www.technologyreseller.uk THE MAGAZINE & ONLINE CHANNEL NEWS & RESOURCE FOR MSPS, IT RESELLERS & SUPPORT PROVIDERS VIEW FROM THE CHANNEL PAGE 14 With David Lindores, CEO of Eureka Solutions CHANNEL SERVICES PAGE 24 Nebula Global Services now offering ‘value at every touch point’ We help you succeed Join us as we drive growth for our business partners in print and beyond. Our partner programme offers expertise, collaboration and support. Scan the QR code to find out how to become a Ricoh Partner Q&A PAGE 19 How POPX unlocks the power of ServiceNow for growing MSPs TECHNOLOGY RESELLER MAGAZINE IN PRINT & ONLINE SINCE 2016
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technologyreseller.co.uk 03 COMMENT 04 Distributor News Exertis launches Fortress managed security services 10 Reseller News FluidOne expands footprint in North-West 14 View from the channel With David Lindores, CEO of Eureka Solutions 18 Compliance Scott Rixon highlights PCI rule changes and the opportunities for resellers 19 Q&A With Andy Venables, CTO and Co-founder of POPX 24 Channel Services Nebula Global Services signs first vendor partnership 28 60 seconds with… Matthew Swindail, Strategy & Alliances Manager, Exertis Enterprise Cybersecurity 30 Data Centres How APT and Schneider Electric have modernised The Pirbright Institute’s data centre 32 Displays Pub giant boosts sales with smartphone app and point of sale displays 34 Security Scottish Communications Group updates access control for The University of Dundee 36 Sustainability How Wireless Logic is helping Britvic reduce plastic waste 37 MSPs Kaseya launches TruPeer Emerge programme for smaller MSPs 38 People New faces, new places technologyreseller.co.uk Comment ISSN 2632-9301 (Print) ISSN 2632-931X (Online) Technology Reseller is published by Kingswood Media Ltd., 7 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. © 2024 Kingswood Media Ltd. Design: Sandtiger Media www.sandtiger.co.uk 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] Designer: Brian Cloke 07484 288189 If you no longer wish to receive Technology Reseller magazine please email your details to [email protected] 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 technology-reseller-magazine Anniversaries are a great excuse to write about a company and we have several noteworthy ones this month, like business software specialist Eureka Solutions (page 14), which was set up 20 years ago in 2004, and POPX (page 19), a ServiceNow managed services provider, which has just celebrated its fifth anniversary. GRC, which has recently acquired PenTest People (page 10), is also celebrating its first five years in business, while FluidOne is marking five years since Russell Horton’s MBO with yet another acquisition (page 12). Just as we were about to go to press, I received a message from another IT business celebrating a notable anniversary – Linten Technologies, a Manchester-headquartered IT and cybersecurity specialist set up 25 years ago – outlining CEO Steven Allan’s observations about how technology has changed since 1999. He writes: “Twenty-five years ago, the Y2K bug was causing global panic, the first USB flash drive was sold and the dot‑com boom was in full swing. The IT industry was experiencing incredible growth as the internet was taking off, fuelling e-commerce and driving global trade, with Amazon and eBay emerging as leading players. Windows 98 was the dominant OS and Internet Explorer was beating Netscape Navigator to become the dominant browser.” He then highlights some big differences between now and then, such as the emergence of big data, hybrid working practices, the migration of applications and data to the cloud and the growth of cybercrime, although there were already signs this could become a problem. He continues: “Back in 1999 the Melissa virus was behind one of the first email-based malware attacks, infecting many thousands of computers and causing significant damage worldwide. This exposed the vulnerabilities in email systems and the need for better antivirus software and user education. Microsoft was regularly criticised for security problems with Windows and Internet Explorer, so began to focus on and invest in solutions, leading ultimately to its ‘Trustworthy Computing’ initiative. In parallel, investments in firewalls and antivirus software marked the start of the cybersecurity arms race.” I wonder what people will be looking back on 25 years from now. AI for sure. But what Melissa-type event will come to be seen as a harbinger of things to come. Many happy returns! James Goulding – Editor, [email protected] TECHNOLOGY RESELLER MAGAZINE IN PRINT & ONLINE SINCE 2016
01732 759725 04 DISTRIBUTOR NEWS Arrow Electronics launches scalable managed Micro-SOC service Global technology provider Arrow Electronics is introducing Arrow Micro-SOC (security operations centre), a managed service designed to proactively monitor Microsoft environments, including Microsoft 365, Azure AD and other critical sources. Arrow Micro-SOC makes it easy for channel partners to effectively protect their end-customers’ environments and assets by combining the skills and experience of Arrow’s dedicated security teams with the latest Microsoft threat detection and response capabilities. Customers can scale their Arrow Micro‑SOC subscriptions as their needs change, with dedicated SOC staff available to serve as an extension of in-house teams for everything from install and configuration to monitoring and analysis. Mark Barcham, EMEA head of services sales and go-to-market for Arrow’s enterprise computing solutions business, said: “Arrow’s Micro-SOC as-a-service overcomes many of the challenges that our channel partners face, particularly concerning the availability of security expertise, the expense of building in‑house SOC capabilities, and the daily challenge of staying ahead of threats.” www.arrow.com … Westcon-Comstor announces launch partner of new IoT division Westcon-Comstor has followed the setting up of its dedicated Internet of Things (IoT) division with the addition of Stratus Technologies Inc, an SGH company to its IoT vendor portfolio. Stratus provides high-availability, fault‑tolerant autonomous computing platforms to enable businesses to run mission-critical applications securely and remotely at the data centre and edge. Under the agreement, Westcon will distribute the Stratus ztC Endurance platform, the Stratus ztC Edge server and related services to technology resellers, systems integrators and service providers across EMEA. Antony Byford, Vice President of IoT & Collaboration at Westcon-Comstor, said: “This partnership is the perfect way to mark the arrival of our new, solution‑focused IoT division. The rise of IoT, smart devices and the need for real‑time data processing are propelling the growth of the edge computing market. “Stratus is an edge player that ensures the continuous availability of business-critical applications by delivering zero-touch computing platforms with an unmatched availability of up to 99.99999%. Its position in the IoT ecosystem, coupled with its relationship with other Westcon vendors active in the IoT space, such as Palo Alo Networks, Nokia, Claroty and F5, makes it the ideal launch partner for us.” … Infinigate to distribute Fortra platform Infinigate has expanded its cybersecurity offering in EMEA with the addition of Fortra, a cloud-native, multi-vector cyber defence platform with AI-powered cyber kill chain prevention. As part of the pan-EMEA partnership, Infinigate will distribute Fortra’s complete portfolio of cybersecurity solutions covering data protection, email security & anti-phishing, security awareness training, digital risk protection, managed security services, offensive security and vulnerability management. It will support Fortra channel partners with a range of professional services, including technical training, market intelligence and professional marketing. www.infinigate.com … vCISO services made easy by Cynomi and Pax8 Pax8 is enabling MSPs to streamline the delivery of vCISO services, improve their cybersecurity posture and develop new revenue streams by adding the AI-powered virtual CISO (vCISO) platform Cynomi to the Pax8 Marketplace. David Primor, Co-founder and CEO of Cynomi, says that by automating risk assessments, compliance management and tailored cybersecurity strategies, the Cynomi platform empowers MSPs to meet the evolving cybersecurity requirements of SMBs. He said: “With 75% of service providers experiencing high demand for vCISO services, more MSPs are looking to meet this growing demand, but they often face significant challenges. The need for cybersecurity expertise far exceeds the supply, and the work relies heavily on manual, expertise-driven processes, making standardisation difficult. Cynomi leverages AI to automate cybersecurity management tasks continued... Exertis launches managed security services in partnership with Seceon Exertis Enterprise has extended its relationship with Seceon with the launch of a fully managed SOC solution based on the latter’s AI/ML-powered aiSIEM and aiXDR platform. Operating from a new Security Operations Center (SOC) in Basingstoke, Exertis Fortress enables security partners that are unable to invest in SOC services to offer customers across the UK and EMEA 24×7/365 protection from cyber threats. Chandra Pandey, Co-founder and CEO of Seceon, said: “Seceon is delighted to have been selected by Exertis Enterprise to be the primary platform to power the cyber threat detection and response service for their partners and clients. Seceon’s platform is widely regarded as the most comprehensive platform that scales a security operations centre, powering MSSP services while empowering security analysts and incident responders to block, stop and quarantine threats.” Geoff Towns, Head of Enterprise Services at Exertis Enterprise added: “We are thrilled to be expanding our services portfolio by introducing Exertis Fortress, a comprehensive managed security service to our new and existing customers. Our relationship with Seceon has been growing over the last year as more and more organisations replace legacy point solutions. Now, with Exertis Services, they can benefit from our expertise and infrastructure, implementation and ongoing managed SOC services under our Fortress offering.” More than 620 MSPs and MSSPs already leverage Seceon’s platform to deliver high-margin security services to more than 8,400 clients. Its AI and ML-powered aiSIEM and aiXDR platform actively blocks malware, ransomware and attacks targeting the cloud, on-premises and IoT/OT environments at the edge, aggregating telemetry from logs, identity management, networks, endpoints, clouds and applications and analysing them in real-time with advanced threat intelligence and AI models. https://seceon.com/ https://exertisenterprise.com/ Antony Byford Westcon-Comstor
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01732 759725 06 DISTRIBUTOR NEWS and crunch data and knowhow into simplified processes, allowing MSPs to serve their clients in a structured and effective manner.” www.pax8.com www.cynomi.com … Arrow Electronics and Citrix adopt new partnership model Arrow Electronics is to provide sales, marketing and technical support for service providers in Europe and North America that consume fewer than 2,000 Citrix licences after signing a strategic Citrix service provider distribution agreement with Cloud Software Group. Building on the distributor’s longstanding relationship with Citrix, the new model is designed to give channel partners previously managed under Citrix’s service provider programs greater enablement, flexibility and support in how they consume and manage their Citrix licences. Citrix became part of Cloud Software Group in 2022 and has made several changes to the Citrix channel program this year, including moving to an annually committed model. This longterm collaboration will allow for greater partner‑specific investment and align with Citrix’s goal of creating a robust, channel‑focused strategy. … Vawlt appoints Titan as first distribution partner Lisbon-based start-up Vawlt, an expert in distributed, long-term, multi-cloud data storage solutions, has appointed Titan Data Solutions as its first UK distribution partner. The specialist distributor of edge to cloud solutions and services will use its channel reach to accelerate the go-to-market and customer adoption of Vawlt’s distributed hybrid-multi-cloud storage platform, which combines disaster recovery, backup, ransomware protection, data security and compliance in a single solution. To ensure digital assets remain protected even if a cloud storage provider goes down, loses or corrupts the data or suffers a ransomware attack, Vawlt distributes data across multiple storage providers, from public clouds to on-premises datacenter solutions. Its architecture takes advantage of providers that have the best performance at any moment, to always deliver the best outcome. Stefan Ferrari, Head of Technical Services at Titan Data Solutions, said: “It’s really exciting to add Vawlt to Titan’s vendor portfolio. We’re committed to ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data through the technologies we provide, and Vawlt delivers this with a unique approach to data storage. By leveraging multiple storage providers, they’re not only able to provide unparalleled security for companies, but they can optimise performance and costs for them too. This is all done independently of their preferred storage environment, whether cloud, hybrid-cloud or on-premises.” titandatasolutions.com https://vawlt.io Infinigate Cloud and N-able launch new marketplace offering for MSPs Infinigate Cloud, the Infinigate Group business unit specialising in secure cloud solutions, is adding N-able remote monitoring and management, data protection as-a-service and security solutions to its cloud marketplace, enabling MSPs in the UK & Ireland to benefit from an easy self-service experience. To start with, MSPs and resellers will be able to purchase popular offerings from the N-able portfolio, including its flagship RMM platform N-sight and Cove Data Protection, a cloudfirst backup and disaster recovery solution for servers, workstations and Microsoft 365. A more extensive range will be made available before the end of the year. Thomas Witting, Senior Director of Global Distribution Sales at N-able, said: “We are excited to extend our partnership with Infinigate Cloud and bring our solutions to a wider audience, thanks to their fast-growing marketplace, an essential component of the SaaS route to market for MSPs and resellers. Our goal is to empower our partners with the tools and resources they need to succeed. The Infinigate Cloud marketplace will provide them with a seamless and flexible way to access, manage and scale our solutions.” www.infinigate.com ...continued Barracuda added to Giacom Cloud Market IT solutions provider Giacom has added the products and services of Barracuda Networks to its cyber security portfolio, which already includes leading brands such as Acronis, Bitdefender, Microsoft, SkyKick, usecure, Vade and Webroot. With more than 200,000 customers worldwide, Barracuda protects organisations from a wide range of cyber threats targeting organisations’ email, networks, data and applications, including ransomware, data breaches, phishing, impersonation and AIpowered attacks. The collaboration, accelerated by Giacom’s acquisition of cloud services provider intY, will give Giacom partners access to Barracuda cyber security solutions, including its SecureEdge SASE solution and Managed XDR and email security offerings. Barracuda’s platform and 24/7 SOC removes the need for them to have an in-house team of experts and gives them a competitive edge. Carl Oliver, Head of Product at Giacom, said: “We’re thrilled to have partnered with Barracuda, and we know our partners will love it too. We’ve been asked many times whether we work with Barracuda, and now we can say, we do!” Jason Howells, Vice President, Managed Service Providers International Sales at Barracuda, said: “We recently sponsored Giacom’s festival themed partner event, Imagine Nation, and are now helping Giacom to provide a simple, smooth migration to its partners and equip their customers with the tools and security they need to grow and evolve.” Giacom supports a UK-wide network of more than 5,000 technology providers. Its Cloud Market provides a single portal where partners can explore and buy Giacom’s entire range of comms, cloud, hardware and billing solutions. www.giacom.com/barracuda-msp/ Carl Oliver, Head of Product at Giacom Stefan Ferrari Titan Data Solutions Stephen Ennis TD SYNNEX
technologyreseller.co.uk 07 DISTRIBUTOR NEWS Teleport and TD SYNNEX in global distribution agreement Teleport is hoping to streamline procurement of its secure infrastructure access solutions through a global distribution agreement with TD SYNNEX. The partnership will enable VARs, MSPs, integrators and resellers to buy the company’s solutions from a single source. Offering protection against identitycentred cyber attacks, the Teleport Access Platform delivers on-demand, least privileged access to computing infrastructure on a foundation of cryptographic identity and zero trust, with built-in identity security and policy governance. Phil Simpson, VP of Alliances and Strategic Partnerships at Teleport, said: “By leveraging TD SYNNEX’s extensive network and expertise, we can streamline business processes for our customers and provide greater agility in the adoption of solutions for protecting infrastructure from threat actors.” www.goteleport.com … TD SYNNEX authorised AWS training partner TD SYNNEX partners can now drive their AWS education and accreditation through AWS-authored training and certification programs delivered by TD SYNNEX trainers online or in person following the distributor’s authorisation as an AWS official training partner. Stephen Ennis, Vice President, Technology Acceleration, Europe at TD SYNNEX, said: “TD SYNNEX is focused on enabling our partners to accelerate their skills, achieve the required accreditations and ultimately grow their businesses. This milestone underscores our commitment to providing the highest levels of support and resources to our partner network on AWS technologies.” Partners can access training via the TD SYNNEX Academy website, the distributor’s online resource for vendorspecific technical training courses and certification programs delivered by authorised instructors with AWS knowledge and expertise. These include AWS Skill Builder, a digital learning environment with hundreds of courses where partners can gain experience in an AWS Management Console sandbox, explore game-based learning and take AWS Certification Official Practice Exams. www.TDSYNNEX.com Comms 365 partners with the Network Group Comms365, a provider of easy-to-deploy solutions for maintaining always-on Internet connectivity and uninterrupted access to critical business applications, has joined Network Group as a new vendor partner. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Network Group is a community of MSPs, IT resellers and retailers that helps members from the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands, Belgium and Gibraltar grow and scale their business via collaboration, learning, the sharing of best practice and access to a portfolio of leading technology solutions. Mike Van Bunnens, Managing Director of Comms365, said: “We’re delighted and excited to be partnering with The Network Group. Having supplied MSPs for close to 16 years, it is great to be involved with this dynamic group of innovators. Joining in the 30th year is special, as it shows that collaborative groups like this work and having spoken to so many members, it is clear they value their membership and the partner vendor introductions that are available.” https://www.nbg.co.uk/ … ProVu and Yealink ink direct distribution agreement Specialist comms, data and security distributor ProVu Communications has secured a direct distribution agreement with Yealink that will enable it to distribute the global UC and collaboration provider’s range of IP phones across the UK. ProVu Chairman Darren Garland said: “We’ve been working closely with the Yealink team for a number of years and their product set has brought us huge success since we launched it back in 2009. This direct agreement further secures our position as a key supplier of Yealink. We look forward to the future growth and enhanced service delivery this new agreement will enable us to offer to our customers.” As part of its value-added services, ProVu provides pre-sales and technical support to channel partners, white-label shipping, automatic provisioning and remote device management. continued... Netomnia and Brsk enters wholesale market through PXC partnership PlatformX Communications (PXC) is strengthening its positioning as a wholesale platform for connectivity services and the go-to alternative networks aggregator by partnering with fast-growing alternative network provider Netomnia and Brsk. Following a recent merger, Netomnia and Brsk has become the fourth largest full fibre provider in the UK, with a network footprint of 1.75 million home and business premises and a target to expand this footprint to 3 million premises by December 2025. The relationship with Netomnia and Brsk, which has raised more than £1.3 billion in capital since 2020, will help PXC offer competitive fibre supply in new areas and challenge incumbent market players. Subject to finalising the terms of the agreement, Netomnia and Brsk aims to onboard its first customer through the PXC platform by February 2025. James Smith, CEO of PXC, said: “We’re really excited to partner with Netomnia and Brsk. Their ambitions to double their fibre availability across the next year will be crucial for businesses needing more reliable connectivity at better rates. With their network footprint complementing our existing alt net community, this move enables PXC to effectively serve more areas with competitive and dependable fibre, an important step in establishing us as the UK’s leading alternative networks aggregator platform.” Jeremy Chelot, Netomnia and Group CEO, added: “As the UK’s fastest growing full fibre network operator, we’re excited to leverage PXC’s platform to enter the wholesale market, marking a significant phase of growth. This collaboration will accelerate our customer acquisition and help us achieve our goal of serving 1 million customers by 2028, building on the 175,000 already connected.” www.PXC.co.uk James Smith CEO of PXC Mike Van Bunnens Comms365 Darren Garland ProVu
01732 759725 08 DISTRIBUTOR NEWS ...continued Varlink adds enterprise mobility solutions to offering Varlink, a specialist distributor of Auto ID and EPOS technology, has strengthened its software offering through a strategic partnership with 42Gears, a provider of SaaS and on-premises enterprise mobility management solutions. The company’s SureMDM unified endpoint management solution empowers IT teams to secure, monitor and manage corporate devices (and personal devices used to access company data) based on the Android, iOS/iPadOS, macOS, Windows, Linux, Wear OS, VR, ChromeOS and IoT platforms. Amanda Thompson, Sales Director of Varlink, said: “We’re thrilled to bring 42Gears into our product portfolio. This partnership allows us to offer our customers an advanced, versatile mobility solution that addresses the growing demand for efficient mobile device management across various industries.” CallTower enlists Nuvias UC to help expand EMEA footprint CallTower, a global leader in unified communications, contact centre and collaboration solutions, is looking to expand its footprint in EMEA through a new partnership with Nuvias UC. The cloud-based, enterprise-class unified communications, contact centre and collaboration solutions provider’s offering includes seamless MS Teams, Zoom and Webex voice solutions elevated by the integration of AI technology, comprehensive contact centre solutions and one-click failover. Wayne Gratton, CCO at Nuvias UC, said: “CallTower is revolutionising unified communications by providing businesses with flexible, scalable and secure calling solutions across popular platforms like Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex and Zoom. At Nuvias UC, we are thrilled to enhance our portfolio with CallTower’s advanced communication tools, which enable us to deliver end-to-end solutions that meet the evolving demands of our customers.” … Navori Labs and Salamander Designs announced as new vendor partners TD SYNNEX Maverick has announced two new vendor partners – digital signage software specialist Navori Labs and Salamander Designs, a manufacturer of mounts and stands for leading‑brand displays (including the Microsoft Surface Hub 3) and furniture for modern collaboration settings, including tables, huddle stations and A/V cabinets. Maverick’s distribution agreement with Navori Labs will give its network of resellers and system integrators across Europe access to the company’s digital signage software supported by technical support and training. Navori digital player software can turn any hardware into display signage with live data and interactivity. Native support for nearly all formats eliminates the need for conversions and ensures easy content previews and tracking of CMS user edits for streamlined digital signage management. Joan Aixa, European Business Development Director at TD SYNNEX Maverick, said: “The Navori platform runs on all kinds of hardware solutions, offering a brilliant recurring revenue stream for integrators looking at digital signage estates. We know this is a huge growth Wayne Gratton Nuvias UC New Cogent Distribution e-commerce website now live Cogent Distribution, a value-added distributor of best-of-breed wireless broadband and networking connectivity technologies, has unveiled a new website offering reseller/ integrator sales and limited time tech deals and bundles, as well as information on products, vendors and services. Part of the fast-growing TrellisWorks group of technology-based companies, Cogent Distribution Ltd stocks and distributes best-of-breed wireless and connectivity products, supported by solutions design and consultancy services. It works with market-leading brands such as RADWIN, Peplink, Perle Systems, SAF Tehnika, Teltonika Networks, RF elements, Siklu by Ceragon, Nextivity and Kymata. Managing Director Jim Kernahan said: “I’d like to invite visitors to explore our new website (expertly designed and built by Brightbulb), which offers us new business opportunities along with improved navigation and functionality for users, allowing customers to see our full product portfolio, technology solutions and services. If you need a partner to assist in specifying, designing and sourcing connectivity solutions to deliver a project, please come and talk to us.” www.cogentdistribution.com A range of products from Cogent Distribution’s new website portfolio Cogent Distribution’s new website for customers
technologyreseller.co.uk 09 DISTRIBUTOR NEWS area for the industry, so we’ll be designing comprehensive support to make training people on the software as rapid as possible.” For professional audio-visual resellers in the Microsoft Teams Rooms ecosystem, Maverick’s partnership with Salamander Designs includes consultancy and design, shipment & installation support, plus access to a Signature Teams Rooms demonstration facility, fully equipped with Salamander solutions at its Technology Centre in Basingstoke. Mark Glasspool, Senior Director, UK and Ireland, TD SYNNEX Maverick, said: “Salamander adds a new dimension to the Maverick portfolio and presents partners with a good opportunity to add more value for customers. We’re particularly excited about the potential within the Microsoft Teams Rooms ecosystem for Salamander’s electric mobile carts and lift stands for Surface Hub 3, which are ideal for both education and corporate settings. We also see excellent potential for Salamander’s huddle space solutions, which are both affordable and simple to install, and their expertly designed arc tables in optimising the ‘front-row’ layout and providing a more inclusive experience for users in Microsoft Signature Teams rooms and smart meeting spaces.” https://uk.tdsynnex.com/ Vivitek expands UK distribution network with Solstice AV Vivitek, a Delta brand, is expanding its distribution network in the UK with the appointment of Solstice Distribution (Solstice AV) to distribute its projectors, wireless collaboration solutions and digital displays and expand its partner network. As part of its value-add, the Tewkesbury-based AV distributor founded in 2020 will offer pre- and post-sale support, from product demonstrations to help with specifying and installing solutions. Holger Graeff, General Manager of Vivitek EMEA, said: “Vivitek’s channel partner network has been curated to create the perfect best-of-breed partnerships. I am confident that Solstice AV’s appetite for success, technical knowledge and raft of value-add services will complement the exceptional work done by our existing channel partners to help meet the growing demand for Vivitek’s AV solutions.” www.solsticeav.com www.vivitek.eu MicroWarehouse to extend Acer reach in Ireland Acer is aiming to strengthen its commercial presence in Ireland and ensure customers in the education sector and other verticals can access locally held stock by signing a strategic partnership with IT products distributor MicroWarehouse. Ellie Robinson, Head of UK Channel Sales & Currys at Acer UK, said: “We are thrilled to partner with MicroWarehouse to strengthen our commercial presence in Ireland. This collaboration reflects our commitment to providing our Irish customers with greater access to our innovative technology solutions. We believe that MicroWarehouse’s expertise and wide distribution network will be instrumental in achieving this goal.” The partnership covers a range of Acer products, including laptops, desktops, monitors and projectors. www.acer.com Mark Glasspool TD SYNNEX Maverick The Solstice AV sales team pictured with office manager Helen Fellows (l): George Caines, Mason Rawbone, Ollie Dean, Izzie Dayas. VIP UK to distribute SureFire Gaming products SureFire Gaming, a specialist European brand owned by Verbatim GmbH, has appointed VIP Computers to distribute its gaming gear to resellers and retailers in the UK. Designed specifically for console and PC gaming enthusiasts, the range includes mice, keyboards, headsets, speakers, surfaces and laptop coolers. Del Fadipe, Key Account Manager UK/ Ireland at Verbatim, said: “We are thrilled to partner with VIP UK as our authorised distributor in the UK. Their extensive reach and strong reputation within the IT and gaming sectors make them the ideal partner to bring our SureFire Gaming products to a wider audience. We are confident that this collaboration will provide UK gamers with greater access to our high-quality, reliable gaming accessories.”
10 01732 759725 RESELLER NEWS continued... Shire Leasing launches technology finance division Shire Leasing has launched a dedicated Technology Finance division to gives businesses buying technology solutions from technology providers access to more finance options. Led by ICT Sales Director Martin Ardern, the new division will help IT channel partners and VARs offer customers more accessible financing options at point-ofsale, enabling businesses to adopt and invest in technology solutions without significant upfront costs. A key goal of the Division is to raise awareness of the benefits of financing technology and negate current perceptions that only hardware can be financed, with soft costs, hardware and software (including software-only finance agreements) all financeable. Ardern said: “Shire Leasing already has extensive capabilities in developing bespoke finance programmes for the channel, working with market-leading blue-chip distributors as well as smaller B2B resellers. I’m excited to bring my specialist expertise to develop further finance programmes across the Channel, ultimately improving B2B sales conversions and supporting SMEs to grow affordably.” Channel finance solutions already developed by Shire Leasing and available through existing partners and VARs include the Technology Lease, which allows SMEs to finance equipment and associated software and soft costs (such as licences, support contracts and training) under a single agreement; and a Managed Rental Agreement, including a recurring revenue collection facility, that ensures all costs are covered with a single payment, with recurring revenues distributed back to partners and VARs. www.shireleasing.co.uk … Phoenix backs London MSSP Cybanetix UK private equity firm Phoenix Equity Partners has invested in Cybanetix, a London-headquartered MSSP founded by Martin Jakobsen in 2017. Operating in a UK market valued at $500 million and growing at 15% per annum, Cybanetix provides enterprise customers with cyber threat monitoring, defence and response from its state-of-the-art UK Security Operations Centre (SOC). Commenting on the fifth investment from Phoenix’s fifth (2022) fund, Investment Director James Chiang said: “Since its formation only seven years ago, Cybanetix has made huge strides on its exciting journey, with some amazing results to show for it. We are very excited to be partnering with Martin and the team in one of the UK’s most exciting, high‑growth markets. Between us we have very ambitious plans for growth, so watch this space.” Martin Jakobsen, CEO of Cybanetix, added: “We are very proud of the fantastic growth we have achieved to date – but we’re just getting going. With an outstanding team and a service offering that we believe is unmatched in the market, we are delighted to have partnered with Phoenix. We look forward to the value that M&A market boost in first half of 2024 The first half of 2024 saw a resurgence in M&A activity across Europe, following a period of economic uncertainty caused by high interest rates and inflation, reports Dealsuite, the European M&A platform. Its latest European M&A Monitor suggests that an increase in buy-side and sell-side transactions combined with rising EBITDA multiples and earlier market entry of businesses are driving renewed optimism, especially in the UK and Ireland where 89% of M&A advisors surveyed are positive about the remainder of 2024, compared to 73% across Europe as a whole. Key trends in H1 2024 include: ■ A higher average EBITDA multiple – after declining from 5.4 to 5.1 between 2022 and 2023, the average EBITDA multiple reached 5.2 in the first half of 2024, indicating growing confidence in business valuations; ■ More interested buyers – the number of interested buyers per company rose from an average of 7.8 in H1 2023 to 8.3 in H1 2024, with the software development and IT services sectors seeing the highest levels of interest; and ■ Companies being offered for sale earlier in their lifecycle – 55% of advisors report that companies are typically offered for sale between their 10th and 20th year, with 40% noting that companies are being listed for sale earlier than they were 10 years ago. Floyd Plettenberg, CEO of Dealsuite, said: “The new generation of entrepreneurs no longer feels compelled to persevere with the aim of eventually passing the business on to their children. If they can secure a good sale after a few years, they choose that route as a mark of success.” www.dealsuite.com GRC advances growth strategy with Pentest People acquisition The GRC Group, a provider of software and services to manage business risks and regulatory compliance, is advancing its strategy to build market-leading positions in select areas of governance, risk and compliance with the acquisition of Pentest People Ltd. GRC’s second acquisition this year follows that of Bulletproof Cyber Ltd in June. Pentest People will join the provider of cyber security, information security and data protection services, trading as Bulletproof in the UK and Target Defense in the USA, in GRC’s newly formed cyber division. Headquartered in Leeds, Pentest People provides penetration-testing-as-a-service (PTaaS) and continuous vulnerability scanning to more than 1,200 UK clients, directly and through channel partnerships. In addition to pen testing and cyber consultancy, it offers CHECK-accredited testing and has a rapidly growing Incident Response service. Alex Dacre, Chief Executive of The GRC Group, said: “The addition of Pentest People following our acquisition of Bulletproof in June demonstrates our commitment to become an international leader in the Governance, Risk and Compliance market, delivering tech-led compliance to SMEs alongside leading enterprise SaaS point solutions.’’ Founded in 2019, the GRC Group employs more than 1,200 people across six business lines – Compliance eLearning, Regulatory Intelligence, Risk Management Software, Employment Compliance, ISO services and Cyber Security. Following its acquisition by Inflexion in May, GRC Group is looking to accelerate its growth through a combination of organic growth and M&A. Martin Ardern
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12 01732 759725 RESELLER NEWS ...continued Phoenix will bring to Cybanetix in our joint goal of making Cybanetix the UK’s leading independent MSSP.” www.phoenix-equity.com www.cybanetix.com Security integrator enters personal healthcare sector Reliance High-Tech, the UK’s largest independent integrator of security and lone worker solutions, is bringing its expertise into the rapidly expanding personal healthcare sector with the launch of Reliance Technology Care Solutions, its first business to consumer (B2C) venture. It is hoping to become the technologyenabled care provider of choice for people with a range of medical conditions by integrating specialist medical technology solutions with the alarm management services of its in-house alarm receiving centre (ARC). Its first strategic partnership is with My Medic Watch, a developer of smartwatch apps that notify loved ones or carers of people at risk of falls or suffering from epilepsy when a fall or uncontrollable movement associated with a seizure is detected. If they can’t help, the app escalates to the Reliance ARC along with user location and real time heart rate information. Alistair Enser, CEO of Reliance HighTech, said: “Our relationship with My Medic Watch is the first in what will be a wide range of technology partnerships covering a range of medical conditions. Reliance Technology Care Solutions aims to ensure that people who live with such conditions can lead their lives to the full, safe in the knowledge that if help is needed from our ARC we will always be there.’ … Integity360 extends reach with Grove acquisition Integrity360, the fast-growing cyber security MSP, has significantly extended its global reach with the acquisition of Grove, a cybersecurity and cloud services company headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, with a regional office in London. The acquisition provides Integrity360 with circa 600 additional customers in 51 countries; a fifth global SOC, in Cape Town, to go with its existing facilities in Dublin, Sofia, Stockholm and Naples; and strong relationships with key vendors, including Network Detection and Response vendor Darktrace. Grove has been Darktrace Partner of the Year for three consecutive years and is enabling a growing number of customers to benefit from AI-driven threat detection and response technology through its ‘dSOC’ managed service for Darktrace. The addition of Grove’s 50 employees and €17m in turnover raises Integrity360 group revenues to €130m and increases its headcount to more than 500 employees. Integrity360, founded in 2005, received significant strategic investment from London-based private equity firm August Equity in June 2021. This has fuelled the group’s rapid expansion across the UK, Nordics, continental Europe and Africa. As well as increasing its global footprint, Integrity360 continues to expand its services offering, most recently with the launch of Continuous Threat Exposure Management as a Service (CTEMaaS) in partnership with XM Cyber. The new service builds on XM Cyber’s Continuous Exposure Management platform with a complementary service identifying cyber risk across a company’s entire estate, highlighting and prioritising potential breach points that put critical assets at risk. Integrity360’s CTEM as a Service also provides support in remediating those risks through the customer’s internal teams or external support partners. https://www.integrity360.com/threatexposure-management … Acora and Elastacloud join forces to create IT, cyber and AI powerhouse IT and cyber security technology services provider Acora has acquired Elastacloud, a trailblazer in data science and artificial intelligence, creating a combined group of almost 1,000 people in multiple territories around the globe. The merger comes more than three years after the leadership teams of Acora and Elastacloud first mooted the idea of combining the former’s strength in IT and cyber security services with the latter’s expertise in AI and data science to provide end-to-end services across IT, cyber and data security and cloud-first transformation. Richard Conway, CEO of Elastacloud, said: “Joining forces with Acora is an exciting new chapter for us. At Elastacloud, our partnership with Microsoft spans more than 12 years as specialist data and AI experts. We founded the largest European Azure user group and we have over 100 certified data, AI and cloud engineers, with many former and current Microsoft MVPs in our senior team. Combined with Acora’s achievement as a top-tier Microsoft MSP, this offers expansive opportunities for our team to explore diverse projects, increase innovation and advance professionally.” FluidOne expands footprint in North-West with Orca IT acquisition FluidOne, a provider of IT managed services underpinned by connectivity and communications solutions, is expanding its managed services capabilities, gaining a specialism in professional services and growing its presence in the North‑West with the acquisition of Lancashirebased MSP Orca IT. FluidOne’s ninth acquisition since the MBO led by Russell Horton in 2019 and its first since securing a committed acquisition facility with Pemberton in June 2024 also keeps it on track with its target to triple in size over the next five years. With more than 20 years’ experience working with professional services organisations, Orca IT Ltd, co-founded by Managing Director Mark Tunstall and Technical Director Alex Pimperton, specialises in delivering end-to-end managed IT services, support, hosted desktop, cloud solutions and strategic guidance. Russell Horton, FluidOne CEO, said: “Orca is a great business that matches the values and vision FluidOne has established and strives for. We’re delighted to bolster our IT Centre of Excellence with its expertise and to provide support for Orca’s team to scale their business and deliver wider FluidOne offerings to their customers.” These include additional cyber security services, as well as connectivity, mobile and unified communication solutions. The acquisitions of Orca and SureCloud Cyber Services (in March) have increased FluidOne revenues to more than £113m, increased the proportion generated by IT and cyber to more than 50% and grown its headcount to 540 people across nine office locations. www.fluidone.com www.orca.co.uk/ In today’s competitive and dynamic business landscape, collaboration is key - we can help you to evolve your go-to-market strategies and develop new annuity streams, in line with changing customer demand. If you’re looking to diversify your portfolio, add value to your services and solutions or adapt your marketing approach - our partner channel is on hand to support your business. Local trusted support Our large sales team and dedicated subject matter experts will help you to drive business growth, deliver innovation and retain top talent. We’re already supporting a network of channel resellers nationwide, providing collaborative business planning, advice and guidance. Support a sustainable future We help our partners to be at the forefront of Environmental, Social and Governance standards (ESG), it underpins everything we do at Ricoh and we’ve set ourselves clear goals. Our new IMC range of all-in-one o example, are constructed of 50% post-consumer recycled materials, coupled with industry-leading TEC values and a 50% reduction in plastic packaging. Keep a step ahead Gain a competitive advantage with our people-first approach, in-depth knowledge of changing buyer expectations and access to our customer experience centres with hands-on demonstrations of our services and solutions - we’ll keep you at the forefront of innovation. McKinsey is forecasting that by 2030, partner ecosystems will drive around $80 trillion in annual revenue - this is a third of total global revenue*. Resellers are looking for the added value and growth that a partner ecosystem can provide.” Rowan Jeffreys-Hoar, Director, Partner Channel, Ricoh UK A.L.E and Ricoh’s Partnership “A.L.E’s transformation journey has not been without its challenges. Even before the pandemic, our industry stood at a crossroads: stick to the known path of conventional print services, or embrace the brave new world of digital possibilities. Our partnership with Ricoh has been instrumental, they’ve provided and cost-effective solutions. Together, we’ve been able to explore new markets, develop bespoke solutions, and drive growth in ways that were previously unimaginable. Working with Ricoh means A.L.E is ready for the future and committed to helping our customers on their transformation journey.” Andy Hanson, Director, A.L.E. Machines Ltd Driving growth for our business partners Digital Workspace Services
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14 01732 759725 INTERVIEW View from the channel With David Lindores, CEO of Eureka Solutions Now one of the UK’s leading providers of business software solutions, with a turnover approaching £6 million, over 1,000 clients (plus several thousand support contracts) and a headcount of more than 70, Eureka Solutions, headquartered near Glasgow, was set up 20 years ago in 2004. It quickly became known for designing and delivering highly customised implementations of accounting/ERP systems, starting out with Sage and adding Oracle NetSuite in 2012. Last year, it enhanced its portfolio further with the challenger cloud accounting software brand iplicit. Eureka Solutions also develops its own solutions, notably the integration tool Besyncly, which underpins many of its customer projects by connecting vital systems so that accountancy software, CRMs and ecommerce platforms can ‘talk’ to each other. From the beginning, the firm has taken pride in the technical expertise and knowledge of its employees. Half the senior leadership team, including CEO David Lindores, started as graduates and every year Eureka Solutions introduces new graduates to the team. In the past four years, 33% of all hires have come straight from university. As well as supporting innovation and customer service, nurturing talent and investing in young people ensures high levels of employee fulfilment – more than 40% of staff have been with Eureka Solutions for over five years – and this, Lindores believes, will hold Eureka Solutions in good stead for the next 20 years. “Eureka Solutions will build on the successes we’ve had so far by carrying forward our commitment to our customers and the technical skills of our teams. We’ll continue to invest in our people and our products so we can continue to deliver real value to our customers over the long term,” he said. Here, he gives his view from the channel. Technology Reseller (TR): How’s business? Better or worse than 12 months ago? And how confident are you about the future? David Lindores (DL): We had a particularly strong start to the calendar year, and with our financial year starting in May we’ve focused on maintaining that momentum. Fortunately, we’ve seen 9% growth compared to this time last year, which is a very positive sign. Certainly, we’re on track to meet our strategic objective of double‑digit growth. We’ve been investing heavily in our Sales and Marketing team and also in our integration product over the past six months, and we’re beginning to see the positive impact of those efforts. Looking ahead, I’m confident about the future because of the steps we’ve taken and the results we’re starting to see. TR: In what areas are you experiencing strongest demand? DL: We have multiple facets to our business, but the two areas where we’re currently experiencing the strongest demand are in customers moving from legacy systems to cloud ERP systems, and in integration services. Integration has been a key focus for us, particularly with our Besyncly platform, which connects business platforms. We’ve made significant investment into Besyncly, including building out cloud connectors, one of which we’re currently developing for Sage Intacct. Additionally, we’ve added a third finance/ERP product to a portfolio that already includes Sage and Oracle NetSuite. We believe iplicit will fill the niche we’ve identified as it offers exceptional functionality at an affordable price, making it an attractive option for companies looking to upgrade from entry level cloud or legacy systems. TR: What recent wins are you most proud of? DL: A major recent success has been our new partnership with Millwall FC. This collaboration cements our reputation as the go-to specialist for implementing Oracle NetSuite within sports organisations, particularly football teams. David Lindores
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