Sales and Customer Management

Vendor service needs to improve

Firms quizzed by Cogeco Peer 1 have expressed frustration with the level of service currently being offered by vendors Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

PA Consulting adds Sparkler to the mix

Acquisition will strengthen the digital and brand strategy side of the business Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Brighter steals a march with managedservices,co.uk launch

Brighter Connections has cut the ribbon on a website designed to have a national appeal Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

The bland leading the bland

Maybe technology has a role to play in helping customers find out what a solution can really deliver argues Nick Booth Continue Reading

By

• Nick Booth

Poor websites costing resellers customers

Plenty of resellers have yet to get their digital presence up to scratch and that could cost them business Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

If you hated GDPR you may like the African Continental Free Trade Area

For those struggling with GDPR there is a new $2.5 trillion target market that Nick Booth thinks is worth looking into Continue Reading

By

• Nick Booth

Ambitious Nuvias cuts ribbon on Woking HQ

The distributor has pointed to its move as being evidence of its growth ambitions across EMEA Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Millennial tech buyers forcing channel to change sales approach

Fresh research indicates changing attitudes to tech purchasing, and how the channel must adapt accordingly Continue Reading

By

• Christine Horton

Channel roundup: Who's gone where?

Another busy week in the channel as some fresh faces join various resellers and vendors to try and keep the growth flowing Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Probrand launches online marketplace

The firm has put its faith in an online marketplace offering users the chance to procure thousands of products Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

IT departments, LOB and more to come?

The channel is having to get used to lines of business spending more than the traditional IT buyers but Billy MacInnes wonders if change will stop there Continue Reading

By

• Billy MacInnes

Lines of business overtaking IT department as spenders on tech

IDC has indicated that next year will be a turning point in the way funds are spent on IT and that will have ramifications for the channel Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Infrastructure skills shortage causing users problems

Infrastructure and organisation skills are changing and plenty of users are failing to keep up with the different demands being put on staff Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Twilio says it's time you gave your listening muscles a Flex

Most corporations use omni-channels for talking but they’ve got too little time for listening. Nick Booth thinks there’s plenty of scope for improvement Continue Reading

By

• Nick Booth

Skills gap still causing concerns

Those hoping that this year would see an easing of the skills gap are going to be disappointed Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

The rise of the millennials

The rise of millennials will drive disruption and innovation in the channel points out Steve Bailey, commercial director of Agilitas Continue Reading

By

• Steve Bailey, commercial director of Agilitas

Ricoh finds digital transformation a growing SME concern

Seeking out technology that can increase business agility is not an ambition that is confined just to the enterprise end of the market Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

What’s TechUK’s most inspiring data science story - Harry Potter, Mission Impossible or Susan Bowen?

Nick Booth gets inspired talking about programming, coding and the next generation with Susan Bowen, VP and general manager at Cogeco Peer 1 Continue Reading

By

• Nick Booth

Warranties not hitting the mark with millennials

The next generation of buyers do not seem to be that bothered about warranties Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

IoT projects need to deliver growth

Those pitching IoT solutions have underlined the importance of showing customers the positive results Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Channel open to more collaboration

A significant number of resellers are happy to work with other partners to make sure they avoid skill gaps and meet customer demands Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Four tips for successful digital transformation

 Continue Reading

Goldilocks IT: Pitching it just right

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CompTIA: Digital transformation driving IT spending growth

The demand for cloud, security , IoT and a fair few other technologies should keep the channel busy throughout the rest of 2018 Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Silver Peak puts the emphasis on local support

Changes made this month designed to provide partners with stronger local support Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Are Claromentis and Iconfirm putting in enough decent crosses for their strikers?

Dealing with customer data is already a challenge and as Nick Booth finds out it is going to get even harder with GDPR coming Continue Reading

By

• Nick Booth

Sage looking for partners to bring in fresh customers

The software firm is stepping up support for its channel to encourage the generation of new customers Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Cisco extending channel reach

The vendor has been leaning on its distribution partners to engage more closely with a broader range of resellers Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Why the UK’s Industrial Strategy needs the channel

Ben Boswell, VP Europe for World Wide Technology, discusses the role of channel players in boosting innovation in the UK, particularly post-Brexit Continue Reading

By

• Ben Boswell, VP Europe for World Wide Technology

Excalibur snaps up Techs4Education

Excalibur has made its fifth acquisition in seven years bolstering the support it can offer educational customers Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Four tips for successful digital transformation

Nicola Downing, CFO, Ricoh Europe, has some advice for those looking to help customers carry out a successful digital transformation project Continue Reading

By

• Nicola Downing, CFO, Ricoh Europe

Distributor consolidation causing some reseller price concerns

The distribution world has been shrinking in terms of the number of players as the big get bigger and that has raised some reseller worries about price and procurement issues Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

In praise of the power of partnerships

Some of the most famous partnerships have changed the world, just look at Lennon and McCartney, and the same can be true in the tech world Billy MacInnes discovers Continue Reading

By

• Billy MacInnes

Channel must position themselves as digital transformation experts

Customers and vendors are looking for resellers that are in a position to offer real expertise around digital transformation and have undergone the process themselves Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Lack of security awareness poses a major threat to businesses

Organisations are putting their reputation and competitive advantage at risk by not addressing the 'human factor' in cyber security. Could the channel come to the rescue? Continue Reading

By

• Sean McGrath, Senior reporter

An A-Z guide to social media

The use of social media across the channel has grown at an incredible rate, but is often lacking a strategy that really works Continue Reading

By

• Amanda Mace

Competition from FinTech startups keeps big suppliers on their toes

Big suppliers in the financial technology space are becoming more agile because of the competition from startup technology companies Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Two nations, one channel? The impact of Scottish independence on IT

In September Scotland goes to the polls in a referendum to decide its future and that of the UK, Alex Scroxton considers what the prospect of independence could mean for the channel Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Gartner’s Magic Quadrant: Sales tool or marketing gimmick?

With businesses under pressure to find targeted solutions for their customers, Alex Scroxton asks if the channel can find value in Gartner's Magic Quadrant - or whether it is just a shabby sales ruse Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

In-depth: Selling BI in the context of other market trends

Business intelligence vendors and their solutions need to be more agile and adaptive than ever, says Amro Gebreel. The need for business intelligence (BI) has never been greater. Data volumes continue to multiply and the requirement for real-time information is now an acute one. Continue Reading

By

• Microscope contributor

Blame for NHS's £12 billion IT disaster identified

No evidence of corruption has been found in the NHS IT cock up that has cost the UK taxpayer £12.8 billion. Continue Reading

By

• Nick Booth

"We're not a broadliner anymore," says C2000 boss. So what are you?

Computer 2000 is not a generalist distributor. Has everybody got that? You at the back, did you hear it? Continue Reading

By

• Billy MacInnes

Phoenix IT Group to merge Servo and ICM businesses

Phoenix IT Group is to merge its Servo and ICM Continuous Business division from the beginning of April in a nod to the converging technologies they sell. Continue Reading

By

• Microscope contributor

Phoenix IT Group acquires KCOM network break fix arm

Phoenix IT Group has confirmed that it has acquired the contracts held by KCOM's network maintenance arm for £1.8m. Continue Reading

By

• Microscope contributor

Computacenter completes Thesaurus acquisition

Computacenter has completed the acquisition of Thesaurus Computer Services for £900,000, bolstering its IBM z series business. Continue Reading

By

• Microscope contributor

Interview: Sir Peter Rigby finds fortune favours the brave

As is the case with most successful entrepreneurs, it is possible to look at the winner of this year's MicroScope Awards for Channel Excellence lifetime achievement award, Sir Peter Rigby, and gloss over the hard work and visionary career that has got him to where he is now. Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor