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Channel catch-up: News in brief
Developments this week at Crayon, SoftwareOne, Exclusive Networks, Arrow and Westcon-Comstor
This week, distributors – and those bolstering their profile in that space – signed more vendors to their portfolios. Elsewhere, others were gaining hard-to-earn accreditations and recognition of positive workplace culture.
Crayon: The channel player has sealed a strategic global agreement with customer service specialist Zendesk. Crayon will be acting as a global distributor, supporting partners across 70 countries, and is part of a wider strategy for the business to strengthen its distie capabilities.
“This is a landmark agreement for Crayon, and a natural evolution of our mission to bring best-in-class technology to our partners and customers globally,” said Gudmundur Adalsteinsson, chief partner and sales officer at SoftwareOne, which recently combined with Crayon.
“Customer experience is a core driver of digitisation, and by aligning with Zendesk, we’re ensuring that businesses from startups to global enterprises have access to the right tools to deliver exceptional service.”
SoftwareOne: The channel player has been awarded the Microsoft Copilot Specialisation, which recognises the firm’s ability to help customers adopt the AI technology. “This specialisation is a big milestone for our customers and our people,” said Oliver Berchtold, chief operating officer at SoftwareOne.
“It proves that when organisations are looking for a trusted partner to get the most out of Copilot, SoftwareOne is the safe pair of hands to lead that journey from pilot to success. We make Copilot adoption smoother, secure, scalable, compliant and unlock agentic extensibility.”
Over the past year, SoftwareOne has been delivering Copilot to clients, including 1,362 adoption and security projects.
Disruptive, effective solutions
Exclusive Networks: The distributor has been signed by Zero Networks to work with the channel player to increase its presence across Europe, particularly in UK and Ireland. Rob Tomlin, vice-president North region at Exclusive Networks, said the zero trust specialist was a solid addition to its security portfolio. “Its innovative approach to zero trust – particularly its plug-and-play micro segmentation and adaptive access controls – aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver disruptive, effective solutions to our partners,” he said.
Adam Hofeler, vice-president of channel at Zero Networks, said the distributor had the experience and network to grow its business across Europe.
Arrow Electronics: The distributor has integrated a number of Check Point Software Technologies solutions into its ArrowSphere Cloud platform. The move includes full application programming interface connectivity for the CloudGuard Network Security Virtual Gateway, MDR, Harmony Email and Collaboration, Harmony SASE (Private and Internet Access), Harmony Mobile, Harmony Browse, and Harmony Endpoint.
“This collaboration is about making it simpler and faster for our channel partners to deliver robust, cloud-based security services,” said Mike Worby, EMEA head of strategic alliances at Arrow’s enterprise computing solutions business. “By combining Check Point’s cyber security solutions with the automation and visibility of ArrowSphere Cloud, MSSPs can manage customers more efficiently, expand service offerings and grow their recurring revenue.”
Westcon-Comstor: The distributor has been recognised as one of the Best Workplaces in Tech by Great Place To Work UK. The firm has a strong track record in this area, having been certified as a Great Place To Work in the UK and 26 other countries.
“This is a proud moment for our UK team,” said Erna de Ruijter-Quist, chief people officer at Westcon-Comstor. “Being certified as a Great Place To Work was a fantastic milestone, and to now be named one of the UK’s Best Workplaces in Tech is the icing on the cake.
“But we’re not stopping here. We’re listening closely to what our people have told us and using that feedback to keep improving. Our goal is to make Westcon-Comstor a truly exceptional workplace where everyone can thrive.”
