origami88 - stock.adobe.com
Channel catch-up: News in brief
Developments this week at Westcoast, Exertis, TD Synnex, Orange Cyberdefense, Iomart, Source Code Control and Pentest People
A number of distribution vendor signings caught the eye over the past week, along with some partner programme refreshes, financial updates and calls for managed service providers (MSPs) to help customers improve their websites.
Westcoast: The distributor has been signed by creative Labs with the task of extending the vendor’s channel reach across the UK. It is looking to increase market penetration for its audio products, and views the distie as a key plank in that strategy. “We at Creative Labs are excited to partner with Westcoast to bring our iconic audio innovations to a wider UK audience,” said George Ng, regional sales director for Europe at Creative Labs.
Laurie Figzal, accessories business manager at Westcoast, said the signing would add more options for resellers. “This partnership will enable us to deliver even more value to our customers across retail and B2B,” he said.
ANS: The cloud service provider has revamped its partner programme to deepen collaboration across its focus areas of cloud, digital and security. The programme is designed to provide various partner types, including MSP, Telco/IT partner, consultancies and software-as-a-service specialists, with the levels of support they need. “Our partner programmes aren’t one-size-fits-all, they’re crafted to empower our partners to thrive in a more complex, competitive tech environment,” said Ryan Martin, head of indirect at ANS.
“We know how critical it is to not just keep pace with change, but lead it, especially as partners assess their options in the wake of the recent VMware by Broadcom news,” added Chris Folkerd, director of platform at ANS. “We’re here to give them clarity, capability and a clear runway to growth, no matter their journey.”
Exertis: The distributor has announced a strategic partnership with audio and video solutions specialist Jabra. The dsitie will be offering the vendor’s professional headsets and intelligent video conferencing solutions.
“By adding Jabra to our leading vendor portfolio, we’re empowering our resellers with access to an innovative range of professional headsets, video conferencing and intelligent communication devices that support the modern workplace and hybrid environments,” said Jamie Brothwell, managing director at Exertis Business. “Jabra perfectly complements our growing UC & AV portfolio. This partnership reinforces our commitment to providing partners with premium products that meet the demands of a modern workforce, enabling seamless communication and collaboration.”
In response, Nigel Dunn, vice-president and managing director of EMEA North at Jabra, said Exertis would help the business extend its reach. “This partnership is an exciting step in expanding our reach and bringing innovative, world-class audio and video products to even more customers across the UK and Ireland,” he said.
Backing women
TD Synnex: The distributor has been recognised as one of the best places for women to work, with the channel player being named on the list of the Best Workplaces for Women by Great Place To Work UK. Jodie Carroll, senior director of human resources for the UK and Ireland at TD Synnex, said being named on the list was a testament to its commitment to backing women.
“We support and encourage women to be ambitious, advance their skills and achieve their full potential,” she said. “We inspire women to believe in themselves, aim high, and apply for senior management and technical roles. We continue to make further improvements in our approach to recruitment, gender balance and well-being, and encourage other companies in our industry to do the same.
“Women co-workers are integral to our diverse workforce, and the wide range of skills, abilities, backgrounds and experiences we have within TD Synnex UK is key to our high-performance culture. This enables us to understand and meet the needs of our customers, and deliver a better and more personal service to them.”
Orange Cyberdefense: The security player acquired Ensec, a Swiss cyber security company based in Zurich, known for its expertise in consulting, security integration and managed security services. Orange Cyberdefense has been in Switzerland for the past three years, and this deal adds to its presence in the country.
“The acquisition of Ensec marks a significant milestone in our European development, enabling us to better serve our customers with comprehensive, high-impact cyber security solutions,” said Hugues Foulon, CEO of Orange Cyberdefense. “This move not only strengthens our market position among Germanic customers in Switzerland, but also underscores our commitment to build a safer digital society for our clients and partners.”
Iomart: The firm would have liked to have talked about its revenue increase and the positive impact of the Atech acquisition when it released its latest financial year results, but instead had to explain significant losses for the period. The MSP saw revenues for the year ended 31 March rise to £143.46m from £127.05m a year earlier.
But a net loss of £55.12m, compared with net income of £6.44m in the 2024 financial year, was a blot on the spreadsheet. A non-cash goodwill impairment charge was to blame for the net loss, and the impact of acquisitions and targeted growth produced revenue improvements. Back in November, Iomart sealed a deal for accredited Microsoft partner Atech Cloud in a move the firm described as a “game changer” because of its potential to boost its market position.
Inclusive websites
Source Code Control: The accessibility specialist is urging MSPs to help deliver inclusive websites for customers that otherwise risk falling foul of regulations and incurring fines, as well as turning away frustrated customers. The firm’s accessibility audit for UK businesses found that over 50% of organisations scored a failing grade – demonstrating a lack of digital accessibility awareness in the UK, which it argued could be an area where the channel provided support.
“Despite the equivalent UK accessibility legislation being enforced in 2018, many businesses still don’t realise that one in 20 UK users aren’t able to access their websites and apps properly,” said Paul McAdam, director at Source Code Control. “That’s a potential 5% loss of traffic, conversions and customer trust in the UK alone. This increases significantly as a proportion of the population across Europe, and MSPs are in a prime position to support businesses to boost revenues around accessibility.”
Pentest People: The penetration testing-as-a-service specialist has cut the ribbon on its Partner Tier System. The tiered model, with bronze, silver, gold and platinum, will support partners at different levels of engagement and underline the vendor’s commitment to building its channel base.
“Our partners are central to the way we grow, and we wanted to create something that truly reflects how our partners work with us,” said Kane Pierce, head of channel sales at Pentest People. “As we continue to scale, it’s vital we support our partners in ways that are meaningful, impactful and easy to engage with. That’s why we’re so excited to launch this new tier system. It’s been created with our partners in mind, offering more clarity, more support and more value no matter where they are in their journey with us.”
