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Channel catch-up: News in brief
Developments this week at Lenovo, Exertis Enterprise, Phoenix Software, NTT DATA and WatchGuard Technologies
Before the curtain comes down on another week, there is time to round up a number of developments across the channel that have been announced in the past few days.
Lenovo
The vendor has announced its Lenovo 360 Expert Achievers Programme (LEAP), which is a fresh initiative to drive partner growth. The programme is aimed at channel sales and technical support staff toi make sure they have the knowledge and tools they need to sell and support the vendor's solutions. Sellers will be provided with tailored training and incentives from the vendor.
Natalie Noor, director of UK&I channel and SMB at Lenovo, stated: “LEAP reaffirms our long-standing commitment to our channel partners and their staff, with an initiative that rewards teams for both driving sales and growing their knowledge. With a simple rewards system accessible through the LEAP portal, staff receive rewards for their efforts, adding to a range of incentives supporting our valued partners to learn, sell, connect and grow with customers.”
Exertis Enterprise
The channel player has been appointed the sole distributot for H3C across UK & Ireland, Benelux and Nordics. H3C, a is a digital solutions and infrastructure player and will add more digital infrastructure options for the distie. “This partnership offers an unmatched opportunity for the market, an alternative to traditional vendors that is innovative, secure, and enterprise proven," said Chris Wintle, general manager for networking at Exertis Enterprise.
“This partnership is a natural fit,” said Ian Rose, channel director, UK&I at H3C. “By combining our innovation-driven approach with Exertis Enterprise’s market reach and partner expertise, we’re creating new opportunities for partners to grow profitably and deliver even greater value to their customers.”
Phoenix Software
The channel player has renewed its certification as a Microsoft Azure Expert Managed Service Provider (MSP). The specialisation is one of the highest a partner can achieve and is testament to the expertise Phoenix has cultivated across its in-house team.
“Being re-certified as an Azure Expert MSP is a reflection of the high standards we hold ourselves to every day. It’s not just about passing an audit, but about consistently delivering value, security, and innovation to our customers through Azure. This recognition reinforces our commitment to helping organisations achieve real outcomes with cloud technology,” said Ben Rayner, director of managed services and solutions at Phoenix.
Eleri Gibbon, Microsoft SME&C lead at Microsoft UK&I, said the partner had, “repeatedly demonstrated exceptional levels of expertise and customer service", and got through the vendor's rigorous audit requirements.
NTT Data
Keeping with the Microsoft theme the firm has launched a global business unit to support Microsoft Cloud. The firm is keen to tap into the rising demand for secure cloud and brings together its expertise around Microsoft Cloud, security and AI.
“Our expanded collaboration with Microsoft reflects a shared commitment to helping clients tackle today’s complex business challenges with speed, scale and trust,” said Charlie Li, head of cloud and security services, NTT Data. “Through our global business unit for Microsoft Cloud, we’re bringing together the strengths of both organisations to solve modern problems using advanced cloud and AI technologies, whether it’s modernizing operations, improving how people work and connect, or delivering more intelligent, secure and resilient digital experiences.”
The unit will be headed by Aishwarya Singh, senior vice-president and head of the global business unit for Microsoft Cloud.
WatchGuard Technologies
The security player has cut the ribbon on the latest edition of its Firebox Tabletop Series, the line of firewall appliances designed to power SMEs. The vendor is looking to its managed service provider (MSP) network to take the technology out to market.
“We worked closely with our MSP community to build these next-gen tabletop appliances for the real-world needs of mid-market organisations,” said Jay Lindenauer, vice president of network security at WatchGuard. “We’re combining the increasing value of our founding product, the Firebox, with ongoing platform advancements, like AI-driven XDR, to ensure that partners and their customers can operate in a faster, more connected world.”
