News

Sales and Customer Management

• September 11, 2014 11 Sep'14

  Liberata steps in to start the next chapter at Trustmarque

  Trustmarque has been acquired by business process specialist Liberata ending a couple of weeks of speculation about the direction the reseller was heading in

• September 05, 2014 05 Sep'14

  HP looks to stir customer spending with make it matter campaign

  HP has kicked off its largest advertising brand campaign for over a decade as it looks to get customers buying its products

• September 01, 2014 01 Sep'14

  Say goodbye to the old-SQL curriculum

  Say goodbye to legacy IT classes: New curriculum touches down, teaching youngsters how to code. Is this a dream come true for the IT sector?

• August 21, 2014 21 Aug'14

  Workforces should gear up for Generation-Y, says Dragon

  Dragon's Den star and co-CEO of Outsourcery says that employers must change their ways in order to get the most out of Gen-Y

• August 19, 2014 19 Aug'14

  Mountford brings channel know-how to Riverbed

  Channel veteran Paul Mountford joins Riverbed as senior vice president and chief sales officer following second-quarter profit-warning

• August 18, 2014 18 Aug'14

  Customers walking away from trusted brands due to bad service

  New research highlights just how important it is to put customer service at the heart of business operations

• August 11, 2014 11 Aug'14

  Channel set for generational changes

  As a new generation starts to get its hands on the budget at customer level the channel needs to be aware of a changing conversation with users

• August 07, 2014 07 Aug'14

  Symantec defies expectations, posting healthy first quarter results

  Symantec capitalises on cyber-security concerns as it posts better-than-expected first quarter results

• July 29, 2014 29 Jul'14

  Exclusive Networks appoints business expert to support growth

  Exclusive Networks has hired a supply chain expert to mastermind its next phase of growth

• July 22, 2014 22 Jul'14

  Node4: Don’t shoot the IT manager

  Data centre specialist Node4 has warned resellers not to take IT directors for granted despite speculation the role might disappear in the future

• July 09, 2014 09 Jul'14

  UK SME’s set to miss out on mobile sales

  SMEs face losing out on serious amount of revenue because they have not established a mobile presence

• June 18, 2014 18 Jun'14

  Colt reveals resellers have key role to play in solving user problems

  Colt has discovered that customers believe that resellers are best placed to help them with their technology ambitions

• June 09, 2014 09 Jun'14

  MicroScope ACEs winners announced

  The winners of the MicroScope 2014 Awards for Channel Excellence (ACEs) have been announced

• May 30, 2014 30 May'14

  Forum of Private Business calls for late payer challenger protection

  Those small firms challenging late payers deserve to be given anonymity according to a business lobby group looking to protect SMEs

• May 12, 2014 12 May'14

  Avaya finds UK firms throwing away money and spurning profits

  Avaya has found that UK firms are losing money as a result of failing to keep on top of their game when it comes to delivering customer service

• May 08, 2014 08 May'14

  Online presence a growing part of determining reseller success

  Research from PR firm Text 100 reveals that although face-to-face remains important buyers are also gauging resellers based on online activity

• April 16, 2014 16 Apr'14

  New SEPA regulations could affect euro payments

  Advanced Business Solutions is urging UK companies not to ignore new EU legislation that will change the way banks process payments in euros

• April 16, 2014 16 Apr'14

  Centerprise ICT 2015 Treasury contract guarantee of SME commitment

  HM Treasury says the awarding of a four year contract for media and wireless services to Centerprise is a clear demonstration of its commitment to sourcing ICT through UK SMEs

• April 14, 2014 14 Apr'14

  Service provider growth offset by low billable hours

  UK IT service providers are missing out on the amount of time they can bill clients, according to a survey by Autotask

• April 14, 2014 14 Apr'14

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 11 April 2014

  XP shutdown arrives, SME spending on the rise, and Ingram reports channel network success. Catch up on the biggest stories from the past seven days

• April 08, 2014 08 Apr'14

  Sage products made available through Tech Data Activate-here service

  Tech Data UK adds a number of Sage SME products to its online electronic software distribution service, TD Activate-here

• April 02, 2014 02 Apr'14

  Mirus IT sets sights on five-a-side football record

  Training well underway as Mirus IT attempts to break the Guinness World Record for the longest ever game of five-a-side football

• March 27, 2014 27 Mar'14

  Social media requires thought to ensure channel success

  It might be easy to send a tweet but some thought needs to be put in to make sure social media delivers results

• March 13, 2014 13 Mar'14

  CDG completes software distribution divestment

  CDG software distribution business spun out into independent business

• March 10, 2014 10 Mar'14

  Sage customer community to offer channel enhanced services wrap

  Sage has launched a new services proposition to support its SME customers, with the intention of helping partners boost their services offerings

• March 03, 2014 03 Mar'14

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 28 February 2014

  Ingram Micro discusses restructuring plan, VMware brings channel hybrid clouds to UK, and Bytes turns to the Apprentice for recruitment skills. Catch up on the biggest stories from last week

• February 27, 2014 27 Feb'14

  Ingram Micro: UK to see cuts, but remains a centre of investment

  Ingram Micro’s European boss Gerhard Schulz moves to reassure the UK market that in the wake of major structural changes at the distributor, it will remain a focus of heavy investment

• February 27, 2014 27 Feb'14

  Ingram Micro to make redundancies in major organisational shake-up

  Ingram Micro makes sweeping changes to its back office function in an attempt to improve its ability to serve reseller and vendor partners, and says a number of jobs will likely be cut

• February 24, 2014 24 Feb'14

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 21 February 2014

  SCC buys into managed print game, Andy Gass returns to Blighty, and Phoenix offers assistance to sunken SMEs. Catch up on the biggest channel news stories of last week

• February 19, 2014 19 Feb'14

  Toshiba bolsters support for resellers

  Toshiba UK is expanding its Toshiba Recommends programme for SMEs

• February 18, 2014 18 Feb'14

  Nimans backs energy-saving product in BBC Dragons' Den

  Nimans hopes to build channel case for energyEGG power-saving device after pitch on BBC business show Dragons’ Den

• January 13, 2014 13 Jan'14

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 10 January 2014

  McAfee brand killed off by Intel, Avnet gets new UK management and Gartner bets on enterprise software. Catch up on the biggest channel news stories from the past week

• January 09, 2014 09 Jan'14

  Arrow beefs up training support for IBM

  Arrow Electronics is establishing an alliance to establish an ecosystem to provide greater depth in the training its offers on behalf of IBM

• January 09, 2014 09 Jan'14

  Alternative Networks buys Intercept IT

  First major channel acquisition of 2014 sees hosted desktop specialist Intercept IT absorbed into business comms services provider Alternative Networks in a £12.95m deal

• January 08, 2014 08 Jan'14

  Social media ostriches face bad service label

  Those channel firms that opt not to engage with customers on social media could be facing accusations of bad service

• January 07, 2014 07 Jan'14

  Gartner predicts bad year for PCs, good year for tablets, mobiles

  Gartner’s latest device shipment forecast points to another bad year ahead for traditional PCs as device market growth is again driven by tablets and mobiles

• January 02, 2014 02 Jan'14

  Digital economy experts recognised in Honours list

  The New Year's Honours List has recognised some of the talents of people working in the digital economy arena

• January 02, 2014 02 Jan'14

  MicroScope's top stories: December 2013

  AMD predicts PC resurgence, Microsoft launches cloud partner network, and HP unveils 2014 hardware ranges. Catch up on the biggest channel news stories from December 2013

• December 18, 2013 18 Dec'13

  Avnet Services takes wrap off European repair hub

  Avnet Services is opening a large lifecycle management centre in the Netherlands to cover EMEA and provide greater support to OEM partners

• December 16, 2013 16 Dec'13

  Toshiba, Citrix and Sage back SME Voucher Scheme

  A number of IT vendors have backed the government's latest attempt to provide help to the SME sector

• December 13, 2013 13 Dec'13

  UKFast decides it’s profitable up north

  Manchester-based hosting company, UKFast is bucking the long-standing trend to pile everything into a van and head down the motorway to London, by opening up a new office in Glasgow

• December 13, 2013 13 Dec'13

  Unify launches new licensing programme as 2014 plans advance

  Unified communications specialist Unify launches user-based enterprise licensing programme as it prepares for a busy year to come

• December 11, 2013 11 Dec'13

  Node4: IT budgets to rise in 2014

  A survey of SME buyers by datacentre and comms provider Node4 suggests growing confidence that budgets will rise

• December 06, 2013 06 Dec'13

  Retailers not up to scratch on Cyber Monday

  Analytics specialists at NCC and Borland highlight sluggish site performance, pointing to upgrade and services opportunities around load testing and website management for the channel

• December 02, 2013 02 Dec'13

  MicroScope's top stories, November 2013

  Fujitsu bosses on the offensive, Microsoft parts ways with Avnet TS, and Acer CEO not functioning as intended. Catch up with the biggest IT channel news stories from November 2013

• November 26, 2013 26 Nov'13

  CEB: Resellers need to keep eye on spending outside IT department

  The growth in technology spending beyond the IT department is something that resellers need to keep an eye on

• November 13, 2013 13 Nov'13

  MobileIron fills final portfolio gaps around Android protection

  Enterprise mobility management specialist MobileIron adds new Android support options to its offering and seeks resellers looking to flip users away from BlackBerry

• November 12, 2013 12 Nov'13

  Google Glass, competitive device shipments to reach 10m by 2018

  Market forecasts from analysts at Juniper Research suggest wearable smart glasses and watches will start to present a significant channel opportunity in the next five years

• November 04, 2013 04 Nov'13

  MicroScope's top stories, week ending 1 November 2013

  HP makes redundancies across EMEA, Microsoft cuts Avnet from distribution pack, and Dell faces up to foul-smelling laptop problem. Catch up on last week's biggest channel news stories

• November 01, 2013 01 Nov'13

  CIF, Galahad offer cloud training seminars for the uninitiated

  Galahad, a technology training company has teamed up with the Cloud Industry Forum to provide buyers and resellers with an introduction to cloud computing

• November 01, 2013 01 Nov'13

  Pearlfinders: Channel under pressure to hone software skills

  The latest Pearlfinders IT Index finds that customers are increasingly looking to the channel to help them host, test and manage applications

• October 31, 2013 31 Oct'13

  Pearlfinders: Security dominating IT spending plans

  Customer fears around the prospect of cyber attacks is influencing how they plan their IT spending according to the latest Pearlfinders IT Index

• October 29, 2013 29 Oct'13

  Ingram Micro adds vertical enablement to Channel Transformation Alliance

  Ingram Micro has teamed up with leading vendor members of the Channel Transformation Alliance – its cloud and MSP programme – to offer resellers, MSPs and ISVs vertical and LOB training

• October 23, 2013 23 Oct'13

  Micro-P and Gem undergo brand changes

  DCC Sercom's decision to roll out the Exertis brand across all of its operations has meant name changes for its UK distribution operations

• October 22, 2013 22 Oct'13

  Logicalis in new attempt to define SDN future

  Managed service provider Logicalis is embarking on a bold attempt to define the future of software-defined networking (SDN), forming an internal team to ponder the big issues

• October 18, 2013 18 Oct'13

  IBM social guru tells resellers to engage

  Resellers have been urged to embrace social networks to make sure they are able to take advantage of a growing route to customers and suppliers

• October 15, 2013 15 Oct'13

  ASM Technologies launches SME service

  In a move designed to try and make it easier for system integrators to work on public sector contracts with SMEs channel player ASM Technologies has unveiled a new service

• October 15, 2013 15 Oct'13

  VMware insists vCloud Hybrid Service no threat to partner business

  VMware is bringing its own brand vCloud Hybrid Service to Britain, and has revealed plans to build out a two tier channel to support its ambitions, insisting it means partners no harm

• 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 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 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

  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 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

  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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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

  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 05, 2013 05 Aug'13

  Kelway cements expansion with new digital presence

  Kelway has consolidated its operations under a single brand and taken the wraps off a Northern HQ in Manchester

• July 31, 2013 31 Jul'13

  Ingram bolsters advanced solutions approach

  Ingram Micro continues to evolve its advanced solutions approach to offering resellers support around new and emerging technologies

• July 24, 2013 24 Jul'13

  Local IT retailers winning price war, says Target Components

  Encouraging signs for local IT shops as Target Components survey reveals many are able to beat nationwide chains on price

• July 24, 2013 24 Jul'13

  comparetheware.com unveils business portal

  IT product comparison site comparetheware.com has taken the wraps off a business portal designed to arm customers with information on products, vendors and resellers

• July 16, 2013 16 Jul'13

  Poor presentation skills costing business

  Casio research has revealed that poor presentation skills are costing deals

• July 12, 2013 12 Jul'13

  Avnet and Arrow land IBM training role

  Avnet Technology Services and Arrow have been appointed by IBM to be global providers of training to resellers and customers

• July 12, 2013 12 Jul'13

  Ballmer outlines vision of unified Microsoft

  Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer has sent staff a memo where he outlines a strategy of developing a more unified company

• July 09, 2013 09 Jul'13

  Government saves £500m by going digital

  Latest report from the Efficiency and Reform Group claims central government saved £500m by moving services onto digital platforms

• July 08, 2013 08 Jul'13

  Micro-P’s Brown to strengthen VAR clout in new role

  Commercial director Phil Brown handed B2B director role in bid to get partners “fighting fit” for the future

• June 27, 2013 27 Jun'13

  Logicalis launches flexible skills resource

  In response to the ongoing problems customers face getting hold of skilled staff Logicalis has launched a flexible resource that can help deliver specific projects for users

• June 25, 2013 25 Jun'13

  Belkin aims to boost brand with cycling deal

  Belkin has signed a major sponsorship that will see it's brand feature prominently at the Tour de France which starts this weekend

• June 18, 2013 18 Jun'13

  SME confidence linked to positive IT use

  The latest Symantec global SME confidence survey has found those using IT for growth are best placed

• June 17, 2013 17 Jun'13

  SME confidence on the rise

  The Federation of Small Businesses has revealed that small business confidence is on the rise

• June 13, 2013 13 Jun'13

  Resellers urged to cultivate contacts beyond CIO

  The CIO might hold the purse strings in most companies but resellers should be widening their contacts to make sure they don't miss out on other opportunities

• June 13, 2013 13 Jun'13

  MicroScope ACEs 2013: The winners

  We reveal the full list of winners in the 2013 MicroScope ACEs

• June 12, 2013 12 Jun'13

  Box targets G-Cloud growth with Softcat

  Duo claim Box’s collaboration solutions will fill an important strategic gap for many public sector customers