In Depth

In Depth

Sales and Customer Management

• Five-minute interview: Cristina Bentue, IriusRisk

  The latest to share some personal insights is Cristina Bentue, co-founder and chief operating officer of cyber security player IriusRisk  Continue Reading

• Channel explainer: Why sustainability matters

  Why is it important to have a strong green story? Where do you start, and who is going to help you? This explainer tackles those questions  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Ross Teague, Nebula Global Services

  The latest channel figure to share some personal insights is the founder and CEO of Nebula Global Services, Ross Teague  Continue Reading

• Why the channel can prepare for a positive 2024

  A tough 2023 is in the books, and focus now settles on a fresh 12 months where the narrative can be better across the channel  Continue Reading

• The top 10 channel themes of 2023

  What were the main areas of interest in the past 12 months? This handy list of the top 10 should jog memories, stir debate and garner some agreement across the channel  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Hayley Roberts, Distology

  The CEO of distributor Distology is the latest to share some personal insights in our five-minute interview profile slot  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Claudia Hebden, CrowdStrike

  The director of Northern European Alliances at CrowdStrike, Claudia Hebden, is the latest to share some personal insights  Continue Reading

• Getting the channel balance right

  The majority of IT spending will go via partners, but it is never as simple as that and proceedings will need to be handled right for a more opportunistic future  Continue Reading

• The pressure to be cutting edge in the channel

  The industry is good at encouraging customers to buy the latest and greatest tech, but the channel often has to pick up the pieces when expectations fail to be met  Continue Reading

• Improving channel relationships: Listen more, talk less

  If a vendor wants to improve their relationship with the channel, it might be as simple as listening more  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Steve Nurton, WithSecure

  We get the chance to find out a bit more about Steve Nurton, WithSecure's head of channel sales  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Erik Nicolai, Workspace 365

  Another candidate answers the questions and reveals a little bit more about themselves and their role in the channel. This time, we chat to Workspace 365 founder Erik Nicolai  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Mike Sheppard, Panasas 

  MicroScope gets the chance to find out a bit more about Mike Sheppard, director of channels and alliances at Panasas   Continue Reading

• The themes of 2023 for the channel

  A fresh year is looming and it’s already clear what most of the major themes will be, including security, sustainability and hybrid working  Continue Reading

• What makes a good partner incentive programme?

  Everyone reacts to incentives, but they need to be thought through – and some programmes are better than others  Continue Reading

• May the fourth be with you as you enter the final quarter with cautious optimism

  The last three months of the year represent the busiest time for the channel as targets are aimed for and the year goes down as a success or failure  Continue Reading

• The channel: Four decades of change

  To celebrate MicroScope’s 40th anniversary, we ask channel leaders to reflect on the changes seen over the past four decades – a shift to software, and the emergence of the managed service provider and the cloud are among the highlights  Continue Reading

• Where next for the channel?

  As part of our 40th anniversary, we look ahead to get a sense of where the channel will go in the years and decades to come  Continue Reading

• A history of MicroScope

  As MicroScope celebrates its 40th anniversary, we look back and tell the story of the publication itself, with some industry memories of what it has meant to its readers  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Roger Whittle, Jigsaw24

  In the latest profile interview, we find out a bit more about the CEO of Jigsaw24, Roger Whittle  Continue Reading

• Developing the subscription model

  Customers and channel partners are moving to a world where flexible monthly payments are the norm, but that has meant distribution has had to take steps to support that shift  Continue Reading

• How can the UK channel handle currency fluctuations, potential price rises and inflation?

  There are challenges in the market and the channel is having to deal with some difficult economic issues  Continue Reading

• Is there a need for sustainability-focused channel programmes?

  With growing attention around the ambition to get to net-zero carbon emissions, some vendors are introducing incentives and targets into channel programmes  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Tim Britt, Dropbox

  MicroScope talks to Tim Britt, Dropbox’s director of sales and channel for Central Europe, about what his thoughts on the channel and what gets him up in the morning  Continue Reading

• The importance of face-to-face

  The pandemic denied the channel the chance to see customers and each other and raised the question: how important is that in the digital age?  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Matt Halsey, Cyren

  The senior director of sales for EMEA and APAC at Cyren gives us a bit more of an insight into his life  Continue Reading

• Why keeping it simple is a channel challenge

  The mantra from vendors is that they want to make life easier and make systems simple for partners – but that is not as easy as it sounds  Continue Reading

• Balancing the risks as an MSP

  There is a growing trend among partners in converting into managed service providers – but are there risks to this approach that the channel needs to be aware of?  Continue Reading

• Change is a constant as the channel looks ahead

  Concluding our two-part look at what lies ahead this year, we find expectations of more consolidation and ongoing change  Continue Reading

• What’s in store for the channel in 2022?

  In the first part of a two-part look at what lies ahead this year, Billy MacInnes reveals what many expect will be the areas of interest in the next 12 months  Continue Reading

• The value of the managed service provider

  Understanding value is not always a given, but as Billy MacInnes discovers, it is important for service providers to know their worth  Continue Reading

• The endurance of the channel: Who are you calling doomed?

  Predicting the demise of the channel had become a well-worn mantra, but those days are gone and there are few signs of the end coming any time soon  Continue Reading

• Is having many partners always better?

  Microsoft has a sizeable global channel that raises the question of whether that is the model that all vendors should be aspiring to follow  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Fiona Doak, Appgate

  The latest to give MicroScope an insight into their life and career is Fiona Doak, director of channel sales EMEA at Appgate  Continue Reading

• Five minute interview: Neill Burton, F5

  The latest channel figure to share some details of his life and career is director of channels and alliances for F5 in the UK and Ireland, Neill Burton  Continue Reading

• The lasting impact of Covid-19

  Life is slowly starting to move back towards a more normal footing, but will things ever be quite the same in the channel?  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Steve Santini, Schneider Electric

  In the latest five-minute interview, Steve Santini, channel director of APC by Schneider Electric, takes some time to field the questions  Continue Reading

• Digital transformation or digital evolution?

  There is no doubt that customers are changing and moving to a more digital world – but perhaps this is better described as an evolution rather than a transformation?  Continue Reading

• Service providers should ask more questions

  Nick Booth catches up with Barracuda and hears how it wants its channel to ask much more about the everyday stuff of life  Continue Reading

• 2021: What the channel thinks is coming next

  This year has been a strange one, and the pandemic is going to linger into the next, along with Brexit and other unknowns, but the channel is ready for whatever comes  Continue Reading

• 2020: A year of accelerated change in the channel

  A look back over some of the main themes of a year that will be long remembered thanks to the pandemic  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Olen Scott, Aryaka Networks

  In this interview, MicroScope asks Olen Scott, senior vice-president of worldwide channels at Aryaka Networks, about his life, career and inspirations  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Darren Laurie, Versa Networks

  It’s time for another channel executive to share some details about their life and career  Continue Reading

• Buying and selling: this time, it’s personal

  People buy from people, so the saying goes, and the coronavirus pandemic has tested the channel’s ability to do just that  Continue Reading

• Is the channel missing the ‘human touch’?

  Research from Kaspersky suggests vendors need to improve their relationships with channel partners, with experts weighing in on how to develop a closer bond through programmes and education  Continue Reading

• What will the ‘new normal’ look like?

  With thoughts starting to turn to a post-coronavirus world, the channel is trying to work out what changes made in the past few months will stick  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Remco Postma, Tufin

  Remco Postma, director, channel sales EMEA at Tufin, takes the questions and reveals what gets him up in the morning and shares his ice-skating credentials  Continue Reading

• Channel starts considering the legacy of the coronavirus

  As lockdown starts to ease, considerations are turning to what the “new normal” will look like, and how it will impact the channel  Continue Reading

• Interview: Bob Bailkoski, CEO of Logicalis

  The recently appointed chief executive of Logicalis, Bob Bailkoski, discusses coronavirus and his vision for the business  Continue Reading

• Coronavirus: How Covid-19 kick-started a shift to home working

  Lockdown has forced people to work from home and turn to the channel for help in supporting the ‘new normal’  Continue Reading

• Coronavirus: It’s time to support partners

  Vendors have started to respond to the challenges that partners are facing with more flexibility and support  Continue Reading

• The channel and sustainability

  There is no doubt that the climate change crisis has put the issue in the spotlight and resellers are being asked to not only help customers but show their own credentials around sustainability  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Ian Ashworth, Netwrix

  MicroScope puts its questions to Ian Ashworth, channel director for EMEA and APAC at Netwrix  Continue Reading

• Channel faces another year of evolution

  Distributors, vendors and trade associations share their expectations for the year ahead, with the need to embrace change a key part of the message  Continue Reading

• Channel predictions: Opportunities in AI, hybrid cloud, edge and security

  Some of the great and the good in the industry have shared their predictions for what they expect in 2020  Continue Reading

• How to improve customer experience

  Billy MacInnes questions experts on what they’re doing to digitally transform the customer experience and asks what advice they have for channel partners  Continue Reading

• Q&A: Angela Whitty, managing director, UK&I partner organisation, Cisco

  Cisco’s UK channel chief shares some views on the year ahead and the progress made in the 2019 financial year  Continue Reading

• SD-WAN: How channel can make net gains

  How prepared are channel partners to take advantage of the rapidly growing SD-WAN market?  Continue Reading

• Cyber security and the channel

  Leading lights in the industry give their assessment of where the cyber security market is headed in the second half of 2019  Continue Reading

• How to help businesses reach their digital goals

  With digital transformation a hot trend in IT right now, the channel’s ability to help organisations hit the sweet spot in this pursuit could attract a lot of attention from potential customers  Continue Reading

• Control or shift – channel’s role in the move to business-led IT

  What impact could the shift to business-led IT have on channel partners’ role with customers and the relationships they have grown and developed within customer organisations?  Continue Reading

• Interview: Simon England, Nuvias CEO

  With the first quarter of his tenure completed the boss of Nuvias shared his thoughts about his role leading the distributor  Continue Reading

• Interview: Graeme Watt, CEO of Softcat

  Softcat boss talk about office openings, organic growth and why he doesn't lie awake at night worrying about the future of the channel  Continue Reading

• GPC 2019: Dell Technologies highlights channel growth

  Dell Technologies demonstrates progress with partners while encouraging cross-selling across expansive portfolio  Continue Reading

• Channel enjoys a strong start to the year

  Just how has this year been going? There is no better way to find out than ask a number of those working in the channel  Continue Reading

• Adapt for the era of virtual distribution

  Virtual distribution – the delivery of subscription services rather than physical products – is a growing IT trend. We consider what this means for channel businesses and how they can remain relevant in this changing IT world  Continue Reading

• Channel tensions rising

  Competition and strained vendor relationships highlighted as concerns at Canalys Channel Forum  Continue Reading

• Agony aunt as a service

  Impartner’s chief marketing officer Dave R Taylor has some helpful advice for those trying to increase and improve their partner communities  Continue Reading

• What’s TechUK’s most inspiring data science story - Harry Potter, Mission Impossible or Susan Bowen?

  Nick Booth gets inspired talking about programming, coding and the next generation with Susan Bowen, VP and general manager at Cogeco Peer 1  Continue Reading

• An A-Z guide to social media

  The use of social media across the channel has grown at an incredible rate, but is often lacking a strategy that really works  Continue Reading

• Two nations, one channel? The impact of Scottish independence on IT

  In September Scotland goes to the polls in a referendum to decide its future and that of the UK, Alex Scroxton considers what the prospect of independence could mean for the channel  Continue Reading

• Gartner’s Magic Quadrant: Sales tool or marketing gimmick?

  With businesses under pressure to find targeted solutions for their customers, Alex Scroxton asks if the channel can find value in Gartner's Magic Quadrant - or whether it is just a shabby sales ruse  Continue Reading

• In-depth: Selling BI in the context of other market trends

  Business intelligence vendors and their solutions need to be more agile and adaptive than ever, says Amro Gebreel. The need for business intelligence (BI) has never been greater. Data volumes continue to multiply and the requirement for real-time ...  Continue Reading

• Interview: Sir Peter Rigby finds fortune favours the brave

  As is the case with most successful entrepreneurs, it is possible to look at the winner of this year's MicroScope Awards for Channel Excellence lifetime achievement award, Sir Peter Rigby, and gloss over the hard work and visionary career that has ...  Continue Reading