Technology Reseller v20 2019

01732 759725 22 NEWS : VENDORS Yorkshire-based digital transformation business Vapour Cloud is on the look-out for 10 more partners, as it prepares for 50% growth over the next 12 months. Its search for new partners follows the success of the strategy, announced by CEO Tim Mercer in early 2018, to expand its digital transformation business by collaborating with non-competing companies in the tech channel. Vapour Cloud negotiated seven such partnerships last year, with five VARs and two Avaya partners, resulting in deals with an expected contract value of £6 million over the next three years. Commenting on the plan to find 10 more partners, Tim Mercer said: “Eighty-five per cent of our own revenue is now partner-based. Since Vapour was established six years ago, we have been determined to focus only on what we’re good at – cloud voice, video, network connectivity and storage. This is a complex space for many businesses, so if we can add value to their proposition, leaving them to concentrate on what they excel in, it should result in more comprehensive, powerful solutions and growth all round.” He added: “One of our most established partners has secured over £5 million of revenue from working with Vapour in the past 30 months, and the bulk of that is recurring. This shows just how lucrative this business model can be. Some people shy away from partnerships, but I think organisations with a clear customer focus thrive from working together in this manner.” Vapour grew by 51% in 2018 and expansion by at least a further 50% is anticipated over the next 12 months. Vapour Cloud seeks partners to drive growth Commsworld opens London base Commsworld, operator of the UK’s largest privately owned fibre network, has established a London base in Eccleston Square, close to Victoria Station, following a major expansion of its network and a 41% increase in revenue to more than £20 million. Commsworld, which has headquarters in Edinburgh and offices in Glasgow and Aberdeen, will provide transit bandwidth from its new base in the UK capital, encouraging other internet service providers to utilise its ultra-fast network. Chief Executive Ricky Nicol said: “Having a base in London is fantastic for us and a major step forward in our bid to cement ourselves as a truly UK-wide organisation. It means we can meet with our valued customers and partners more easily and efficiently, without the early morning flights or having to schedule many meetings into one day.” He added: “The move is timed perfectly, as this year Commsworld will light up over 2,000,000 metres of fibre in a figure of eight around the UK, making it the largest privately owned Optical Core Network in the UK.” Kaspersky introduces cyber awareness training Cybersecurity expert Kaspersky Lab has introduced an automated security awareness platform to help companies boost the cyber-awareness of employees. Available on a subscription basis (with multi-tenancy for MSPs), the Kaspersky Automated Security Awareness Platform (ASAP) is a web-based online learning system. Features include targeted training according to each user’s skill levels; micro-lessons that last between 2 and 10 minutes; gamification to boost engagement; the ability to set and monitor measurable goals in an online dashboard; and reporting. www.kaspersky.com/small-to-medium-business-security/security-awareness-platform Brother shortlisted for brand of the year Brother UK has been shortlisted for Which? Technology Brand of the Year 201 9, alongside Apple, Lenovo and Samsung, after topping the rankings for most reliable printer brand and best printer brand overall in the most recent Which? Tech Reliability Report . The winner will be announced on June 20, 2019. Insider... More trouble on the high street as Office Outlet undergoes a series of store closures, with 16 of their 90-strong estate closing during April with a loss of 167 jobs. For those of us who have been in the industry a long time, the rise of the office superstore during the nineties and noughties was significant, with Office World as it then was and Staples going head to head for dominance. Like any sector on the up, stores opened rapidly, tills rung and product assortments expanded as the business owners skilfully rode a wave of growth. Happy days. Until things started to change. A shift in buying behaviour (e-commerce), competition from on-line retailers (Amazon) and changing working practices (mobile working) all threatened the viability of the office superstore model (big shed, big assortment, out of town). Owners were slow to develop their own e-commerce propositions (omni-channel), they under-invested in their stores and, not surprisingly, store revenues declined. With the right investment strategy, could the superstore proposition be revived? Think turning those large sheds into co-working spaces, with coffee shops, meeting rooms for mobile workers and remote sales forces – all with superb wi-fi and access to everything workers need to be productive. Stores thrive on footfall, which comes when there’s a reason to visit. All retailers continue to try to find the ‘white space’ to the problem caused by the shift to digital. It’s not easy, yet not impossible. A good example from the High Street is Whole Foods Market. It has reinvented food buying by making its stores a destination for food shopping, by tapping into the trend for organic food and by building communities around their stores through the number of eateries that prepare fresh food in- store. It’s seriously impressive. As our industry and our High Streets change around us, it’s a firm reminder that we must continually adapt our propositions, assortments and strategies to stay sustainable. In his book Great by Choice , author Jim Collins writes about the concept of ‘Productive Paranoia’ in leaders: “By preparing ahead of time, building reserves, preserving a margin of safety, bounding risk, and honing their disciplines in good times and bad, they handle disruptions from a position of strength and flexibility.” Well said. Let’s all do more of that. See you out there. Phil Jones MBE , Managing Director, Brother UK @philjones40 Tim Mercer Ricky Nicol