News

Channel Business Management

• October 15, 2013 15 Oct'13

  VMware to partners: virtualise the entire datacentre

  In his VMworld Europe 2013 keynote, Pat Gelsinger has urged VMware partners and customers to virtualise the entire datacentre and announced the acquisition of DaaS firm Desktone

• October 15, 2013 15 Oct'13

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 11 October 2013

  Vohkus in hiring mode, big week at Computer 2000, and Micro-P swoops on Cohort. Catch up on the biggest stories from last week on MicroScope

• October 14, 2013 14 Oct'13

  Government crackdown on late payments welcomed

  The move by the Prime Minister to highlight the need to do something about late payments has been welcomed by business groups

• October 11, 2013 11 Oct'13

  nconnect urges data VARs to claim fair share of voice sales

  nconnect, the newly-launched UK arm of German brand NFON, slams traditional voice vendors for restricting access to market opportunities

• October 11, 2013 11 Oct'13

  Trustmarque sets up Windows 8 tablet project for Scottish government

  Solutions provider Trustmarque runs successful Windows 8 tablet pilot for Scottish government ahead of wider deployment

• October 11, 2013 11 Oct'13

  Azzurri completes refinancing, appoints new chairman

  Managed communications services provider Azzurri has successfully completed a refinancing process and named a new chairman to replace Keith Taylor

• October 09, 2013 09 Oct'13

  Kelly joins M&A player Livingstone

  Former Logicalis managing director Tom Kelly has joined IT finance specialists Livingstone

• October 09, 2013 09 Oct'13

  Business groups highlight skills concerns

  The reaction to the revelations from the OECD report indicating the UK is behind in terms of numeracy and literacy skills has led to business groups calling for action

• October 08, 2013 08 Oct'13

  Northamber makes seven-figure annual loss

  Sheer scale of PC decline overwhelms distributor as long-standing chairman says Northamber’s future path remains unclear

• October 08, 2013 08 Oct'13

  Avangate bought by private equity

  Acquisition by tech VC outfit Francisco Partners sets e-commerce specialist Avangate up for future growth

• October 07, 2013 07 Oct'13

  Vohkus hires Compton with £100m to aim for

  Vohkus has hired former Kelway CFO to become COO to support its revenue ambitions

• October 07, 2013 07 Oct'13

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 4 October 2013

  Getronics buys NEC Enterprise Solutions, HP tweaks PartnerOne programme again, and Intrinsic names new CEO. Catch up on the biggest channel news stories from the past week

• October 07, 2013 07 Oct'13

  Computer 2000 renamed Tech Data

  The Computer 2000 name is to disappear from the UK market 15 years after its purchase by global distribution giant Tech Data

• October 04, 2013 04 Oct'13

  Lack of skills causing channel concerns

  A potential lack of skilled digital thinkers has been highlighted at the Canalys Channel Forum as an issue the industry needs to tackle

• October 04, 2013 04 Oct'13

  Tech Data requests more time to hold onto Nasdaq listing

  Tech Data is hoping its request for a meeting to put its case will provide it with more time to get the information that Nasdaq is demanding it provides

• October 04, 2013 04 Oct'13

  Oracle UK channel boss: partners must address legacy estates

  Oracle’s new UK channel VP Will O’Brien has nailed his colours to the mast, urging resellers to expand their expertise and push the Oracle solution stack into legacy customers

• October 04, 2013 04 Oct'13

  F5 mulls over value changes to partner programme

  F5 is planning to revamp its channel partner programme to reward value as well as volume

• October 04, 2013 04 Oct'13

  Start-up CloudFabriQ seeks partners for cloud management solution

  British ISV CloudFabriQ starts beta testing its V-Maestro cloud management package with key customers, and calls for partners

• October 03, 2013 03 Oct'13

  Phoenix handed uni storage, server framework spot by NetApp

  Managed services provider Phoenix selected by NetApp as a partner under the National Server and Storage Framework

• October 03, 2013 03 Oct'13

  HP confirms Andy Isherwood to become UK MD

  Andy Isherwood to take up UK managing director role for HP after Nick Wilson’s departure

• October 03, 2013 03 Oct'13

  SCC revenues up despite impact of SDG sale

  Underlying full year business at solutions provider SCC has proved resilient in the wake of the sale of its distribution arm, SDG, to Azlan

• October 01, 2013 01 Oct'13

  HP PartnerOne gets new specialisations, rebates, certifications

  Another overhaul over at HP sees its PartnerOne programme repositioned to make it easier and more predictable for partners in areas such as cloud, software and PPS to increase their profitability

• October 01, 2013 01 Oct'13

  Ingram Micro buys hardware recycling outfit CloudBlue

  Ingram Micro buys into reverse logistics business with acquisition of US-based asset disposition, data destruction and e-waste recycling firm CloudBlue Technologies

• September 30, 2013 30 Sep'13

  Red Hat: solution-based portfolios key to new channel scheme

  Red Hat redefines structure of EMEA channel partner programme to better support and enable resellers offering solution-based product sets to the market

• September 30, 2013 30 Sep'13

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 27 September 2013

  Outsourcery fills Microsoft cloud gap, Ingram hires new president, COO, Avnet pitches desktop virtualisation programme at channel. Catch up on last week's biggest stories

• September 27, 2013 27 Sep'13

  Ipswitch in major R&D push, targets system integrator business

  Network management and monitoring software specialist Ipswitch has the enterprise and system integrator business in its sights, but insists it will not abandon its SME roots

• September 27, 2013 27 Sep'13

  Dixons sells loss making Pixmania

  Dixons has offloaded its struggling Pixmania ecommerce operation to a German buyer

• September 27, 2013 27 Sep'13

  Intrinsic names former AppSense boss to CEO role

  AppSense CEO Darron Antill is to join MSP Intrinsic as chief executive to help pave the way for the next stage of the firm’s growth strategy

• September 26, 2013 26 Sep'13

  Node4 takes wraps off refreshed portal

  Data centre specialist Node4 has revealed it is refreshing its partner activities from next month

• September 26, 2013 26 Sep'13

  NaviSite formalises channel programme

  Cloud specialist NaviSite has formalised its channel partner programme to support greater levels of indirect business

• September 24, 2013 24 Sep'13

  Labour leader pledges more support for SMEs

  The Labour leader Ed Miliband has used his speech at the party conference to talk of the need to do more to support SMEs

• September 24, 2013 24 Sep'13

  Syscap improves position in tough finance market

  Channel finance specialist Syscap has unveiled fiscal annual numbers that show growth in a tough climate

• September 23, 2013 23 Sep'13

  Citrix looks for unified strategy with EMEA channel head

  Citrix has appointed an EMEA channel head with a brief to develop a unified strategy across the region

• September 22, 2013 22 Sep'13

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 20 September 2013

  HP UK boss Wilson heads Down Under, Advanced rides to rescue of 2e2 public sector customer, and Outsourcery strikes Ingram Micro deal. Catch up on the biggest channel news stories from the past week

• September 20, 2013 20 Sep'13

  LDD Group secures multi-million pound NEPA print contract

  Leeds-based reseller LDD Group teams up with Samsung to offer public sector print services under the National Education Printer Framework

• September 20, 2013 20 Sep'13

  Ingram Micro appoints president and COO

  Ingram Micro has taken the president and COO roles off the shoulders of the CEO and CFO and recruited someone to carry out those roles

• September 20, 2013 20 Sep'13

  Uros offers cheap data roaming, BYOD management options

  Finnish mobility start-up Uros to set up UK channel for its Goodspeed mobile Wi-Fi solutions

• September 19, 2013 19 Sep'13

  CompTIA aims to extend vendor relationships

  CompTIA is looking to work with more vendors in the UK as it looks to remind US firms that their membership is valid globally

• September 19, 2013 19 Sep'13

  RM on track for stronger end to financial year

  Education IT specialist says that based on its performance in the past three months, it is heading for a much stronger finish to the year than it previously thought

• September 19, 2013 19 Sep'13

  Exclusive Networks posts sales growth, hires acquisition mastermind

  Value added distributor Exclusive Networks turns in strong results for the first half of 2013 as sales jump by 20%, and appoints a banker to ID acquisition targets

• September 18, 2013 18 Sep'13

  RF Code adds mobile datacentre management capabilities

  Datacentre environment monitoring and asset management specialist RF Code courts resellers with new management capabilities for iPad, tablets and smartphones

• September 18, 2013 18 Sep'13

  Aorta Cloud mounts rescue mission for Nirvanix customers

  Following revelations that US cloud provider Nirvanix is shuttering its service, UK partner Aorta Cloud embarks on fundraising mission to offer service continuity to customers

• September 18, 2013 18 Sep'13

  F-Secure recruits former Acronis channel manager

  Just a couple of weeks before it unveils a revised channel strategy F-Secure has brought on board a corporate sales manager with channel experience

• September 17, 2013 17 Sep'13

  Micro-P welcomes graduates

  Micro-P has opened the doors to eleven graduates as it looks to skill up the next generation

• September 16, 2013 16 Sep'13

  Advanced rides to rescue of 2e2 customer Moray Council

  Eleventh hour project rescue bid saw Advanced Business Solutions take charge of Scottish council’s finance management system migration project after 2e2 went under earlier this year

• September 16, 2013 16 Sep'13

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 13 September 2013

  Former Riverbed, Abiquo boss Jim Darragh new boy from Ipanema, Softcat celebrates Cisco Gold, and Citrix buys UK office suite player Byte Squared. Catch up on last week's biggest channel stories

• September 13, 2013 13 Sep'13

  Kemp on track with channel training targets

  Since making its distributors training centres Kemp Technologies has been increasing the number of skilled reseller engineers

• September 13, 2013 13 Sep'13

  Tech Data gets NASDAQ smackdown over delayed accounts

  Impact of accounting irregularities at Computer 2000 continues to hang over parent Tech Data

• September 11, 2013 11 Sep'13

  Gartner finds the personal touch is still key to sales

  Gartner has found that customers continue to value direct personal interaction when making technology purchases but also warns that users are much more in control

• September 11, 2013 11 Sep'13

  Welsh resellers get EU support for CompTIA Trustmark+

  Trade body CompTIA and Software Alliance Wales have announced the names of a number of Welsh resellers to earn CompTIA’s Accredit UK Trustmark+ standard following EU backing

• September 11, 2013 11 Sep'13

  Hammer flaunts new disk drive channel resources

  Registered Disk Partner scheme brings together key Hammer HDD vendors to give storage resellers new levels of support

• September 10, 2013 10 Sep'13

  LogRhythm rolls out reseller marketing portal

  Security specialist LogRhythm has unveiled a marketing portal and an incentive scheme to support resellers

• September 10, 2013 10 Sep'13

  RSA reduces direct sales, hands new product to channel

  RSA reveals a number of products, including some that it previously sold direct, are now to be sold through the channel, and says it is working on the integration of the newly-acquired Aveksa lines

• September 10, 2013 10 Sep'13

  Western Digital embraces SME backup specialists

  Storage vendor Western Digital on a quest to strengthen its channel and remind partners that following its acquisition of Arkeia, it also now does backup

• September 09, 2013 09 Sep'13

  Softcat bags Cisco Gold status after two-year slog

  Two-year investment in training and resources sees Softcat step up to elite Gold tier of Cisco resellers in the UK

• September 09, 2013 09 Sep'13

  Bit9 hands Exclusive Networks UK distribution rights

  Endpoint and server security vendor Bit9 selects value added distie Exclusive Networks to help grow its channel mindshare in the UK

• September 09, 2013 09 Sep'13

  Small firms have lost confidence in banks

  Five years on from the Lehman Brothers crash and a survey by the FSB reveals that large numbers of small firms think that banks do not care about their businesses

• September 09, 2013 09 Sep'13

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 6 September 2013

  Gartner warns resellers not to bank on cloud, German contract fall-out hurts Computacenter, and Trustmarque opens new London office. Catch up on the biggest channel news stories from the past week

• September 06, 2013 06 Sep'13

  Node4 cycling squad to ride Tour of Britain 2013

  Node4-backed cycling team has unveiled its line-up for the 2013 Tour of Britain, which starts on 15 September

• September 06, 2013 06 Sep'13

  jetNEXUS picks e92plus for technical expertise

  jetNEXUS picks specialist networking VAD e92plus to help increase awareness of load balancing products in the channel

• September 05, 2013 05 Sep'13

  Brocade locks in Lipsin to run global channel

  Datacentre networking specialist Brocade taps former Arbor Networks channel boss Bill Lipsin to take charge of channel, system integrator sales

• September 04, 2013 04 Sep'13

  O2 highlights need for digital skills

  Research commissioned by O2 has forecast a need for hundreds of thousands of workers with digital skills if the UK is to remain competitive

• September 03, 2013 03 Sep'13

  Dell enhances software programme

  New software competencies take account of growing status of Dell’s software business within the company

• September 02, 2013 02 Sep'13

  Trustmarque opens City pad to target services business

  Yorks-based solutions provider Trustmarque joins procession of channel businesses piling into the City to target more enterprise and services business

• September 02, 2013 02 Sep'13

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 30 August 2013

  IaaS data shows Amazon Web Services out in front, Arrow guzzles Computerlinks, and Ballmer calls it quits. Catch up on the biggest channel news stories from the past seven days

• August 30, 2013 30 Aug'13

  Microsoft names new global partner head

  Former US Small and Midmarket Solutions and Partners Boss Phil Sorgen selected as replacement for Jon Roskill

• August 30, 2013 30 Aug'13

  Computacenter makes first half loss on German fallout

  Computacenter books statutory pre-tax loss after making provisions for losses on three dodgy German contracts, but the underlying business is heading in the right direction

• August 29, 2013 29 Aug'13

  NG Bailey gets top level Mitel badge

  IT division of services giant NG Bailey recognised as Mitel signaturePARTNER

• August 29, 2013 29 Aug'13

  Pure Storage funding round to support EMEA business, IPO

  Enterprise flash array cheerleader claims $150m private funding round is the largest in storage history

• August 29, 2013 29 Aug'13

  Entatech administers to gaming channel specialists

  Entatech brings together key gaming vendors in a new channel venture called the Ministry of Gaming

• August 29, 2013 29 Aug'13

  SMEs turning in increasing numbers to alternative credit sources

  The latest BDRC Contintental SME Finance Monitor has revealed optimism about growth but also more determination to avoid relying on the banks for credit

• August 28, 2013 28 Aug'13

  IBM US channel boss calls time on Big Blue career

  IBM is on the hunt for a new channel boss to cover North America after the current incumbent Bill Donohue revealed retirement plans

• August 27, 2013 27 Aug'13

  Buffalo hires CMS Distribution to target NAS market

  Networking and storage firm Buffalo Technology says agreement with storage specialist distie CMS Distribution will help it strengthen its grip on the network attached storage market

• August 27, 2013 27 Aug'13

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 23 August 2013

  Softcat picks up keys to new London gaff, IPL's Azure platform deployment pays off for UCAS, and Logicalis brings our boys back home. Catch up on the biggest channel news stories from the past week

• August 22, 2013 22 Aug'13

  Ingram Micro recalibrates services team to meet reseller needs

  Ingram Micro is to make a significant investment in its services team and practice in response to channel demands

• August 22, 2013 22 Aug'13

  HP will not grow in 2014

  At the end of another bad quarter for HP, CEO Meg Whitman concedes that the prospect of any revenue growth next year is very slim indeed

• August 21, 2013 21 Aug'13

  Academia supports growth plans with NatWest funding

  Expansive VAR Academia concludes new funding round through NatWest to support its growth plans

• August 19, 2013 19 Aug'13

  Softcat cements financial success with new London office

  'Innovative' London workspace opens doors after best ever year for Softcat

• August 19, 2013 19 Aug'13

  Micro-P ups its renewable energy technology portfolio

  Micro-P teams up with renewable energy specialist Zigor to help resellers offer their customers more options around green technology

• August 19, 2013 19 Aug'13

  Legal cloud specialists should look to Scottish example

  Databarracks calls for the Solicitors Regulation Authority to offer guidance to its members on selecting cloud providers and technologies

• August 19, 2013 19 Aug'13

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 16 August 2013

  Microsoft names first Brit Surface partners, Azlan and Avaya reunite, and Cisco cuts 4,000 jobs as recovery remains sluggish. Catch up on the biggest channel news stories from the past seven days

• August 16, 2013 16 Aug'13

  Lenovo mobile device shipments overhaul PCs

  Lenovo says it is now shipping more smartphones and tablets than PCs as its quarterly profits and sales both head in the right direction

• August 16, 2013 16 Aug'13

  Dell profits collapse as fight for PC firm rages on

  Dell’s profits fell off a cliff in the second quarter of its fiscal 2014, as the fight between Michael Dell and Carl Icahn for control of the company continues

• August 15, 2013 15 Aug'13

  Gamma Global expands board

  Value added distie injects 'energy and pace' to leadership team as it targets increased growth

• August 15, 2013 15 Aug'13

  Box Technologies sets up partner marketing scheme

  Retail solutions specialist Box Technologies underscores channel commitment with new programme

• August 15, 2013 15 Aug'13

  Microsoft names first UK Surface partners

  Big channel names including Computacenter, Kelway and Softcat picked to resell Microsoft Surface in the UK

• August 15, 2013 15 Aug'13

  Azlan names Hansford as new UK MD

  Former IBM-er Gareth Hansford steps into UK MD role at Azlan

• August 15, 2013 15 Aug'13

  Cisco axes 4,000 jobs despite profit jump

  Cisco is to cut 4,000 jobs – mostly in middle management – saying that the pace of the economic recovery is still too inconsistent

• August 14, 2013 14 Aug'13

  Brocade profits rise despite stifled sales

  With sales of both its networking and SAN portfolios falling, Brocade surprises itself by more than doubling profits

• August 13, 2013 13 Aug'13

  Gartner expects a boost to government IT

  After years of austerity measures, government buyers are set to start spending again, according to research from analyst Gartner

• August 13, 2013 13 Aug'13

  Nexsan-based VAR programme strengthens Imation channel

  Imation builds new VAR initiative on foundations of Nexsan programme as part of a major rebrand of its recent acquisition

• August 13, 2013 13 Aug'13

  Bootcamp set up to attract graduates to datacentres

  Datacentre industry moves to address looming skills shortage as IT workforce ages rapidly

• August 12, 2013 12 Aug'13

  Education VAR Academia launches business practice

  Technology solutions provider reckons a long-standing reputation in the education and public sector fields will be attractive to enterprise buyers

• August 12, 2013 12 Aug'13

  ANS boss headlines government entrepreneur festival

  ANS’ Scott Fletcher joins UKTI-sponsored event designed to encourage budding entrepreneurs

• August 12, 2013 12 Aug'13

  Technology firms are not realising potential of renewals

  A new study has revealed that the channel is not realising the full potential of renewal business

• August 12, 2013 12 Aug'13

  New team to enhance customer focus at Entatech

  New sales team leader Neil Gilbody tasked with kickstarting customer development plans

• August 12, 2013 12 Aug'13

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 9 August 2013

  Gartner calls for cloud security transparency, Cisco picks Avnet to supply SAP HANA on UCS, and Kelway heads up north.

• August 08, 2013 08 Aug'13

  Recruitment specialist warns over skills gap

  With the demand for those with digital skills growing across the economy in general Executives Online has called for more skills matching to ensure there are no gaps

• August 07, 2013 07 Aug'13

  Toughshield hires Honeywell staffer to bolster marketing

  Rugged portable specialist Honeywell has bolstered its marketing efforts as it looks to gain growth across Europe

• August 06, 2013 06 Aug'13

  Adept acquires Bluebell business for £2m

  Talks between telco dealers AdEPT Telecom and Bluebell Telecom end in a deal