Category: News

“Help to grow” scheme needs expansion

Posted on July 28, 2022 by - News

There have been calls for more SMEs to be eligible for the government’s Help to Grow scheme.

The scheme was announced in the Budget in March 2021, aimed at providing SMEs with the digital and management tools needed to innovate, grow and help drive recovery. The funding was set at £520 million.

But the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), ACCA, Coadec, the Forum for Private Business and the Entrepreneurs Network have called for the  eligibility threshold to be lowered so that companies with less than five staff could apply, and to expand the range of software available.

Xerox says it has seen no slow down

Posted on July 28, 2022 by - News

Xerox executives claim they have not seen a slowdown in spending from clients.

Xerox’s interim CEO Steve Bandrowczak,  said during the second quarter earnings call that the company was seeing signs of supply chain improvements and resilience.

He said given the strength in demand across Xerox products and services, and margin improvements through price increases and cost reductions, the company is maintaining its 2022 revenue and free cash flow guidance.

AWS expands security partner network

Posted on July 28, 2022 by - News

Cloudy bookseller AWS has expanded and revamped its partner network.

The outfit has bought in eight new categories to help customers  locate partner software and service solutions: Threat Detection and Response; Identity and Access Management; Infrastructure Security; Data Protection; Compliance and Privacy; Application Security; Perimeter Protection; and Core Security.

Speaking to the gathered throngs at AWS’s annual re:Inforce conference worldwide head of cloud foundations for the AWS Partner Network, Ryan Orsi, claimed the move will allow partners to “increase their business, increase their trust and visibility with their customers and prospects out there to show they have all the right skill sets and knowledge about AWS environments.

MoD gets in Boxxe formation

Posted on July 27, 2022 by - News

Boxxe has been scored “2022’s largest Microsoft deal in the UK public sector” with the MoD.

The  deal, worth £291 million, is a three-year contract, which Boxxe claims is the largest Microsoft deals in the UK public sector this year.  Apparently, this involves Boxxe managing the MoD’s Microsoft Enterprise Licensing agreement.

The agreement will see Boxxe use their Licence Management Platform and Microsoft resources to support and manage its operations.

Microsoft cleans up in the MSP market

Posted on July 27, 2022 by - News

Software king of the world Microsoft says it has soaked up more than half of the managed service provider (MSP), reseller and services market.

This week’s partner-focused Microsoft Inspire event was shown Vole’s Microsoft’s Landscape and Attitudes study — a collaboration with Analysys Mason — released at the conference was based on an in-depth look at 3,000 small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) in 10 countries.

This study discusses key findings in the SMB segment, their significance for the Microsoft partner community, and how Microsoft can help SMBs thrive in this modern, digitally enabled economy. It is a study, with a number of insights into SMBs representing all types of markets: mature, middle, and developing.

Bytes made a strong start

Posted on July 27, 2022 by - News

Despite the world going to hell in a handbag, Bytes Technology Group said it has made a “strong start” to the financial year, with customer demand staying “robust”.

In a statement, the group says it “performed well across its key financial performance metrics”.

The company said it saw growth in gross invoiced income, gross profit and adjusted operating profit.

“All were comfortably in double digits for the first four months of the financial year”, the software reseller said.

Brexit biggest loss of sovereignty since 1066

Posted on July 26, 2022 by - News

Any chance that the UK would become technologically independent were dashed the moment it signed up to Brext, according to ARM co-founder Hermann Hauser.

ARM’s co-founder believes Britain has “no chance” of being technologically independent following Brexit.

Hauser said UK withdrawal from the EU was a tactical error.

Sophos merges SophosLabs, Sophos SecOps and Sophos AI

Posted on July 26, 2022 by - News

There’s an awful lot of Sophos going on. Sophos has merged SophosLabs, Sophos SecOps and Sophos AI into one security unit.

Dubbed Sophos X-Ops the unit is supposed to take the predictive, real-time, real-world, and  threat intelligence from each group.

Sophos says the new unit will provide better innovation, which it claims is an essential component of cybersecurity due to “the aggressive advancements in organised cybercrime”.

Softcat gets net zero targets approved

Posted on July 26, 2022 by - News

Softcat has had two of its targets approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTI).

Having set a 2040 carbon net zero supply chain goal last May, the reseller has had its targets of slashing its scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 45 percent by 2030 and by 90 percent by 2040 green-lighted by SBTi.

SBTi is focused on accelerating companies across the world to halve emissions before 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions before 2050, Softcat explained.

Amazon brands Microsoft as anti-competitive

Posted on July 25, 2022 by - News

Tenniel's illustration of Tweedledum and Tweedledee - Wikimedia CommonsAn Amazon Web Services executive took a swipe at Microsoft licensing, dubbing it  anti-competitive.

AWS’ senior vice president of sales and marketing Matt Garman, wrote on LinkedIn that Microsoft’s “recent licensing rhetoric” is “a troubling admission of the same anti-competitive tactics that many companies have been raising with them for years, but went unheeded until they were put before the European Commission.”

Cheap malware kits creating channel problems

Posted on July 25, 2022 by - News

Malware, Wikimedia CommonsHP has issued a report which says that cheap “plug-and-play” malware kits are causing a major headache for the channel.

The report with the concise title  The evolution of cybercrime: Why the dark web is supercharging the threat landscape and how to fight back said 76 per cent of malware advertisements listed were on the dark web, and 91 percent of exploits were being priced at around £8.50.

Kits often comes as a bundle, with malware as a service, tutorials and mentoring services added to the malware offering.

Criminals are targeting major software brands, looking to exploit known vulnerabilities and bugs that they can take advantage of so they can get in a position to take command of user systems.

Ian Pratt, global head of security for personal systems at HP, said its research would be shared with the channel, and that partners would be alerted to its implications.

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Ensono makes Malloy in charge of Europe

Posted on July 25, 2022 by - Moving People, News

Ensono, a technology adviser and managed service provider, announced that Howard Malloy has been appointed Senior Vice President (SVP) and Managing Director (MD), Europe.

Malloy most recently served as the Global Vice President of Client Success and prior to that, he served as Managing Director for India.

Ensono said that Malloy’s appointment is part of Ensono’s long-term commitment to invest in the future of the UK and wider European market.

“The company has a long history of investing in cutting edge UK technology firms, acquiring IT services provider Attenda in 2016, Microsoft Azure experts, Inframon in 2017 and cloud-native consultancy Amido last year. These strategic acquisitions have helped Ensono provide clients a truly end-to-end transformational service, becoming their trusted ally for better business outcomes ,” the company said.

Total snaps up OverBright

Posted on July 22, 2022 by - News

Total Computers has bought cloud and digital transformation firm OverBright.

OverBright is a provider of cloud and digital transformation services to the public and private sectors and Total says the deal is part of its strategy of focusing growth on IT solutions and services.

Total said it has already revealed strong growth in its managed services business as part of a 30 per ent year-on-year growth in group turnover to £91 million.

Microsoft blue over Azure job cuts

Posted on July 22, 2022 by - News

Microsoft campusSoftware King of the World Microsoft has cut jobs in its Azure, security and other business segments.

In a statement, a Microsoft spokesvole said the company still expects to grow its overall headcount as it aligns resources.

“As Microsoft gets ready for the new fiscal year, it is making sure the right resources are aligned to the right opportunity. Microsoft will continue to grow headcount in the year ahead, and we will add additional focus to where those resources go”, the Volester said.

Despite the cuts, multiple Microsoft executives during the event highlighted opportunities for partners to sell customers on the tech giant’s cloud and security offerings, telling partners that the company will make a push this year for packages of cloud products focused on specific industries – such as health care and financial services.

Medius gets Microsoft Top Tier partnership status

Posted on July 22, 2022 by - News

AP Automation outfit Medius has declared that it now has Top Tier partnership status with Microsoft.

Medius was named a Microsoft Gold Partner, for the tenth consecutive year in March 2022, so this is the latest development in a string of successes for the AP Automation company.

Medius has driven 25 percent year-on-year growth in 2022 globally and more than 2,600 customers use Medius solutions across the world, managing transactions worth approximately $180 billion annually, it is claimed.