www.printitreseller.uk PRINT, MFP, SOFTWARE, SERVICES, DOCUMENT & CLOUD NEWS & INFORMATION FOR VARS, CONVERGED RESELLERS & MFP DEALERS Tech Live Returns – 17 September See page 22 Don’t forget to visit www.printitawards.co.uk and cast your vote in five vendor of the year categories. You’ve got until 5pm on Friday September 20. 20 24 Royal Lancaster · December 3 Business Design Centre · London · 17 September 2024 ICT · MANAGED IT · MOBILE · PRINT 24 in partnership with PRINT IT RESELLER MAGAZINE IN PRINT & ONLINE SINCE 2011 ISSUE 119 · 2024 Exhibitors include:
The Convergent Technology Event for IT Resellers & Providers Cloud Services | MPS Workflow | Voice | Mobile | Software | Storage | Finance Security | Sustainability | UC | Mobility | Distribution | AV | SaaS | Ai | Comms Billing Services | MSP | Document | ICT | UPS Uptime Live is co-locating with Tech Live 2024. Uptime Live, which is a stand-alone exhibition with seminars, will add a whole new dynamic to Tech Live 2024 as it will bring visiting MSPs from both the traditional and new-breed segments. It will attract a very different and broader audience to the two-show event. All attendees will be encouraged to move freely between both exhibition floors giving exhibitors the ability to meet the maximum number of attendees. 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 17th September 2024. www.tech-live.co.uk Tech Live 2023 TO BOOK YOUR STAND – Call Ethan, Neil or Jeff on 01732 759 725 or Paul on 07887 944 433 or email [email protected] Business Design Centre · London · 17 September 2024 ICT · MANAGED IT · MOBILE · PRINT 24 in partnership with Exhibitors include:
PRINTITRESELLER.UK 3 Entries for the 2024 edition of the PrintIT Awards are now closed and our judges are hard at work reviewing all of the entries we received. There’s still time to vote for your favourite vendor of the year in five distinct categories. If you haven’t already done so don’t forget to visit www.printitawards.co.uk and cast your votes – you’ve got until 5pm on Friday September 20. The entire team are looking forward to welcoming guests and revealing the 2024 award winners on the evening of Tuesday December 3 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel. If you haven’t already booked your place, call us on 01732 759 725, download the booking form at www.printitawards.co.uk or email us at [email protected]. Also in this issue, Paul Johnston, Chief Technology Officer at Logixal, picks the work tools he uses every day and couldn’t do his job without (page 18). This month’s Q&A is with Richard Harris, Managing Director, Oyster, and PITR spent 60 seconds with Lauren Rabbitte, Associate Director, Effective Consumable Solutions. 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., 7 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. ©2024 Kingswood Media Ltd. Design: Sandtiger Media www.sandtiger.co.uk 04 Bulletin Where do you take yours? 06 Bulletin What’s new in printers and printing 16 People A round-up of new hires 18 I couldn’t do my job without... Paul Johnston picks his favourite work tools 20 A decade in print Gary Organ shares his print experiences over the past decade TECH LIVE returns to London on September 17 26 Focus on: What’s New A round-up of recent product launches 29 One-to-one Robbie Trower, Sales Manager UK & Ireland at Kodak Alaris 32 Collaboration Ricoh 360 Meeting Hhub 33 Labelling Brother linerless labels 34 PrintIT Awards Don’t forget to vote 36 Interview Nigel Eaton, General Manager at MyQ 39 Research Focus on print security rises 42 VOX POP Navigating the pace of tech evolution – part two 46 Industry Insight Janet Bowden, Managing Director, Woodbank Office Solutions 48 View from the Channel Richard Harris, Managing Director, Oyster 50 60 seconds with... Lauren Rabbitte, Associate Director, Effective Consumable Solutions 2024 ISSUE 119 printitreseller.uk Editor’s 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 @print-it-reseller-magazine Issue 119 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 22 TECH LIVE 2024 PRINT IT RESELLER MAGAZINE IN PRINT & ONLINE SINCE 2011
BULLETIN 01732 759725 4 Where do you take yours? We’re all about championing print at PrintIT Reseller, and over the past few months, we’ve loved finding out where our magazine travels with YOU. Last month, PrintIT Reseller joined around 65 guests from 40 dealer partner companies at the 2024 Vantage Online User Conference which took place at the Double Tree Hilton Hotel in Stadium MK, Milton Keynes, and we were delighted to see so many guests catching up on the latest news. We’re delighted that so many of our readers are taking on the challenge and sending us pix of them reading PrintIT Reseller in unusual settings. Keep them coming!! Please send your pix to me at [email protected] Jason Sonko from Fleet MPS. Phil Madders, Managing Director, PAE Business. Louella Fernandes, CEO Quocirca, Tony Milford, Phil Madders, Tom Mills, Field Solutions Group, and Dave Thompson from Tungsten Automation discussed some recent hot topics before leading a panel discussion and poll at the event. Just before sharing the topline findings of the Vantage Online Customer Survey, Sales Director Kevin McNally took a few minutes to read the latest issue. Vantage Online Operations Director Matt Houlden and Andrea Cox from Xeretec. ISL Managing Director Simon Wassell and Marketing Manager Realists Dzhambazova, also spent a few minutes checking out what’s new in print and printing.
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BULLETIN Norwich City renew Mayday partnership Norwich City has renewed its regional partnership with Mayday. Mayday's Managing Director Karen Aldred said: "We are thrilled to continue our six-year partnership with Norwich City. Our commitment to community values aligns perfectly with those of the football club, and we eagerly anticipate an exciting new season ahead." Jonathan Casbon Head of Partnerships at Norwich City added: “Everyone at the club is delighted to see the partnership with Mayday renewed for a further term. The services Karen, Adam and the team deliver enables us to operate efficiently across all our sites and their support for the club is recognised by everyone at Norwich City. “This extension will take our relationship to nine years together and is another great example of our aim to build long-term partnerships.” www.mayday-online.co.uk 01732 759725 6 Canon Business Centre SOS announces expansion Canon UK & Ireland has announced the expansion of Canon Business Centre SOS in collaboration with Platinum Partner SOS Systems, head quartered in Crawley, West Sussex. This development will support more local businesses in a broader geographical area by delivering print and document management expertise, alongside bespoke and unrivalled customer service. In recent months, SOS Systems has made two significant acquisitions with former Canon partner Abbey Office Solutions and legal service provider London Legal. These acquisitions have enabled the company to establish a second office and sales team in Southampton, thereby expanding its reach into the SO, BH, and DT postcodes. Stuart Miller, Director of B2B Indirect Sales, Canon UK&I said: “We’ve been working alongside SOS for many years and share many of the same values, including an ambition to deliver the best customer service and innovation to our customers. They’re a trusted partner and we’re excited to see their plans to grow and are here to support them along the way. We’re also excited to see the Canon Business Centre brand spread further across the UK & Ireland, entrusted to our capable and valuable partners.” Chris Sills, Managing Director of SOS Systems added: “This expansion represents a significant milestone for us, reflecting our commitment to growth and excellence. We highly value our partnership with Canon, and we’re more excited than ever about this next chapter. We look forward to leveraging these new opportunities to better serve our clients and drive innovation across the region.” https://canonbusinesscentresos.co.uk/ Agilico opens energy-efficient office in Aberdeen Agilico has opened its new, purpose-built office facility with an EPC rating of A/A+ in Aberdeen. Located around five miles from the city centre, the new expanded sustainably-rated office in City South Business Park was officially opened by Bob Keiller, Former Chair of Scottish Enterprise – Scotland's national economic development agency. With a 2,000 sq ft warehouse, 1,000 sq ft client demonstration area and sales office, the investment in the new high specification facility is geared towards providing enhanced support and service to clients across the Northeast of Scotland. Agilico's investment in the region is not just about the high-spec infrastructure; it also signals its dedication to deepen its roots in Aberdeen and contribute to the local community's growth by creating job opportunities and is actively seeking new talent in sales and servicing teams. As a circular-first managed print services business, the new Aberdeen workshop is at the forefront of refurbishing multifunctional devices, making it the only supplier leading sustainability with its extensive capabilities in the area. Additionally, the new office is equipped with energy-efficient smart lighting and insulation. Warren Colby, Managing Director - Agile Print Division at Agilico said: “The state-of-theart high-specification office in Aberdeen was specifically designed to maximise efficiency overall, offering a pleasant and sustainable environment for Agilico employees. We’re optimistic about the positive impact our new home in Aberdeen’s newest business park will have on our operations, employees and the community in Aberdeen and wider Scotland as we continue our journey towards a more sustainable future.” In line with its commitment to sustainability and drive to net zero by 2030, Agilico donated office furniture from the old Aberdeen office along with paper with the old logo and letterheads prior to the move to charities and churches across the region ensuring nothing went to waste and the office supplies had a second life. www.agilico.co.uk Office move Tech4 Office Equipment is moving into a new office based in the Skiddaw Building at Carlisle Airport Business Park. The company said that the business is growing, and it's time for a new space that reflects its commitment to providing the best service possible to its valued customers. The new premises will provide more space to showcase its expanding range of products and services, including photocopiers, printers, visitor management systems, digital signage, and more. www.tech4office.co.uk Stuart Miller 2 0 24 For more information please email [email protected]
BULLETIN Westcon-Comstor partners with AppViewX Westcon-Comstor has announced the addition of AppViewX, a leader in automated machine identity management (MIM) and application infrastructure security, to its vendor portfolio. The distribution agreement covers the UK, Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg) and DACH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and is designed to address the growing complexity of application delivery infrastructure and security. www.westconcomstor.com PRINTITRESELLER.UK 7 Double award win TD SYNNEX has been named Distribution Partner of the Year 2024 for the UK and also been presented with the prestigious Lenovo 360 Circle Global Partner Award in recognition of the work it has done with the vendor on driving the sustainability agenda with partners. The Lenovo Distributor Partner of the Year award is presented to the distribution partner who has shown sustained business growth, quarter on quarter, through an innovative and proactive approach, as well as increased engagement and results. Lenovo 360 Circle is a partner community that brings partners together to align on ESG objectives and leverage new market trends driven by sustainability to turn them into new business opportunities. It has become a core element of the wider Lenovo 360 initiative, which aims to align partners, programmes, tools and people to unlock the full breadth and depth of Lenovo’s portfolio for its channel partners. James Reed, Managing Director – Endpoint Solutions, UK and Ireland, TD SYNNEX, said: “TD SYNNEX and Lenovo have worked together closely to support partners in identifying and addressing business opportunities right across the technology spectrum. We see this award as recognition of the strong commitments we’ve made to supporting Lenovo partners, the excellent collaboration between our organisations, and the positive results we’ve delivered. It’s an encouragement and inducement for us to reach even further and higher and achieve even more with Lenovo and its partners.” https://uk.tdsynnex.com 2025 marketing programme Integra Business Solutions has launched its 2025 marketing programme designed to help members connect with customers and prospects and open up new opportunities. Featuring a comprehensive range of solutions including free printed and digibook catalogues, email marketing, online print, and carbon measurement platforms together with an industry leading diversification programme, members can access the support they need for the year ahead. With the additional benefit of the ICS in-house creative team, Integra also provides bespoke design services incorporating websites, corporate rebrands, digital and print. www.integra-business.co.uk Samsung distribution partner TD SYNNEX has been appointed as a distributor for Samsung Electronics laptops, tablets and smartphones for the enterprise and business to business markets. The distie will be offering partners access to the full range of Samsung’s Galaxy Book business laptops, Galaxy smartphones, and Samsung Galaxy tablet devices for business. Products available from TD SYNNEX with immediate effect include the new The Galaxy Book4 Edge, a Windows Copilot+ PC powered by the Snapdragon X Elite processor that delivers incredible AI performance. Bridging the gap between PC and mobile, the Galaxy Book4 Edge enables users to seamlessly perform everyday actions such as retrieving contacts or sending messages on a phone with natural language via Copilot voice prompts. The alliance gives partners the opportunity to leverage the power of Samsung’s brand in the business market while benefiting from the advanced logistics, online tools, and extensive range of value added services offered by TD SYNNEX. Partners will be able to make use of the full range of digital tools available to streamline order processing and shipments and maximise their opportunities. Enablement training and business development support as well as special promotions and incentives to help them grow sales, will be available to B2B partners on Samsung business solutions. https://uk.tdsynnex.com Exertis boosts healthcare support for its people Exertis has announced membership to Peppy Healthcare for all its colleagues and a partner (or chosen ‘plus one’) per person. Peppy is an app with a wealth of bespoke services and support, no matter what an individual’s healthcare background or requirement. Personalised support given by experts is tailored to each user’s needs wherever they are in their healthcare journey. All Exertis colleagues have access to qualified human practitioners for one-to-one chats, virtual consultations, events, courses, blogs, articles and moderated group chats on a wide range of healthcare topics. “Providing access to a confidential app tailored specifically to our people’s healthcare needs brings us a huge amount of pride,” said Jo Lawrence, People and Marketing Director at Exertis. “Supporting our people is of paramount importance to us at Exertis and we recognise the varying needs and requirements which each of our colleagues face. So far, our people have read over 800 articles about health issues, exchanged nearly 2,000 messages with healthcare professionals, and we’re pleased to be contacting our people who are currently on parental leave to inform them of the benefits of Peppy, enabling them to access valuable resources whilst in the new stages of parenthood.” exertis.co.uk tech-live.co.uk Business Design Centre · London · 17 September 2024 ICT · MANAGED IT · MOBILE · PRINT 24 in partnership with Jo Lawrence
BULLETIN 01732 759725 8 Premier partner status SYNAXON UK can now offer partners even more opportunities to drive profitable business with APC by Schneider Electric, having achieved premier partner status with the provider of power protection solutions. The higher level accreditation has been awarded based on a combination of SYNAXON’s sales performance and members of its team completing the required sales and technical training modules. Last year, SYNAXON saw almost 58% growth in its APC sales - ahead of its overall sales growth, which was around 45%. “As well as strengthening the partnership between the two companies, the accreditation also means there will be even more potential for partners,” said Mike Barron, Managing Director of SYNAXON UK. “This is a significant achievement and a reflection of the success we are seeing through SYNAXON Hub and the efforts of our team. Partners trust SYNAXON to deliver excellent service and good opportunities. APC is a renowned brand that is consistently amongst our best-sellers. We have a strong relationship with them and as a premier partner, we are now even better placed to support our partners in delivering a great experience to their customers. It also means we can offer even better pricing and special bid access that will enable them to compete for and win profitable business with APC.” The appointment of SYNAXON UK as an APC Premier Partner builds on the strong and well-established relationship between the two organisations in Germany, where they have worked together for 18 years and where SYNAXON already holds APC premier partner status. https://synaxon-services.com Strategic collaboration agreement with AWS TD SYNNEX has announced the extension of its strategic collaboration agreement (SCA) with AWS. The renewed agreement builds on the significant momentum of the initial SCA, with TD SYNNEX achieving additional AWS competencies, and increasing capacity to support its partners in strengthening their AWS practices and driving business growth. As a result of the renewed SCA, TD SYNNEX will increase the capacity of its dedicated AWS solutions team, with technical and services expertise in its regional centre of excellence alongside dedicated business development resources for its AWS public sector program. TD SYNNEX will expand its offerings in several key competency areas, including SMB acceleration, migration and managed services, FinOps, generative AI and AWS Marketplace, among others. Anthony Greenhalgh, Vice President, Hybrid Cloud, Europe, TD SYNNEX, said: “This is a landmark agreement for our two companies but more importantly it means that we are better positioned than ever to help our partners to deliver innovative and robust solutions to the market and grow their businesses in the process.” Since the launch of its first SCA with AWS, TD SYNNEX has developed a comprehensive end-to-end AWS offering, covering enablement, value-added services and public sector and SMB specialisations. https://uk.tdsynnex.com Exclusive distribution deal Midwich and PSCo are to offer Hive’s full product range in the UK and Ireland, including the Beehive, Beebox and Beeblade, after signing a distribution deal with the media server manufacturer. Designed from the ground up on a Linux operating system, Hive products provide a flexible and scalable media control ecosystem to power complex and creative visuals in immersive exhibitions, galleries and museums, live shows, theme parks and high impact advertising. Mark Calvert, Managing Director of Hive, said: “We are very happy to join the Midwich Group for exclusive distribution of our entire product range within the UK and Northern Ireland. Midwich’s sales, marketing and first line support reach enables Hive to remain focused on our core development and growth strategies.” www.midwich.com • www.psco.co.uk 10 year anniversary Integra Business Solutions is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Catalyst programme. The drive behind the Catalyst programme is to improve each partner’s profitability and market share, with the OASIS ERP platform central to this goal. Working with a single software provider has allowed Integra, through extensive collaboration, to introduce optimum business practices and help deliver a competitive edge in a demanding and evolving marketplace. During the last 10 years, Catalyst has gone from strength to strength with 13 dealers now onboard and sales expected to reach £30million by the end of 2024. Working alongside these dealers, the Integra team provides services, from website design to corporate rebrands and marketing support to promote key services and product ranges. Its content management team handles data to maximise growth opportunities with Integra’s key partners, particularly focusing on diversifying into new product and industry sectors. Integra’s Senior Project Manager, Rob Burgess, said: “We work closely with suppliers to provide EDI services and enhanced content and are continually developing the programme to ensure Catalyst partners have a competitive edge and can service customers of all shapes and sizes in any industry sector.” www.integra-business.co.uk Vote before 5pm September 20 www.printitawards.co.uk/ vote Mike Barron Anthony Greenhalgh 20 24 Royal Lancaster · December 3
Discover details, pricing and trade discounts For all printer consumables Free recycling service For Genuine OEM consumables Reduce Waste - Zero Landfill Scan the QR Code to register at www.circular-planet.co.uk Scan the QR Code to register at www.print-recycle.com Your Channel Recycling Partner Call: 0161 338 5208 www.wbmlimited.co.uk
01732 759725 BULLETIN 10 Konica Minolta CEC open to accredited partners Konica Minolta’s new Client Engagement Centre (CEC) in Houghton Regis near Luton in Bedfordshire, is now open to the company’s accredited partners. “The CEC features an impressive selection of our print hardware and solutions, making it the perfect setting for our partners to bring customers or prospects to experience these first-hand, with the full support of experts,” said Cameron Mitchell, Business Leader for Indirect Channel. “Working together to present an indepth experience of our full business technology solutions, in perfect synergy with the sales and direct support expertise that our accredited partners excel in delivering, gives customers full peace of mind that they are choosing the right partners as well as the right technology, to meet their digital transformation needs.” Direct access to the new CEC is the latest in a number of enhanced benefits that Konica Minolta’s accredited partners enjoy, which includes access to an expert team of dedicated partner managers along with technical, sales (including one-to-one support for lead generation and customer bids, with special pricing), marketing, and PR support. The company also has 28 solo-branded ‘Exclusive Partners’ throughout the UK, all benefitting from being an extension of the Konica Minolta brand. Phase two of the CEC launch will see the opening of a Model Office facility which will showcase Konica Minolta’s bizhub MFP range along with associated print management software and its range of workflow and document management solutions. www.konicaminolta.co.uk Katun unveils new Asia HQ and R&D centre Katun has opened its new Asia headquarters and R&D centre in Taichung, Taiwan. The company has invested $26m to construct the new, state-of-the-art facility, which incorporates the innovative Google office concept. The building emphasises its commitment to sustainability and features a high-efficiency smart building management system which uses environmental monitoring tools to maximise sitewide efficiency, safety, and energy savings. www.katun.com Charity fundraising A 41-strong team of Konica Minolta employees completed a 20km walk across London to raise money for three charities – Candlelighters, Dynamic and Trust Links. The Konica Minolta 20km London Landmarks Walk raised more than £4,000 for the three charities. Gemma Lee, Chief People Officer said: "Walking is great exercise for the body and mind and 20km meant we all got our daily steps done and then some! It was a fantastic day with lots of time to catch up with colleagues from different areas of the business, as well as sharing the reasons why we support the three charities." Environmental Manager Ben Mills added: “I'm thrilled to have joined the Konica Minolta London Landmarks Walk, as it not only promotes well-being but also strengthens our commitment to our charity partnerships. Walking together, we amplify our impact and contribute to meaningful change.” www.konicaminolta.co.uk IDC names Brother UK a leader in sustainability Brother UK has been named as a leader in sustainability programs and services in the most recent IDC Sustainability MarketScape assessment. The IDC report evaluates print vendors based on key sustainability metrics in corporate strategies, business operations, products and business models, and governance, risk and compliance measures. Brother was highly rated on its efforts to minimise the environmental impact of its business activities based on the Brother Group Environmental Vision 2050, which includes ambitious, Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) certified, goals to reduce emissions by 65% on 2015 levels by 2030. The business was also praised for its considerations of environmental performance at every stage of a product's life cycle, from design, development and manufacturing to customer usage, disposal and recycling. Brother also promotes the conservation and restoration of ecosystems and recently celebrated its 15-year partnership with rainforest conservation charity Cool Earth. Louise Marshall, Director of ESG and Organisational Development at Brother UK said: “Being recognised as a leader in sustainability programs and services will help to give our customers greater confidence that they’re partnering with the right print vendor, while representing a reflection of our genuine commitment to ESG across our operation and product services. “We’re proud to be working towards a clear, long-term global vision for a sustainable society, focused on improving resource circulation, the reduction of CO2 emissions and supporting biodiversity conservation.” www.brother.co.uk Quocirca recognises Xerox Xerox has reaffirmed its leadership position in Quocirca’s 2024 Cloud Print Services Landscape report, a vendor evaluation of the worldwide cloud print services market. The report commends Xerox for its secure cloud platform and approach to zero trust, AIdriven digital services, and advanced analytics. When combined with managed print services Xerox Cloud Print Services boost workforce productivity and reduce costs. www.xerox.com Louise Marshall
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01732 759725 12 BULLETIN Kodak Alaris and AAC Systems partnership Kodak Alaris and information management specialist AAC Systems have built on their decades-long partnership to deliver a bespoke SaaS solution on Azure to automate business-critical accounts payable processes for businesses and government agencies. The new solution, called AAC Accounts Payable Cloud, is powered by Info Input Solution, intelligent document processing (IDP) software that’s built around Kodak Alaris’ unique Open Intelligence design, which offers faster time-to-value by leveraging pre-built specialised training models for the most common document types, such as claim forms and invoices. Info Input also makes it easy to create custom training models specific to a customer’s unique document types, and to take advantage of advanced AI services from industry leaders such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. The AAC Accounts Payable Cloud solution seamlessly extracts key data such as supplier name, invoice date and number, total amount, PO number, etc. from each captured invoice, and then validates the data against current system information. The results can be quickly verified by the end-user and then automatically delivered to the customer’s ERP system. AAC Systems Director Andrew Chescoe said: “We needed a cloud-enabled solution that could deliver fast and accurate data extraction and validation for invoice processing and approval workflows, and we landed on KODAK Info Input Solution as the perfect software platform to support that. “This is only the start; we don’t see this solution as limited to the accounts payable process. It’s scalable and we can leverage the same powerful capabilities to include delivery notes, remittance notes, and purchase orders for example, and further expand our cloud offering to add even more value to our customer base,” he added. www.alarisworld.com • www.aacsystems.co.uk Closing the loop Close the Loop has expanded its multi-vendor print consumable take back program, Circular Planet, into Spain and Portugal. The decision to expand the initiative into new European geographies follows the success of Circular Planet in Germany, UK and the Benelux region where, since its inception in November 2023, 40% of the 1.5 million cartridges collected have been returned to their original equipment manufacturers for re-use in their European factories. Founding participants include Brother, Fujifilm, Konica Minolta, Lexmark, Oki, Printronix, Ricoh, Sharp, Toshiba and Xerox, HP joined the program in May. Close the Loop is in ongoing discussions with several OEMs and hopes to announce the addition of other brands before the end of this year. www.closetheloopeu.com Colt releases sustainability report Colt Technology Services has released its latest Sustainability Report. The report tracks progress for Colt Group – comprising Colt Technology Services and Colt Data Centre Services – against targets set for the 12 months ending 31 December 2023 in the areas of ESG, and against longer-term targets to net zero. Highlights include a 34% reduction in CO2e emissions against the 2019 baseline, 6% against the previous year. 71.5% reduction in Colt Group's Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions compared to the 2019 base year – a 22.5% reduction year-over-year and a 6% reduction in Scope 3 emissions compared to 2022. The past 12 months has seen Colt launch an ambitious new ESG strategy; secure the highest EcoVadis rating for the second consecutive year; and achieve ‘A-‘ and ‘A’ CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) ratings for sustainability and supplier engagement. The company is also now a participant in the UN Global Compact, a voluntary initiative, based on CEO commitments, to implement universal sustainability principles and to take steps to support the UN Goals. www.colt.net IDC recognises PaperCut For the fourth year in a row, IDC has ranked PaperCut number 1 in its Worldwide and US Device and Print Management Market Shares, 2023: Transition to the Cloud Accelerates report, with a 14.7% market share. In addition to that achievement, IDC also reports that PaperCut leads all other Independent Software Vendors in Year on Year growth at 17.7%. www.papercut.com Katun EMEA highlights ESG efforts Katun EMEA has released its annual ESG Overview Report. The report emphasises the company’s unwavering commitment to sustainability, ethical practices and providing high-quality products and services. Katun EMEA’s strategies and achievements in key areas are outlined in the report, including reducing carbon emissions, promoting employee well-being and progression, and contributing to the industry with innovative, eco-designed products. “We are incredibly proud to share our first EMEA ESG overview report with our stakeholders,” said Heidi Boller, General Manager, EMEA. “This report reflects our dedication to making a positive impact on the environment and society while maintaining strong governance practices. We are committed to embedding ESG principles into our core business strategies and advancing towards our sustainability goals in order to support a more sustainable future and increase value for our customers.” www.katun.com tech-live.co.uk
01732 759725 14 BULLETIN Poor technology is costing New research from Epson finds that amidst the backdrop of ever-increasing wait times and reduced access to healthcare, frontline healthcare workers say they are losing hours of time each week due to poor technology. The study, which surveyed 200 patientfacing healthcare workers in the UK, found that three quarters agreed that their already stretched teams are wasting time with poor technology, and a further 76% agreed that more should be done to tackle the issue. A core technology highlighted throughout the research was printers, with healthcare workers losing an average of 47 minutes a week to the slow or non-functioning printers. Two in 10 (18%) workers are losing one to two hours a week, while 6% are losing a shocking three to four hours a week due to printer issues. The research found that slow or nonfunctioning printers have led to delays or difficulties updating patient records (34%), making appointments (29%), discharging patients (19%) and even delays or difficulties in providing medication or treatment (15%) to patients in need. In fact, a quarter of those surveyed (23%) agreed that non-functioning or slow printers led to patients having less time with healthcare staff, with a further third (32%) stating that poor printers lead to more complaints from patients. While the research shows the impact poor technology can have on the efficiency of healthcare services, 80% of respondents agreed that despite the time being wasted by non-functioning or slow printers, little action is being taken. Meanwhile, a third (36%) also believe that money is wasted in their respective departments. www.epson.co.uk Growth opportunities for tech channel companies A new report from Sage entitled: ‘Small and medium-sized business demand for digital advisory services fuels IT channel growth’, surveyed 2,800 technology channel decision-makers globally, revealing a pivot from traditional sales to strategic, advisorydriven relationships. This transition is not only enhancing digital agility among small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) but is also opening up substantial growth avenues for technology resellers. The research highlights more than half (55%) of technology resellers have shifted their focus toward providing strategic advice and services, aiming to improve SMBs’ ability to swiftly adapt to market shifts, evolving customer demands, and new technological breakthroughs. Notably, 73% of IT resellers believe SMBs consider investing in digital agility as a high priority, seeing it as a way to drive business growth (29%), enhance competitiveness (24%), and increase efficiency (23%). Sippora Veen, VP Global Partner Marketing at Sage said: "These findings mark a significant shift within the channel industry. The move towards more personalised solutions and stronger customer relationships is revolutionising our support for SMBs.” www.sage.com AI chatbots Three fifths of Brits are now regular users of AI chatbots but a third harbour concerns about the rapid pace the technology is developing, new research by NordVPN reveals. Despite the widespread adoption of AI, with 60% of UK consumers now embracing it, a quarter of users remain suspicious and would not trust chatbots with their personal information. Among the ways that Brits are interacting with AI, a third (30%) are actively educating themselves on the technology so they can stay up-to-speed as it continues to advance into the future. Most people are still getting to grips with the technology and worryingly mistake AI content for the real thing. The vast majority of users (93%) lack confidence in their ability to spot AI-generated images — although 16% say they previously created AI images using a chatbot themselves. 18% of AI users say they use the technology in their free time for leisure, but more than one in eight fear their jobs could one day be replaced by it. This is while 13% admit to using chatbots to help them at work and 10% use it at school or higher education. https://nordvpn.com Enterprise GenAI struggles Despite growing interest and enthusiasm for GenAI, significant challenges are emerging that threaten the success of GenAI projects, according to a co-sponsored research report from Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) and Hitachi Vantara. Surveying 800 IT and business leaders across the United States, Canada, and Western Europe, the report finds that 97% of organisations with GenAI in flight view it as a top five priority. Nearly two-thirds (63%) say that they have already identified at least one use case for GenAI. The report found that several areas are driving companies to GenAI, as well as giving them pause. In terms of what’s driving enterprise investment in GenAI, the most cited use cases centred around process automation and optimisation (37%), predictive analytics (36%), and fraud detection (35%). When it comes to some of the top concerns and challenges being faced, more than four in five (81%) of respondents agreed on concern around ensuring data privacy and compliance when building and using applications that leverage GenAI, while 77% agreed that data quality issues needed to be addressed before accepting the results of GenAI outputs. www.hitachivantara.com Report SMBs demand for digital advisory services fuels IT channel growth Channel companies can help SMBs boost growth by harnessing AI technology and becoming more digitally agile, according to new international research by Sage. SMBs demand for digital advisory services fuels IT channel growth Don’t forget to vote in five vendor of the year categories. Visit www.printitawards.co.uk/vote 2024
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01732 759725 16 BULLETIN : PEOPLE Officeflow expands service team Officeflow has appointed Tom Pettitt as Technical Service Manager. Pettitt moves officially into his new position after a natural period of personal growth within the department. In his new role, Pettitt will be working closely with the service team to ensure that as the team grows it continues to deliver unrivalled levels of service to customers at all times. https://officeflow.co.uk Espria appoints Chief Technology Revenue Officer Espria has appointed Greg Hawthorn as its new Chief Technology Revenue Officer. Hawthorn brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise, backed by over 25 years of experience in delivering technology transformation and infrastructure projects across diverse sectors. With experience in the competitive sales and solutions architecture landscape, Hawthorn will assume a central role in expanding the Espria customer base and solidifying the company's long-term growth strategy. He said: "I am delighted to be joining a great team at Espria as we move into the latter half of 2024. Stepping into this role, I am eager to demonstrate my skills and continue the drive as they commercially scale. I am hugely impressed with the breadth of the technical capability and offerings from Espria and will endeavour to build upon their growing dominance in providing IT and communications solutions.” Clinton Groome, CEO at Espria, added: “Greg’s expertise in Microsoft cloud solutions and managed services forms a unique combination of customer knowledge and business insight, positioning him perfectly to guide Espria through our ongoing growth. From development of revenue to sales and scaling, Greg will be playing an instrumental role in maximising value and revenue for Espria.” www.espria.com Phil Brown to head sales at TD SYNNEX TD SYNNEX has announced the appointment of Phil Brown as Vice President Sales, UK and Ireland. As a member of the UK&I board, he will play a key role in overseeing and managing sales teams and in business decision-making and strategic direction. Brown joins from his present post as UK Commercial Director at SCC, where he has been for almost three years. Previously, he spent more than a decade working in senior sales and commercial roles within the IT distribution sector. He also spent five years in key roles at two of TD SYNNEX’s vendor partners, Samsung and ASUS. In total, he brings more than 26 years of experience working in the IT channel to TD SYNNEX. Commenting on Brown’s appointment, David Watts, Senior Vice President and Regional Managing Director, UK and Ireland, TD SYNNEX, said: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Phil Brown and to welcome him to TD SYNNEX. Phil brings great experience, knowledge and integrity to our UK&I board and sales team. Having worked right across the channel in key roles within vendor, distributor and partner companies, he has a broad understanding and deep experience of channel sales and product marketing that make him perfectly suited to this pivotal role.” Brown added: “I am excited and energised to be joining TD SYNNEX – a company I've admired for many years and one where I built the early years of my career. I’m looking forward to working with what I know is an extremely talented and experienced team, building on the excellent work that TD SYNNEX is doing in driving excellence in customer experience, and continuing to enhance and grow the strong reputation of the business as a trusted advisor to channel partners and a leading IT distributor and solutions aggregator for the IT ecosystem.” https://uk.tdsynnex.com Steven Hallissey joins ITDS Group Steven Hallissey has joined ITDS Group as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). With over 20 years of experience in financial leadership, he brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the ITDS Group executive team. Hallissey has a distinguished career in the managed print and IT services industry, having held key positions at several high-profile companies, including Capita Workplace Technology and Aura Futures Group, where he has demonstrated his proficiency in financial strategy, operations and management. Jermaine Weeden, CEO of ITDS Group said: "We are thrilled to welcome Steven to the ITDS Group team. His strategic vision and proven track record in financial leadership will be invaluable as we continue to expand our operations and drive innovation in the technology sector. Steven's expertise will be crucial in helping us achieve our long-term financial and operational goals." www.itdocumentsolutions.com Netskope announces new VP EMEA SASE leader Netskope, which recently surpassed $500 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), has recruited network and cloud security sales leader Stephan Mesguich as Senior Vice President, EMEA and LATAM. He will be responsible for managing the company’s regional sales, channel and field teams as demand for the new Netskope One converged SASE platform soars. Mesguich has more than 30 years of cybersecurity sales experience at Palo Alto Networks, Tufin, Verdasys and Check Point Software Technologies. www.netskope.com
01732 759725 18 WORKPLACE Paul Johnston, Chief Technology Officer at Logixal, picks the tools he uses every day and couldn’t do his job without I couldn’t do my job without... can handle everything from ticketing, scheduling, invoicing, reporting and more. Autotask is the tool that keeps our helpdesk running smoothly. It's made for the IT support industry, and it works great with Microsoft Teams and other tools that I use. Autotask helps me organise my workflows, manage my resources and provide awesome service to our users and customers. e Keeper and 1Password Security is a huge priority for me and our customers. I need to make sure our accounts and data are safe from hackers and cyber-attacks. That's why I use password managers to create, store, and autofill strong and unique passwords for every website and app that I use. I use 1Password for my personal and family passwords and we just switched to Keeper for work. Both are awesome password managers that offer encryption, biometric authentication, breach alerts and more. I don't know what I would do without these password managers. r Cycling My job can be extremely stressful and tiring at times. I need to find a way to relax and refresh my energy. That's why I love riding my road bike. It helps me solve problems and clear my head. I enjoy the challenge, the scenery, and the ‘me’ time. Cycling is not only good for my body but also for my mind and soul. I don't think I could do my job without cycling. https://logixal.co.uk/ q Microsoft Teams I juggle a lot of tasks and communicate with a lot of people. Microsoft Teams is the one app I can't live without. It lets me chat, call, video conference, share files, and work on projects with anyone, anywhere, anytime. It also connects with other apps and services that I use, like Autotask, Keeper and Outlook. Teams is the centre of my workday, and it makes my life so much easier. w Autotask Running an IT helpdesk for our internal users and our customers is a big responsibility. I need a tool that Paul Johnston Paul Johnston
BUSINESS BRIEFING The most common feedback we receive from our clients after a deal is that they wholly underestimated the complexity and workload of a transaction. Typically, the perception of a deal is that we identify a buyer, elicit offers, negotiate the best price, and hand matters over to the lawyer to finish things up Complexity and workload successfully completed deal. We also prepare a document that contains all the relevant information a buyer would need in order to make an informed written offer for a business. It is a sales document and aims to create a positive perception of the business, but is also entirely factual and evidenced. There are plenty of well-funded purchasers in the channel at present and demand for the best acquisitions is high, so we currently expect to see a good level of interest which translates into offers and we set a deadline for Buyers to place their bids. Once offers are in, It is a time for both parties to engage personally, This is important to establish trust and a relationship for the months ahead. Other than the written offer, there are soft factors that come into play here in terms of choosing the right party, including cultural fit. In the background we are looking to negotiate the deal, removing conditionality and uncertainty, and negotiating price. The result is a detailed “Heads of Terms” which sets out the details of the transaction and is used as a set of instructions by the legal advisers for drafting the main sale and purchase agreement. At this point, the seller should be ready to choose their preferred party. Executing the deal on the agreed terms is by far the most intensive part of the deal. The work involved is usually underestimated by our clientsIn general, it starts with due diligence on all aspects of the business including. g financial, tax, legal, operational, commercial, and technical aspects. On any deal a seller will receive an information request on each aspect of the due diligence comprising hundreds of questions and involving several advisers. We manage this aspect and know what is reasonable to ask and where to push back and organise information in a data room .Alongside this, the legal process involves drafting the main agreement alongside any number of ancillary documents. Having an experienced commercial M&A lawyer is critical, they will know the right battles to fight to ensure that the timeline is met. During this process, it may be necessary to introduce other members of your team to help fulfil the information requests, and because they may be critical to the business after the deal. This is a sensitive issue and buyers tend to be sympathetic to this. Over a period of up to four months this work is completed. During this time, we get to know our clients very well there is nothing more satisfying than a successful completion! I hope this has given an insight into the mechanics of a business sale. Importantly, we also wanted to put some more detail on the role of an adviser. A business sale may well be the single largest contributor to wealth that you have experienced to date and a transaction that will be unlike any other you have experienced, so its well worth having an expert to help and advise you along the way. www.knightcf.com “Tip of the iceberg” is not an adequate metaphor. The sales process is time consuming, complex, resource intensive and at times extremely stressful over a period of up to 9 months. For the majority of our clients, it’s a genuine life-changing milestone, but one that can hinge on a number, a customer, or even a perception. This is what you can really expect from a competitive sales process designed to realise maximum value for your business. It falls into two clearly denominated sections: marketing and execution. The former is about attracting the right buyer and the right terms (not just price) for the business. By introducing competition, we find that the final offer price is typically 10% or more higher than initial bids (which always makes us wonder why companies sell “off-market”). At the end of the marketing process, you are left with a single buyer and in reality, this is the last time you will be able to negotiate the price upwards. The execution phase is about consistency and trust and encompasses the due diligence and legal processes. The buyer and seller really get to know each other here and for the deal to complete, the buyer has to honour the terms agreed and the seller has to evidence that everything they have said about their business is true. Our business is based on success, we make our money from success fees that only become payable on completion. This aligns our objective with our clients, the most important of which is to “only start a deal if you are confident it will complete”. It is therefore imperative to ensure the business is fully prepared for a transaction. Some deals do abort, and when this happens this is most likely to occur at the due diligence stage –maybe four months down the line, which is a significant investment of time and resource – and so the preparation phase lays the groundwork to ensure a 51 PRINTITRESELLER.UK 19 Adam Zoldan
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