Technology Reseller v40

01732 759725 14 NEWS : RESEllers Start-up announces third year of triple digit growth Network and security infrastructure provider Principle Networks has announced its third consecutive year of triple digit growth after winning big contracts for SD-WAN and integrated security solutions in the financial services, legal and manufacturing sectors. In FY 2020-2021, the company recorded a 164% rise in turnover to £2.35 million; doubled its headcount to 13, with the addition of 7 new employees; and made significant investments in its systems and technology. Principle Networks has seen strong demand for its services over the last 12 months as more mid-sized enterprises have embarked on programmes to modify their operating model, offer flexible working and leverage technology to maintain competitiveness. Russell Crowley and Alex Steer founded Principle Networks in June 2018 with the intention of embracing modern technology and moving away from the legacy products and service models offered by traditional network providers. Steer said: “The way businesses are operating today is presenting a big challenge for legacy network providers. Gone are the days where the network was there to connect offices to a private data centre, with some complex configuration to prioritise certain traffic types. These days, most businesses want to host their systems and applications in a multitude of locations – in their own private data centre, in a service provider’s data centre, in a hyperscale cloud such as AWS or Azure or in the form of software as a service such as O365. “Their workforce tends to be mobile, working from anywhere at any given time. For the most part, this landscape doesn’t suit the rigid, static nature of traditional branch office networks. We take a holistic approach, with solutions that provide a consistent experience and security posture for workers and business applications, wherever they happen to be located.” He added: “Our strategy is to keep investing in the right people and technology and to stay true to our principles. We’re currently planning how, as a service provider, we can leverage data intelligence and advanced technologies to further enhance the customer experience which we think could be very compelling. Watch this space.” https://principle-networks.com/ Ideal Shopping Direct invites tech firms to join new online marketplace Multi-channel retailer Ideal Shopping Direct is inviting technology companies to apply to join its online marketplace, Ideal World Marketplace, which it is promoting as a new way to reach its customer base of more than 15 million shoppers with an average household income of £40K. The platform, which is claimed to have conversion rates of 6-8% and an AOV of £80-£100, already has more than 41 sellers, including Samsung, Sony, Hanaco and MagicVision, and a choice of 340,000 products, from fashion and jewellery to electronics. Jamie Martin, CEO of Ideal Shopping Direct, said: “Our new marketplace is a natural extension of our strategy to reach customers at a variety of different touchpoints, especially digital. With online marketplaces being over four times more likely to see shoppers make a purchase than retailers’ websites and apps, joining us makes business sense. We offer brands a platform that will help them remain competitive by driving awareness, consideration and growth. With our ambition to make Marketplace among the leading five businesses of its type in the next four years, there really is no better time to come on board!” www.idealworld.tv/gb/market-place Sharp accolade for Avenue UK Sharp has named Kent-based procurement consultancy Avenue UK as its Connect Partner of the Year for 2021. Set up in 2018 to broaden Sharp’s offering with organisations that provide complementary services to its core products, the Connect Partner programme has 15 members in a variety of sectors, including Managed Print, IT, Document Processing, Archiving, Office Products & Consultancy. www.sharp.co.uk Eighth acquisition for Agilico Agilico, the new name for the Horizon Capital-backed DMC Canotec group of workplace technology and services companies, has gained a further £2 million in revenue and 500 new customers with the acquisition of the Diamond Group, a Gateshead-headquartered provider of Telecoms, IT and Managed Print Services. The acquisition strengthens Agilico’s presence in the North and expands its customer base to 11,000 SME businesses. www.agilico.co.uk Matrix247 builds on Task acquisition with Konica Minolta partnership Matrix247 has followed its acquisition of Task Office Systems, an IT support and print services provider based in Bolton, with the announcement of a new partnership with Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) Ltd. This well see the Rossendale-based managed IT and hosted telecoms provider add Konica Minolta’s Workplace Hub Smart Managed IT solution and print devices to its workplace digital transformation offering. Stephen Pritchard, CEO and Co-Founder of Matrix247, said: “Our growth strategy is focused on targeted partnerships and acquisitions, to cater for all the IT and communications requirements of our customers. With Task joining the Matrix247 family we wanted a strategic partnership with a manufacturer that can deliver not only powerful MFD and print solutions, but also complementary managed IT and workflow automation solutions.” Task has added considerable print expertise to Matrix247’s offering, as well as 1,200 new customers. Pritchard added: “Customers want to source all their services from one supplier. This new partnership with Konica Minolta enables Matrix247 to provide print and managed IT systems, along with telecoms, mobile, data and audio-visual solutions, all with our proven and trusted security wrap.” Since 2018, Matrix247 has increased turnover from £3.1m to £5.3m and doubled its headcount. www.matrix247.com Jamie Martin