IoT numbers on the up.

Posted on November 20, 2023 by - News

Number crunchers at Juniper Research have predicted that there will be more than 490 million low-power IoT roaming connections by 2028, growing from 90 million in 2023.

Low-power networks, such as NB-IoT (Narrowband-IoT) and LTE-M (Long-term Evolution for Machines), connect devices and sensors over cellular networks to remotely monitor environments in industries including smart cities, agriculture and manufacturing.

Over the next five years, this substantial 560 per cent growth will be driven by increased bilateral roaming agreements that cater specifically to these low-power devices.

The report warns that operators still need to prepare to capitalise on this market shift and the significant roaming revenue that is arising.

Check Point inks global deal with Westcon-Comstor

Posted on November 17, 2023 by - News

Israeli security outfit Check Point is increasing its support for MSSPs by signing a global deal with Westcon-Comstor.

The security vendor enhanced its MSSP Partner Programme with simplified onboarding, access to pay-as-you-go finance models, and increased training and support.

Check Point head of global SMB sales Shahar Divon said that MSSPs have a big opportunity to capitalise on the demand for their services, but they face challenges in a rapidly changing world.

“At the operational level, these teams spend too much time handling hundreds of alerts daily, tying up resources that could be better spent on more urgent requests,” he added. “That is where our MSSP Partner Programme can deliver real value, not only for those that have security as a practice, but also MSPs that are looking for ways to protect their customers.”

SonicWall snaps up Solutions Granted

Posted on November 17, 2023 by - News

Security outfit SonicWall has acquired managed security service provider (MSSP), Solutions Granted (SGI).

The acquisition expands Milpitas SonicWall’s portfolio to include US-based security operations centre services (SOCaaS) and managed detection and response (MDR).

No one is saying how much the deal cost.

SonicWall president and CEO, Bob VanKirk said that offering MDR and managed services was important to IT teams. The collaboration aims to provide cost-effective threat defence solutions and a comprehensive portfolio for managing security.

SoftwareOne sees growth this quarter

Posted on November 16, 2023 by - News

Cloudy services giant SoftwareOne has reported an 8.4 per cent year-on-year revenue growth in the third quarter of 2023.

The company’s adjusted EBITDA registered a 14.1 per cent year-on-year increase with a margin of 20.5 per cent.

SoftwareOne claims that one of the key reasons for its resilient performance has been the success of its operational excellence programme, which delivered bucketloads of cost savings.

In EMEA, the company demonstrated resilience with a 9.6 per cent year-on-year revenue increase to CHF136.7m.

This growth was driven by robust momentum in key markets such as the UK, Netherlands, and Spain.

In APAC, SoftwareOne sustained a robust revenue surge, witnessing a 19.8 per cent year-on-year.

However, in NORAM, cautious client spending and extended sales cycles led to a disappointing 4.7 per cent year-on-year growth.

Bridgestone takes a bite out of Avayler

Posted on November 16, 2023 by - News

Bridgestone has acquired a five per cent stake in its automotive Software as a service (SaaS) business, Avayler, valuing the company launched in July 2021 at more than $60 million.

The Commercial Agreement will allow Bridgestone to use Avayler’s products in retail stores and mobile applications.

Halfords developed the Avayler SaaS solution in-house to manage automotive services across its expansive garage network and an increasing number of mobile vans.

The company said that the Avayler platform has no direct equivalent today. As well as streamlining customer bookings – online, over the phone, and in-store – and job execution inside the garage, its mobile capability uses algorithms to instantly calculate the available customer time slots according to the nearest van location and parts availability.

Kaseya explains what keeps MSPs up at night

Posted on November 15, 2023 by - News

Security outfit Kaseya released its third annual Datto Global State of the MSP: Trends and Forecasts for 2024 Report, which surveyed 1,575 MSPs worldwide about what keeps them up at night.

The survey provides an in-depth look at the current state of the MSP market, demonstrating the critical role MSPs play in the overall success of small and mid-size businesses, how the landscape has evolved and what the industry can expect in the coming year.

Kaseya’s SVP of Product Marketing, Holly Pateman said that MSPs have been the unsung heroes of tech, this year’s survey results.

“With revenues and competition on the rise, and a focus on the need for a superior customer experience, MSPs have a front row seat to what makes their customers successful. As a result, these MSPs have a clear view into what keeps a major cornerstone of our economy – small and midsize businesses – running.”

TD SYNNEX runs on totally renewable electricity

Posted on November 15, 2023 by - News

The British distributor TD SYNNEX has said that all its UK locations are running on renewably sourced electricity.

The outfit’s Bracknell offices confirmed it has switched to a green energy tariff from National Grid.

TD SYNNEX UK was already getting 90 per cent of its power from renewable sources at its warehouse facility at Magna Park, Lutterworth, and offices in Basingstoke and Warrington.

TD SYNNEX  director of environment and quality compliance, Kevin Wragg, said: “We had set a target to get all our UK operations onto renewable electricity by the end of 2023, and we’re pleased to have achieved that goal.

WalkMe hires Hatsor as its new Senior Vice President of EMEA Sales

Posted on November 14, 2023 by - News

WalkMe has appointed  Ofir Hatsor as its new Senior Vice President of EMEA Sales.

The new regional sales leader will take on the increasing demand for WalkMe’s Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) as businesses across industries seek to maximise the value from its software investments while boosting productivity and provide “seamless user experiences” for users with seams.

Hatsor returns to WalkMe after serving as the CEO of DGTL Ventures, one of WalkMe’s strongest implementation partners in the EMEA region. He previously held the role of Executive Vice President of International Sales for WalkMe and brings his learnings from his recent chief executive role back to WalkMe.

He will take on the burgeoning demand for digital adoption technology in EMEA, leading dedicated sales teams in London, Paris, and Munich.

Hatsor said: “As a veteran in the digital adoption space, it’s an honor to rejoin the original DAP pioneer and market leader and take a front seat to the innovation being built every day at WalkMe.”

 

 

Midwich buys prodyTel

Posted on November 14, 2023 by - News

Midwich Group snaps up professional audio and technical solutions products distributor prodyTel Distribution.

The outfit will acquire 51 per cent of prodyTel’s share capital for £7.4 million with plans to buy the rest in June 2024 for £7.1 million. An additional performance-linked £4.8 million will be payable in cash in 2026.

Midwich Group MD Stephen Fenby said: “We are delighted to have reached an agreement to acquire prodyTel, which will strengthen our technology offering in the DACH region.

Based in Stein, Germany prodyTel was founded in 2003, originally as a manufacturer of audio codecs before switching its focus to distribution in 2014.

Becthle business grows by six per cent

Posted on November 13, 2023 by - News

Reseller Becthle reported a six per cent increase in business volume to €1.9 billion in its third quarter of 2023.

The outfit’s earnings before tax (EBT) increased 6.4 per cent to €93.9 million, and its EBT margin grew from 6 per cent to 6.3 per cent.

The company’s incoming orders during the third quarter surged 18.3 per cent.

Bechtle chairman of the executive board, Dr Thomas Olemotz, said: “Although our medium-sized customers, in particular, are still rather reluctant to invest, we can compensate for this situation using the positive performance of our software and service business as well as the stable demand of our large customers and public-sector clients.”

NHS contract appears to have gone to Palantir

Posted on November 13, 2023 by - News

The UK government has quietly awarded big data analytics firm Palantir a £0.5 billion contract to create an NHS patient data platform.

Health news website Digital Health said that the contract for the Federated Data Platform has been awarded to Palantir but failed to give any sources.

Digital Health reported that Ming Tang, chief data and analytics officer for NHS England, told health IT experts at an event last week that the procurement was complete, but the sign-off was with ministers.

The contract is is controversial because the contract had been rumoured to have been given to the controversial company for several months before the procurement process had been completed.

Even now an NHS spokesperson insists that NHS England is still in a procurement process and will make an announcement in due course.

Kick acquires Dundee’s C2 Software

Posted on November 10, 2023 by - News

Cloudy reselling outfit, Kick has acquired Microsoft Dynamics business C2 Software.

The deal is Kick’s ninth in eight years as the business continues to focus on expanding its service offerings to customers across the UK.

The deal is designed to grow Kick’s Dynamics division – with more product options, services, and support for both SMEs and large enterprises.

By acquiring a specialist in Microsoft Dynamics services, Kick is hoping to continue its expansion as an IT service provider in the UK.

AI not a priority yet

Posted on November 10, 2023 by - News

Beancounters at Gartner have added up some numbers and divided by their collective shoe size and worked out that IT spending in Europe is projected to total $1.1 trillion in 2024, an increase of 9.3 per cent.

But the report said that, despite all the hype, AI is not something that companies are making a priority — yet.

Within the five key areas of managed services – datacentre, application, customer product, network, workspace, service desk, Europe is expected to bring in $69.5 billion in 2024, growing 6.9 per cent.

NTT DATA snaps up Sapphire

Posted on November 9, 2023 by - News

NTT DATA Business Solutions has snapped up London-HQ channel partner Sapphire to improve its  ServiceNow business.

Sapphire has a headcount of around 420 people and delivers software and services to primarily mid-market customers in the US and UK through its partnerships with SAP, ServiceNow and more.

The buy out will help NTT DATA improve its efforts in the SAP mid-market sector while Sapphire, will help its global expansion.

Cisco shakes up flagship incentives

Posted on November 9, 2023 by - News

Cisco has shaken-up its flagship incentives for hardware, software, and as-a-service solution partners.

The networking vendor is adding up to six new solution specialisations within the next nine months.

Cisco VP of partner strategy and programmes Marc Surplus said the new Cisco Partner Incentive is the biggest change his outfit has made in more than a decade and is the capstone on the Cisco partner programme evolution started in 2020.

“In broadening Cisco’s suite of solution specialisations, we are helping our partners differentiate in the market and demonstrate their expertise in the technologies and solutions sought by customers,” he said.