Microsoft Windows Services

Crayon looking for public sector growth

Ahead of its tie-up with SoftwareOne, the firm’s CEO outlined its fourth quarter performance and touched on her hopes for 2025 Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

SoftwareOne and Crayon announce tie-up

SoftwareOne’s purchase of Crayon will create a significant-sized European software and cloud provider and Microsoft specialist Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Bytes H1 numbers show benefits of software and services strategy

Channel player shares results for its first half, revealing a decline in hardware but improvements in other parts of the portfolio Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Sizeable number of users yet to make Windows 11 leap

The channel has an opportunity to encourage migration to Microsoft Windows 11 from customers continuing to drag their heels Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Is Windows 11 finally ready for take-off?

Billy MacInnes looks at the progress made by operating system Windows 11 since its launch in 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Billy MacInnes

Advania adds services muscle with Servium addition

Acquisition of Servium adds more customers and greater software, hardware and services depth to Advania offering Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

ANS opens apprenticeship scheme to channel

Firm adds its apprenticeship academy to the range of benefits available for its indirect partners to tap into Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

MicroScope: The pressure to deliver

With technology always changing, it can feel like an impossible feat to keep up – we speak to experts about how the channel handles rapid change and the pressure this places on partners to meet customer expectations. Also read about major themes of the market and how the topic of return on investments needs to stretch beyond economics Continue Reading

Microsoft responds to feedback with partner programme enhancements

It’s been six months since its cloud partner programme launched, and in that time the channel has shared its views with the vendor Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Babble hits M&A trail to bolster Microsoft position

Channel player Babble adds two more firms to its growing list of acquisitions as it continues to grow the business Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Why a Microsoft 365 security assessment is good for business

Jason Rothwell, solutions architect at Littlefish, believes the auditing process delivers some positives for customers Continue Reading

By

• Jason Rothwell, solutions architect at Littlefish

MicroScope: Elevate security to minimise risk

Security remains a major concern for customers and a continuing area of growth for the channel – so what can managed service providers do to help out? Also read about expectations for the last quarter of 2022 and how partnerships are key to digital transformation Continue Reading

The channel: Four decades of change

To celebrate MicroScope’s 40th anniversary, we ask channel leaders to reflect on the changes seen over the past four decades – a shift to software, and the emergence of the managed service provider and the cloud are among the highlights Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Microsoft gives Dezen channel chief role

Months after former incumbent left the business, the vendor has made its choice for who will be at the helm of the partner organisation Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

MicroScope: The slow march to Windows 11

It's taken a while, but the latest Microsoft OS is having an impact – read all about the journey to Windows 11, as well as the uptake of co-innovation and co-creation strategies in the channel, and Broadcom's acquisition of VMware Continue Reading

The slow journey to Windows 11

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Avanade and Intact add fuel to consolidation trend

Microsoft specialist and ERP player seal acquisitions as they look to strengthen their positions Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

The slow journey to Windows 11

Microsoft has been emphasising the positives of Windows 11, but users appear to be taking their time in migrating to the latest operating system Continue Reading

By

• Billy MacInnes

Windows 11 adoption increasing, but challenges remain for the channel

Adoption of the latest operating system from Windows is picking up, but those pitching software and hardware upgrades still face a number of obstacles to see it increase further Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

MicroScope: Can life ever really be simple for partners?

In this issue, discover whether simplifying programmes and interactions with partners is achievable, and what barriers stand in the way for vendors looking to make life easier. Also read about why reskilling in a post-pandemic world is key to boosting industry, and learn about what to expect from the manufacturing sphere over the next year Continue Reading

Cloud, Windows and Teams should spur Microsoft channel growth

Microsoft puts its forthcoming shift in context as it outlines major changes to its partner programme Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Capita offloads Trustmarque

Divestment strategy continues with sale of software and services player as Capita prunes its portfolio Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

MicroScope: Squaring up to ransomware

In this issue, discover how to best fend off the ever-increasing threat of ransomware, learn what the next stage of the data warehouse could be, and find out what leading channel experts believe awaits the industry in the year ahead Continue Reading

Channel petition urges Microsoft to reconsider 365 price changes

Momentum in the partner community is gathering around attempts to get Microsoft to review its planned Office 365 price increase Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Avanade adds more Microsoft depth with Quantiq buy

Tie-up will give more depth around Microsoft business applications and support for those customers undergoing digital transformation Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Channel will have to wait for impact of Windows 11 launch

Views coming out of Canalys Channel Forum indicate that maybe 2022 is going to be a year when the OS makes a real impact Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Microsoft 365 price hikes coming

Software giant gives six months’ notice of the first price rises since it launched the product suite a decade ago Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Node4 expands Microsoft expertise with TNP buy

Addition of Microsoft gold partner will add more expertise and knowledge to managed service provider’s business Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Microsoft channel boss ramps up spending on digital and technical support

Vendor uses Inspire event to reveal plans for next year, including a revamped deal reg and significant increases in technical skills training Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Stone Group gets refurbisher status from Microsoft

Channel player will be able to add Windows 10 onto refurbished hardware and help others in the market handle their licences Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Stone gets Microsoft thumbs-up and Redstor adds Azure support

Stone has been recognised for its position in the education market and Redstor is becoming a greater source of support for Microsoft partners Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

ValueLicensing seeking £270m in lost sales from Microsoft

Pre-owned software reseller goes to High Court in attempt to get Microsoft to reverse its stance on perpetual licence ownership changes Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Bytes IPO over subscribed

Business valued at approximately £646.6m as it marks a successful IPO with conditional trading starting on the LSE Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

DWS snaps up Giacom

Cloud marketplace player Giacom sells up to Daisy-owned Digital Wholesale Solutions Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Bytes signals flotation ambitions

Channel player Bytes looks to split from South African owners and go it alone as a public company Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Content+Cloud emerges out of IT Lab and Content & Code merger

Newly formed entity will be one of the largest MSPs in the UK providing Microsoft cloud services to customers Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Quest picks up Microsoft gold partner Binary Tree

The two firms combined will be able to offer a greater depth of migration support to customers Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Partners driving growth at Microsoft, SnapLogic and Scale Computing

A trio of vendors have shared their latest quarterly results with the channel getting a mention Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Windows 7 turn off sparks security pitches

The end of support has finally arrived and the spectre of rising security risks is likely to be a boon for the channel Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Microsoft channel needs to be talking about Business Voice

A perfect storm of market conditions are making it the right time for partners to approach customers about their unified comms and collaboration plans Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

IT Lab acquires Mirus IT

Managed services player with a focus on Microsoft takes revenues past the £75m mark with a move to pick up Mirus Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Partners help Microsoft deliver solid fourth quarter

Vendor's CFO highlights the role that partners have played in the vendor's crucial fourth quarter Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Nadella: Trust has to be earned every day

Microsoft CEO uses Inspire keynote to cover the importance of building trusted relationships Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Microsoft climbs down over IUR changes

Vendor performs a U-turn in the face of mounting partner opposition over plans to cut back software licenses for internal use Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

IUR row overshadowing Microsoft Inspire

Vendor's honesty about the costs of providing partners with licenses dominating the Inspire build-up Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Why organisations cannot afford to get carried away with contact centre success

To build sustainable success in the contact centre world, you need a strong focus on business goals, incremental business gains, teamwork and a culture based on trust Continue Reading

By

• Jeremy Payne, Enghouse Interactive

GCI beefs up Microsoft skills with Modality buy

The firm has made its first acquisition since it gained access to a sizable M&A war chest last May Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Microsoft signals CPU shortages are easing

Firm's CFO indicates the worst is over as it updates the markets on its fiscal third quarter performance Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Why software patch management matters

When building a business case for software patch management, focus on its ability to protect against malware, ransomware, phishing and other security threats, thereby reducing the risk of downtime Continue Reading

By

• Ian van Reenan, Datto

A failure to communicate

Billy MacInnes comments on Microsoft's recent price rises, which have not gone down well with the public sector with the channel getting some blame for not communicating the issue Continue Reading

By

• Billy MacInnes

Public sector unhappy with Microsoft price rises

Public sector IT group hits out at price rises and has some criticism of the role of resellers in communicating it Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Consolidation hits Microsoft channel with IT Lab and Content and Code tie-up

The combination of IT Lab and Content and Code will create one of the largest Microsoft partners in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Tech Data gearing up for HP TaaS push

The distributor is encouraging SME resellers to get involved with the vendor's Technology as a Service approach Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Against a backdrop of Microsoft price rises it's time for the SAM message

Planned price changes that come in from Monday should mean that those pitching software asset management should find a more receptive audience Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Nadella calls for more 'tech intensity'

It's an idea that the channel will have little argument with, that customers need to adopt and build the latest technology Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Users planning upgrading investments

Research from Spiceworks indicates that money will be spent next year by users looking to upgrade old infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Comparex exposes council server software vulnerabilities

Thanks to a Freedom of Information Request the channel now knows just how widespread the use of unsupported server software is among councils Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Microsoft price changes to come from October

The vendor is taking steps to remove some of the complexity in its pricing and make it easier for customers to get an idea of cost regardless of whether they are buying on-prem or in the cloud Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Software and services suppliers face portfolio challenge

Making sure that everyone understands the full range of technology and services that are on offer is a challenge for vendors as well as for their channel partners states TechMarketView Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Nadella signals hybrid theme for fiscal year ahead

The CEO of Microsoft has indicated that it is going to work with partners around the hybrid message as it moves into a fresh fiscal year Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Microsoft to push migration message to Windows 7 users

A campaign starting this week will start to highlight the need for Windows 7 users to make the move to the latest OS with the end of support deadline not that far away Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Microsoft flagging channel Azure MSP experts

Ahead of the Inspire event the vendor has made it easier for those who are experts at Azure managed services to stand out from the crowd Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Channel part of Microsoft plans for GitHub

The software vendor is aware that if it wants to attract enterprise level developers it will have to work with partners Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Software industry making a dent on piracy problem

The latest global figures around software piracy levels have indicated the the downward trend in the UK has continued Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Comparex well on the road to meet managed service ambitions

The Microsoft partner is keen to demonstrate that ambitions and plans to increase service revenues continue to be delivered Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Dell plugs thin client mid-market gap

The vendor has simplified its portfolio and given the channel a chance to take its virtual desktop message out to the mid-market customer base Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Microsoft rings in the changes to support devices

Partners have a new organisation management chart to get to grips with as the firm looks to split the teams running Windows and devices Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Microsoft boasts of partner profitability levels

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Commercial market driving PC sales growth

A market analysis from Context has indicated that commercial PC sales are driving growth on that side of the hardware market Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Microsoft boasts of partner profitability levels

The vendor's partners are able to generate extra revenue for every $1 that they gain selling Microsoft Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Illegal software whistleblowing benefits the channel

Figures from the BSA indicate that a fair number of UK employees at SMEs are happy to blow the whistle over the use of illegal software Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Top ten channel technologies of 2017

The most discussed technologies of last year are also set to dominate 2018 so here is a look back with more than a hint of the themes to come Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Capita snaps up Trustmarque

Capita acquires Trustmarque to bolster its software licensing capabilities across private and public sector customers Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Nadella delivers a fresh org chart as Microsoft restructures

Resellers will have a fresh structure to familiarise themselves with as Microsoft's CEO outlines a company restructure Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Interview: Microsoft's channel head urges IP development

Phil Sorgen, Microsoft's worldwide channel head, is encouraging partners to develop their own IP as they embrace a cloud model Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Windows of opportunity

This summer's launch of Windows 10 promises to be a shot in the arm for the channel finds Amro Gebreel Continue Reading

By

• Amro Gebreel

MicroScope: November 2014

Just what are the current opportunities around wireless networking for resellers? Are Christmas parties back on the channel calendar? What are the first impressions of Windows 10? All of these questions are answered in the latest MicroScope ezine. Continue Reading

Government signs £5.5m Microsoft deal to extend Windows XP support

The government has signed a deal with Microsoft to support Windows XP across the UK public sector for 12 months after 8 April deadline Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Microsoft settles copyright case with Discount-Licensing

Microsoft has settled its case at the High Court with second-hand software specialist Discount-Licensing Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

A trip down memory lane

Simon Quicke revisits some of the events that made the headlines during MicroScope's first decade in print – the heady days of the 1980s Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor