Author: Nick Farrell

According to IDC’s Worldwide AI and Generative AI Spending Guide, the European AI and genAI market is set to soar to a £36 billion in 2024, with a staggering compound annual growth rate of 33.7 per cent over the 2022-2027 forecast period.

The number crunchers at IDC said that Europe’s slice of the global AI pie is about one-fifth, and though GenAI only made up 9.6 per cent of Europe’s total AI market last year, it’s on a rapid rise.

IDC’s crystal ball predicts that genAI spending will outpace the rest of the AI market by more than threefold, meaning genAI will account for over a quarter of the total European AI market by 2027.

When it comes to tech segments, software is king in 2024, with a market value that’s more than the combined worth of hardware and services. Read more…

OVHcloud’s looking for some savvy partners to provide microservices to spice up it offers.

The company wants folks who can bring something extra to the table with their IaaS and Kubernetes management game.

The company is picking up on what customers are after, especially since many of them don’t have the know-how in-house. They’re eager to team up with partners who can fill that gap.

OVHcloud partner programmes boss David Devine said that as the cloud scene gets more mature, loads of mid-sized businesses are wondering how they can use cloud-native tech to push their business forward. Read more…

TD SYNNEX will offer Cisco Refresh-certified remanufactured equipment throughout Europe, supporting partners as they adopti cost-effective circular IT procurement strategies.

The company is now directly stocking Cisco Refresh items in its logistics centres, which are prepared for immediate dispatch to partners.

TD SYNNEX insists this initiative aims to shorten delivery times and enhance product availability transparency, aiding partners in integrating a broader array of eco-friendly solutions into their Cisco market offerings. This move coincides with a surge in demand for environmental sustainability in IT procurement. Read more…

Europe’s cloud infrastructure services providers (CISPE) are up in arms over Broadcom’s move to scrap license terms for key virtualisation software.

The body said it’s pandemonium as public sector bodies, big European firms, and the little guys – SMEs and startups – are tizzy over the nasty new contract terms and eye-watering price hikes.

CISPE is demanding, at the very least, a time-out on Broadcom’s contract endings and a get-out clause from Broadcom’s iron-clad multi-year deals as soon as a decent alternative pops up.

There is a concern that without VMware’s magic, some CISPE members will go belly-up.

Some are so hooked on VMware’s tech that it’s 75 per cent of their bread and butter. If this licensing kerfuffle isn’t sorted, we’re discussing a full-blown online service shutdown, including life-saving medical accounts. Read more…

Computacenter has announced promising results for the financial year 2023.

The company said its gross invoiced income (GII) exceeded £10 billion, marking an increase of 11.4 per cent compared to the previous year. Additionally, there was a 10.2 per cent rise in gross profit and adjusted earnings per share (EPS).

These gains were attributed to advancements in technology sourcing and services.

The gross profit saw a 10.2 per cent uplift, while the profit before tax rose by 5.4 per cent, indicative of heightened strategic investments. Read more…

IT distributor Ingram Micro is gearing up for a smashing new IPO.

Word on the street is that they’ve got the money maestros at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley cooking up a juicy £6.5 billion deal that could pop as early as April.

This is not Ingram’s first rodeo. The California giant, which took a step back from the Wall Street limelight in 2021 after a hefty £5.8 billion buyout by Platinum Equity, flirted with an IPO last September but didn’t go through with it. Read more…

Number crunchers at Juniper Research have added up some numbers, divided them by their shoe size, and realised that Contact Centre-as-a-Service is about to rake in a whopping $10 billion subscription revenue by 2025.

It will balloon to an eye-watering $18 billion by 2028. That’s a stonking 76 per cent growth!

Juniper said that while the moolah from CCaaS is predicted to shoot up by 21 per cent between 2024 and 2025, this rocketing rate will hit the brakes in the following three years.

This will be caused by an anticipated reduction in service innovation and over-saturation of service providers due to the consolidation of SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) platforms.

CCaaS is this nifty cloud-based gizmo provided by CSPs (Communication Service Providers) that’s a godsend for businesses dealing with customers. It’s like having a digital switchboard that handles all the natter from emails, calls, you name it, all in one place. Read more…

Juniper Networks is stirring up the AI scene with a fresh twist on its Juniper Partner Advantage (JPA) Programme.

The new scheme helps partners get smart with AI for IT Ops, promising a smooth ride to cash town with reliable, nifty, and far-reaching managed networking services.

It has included a shiny new Partner Assured badge to showcase their mates’ top-notch Juniper skills, which were checked out by the bigwigs at Information Security Systems International (ISSI). It’s all about ensuring customers get the crème de la crème of service while cutting costs.

Juniper’s partner club boss Gordon Mackintosh said the company was laying down the red carpet for partners to flex their value and speed like never before.

Its managed service provider (MSP) designation has ballooned by 44 per cent, thanks to some clever AI tricks that are set to boost partner profits and customer happiness. Read more…

Despite the juicy drama of its  CEO Neil Murphy’s hush-hush exit over some sneaky trades, Bytes Technology is raking in the cash.

The company has bagged a whopping £89 million in the kitty, with profits and sales through the roof – we’re talking a stellar 25 per cent jump in demand.

Gross invoiced income growth exceeded 25 per cent, indicating strong demand for software and IT services from corporate and public sector clients.

The company’s cash position stood at approximately £89 million at the year-end, reflecting a cash conversion in line with the group’s target of 100 per cent.

Current boss Sam Mudd is pleased with the results, saying that his team’s done a blinder and that they’re on track for even more money from their IT gear.

Meanwhile, the story of Murphy’s exit is getting more involved. Apparently, The FCA sniffed out some dodgy dealings and suspects that he had been trading on the sly – 119 times no less, and even his missus got in on the action.

Subsequent investigations revealed unauthorised trading of the company’s ordinary shares on 66 trading days between January 2021 and November 2023.

Additional transactions conducted by Murphy on behalf of his wife were disclosed later, further highlighting the lack of transparency in his dealings.

Yet, the market’s buzzing and BTG’s not sweating it. They’re all hands on deck, promising to play nice with the investigators and keep things squeaky clean.

Software King of the World Microsoft has decided it won’t be pocketing your pennies when you fancy moving your data from Azure to another cloud or back home to your own data centre.

Vole cooed in a snappy blog post that it was all about choice including the freedom to take your data and do a runner from Azure.

This sudden burst of generosity is all thanks to the looming European Data Act, set to give the boot to sneaky lock-in antics by 2025. But Vole felt generous and spread love worldwide, not just in Europe. Read more…

Cloudy Security behemoth Zscaler has snapped up the hotshot start-up Avalor, and they’re not shy about their grand plans to revolutionise AI in cybersecurity.

The bigwigs are keeping schtum on the exact figures, but whispers on the grapevine peg the deal at a cool £200 to £280 million. The tech town’s been buzzing since January about this match made in cyber heaven, and it’s all done and dusted as of March 13.

Zscaler boss Jay Chaudhry said that AI is only top-notch if the data’s up to snuff and he had the world’s biggest security cloud, and with Avalor’s tech, it will spot the cyber nasties before they even think about causing trouble. Read more…

Gartner’s crystal ball gazers predict bumpy roads ahead for genAI and a slowdown by 2026.

Big G thinks that the big spend on keeping IP safe and dodging copyright infringement is set to put the brakes on genAI adoption and trim down those juicy returns.

Gartner’s top boffin, Rita Sallam, warns that as genAI gets smarter, the rule-makers are playing catch-up. And it’s not just the big cheeses sweating over IP risks; it’s a headache for the whole office.

She says it is time to be choosy with vendors and smarten up the crew with the right tools. Read more…

In a dazzling display of optimism for the future, the bigwigs of Britain’s channel scene are buzzing more than a hive in summer.

Agilitas IT Solutions’ latest interviews with 250 top brass from the UK’s channel firms reveal a confidence score of 7.9 out of 10. That’s the beefiest it’s been in half a decade.

The managers threw their weight behind snazzy innovations, sprucing up the customer experience and snagging the crème de la crème of talent.

A hefty 82 per cent reckon AI’s the bee’s knees for business. But only three-quarters are giving AI a whirl in their game plans. Read more…

Aussie order management outfit Fluent Commerce is making a splash with its new global channel partner programme.

It is rallying APAC, NA, and EMEA partners to ‘come and ride the OMS wave’ – and they’ve even got a dinky-di Aussie mascot to boot

The programme has three tiers—Wave Champion, Surf Pro, and Surf Community—each tailored to the partners’ tech know-how, experience, and project wins.

The programme is being mascotted by DOM, a surfing OMS nerd and Koala [not pictured] , which is apparently ready to show the ropes on the Order Management odyssey.

Since its 2013 debut, Fluent Commerce has gathered a hefty gang of over 200 seasoned partners, including top-tier heavyweights like Accenture and Capgemini, all churning out better projects. Read more…

Channel partners see data both as a pesky problem and a cracking chance as they gear up to hop on the gravy train of recurring revenue models, a new study has revealed.

Number crunchers at distributor Westcon-Comstor chatted with over 500 senior decision-makers at partners across nine countries. A smashing 97 per cent reckon data is crucial as they toddle towards a future chock-a-block with everything-as-a-service (XaaS).

The correct data is hard to get, and it’s the biggest problem blocking partners from bagging those sweet recurring revenues. In the UK, 56 per cent of managers are tearing their hair out over it.

The hot ticket is data that can sniff out and kick-start market growth chances. Read more…