Comms Dealer

The Government's updated cyber security strategy has been welcomed by ISPA which applauds a more interventionist approach, including measures to block malware attacks through a Government DNS filter.

ISPA will be working with its members to understand the implications of a more proactive technical approach so that concerns around the impact on existing infrastructure and services, privacy etc are fully worked through across industry.

ISPA Chair James Blessing said: "ISPs are investing heavily in their cyber security and ISPA fully supports making the Internet a more secure place. Now that the strategy has been published and confirms a move to a more interventionist approach, we look forward to working with members and Government as to what this means for the UK Internet industry.

"ISPA believes that a partnership approach is required to most effectively address cyber security, with law enforcement, Internet companies, individual users, ISPs and businesses working to protect networks, follow good cyber hygiene, mitigate threats and bring offenders to justice."

G-Technology, a brand of Western Digital, has appointed Beta Distribution as an authorised pan-European distributor for its range of storage solutions.

Ted Harris, Business Manager at Beta, said: "We have established a strong reputation in the creative reseller channels across Europe with our targeted approach and tailored product portfolio. G-Technology continues to complement this offering."

Pangea has launched a pre-Ethernet solution that enables telecoms resellers to collect revenue from their Ethernet deals from the day they make the sale, providing instant connectivity to customers via a 4G-connected Pangea router.

The router works as an initial connectivity device until the Ethernet line becomes active three to six months post-order, meaning an invoice can be drawn up and revenue collected immediately by the partner.

Once the Ethernet has been delivered, the Pangea router can then be used as a failsafe or disaster recovery option, should the original Ethernet ever go down.

Pangea can also offer this service with a Static IP that allows for various VoIP and hosted products to be sold at the same time.

Pangea MD Dan Cunliffe said: "Having worked with telecoms companies for many years, and especially with those focused on the channel, we know that the book to bill time for Ethernet is a challenge.

"It is unfortunately not something that is going to be solved anytime soon by the Ethernet infrastructure providers.

"However, we do know that by implementing our pre-Ethernet product you can access these revenues sooner and help to keep your customers happier.

"Furthermore, the service can be seamlessly changed to a disaster recovery service or given a public static IP once the Ethernet is in place."

Mobileum has been acquired by Audax Private Equity, a private equity firm focused on building middle market companies.

"Audax is an ideal partner for Mobileum at this stage in our growth and the partnership places us securely at the centre of an exciting time in the telecom industry," stated Bobby Srinivasan, CEO of Mobileum.

"Analytics enabled back-end systems coupled with conversational engagement solutions will be key catalysts in helping CSPs to compete and re-position themselves in the new digital economy and those that can best combine these solutions will thrive.

"Working with Audax, we expect to be able to significantly increase our M&A activities and continue to help our customers to optimise revenue and accelerate digital transformation."

Previously known as Roamware, Mobileum was founded in 2001 and has since sold its roaming and analytics solutions to over 600 mobile operator customers worldwide.

Pure Data Group, the umbrella company for Pure Data Solutions and Servatech, both acquired in 2014, has rebrand to The Pure Technology Group and signalled its intent to pursue more acquisition targets and double revenues within three years.

Cliff Fox, COO, commented: "The different names and identities were causing confusion among our customers so we decided to unify our brand and embark on a new strategy."

As part of the company's new push for growth it has recruited 14 additional employees in the past nine months, including the appointment of Gary Saunders as Sales Director in August.

"We have made some key hires and are looking to grow our capability," Fox added. "It is all about having the right talent, from both a commercial and technical perspective."

The recruitment drive boosts the firm's overall headcount to 89 staff members.

"Acquisitions and organic growth will see our numbers grow to approximately 150 in the next three years," stated Fox.

"We don't want to be the biggest company in the world but we have great ambition and a well constructed and achievable strategic plan."

He aims to generate £40m-plus revenues within three years, doubling its current £20m revenue rate.

"Acquisitions are a big part of our growth plans, with 11 potential deals currently in discussion and three or four in advanced talks," he added.

"There is going to be much more activity in large enterprise and SME cloud over the next 24 months, so acquisitions in this space will be important.

"We also want to extend our geography, so a southern-based company might be of interest."

Industry watchdog Ofcom has fined Vodafone over £4.6m following two investigations that uncovered mis-selling, inaccurate billing and poor complaints handling procedures. One investigation found that 10,452 pay-as-you-go customers lost out when Vodafone failed to credit their accounts after they paid to top-up their mobile phone credit. The affected customers collectively lost £150k over a 17 month period.

According to Ofcom, Vodafone didn't act quickly enough to identify or address these problems, which stemmed from the company transferring to a new billing system.

Vodafone also breached Ofcom's billing rules because the top-ups that consumers had bought were not reflected in their credit balances.

In a second investigation, the regulator found that Vodafone did not comply with its rules on handling customer complaints.

The money, which must be paid to Ofcom within 20 working days, will be passed on to HM Treasury.

Lindsey Fussell, Ofcom Consumer Group Director, said: "Vodafone's failings were serious and unacceptable, and these fines send a clear warning to all telecoms companies.

"Phone services are a vital part of people's lives, and we expect all customers to be treated fairly and in good faith. We will not hesitate to investigate and fine those who break the rules."

DMSL is aiming to entice more resellers onto the Vonage Partner Programme which was launched in the UK last month, with a series of promotions and adverts aimed at driving end user leads and highlighting the benefits of working with the cloud-based voice services provider.
 
Resellers can currently offer free IP phones with new 12-month or 36-month contracts for Vonage cloud-based phone systems.

The campaign also puts a strong emphasis on the estimated 30 percent savings that businesses can make on traditional business phone solutions, zero upfront costs, and the future-proofing, flexibility and remote access capabilities offered by Vonage's voice solutions.  

Additional benefits of the service include unlimited UK calling, the ability to use numbers with any area code.
 
Vonage is also providing next day delivery of phones and fast provisioning, so that customers can be set up almost straight away. DMSL is driving lead generation through its own nationwide campaign and providing marketing support, customer billing options and first line customer care and technical support as well.
 
John Carter, Managing Director of DMSL, says that the campaign is attracting the attention of smaller businesses. "Most businesses should be able to reduce their telephony costs by close to a third with Vonage and with the additional benefits and offers we're making it's a very attractive proposition."

VoIP phone maker Snom has been pocketed by VTech, a manufacturer of cordless phones and electronic learning products, in a move that is expected to deliver synergies in hardware and software development, expanded market channels in VoIP telephony along with improvements in operational efficiency, according to VTech Telecommunications President C.H. Tong.

"VoIP is the future of business communication and the industry is now transitioning to a cloud-based Unified Communications environment," he stated. "As a pioneer in this field, Snom is constantly developing new IP technology solutions to meet the needs of businesses worldwide."

Andre Deloch, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Snom, added: "The combination of VTech and Snom will strengthen the product portfolios of both companies in the VoIP industry."

The transaction is subject to the approval of the relevant regulatory authorities.

IT Europa has set the date for the tenth annual European Software & Solutions Summit which will take place on 30th March 2017 at the Royal Garden Hotel in London.

The event, which incorporates the European ISV Convention, will bring leading Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and Solution Providers (including Solution VARs and Managed Service Providers) together with hardware, software and service organisations to explore and address the issues affecting the development of the IT Industry in Europe and to develop and strengthen partnerships aimed at supporting solution-based sales.

The summit will feature a high-level conference programme with leading industry speakers addressing the challenges and opportunities facing ISVs and Solution Providers in Europe under the umbrella theme of 'software and Solutions 10 years on - Beyond the cloud in the Digital Age'.

"Organisations across Europe are looking for solutions that will deliver real value and business benefits for their organisations. Increasingly, that means looking beyond traditional applications to the development of a new generation of digital solutions," said Alan Norman, Managing Director of IT Europa.

"The European Software & Solutions Summit 2017 provides an opportunity for Europe's Software and Solutions communities to come together to address the issues affecting the development applications. It also provides a framework within which major hardware and software vendors, as well as service providers and system integrators, can meet and engage with the directors and decision makers of Europe's most significant ISVs and Solution Providers to create new business opportunities."

IT Europa will stage the European IT & Software Excellence Awards 2017 in London on 30th March 2017.

Now in their ninth year, the European IT & Software Excellence Awards have been designed to recognise and reward excellence in European software development and IT and Telecoms solutions provision.

The awards will bring together leading ISVs, Solution Providers and Systems Integrators from across Europe to demonstrate their ability to provide industry-leading IT solutions for their customers.

The awards are split into three sections. The first set of awards is for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and software developers and highlights the applications that they have developed and delivered for their customers. The second set of awards, for Systems Integrators, Solution VARs and MSPs acknowledges their skill and endeavour in delivering world class IT solutions for their customers. The final set of awards, for Suppliers, highlights those vendors, distributors and service providers who best support their channel partners to deliver excellence.

"With the complexity of technology continuing to increase and new cloud-based and hybrid delivery models emerging, the role played by ISVs, solution providers and integrators in delivering real solutions to end customers is becoming increasingly important," said Alan Norman, Managing Director of IT Europa.

"The European IT & Software Excellence Awards are the only pan-European awards to recognise excellence in the creation and delivery of real solutions and are intended to encourage the development of partnerships between vendors and solution providers across the IT and Telecoms industries."