Category: News

UKFast sets up ClearCloud for public projects

Posted on July 18, 2018 by - News

two-clouds-1385018843_27_contentfullwidthUKFast has set up a cloud subsidiary to gain public cloud offerings to market to run alongside its own hybrid and private operations.

The big idea is to set up ClearCloud as a subsidiary using AWS and Azure and its own eCloud hybrid and private options.

It is being run by former AWS global architect Matt Bibby who is joining as managing director of the subsidiary with a brief to build on the growth that the firm managed to generate with its hybrid and private cloud solutions in the last year.

UKFast CEO Lawrence Jones said that last year the company grew 18 percent and its eCloud revenue rocketed by 43 percent of the companies overall turnover.

“By widening our offering to organisations needing multi-cloud solutions we are able to attract even more businesses to UKFast”, he said.

Jones said that while WS and Azure were public platforms that had wide distribution its high service levels would set it apart from rivals.

PC shipments back to growth

Posted on July 18, 2018 by - News

131010125011-pc-sales-1024x576Beancounters at Big G have declared that the fall of the PC is finally over and worldwide PC shipments are finally back up.

Gartner boffins declared a modest growth in PC sales of just 1.4 percent during Q2 2018, year on year, totalling 62.1 million units.

The growth was led by the market’s top five vendors – Lenovo, HP, Dell, Apple and Acer Group. Gartner said as many as three out of four PCs were shipped by these firms in the second quarter of 2018. Vendors outside the top five saw a decline of 12.9 percent year on year.

Principal analyst at Gartner Mikako Kitagawa, said: “PC shipment growth in the second quarter of 2018 was driven by demand in the business market, which was offset by declining shipments in the consumer segment.”

Kitagawa added that long-held troubles in the PC market continue to be influenced by smartphones continuing to dominate consumer behaviour.

“In the consumer space, the fundamental market structure, due to changes on PC user behaviour, still remains, and continues to impact market growth.

“Consumers are using their smartphones for even more daily tasks, such as checking social media, calendaring, banking and shopping, which is reducing the need for a consumer PC.”

However, this joy is not expected to last. Even for vendors currently enjoying PC growth, Kitagawa issued a warning: “In the business segment, PC momentum will weaken in two years when the replacement peak for Windows 10 passes.

“PC vendors should look for ways to maintain growth in the business market as the Windows 10 upgrade cycle tails off.”

 

EACS swallows Sentronex

Posted on July 17, 2018 by - News

shark_attack_painting-t2 (1)Managed service provider EACS has acquired London-based disaster recovery specialist and Cisco and Microsoft partner Sentronex.

Kevin Timms, CEO at EACS, said the acquisition comes as the firm prepares to hit £30 million revenue for its 2018 financial year.

EACS previously reported a revenue of £16.1 million in the year ending 31 March 2017.

Timms said: “Sentronex has built a well-deserved reputation for great service within the financial services sector over many years.

“This acquisition enables us to add a fantastic set of clients to our business from a base in London of high-quality technical resources.

“Significantly, Sentronex’s disaster recovery services adds an important new dimension to our managed services portfolio and Sentronex customers will have the advantage of EACS’s end-to-end cloud and business consultancy portfolio.”

Sentronex will continue to trade as a separate business but will be fully integrated into EACS.

Sentronex CEO Mark Parnell-Hopkinson, who will exit the business following the acquisition said that it was a great move for Sentronex and its clients.

“Sentronex customers gain an important level of scale and breadth of service provision that will be a big advantage to them and our employees”, he said.

 

 

Inoapps releases Oracle podcasts

Posted on July 17, 2018 by - News

radio Oracle Platinum Reseller Inoapps has launched a series of podcasts for customers and other stakeholders.

The fortnightly podcasts aim to share ideas and concepts from Inoapps’ experience around the globe, whilst also exploiting the company’s closeness with Oracle itself. The podcasts will cover a variety of topic areas including:

• Interviews with Oracle Management

• Interviews with Inoapps’ customers from around the globe

• Customer Case Studies

• Best practice ideas and policies

• Market trends and topical themes

• Views from the US and ASEAN territories

• Technical Product Assistance and Guidance

Inoapps’ Head of UK and EMEA Region, Andrew Norris, said in a statement : “As a global player with operations in the US, the ASEAN territories and EMEA, Inoapps has a wealth of expertise and advice that it can share with other Oracle users. We can also draw upon the exceptionally strong relationship with Oracle that we have built up as a frequent recipient of Oracle partner awards across the years. From our customer research, we know that podcasts are an ideal medium for dissemination of key content and customer information – hence our significant and ongoing investment in this format.

“The first podcast is an interview with Oracle’s Simon Hill, who highlights the important role partners can play in helping customers to optimise their use of Oracle systems once deployed. Our next Podcast features Caroline Apsey; Technology Evangelist for Oracle who will be discussing Women in Technology.”

The first episode can be found at this link, below…

Apple Podcasts

Soundcloud:

Extreme Networks gets into Gartner’s top band

Posted on July 17, 2018 by - News

gartnerExtreme Networks has been named as a Leader by Gartner in the analyst outfits “Magic Quadrant” for Wired and Wireless LAN Access Infrastructure.

According to Gartner: “A vendor in the Leaders quadrant will have demonstrated an ability to fulfil a broad variety of customer requirements through the breadth of its access layer product family. Leaders will have the ability to shape the market and provide complete and differentiating access layer applications, as well as global service and support. Leaders should have demonstrated the ability to maintain strong relationships with their channels and customers, and have no obvious gaps in their portfolios.”

Prior to 2018, Extreme Networks appeared as a “Visionary” in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Wired and Wireless LAN Access Infrastructure for three consecutive years.

Since the last report published in 2017, Extreme completed its acquisition of Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.’s data center networking business, its third in a series of acquisitions since October 2016. Extreme also launched its Smart OmniEdge solution comprised of a secure, unified wired/wireless infrastructure and AI-driven management capabilities, accessible through a single pane of glass.

Ed Meyercord, President and CEO, Extreme Networks said that Extreme Networks’ entrance into the Leaders quadrant as a vendor offering wired and wireless LAN access infrastructure was a true milestone.

“To us, it is an honour to be recognised by a source like Gartner in its Magic Quadrant. It is our fifth consecutive year appearing in this reference guide for our customers and partners.”

3D printers go boom in Europe

Posted on July 16, 2018 by - News

91c25b48-d330-4342-914a-cb68bc61f687European purchases of 3D printers, materials, software, and related services are expected to total $3.6 billion in 2017, according to beancounters at IDC.

According to the latest update to the Worldwide Semiannual 3D Printing Spending Guide from International Data Corporation (IDC), the combined spending on 3D printing for Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe will experience a five-year compound annual growth rate  of 15.3 percent, with revenues reaching $7.4 billion in 2022.

Western Europe delivered 83 per cent  of total European 3D printing revenues in 2017 and will remain by far the largest contributor in the wider European region, growing at a CAGR of 14.4 percent for 2017–2022. Central and Eastern Europe will be the fastest-growing region, however, with a CAGR of 19.1 percent for 2017–2022.

IDC research manager, European Imaging, Printing and Document Solutions Julio Vial said the 3D printing market is evolving rapidly, with the European market continuing to show good momentum and 2018 proving to be a turning point.

“3D printing has the potential to expand the manufacturing industry, shift distribution locally, and implement on-demand production, reducing unnecessary inventories and shipping costs. It will enable mass customization and printing of different products while reducing costs and recycling excess printer powder. Product weight can also be reduced, and fewer tools will be needed because 3D printers can replace some of them”, Vail said.

Though 3D printing hardware generated the largest spending in 2017, the focus on materials will drive associated spending in the coming years, with a CAGR of 20 per cent in the forecast period, exceeding the hardware component. Services will remain a key part of the market, as consulting and system integration services are a critical component of the 3D printing solution deployment.

Computacenter expects to be in the money this year

Posted on July 16, 2018 by - News

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Computacenter has told the City that its  full-year results to be “comfortably in excess of previous expectations”.

Computacenter said it has gathered traction across all geographies of its supply chain business, but Germany, in particular, stands out.

“The six months of trading to 30 June 2018 shows considerable progress for Computacenter in adjusted profitability, and even further progress in adjusted earnings per share following the buyback completed in February 2018, against the same period last year.

“While there is still a significant amount to do in the second half of the year, Computacenter’s board believes that the group’s trading result for the 2018 financial year will now be comfortably in excess of its previous expectations set out in the Q1 trading update.”

In the Q1 update, Computacenter said that the UK business had seen revenue growth of 31 percent, driven by a one off £34 million deal in particular.

 

 

Exertis thinks it can make it in New York

Posted on July 16, 2018 by - News

Statue-of-LibertyDCC Technology, which trades as Exertis, has made its US debut by writing a cheque for a 210 employee audiovisual distributor.

DCC Technology has acquired Stampede, a New York-based AV distributor which also owns projector lamp brand Just Lamps.

The move starts to make it clear why former Dell-EMC UK boss Tim Griffin was recently appointed to the post of DCC Technology managing director. Stampede will add a new brand to the DCC Technology stable that complements UK and European brand Exertis, Griffin explained in a statement.

“By establishing a presence in North America, we will be strategically positioned to leverage all of the new opportunities we expect to develop as a result of this acquisition”, Griffin said.

Based in Amherst, New York, Stampede carries over 150 AV vendors and also owns Just Lamps, which it claims offers the world’s largest selection of replacement projector lamps.

It also has offices in Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia, and boasts a network of 20,000 reseller globally.

Kevin Kelly, Stampede, president and CEO, said: “Supported by the resources and long-term commitment of DCC, our employees, resellers and vendor partners will see an exciting evolution in how we go to market and the level of investment we can now make to grow our business. For our vendors, this means greater reach and scale. For our resellers, this means more investment in inventory and more, new, product categories than ever before.”

 

Exclusive Networks gets Irish base

Posted on July 13, 2018 by - News

irelandFrench Exclusive Group has bought Dublin-based VAD NextGen for an undisclosed sum providing the company with an Irish base.

NextGen has been in business since 2009 and counts Palo Alto Networks, Proofpoint, Arbor Networks and A10 Networks among its vendor partners. NextGen’s management team will remain in place, with country manager Gerry Sheldrick charged with leading further expansion in the Irish market.

Exclusive Group’s COO Barrie Desmond said that the acquisition has trebled his outfit’s customer base in Ireland.

He said that while the company did a lot of Irish business, it needed a footprint.  We had a pod of people working in the territory, but this is the first time we’ve had a physical presence. The plan is to take on the existing vendors they have in Palo Alto Networks and Proofpoint and customers.

Exclusive Group is not the only one making a play in Ireland  Computacenter and Softcat are doing the same thing. This is likely as there is a huge amount of datacentre and cloud activity [in Ireland] and a huge amount of investment.

 

Former Dell EMC UK CEO joins DCC

Posted on July 13, 2018 by - Moving People, News

6v6rdBfd_400x400Former Dell EMC UK chief exec Tim Griffin has joined Exertis parent DCC to head up the firm’s tech division.

Griffin will be responsible for the “strategic direction” of DCC Technology, which trades as Exertis and report to DCC CEO Donal Murphy.

Griffin  left his role as Dell EMC’s UK CEO in November 2016.

In a statement he said: “We have all the foundations in place and the support of DCC to take this amazingly vibrant and successful company to the next level. People make the difference in business and we have very talented and driven teams across our diverse range of technologies. I am looking forward to leading and inspiring these teams to even greater success in the future by broadening our reach and ensuring that our customers and people are our key priorities.”

DCC CEO Murphy added: “This is a key appointment and I am delighted that Tim has accepted the challenge and opportunity to grow our technology distribution business and expand our presence in new and existing territories. He brings extensive international experience and expertise with an emphasis on customer relationships, and a history of creating highly engaged teams aligned to strong company values. I am confident that with the great management we have in place and Tim’s leadership qualities, we have an exciting future ahead.”

Ensono gets Microsoft’s Azure Expert status

Posted on July 13, 2018 by - News

two-clouds-1385018843_27_contentfullwidthHybrid IT services provider Ensono has been named as one of the first managed service providers to be recognised as a Microsoft Azure Expert MSP from the Microsoft pilot programme after an intensive audit process.

Ensono is now one of just 32 certified Azure Expert MSPs after proving itself as an expert ally in assisting clients in adopting Azure services. This certification recognises that Ensono clients on Azure receive continuous optimisation in spend and technology.

Ensono’s managed Azure clients will receive fully audited managed services and will have access to the most qualified consultants and technical resources throughout their digital transformation journeys.

The outfit underwent an in-depth audit that evaluated its technical expertise, assessment and design, build and migration, cloud operations and service management, security and governance, SLAs customer satisfaction, cost optimisation and reporting for its Azure services. Ensono’s Hyper Cloud Platform was a critical element in receiving the certification. This cloud management platform allows clients to have full visibility of their Microsoft Azure environment without having to worry about day-to-day management and long-term strategy.

Gavriella Schuster, corporate vice president, One Commercial Partner, Microsoft Corp. said: “Ensono continuously delivers excellence in Microsoft services to its clients, which is why recognizing them with this certification is well-deserved.  Ensono’s dedication to its clients and leadership in managed services is exactly what we look for in Azure Managed Expert MSPs.”

Ensono worked with Sonoco, one of the largest diversified global packaging companies, to implement a cloud-first strategy through Azure GoLive, Ensono’s process for migrating clients to Azure. Ensono identified opportunities for digitally transforming workloads on Azure and lead the company’s transition from the mainframe to Azure. The migration provided the client with an improved user experience, cost savings, and a competitive advantage by delivering client-specific apps from Azure.

Executive Vice President of Technology and Strategy Brian Klingbeil said: “Our clients and global businesses looking to transform can be assured we provide optimal managed Azure services and a steamless digital transformation journey. “The Azure Expert MSP designation provides our clients with the reassurance that we are the right partner to take their cloud strategies to the next level.”

 

EkkoSense appoints Jason Kaye as Sales Director

Posted on July 12, 2018 by - Moving People, News

jason-kaye-1355x908UK-based data centre thermal optimisation outfit EkkoSense has appointed Jason Kaye as Sales Director. Jason joins the company after seven years in senior EMEA roles at RF Code, the real-time data centre solutions specialist, and will play a key role in building out the EkkoSense partner network and developing international sales.

Jason Kaye brings over 20 years’ data centre, software and networking engineering and sales experience to EkkoSense – most recently from physical asset management and environmental monitoring data centre solutions provider RF Code, where he joined as Director – EMEA Technical Engineering before serving as the company’s EMEA General Manager. Earlier he spent three years in EMEA & APAC technical sales management roles with Uplogix, the network management leader.

EkkoSense’s CEO Dean Boyle said that EkkoSense was growing strongly and is increasingly seen as an innovator when it comes to optimising thermal performance across critical facilities such as data centres.

“Bringing Jason Kaye on board to help drive our next key growth phase is an important appointment for EkkoSense, particularly as we work to take our distinctive thermal optimisation proposition to a broader international market. Jason brings proven sales leadership skills to EkkoSense, while his in-depth knowledge of the real-time environmental monitoring and asset management challenges facing today’s data centre operators will be a significant benefit.”

Ignition starts Northern Europe arm

Posted on July 12, 2018 by - News

vikingSecurity outfit Ignition Technology  has created a Northern Europe division based in the Nordics & Benelux region.

Led by channel veteran Mikko Vaajamo, the new team will target cybersecurity opportunities in the large enterprise and service provider space by working closely with VARs and system integrator partners.

Peter Ledger, CEO at Ignition Technology said:  “We have harboured ambitions to expand our geographic presence for several years, but wanted the right people in place who understand the market, our technologies and why Ignition is such a unique and compelling VAD partner. As the first step in a wider European project, the Nordics & Benelux is a fantastic opportunity for us and Mikko has assembled a remarkable team to tap into the strong demand for next-generation technology. Our existing vendors are very positive about this move, and I believe it will also bring significant benefits to Nordics & Benelux-based channel players to capitalise on these solutions and the support we can provide as a true value creator.”

Mikko Vaajamo has been a prominent operator in EMEA cybersecurity markets for more than 20 years and brings significant business development experience both in value-added distribution (Securesoft, Computerlinks and Exclusive Networks) and in advisory and board roles for major global vendors. Other key members of the new Ignition Technology Northern Europe team include Markus Laaksonen, Technical Director (one of the first employees for Palo Alto Networks in the Nordics), and Marko Lindstedt, Sales Director (formerly VP North East EMEA at F5 Networks), both of whom bring considerable cybersecurity channel expertise in the Nordics and Benelux market.

Mikko Vaajamo, Managing Director Northern Europe for Ignition Technology said many integrators and service providers in the Nordics and Benelux region were eager to move forward with a ‘clean table’ approach to next-generation, cloud-based technology solutions.

“There are great commercial opportunities for reseller and vendor partners alike and I’m excited about the opportunities to expand this business in key Nordic and Benelux territories and, in time, to others throughout the whole Northern Europe region.”

 

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Getronics swallows digital workplace transformation services Pomeroy

Posted on July 12, 2018 by - News

willy-wonka-violet-blow-upGetronics has swallowed Pomeroy, one of the leading US providers of digital workplace transformation services.

The newly expanded company, with combined revenue of approximately $1.3 billion, wants to be a leading global player in the field of Managed Digital Workspace, Applications, Industry Specific Software Solutions, Multi-Cloud Management and Unified Communications.

With a presence in 23 countries and coverage in over 110 countries through the Global Workspace Alliance, Getronics will continue to build local customer relationships and provide local solutions, backed by the strength of a global service delivery organisation.

Nana Baffour, Chairman and Group CEO of Getronics said that  the combined revenues now reach $1.3 billion, achieving our goal of becoming a billion-dollar company two years earlier than originally planned.

“This reflects the power of our dreams and the dedicated execution of our team and financial partners, and we are excited about the value and customer experience that the new combination will allow us to deliver. Our operations are now significantly strengthened globally, extending from Brazil to Singapore and from Spain to the U.S. and Canada, with over 2,800 active clients, served by approximately 9,000 employees. With this scale, we are poised to succeed in our ambition to be the preferred partner for our customers in enabling business transformation using the latest technology.”

Brian Robinson, current CEO of Pomeroy and Global CFO of the newly combined company said:  “Getronics’ global service delivery capabilities and service offerings will be a compelling added value for North American clients. We look forward to introducing Getronics’ Applications, Cloud and Unified Communications solutions to further enable our clients to transform their businesses utilizing the latest digital tools as part of the workspace of tomorrow.”

 

Exertis’s Enterprise gets some hammer time

Posted on July 11, 2018 by - News

xv6aqExertis has merged its enterprise division with Hammer and formed a new business

The distributor acquired Hammer in 2016 and, until now, the business had continued to operate as a separate entity.

The newly merged organisation will be known as Exertis Hammer. it will be headed by Hammer boss James Ward who will reporting to Exertis’ UK managing director Paul Bryan.

Bryan said: “With the integration of the Hammer and Exertis enterprise commercial and sales teams we will provide even greater value to our customers by offering an enhanced vendor portfolio, with an extensive professional services wrap, and significant employee expertise that can address the differing requirements of our customers and their vertical markets.

“James [Ward], with his experience, industry pedigree and business acumen is the ideal person to lead our enterprise business both in the UK and across Europe where Hammer already has successful operations in several countries.”

The newly combined portfolio now includes components, servers, storage, networking, security, wireless, unified communications, software and cloud, Exertis said.

Ward added: “The name itself is the main change here, but at the same time this is an opportunity to refocus on our customers and core strengths with better utilisation of our complete enterprise skill sets, to deliver a more comprehensive and compelling offering to our customers.

“It’s an exciting time for our enterprise business and with the financial strength and support of our parent company, we aim to capitalise on the solid foundations we have built in Hammer’s overseas operations, further broadening our value-added distribution capabilities and footprint across Europe.”