Scanning As An Enabler For Digital Transformation IN PRINT & ONLINE v58 · 2023 www.technologyreseller.co.uk THE MAGAZINE & ONLINE CHANNEL RESOURCE FOR MSPS, IT RESELLERS & IT SUPPORT PROVIDERS PAGE 32 ESG DISTRIBUTION View from the Channel PAGE 34 PAGE 18 Microsoft Tech for Social Impact: what’s in it for resellers? With Justin Harling, CEO of CAE Technology Services Introducing Xvantage, Ingram Micro’s frictionless unified procurement platform
The PrintIT Reseller and Technology Reseller Golf Society is open to everyone; Resellers, Dealers, VARs, System Integrators and Vendors – the maximum number of players being 72 at each event. The cost per event is £107 per player or £428 per four ball + VAT. Includes breakfast and dinner. At each event there will be a prize for Overall Highest Score for the Day, Longest Drive and Nearest the Pin. Not sure about running your own golf day? No problem, bring customers along to this friendly industry relevant event. This year’s events: & The Golf Society is open to everyone no matter what your handicap is... so don’t be shy. Come and join us. 2023 2 0 2 3 The First round will take place at Carden Park on the 11th May The Second round will take place at Luton Hoo on the 8th June The Third round will take place at Olton Golf Club on the 13th July The Final round will take place at Robin Hood on the 28th September Sponsors Merchandise Sponsor If you would like to join us at any of the events please email [email protected] or call Paul on 07887 944433 SPONSORSHIP If you would like to discuss the opportunities available, please call Paul on 07887 944433, email [email protected] www.binfo.co.uk/ golf-society.php
technologyreseller.co.uk 03 If you no longer wish to receive Technology Reseller magazine please email your details to [email protected] COMMENT Welcome to the March issue of Technology Reseller. As ever, there’s a rich mix of news and features, all generated in-house without the assistance of ChatGPT (as far as I know). News of Microsoft’s expanding relationship with OpenAI, developer of the ChatGPT chatbot, had everyone reaching for superlatives. Rodrigo Liang, co-founder and CEO of SambaNova Systems, described AI as “the fastest industrial revolution in history” – scary but probably true – before softening the blow by adding “the current developments in AI are going to be as impactful as the GUI in the 1980s and the internet in the 1990s”. Which I interpret as transformative but beneficial. Somehow, the AI revolution feels more disruptive than that, more worthy of the reaction of David Carvalho, Co-Founder & CEO of Naoris Protocol, who wrote: “How Chat GPT crashed into the market can be compared to Superman's arrival on planet Earth from Krypton. We had no clue of his existence before he arrived; we were not sure how his powers would impact the world as he grew up, and we were not sure how dark forces (Kryponite) could affect the outcome of his behaviour. It would be presumptuous, if not arrogant to suggest that anyone really knows how this is all going to play out. The only thing we know for sure is that some aspects of the way the world functions will change irrevocably”. I have a lot of sympathy with this viewpoint (as much as my Superman knowledge allows), except that I think we do know how this is going to play out, because we’ve seen with social media what a powerful tool technology is for bad actors – and how willing people are to collude with those who would harm them (including some politicians). In the age of AI who is going to protect truth, but more fundamentally does anyone really care? That’s a concern, but at the same time who isn’t hugely excited to see where this technology will take us? AI and machine learning was already a big thing – just look at Ingram Micro’s Xvantage platform (see page 18) – but news of Microsoft’s investment in OpenAI has clearly accelerated companies’ plans in this area. And not just Google’s. In the MSP space, ConnectWise is bringing forward plans to add AI into its Asio platform and is soon to integrate its RMM tools with ChatGPT. It will not be alone. I am looking forward to writing about this and other developments over the coming months, that is before ChatGPT takes over. James Goulding – Editor, [email protected] Technology Reseller is published by Kingswood Media Ltd., 10 Amherst House, 22 London Road, Sevenoaks TN13 2BT • Tel: 01732 759725 Email: [email protected] www.technologyreseller.co.uk No part of Technology Reseller can be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher. © 2023 Kingswood Media Ltd. Design: Sandtiger Media www.sandtiger.co.uk v58 · 2023 technologyreseller.co.uk Comment Register online To receive your regular FREE printed copy of Technology Reseller Magazine simply fill in our online registration form at www.technologyreseller.uk/register Read Technology Reseller online, on tablets and smart phones www.technologyreseller.uk Join us : Follow us @techreselleruk www.facebook.com/TechnologyResellerMag technology-reseller-magazine Editor: James Goulding 07803 087228 · [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 01732 759725 · [email protected] Art Director: Nick Pledge 07767 615983 · [email protected] ISSN 2632-9301 (Print) ISSN 2632-931X (Online) 04 News UK SMEs lead the way in security investment 07 Partner Programmes This month’s new vendor partner programmes 08 Distributor News Pax8 acquires Bam Boom Cloud 09 Working Together A round-up of the month’s new distribution agreements 12 Reseller News FluidOne targets SMEs with Highlander acquisition 18 Distribution Ingram Micro making life easier for partners with Xvantage launch 22 Cybersecurity New research tool for cybersecurity sales teams 24 Q&A We talk to Colin Blumenthal, MD of Sharp IT Services, about the challenges of diversification 26 I couldn’t do my job without… Node4’s Hannah Birch on the five things she relies on during her working day 28 Technology Reseller Awards Vote now for the Distributor Award categories 32 View from the Channel With Justin Harling, CEO of CAE Technology Services 34 ESG Microsoft Tech for Social Impact: what’s in it for resellers? 36 Managed Networks EvolveODM to reinvigorate reseller network in new growth drive 39 60 seconds with… Dominic Ryles of Exertis Enterprise 40 My Life in IT Erik Nicolai, Founder of Workspace 365, on his career in IT 42 People New faces, new places www.trawards.co.uk
UK SMBs lead the way in security investment, says Datto UK SMBs are less likely to have experienced downtime due to a cyber security issue than their counterparts globally and also have the lowest cost of downtime, according to the 2022 State of Ransomware Report from Datto, a Kaseya company. When asked about downtime during their most recent cyber security issue, 18% of UK SMBs stated that they didn’t have any, compared to the global average of 12%. In addition, the average cost of downtime for a UK company was almost half the global average – £53k compared to £103k. Datto suggests that this could be because UK SMBs are more likely to have implemented security solutions such as anti-virus (74% vs. 57% globally), email/ spam protection (66% vs. 53% globally), file backup (64% vs. 49% globally), managed firewall (62% vs. 49% globally) and cybersecurity training for employees (50% vs. 43% globally). On the downside, the UK has higher than average ransom requests of £16,500, compared to a global average of £12,500. The types of data most commonly encrypted in ransomware attacks in the UK are private cloud data (53% vs. a global average of 48%), followed by SaaS (30%) and PCs (30%). The last two are lower than the global average of 38%, probably due to the investment SMBs have made in the security tools mentioned above. This year, the top security investment priorities for UK SMBs are cloud security (52%), network security (47%) and cyber insurance (32%). www.datto.com ······ Cost of living crisis causing sleepless nights for security chiefs Nine out of ten cyber security decisionmakers in companies with 250+ employees stay awake at night worrying about their organisational security. According to a survey by CSI Ltd, their main concerns are a lack of cyber security skills (30%), limited resources within the IT team (29%), old IT infrastructure (27%) and the risk of third party suppliers leaving them vulnerable to a cyber-attack (25%). Three quarters (78%) believe the costof-living crisis increases the risk of a cyber attack. Leyton Jefferies, Head of Cyber Security Services at CSI Ltd, said: “The cost-ofliving crisis is very attractive for threat actors looking to prey on victims who may be more vulnerable than normal. Criminal opportunists understand that resources are increasingly being squeezed and constrained and employees may be less diligent about clicking on links. Unfortunately, it presents the perfect landscape for them to thrive.” CSI recommends the following security controls alongside an employee education programme: n Immutable backup and disaster recovery. Organisations should regularly perform immutable backups and be able to deploy to production servers immediately in case of a ransomware attack or other data loss. n Endpoint detection and response (EDR). Install antivirus solutions to protect endpoints against malware, viruses and other attacks. n Managed detection and response (MDR). Using a cybersecurity service that combines technology and human expertise will provide more effective threat hunting, monitoring and response. The main benefit of MDR is that it helps identify and limit the impact of threats without the need for additional staffing. n Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR). This streamlines security operations in three key areas: threat and vulnerability management, incident response and security operations automation. n Patch management. Consistently implement patches and updates. n Multi Factor Authentication. Use MFA to verify a user’s identity before allowing access. www.csiltd.co.uk ······ Reliance on third parties due to hybrid working putting security at risk Only half (49%) of organisations have sufficient budget to meet their current cybersecurity needs, according to a survey of IT and security professionals in the US and EMEA by the Neustar International Security Council (NISC). One in 10 (11%) say they can, at best, protect just their most critical assets. More than two thirds (69%) of respondents are concerned that budget constraints are limiting the use of new strategies, technologies and implementation practices, with 33% expecting their cybersecurity budget to stay the same or decline in 2023. A large majority of survey participants (85%) say that hybrid working has increased their organisation’s reliance on third-party providers for outsourcing staff and resources. Of these, 78% believe the development has left them more exposed to distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks (cited by 22%), system compromise (20%) and ransomware (18%). Carlos Morales, Senior Vice President of Solutions at Neustar Security Services,said: “With mounting budget pressures, IT and security teams are once again being asked to do more with less, which will likely accelerate the adoption of service-based offerings that allow NEWS 01732 759725 04 NEWS Stratospheric Platforms Limited (SPL) has received investment from PT Profesional Telekomunikasi Indonesia (PROTELINDO), the largest telecommunication infrastructure company in Indonesia, as it seeks to raise £130 million to deliver airborne antenna services globally. The UK-based company aims to provide 5G network coverage from the stratosphere using hydrogen-powered High Altitude Platforms (HAPS). These unmanned aircraft each have a phased-array antenna designed for standard LTE/5G smartphones capable of delivering direct broadband connectivity to users over an area of 15,000 km2 with connection speeds of up to 200 Mbps. HAPS offer seamless integration with terrestrial networks and tower operators, extending connectivity to hard-to-reach areas without the requirement for large capital expenditure associated with terrestrial roll-outs. 1 Datto SMB Cybersecurity for MSPs Report eBook Datto SMB Cybersecurity for MSPs Report continued...
technologyreseller.co.uk 05 NEWS continued... SOGEA: CONNECTIVITY TO TRANSFORM BUSINESSES Take advantage of the all-IP transition opportunity by selling SOGEA and preparing your customers for the biggest change to communications in over 30 years CONTACT US TODAY t. 0330 100 1233 | e. [email protected] digitalwholesalesolutions.com Connectivity | Mobile | Voice | IP Communications Software Marketplace | Product Supply SOGEA – the Single Order Broadband Solution Available to over 28 million UK premises Bandwidth options from 0.5Mbps to 1Gbps at competitive price points Simple to sell, deploy and support with flexible terms Biggest trending Broadband product in 2021
01732 759725 06 NEWS enterprises to flexibly scale up resources based on demand. While cost may be the driver, technology leaders must carefully consider what value potential servicebased offerings can deliver to ensure maximum impact to the organisation and prioritise partners that can deliver best-ofbreed technology, professional expertise and word-class service.” https://neustarsecurityservices.com ······ Farewell 3G Last month, operators started pulling the plug on the UK’s 3G network, with Vodafone the first to start the process in Plymouth and Basingstoke. The UK Government has set a deadline of 2033 for both 2G and 3G to be turned off, with mobile operators expecting to decommission all 3G services either by the end of this year (Vodafone) or next (EE and Three), leaving them free to focus on the 4G network and 5G roll-out. Uswitch.com warns that half of UK consumers are unaware that this is happening, even though 32% use 3G on a regular basis and 7% say 3G is the only mobile network they can access. While providers say the 2G network will be there as a safety network for people who may not have access to faster speeds after 3G is turned off, Uswitch points out that 2G is far slower than its successor and can take several minutes to download a web page. Ernest Doku, Mobiles Expert at Uswitch. com, is calling on providers to do more to make customers aware of their timeline for turning off 3G and which towns and cities will be affected. He said: “It is clear that millions of mobile phone users aren’t aware that 3G is being phased out, or how this will impact their ability to get online, especially with sluggish 2G serving as the only fallback in a number of cases. “Although the network speeds 3G offers are slow by modern standards, there are still people that rely on this older generation network, especially in rural areas, as a primary means of connectivity. People still using 3G-enabled smartphones that cannot access the more modern networks will need to upgrade their handset soon or risk losing access to their mobile data altogether.” ······ SMBs looking for full client lifecycle management, says Analysys Mason Analysys Mason, a specialist technology consulting and research firm, expects the 145 million SMBs worldwide to increase their spending on technology in 2023, but not at pre-pandemic levels. Its SMB Technology Forecaster, which provides insights into SMB spending in 132 technology categories in 52 countries, forecasts SMBs to spend $1.45 trillion on IT in 2023, a rise of 6.3% compared to 2022. It is also warning of a shakeup in how SMBs buy IT, with one in three (37%) planning to change channel provider to gain enterprise levels of support and services that enable full client lifecycle management such as pre-sales, onboarding, account management, defined touchpoints and communication channels. Other changes include longer lead times as SMBs carefully examine the costbenefits of any new solution; more demand for cloud-based and as-a-service solutions, including PC and device as a service; and a greater focus on ESG, with 46% saying they are more likely to buy from a vendor with established ESG policies. www.analysysmason.com/smbtrends-2023 ······ Sales teams driving up SaaS costs Sales is the most expensive department when it comes to SaaS, with sales tools making up 18% of all SaaS spend in in an average organisation, claims SaaS purchasing and spend management platform Vertice. According to the company’s latest Ultimate Guide To Purchasing Sales Software report, sales teams are also amongst the most wasteful, with 52% of users frequently failing to login to platforms, let alone get maximum utility from them, compared to 33% across all departments. Vertice’s analysis shows that the average business spends £7,500 on SaaS for every sales employee - almost double the £3,762 that is spent on employees in other departments. Overall, just 67% of licences being paid for are actively being used by employees, representing an overspend of one third and a cost of millions to larger organisations. Vertice warns that transparency remains a key challenge in SaaS purchasing as many SaaS vendors intentionally keep pricing hidden. Fewer than half (45%) publish their pricing in full, with most obscuring the cost of at least some of their licensing. Recent research by Gartner estimates that the SaaS industry was worth $171 billion in 2022, up 42% from 2020, with the average business of 1,000 employees now maintaining around 177 active software subscriptions. Vertice.one Atos is building a E20 million high performance supercomputer (HPC) for the Max Planck Computing and Data Facility in Garching near Munich. With three times the application performance of the Max Planck Society’s current ‘Cobra’ system, it will provide HPC capacity for demanding scientific projects in astrophysics, life science research, materials research, plasma physics and AI. The system will be powered by 4th Gen AMD EPYC processors and, for the first time in an Atos-based European system, AMD Instinct MI300A accelerators. The full installation, expected in the first half of 2024, will comprise ten BullSequana XH3000 racks with a total of 768 processor nodes and 192 accelerator nodes, complemented by an IBM SpectrumScale storage solution. Hot water cooling (Direct Liquid Cooling) will enable the system to run without fans, contributing to a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) value of less than 1.05 (1 being the ideal ratio), far below the average of other HPC installations. continued... Top SMB technology trends in 2023 The Ultimage Guide to Purchasing Sales Software 2023
technologyreseller.co.uk 07 PARTNERSHIPS Tier upgrades possible with unification of Datto/Kaseya spend Kaseya, the global provider of unified IT management and security software for MSPs, SMBs and mid-market enterprises, has announced enhancements to the Kaseya + Datto Global Partner Program that will enable partners to combine their Datto and Kaseya spend and potentially move to a higher tier as a result. The programme has four tiers defined by annual spend – Silver ($1K), Gold ($25K), Platinum ($100K) and Blue Diamond ($250K) – with an additional tier likely to be introduced in the future. All levels get access to enhanced benefits and the Powered Services Jumpstart platform which includes a marketing automation tool and exclusive content to assist with M&A deals. Kaseya has announced a 300% increase in resources for the partner programme; a doubling of market development funds; an expansion of the Datto MSP Enablement team from 3 to 60 people; and the launch of Virtual MSP Partner Days. www.kaseya.com Konica Minolta revamps partner programme to reflect growing IT services provision Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) Ltd has launched a new partner programme, offering additional support and rewards, to reflect the changing nature of its product offering, which now includes IT infrastructure, managed IT services & support, process digitisation and automation, intelligent video solutions and outsourced helpdesks and service desks, as well as print. Cameron Mitchell, Business Leader for Indirect Channel, said: “With our channel partners offering a more complex set of print and IT business solutions we recognised that our Partner Programme accreditations and support need to reflect this evolution. The new and enhanced Partner Programme supports all our partners but specifically recognises those that have invested in specialist areas such as IT Services and Professional Print. We are also excited to announce additional support for those partners aligned exclusively to Konica Minolta. We believe that this level of commitment needs to be rewarded and nurtured to further cement our relationship and grow our market share together.” www.konicaminolta.co.uk More choice for Rivery partners Following the success of its co-sell model, Rivery, the SaaS data integration platform, has introduced a reseller option. Technology, service and consultancy partners will have the freedom to switch between co-seller and reseller paths according to their businessspecific goals and customer-specific needs. rivery.io/partners Ontinue programme targeted for Microsoft partners Ontinue, the managed detection and response (MDR) division of Open Systems, has launched a new partner programme to attract partners focused on helping Microsoft customers along their digital transformation journeys. Its introduction follows the launch of the company’s AI-based, cloud-delivered managed extended detection and response (MXDR) service, ION, which is exclusively focused on supporting Microsoft security solutions. With Microsoft Advanced Specialisations in Threat Protection and Cloud Security, Ontinue was the 2022 Microsoft Security MSSP Partner of the Year. Ontinue Chief Revenue Officer Chris Raniere said: “The strategic relationships we have with Microsoft and many of their top cyber partners have contributed greatly to our success. The launch of this new program – tailored specifically for Microsoft partners – allows us to engage with a focused set of partners, giving them new opportunities to expand their cyber business.” The program is being led by veteran channel executive Tim Wheatley, who has joined Ontinue as Vice President of Channel and Alliances. www.ontinue.com/#partners Aryaka launches elite seller programme Aryaka, a provider of unified SASE and SDWAN solutions, has added an invitation-only elite seller program to the Aryaka Accelerate Global Partner program. Participation in Aryaka THROTTLE is by nomination and is open to five partners at each of Aryaka’s technology services distributors (TSDs). Benefits include targeted marketing, qualified leads and personalised seller incentives. Craig Patterson, Aryaka Channel Chief and Senior Vice President of Global Channels, said: “THROTTLE takes our global partner program to a new level by targeting marketing, sales and support resources to a small group of hand-picked, high-fit partners. By investing in partnerships with top performers, we expect to accelerate our mutual success.” www.aryaka.com Reseller channel launched by iplicit to drive 6x hike in daily users Accounting software provider iplicit is launching a reseller channel that will allow partners to offer cloud accounting software to growing businesses, specifically those that have outgrown their entry-level finance systems and don’t want to move to expensive enterprise ERP solutions. Offering enterprise-level functionality and extensive automation without the hefty price tag of the big names at the enterprise end of the market, iplicit currently has 800 customers and 10,000 daily users, with a target of 60,000 users by 2025. It was named Mid-Market and Enterprise Accounting Software of the Year at the Accounting Excellence Awards 2020 and took gold in the Enterprise Accounting/ERP category of the AccountingWEB Software Awards 2021. Partners receive a 30-40% margin on new licence revenue and a 20-24% renewal margin. With training and enablement and the support of the iplicit sales and solution consulting teams, iplicit says partners can look forward to a return on their investment within two to three months. Channel manager Alexis Gorton said: “iplicit’s reseller channel allows partners to offer a complementary solution to their existing lines of business – and is a strong product to offer when looking for new business. Customers coming from entry-level cloud packages won’t go back to traditional on-premise systems because they would lose a lot of functionality. There are a lot of businesses contending with software that they’ve outgrown already, so if you don’t have anything to upgrade them to, you’re going to be losing them. With iplicit, you keep your customers for longer and give them a solution to scale their business.” www.iplicit.com Craig Patterson Alexis Gorton Cameron Mitchell Partner Programmes This month’s new vendor partner programmes
01732 759725 08 NEWS : Distributors Pax8 acquires Bam Boom Cloud Cloud marketplace Pax8 has acquired Bam Boom Cloud, a technology consultancy and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central services organisation offering technology solutions with fixed monthly pricing for small and mediumsized businesses. The acquisition creates an opportunity for Bam Boom Cloud to scale its technology solutions for the channel ecosystem, while enabling MSPs to add new services that leverage Bam Boom’s Microsoft Dynamics expertise. With more than 135 employees across the US, UK, Germany, India and Canada, Bam Boom is the Global 2022 Microsoft Partner of the Year, Dynamics 365 Business Central. Pax8 CEO John Street said: “Business process automation is on the rise, and the Bam Boom acquisition will enable us to create simple go-to-market strategies and services for partners to build on their Microsoft Dynamics technology offerings.” Vicky Critchley, CEO of Bam Boom, added: “Bam Boom is passionate about helping businesses build a strong foundation with reliable, cloud-based accounting solutions with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Pax8 will enable us to expand our reach and help more businesses grow with Microsoft business solutions.” www.pax8.com Gamma brings Microsoft Teams voice services to Ingram Micro partners In a new partnership between the two companies, Ingram Micro UK is to offer Gamma Communications’ Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams through the Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace. Gamma, a Solutions Partner for Microsoft Modern Workplace with Advanced Specialisation in Calling for Microsoft Teams, was one of the first partners for Microsoft’s Operator Connect programme when it was launched in 2021 to enable seamless and integrated calling from the popular application. With 15 years’ experience in delivering Microsoft voice solutions, Gamma offers guaranteed resilience and reliability, easy deployment, simple administration and native fraud management. Ovi Gherghel, Director of Cloud & Cyber Security, UK&I at Ingram Micro, said: “Gamma’s extensive experience in enabling Microsoft Teams voice services will be a major asset to our voice services portfolio and will provide our partners with the opportunity to maximise the value of their own Microsoft services offerings.” www.ingrammicro.com BT Wholesale added to The Fibre Café Strategic Imperatives, a provider of SaaS billing, provisioning, and monetisation solutions for the telecoms industry, has added Europe’s largest wholesale telecoms provider, BT Wholesale, to the list of providers available through its Fibre Café, a market aggregation platform transforming access to the UK’s wholesale connectivity market. The Fibre Café resolves integration challenges caused by multiple interfaces, technology stacks and long lead times by seamlessly connecting disparate connectivity providers, AltNets and communication service providers through a standards-based interface underpinned by a unified API, common processes and supplier-agnostic order journey. The addition of BT Wholesale means The Fibre Café can now provide access to BT Wholesale’s Broadband One suite of products as well as those offered by the group’s B2B gateway. Communication providers that are already connected can access BT Wholesale services without the need for any further development or infrastructure investment. Strategic Imperatives MD Wail Sabbagh said: “Adding BT Wholesale’s connectivity portfolio to the Fibre Café is a major step in delivering our vision of a unified national gateway into the UK connectivity ecosystem. Strategic Imperatives’ commitment to developing and extending the Fibre Café’s innovative ‘build once, connect to many’ model is creating a more equal marketplace, enhancing customer choice and creating a vibrant connectivity wholesale market.” Tunnel vision On January 26, hundreds of ICT partners, suppliers and vendors packed into the tunnels beneath Waterloo station for Digital Wholesale Solutions’ first partner event of 2023. The IT, comms and cloud platform provider put on an unforgettable evening of music, street food and socialising at the award-winning Wunderground venue in Leake Street to celebrate its achievements in 2022 and to discuss its vision for 2023. Entertainment was provided by Capital FM DJ Shayna Marie, radio DJ Scott Mills, magician Guy Parker and street-theatre musicians Spark! The evening was supported by sponsors CityFibre, TalkTalk Wholesale Services, Microsoft, Acronis, BT Wholesale, Sophos, Neos, Pangea and Draytek. https://digitalwholesalesolutions.com/ Free security assessments for VMWare partners TD SYNNEX is offering VMware partners free security self-assessments for their customers worth a total of £27,000 as a way of generating new business. Only available through TD SYNNEX, the three assessments, covering ransomware, cyber security and vSphere+, have been created by CapametriX to provide insights into clients’ security strengths and weaknesses and to recommend action plans to mitigate risk and improve performance. Sam Darling, Cybersecurity Business Development Manager, UK at TD SYNNEX, said: “The CapametriX self-assessment surveys enable the partner to position themselves as a trusted advisor on security to the customer. They can then take that further and become an authoritative source of intelligence and insight in the vertical market segments in which they focus by aggregating all their clients’ completed selfassessments and benchmarking the position of customers in specific areas.” https://uk.tdsynnex.com/
technologyreseller.co.uk 09 WORKING TOGETHER Continued... Arrow brings Synopsys AppSec testing solutions to EMEA Arrow Electronics has signed a panEuropean distribution agreement with Synopsys, Inc. to deliver Synopsys Software Integrity Group’s eight-strong portfolio of application security (AppSec) testing solutions to resellers in EMEA. Under the agreement, which builds on the two companies’ partnership in North America, Arrow will resell and deliver joint Synopsys solutions and services and integrate them into DevSecOps workflows to enhance the customer procurement experience, security execution, cloud migration and digital transformation projects. Tom Herrmann, Vice President of Global Channels and Alliances within the Synopsys Software Integrity Group, said: “Broadening our business through the channel is one of our top strategic priorities, and expanding the scope of our work with Arrow is a significant milestone that will help to grow the Synopsys Software Integrity Group’s reach throughout the EMEA market.” Alexis Brabant, Vice President Sales for Arrow’s enterprise computing solutions business in EMEA, said: “The combination of such a comprehensive choice of application security solutions from Synopsys and the reach of Arrow in the EMEA marketplace provides the channel with a strong portfolio of solutions for their needs.” Ascentae to distribute Jupiter ultra-wide displays in UK Workplace solution distributor Ascentae has signed a new vendor partnership with ultrawide display manufacturer Jupiter. The combination of Jupiter’s 21:9 displays, Simpleshare collaboration software and Microsoft’s new ‘Signature’ room layout provides a more engaging and intuitive MS Teams experience for remote participants and a better in-room experience for inperson participants. Ascentae Managing Director Jon Knight said: “Ascentae are delighted to be distributing Jupiter in the UK. Jupiter have a great pedigree and their current range of ultra-wide meeting room and personal use displays are in high demand. Microsoft are one of many providers of hybrid workplace technology solutions who recommend ultrawide displays for immersive visual experiences such as front row and signature rooms. These extend from meeting rooms to home workers, customer experience centres, control rooms and digital signage. The Jupiter product range is a great addition to Ascentae’s approach to identify technologies that provide best of breed experiences.” www.ascentae.com Climb Channel Solutions becomes a Master MSP for Malwarebytes Climb Channel Solutions, an international distributor for emerging technology vendors, has been appointed a Master MSP for Malwarebytes in the UK and across EMEA. The partnership, initially focusing on the UK, Nordics and Benelux regions, will support the accelerated growth of Malwarebytes’ MSP program. This gives service providers tools and incentives to expand their service catalogues, strategic support to grow their sales and marketing functions and enablement and training. Brian Thomas, Malwarebytes Vice President of Worldwide MSP and Channel Programs, said: “At Malwarebytes, we are committed to expanding cybersecurity access to under-resourced security teams that all too often are overlooked by the industry. By partnering with leading MSPs, we can cost-effectively deliver advanced cybersecurity solutions to keep those organisations safe.” Jane Silk, VP of Sales EMEA, Climb Channel Solutions, said: “We are excited to work with Malwarebytes as a Master MSP in the UK and across EMEA and support their growth in these markets. This new partnership adds to our growing MSP portfolio and will offer our MSP customers a great cyber security solution.” www.climbcs.co.uk/vendors/ malwarebytes/ DVS expands offering with Hikvision LED wall displays Hikvision has appointed DVS as exclusive distributor of its LED wall displays in the UK. Acquired by Midwich Group in 2022, DVS is a specialist distributor of CCTV and video recording technologies that has worked primarily with Hikvision since 2012. Recently, it has begun to diversify its portfolio of security solutions to include complementary technologies such as access control, intercom, intruder detection and LED displays. Gavin Dunleavy, Commercial Director at DVS, said: “DVS are super excited to be the chosen distribution partner for the Hikvision LED and AV offering. We continue to grow and develop our relationship with Hikvision as they bring their extensive and impressive LED and AV offering to the UK. As we see further convergence across the Security, AV and IT markets, DVS and Hikvision will be perfectly placed to service the markets with this fantastic offering.” Steven Ping, Sales Director of New Business at Hikvision UK & Ireland, added: “Hikvision has been an established brand for more than two decades, leading the development of high-definition video wall products to meet the exacting standards of its security industry customers. In recent years, we have taken that precision engineering and expertise and extended it to address the needs of a broader range of industries and applications, including LED wall displays for stadiums, indoor and outdoor events and retail promotions. These are increasingly finding homes in command centres, large educational theatres and conference facilities too.” https://www.dvs.co.uk/ (L-R) Gavin Dunleavy, Commercial Director at DVS; Steven Ping, Sales Director of New Business at Hikvision UK & Ireland; and David Davies, Chief Technical Officer at DVS on the Hikvision stand at ISE. Chorus to provide TD SYNNEX partners with 24/7 MXDR services TD SYNNEX is strengthening its managed security services offering in the UK through a new partnership with MSSP Chorus that will give partners access to a UK-based 24/7 managed extended detection and response (MXDR) service. The service built on Microsoft 365 Defender and Microsoft Sentinel will enable resellers to offer customers comprehensive protection of their IT environments without having to make upfront investment in their own specialist security practice or recruit and retain their own team. Working together This month’s round-up of new distribution agreements Alison Nixon, TD SYNNEX
01732 759725 10 WORKING TOGETHER ...continued Chorus will provide the service on behalf of the partner while TD SYNNEX’s security experts support resellers on engagement, go-to-market activity and initial sales. Alison Nixon, Security Business Unit Director, UK and Ireland at TD SYNNEX, said: “We’ve been hugely impressed with the advanced cybersecurity capabilities Chorus is delivering with its MXDR proposition. That’s taken a huge amount of effort and investment over many years – and it’s not something that can be easily replicated. Through this collaboration, TD SYNNEX can offer partners who do not have their own inhouse skills the ability to create a security practice and provide their customers with a comprehensive digital protection service that will defend them against every kind of modern cyberthreat.” https://uk.tdsynnex.com/ Veeam Software partners with Exertis Enterprise Exertis Enterprise has expanded its cybersecurity offering with a full range of solutions from backup and recovery provider Veeam Software. A leader in Modern Data Protection, Veeam provides a single platform for all workloads (cloud, virtual, physical, SaaS and Kubernetes), giving businesses peace of mind that their apps and data are protected and always available. Dominic Ryles, Director of Sales and Commercial – Security at Exertis Enterprise, said: “As a market-leader for the sixth time in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Backup and Recovery Software Solutions, I’m excited to announce that we have joined forces with Veeam to deliver Modern Data Protection to our channel partners, enabling them to use a single platform to own, control and protect all of their customer data, anywhere, across all workloads.” www.exertis.co.uk Exertis first UK distributor of Seagate Lyve Cloud Exertis has become the first UK distributor to add Seagate Lyve Cloud storage as a service to its portfolio. Seagate’s vendoragnostic, multi-cloud, S3-compatible cloud storage is claimed to lower TCO for storing, accessing and moving massive data sets in applications such as data analytics, data repository for content collaboration and backup/disaster recovery. Ravi Naik, Executive Vice President of Storage Services and CIO at Seagate, said: “Lyve Cloud empowers businesses to manage and transfer mass data easily, rapidly and securely across various storage environments, unlocking significant savings and accelerating digital transformation and innovation.” Jason Daly, Seagate Systems Business Unit Manager at Exertis, added: “Data has become distributed across edge, on premise, centralised data centres and public cloud infrastructures. Our partnership with Seagate Lyve Cloud will help our customers harness the power of their data, regardless of location.” According to Seagate’s UK Data Management Costs and Opportunities Index 2022, British businesses are spending an average of £213,000 per year just on storing and managing their data. www.exertis.co.uk Lenovo TruScale IaaS added to ArrowSphere Arrow Electronics has signed a global agreement with Lenovo to deliver its TruScale Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) solution to VARs, MSPs and telcos via the ArrowSphere cloud management platform. TruScale IaaS operates on a consumption-based subscription model that allows companies to use and pay for data centre solutions – on-premise or at a customer-preferred location – without having to purchase the equipment. Eric Nowak, President of Arrow’s enterprise computing solutions business in EMEA, said: “ArrowSphere now provides global access to customers wanting TruScale offerings. With simplicity, security and control, customers can scale without any incremental capital investments. Together we are delivering a flexible, scalable and secure cloud offering globally.” fiveyearsout.com Nuvola partners with Sycope Nuvola has added Sycope network traffic monitoring and security solutions to its offering to meet the growing need for network stability. The Sycope Network Performance solution detects everything that is on and taking up network bandwidth, enabling users to supervise network traffic. It also monitors critical performance metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of the IT infrastructure. www.nuvoladistribution.com CMS Distribution chosen for European launch of new Chipolo trackers Slovenian Bluetooth tracker brand Chipolo has chosen CMS Distribution to launch its new range of products to the European market. The company’s current range of attachable Bluetooth item finders includes the Chipolo ONE and Chipolo CARD, compatible with Android and iOS, as well as the Chipolo ONE Spot and the Chipolo CARD Spot, which work exclusively with the Apple Find My network. Chris Corse, EMEA Trading Director at CMS, said: “The Apple Find My app presents Chipolo with a huge opportunity and promotes the products to a whole new audience.” In the last 10 years, Chipolo has sold more than 3 million products and created a strong community through its global Lost & Found Network, which enables users to help one another recover lost items. www.cmsdistribution.com BlueStar evolves StayLinked offering with no-code integration platform In an extension of its existing distribution agreement with warehouse software solutions provider StayLinked, BlueStar, a distributor of RFID, Auto ID, POS and Mobility products, has added the former’s Evolve Integration Platform to its offering. The ‘No-code’ platform enables warehouse and logistics companies to integrate new and emerging technologies, like autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and wearable devices, without having to undertake expensive, complex and risky integrations or upgrade and rip and replace existing warehouse management systems (WMS). Maurice Van Rijn, VP of Business Development at BlueStar EMEA, said: “BlueStar is excited to be extending the StayLinked partnership to include the Evolve software platform. It will deliver immense value and growth to our partners, accelerating their opportunity to deliver emerging IIoT technologies into the core of their customers’ operations. With StayLinked Evolve, they can explore valuable new business opportunities within their existing accounts, generating additional revenue streams and gaining the competitive edge.” www.bluestarinc.com Dominic Ryles, Exertis Enterprise Eric Nowak, Arrow Electronics Ravi Naik, Seagate
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01732 759725 NEWS : RESELLERS 12 FluidOne targets SMEs with Highlander acquisition Russell Horton Martin Flick A record year for Kingsfield Kingsfield Computer Products Limited, the Midlands-based public sector IT service provider, has announced a record rise in turnover in its first 12 months under the leadership of Managing Director Brian Boys, who was appointed to the role last February. In the 2022 calendar year Kingsfield increased turnover by 231%, from £6.19 million to £20.47 million. Growth has been driven by the company’s success in securing places on three new frameworks. These include the Total Technology Solutions (NOE.0552) Framework, worth £1.5 billion, which will enable it to offer a range of IT solutions to NHS Trusts across the country. The public sector IT specialist appointed Brian Boys as Managing Director in February 2022, since when it has strengthened its leadership further with the appointment of Kieran Shah and Matt Green to senior public sector roles. Boys said: “It has been a fantastic year for Kingsfield. Alongside the new vendor accreditations and framework successes, I’m pleased to report a huge increase in customer satisfaction, most recently in the period between October and December 2022, when NPS grew to +77. “Internally, Kingsfield has also gained a number of ISO certifications, as well as cementing our commitment to the local community by signing as a member of the Northampton and Milton Keynes Chamber of Commerce. We have no intention of stopping there and are hopeful 2023 will mark another year of continued growth for Kingsfield.” www.kingsfieldit.com/contact-us/ Redsquid partners with StayPrivate Redsquid, a provider of IoT, comms, cybersecurity, IT and cloud services, is adding military-grade email encryption to its managed services portfolio through a partnership with StayPrivate. Adrian Barnard, CRO at StayPrivate, said: “We’re delighted to be working with award-winning Redsquid. Redsquid using StayPrivate themselves is a mark of confidence in our solution and surely the best reference a supplier can give its customers.” RedSquid was named Reseller/MSP of the Year at the Technology Reseller Awards 2022. www.redsquid.co.uk FluidOne, the £92 million turnover provider of connected cloud solutions, has expanded its reach in the North of England and filled gaps in its IT offering with the acquisition of Sheffield-based Highlander Computing Solutions Ltd, a supplier of enterprise IT infrastructure and IT managed services for SMEs. The acquisition will add 35% to FluidOne’s annual revenues and increase the proportion of its business represented by IT infrastructure, IT managed services, IT cloud services and cyber security services to nearly 50%. Highlander’s offering builds on that of Marathon Information Technology Services, acquired by FluidOne last May, which focuses on cloud transformation, modern workplace, security and contact centre services for the mid-market and enterprises. FluidOne CEO Russell Horton said: “Bringing Highlander into the group is an exciting move for us as their services really complement those in our existing portfolio, further strengthening our Connected Cloud solutions, as well as enabling us to bring a strong IT service offering to small and medium enterprises.” FluidOne plans to scale Highlander as a centre of excellence for IT managed services for customers with 10-200 employees and turn FluidOne IT teams based in Cheltenham, Colgate and London into a branch network providing local account management and engineering. Steve Brown, who will remain Managing Director of Highlander, said: “FluidOne provides the right cultural fit, quality customer service and the opportunity to invest in Sheffield as an HQ and growing hub for SME IT and for enterprise IT infrastructure. I’m excited to bring our expertise to a wider customer base across the UK and to strengthen what we can provide our existing customers with wider FluidOne Connected Cloud services.” www.fluidone.com www.highlanderuk.com Everything Tech Group gains ISO accreditations IT managed services provider Everything Tech Group has achieved ISO9001:2015 (quality management) and ISO27001:2013 (information security) certification, following the implementation of an integrated Business Management System across group sites and an audit of policies, processes and practices by the United Register of Systems (URS). Chief Operating Officer Phil Smith said: “It is important to us that we obtained these certifications, so that our customers can be reassured that we take our responsibilities as an IT Managed Services Provider extremely seriously. We have invested considerable energy into embedding the best practice that these standards offer into the culture of our business, so that certification becomes a byproduct of ‘doing the right thing’.” https://www.everythingtech.co.uk G-cloud 13 success for Onecom Business communications technology and cloud communications specialist Onecom has been approved to supply software and support services to the UK public sector and charitable organisations through the Government’s G-cloud 13 framework. The accreditation will enable public sector customers to access Onecom specialists and procure cloud services from the company at pre-negotiated rates, without the need to run a lengthy and costly tender process. Services covered include unified communications; Connect4Teams, which delivers direct routing, PBX integration, secure voice recording and contact centre capabilities within a Microsoft Teams environment; and Contact Centre as a Service (CCaaS). Onecom CEO Martin Flick said: “We look forward to building new partnerships through this framework, enabling public sector organisations to succeed using the power of our expertise and technology and helping to drive ongoing digital transformation to support a public sector that is agile, efficient and sustainable.” Operating from 14 regional offices across the UK, Onecom supplies over 70,000 business customers with over one million services. It was recently named EMEA Partner of the Year by cloud contact centre provider Five9, having won the EMEA Innovation Partner of the Year award in 2021. Phil Smith
NEWS : RESELLERS OryxAlign a great place to work Managed IT services provider OryxAlign has been named the second best mid-sized business to work for in London and third best business services company to work for in the UK at the Best Companies Awards. OryxAlign, with locations in London, Manchester, Cork and Manila, was recognised for its excellence in three areas – giving something back, wellbeing and personal growth – and for its focus on sustainability, having started on a journey to achieve B-Corp certification. CEO Carl Henriksen said: “To have been awarded a 2-star accreditation by Best Companies is a clear demonstration of our commitment to our people and, importantly, their commitment to OryxAlign. Delivering tech services in what is a demanding industry is not easy, but standing by our people, ensuring they are supported, fulfilled, happy and enjoying the journey is key for me. I am very proud of this collective achievement.” www.oryxalign.com SCC to sponsor world famous Birmingham orchestra The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) has announced Birmingham-headquartered IT solutions provider SCC as its new Principal Sponsor. The three-year agreement includes funding of £100,000 a year and alignment with the orchestra’s Sound of the Future campaign to raise £12.5 million by 2025. SCC was founded by Sir Peter Rigby in 1975 and in the last 48 years has employed over 50,000 local people and invested millions of pounds into charitable causes and regeneration schemes. Stephen Maddock OBE, Chief Executive of the CBSO, said: “This is an imaginative partnership between two outstanding and long-established Birmingham organisations. Both SCC and the CBSO are committed to promoting our home city, and I am hugely grateful to Sir Peter Rigby for his generosity and vision in making this new partnership a reality.” www.cbso. co.uk www.scc. com Fortinet first for NormCyber NormCyber, a managed security service provider for mid-sized organisations, has become the first MSSP in Europe and just one of six across EMEA to achieve specialisations in security operations, operational technology (OT) and cloud security as part of the Fortinet Engage Partner Programme. A Fortinet partner since 2019, NormCyber has achieved Advanced status in all three specialisations, proving its ability to deliver and implement the full spectrum of Fortinet security solutions. Paul Cragg, CTO at NormCyber, said: “Fortinet’s solutions fit perfectly into our strategy and we take great pride in being the first cyber security services provider in Europe to achieve this hat-trick of specialisations, particularly as it speaks to our SOC team’s strengths.” Fortinet’s Security Operations specialisation covers the delivery and operation of its SIEM, SOAR and EDR solutions in the security operations centre; the Operational Technology specialisation covers OT best practices and the deployment of IT and OT security solutions; and the Cloud Security specialisation covers the deployment and management of Fortinet solutions on any cloud or virtual data centre with consistent policies, centralised management and visibility, security automation and orchestration.
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