News

Network Infrastructure Solutions and Services

January 05, 2012 05 Jan'12
Comms channel courts Olympic cash

With the 2012 London Olympics looming large on the national agenda, the comms and networking channel is setting out its stall ahead of the massive anticipated disruption to working patterns and networks.
January 04, 2012 04 Jan'12
Daisy partners to trial BT superfast broadband

A number of Daisy Wholesale resellers are to embark on a technical trial of BT Wholesale's new faster fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) products as part of plans to double the download speed of its fibre-optic broadband service.
January 04, 2012 04 Jan'12
Avnet hands Hockin role driving solutions strategy

Avnet Technology Solutions has promoted Bruce Hockin to run its solutions strategy in the UK helping resellers tap into specialised growing markets promoting technology in the security, networking and unified communications arenas.
January 04, 2012 04 Jan'12
Wick Hill presses further into mobile world

Storage and security specialist Imation has signed a new agreement with VAD Wick Hill to sell its mobile security portfolio, including MXI, IronKey and Defender solutions into the channel.

January 03, 2012 03 Jan'12
Aastra adds comms app lines to Westcoast UC offer

Unified comms (UC) specialist Aastra is to expand the number of its product lines available through West coast as part of a drive to widen and deepen its channel route to market.
December 16, 2011 16 Dec'11
Node4 bags pro cycling sponsorship deal

Datacentre provider Node4 has announced it is to become the title sponsor of a UK-based pro cycling team for the 2012 season, reflecting a surge of interest in the sport both inside and outside the tech industry.
December 16, 2011 16 Dec'11
New Azzurri boss pledges stability, growth for 2012

Managed comms integrator Azzurri has negotiated a new financing facility and announced the appointment of Vim Vithaldas as CEO, replacing Mark Quarter Maine, who is heading for the exit after just over a year in the post.
December 15, 2011 15 Dec'11
HP rejigs network partner channel

HP plans to help its networking partners boost their overall competitiveness and grow their revenue opportunities following a series of tweaks to its PartnerONE and ExpertONE programmes in EMEA.
December 15, 2011 15 Dec'11
Huawei on channel charm offensive

Huawei has embarked on a reseller charm offensive to win over networking VARs and integrators as it launches a new enterprise channel programme.
December 15, 2011 15 Dec'11
K3 picks up Integrated Business Systems from Maxima

ERP specialist K3 Business Technology Group has acquired some of the assets of the Integrated Business Systems (IBS) division from Maxima Holdings.

December 14, 2011 14 Dec'11
Nimans tweaks financing programme for 2012

Nimans is to introduce new features to its reseller financing programme for the New Year in a bid to help partners keep the ball rolling when it comes to netting new sales.
December 13, 2011 13 Dec'11
Azlan hires Corrigan to run Enterprise, Access Networking

C2000 enterprise networking unit Azlan has picked Mark Corrigan, former business unit manager at DNS Arrow and virtualisation business manager at Arrow ECS, to run its Enterprise and Access Networking business unit.
December 13, 2011 13 Dec'11
M-hance hires market development boss to expand portfolio

Recently-created Microsoft software house m-hance has named sector specialist Amanda Grant to its senior management team as market development director, tasked with developing new products and expanding its vertical-focused IP.
December 12, 2011 12 Dec'11
DiData puts cloud business at centre of 2012 plans

Systems integrator Dimension Data has labelled its growing cloud business as a key strategic priority for the next 12 months, following its acquisition of enterprise cloud firm OpSource in July.
December 08, 2011 08 Dec'11
Easy does it - smooth migration key to UC, VoIP deployment

Yaniv Epshtein, director UK & Nordics at Audio Codes, explores how to pull off a customer unified comms or voice over IP deployment without a hitch.
December 08, 2011 08 Dec'11
Xirrus pushes WLAN services into MSP channel

Wireless networking vendor Xirrus has launched a new programme targeting managed services providers, and says it will be pushing a number of services into the channel that it has previously provided directly, such as site surveys, capacity planning ...
December 05, 2011 05 Dec'11
Mitel books net loss after further restructuring costs

Restructuring costs of $8.4m (£5.37m) have driven Mitel to a $1.2m GAAP net loss during the second quarter of its fiscal 2012, which closed on 31 October.
December 01, 2011 01 Dec'11
Vodafone acquires UC consultancy Bluefish

Vodafone's Global Enterprise unit has acquired Reading-based ICT consultancy Bluefish Communications for £3.14m to build up its professional services business.
November 30, 2011 30 Nov'11
Eclipse aims to put ISP rivals in the shade

KCOM Group-owned business ISP Eclipse Internet has set out plans to turn broadband services into a product that the channel actively wants to sell, and is betting that a series of changes to its pricing model will allow it to gain an edge over its ...
November 29, 2011 29 Nov'11
Redstone on road to recovery as net losses halve

Networking services provider Redstone has cut its operating losses by over 50% to £458,000 during the six months to the end of September.
November 23, 2011 23 Nov'11
Cisco boss Phil Smith gets government nod

Phil Smith, UK and Ireland CEO at Cisco, has been formally named as the new chair of the government's Technology Strategy Board, having been nominated earlier this year to replace IBM's Graham Spittle.
November 23, 2011 23 Nov'11
KCOM profits heading in right direction

Half-yearly profits at comms and networking provider KCOM Group are heading upwards on the back of a number of key public and private sector sales, including the awarding of preferred bidder status on a new Public Sector Network (PSN) contract in ...
November 22, 2011 22 Nov'11
Brocade slides to $4m net loss in fourth quarter

Storage and networking vendor Brocade has slipped to a $4m (£2.6m) GAAP net loss in the fourth quarter of its fiscal 2011, down from $22m year-on-year and $2m in the third quarter, after booking flat year-on-year sales of $550m.
November 22, 2011 22 Nov'11
Ex-Avaya boss Shorten crosses into reseller territory

Former Avaya UK managing director Lee Shorten is moving deeper into the channel to take up a consultancy role at Avaya partner Excell Communications. Shorten will be charged with reviewing the firm's go-to-market strategy and developing new business...
November 21, 2011 21 Nov'11
Azlan cuddles up to vendors after restructure

Enterprise networking distie Azlan has announced an imminent restructure to bring itself more closely into line with its European business, as well as bring it closer to its key vendor partners.
November 18, 2011 18 Nov'11
Aruba CEO hails "boring" quarter, buys security firm Avenda

Wireless networking specialist Aruba Networks has announced its Q1 2012 results, posting narrow GAAP net losses of $500,000 (£316,000), on sales of $119.4m, up 44% year-on-year.
November 16, 2011 16 Nov'11
Green IT key to achieving network efficiencies

Resellers seeking to optimise their end-user networks for cost efficiencies would do well to talk up green solutions as an element of the pitch, according to a new study into enterprise IT networks from infrastructure specialist CommScope.
November 16, 2011 16 Nov'11
TalkTalk Business integrates new channel services into NGN

TalkTalk Business has revealed it is to launch a portfolio of channel-centric hosted UC solutions, integrated into its NGN, from early next year.
November 15, 2011 15 Nov'11
Picky consumers dent smartphone market in Q3

Smartphone sales hit a fallow patch during Q3 in advanced markets as buyers held off replacing their kit, the latest market data from Gartner reveal.
November 15, 2011 15 Nov'11
Accumuli sales up after integration hiccup

Despite encountering a small accounting anomaly on the balance sheet of its most recent acquisition, Boxing Orange, buy-and-build managed security services firm Accumuli has been reflecting on "period of considerable progress" after unveiling ...
November 15, 2011 15 Nov'11
Huawei buys Symantec out of security JV

Upwardly-mobile networking vendor Huawei has bought out Symantec's 49% share in the Huawei Symantec joint venture for$530m (£334m).
November 14, 2011 14 Nov'11
Six Degrees plans buy-and-build strategy

Six Degrees, the mid-market data service provider formed by former SpiriTel front man Alastair Mills over the summer, has hired former Vodafone board director Peter Bamford as non-executive chairman with an eye to embarking on a buy-and-build M&A ...
November 14, 2011 14 Nov'11
Top Daisy partners admitted to new Orange programme

Mobile airtime distie Daisy Distribution has invited 11 top-performing partners to form part of a new Orange business partner programme called Fusion, which is to be formally launched on 6 December.
November 10, 2011 10 Nov'11
Cisco to competitors: no more Mr Nice Guy

Cisco CEO John Chambers has told investors that the firm's turnaround plan is hitting its stride, and warned of more aggressive transformation to come, laying into his competitors and suggesting he had gone easy on them up to now. "We're just ...
November 09, 2011 09 Nov'11
Exinda looks for ten to take it to the next level

WAN optimisation specialist Exinda has rejigged its channel model introducing a platinum level with increased support for around ten UK resellers.
November 09, 2011 09 Nov'11
TalkTalk Business boss Lawton heads for the exit

TalkTalk Business managing director Paul Lawton has relinquished the hot seat to IBM UK Commercial head Charles Bligh, who will take up the role in mid-November, reporting directly to TalkTalk Group CEO Dido Harding.
November 04, 2011 04 Nov'11
More aggressive cost cutting planned at Alcatel-Lucent

Alcatel-Lucent has cut its profitability goals and vowed to cut further operational costs as it tries to keep its transformational plans on track.
November 04, 2011 04 Nov'11
Avaya to drive under-performing VARs out of channel

Over 500 under-performing EMEA partners, including an unspecified number in the UK, will be cut in the coming weeks as networking and comms vendor Avaya gets tough with its channel.
November 04, 2011 04 Nov'11
Avaya blows lid off grey market

Avaya worldwide channel vice president Jeremy Butt vowed to crack the grey market wide open today, as the vendor showed its teeth on a number of fronts.
November 03, 2011 03 Nov'11
Avaya tweaks VAR programme at Berlin partner conference

Avaya has kicked off its EMEA partner conference in Berlin with a series of tweaks to its partner programme to line itself up for further success in 2012.
November 03, 2011 03 Nov'11
Flat services performance hits BT revenues

A decline in the wholesale business and a flat performance in the global services business hit BT in the second quarter. The telco giant saw its Global Services division increase revenues by just 1% for the three months ended 30 September to £...
November 02, 2011 02 Nov'11
BE Wholesale pollinates Daisy channel

Daisy Wholesale has announced a new partnership with BE wholesale to offer O2 broadband services to its channel partners, extending its existing mobile-centric relationship with O2.
October 31, 2011 31 Oct'11
Channel all dressed up for Halloween

The channel has come out in force for Halloween, with the offices of Manchester-based networking and comms distie Nimans (pictured above) among those resembling scenes from a very busy horror movie as staff dressed up to raise money for the National...
October 31, 2011 31 Oct'11
BT launches broadband recruitment drive

BT is to recruit 520 new engineers in the UK as it brings forward £300m of investment in its commercial fibre broadband venture, with the bulk being hired from ex-armed forces personnel.
October 28, 2011 28 Oct'11
Smartphone sales boost Samsung Q3

The success of Samsung's Galaxy smartphone fuelled a 37% increase in its telecom business in Q3 and helped to offset declining sales at its semiconductor and display panel operations.
October 28, 2011 28 Oct'11
Motorola split pays off for strengthening Solutions biz

Motorola Solutions, the enterprise and public-sector facing networking vendor that split from Motorola Mobility in a velvet divorce at the start of 2011, has turned in a decent performance during the third quarter, with sales rising 10% and net ...
October 28, 2011 28 Oct'11
ShoreTel Q1 revenues up but UK and EMEA may struggle to hit 20% growth target

Shoretel added more than 1,000 customers and increased its global market share in the Pure IP telephony market as Q1 revenues rose 22%.
October 27, 2011 27 Oct'11
Entanet resellers get access to BE Wholesale services

Wholesale voice and data comms provider Entanet has signed an agreement to provide BE Wholesale's ADSL2+ broadband connections alongside its BT-based portfolio.
October 27, 2011 27 Oct'11
Retail data booms for Virgin Media, but sales still fall flat

Double digit growth in retail data sales were not enough to offset declines in retail voice and wholesale voice and data at Virgin Media Business (VMB).
October 27, 2011 27 Oct'11
Sony takes control of smartphone destiny

Sony has taken full control of its smartphone destiny and sketched out its ambitions for the market after buying Ericsson's stake in the Sony Ericsson joint venture for just over $1bn.
October 26, 2011 26 Oct'11
Loss-making LG smartphone business under pressure

The challenge facing LG to compete with Apple and Samsung in the smartphone market has been laid bare in its third quarter results which showed a continuing decline in shipments and revenue from its handset operation.
October 25, 2011 25 Oct'11
ZTE makes its move on UK video channel

Audio-visual and web collaboration VAD Touchline has pledged to shake-up the video-conferencing market after signing an agreement to distribute telepresence, HD video-conferencing, surveillance, digital home and IPTV kit from Chinese network vendor ...
October 21, 2011 21 Oct'11
Colt sales flat in third quarter

Network services provider Colt has reported flat sales and earnings for the third quarter, with revenues up just 0.6% to €396m. EBITDA was also up 0.6% to €83.4m, buoyed by stabilising voice sales and growth in datacentre services.
October 21, 2011 21 Oct'11
Expand Networks reassures partners it's business as usual

Expand Networks has moved swiftly to assure channel partners and customers that recent reports of receivers being appointed do not spell the end for the WAN optimisation specialist.
October 19, 2011 19 Oct'11
Juniper profits squeezed in uncertain economy

The sense of growing unease in global markets has begun to impact the quarterly results of some of the key vendors, with Juniper Networks the latest to report a slight sequential fall in revenues.
October 19, 2011 19 Oct'11
Colt courts cloud disties for white-label service

Infrastructure provider Colt is on the hunt for distribution partners or cloud aggregators to carry its recently launched Enterprise Cloud, a VMware vCloud datacentre service launched over the summer.
October 18, 2011 18 Oct'11
Former Azzurri boss takes mentoring role at Intrinsic

Former Azzurri CEO Gordon Matthew, who stepped down from the role in 2010, has popped up at UC and cloud services provider Intrinsic Technology as non-executive chairman.
October 18, 2011 18 Oct'11
ShoreTel recruits telco veteran to run EMEA

ShoreTel has recruited a former Vodafone executive and telco veteran to run its EMEA operations with a brief of driving growth and the wider adoption of integrated IP comms.
October 14, 2011 14 Oct'11
Nortel pension deficit appeal rejected

An appeal against last December's landmark ruling that Nortel was to be held liable for a £2.1bn hole in its UK pension scheme has today been thrown out in an apparent victory for The Pensions Regulator and many thousands of ex-Nortel workers ...
October 13, 2011 13 Oct'11
Alcatel-Lucent on verge of Genesys sale

Alcatel-Lucent is understoodon the verge of selling its Genesys contact centre software unit to private equity investors Permira, according to the Financial Times. The unit sits within Alcatel-Lucent's Enterprise division, a sale of which was ...
October 12, 2011 12 Oct'11
Avaya UK boss to take channel back to basics

Avaya's new UK and Ireland managing director Andrew Sheppard, who was named as Lee Shorten's replacement during the summer.
October 12, 2011 12 Oct'11
Lack of confidence in small players benefits Westcon, Logicalis

Datatec, the parent of networking and convergence distie Westcon, services house Logicalis and support specialist Intact, has suggested that a lack of business confidence in smaller channel outfits has played into its hands in recent months.
October 07, 2011 07 Oct'11
Meru Networks boss steps down as sales rise 20%

Meru Networks president and CEO Ihab Abu-Hakima is to step down from the wireless infrastructure vendor, with new management to be phased in by April 2012.
October 07, 2011 07 Oct'11
Avisen reverses into data management outfit 1Spatial

Avisen has kicked off its rebooted buy-and-build drive with the announcement that it is to perform a reverse takeover of Cambridge-based location data management specialist 1Spatial, with the Avisen name to disappear post-merger.
October 05, 2011 05 Oct'11
Leaked Cisco memo predicts bleak HP channel future

In an internal memo leaked to US channel press, Cisco has slammed its rival HP, saying that the possible removal of its PC business from the equation will hobble its rival's ability to compete effectively in the channel.
October 05, 2011 05 Oct'11
TalkTalk Business buys comms reseller Greystone

TalkTalk Business has picked up Cheshire-based business comms reseller and partner Greystone Telecom for an undisclosed sum.
October 05, 2011 05 Oct'11
HP insider to run Networking business

A little over four months since Marius Haas moved on to pastures new, HP has named Bethany Mayer to the post of senior vice president and general manager of HP Networking.
October 04, 2011 04 Oct'11
Avaya buys technology partner Sipera

Avaya has acquired unified comms security firm and tech partner Sipera to add extra muscle to its Aura unified comms platform. The deal will see Sipera's enterprise-class Session Border Control technology become an integral part of Avaya's UC ...
September 30, 2011 30 Sep'11
KCOM stays on track avoiding low margin business

KCOM's decision to pull away from low margin business continues to show signs of delivering better financial results for the firm as it looks for more high-end contracts to keep the profits flowing.
September 30, 2011 30 Sep'11
Micro-P signed by Huawei to support enterprise ambitions

Just weeks after it announced plans to establish distribution relationships in the UK the Chinese comms and networking vendor Huawei has taken the wraps off its first data channel appointment.
September 29, 2011 29 Sep'11
O-bit flowers in Daisy's garden

O-bit Telecom, acquired by Daisy Group last February, will launch new channel services next week as it presents a fresh face to the market and reveals it has not, as at first expected, been wholly absorbed by its new owners.
September 28, 2011 28 Sep'11
Outgoing D-Link boss praised for reviving company fortunes

D-Link has bid farewell to its outgoing UK managing director, Chris Davies, who has left the firm after a four year stint at the wheel, during which he played a key role in reviving the fortunes of the firm's UK business.
September 26, 2011 26 Sep'11
Cisco's Vanhamme latest network exec to head to Huawei

Cisco European distribution supremo Dominique Vanhamme has become the latest networking executive to move across to rapidly emerging Chinese network vendor Huawei. He took up the Brussels-based post of vice president of European channels and Global ...
September 23, 2011 23 Sep'11
Comstor launches Cisco configuration, support services

Comstor, the Cisco-focused arm of networking and convergence distributor Westcon, has teamed up with Cisco and managed services app developer UBIQube to launch a configuration and support services programme pitched at the SMb sector.
September 22, 2011 22 Sep'11
Cisco CTO urges firms to be more flexible with IT access

Businesses must adopt new mobile technologies and be more flexible with access to their IT infrastructure or risk losing top talent to their rivals, according to Cisco's chief technology officer. Commenting on Cisco's latest Connected World report,...
September 22, 2011 22 Sep'11
Sabio Network arm teams up with Gamma

Contact centre and UC reseller Sabio has hooked up with IP telephony services provider Gamma Telecom to integrate its SIP trucking services with Avaya telephony platforms.
September 21, 2011 21 Sep'11
Westcoast to launch reseller unified comms package

Westcoast has announced the imminent launch of a VARunified communications (UC) offering tying together some of its key comms and networking vendor partners.
September 21, 2011 21 Sep'11
BT offers £15 grand kickstart for small businesses

BT is launching a new leasing scheme through its BT Local Business arm, offering start-ups up to £15,000 worth of ICT kit to get them off the ground.
September 20, 2011 20 Sep'11
Hosted services to drive unified comms market growth to 2015

Despite continuing economic uncertainty across the region, the EMEA unified comms and collaboration (UCC) market looks set to grow from $5.7bn last year to $16.6bn by 2015.
September 20, 2011 20 Sep'11
snom signs BT Business Direct deal

IP telephony outfit snom has signed a distribution agreement to supply its IP phones and PBX solutions through BT Business Direct, the telco's hardware, software and services business.
September 19, 2011 19 Sep'11
Emulex signs Comstor distie pact to target datacentre transition

Cisco distribution house Comstor has added high-performance storage networking specialist Emulex to its line-card to boost the complementary options available to resellers marketing Cisco's Unified Compute (UCS) portfolio.
September 15, 2011 15 Sep'11
Nokia shakes up distribution strategy

Nokia has taken the wraps off a distribution revamp that sees it settle on three partners and unveil a channel network. The telecoms vendor has made the strategic changes following a six month review of what it needs to do to further its business in...
September 14, 2011 14 Sep'11
Cisco halves sales forecast as CEO eyes Huawei market share

Networking giant Cisco has halved its sales forecast as it struggles with reduced demand and increased competition. Cisco's annual revenues will grow up to 7% over the next three years, down from a previous target of up to 17%. But profits are ...
September 13, 2011 13 Sep'11
Imago turnover bolstered by strong VC demand

Strong demand for video conferencing has helped bolster turnover for audio visual distributor Imago Group, writes Linda Endersby.
September 09, 2011 09 Sep'11
Redstone cuts deliver bottom line savings

The cost reduction programme at Redstone is having a positive impact with the firm making a sizable reduction in its pre-tax losses and operating expenses. The networking solutions specialist's report for its last financial year, ended 31 March, ...
September 08, 2011 08 Sep'11
Meru buys Brit security outfit Identity Networks

Wireless LAN vendor Meru Networks has acquired Manchester-based security specialist Identity Networks for an undisclosed sum.
September 07, 2011 07 Sep'11
Wireless kit sales boosted by corporate mobility growth

Booming sales of mobile devices have led to year-on-year growth of 35% in enterprise wireless LAN (WLAN) sales, as Wi-Fi coverage in both public and private spaces becomes a must-have service, according to analysts at Canalys.
September 06, 2011 06 Sep'11
BT to merge Engage IT and dabs, Balaam steps down

BT is to form a £400m IT services business that will see the integration of three standalone units, reseller Engage IT, BT Business Direct and e-tail arm dabs.com, with Engage IT head Martin Balaam to step down as a result.
September 06, 2011 06 Sep'11
Siemens Enterprise Comms names new channel boss

Siemens Enterprise Communications (SEC) has named distribution manager Tony Smith as its new UK indirect channel sales director, replacing Leon Mangan, who is leaving to take up a new post elsewhere in the industry.
September 06, 2011 06 Sep'11
ANS doubles turnover in busy fiscal 2011

Manchester-based services provider ANS has more than doubled its turnover to £29.4m during an eventful fiscal 2011. In the 12 months to 31 March, the firm turned in gross profit of £6.6m, up 68%, and operating profit of £1.5m, up ...
September 06, 2011 06 Sep'11
Ingram Micro to launch new Cisco VAR programme

Ingram Micro will launch a programme designed to attract new Cisco resellers later on this month, the distributor has said.
September 05, 2011 05 Sep'11
Huawei enterprise VP to chat up UK disties

Huawei's new vice president of enterprise for the UK and Ireland, Simon Culmer, will be tasked with setting up a local distribution channel, the firm has said.
September 02, 2011 02 Sep'11
Servassure hires comms vet Annette Reynolds to run channels

Daisy Group's white label channel services provider, Servassure, has hired former Sphinx convergence head Annette Reynolds as its new channels partner manager. Reynolds spent four years with Sphinx, prior to which she was instrumental in ...
September 02, 2011 02 Sep'11
Mitel losses narrow as impact of restructuring becomes clear

Quarterly net losses at unified comms and collaboration vendor Mitel have narrowed on the back of a major restructuring programme intended to improve operating performance.
September 01, 2011 01 Sep'11
Comstor to support Cisco TelePresence 'distie-as-agent' track

Westcon's dedicated Cisco distribution unit, Comstor, has unveiled support for the Global Partner Network (GPN) for Cisco's TelePresence Distributor-as-Agent track.
August 31, 2011 31 Aug'11
Brocade to launch pay-as-you-go network

Brocade is to launch a subscription-based network proposition designed to entice new customers by aligning network capacity with fluctuating business demands in cloud-based IT environments.
August 31, 2011 31 Aug'11
Migrating towards the new Internet, lessons from IPv6 Day

As the industry gears up for the inevitable transition from IPv4 to IPv6, 8 June 2011 was designated as World IPv6 Day, with organisations across the globe offering content over IPv6 to test out the new protocol.
August 30, 2011 30 Aug'11
Collaboration buy helps Cisco VARs target MS Office market

Cisco has paid out an undisclosed sum to acquire privately-held business collaboration start-up Versly, a California based firm that specialises in enabling more effective content collaboration within Microsoft's Office suite, a potential 600 ...
August 26, 2011 26 Aug'11
Azlan's Sheppard replaces Shorten at Avaya

Former Azlan lynchpin Andrew Sheppard is heading to Avaya as the firm's new UK and Ireland managing director after Lee Shorten stepped down from the role to pursue other opportunities.
August 25, 2011 25 Aug'11
Avaya cops to three years of losses ahead of IPO

Ahead of its imminent billion dollar IPO, Avaya has divulged crucial details regarding its financial health and revealed three straight years of net losses.