Technology Reseller v40

01732 759725 08 NEWS : DISTRIBUTORS Teams voice calling Exertis JEM first for Zyxel Zyxel has become the first networking vendor to integrate its switching and wireless products with the Exertis JEM managed services platform. Enabling VARs to offer customers hardware and software products on a subscription payment basis, Exertis JEM simplifies licensing and hardware procurement by rolling everything together in one pre-agreed monthly payment. Zyxel Regional Director Rachel Rothwell said: “We have been working with Exertis over the last year to integrate within their hardware-as-a-service platform. We are happy to say we are now ready to offer our switching and wireless products on a pre-agreed monthly subscription, as well as purchasing in a typical CAPEX model. This choice will bring flexibility and scalability to all our MSP and non-MSP resellers.” Jason Hill, Sales Director at Exertis, added: “Exertis is delighted to announce furthering our fantastic partnership with Zyxel. Together, we have developed their hardware- as-a-service proposition (HaaS) which is the foundation of Zyxel’s new MSP Evolve program. Evolve allows partners to access Zyxel hardware solutions, from networking to security, using simple and predictable monthly billing. We are proud to be Zyxel’s worldwide launch partner for the platform as it perfectly complements our existing MSP offerings via Exertis JEM.” www.exertis.co.uk Cisco leasing options via Tech Data Tech Data is making it easier for Cisco partners to quote for subscription payment options on smaller orders by offering Cisco easylease payment plans through its Tech-as-a-Service portal. Any Cisco partner can now log on and explore subscription payment options that enable customers to spread the cost of new Cisco equipment, from a single switch to multiple devices, over a period of up to three years, instead of funding the full investment upfront. Tony Nevill, Business Unit Director – Cisco and Enterprise Networking, Tech Data UK and Ireland, said: “Cisco solutions can be quite complex and previously partners may have found it a little challenging and time-consuming to provide a Cisco easylease quotation, especially for deals of a lower value. With the automated process that Tech-as-a-Service takes partners through, it is quite easy to give end-user customers the option of switching from capex to opex. At a time when many organisations are looking to update their infrastructure, but are also keen to retain financial flexibility, that’s a powerful sales tool.” http://trustedadvisor.techdata.co.uk/taas Synaxon UK and Integra Business Solutions renew partnership Channel services group SYNAXON UK and office products and supplies dealer group Integra Business Solutions Ltd have renewed their strategic partnership under which partners and members of each organisation are able to access the benefits of the other at preferential rates. The agreement enables SYNAXON partners to sign-up as members of Integra and gain access to the company’s preferential trading terms with office products distributors, such as Antalis UK and VOW Wholesale, and over 100 suppliers. SYNAXON partners will also have access to Integra’s Initiative range of own-brand office products. For their part, Integra members will receive discounted SYNAXON UK fees for accessing stock and availability from more than 30 IT distributors via the EGIS procurement platform. They will also benefit from exclusive offers available from SYNAXON Distribution and the support the group offers to help resellers develop their managed services business. https://synaxon-services.com/ Trust Distribution collaborates with Konftel on conferencing crusade Comms supply specialist Trust Distribution and Konftel have joined forces in a new crusade to encourage resellers to grab a bigger slice of the lucrative endpoint market by providing a complete solution including Konftel Climate Neutral-certified endpoints. Simon Hughes, Konftel Brand Manager at Trust, said: “We want to encourage more resellers to capitalise on additional revenue opportunities. Clearly, creating an attractive price point is crucial when resellers are putting deals together, but if they don’t offer the complete solution, it can be counterproductive.” This involves making sure that customers order high performance endpoints for video and audio. “Historically, conferencing and end points have been viewed as a bit of an afterthought to be added to a sale further down the line. But in a rapidly changing, more agile world, hardware is now being recognised more by resellers. Those neglecting it are definitely missing out,” Hughes said. He added: “Cloud-based applications such as Teams and Zoom have grown massively over the last 12 months and high quality video cameras and audio are essential. Don’t cut corners. Offer all the ingredients and sell the full solution. We are aware of resellers losing customers to a rival who comes in at a later stage, providing additional endpoints and services. They shouldn’t let people steal their lunch! “It’s hard to offer everything upfront, but they need to be thinking about endpoints more than ever because in an increasingly cloud-based world it’s easy to see on a call who is using a good quality camera compared to inferior options. A poor experience undermines the whole customer investment. Be braver and more forward thinking.” To help resellers maximise the opportunity, Trust and Konftel are developing dedicated kits for three key markets – home workers, huddle rooms and traditional boardrooms – and supporting resellers with discounted demo kits and direct technical support. konftel.com Westcon, the global technology distributor and part of Westcon-Comstor, is responding to increased demand for Direct Routing voice services using Microsoft Teams by creating one place where partners can find out about its voice solutions for Microsoft Teams. These include offerings from Microsoft and certified technology partners Poly, 8x8, Avaya, Mitel, Ribbon, AudioCodes and Jabra. Through its DR:Simplified initiative, Westcon hopes to make it easier for partners to find, compare, learn, sell and incentivise their Teams Voice business. Currently less than 10% of Microsoft Teams’ 145 million users use the platform for enterprise voice calling. https://www.westconcomstor.com/uk/en/vendors/microsoft/dr-simplified.html The Poly Studio P21 Tony Nevill Rachel Rothwell