Technology Reseller - v18 2019

01732 759725 14 NEWS : RESELLERS Insight opens Madrid support centre Following record turnover last year, Insight EMEA is enhancing its IT Managed Services offering with the opening of a 24/7 multi-lingual technical support centre in Madrid, Spain, in addition to its existing UK facility. More than 100 engineers will provide level 1, 2 and 3 help desk support across platforms such as Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Office 365, Windows 10 and Autopilot, as well as software and hardware lifecycle management. In 2018, Insight recorded a 6% rise in consolidated net sales to $7.1 billion, helped by strong growth in sales of cloud offerings and software maintenance. Gross profit increased 8%, while earnings from operations were 30% higher. n In February, The Panoply Holdings PLC acquired GreenShoot Labs, a provider of enterprise solutions that use applied Artificial Intelligence and conversational interfaces. The fourth business to join the UK cluster of Panoply Group companies, GreenShoot Labs has created an AI auditor for a global accounting firm, the first chatbot supporting cybercrime victims (currently being tested by UK police forces) and a voice-enabled AI football coach. www.greenshootlabs.com RPA specialist for Government Technology services group The Panoply Holdings PLC has entered the robotic process automation (RPA) market with the setting up of an RPA business focused on the Government and not for profit sectors. TPX human+, a subsidiary of The Panoply group company TPX Notbinary, will act as an implementation partner to RPA software vendors Blue Prism, UiPath and Thoughtonomy. It is being led by David Biden and Ciara MacCooey. Neal Gandhi, Chief Executive Officer of The Panoply, claims the formation of TPX human+ is testament to the Group’s entrepreneurial culture. He said: “This is the first example of The Panoply having chosen to support the organic growth of a business which has originated from within a current Group company. Allowing our Group companies to remain entrepreneurial and creative has always been a core tenet of The Panoply proposition, and we are excited to see this playing out in reality with the incorporation of TPX human+.” www.thepanoply.com http://human-plus.co.uk/ IoT expertise recognised by Cisco Logicalis, the international IT solutions and managed service provider, has achieved Cisco IoT Authorisation Partner status just weeks after the classification’s official launch on January 28. Vince DeLuca, CEO for Logicalis US, said: “This status perfectly demonstrates Logicalis’ ability to implement simple, secure and scalable end-to-end IoT solutions based on architectures and open standards that integrate with third-party and legacy equipment.” To qualify for Cisco IoT Authorisation, a partner must have a certain number of employees with IoT solutions experience, backed up with role-based training and exam passes in IoT disciplines. www.logicalis.com Advanced has signed a new reseller agreement with GT Software, a US- based specialist in IBM mainframe modernisation. Under the agreement, Advanced will be the exclusive UK partner for the delivery and support of the company’s flagship Ivory Suite application modernisation solution. GT Software’s no-code, drag-and-drop solution for creating API integrations for IBM mainframes strengthens Advanced’s offering for organisations running important applications on IBM mainframes and makes it easier for them to integrate digital projects alongside legacy mainframe applications. Application modernisation has become a core area of growth for Advanced, which in March 2018 acquired Information Balance, a developer of IT solutions that enable large-scale application development and migration across mainstream technology platforms. Tim Jones, Managing Director of Application Modernisation at Advanced, said: “We’ve had significant success helping organisations integrate or migrate from legacy systems, such as VMS and VME, to more modern technology environments. But, as digital transformation accelerates across all organisations, we recognise that IBM mainframe integration can help broaden our portfolio. GT Software’s integration tool will help us accelerate our application modernisation plans and boost the value we can offer to customers, allowing them to extend the value of their existing investment in IBM mainframe systems.” www.oneadvanced.com Advanced broadens portfolio with IBM mainframe integration Citrix partner of the year Citrix has named Ultima as its 2019 Worldwide Partner of the Year for EMEA in recognition of its sales growth and overall commitment to Citrix. Ultima Director Gareth Meyer said: “We are thrilled to have been awarded the prestigious Worldwide Partner of the Year for EMEA. Citrix is a big part of our strategic technology focus and we’ve worked closely together to take our customers on a journey by enabling business transformation through technology. This recognition confirms our relationship works as we continue to enable, innovative and deliver world class services that benefit our enterprise customers globally.” www.ultima.com Ramble on Managed print service provider Midshire has kicked off its 2019 fundraising activities with a 10-kilometre walk around Kinder Scout to raise money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF). Eighteen employees and their families took part in the ‘Midshire Ramble’ around the National Nature Reserve in Derbyshire’s Peak District. Next up is an 18-hole golf day at Sale Golf Club on May 10. To enter a team, contact Stuart Carruthers at [email protected] .