It is not all about the cloud, claims NEC

Posted on October 16, 2017 by - News

56f884651f7b35416b9b4ca955d350b3--pom-pom-mobile-cloud-mobileNiman’s resellers were told that the world still needed hardware and to stop obessing about the cloud.

NEC sales director Andrew Cooper told the assembled throngs at an NEC communications platform launch gig that while digital transformation was underway the world still needs lots of gray boxes with flashing lights.

Copper said: “A digital transformation is under way but we should all take our head out of the cloud and keep our feet firmly on the ground. Profit is still the most important driver in business.”

He was showing off the SL2100 system, but found the hardware versus cloud debate was getting out of hand

“Without [profit] you don’t exist. It’s about what tangible business benefits can be delivered rather than the method of delivery. The way we consume technology is changing and NEC remains at the forefront,” the Cooper told the assembled throng.

Cooper said according to industry analyst MZA, an estimated 88 percent of the UK’s sub-100 extensions are premises-based. He said that there was still plenty of life in traditional comms-based platforms. Its demise has been greatly exaggerated and it remains the dominant force. Maybe Andrew Cooper should talk to Amazon and develop a habit called ‘being thrilled’.

 

 

Amazon sets up distribution from Bolton

Posted on October 16, 2017 by - News

enhanced-buzz-6474-1379079420-13Online bookseller Amazon has decided to set up one of its flash new robotic warehouses and distribution points in the sunny and vibrant town of Bolton.

The move will create 1,200 new permanent jobs in the town and means that the total permanent jobs Amazon has created in the North West of England now amount to more than 3,500. The company says that Bolton, home of the village of Nob End, will be equipped with Amazon Robotics technology in order to help products be processed throughout.

“Our ability to expand in the North West of England is the result of two things: incredible customers and an outstanding workforce”, said Stefano Perego, the rather astounding Amazon’s Director of UK Customer ‘Fulfilment’. “We are thrilled to begin recruitment for 1,200 new permanent roles in Bolton with competitive wages and comprehensive benefits starting on day one.”  How thrilling!

This is the latest spate of job creation from the company in the UK. Amazon had reaffirmed its ‘commitment to the country’ in the wake of Brexit by stating that its workforce would be raised to over 24,000 in 2017 – adding 5,000 jobs. Throughout the year, the company has opened new ‘fulfilment’ centres in Daventry, Doncaster, Tilbury and Warrington, creating, between them, in excess of 2,300 jobs. In addition, Amazon also announced in August that it is to add over 1,000 jobs at its new Bristol fulfilment centre.

In spite of its positive efforts in job creation, the online retail giant has recently caught a lot of criticism for its tax payments. While it rectified the 2012 findings that it paid no corporation tax, Amazon only paid £7.4 million in tax, despite retail sales surpassing £7 billion. Thrilling!

Public cloud expands

Posted on October 13, 2017 by - News

cloudGartner  Group has been shuffling its tarot cards and reached the conclusion that worldwide public cloud services continue to rise, which will reach $260 billion for the year 2017.

The market research firm said that strong SaaS and IaaS performance is driving growth for the calendar year. The latest report projected the market to grow by 18.5 per cent year-on-year to total $260.2 billion, up from $219.6 billion last year.

Gartner research director Sid Nag said the final data for 2016 showed that software as a service (SaaS) revenue was far greater in 2016 than expected, reaching $48.2 billion.

“SaaS is also growing faster in 2017 than previously forecast, leading to a significant uplift in the entire public cloud revenue forecast.”

He said: “Strategic adoption of platform as a service (PaaS) offerings is also outperforming previous expectations, as enterprise-scale organizations are increasingly confident that PaaS will be their primary form of application development platform in the future. This accounts for the remainder of the increase in this iteration of Gartner’s public cloud services revenue forecast.”

SaaS revenue is expected to grow 21 percent in 2017 to reach $58.6 billion, as the acceleration in SaaS adoption can be explained by providers delivering nearly all application functional extensions and add-ons as a service.

The highest revenue growth will come from cloud system infrastructure services (infrastructure as a service [IaaS]), which is projected to grow 36.6 percent in 2017 to reach $34.7 billion.

Gartner still expects growth to even out from 2018 onwards, because it has obtained mainstream status and maturity. Gartner expects 70 percent of public cloud services revenue to be dominated by the top 10 public cloud providers through 2021.

HP wants to expand its Ripple Effect

Posted on October 13, 2017 by - News

raspberryrippleicecr_91970_16x9HP is to increase the number of its education vertical resellers involved in its ‘Ripple Effect’ grant scheme.

The scheme – which was launched earlier in the summer – gives resellers £20,000 to grant to schools who buy HP tech though them.

So far, Misco, Softcat, XMA and Academia have signed up with each reseller announced a winning school of their own separate competitions among school customers who had recently purchased HP hardware through them.

The four winners will receive a HP Learning Studio from their respective reseller. The £20,000 suite of HP tech includes a HP Sprout G2 – an immersive computing 3D PC – and a Dremel Idea Builder 3D40 – an education-focused 3D Printer.

The grant scheme will target all HP core education resellers in the UK&I  over the next three to five-years.

HP is targeting new education focussed resellers to help address a chronic challenge facing the vertical: the endemic STEM worker shortfall, currently estimated at 40,000 in the UK.

Most schools only have about £115 pounds per student per year to spend on technology.  HP said that some of its resellers have been screaming out for action and that is why it is investing.

Westcoast’s partners sell 250,000 UK CSP seats

Posted on October 13, 2017 by - News

depositphotos_4633360-stock-photo-lots-of-wooden-chairsWestcoast has announced that its UK partners have flogged more than a 250,000 CSP seats.

Mark Davies, Westcoast’s Cloud services director, said: “Business is absolutely booming for Westcoast and its CSP partners. We’ve come a long, long way in two short years. Despite the fact we started selling cloud services after most of our competitors, we were the first distributor to pass 100,000 seats and now we’ve accelerated away to reach another big milestone ahead of anybody else in the UK.

“Our strategy of pursuing deep engagement with selected partners that are focused on properly activating and supporting their end-customers is really paying dividends.”

Davies added: “At Westcoast we believe that when it comes to cloud service provision – service delivery is everything. We work closely with our partners to make sure they fully understand how to sell services and how we add additional value around what they do.”

Angela Evans, Office Business Group lead at Microsoft UK, said it was all a product of the digital transformation made possible by advances in cloud computing, the proliferation of apps and devices, and the ability to interpret more data to make better decisions.

“It’s great to see Westcoast break through another significant milestone, reaching 250,000 cloud seats, further testimony to the unprecedented growth we are witnessing.”

Westcoast’s cloud education initiatives have helped to invigorate CSP in the channel.Now the company plans to introduce a five-star enablement programme for its partners which will give resellers an opportunity to benefit from tailored and extended support and extra levels of engagement.

 

PC sales hit by component shortages

Posted on October 12, 2017 by - News

e21f00fd35d518495a603ad37c3dfdd4The industry’s major suppliers have been hit by component shortages which will bedevil the industry for at least another year.

Beancounters at Gartner have been adding up numbers and dividing by their shoe size and reached the conclusion that a scarcity of DRAM components, has put a hole in the PC profits of major vendors including Dell EMC.

Things got worse in the third quarter of 2017 when compared with the first half of the year.

Big G principle number cruncher Mika Kitagawa said: “The component price hike affected the consumer PC market as most vendors generally pass the price hike on to consumers, rather than absorbing the cost themselves.”

“We expect the DRAM shortage to continue to the end of 2018, but it will not be reflected in the final PC prices immediately.”

Worldwide PC shipments reached 67 million units in the third quarter of 2017, 2.6 percent down on the corresponding quarter last year, marking the twelfth consecutive quarter of declining PC shipments, Gartner said..

Windows 10 upgrades continued to feed PC demand among business, Gartner said, but refresh cycles have varied from region to region.

“Business PC demand, led by Windows 10 upgrades, continued to drive PC shipments across all regions, but its refresh schedule varies by region. The countries with stable economies, such as the US, have created a positive sentiment among businesses, especially for SMBs, which are more vulnerable to external events such as economic or political [ones]”, said Kitagawa.

The PC market stabilised in EMEA, Japan and Latin America, but the US market experienced a 10 percent year-on-year decline after a “very weak” back-to-school sales season.

 

Dell to build IoT division

Posted on October 12, 2017 by - News

fings-ain-t-wot-they-used-t-be-all-star-studio-cast-recordingDell Technologies is going to spend a billion dollars to create a new division focused on the Internet of Things (IoT).

As you might expect, the division will focus on developing products, research and partnerships for a field that connects everything from driverless cars, talking fridges and light bulbs to the internet.

The cash will be spread over the next three years and it will employ artificial intelligence and machine learning technology.

Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Technologies said that IoT is fundamentally changing how people live and organisations operate.

“Dell Technologies is leading the way for our customers with a new distributed computing architecture that brings IoT and artificial intelligence together in one, interdependent ecosystem from the edge to the core to the cloud. The implications for our global society will be nothing short of profound.”

The company’s new IoT division will be led by VMware CTO Ray O’Farrell. The IoT solutions division will combine its internally developed technologies with various Dell Technologies offerings.

O’Farrell said: “Dell Technologies has long seen the opportunity within the rapidly growing world of IoT, given its rich history in the edge computing market.”

“Our new IoT division will use the strength across all of Dell Technologies’ family of businesses to ensure we deliver the right solution – in combination with our vast partner ecosystem – to meet customer needs and help them deploy integrated IoT systems with greater ease.”

 

Daisy might be up for sale

Posted on October 12, 2017 by - News

margarite-daisies-for-sale-at-fete-norfolk-england-b0xgj3The dark satanic rumour mill has manufactured a hell on earth yarn that Daisy is gearing up to auction itself  for up to £1.5 billion.

The rumour was started by Sky News  which claimed the IT, telecoms and cloud provider is poised to appoint investment bankers in the “next few weeks” to handle a sale process that will start in the first half of 2018.

Daisy has grown rapidly from a sub-£100 million SMB telecoms supplier into a £700 million outfit. It did this though acquisitions of  Damovo, Phoenix IT and Alternative Networks.

Daisy Group is not saying anything about the sale. The official comment is that Daisy is a privately owned business and its management team’s focus is solely on continuing to build on its position as the UK’s largest independent provider of business communications, IT and cloud services.

However ownership has been an issue for the outfit since the firm was taken private by its founder Matthew Riley at the start of 2015.

RedstoneConnect getting mixed results

Posted on October 11, 2017 by - News

 

BHd68l8RedstoneConnect is changing its business model and seeing mixed results in its bottom line.

According to the outfit’s results, it significant revenue growth for its smart building software which was up 194 percent to £1.7 million; and managed services businesses, up 18 percent to £9.1 million, in the first six months of FY18.

While this is not bad it did not offset a 26 percent decline in turnover from its systems integration activity, down to £9.2 million from £12.5 million in the period.

Some of RedstoneConnect’s numbers are due to the timing of income from some of its larger contracts and so there is little sign that the company is in trouble.

In fact, chief executive Mark Braund is rubbing his paws expectantly seeing  designing infrastructure for smart buildings as a core part of the business.

Overall group revenue slipped three per cent year on year to £20m, with adjusted EBITDA up 12 per cent to £1 million. The company’s net loss widened to £867,000 from £485,000, with acquisition and integration costs associated with the Anders+Kern buy for £1.4 million in cash and the ongoing expenses related to the development of the software division taking their toll.

However, contracts for the deployment of in-building cellular (IBC) and distributed antennae system (DAS) infrastructure and services at two major London banks are set to boost its 2H18 and 1H19 turnover, while management remains confident that similar deals are in the pipeline.

Mark Braund, CEO of RedstoneConnect, said the firm has performed well in the first half of the year, with trading momentum weighted towards the second half.

“We continue to see good traction for our software solutions alongside our infrastructure and managed services capabilities, which is improving both the predictability and quality of our earnings”, he said.

“The integration of A+K is now complete and is contributing positively to the business, not only through the addition of services to the group, but also the diversification of our routes to market for our existing products and IP.

“Coupled with our continued investment in product development across our software solutions division, we anticipate the next 12 months will be an exciting time for RedstoneConnect.”

 

 

 

AI is hype and will not take jobs

Posted on October 11, 2017 by - News

mad-scientistResearch from Ricoh Europe has poured cold water on the belief that AI and automation will take channel jobs.

A survey showed that around a third of staff were not in a position to start working with more automation and AI tools.

Ricoh Europe’s VP of corporate marketing, Javier Diez-Aguirre, said that there was a great deal of hype in Europe around digital empowerment and its impact on productivity.

“While AI and automation will transform the way that we work, a lack of training will drastically reduce ROI. Businesses need to consider the person who will be using the new technology. No amount of infrastructure spending will help a business that isn’t encouraging its staff to develop the right skills”, he said.

Despite headlines about being replaced by robots, Europe’s workers see technology to do higher value work, not something that will replace them, he said.

Improving workers’ confidence to use new technology was not a catch-all situation.

“Successfully empowering digital workplaces requires different skillsets and a variety of needs must be catered for. Engaging with workers at every step is vital”,  Diez-Aguirre added.

If this is the case, resellers trying to pitch AI and automation to corporates do not have to mention that the tech will mean job losses – because it won’t.

Gloucestershire outfit invades Denmark

Posted on October 11, 2017 by - News

vikingLearning management and mobile learning solutions outfit Agylia, is keen to turn back the historical trend of Danes invading Britain and is expanding into Denmark.

The outfit is working with Roiit, digital learning strategists based in Denmark as part of its Agylia Reseller Partner Programme.

Through the partnership, Roiit can now provide organisations with its digital learning consultancy services, combined with the range of Agylia learning management and mobile learning solutions.

Peter Christian Andersen, Founder and Director of Roiit said: “Agylia provides the innovative learning solutions that are needed by organisations throughout Scandinavia. Being part of the Agylia Reseller Partner Programme will enable us to help our clients to modernise their digital learning strategies.”

The Agylia Learning Management System (LMS) is a mobile, flexible and global solution that provides organisations with a modern platform to manage and deliver their digital learning and performance support programmes. With the range of Agylia mobile learning Apps – for iOS and Android devices – learners can download the digital learning and support materials they need, ready for access at the point of need on their own mobile devices – even while offline.

Available in any language, including Danish, the Agylia LMS and mobile learning Apps deliver learning experiences in a learner’s local language – increasing adoption of learning programmes.

Tim Buff, CEO and Chief Learning Strategist at Agylia said the partnership offers a great blend of Agylia’s next generation digital learning solutions and Roiit’s digital learning consultancy services and extensive knowledge of the learning environment and market in Scandinavia.

“We’ve already worked with Roiit to implement the Agylia LMS at a specialist care organisation in Denmark and we look forward to working together to make a real difference to clients in the region”, Buff said.

 

GNR looks at home security market with HikVision

Posted on October 10, 2017 by - News

securityGNR has signed an exclusive partnership with HiWatch’s video surveillance supplier HikVision.

HiWatch products are designed specifically for semi-professional or amateur installers and home users and are not available for the professional CCTV distributors or installers. Its products, it claims,  meet the growing demand for quality home security solutions without an expensive installation and setup cost.

Over the past several years HikVision been targeting various vertical markets, including public security, transportation, education, healthcare, financial institutions, and energy, as well as intelligent buildings. Now it things the world is ready for quality home security products.

As the exclusive distributor of HiWatch in the UK, GNR Tech will manage the launch of the brand into the channel and build a qualified database of accredited resellers to ensure disciplined pricing in order to achieve attractive margins for its resellers.

Dave Stevinson, managing director of GNR Tech said he was impressed with the HikVision product range, business model and market strategy.

“The accredited reseller initiative will offer fantastic value add to our resellers enabling attractive margin opportunities,” stated. “The exclusive partnership with HikVision cements our foothold within the video surveillance market, and are very optimistic of the growth of the brand.”

Jenkin Dai of HiWatch added: “The partnership with GNR is great news for HiWatch by HikVision. The distinctive feature of HiWatch is the combination of competitive price and high quality components. This offers resellers a unique opportunity to buy specifically designed products that are a cost effective and quality alternative to existing video surveillance brands.”

VIP spruces up MSI partnership

Posted on October 10, 2017 by - News

13-130-918-09 VIP has announced additions to its ongoing partnership with leading gaming brand MSI, adding motherboards and graphics cards to its existing portfolio.

VIP has been partnered with MSI Notebooks for several years, and views the addition of Motherboards and VGA as a natural progression of that relationship. MSI’s aim is to become “the most trusted name in gaming and eSports” and with dedication to innovation as well as amateur and professional gaming.

Darren Jackson, Components Business Manager at VIP UK said: “We are very impressed with MSI’s product range and their exceptionally driven market strategy and growth plans. MSI enhances our Motherboard and VGA ranges and enables us to deliver the UK’s broadest portfolio for PC enthusiasts and gamers.”

MSI UK commented: “We are pleased and proud to announce VIP UK as an Authorised MSI Distributor. We are convinced that VIP UK’s professionalism and business expertise will be fruitful for both businesses as we work hand in hand to reach new heights.”

MSI’s motherboards and graphics cards are available from VIP UK now.

UK good and battling zombies

Posted on October 10, 2017 by - News

i-walked-with-a-zombie-from-left-everettThe UK is rather good at dealing with zombie firms, according to a recent report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

For those who came in late, zombie companies are defined as struggling companies aged over 10 years which cannot cover debt interest payments with their profits for three straight years. They redirect investment away from innovative rivals, push up wages, and undermine productivity, according to the report, which added that an economy’s insolvency framework is a key factor in reducing zombie numbers and investment.

According to the report, which was flagged up by UK insolvency trade body R3, the share of zombies as a percentage of the wider business population in eight OECD countries (Belgium, Finland, France, Italy, Korea, Spain, Sweden and the UK) rose from about three to about five percent between 2003 and 2013.

The UK’s insolvency and restructuring framework is more effective than those in all other OECD members at preventing a build-up of zombie companies, the report found.

The UK “personal costs associated with entrepreneurial failure and barriers to restructuring are low, while there is also a number of provisions to aid prevention and streamlining”, notes the report.

R3 deputy vice-president Duncan Swift said: “Zombie companies are a big part of the productivity puzzle plaguing Western economies, so it’s encouraging the UK’s insolvency and restructuring framework is recognised as the best positioned to tackle problems caused by these unproductive companies.

“The insolvency and restructuring framework is a fundamental pillar of any economy. It makes sure resources – whether investment, people, or ideas – are being used productively and aren’t stuck in stagnating companies. The profession’s work keeps an economy competitive, helps new businesses thrive, and helps older companies adapt.”

Canalys thinks that things are getting very indirect

Posted on October 9, 2017 by - Moving People, News

directListening to Canalys CEO Steve Brazier bang on in Venice you can’t help but think that the direct model is going to die a death.

Talking to the annual conference over cheese on a stick and drinkies Brazier said that channel partners are doing well and the European economy is looking better that it has done for the last ten years.

He said that there were more opportunities for the channel now than there have ever been.

This year, over the first half, distributors grew 4 to 5 percent and channel partners improved by seven percent on average.

Brazier, at the Channels Forum event, spoke of the way vertical markets, from retail, transport, health and public sector, were all “embracing” digital technology and using the channel to roll out those services.

The move towards edge computing is also driving a lot of growth and Brazier expected a growth in ‘micro clouds’ as resellers provided services closer to user data and applications.

There was also a mention of security, with that segment enjoying the strongest growth as a result of the increasing threats and factors like GDPR driving spending across Europe.

However the wholesale move towards becoming a predominately software and services business is probably going to be as grim as the life expectancy of a wedding guest in the Game of Thrones.

“This has been the year where the vendors have been preaching digital transformation to you. They are not only trying to talk to you about selling more stuff, they are trying to battle for your thought leadership in where you will take your thoughts forwards,” Brazier said.

“I’m sure you have been told you need to change the way you engage with customers and invest more in digital marketing and retrain your sales force,” he added.

Brazier warned that listening to the vendors, which had their own agendas, could undermine the future strategy.

“Should a partner that’s reselling infrastructure, PCs and software should they change? Probably yes,” he said.

Canalys is predicting that hardware will still contribute over 50 percent of revenues for 90 percent of partners in 2020.

“Whoever told you selling hardware was dead is completely wrong. The PC is suddenly the most profitable part of your business again”, said Brazier.