www.printitreseller.uk PRINT, MFP, SOFTWARE, SERVICES, DOCUMENT & CLOUD NEWS & INFORMATION FOR VARS, CONVERGED RESELLERS & MFP DEALERS 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 Don’t forget to head online www.printitawards.co.uk to cast your vote in five distinct categories. You’ve got until 5pm on Friday September 29. Unleash your business potential with UFP The Print & IT distribution partner you can rely on Bringing our customers the best in products, service, and value. Learn how we can support your business by turning to page 28 www.ufpuk.com 10 YEARS · ISSUE I08 IN PRINT & ONLINE ISSUE 108 · 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 are now CLOSED. But VOTING is open until September 29. 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 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 TECH LIVE 2023 is taking place at the Business Design Centre, London on 12 September. Designed to bring IT vendors, technology resellers and managed service providers together in an informal environment, the event provides the perfect opportunity to forge new partnerships and build on existing relationships, In addition to a wide array of companies exhibiting at the show (see page 22 for a complete list), Brother UK is hosting an exclusive partner conference to discuss the direction of travel for business’ print needs and how channel resellers’ strategies will need to change to meet them. Also running alongside the main exhibition is an informal, but informative, seminar programme. Don’t miss this opportunity to talk to subject matter experts in an informal setting to improve your understanding of their solutions and how they can help your business to prosper. Register now at https://technologylive.co.uk/register Also in this issue, Tim Muckhart, Channel Sales Director at Vasion, picks the work tools he uses every day and couldn’t do his job without (page 18). This month’s Q&A is with Michael Woodcock, Co-founder, Nuvem Solutions, and PITR spent 60 seconds with Theresa Downes, General Manager Print Business Unit, Exertis. 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... Tim Muckhart picks his favourite work tools 20 A decade in print Lesley Howe shares her print experiences over the past decade 22 TECH LIVE 2023 Join us at the Business Design Centre on September 12 30 Distribution Chiltern Capital acquires Intec Microsystems 32 Focus on: What’s New A round-up of recent product launches 34 Research SMEs lack IT knowledge 36 Sustainability Channel sustainability initiatives 37 Company Profile Asolvi completes Vantage Online and mySalesDrive integration 38 Events PITR & TR Golf Society update 39 VOX POP Technology in a digitalfirst world 46 One-to-One Bryan Stone, Director at Business I.T. Systems Ltd 48 View from the Channel Michael Woodcock, Cofounder, Nuvem Solutions 50 60 seconds with... Theresa Downes, General Manager Print Business Unit, Exertis 2023 ISSUE 108 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 108 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 10 YEARS · ISSUE I08 IN PRINT & ONLINE
BULLETIN 01732 759725 4 IT challenges Cisco AppDynamics has released a report titled, The Age of Application Observability which provides insights into the challenges UK IT teams face managing application performance within increasingly complex multi-cloud and hybrid IT environments. In a rapidly evolving IT landscape, the report found that 86% of technologists identify a pressing need to shift from traditional monitoring approaches to advanced observability solutions. This change is being driven by the complexities tied to the rising adoption of cloud-native technologies, economic barriers slowing down cloud migration, and the persistence of hybrid and on-premises environments. Notably, more than half (53%) of organisations are already looking into these next-gen solutions, with 82% marking observability as a strategic focal point. This research has considered the perspectives of over 1,140 IT professionals across 13 global markets, including the UK. It highlights how the convergence of cloudnative technology adoption with on-premises technology is urging a more adaptive approach in the IT sector. Key UK-centric insights from the report include: n 86% of technologists claim that observability with business context will enable them to be more strategic and spend more time on innovation. n 67% report that leaders within their organisation do not fully understand that modern applications need modern approaches and tools to manage availability, performance and security. n On average, technologists report that 52% of their new innovation initiatives are being delivered with cloud-native technologies, and they expect this figure to climb to 61% within the next five years. That means that the majority of new digital transformation programs will be built on cloud-native technologies by 2028. www.appdynamics.com Tech named most productive industry The UK’s IT and information services industry has made the biggest leap in productivity, a new report has found – growing by 13.71% year-onyear since Q4 2022. ECI Software Solutions analysed ONS labour productivity statistics to build its Business Productivity Index, highlighting which industries have been most affected by the current economic climate. Since the ONS started measuring labour productivity, the average lifetime output from data and IT firms sits at 74.79, while in 2022 it reached 121.1. This is good news for the UK’s drive toward becoming a technology and science superpower, with more than three million people working in www.ecisolutions.com Heightened cyber risk According to CybeReady, research based on millions of data points, accumulated from training enterprise employees over the past five years reveals that new employees regularly show a propensity for higher-risk behaviours compared to veteran employees. The data establishes a direct correlation between employee veterancy within a company and its cybersecurity risk level. The research reveals a stark contrast in behaviour between new and veteran employees. On average, new employees (less than six months with the company) are more than twice as likely to click on phishing emails compared to their veteran counterparts, demonstrating increased susceptibility to cyber threats. “Our data demonstrates the crucial role employees play in keeping the organisation safe, and how administering effectiveness training can truly change employee behaviour,” said Eitan Fogel, CEO of CybeReady. “By recognising the increased vulnerability of new employees and providing targeted training at various stages of veterancy and risk levels, organisations can mitigate cyber risks and thereby strengthen their overall security posture.” www.cybeready.com Cloud adoption number one challenge Research from Paessler AG found that cloud adoption is the number one challenge that IT leaders are facing. Whilst cloud adoption is still slow, over two-thirds (64%) of businesses believe that they will have more IT infrastructure in the cloud over the next two years. Whilst concern amongst IT leaders around cloud adoption remains high, actual uptake is low, as Paessler’s research found that just 25% of UK and 19% of global storage infrastructure is in the cloud. In addition to slow cloud adoption, Paessler also found that globally only 37% of companies have started to work on sustainable IT strategies. The Americas were the furthest behind, with just 26% starting to work on sustainable IT strategies and a surprising 52% of respondents stating it is not a priority yet. Whilst Scandinavian countries rank the highest, with 56% having started to work on sustainable IT strategies, followed by the UK & Ireland with 49%. www.paessler.com Tackling environmental issues A recent sustainability survey conducted by Yonder Consulting on behalf of Alibaba Cloud, has found that businesses need to work harder to build trust among consumers on their sustainability claims. This is especially true among those living in European markets, with 23% of consumers saying they do not trust very much the claims around sustainability of products from businesses. The highest proportion are in France (31%), Spain (31%) Germany (30%) and the UK (30%). Other highlights include 38% of consumers being cynical towards the underlying motivation of businesses’ sustainable products, with only 15% saying that they completely trust claims around sustainability of products. https://eu.alibabacloud.com appdynamics.com ebook Application Observability Report The Age of Application Observability Why technologists must act now to optimize application performance and deliver sustainable innovation within hybrid IT environments Business Design Centre · London · 12 September 2023 23 ICT · MANAGED IT · MOBILE · PRINT tech-live.co.uk
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BULLETIN Commitment to sustainability SCC has partnered with Conrad Energy, a global provider of renewable energy solutions, to install solar panels at its flagship CV1 datacentre facility in Birmingham. The move is part of SCC’s commitment to sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint. The 737kWp roof-mounted solar-PV system will provide a significant amount of renewable energy to the datacentre, reducing the amount of electricity that needs to be sourced from traditional energy sources. The panels are installed on the roof of the CV1 facility and will create 130 tonnes of carbon savings in the first year. The partnership will further enhance SCC's sustainability efforts and demonstrates the company’s commitment to using renewable energy sources wherever possible. It also aligns with Rigby Group’s (SCC’s parent company) ambition to decarbonise operations across its entire portfolio, with a target to become net zero by 2040. Rigby Group has recently launched Project Sequoia to progress this important work. Paul Southall, Head of Sustainability and Projects at SCC, said: “Datacentres account for around 2% of all global carbon emissions. This landmark green energy project is the latest step in decarbonising our group operations, demonstrating our commitment to a greener future and achieving net zero by 2040.” Additional benefits to SCC include lower operating costs due to significant savings on energy and price certainty amid energy price volatility. It also allows green credentials to be passed on to its UK datacentre customers. www.scc.com 01732 759725 6 Apogee supports Heart of Kent hospice Apogee is sponsoring the 2024 Heart of Kent Hospice ‘Shaun the Sheep’ art trail, as part of its continued investment in the local community. The free art trail will take place in Maidstone and the surrounding areas in the summer of 2024, and will feature up to 50 individually designed large Shaun sculptures, accompanied by a flock of little Shauns. The temporary tourist attraction will enable visitors to explore the area’s parks and streets, while encouraging them to spend more time outdoors as they walk the trail. The sculptures will be individually designed and painted by local and national artists and will be auctioned at the end of the trail to raise money for the Hospice. www.apogeecorp.com SP&C shortlisted Social Print & Copy CIC (SP&C has been shortlisted in the Tech for Good category at the Social Enterprise Awards Scotland 2023. The awards highlight excellence and outstanding achievements by social enterprises – businesses that reinvest their profits for social and environmental good – which demonstrate they’re improving and building a better economy and fairer society. A brand new category this year, the prestigious tech award recognises a social enterprise using technology to achieve its social impact, either through developing a new product or service, or enhancing its service delivery. Welcoming his company’s nomination, Chief Executive Ian Gray said: “We are delighted to be recognised by the panel for our growth and enterprise. The delivery of our digital/ environmental transformation services creates an ‘on the job’ training platform for our young people leading to full-time employment while supporting our third sector partners.” There is a total of nine categories open to Social Enterprises operating in Scotland or individuals who work/volunteer in Scotland. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Scottish Parliament on Thursday, 26 October hosted by Beatrice Wishart, Scottish Liberal Democrat and Shetland MSP. www.socialprintandcopy.org Espria chooses refurbished devices Espria has announced plans to replace employee laptops and monitors with British Standards Institute (BSI) certified refurbished devices, increasing its current 65% refurbished usage rate to 100% over the next three years. Chief Operating Officer Clinton Groome said: “Our decision to move to 100% refurbished devices in the next few years aligns with our values and reinforces our commitment to reducing electronic waste and minimise our carbon footprint as best we can. By choosing refurbished, we are contributing to extending the lifespan of electronics, and the negative impact e-waste has on the environment. “The remanufactured devices we use, and also supply to our customers, have all undergone rigorous audits and testing. Not only can devices be branded through vinyl wrapping but they are also delivered to clear specifications including RAM and SSD. Assisting in creating the same out of the box experience expected with new purchases,” he added. In addition to the sustainable benefits refurbished devices bring, businesses can also take advantage of the Espria buy-back programme to reduce cybersecurity risks. Trading-in old devices guarantees extensive cleaning and data sanitisation, ensuring legacy data is completely wiped from every device, mitigating the potential security risks that come with basic wipes or storing devices in company cupboards. “By not only offering refurbished, but taking the step to use it ourselves, with a 100% utilisation by 2026, we aim to not only reduce our e-waste but also support our clients’ businesses in their ESG goals. We are determined to do all we can to work with our partners and our clients to play our part in a more sustainable future,” Groome concluded. www.espria.com Ian Gray 2 0 2 3 See page 38 for round-up For more information please email [email protected] or call Paul on 07887 944433
BULLETIN Award win for Aurora Aurora Managed Services has been named Ricoh’s top seller for Docuware software, recognising outstanding performance and significant contribution to the OEM’s Docuware revenues in 2022. Surpassing all other channel partners to achieve this prestigious title was an incredible accomplishment that required relentless dedication, hard work, and a strong commitment to customers. Ricoh’s Partner Sales Manager, Steven Douglas, presented a celebratory cake to Aurora’s Service Director, Stuart Stallard, symbolising the recognition and gratitude for the company’s efforts and the customer-centric culture at Aurora. www.aurora.co.uk SCC included on CCS framework SCC has been named as a supplier on Crown Commercial Service’s Network Services 3 framework, further extending its service offering to the public sector. Crown Commercial Service (CCS) supports the public sector to achieve maximum commercial value when procuring common goods and services. In 2022/23, CCS helped the public sector to achieve commercial benefits equal to £3.8 billion – supporting worldclass public services that offer best value for taxpayers. Through the Network Services 3 framework, all UK public sector organisations can access network solutions, communication services, connectivity to cloud-based data and applications, audio and video conferencing, radio and satellite networking, and emerging technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Cities. This is the latest in a succession of public sector framework wins for SCC, which has been included on every iteration of the CCS G-Cloud framework since its inception in 2012. Nigel Clark, Head of Public Sector said: “We’re delighted to be named as a supplier on the Network Services 3 framework. By purchasing through CCS agreements, public and third sector organisations benefit from increased quality and value. As an established supplier to the public sector, we understand this and are committed to helping organisations access services that contribute toward the digital agenda and the transformation of our public services.” www.scc.com PRINTITRESELLER.UK 7 Tree planting First Copy Corporation has funded the planting of 5,000 trees with environmental organisation Ecologi. The trees are responsibly planted in supported reforestation projects worldwide. The company funds trees each time it installs new devices, at present, this starts at five trees for a desktop device and rises to 100 for a large digital press. New business enquiries also result in additional trees being planted. Progress can be tracked on the company’s ‘Virtual Forest’, which indicates which projects have been supported. The planting of the first 5,000 trees is a significant step forward and one part of a larger corporate social responsibility plan. “We first started funding tree planting through Ecologi in January 2022,” said Managing Director Dave Honeyben. “As a business that supports other companies with printing and document management, planting trees was an obvious way to give back to the planet. Although not the same as offsetting carbon, planting trees is one way in which we are working towards a greener future. We have changed our vehicles for electric ones – including our new van – and have also begun to support nature-based projects with Ecologi that prevent greenhouse gas emissions from occurring in the first place. “We know there is more to do, but we want to go beyond just supporting our customers to reduce emissions and waste with efficient printing processes. In 2023 we are working on a carbon audit and will set further actions and goals for the company to achieve in the coming months and years,” he added. www.firstcopy.co.uk Paradigm Business Solutions partners with Konica Minolta Managed print provider Paradigm Business Solutions has partnered with Konica Minolta. Launched in April this year, Paradigm Business Solutions was conceived to address what the founders Rob Carey and Rob Hewett saw as a noticeable gap in the market for accountability and consideration for even the smallest customer. Based in the southeast of England, the company delivers managed solutions for single or multiple sites across the UK in any sector. Reflecting upon the new partnership Carey said: “The print market is evolving so we knew Paradigm Business Solutions needed to offer something more than just traditional managed print. From our experience, we believe Konica Minolta offers the best and most reliable print products, and with its broad portfolio of scan and document management solutions it fits perfectly into what we want to offer to meet market demands.” Hewett added, “Having both previously worked for Konica Minolta we follow the same values of putting customers first, delivering what you promise and providing quality and value for money. Lots of channel resellers have been bought out since the pandemic and this can create a revolving door of contacts for smaller customers. Paradigm Business Solutions is here to fill that gap by delivering a personal touch – Rob and I are here to speak to customers directly - which instils trust and ensures we provide a fully hands-on approach.” www.paradigmbusiness.co.uk www.konicaminolta.co.uk Nigel Clark
BULLETIN 01732 759725 8 Environmental sustainability accreditation TD SYNNEX has achieved the Cisco Environmental Sustainability Specialisation for its business in Europe. As a result, the distributor can now offer localised support for partners in all its European markets to help them obtain their own Cisco Environmental Sustainability Specialisation. The accreditation helps partners to accelerate their sustainability and circular economy practices and gives access to the Cisco Takeback incentive, which enables free return of used hardware to be remanufactured, recycled or safely disposed of, and up to 7% discount for new products on qualifying deals. In addition, obtaining this specialisation helps partners advance toward Cisco Select Partner status. Sam Paris, Vice President, Security and Networking and Cisco lead for Europe at TD SYNNEX said: “We are delighted to have achieved the Cisco Environmental Sustainability Specialisation in all countries in our European footprint. It’s great news for partners everywhere who are looking to accelerate their sustainable IT practices and provides a transparent, ready-made and highly credible framework for technology recycling and circular economy initiatives.” TD SYNNEX partners can also benefit from Cisco´s sustainable IT programs such as Refresh for remanufactured Cisco hardware and Green Pay, a circular IT payment solution for Cisco’s sustainable technology. https://eu.tdsynnex.com Revamped MSP partner programme Zyxel has launched an updated version of its MSP partner programme with the goal of encouraging more partners to make their first steps to becoming managed services providers and building their business around its Nebula cloud management platform. Zyxel launched its first MSP Partner Programme in the UK and Ireland in 2020, recruiting and training a number of its partners in its cloud-based Nebula network monitoring and management platform. “Over the following two years, sales through those partners have grown significantly. The company is now planning to build on that success”, said Rachel Rothwell, Regional Director, UK and Ireland. “It’s very clear that managed services are the future for the channel. Over the past two years we have seen tremendous growth with our MSP Partners. That’s all been down to mutual commitment and the ease of use and growing popularity of Nebula, which has become the core managed services platform for those partners. We’ve seen success in all sectors, and we will continue to support those partners and help them to grow. “We are also ready to help more partners start making the transition to becoming an MSP, with Nebula as their foundation stone. To that end, we have enhanced our programme to make it even more attractive. We are running a series of webinars to explain the benefits and setting out a comprehensive training programme for the year ahead that will enable partners to come on board and learn and develop at their own pace.” Rothwell stressed that Zyxel will be looking for partners who are enthusiastic and have real potential to grow. “We plan to bring only a limited number of new partners on board. We want partners that have a real zest and zeal to develop their managed services and grow their business. We believe that we have a really good programme that will help them to do that successfully,” she concluded. http://msp.zyxel.com/en ColorTokens appoints Exertis ColorTokens, a provider of unified zero trust platforms has appointed Exertis as its first pan-European distributor. With this partnership, Exertis has opened up a great opportunity to drive significant new business, focusing first on the UK and a number of countries across Europe. ColorTokens allows customers to manage micro segmentation across all asset types, with comprehensive visibility into deployed assets and traffic via an intuitive visual dashboard. Its solutions can reduce compliance costs by 70%, reduce security alerts by 80%, and deployment can be increased by 100%. Dominic Ryles, Sales and Commercial Director at Exertis Cybersecurity said: “I’m thrilled to announce that we have joined forces with ColorTokens, a cloud-delivered zero trust and micro segmentation vendor who can help our channel partners understand their journey to becoming more cyber resilient. I’m confident that our channel partners will see the value and cost savings that can be made by utilising ColorTokens either instead, or alongside, their existing cyber tools.” www.exertis.co.uk BOSS creates special interest group UK dealer groups Advantia, Integra Business Solutions, Office Friendly, Nectere, Nemo Office Club, Superstat and dealer solutions provider Office Power, have come together with the BOSS Federation to form a special interest group with the purpose of highlighting issues that affect dealers operating within the business supplies industry and provide a conduit where these issues can be fed back to the wider industry or taken to government. The BOSS Dealer Group Forum will provide an opportunity for these businesses to join together and represent the issues or challenges their members are facing to BOSS Federation. At the inaugural meeting, the Forum elected Aidan McDonough, CEO Integra Business Solutions as Chair. He said: “Many of our members share the same issues, the BOSS Federation is perfectly positioned to facilitate a Forum where we as groups can come together and ensure collectively our members are being represented to the wider industry and at government level.” www.bossfederation.com Dominic Ryles Register Free At: tech-live.co.uk Headline Sponsor Business Design Centre · London · 12 September 2023 23 ICT · MANAGED IT · MOBILE · PRINT
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01732 759725 BULLETIN 10 Spicers partners with Nemo Spicers has announced a strategic partnership with Nemo Office Club. Under the agreement, Nemo Office Club members will benefit from improved trading terms and increased buying power. Steve Morley, Sales Director at Spicers, said: “Nemo Office Club have been supportive of the new look Spicers since day one, and I am pleased that we have now made our partnership official, and we can begin working with members to provide more choice and increased competitiveness. Our focus is on supplying products at the best prices, but also with a delivery and customer care service that is fitting to the dealers’ business. The Nemo Office Club marketing set-up is a perfect fit as it allows us to focus on getting products delivered, knowing that the dealers have the marketing tools available from their group to sell the product through.” This partnership announcement aligns with Spicers’ ongoing strategy to enhance competitiveness, deliver exceptional service, and broaden its product offerings. Having recently invested a multi-million-pound figure into an integrated ERP solution, automation, and stock management, Spicers is wellpositioned to meet the evolving needs of independent dealers and drive mutual success. www.spicers.co.uk Distribution agreement Arrow Systems and Katun Corporation have entered into an agreement that see Katun distribute Arrow Systems’ digital printing equipment in Europe. Katun will distribute the full range of Arrow Systems’ portfolio of high-speed digital inkjet printers for short, medium, and variable data runs as well as digital finishers to provide customers with complete digital solutions. Included in the product offering is the ArrowJet line of products. The ArrowJet line utilises Memjet’s new DuraFlex and DuraBolt technologies. DuraFlex and DuraBolt both utilise water-based, pigment inks that are Nestlé and Swiss Compliant for food packaging. www.katun.com • www.arrsys.com Renewables drive Westcon-Comstor has set a target to meet 100% of its electricity needs worldwide through renewable sources by 2030. Purchased electricity currently account for around 70% of the distributor’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions. A move to renewable energy will play a big role in helping Westcon-Comstor meet its targets to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030 and become net zero by 2050. www.westconcomstor.com Zyxel appoints UK distributor Zyxel Networks has appointed TD SYNNEX as its distributor in the UK and Ireland, giving partners immediate access to the vendor’s full range of networking, wireless and security appliance solutions and allowing them to take full advantage of TD SYNNEX’s extensive range of services to maximise their Zyxel sales. James Reed, Vice President – Endpoint Solutions, UK and Ireland, TD SYNNEX, said that the company will be looking to work both with existing and new Zyxel partners. “Zyxel has an exceptional range of switches, Wi-Fi access points and security appliances, and a growing reputation for delivering the highest levels of quality, reliability and performance for both business and prosumer customers. Zyxel is a valuable addition to our portfolio that enables our partners to offer all the advantages of this extensive range of networking solutions to their end-user customers. We’ll be aiming to provide the best possible experience to all partners, whether they are already familiar with or new to Zyxel’s products.” As well as Zyxel’s extensive range of networking hardware products, which also includes a range of LTE/5G mobile routers, TD SYNNEX will be offering licenses for Zyxel’s Nebula cloud management platform, which is ideal for partners that are looking to offer network monitoring services as part of a managed services provider value proposition. http://msp.zyxel.com/en Strengthened cloud solutions portfolio Infinigate Group has strengthened its cloud solutions portfolio through a new distribution agreement with unified cybersecurity provider WatchGuard. Building on a successful partnership with Nuvias, now an integral part of the Infinigate Group, the partnership with Infinigate Cloud will help WatchGuard drive growth of its subscription service model for SMB partners. Integration with CORE, Infinigate Cloud’s marketplace and integrations platform, will give resellers a seamless process for purchasing WatchGuard network security, advanced endpoint protection, multi-factor authentication and Wi-Fi products and services alongside Microsoft 365 and Azure. www.infinigate.cloud Silver EcoVadis medal TD SYNNEX has achieved the Silver Medal from EcoVadis, the leading provider of business sustainability ratings. Only the top 25% of companies assessed by EcoVadis receive this level of recognition and this score was reached through an assessment of the company’s environmental, social and ethical – or sustainability – performance. “TD SYNNEX has made corporate citizenship a global priority, and this rating is a significant milestone in that journey,” said Director of Global Responsibility Adam Rutstein. “We are proud of the progress we’ve made as our commitment to innovation, people and the planet drives us to fulfil our larger purpose.” Supported by TD SYNNEX’s Corporate Citizenship Program, this year’s recognition acknowledges the company’s progress on strategic initiatives that help deliver long-term value for its business, co-workers, communities, vendors, customers and investors. www.tdsynnex.com 20 23 Royal Lancaster · December 5 VOTE NOW printitawards.co.uk/vote/2023
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01732 759725 12 BULLETIN Vulnerability assessment solution Exclusive Networks has added Tenable Nessus vulnerability assessment solution to the growing portfolio of services available via X-OD, its subscription-based consumption platform. “The addition of Tenable Nessus to our X-OD portfolio gives our partners a unique and differentiated go-to-market proposition,” said Denis Ferrand-Ajchenbaum, SVP Global Business Development and Ecosystems. “With attack surfaces constantly changing, Nessus helps security professionals keep pace with attackers, providing a fast and easy way to find and fix vulnerabilities. The combination of Nessus and X-OD enables partners to deliver vulnerability assessment as-a-service to customers for the first time through a subscription-based consumption model, generating new recurring revenue opportunities,” he added. X-OD is the digital face of Exclusive Networks, the online delivery channel for select Exclusive Networks products and services designed to simplify technology consumption and fast-forward channel partners’ success in the emerging subscription economy. www.exclusive-networks.com Five9 to acquire Aceyus Intelligent CX Platform provider Five9 has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Aceyus a leader in advanced data integration and analytics for large enterprises. “Aceyus’s customer base includes many Fortune 100 companies and joint accounts with Five9, including some of our largest prospects and customers around the globe. The addition of Aceyus will extend our platform to further facilitate the migration of large enterprise customers to the cloud and to leverage contextual data to deliver personalised experiences,” said Mike Burkland, Five9 CEO and Chairman. Mike Ary, Aceyus’s CEO, President and Co-Founder, said, “Aceyus is incredibly proud to join Five9. Building on our successful partnership, shared vision and well-aligned cultures, we are poised to deliver unparalleled value to our customers, empowering them with comprehensive insights and tools to drive business transformation and exceptional customer experiences.” The transaction is scheduled to close by the end of the third quarter of 2023. www.five9.com MPS Monitor partners with ShipsInk MPS Monitor has announced a partnership with ShipsInk, a printer supplies and managed print services specialist in the maritime industry. The goal of this partnership is to provide a customised platform that supports the specific needs of the maritime sector including environmental analytics coming from MPS Monitor’s Analytics BI platform. Mark Kouwenberg, Sales Director of MPS Monitor, said: “MPS Monitor developed and customised the ShipsInk MPS Portal in such a way that it fulfils the needs ShipsInk and its maritime industry customers have. The integrated Power BI environmental reporting capabilities perfectly apply to the current ESG strategies of ship owners and ship management companies.” Bart Mennega Global Sales Manager of ShipsInk, added: “Getting accurate, complete, and timely data is critical to the maritime industry. We are excited that we can help our existing and new customers with reductions on TCO and carbon footprint as well as removing the print burden from their shoulders.” www.mpsmonitor.com (l-r) Ard Schalkwijk, Global Operations Manager at ShipsInk, Mark Kouwenberg, Sales Director at MPS Monitor and Bart Mennega, Global Sales Manager at ShipsInk Cloud simplicity and cost savings Cohesity has announced expanded partnerships to grow market penetration of its cloud services. Cisco and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) will each be offering Cohesity Cloud Services (CCS) to bring efficient data security and management to companies operating in today’s modern hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Cohesity has benefited from strategic partnerships with Cisco and HPE to help deliver the benefits of the Cohesity Data Cloud to nearly 1,000 joint customers worldwide. The company has seen great success as a trusted vendor for enterprises worldwide and has experienced strong growth in its cloud services business. One in five customers now use Cohesity Cloud Services, and approximately 25% of all new customer and expansion business comes from CCS. In addition, nearly two thirds of CCS annual recurring revenue in the past four quarters have come from enterprise customers with revenue greater than $1B, demonstrating strong interest from large customers. www.cohesity.com Netskope launches new partner programme Netskope has announced an extension of its Evolve partner programme. The newly-formalised MSP programme helps partners to expand their revenue streams with an additional route to market and profitable service offerings. The programme provides flexible licensing options, dedicated MSP partner resources, and a new technical support accreditation that complements the Netskope Service Delivery Specialisation. Netskope’s SASE platform includes cloud, data and network security. Partners have the flexibility to offer the full spectrum or a portion of these solutions in a packaged managed service offering to their customers. “Netskope continues to build programmes that unlock as much opportunity as possible for our global partner ecosystem,” said Kristin Carnes, Vice President Global Channel Programs and Strategy. “The formalised managed service provider programme arms partners with the support and tools they need to successfully build out managed service offerings and deliver a fully managed Netskope SASE solution to their customers.” The Netskope MSP Programme features a new as-a-service business model framework and includes the availability of tools and resources to support partners as they develop and deliver managed Netskope SASE offerings. www.netskope.com Denis Ferrand-Ajchenbaum Business Design Centre · London · 12 September 2023 23 ICT · MANAGED IT · MOBILE · PRINT tech-live.co.uk
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01732 759725 14 BULLETIN Ricoh enhances GHG emission reduction Ricoh has formulated its Scope 3 supply chain greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction scenario, underpinning enhancement of GHG emission reduction efforts during its 21st mid-term management strategy, beginning April 2023. The scenario will allow Ricoh to further achieve its goals and includes GHG emission reduction volume and actions for each category under Scope 3, category 1: purchased goods and services, category 4: upstream transportation and distribution, and category 11: use of sold products. The company has been enhancing category 1 and category 11 over the years, mainly through new product development. However, in category 4, GHG emission volume was not fully visualised based on the actual transportation status. A new tool has been implemented to overcome this issue, allowing Ricoh also to enhance reduction efforts for category 4. www.ricoh.co.uk Apprenticeship programme Ricoh UK has announced the launch of its new Digital and Tech Solutions Degree Apprenticeship Programme commencing in September 2023. Five successful candidates will be recruited as Digital and Tech Solutions Apprentice Consultants. The programme, run by training provider Corndel and delivered by its higher education initiative Corndel College London (CCL), will equip apprentices with the right tools and professional skills to grow and develop multidimensional digital solutions for Ricoh customers. The scheme delivers on Ricoh’s commitment to foster a diverse and inclusive workforce, as well as its social mobility and inclusive recruitment pledges. Recruitment will be supported by the Prince’s Trust, Ricoh’s longterm partner, through its ‘Get Hired’ scheme. Chief Executive Officer Glenn Griggs said: “Our new apprenticeship programme is another example of our commitment to investing in the digital skills of our current and future employees and developing early careers talent. It is part of a broader training and development plan to close our digital skills gap and better serve our customers. I’m looking forward to meeting our future apprentices and hearing some fresh perspectives on how we can create value for our customers.” www.ricoh.co.uk Recognised for ESG initiatives Epson was selected for inclusion in the FTSE4Good Index Series, a responsible investment (RI) index of FTSE Russell, a London Stock Exchange Group company. This marks the 20th consecutive year it has been selected. The company has also been selected for inclusion in the FTSE Blossom Japan Index, FTSE Blossom Japan Sector Relative Index, MSCI Japan ESG Select Leaders Index, MSCI Japan Empowering Women Index (WIN), and the S&P/JPX Carbon Efficient Index - ESG investor indexes comprised of Japanese stocks that are used by the Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF). www.epson.co.uk Renewable electricity Konica Minolta has announced that one of its MFP production sites in Malaysia, Konica Minolta Business Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (BMMY) in Melaka State, has achieved its goal of procuring 100% of the electricity it uses from renewable sources. All the MFP production sites in China and Malaysia of the Konica Minolta Group are now 100% powered by renewable energy. BMWY installed a solar power generation system, covering an area of 17,059 m2 and with a generating capacity of 3.4 MW, in March 2023, enabling the company to procure about 20% of its electricity requirement from solar power. In combination with the electricity bundled with the renewable energy certificate, which had already been introduced, the company attained 100% procurement of its electricity from renewable sources. Konica Minolta has been gradually shifting procurement of electricity for its operations to renewable energy. In addition to MFP production sites, toner filling plants in France and the US and many sales companies in Europe have also attained their goals of using 100% renewable energy. The company has also been named to all of the six responsible investment (RI) indexes adopted by Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) for the seventh consecutive year. These include the FTSE Blossom Japan Index, the FTSE Blossom Japan Sector Relative Index, the MSCI Japan ESG Select Leaders Index, the MSCI Japan Empowering Women Index, the S&P/JPX Carbon Efficient Index and the Morningstar Japan ex-REIT Gender Diversity Tilt Index. www.konicaminolta.co.uk Xerox named a leader Xerox has been named a leader in Quocirca’s 2023 Cloud Print Services Landscape report, a vendor analysis of the global cloud print services market. Within the report, Xerox is positioned ahead of all competitors in both strategic vision and depth of service with its cloud service offerings. The report commends Xerox’s overall AI powered digital services, which when combined with managed print services, boosts distributed workforce productivity and strengthens resilience in business processes. “As more organisations move to a hybrid workplace and transition to the cloud, there is increased demand to ensure print infrastructure does not fall behind. Xerox’s multi-tenant, native cloud applications position us to support clients wherever they are in their hybrid work journey,” said Tracey Koziol, Executive Vice President of Global Offering Solutions and Chief Product Officer, Xerox. Quocirca notes that Xerox “has a strong heritage in enabling agile, digital services for enterprise and SMB clients beyond traditional print management capabilities.” The company continues to leverage this heritage to help drive client success amid digital transformation. www.xerox.co.uk Glenn Griggs
The Convergent Technology Event for IT Resellers & Providers Cloud Services | Print | MPS | Voice | Mobile | Software | Storage | Finance | Security | Sustainability | UC Mobility | Distribution | AV | SaaS | Ai | Comms | Billing | Service | MSP | Document | ICT | UPS Tech Live 2023 will open its doors again on the 12th September 2023 at the Business Design Centre, London. If you are an ICT Professional, IT Reseller, MFP/Printer Dealer, Dealer, Reseller, MSP or VAR looking for new opportunities and products to add to your portfolio, being at Tech Live 2023 is a MUST. We already have an excellent mix of exhibitors offering a range of different propositions with even more in the pipeline PLUS we are putting together an informative and thought-provoking seminar programme for the event. We look forward to welcoming you on 12th September 2023. www.tech-live.co.uk Business Design Centre · London · 12 September 2023 23 ICT · MANAGED IT · MOBILE · PRINT Tech Live 2022 TO BOOK YOUR STAND – Call Ethan, Neil or Paul on 01732 759725 or email [email protected] Exhibitors include: After Show Drinks Sponsor Headline Sponsor & Exhibitor sponsored by incubator zone Tech Live 23 Seminar Presenters Nathan Marke, COO, Giacom Lucy Green, CEO, Larato Phil Jones MBE, MD, Brother Frank Salmon, Founder and CEO, CMS Distribution David Tulip, MD, Network Group
01732 759725 16 BULLETIN : PEOPLE Senior promotions at Brother UK Brother UK has announced two senior promotions to support the firm’s strategic growth plans. Stuart Maclean has been promoted to Chief Financial Officer (CFO) from his former role as Head of Finance and Corporate Planning. In the new position, he will be responsible for overseeing the business’ financial activities including auditing, strategy and delivering profitability across the firm’s categories. He will also continue his role as Head of European Finance Shared Services, leading a team of 33 across 13 countries, including the UK. Mike Anderson is promoted to Chief Marketing Officer after eight years as Head of Marketing. He will have full responsibility for the business’ marketing operations, developing strategies to drive the company’s growth and will oversee a team of 25. Both report directly to Managing Director Phil Jones. The promotions closely follow Greig Millar’s appointment to Chief Revenue Officer and Terry Caulfield’s promotion to Chief Commercial Officer. www.brother.co.uk New management team Integrated cloud business communications provider NFON, is realigning its management level and expanding the C-level to include new areas of responsibility. Joining newly appointed CEO Patrik Heider, is Markus Krammer as Chief Product Officer and Gernot Hofstetter who will lead the newly created commercial department as Chief Commercial Officer. As of September 1, Merano Mettbach, most recently Leader Partner Sales for Cisco Systems GmbH, will strengthen the senior management team as Chief Sales Officer (Germany). The executive search for the open position of Chief Technology Officer is in full swing with Deniz Beskök, (Vice President Engineering & Agile), taking over on an interim basis. Heinke Bock (previously Vice President Human Resources) is now responsible for the newly created position of Chief People & Culture Officer. www.nfon.com Kodak Alaris announces new global business solutions team Kodak Alaris has announced the formation of a new dedicated business solutions organisation and a number of strategic new hires, focused on helping customers across all industries to realise greater business value at speed and scale. The new structure supports the company’s goal to accelerate growth within its adjacent intelligent document processing (IDP) offerings, including its IDP software Kodak Info Input Solution, INfuse Smart Connected Scanning Solution, and related professional services. The global business solutions organisation will be led by Jim Forger, who has been promoted to VP Business Solutions, reporting directly to Don Lofstrom, President and General Manager at Kodak Alaris. Lofstrom said: “We are excited to announce the formation of our new dedicated business solutions organisation. This investment is an integral part of the company’s growth plan and supports our strategic goals to target new markets, build new partnerships, and reach new customers.” www.alarisworld.com Sharp Europe appoints new president Sharp Europe has appointed Joe (Yoichi) Tomota to the position of President to lead the business, which includes its established document solutions portfolio, expanding IT services division, energy solutions business, and Sharp NEC Display Solutions in Europe. Tomota has extensive international experience with nearly 30 years of expertise in industrial design, innovative technology development, manufacturing, and sales. His career at Sharp has included 10 years at overseas subsidiaries and roles that championed innovation in MFP controls, large display formats and substantial time as part of the business planning function at Sharp Corporation. His most recent role was as Vice President at Sharp Europe. Commenting on his appointment, he said: “These are exciting times at Sharp Europe as we evolve our business to meet the changing needs of businesses and society. I am passionate about how innovation and technology can constantly provide new value to businesses and I’m looking forward to bringing new products and services to market that will achieve this.” www.sharp.eu Ziff to drive STX Next’s UK expansion IT services and consulting company STX Next, has named Matthew Ziff as UK Managing Director. Ziff brings over a decade of sector-specific experience to the STX Next leadership team. Ziff joined STX Next in September 2022 and has presided over a busy period for the company’s UK expansion. Prior to his role at STX Next, he spent two years as Global Head of Sales at GlobalData. As UK Managing Director, Ziff is responsible for overseeing operations, developing new business opportunities, and building relationships with clients. His overall aim is to drive STX Next’s growth in the region and expand its customer base. www.stxnext.com Vicki VanValin joins Laserfiche leadership Laserfiche has announced that Vicki VanValin has joined the company’s leadership team as Vice President of Sales. With over 20 years of experience in sales and business operations for highgrowth organisations, VanValin will oversee global sales strategy, leading a team of direct sales professionals in addition to steering channel sales and alliances. She brings a proven record of collaborating with partners around the world to deliver and augment products and services, an approach that aligns well with Laserfiche’s SaaS growth trajectory. www.laserfiche.com Mike Anderson Stuart Maclean Matthew Ziff Patrik Heider Vicki VanValin
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