will help them to provide a bigger offering to their customers including additional services opportunities.” www.toshibatec.co.uk 2 0 2 3 See page 49
UTAX (UK) Ltd Unit 89 Shrivenham Hundred Business Park Majors Road Watchfield Swindon SN6 8TY +44 (0)1793 786000 [email protected] www.utax.co.uk Introduce your customers to a new way of paying for colour printing and copying... Offer your customers something your competitors don’t. The innovative three-tier colour coverage system available on the UTAX range of colour multifunctionals, automatically calculates the colour toner used to produce each page. It then records the page against one of four meters depending on the level of colour usage - meaning your customers only ever pay for the colour used. So, what does this mean for you? Tiered Billing is a great way to easily reduce your customer’s printing costs. Using the following examples, we demonstrate documents and their approximate percentage coverage. ONLY PAY FOR THE AMOUNT OF COLOUR USED If printing output is at Colour Level 1 or 2, your customers are probably being charged at Colour Level 3; with a UTAX device, only pay for what is used. Mono Mono (no colour click) Colour Level 2: Mid colour (Between 5.2-20%) Colour Level 1: Low Colour (Up to 5.1%) Colour Level 3: High Colour (20.1% and over)
01732 759725 16 BULLETIN : PEOPLE New leadership team Following its acquisition by EVO Group, Complete Business Solutions’ leadership team has been reshaped to enable the business to effectively deal with market challenges and focus on growth. Following a long career at Complete in operations and sales, John Barker has been appointed as its new Managing Director and Elaine Collett as Head of Sales, supported by two new Regional Sales Managers for the North and South, Karen Blatherwick and Carl Rundle. Other appointments include Pamela Wakefield, Head of Facilities; Lee Jervis, Head of Workwear Operations; Phil Sibson, Head of Interiors; Jonathan Thiem, MD of Technology; Nigel Hindmarch, Head of Purchasing; Ian Robins, National Service Director; Alex Gerrard, Interim Financial Director and Rebecca Bower, Senior Commercial Financial Manager. EVO Chief Executive Andrew Gale said: “I am delighted with the progress we have made five months into our journey of Banner Business Solutions trading as Complete and can now confirm the right leadership team to carry Complete forward over the coming years. When the acquisition was finalised, we set out the goal of ensuring the business would continue to be run by Complete’s talented team and we’re so pleased to have achieved this goal. The new team provides both the depth and experience needed to take Complete to new heights. “We have also rationalised and upgraded the properties we use, which has been a significant and important task. The support of the supplier base is also very much appreciated. We are excited to see new business wins come through and I am looking forward to what John and the Complete team can deliver over the coming months.” www.evo-group.co.uk InterCloud bolsters executive team InterCloud, a leading software-defined cloud interconnect (SDCI) provider, has announced the appointment of Myriam Buzy as Managing Director. She brings 20 years’ experience in the financial sector and a decade of work across IoT and telecoms to the role and represents the latest major step in the company’s continued expansion. Buzy’s appointment shows InterCloud’s commitment to bolstering its executive team to strengthen its focus on delivering excellent support across the entirety of the organisation’s support services, as well as maximising new and exciting growth initiatives. Having announced Luc Imbert as Chief Product Officer earlier this month, the company is revamping its leadership structure once again to support scale-up plans for the years ahead. https://intercloud.com Industry veteran to drive growth at Thrive Cybersecurity and cloud managed services provider Thrive has hired Steve Tilley as European Head of Sales. In this role, Tilley will be a pivotal force behind growing the company’s managed cybersecurity and cloud services in Europe. This leadership appointment stems from Thrive's accelerated growth due to strategic acquisitions over the past two years of leading IT, cybersecurity and managed services companies, including ONI, Custard and Edge Technology Group. Tilley said: "I look forward to leading Thrive's ever-expanding European operations and assisting businesses with secure, scalable, and flexible cybersecurity and cloud technology to keep European businesses resilient and competitive in the digital age." https://thrivenextgen.com TD SYNNEX increases focus on services TD SYNNEX has announced the appointment of Sophia Haywood-Atkinson as Business Unit Director, Services. Her appointment underlines the continued focus and investment the distie is making to ensure partners can capitalise on the potential to grow their services business. TD SYNNEX offers a wide range of services which partners can offer to their customers on a partnership or white-label basis. They range from pre-shipment installation and testing to software, maintenance and support services, through to its tech-as-a-service and trade-in offerings. In her new post, Haywood-Atkinson will be responsible for development and growth of these offerings and all other aspects of TD SYNNEX’s services business. Haywood-Atkinson has re-joined the company after an 18-month spell during which she worked at a well-known vendor company. Prior to that she was head of tech-as-a-service B2C and trade-in services UK&I at TD SYNNEX. In her new role she will be responsible for the management of the services team and the further development and growth of the TD SYNNEX services portfolio. https://uk.tdsynnex.com Zen Internet announces new chair Zen Internet, the UK’s largest B Corp accredited technology service provider has appointed Phil Male as its new Chair. The internal promotion comes as Richard Tang steps back into the position of CEO. Having been on Zen’s board for four years, Male brings over three decades of experience in the telecoms industry where he has been instrumental in the development of technology and media services in the UK. As Chair, he will oversee Zen’s board, ensuring its strategy remains on track for success. www.zen.co.uk Promotions at Vision Vision has rebranded its Enterprise Services team, which will now be known as Workspace Services and as part of the restructure has promoted Billy Vavlas to Head of Professional Services. The company has also announced that Head of Public Sector Leon Wragg, has been promoted to Director of Public Sector Sales and appointed John Dobbelaar as Head of Corporate Sales. https://visionplc.co.uk Phil Male Sophia Haywood-Atkinson
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