Author: Nick Farrell

Digital Markets Unit watchdog gets statutory powers

Posted on May 9, 2022 by - News

The Digital Markets Unit (DMU) will get statutory powers to enforce a “pro-competition” regime, under a new government plan.

The goal will be to rebalance the relationship tech giants have with consumers and businesses and will allow the DMU to designate firms light Meta, Google, Amazon and Apple as having “strategic market status.” These firms will be forced to adhere to binding codes of conduct.

Failure to comply with the DMU and its rules could result in fines of up to 10 per cent of annual global turnover for tech companies, with additional penalties of five per cent of daily global turnover for each day the offence continues. Senior managers could face civil penalties if their firms fail to engage properly with the DMU’s requests for information.

Dell focuses on telco and edge computing

Posted on May 9, 2022 by - News

Dell Technologies is setting its sights on telco and edge computing and is chucking money in that direction.

Speaking to the gathered throngs at the Global Channel Summit at Dell Technologies World in Las Vegas Dell SVP global alliances, Denise Millard said that if you looked at the cash the company is distributing it is in telco, and edge areas. Dell also wants to “capitalise on the shift to 5G”.

Dell wanted to highlight a  $1.3 trillion market opportunity around edge computing. Millard referenced a recent IDC study that estimated that by 2024, more than 90 percent of operational processes will be deployed at the edge. Today the figure is 20 percent.

Datto ain’t dead yet

Posted on May 9, 2022 by - News

Kaseya has told its partners that the Datto brand “is going nowhere” even if it has been acquired.

The Miami-based software giant MSP acquired Datto in April, with the deal expected to close in the second half of 2022.

Kaseya Fred Voccola said the absence of information about the merger could cause fear, doubt and uncertainty, but his plan was to “embrace Datto’s culture” instead of changing the brand.

He pointed out that the company had made 12 acquisitions over the last seven years and each time, it has followed a playbook that allows us to keep the culture and bring the good things from that company into us.

Voccola added that Kaseya plans to make the Datto brand “better” and sought to assure its partners over the move.

He said there were going to be no changes to commercial terms, or changes to products, or the name, culture, or support.

The deal will see partners given more options and the playbook should not change.

 

CMS signs deal with Morphisec

Posted on May 6, 2022 by - News

CMS Distribution has partnered with Morphisec to distribute its cybersecurity products and services in Europe.

Morphisec provides prevention-first endpoint security technology – in contrast to the reactive approach of NGAV and EDR.

Nick Bailey, Alliance Director at CMS Distribution said that the ability to offer what we see as game-changing technology to the channel at healthy margins for its value-added resellers is an opportunity not to be missed.

London too small for ARM

Posted on May 6, 2022 by - News

ARM will reject a bid by Boris Johnston’s government to list itself on the London Stock Exchange.

For those not in the know, ARM is planning to go public, and the UK hoped that it would see the UK as its base.  Johnston’s team are supposed to have launched a “charm offensive,” which was as contradictory as it was ineffective.

It looks like post Brexit, the London share market is not what it used to be. ARM co-founder Hermann Hauser on the BBC’s Today programme broadcast said that a co-listing with New York was the natural solution. London does not have the analyst cover for technology companies that New York.

Hauser said that while Johnson and the majority of parliament are, sadly, “technologically illiterate”, they have woken up to the fact that it is important to support local technology companies with local stock exchanges. But Hauser added: “It’s a little late for a wake-up call – but better late than never.”

Codestone and Clarivos merge to create SAP super power

Posted on May 6, 2022 by - News

Codestone Group has acquired Clarivos in a bid to create an SAP cloud powerhouse.

The SAP partner make Clarivos part of its technology and cloud services business.

Clarivos has a headcount of more than 70  and claims 350 successful EPM and ERP projects across EMEA.

Codestone co-founder & CEO Jeremy Bucknell said the partner expects the buy will generate £10 million in incremental revenue, and £2 million in incremental adjusted EBITDA, over the next year.

ExtraHop apponts Butchart

Posted on May 5, 2022 by - Moving People, News

ExtraHop, which specialises in cloud-native network detection and response, today announced the appointment of Duncan Butchart as Area Vice President of Northern EMEA.

Butchart joins ExtraHop with more than 20 years of business development and sales experience to help the company deliver on its ambitious EMEA growth plans, expand operations, and foster channel and customer relations within the region.

ExtraHop GM Marc Andrews said: “Butchart’s track record in cybersecurity sales and business development puts him in great stead to grow our EMEA operations, pinpointing how we can add value to customers and partners with our market-leading NDR solution. Butchart  will help expand our reach so that organisations across Northern EMEA will have access to our AI-backed network intelligence to arm technology teams with the tools they need to combat today’s advanced threats.”

5G roll outs picking up again

Posted on May 5, 2022 by - News

5G roll-outs have increased after a slowdown during the pandemic according to a study by Juniper Research.

The report found that the number of voice-over-5G users will reach 2.5 billion globally by 2026, and Nokia, Optus and Samsung have achieved what the firms regard as a milestone in data session.

BT signs up for Amazon’s Cloud

Posted on May 5, 2022 by - News

BT has signed a five-year agreement with AWS as its preferred cloud provider.

The telecoms giant will use AWS to transform its applications to be cloud-first and modular, while reducing IT maintenance costs for the legacy business.

BT Digital chief operating officer Thomas Dücke said: “We have a big opportunity when it comes to modernising our infrastructure, and our collaboration with AWS is a key one for us as we deliver the transformation needed to accelerate BT.”

Daisy appoints Thompson new CEO

Posted on May 4, 2022 by - Moving People, News

Daisy has appointed its CFO Neil Thompson as its new CEO.

Thompson joined Daisy as CFO in 2021 after being CFO of Manchester Airport Group. He has worked with Daisy’s founder and chairman Matthew Riley in leading a “strategic review” of the business and charts its next phase of growth.

According to a Daisy press release Thompson has a wealth of experience in delivering growth across executive teams and industry sectors in both public and privately-owned businesses.

Riley said: “We’re delighted to appoint Neil as CEO as Daisy embarks on the next stage of its growth journey. Daisy is really well-positioned to continue to grow and enable smarter IT, comms and cloud solutions for businesses across the UK.”

Johnson wants ARM to list in London

Posted on May 4, 2022 by - News

The UK Prime Minister London Cab, Wikimedia Commons is apparently trying to convince UK chip maker ARM to list in London. Unless he’s fibbing.

Johnson has written to SoftBank, ARM’s owners, while ministers and executives from the London Stock Exchange are trying to persuade them to rethink its preference for listing in New York, the Financial Times said.

SoftBank wants to take British chip designer ARM public after plans to sell the company to Nvidia fell through due to “significant regulatory challenges”.

But it said it is planning on taking the company public on the NASDAQ exchange in New York instead of London.

Post Office and Fujitsu victims poles apart on compensation

Posted on May 4, 2022 by - News

The Post Office does not seem to want to pay out much cash in the Fujitsu scandal which saw it fire, bankrupt and give criminal records to its subpostmasters.

For those who came in late,  the Post Office went on a witch hunt of its subpostmasters after its Fujitsu computer incorrectly saw accounting errors where there were none. More than 700 former subpostmasters were convicted of crimes after being blamed for unexplained accounting shortfalls based on evidence from the Post Office’s Horizon retail and accounting system used in branches, which was later proved to be borked.

The Post Office after initially failing to acknowledge that its computer was faulty, now seems to be a little reluctant to pay up, meaning that judicial intervention is “inevitable” as compensation talks are breaking down.

Computacenter sees growth but slower profits

Posted on May 3, 2022 by - News

Computacenter has reported growth in its first-quarter trading update but said that profits grew at a more modest rate.

The removal of lockdown measures globally has meanwhile affected Computacenter’s cost base, moving to a “more normal, and more sustainable” model post-Covid.

The Hatfield-based outfit said it is pleased to have grown profits year on year during the quarter, especially when faced with a “challenging comparison” with the first half of 2021.

Tech Data providing Dynamics 365 CRM

Posted on May 3, 2022 by - News

Tech Data is providing Microsoft cloud partners with a quick-to-deploy version of the Dynamics 365 CRM solution.

Dynamics GO is an “out-of-the-box” version of Dynamics 365 created by specialist provider Dynamiti. The solution can be up and running in as little at 60 minutes, providing customers and partners with accelerated deployment and ROI.

Tech Data Microsoft Dynamics 365 lead Ian Turner said that the package provides a fast and simple way for partners to get their Dynamics 365 business moving.

Synaxon teams up with Teemex

Posted on May 3, 2022 by - News

Synaxon UK has joined up with Teemex to integrate Teemex’s Cloud ERP solution with its own stock, pricing and ordering aggregation platform.

The solution is now available for MSP, reseller and retailer partners to deploy as an ‘off-the-shelf’, end-to-end solution specifically designed for use in the hi-tech distribution and retail sector.

Synaxon UK  MD Mike Barron, Managing Director said:  “We are excited about this partnership and the benefits it will bring to our MSP, reseller, and retailer partners in both the IT and office products sectors.