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Channel catch-up: News in brief
Geographic expansion, partner programmes, fresh warehouses and attempts to increase trust levels in artificial intelligence have all been happening over the past few days
Before the week ends, there are a few stories that need to be shared, including US expansion by ALSO, Spanish moves by Apogee, and partnerships and channel programmes from other vendors.
ALSO
The distributor took the important step of expanding into the US as it looked for further internation growth.
ALSO Cloud US will mirror the strategy the firm used to expand into the UK, offering a range of cloud, security and artificial intelligence (AI) services. The launch is also supported by the distie’s Cloud Market Place to offer an option to buy, sell and manage solutions that will support customer cloud migrations.
Jan Bogdanovich, managing director of commercial business at ALSO Holding, said the move was part of its ambitions to provide more global coverage: “We look forward to blending our operational excellence with the US market potential. By drawing on data-driven insights and a customer-centred approach, we aim to deliver a reliable, high-quality experience that brings tangible value to the industry.”
Apogee
The HP-owned managed workplace solutions specialist has made an investment in CM Advanced Printing Iberia, a distributor that handles HP products.
The deal will provide Apogee with a presence in the Spanish market and an opportunity to bring its knowledge, picked up in the UK, to a fresh market.
“Apogee’s expertise in this market enables us to deliver meaningful insights and added value, ensuring CM’s customers are well-equipped to achieve their goals,” said James Clark, CEO of Apogee Corporation.
Konica Minolta
The document and printing player has formed a partnership with managed print specialist Jordan Woods Group. As an Elite partner, the firm will be given access to the vendor’s sales, training and service support.
Harry Terrell, director of Jordan Woods Group, said it had handled the vendor’s products for years and this was an evolution of its relationship: “Being an Elite Partner ensures we have the full support of Konica Minolta and its team, which enables us to deliver the next level of support and full management of print services that our customers rely on.”
Cameron Mitchell, business leader for Indirect Channel at Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK), said the partner understood customer needs and would be adding value as an Elite partner.
TP-Link
The networking and smart home player has cut the ribbon on a 72,000ft2 UK and Ireland national distribution centre in Newbury. The facility will reduce the time goods are handled and the firm is also able to provide direct fulfilment and pre-configured deliveries.
“At TP-Link, innovation is not just about technology, but also about delivering a better customer experience for our partners and customers. This new facility allows us to work faster, stock more and support businesses, retailers and ISPs like never before – helping them stay ahead of constantly changing market demands,” said Nelson Qiao, managing director of TP-Link UK.
Parallels
The virtualisation specialist has launched an Elevate Now partner programme to increase support and incentives for its channel.
The updates include fresh tiers, with a New Essentials level for partners handling smaller deals, higher discounts, and faster onboarding and greater rewards for new business generation.
“Our goal with this programme redesign is to ensure that all partners, regardless of size, can navigate the changes and disruption in the traditional virtual desktop landscape,” said Michelle Chiantera, chief revenue officer for Parallels. “With substantial updates to discounts, programme tiers and support, we’re delivering a partner-first, channel-first model that helps partners meet market demands, boost their bottom line, and offers an attractive alternative to Citrix.”
Avanade
The Microsoft specialist has announced it is participating in the Innovate UK-funded DeepMyna project to help tackle bias in speech recognition systems. The project, led by Habitat Learn, has been awarded a £1.6m grant from Innovate UK, and includes contributions from Affiniti AI, Microlink PC and the University of Southampton.
The research aims to develop solutions that increase trust in AI, with a focus on improving automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems by enhancing accuracy and reducing bias.
Martin Harper, UKI Innovation Lead at Avanade, said the firm wanted to advance AI, but this must be done in a way that builds user trust: “The DeepMyna project represents a significant step forward in addressing bias in speech recognition systems, and we are proud to contribute our expertise in data sourcing and strategic analysis as part of this consortium.”
