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Channel catch-up: News in brief
Developments this week at Crayon, Arrow Electronics, Node4, Qodea, BCN, Schneider Electric, Zenture Partners, Solace and Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise
Before the curtain comes down on another week, there is time to catch up on one partner’s involvement with a Premier League team, a number of partner programmes, and partnerships designed to bolster managed services offerings.
Crayon: The channel player, along with Amazon Web Services (AWS), has been chosen by West Ham United Football Club to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered football scouting platform that should transform the way football talent is identified, analysed and recruited.
Tim Ellefsen, vice-president of public cloud at Crayon, said it was a good feather in the cap to be working with the Hammers. “Building on successful AI projects in the German Bundesliga, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of what this technology can achieve,” he said. “This collaboration between ourselves, AWS and West Ham United is a testament to our dedication to innovation and excellence. Leveraging data as a key competitive advantage means that this AI-powered scouting tool will revolutionise the way football talent is scouted and evaluated, delivering unmatched accuracy and efficiency to the process.”
Arrow Electronics: The distributor has announced it is working with Supermicro in EMEA, offering AI infrastructure solutions for channel partners across the region. Under the agreement, Arrow will provide channel partners with Supermicro’s complete portfolio of AI-ready infrastructure solutions, including servers, storage systems, switches and software optimised for demanding AI workloads.
Node4: The MSP is working with Nerdio to enhance the delivery of Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) environments for enterprise customers. The partnership will bring together Node4’s Microsoft expertise with Nerdio’s automation and management capabilities for AVD.
“This partnership is an important stage in our AVD journey,” said Andrew Slater, technology and director of cloud at Node4. “We’ve already seen strong success helping customers transition from legacy VDI platforms, and Nerdio adds an important additional layer of automation, optimisation and assurance. It enables us to deliver more value, faster, and reinforces our role as a leading partner for Microsoft cloud desktop modernisation.”
Qodea: The firm has been named a Google Cloud Global Strategic Cyber Security Partner, which has been awarded in recognition of its ability to deliver enterprise security services. “Our partnership with Google Cloud as a Global Strategic Cyber Security Partner, and continued investment in our ‘Agentic SOC’, enables us to deliver advanced, automated defence capabilities, providing organisations of all sizes the tools and services that scale with and adapt to the sophistication of modern threats,” said Alan Paton, CEO of Qodea.
Milestone achievement
BCN: The MSP has been awarded Microsoft’s Solution Partner Designation for Support Services, which has only just been announced by the vendor. BCN is one of just 35 partners globally to achieve the designation ahead of its general availability in March 2026. Rob Davies, CEO of BCN, said: “This is a huge milestone for us. We’re delighted to be recognised by Microsoft as one of the leading Microsoft solution support providers, not only within the UK, but across the world. It’s a testament to our skilled team of engineers who handle tens of thousands of Microsoft-related tickets, and reflects our mission to deliver exceptional support to our clients.”
Schneider Electric: The power specialist along, with its EcoXpert Partner, Datacentre UK, has deployed a modular datacentre solution for South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT). “As an EcoXpert Partner to Schneider Electric, we have integrated Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Data Centre Solutions into the design,” said Paul Almond, managing director at Datacentre UK. “These solutions are pre-engineered, configurable and scalable, encompassing racks, power, cooling and management systems, aimed at maximising resiliency, sustainability and efficiency. Innovate and SWFT trusted our design and our selection of products, and approved us to proceed with the build-out.”
Zenture Partners: The telecom lifecycle management provider has announced a strategic partnership with MSP Momentum. As a result, its customers will get access to Momentum’s portfolio of connectivity, collaboration and managed network services.
“Enterprises are spending millions on connectivity and network services, yet few have a clear view of what they own, what it costs, or whether it’s fit for the future,” said Rob Bye, founder and president of Zenture Partners. “By partnering with Momentum, we’re expanding our ability to remove complexity from telecom procurement and management. Our customers now have access to a broader set of services, delivered with the same clarity, control and cost-efficiency they expect from Zenture.”
Solace: The Agentic AI specialist has cut the ribbon on a partner programme that supports consulting, integration and technology players. The programme offers those that sign up access to a range of benefits and incentives, co-marketing investment opportunities and training. “Leading enterprises rely on Solace partners to implement the real-time data and agentic AI solutions they need to transform the way they operate,” said Paul Fitzpatrick, chief marketing and business development officer at Solace.
“The new Solace Partner Program is designed to help our partners not just deliver on that mission, but lead it. Agentic AI is unlocking new frontiers of efficiency intelligence and scale, and whether it’s building modern architectures, migrating legacy systems or innovating high-performing solutions, Solace is committed to supporting our partner ecosystem’s success every step of the way.”
Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise: The networking and comms specialist has introduced Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (ALE) API Sphere, which is a platform that enables those who want to directly integrate their systems with ALE’s ecosystem to access up-to-date information on assets, products, services, discounts and inventory.
“We are committed to providing seamless collaboration and efficiency to our global partner network,” said Jean-Pierre Roullin, vice-president of information systems and technology at ALE. “ALE API Sphere is a significant milestone in strengthening our digital ecosystem, enabling faster access to insights, and empowering our partners to deliver value to customers worldwide.”
