Comms Dealer

New research by IT Europa shows that Europe presents a patchy picture of managed services provision. Decisions on which cloud suppliers to work with, which services to use, the pace of expansion and the management of systems and users, particularly those on mobile links, are being debated in an environment with little history and experience on which to build a strategy.

The Managed Services & Hosting Summit 2015 will set out to answer some of these questions, according to IT Europa .

Many of the industry's leader providers of technology and solutions for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) have already signed up as sponsors including: MaxFocus (LogicNow), Autotask, Azlan, ConnectWise, Databarracks, Datto, LabTech, ScienceLogic, SolidFire, Soonr, Sunrise Software, Tintri, Webroot, Bitdefender, ManageEngine and StorageCraft.

There are also already more than 200 qualified delegates who have registered to attend, of which 75% are CxO level (Director and above). Registration is free-of-charge for qualifying delegates.

Another issue to be debated at the summit will be the appropriate size of providers: The big consumer brands - Amazon Web Services, Google etc are in the public eye, but business wants specialist suppliers.

Christian Nagele, Autotask's General Manager of RMEM, told IT Europa: "We come across plenty of small-medium MSPs who deliver excellent service for their clients while driving profitable revenues for themselves. Growth is often slow, organic and achieved through referrals. They are profitable as the business is efficient and optimised (through effective processes and tooling as well as careful customer selection)."

The market may be getting harder to call, however. Researcher Tariff Consultancy forecasts that while data centre space and power in Europe will increase by almost 20% from the end 2015 to the end of 2020 with the UK being the largest single market in Europe, pricing has reached its limit, with average rack space and square metre pricing forecast to decline by 10% over the five year period.

This will put pressure on those counting on a rising demand and consequent returns. One further twist will be the rate of consolidation - already acquisitions are running at a peak; it is not just customers, but skills and expertise that are forcing the pace.

On the horizon for service providers is the expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) where its use in automotive, healthcare and other vertical sectors is expected to scale dramatically.

The Managed Services & Hosting Summit 2015 is organised by IT Europa and Angel Business Communications, will be staged on 17th September 2015 at 155 Bishopsgate, London.

Annodata has been awarded both the Customer and Digital Excellence accolades at the O2 Direct Partner Network Awards 2015.

The awards were established after the relaunch of the O2 Direct Partner Network earlier this year to celebrate companies providing best-in-class services and support.

The Customer Excellence Award focuses on partners' overall capability to provide world-class customer support and service, while the Digital Excellence Award focuses on digital knowledge, capability and performance of O2's digital partners.

Since being announced as an O2 'Centre of Excellence' in 2010, Annodata has built up a nationwide base of mobile customers. As a winner in both categories, Annodata will receive additional marketing and digital consultancy support from O2 to encourage further business development.

Stuart McAlpine, Head of Annodata's Communications division, commented: "Mobile and Unified Communications are key growth areas for Annodata. While mobile is a relatively recent addition to the Annodata service portfolio, it has really taken off. To be recognised for our achievements in this sector is a coup indicative of Annodata's successful expansion into new markets.

"We are committed to growing the mobile arm of our business and we expect to double our base over the next two years, working to cross-sell with existing print customers and by pursuing new ones.

"The infrastructure and support offered by O2 will be invaluable."

Cloud computing take-up among UK SMEs) has increased 15% in the last year, according to the latest research from BT Business and the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).

The results, part of a wider survey which examined how UK SMEs use and benefit from technology, revealed that 69% of businesses use cloud-based applications, with more than half (53%) believing that they are critical to effective remote working.

The research also revealed that nine out of ten (91%) of companies now have at least one member of staff working from home, while a fifth of businesses (19%) have more than half of their workforce working away from their main office location.

In addition to cloud-based applications, other technologies seen as critical for effective remote working include remote access to company data (56%), wi-fi access when out of the office (64%), and fibre-optic broadband (33%).

Smartphones are seen as the technology that has made the biggest difference to businesses in the last 12 months (68%), followed by improved wi-fi access (54%) and cloud-based applications (42%).

When asked about the benefits the Internet has brought to their business, more than three quarters of respondents (79%) cited increased speed of communication, followed by improvements to customer service (64%) and enabling flexible working (63%).

Danny Longbottom, MD for UK SME, BT Business, said: "Technology is at the heart of a lot of the dramatic changes we're seeing within the UK SME market - whether that's offering the realistic possibility of working from home, increasing the effectiveness of people when they're out of the office or opening up new markets, both in the UK and internationally. Central to those changes is connectivity, which is why we're investing heavily to provide access to the fastest connections possible for businesses across the UK."

Dr. Adam Marshall, Executive Director of Policy and External Affairs, BCC, added: "It is vital to ensure that UK businesses have access to world-class digital infrastructure if they are to maintain their competitiveness in a global marketplace.

"Cloud and mobile technologies are becoming increasingly important as firms expand into new markets and explore new ways of working - especially overseas. It is encouraging to see that so many British firms are adapting their working practices to take advantage of these developments."

Growing firms in the comms sector must do more to attract and retain top talent in STEM roles as the latest quarterly employment figures reveal stalled employment growth and a rise in unemployment, warned technology staffing firm Gibbs S3.

Farida Gibbs, Founder and CEO of Gibbs S3, said: "The UK is now close to full employment after two years of solid growth. However, while employment levels are still high, there is still a severe shortage of experienced, skilled workers in key technology-driven industries like oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods and financial services.

"A lack of access to the right technology talent has a severe impact on a company's ability to expand, and when the growth of international, blue chip companies falters it impacts the entire economy. Working with some of the world's biggest companies, we have seen the shortage is pushing up wages as more demand is placed on a dwindling pool of quality workers.

"It is more important than ever for expanding companies to invest in high quality personnel. Hiring under-skilled or inexperienced workers, especially technical specialists, can cause entire projects to fail and derail growth plans. Firms must ensure they are able to balance the reward of a successful new hire with the risk of those that don't measure up.

"Leading companies are increasingly demanding a hybrid approach to workforce solutions that are in tune with their specific business challenges across both long-term recruitment and for short-term projects.

"The challenge doesn't end with getting top workers on board however, and firms must offer the most attractive incentives and growth prospects to staff to retain them. They must think outside the box and offer a complete package that extends beyond a competitive salary."

Azzurri Communications has secured a place on nine out of the ten available Lots on the Network Services Framework (RM1045).

The new framework, which went live in July 2015 and is operated by the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) on behalf of the government, enables any public sector body to procure ICT services from credible, vetted providers.

The framework enlists suppliers and pre-approves their capabilities, assessing companies based on experience, company size, reputation, adherence to standards, financial stability, and compliance with the law. Public sector bodies assess their own requirements, and approach providers in the appropriate lot for proposals, which are typically awarded based on the most economically advantageous tender.

"This is hugely important for Azzurri in several ways," said Chris Jagusz, CEO of Azzurri Communications. "Firstly, it of course gives the business access to a huge addressable market in the public sector. Secondly, it is testament to the breadth of our portfolio, the quality of our partnerships, and the strength of our references. We are delighted with this result, not least because it unequivocally shows Azzurri to be more than capable of competing and succeeding on the largest of stages."

The latest procurement analysis from the CCS anticipates total spend through the framework over the next four years will be in excess of £3bn with an associated savings target of £556m over the same period.

The Network Services Framework is anticipated to deliver savings in excess of £500 million for departments and the public sector.

The new framework will provide simplified access to network and telecommunications services, replacing the existing PSN Services, PSN Connectivity and Telephony Services agreements.

The Network Services Framework lasts four years and is designed to replace the Public Sector Telecommunication Services (PSTS), Public Services Network Connectivity (PSNC) and Public Services Network Services (PSNS) frameworks, with which it will run concurrently for a time after PSN was extended.

ShoreTel has advanced its UK expansion strategy following a partnership with Nuvola Distribution.

Adrian Hipkiss, VPof EMEA at ShoreTel, commented: "We selected Nuvola for its UC services background including skills in application integration and cloud services.

"Alongside its services capabilities, Nuvola, as a true service value added distributor is strongly committed to offering customers the solution that is just right for them, which is something we value highly.

"This partnership marks further expansion of our business in the UK and will allow us to address both new markets and new types of partners. This will help us to continue to deliver flexibility and choice to businesses around communications in the enterprise."

Michael Lloyd, MD at Nuvola Distribution, added: "In today's IT environment the reseller must be able to deliver the total solution and partnering with ShoreTel and Nuvola in the UK ensures they are in position to do this."

The European SMB cloud services market will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17% within next three years (from €18.9bn to €30.1bn), according to latest SMB Cloud Insights report from Odin.

Now in its fifth year, the Odin annual report identifies trends within the cloud computing industry and its impact on SMBs within the European market.

A highlight of European cloud services market growth will be the infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) market which is expected to increase from €7.6bn to €11.6bn.

The healthcare and finance/insurance industries will increasingly invest in security and server backups due to regulatory requirements. Professional and technology/science industries will also lead the adoption of IaaS.

"Increasingly, we see more and more SMBs realising the business benefits of cloud adoption, and as a result we see businesses are not asking why or how they will adopt the cloud, but when," said Jacek Murawski, Odin EMEA General Manager and Vice President.

Organisations now making the move to cloud services recognise the benefits of security, resilience, flexibility, scalability and business continuity. "By becoming cloud adopters, organisations can be safe in the knowledge that their IT is secure, which enables them to focus on their core business needs and do what they do best," added Murawski.

Good Energy, the fast-growing 100% renewable electricity supply and generation company, has agreed a three-year mobile phone deal with Excalibur Communications.

The Chippenham-based company has switched from a direct contract with a network provider to Excalibur's fully managed service.

Good Energy's IT Infrastructure Manager Steve Simmonds said: "As a rapidly growing organisation, it was time to review the way we managed our mobile phone needs, and Excalibur offers us a great fit."

James Phipps, CEO at Excalibur Communications based in Swindon, added: "Working with such a go-ahead customer-focused company as Good Energy is also a good fit for us at Excalibur. We work hard to remove those pain points by not only providing the right products and the right tariffs, but exemplary customer service so that we can become a long-term trusted partner."

Business investment in ICT has hit a new record high, jumping to £34.4bn last year - up by a quarter (24%) since the height of the recession in 2009 (when businesses' IT capital spending was just £27.6bn), according to BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions.

The company says that private sector IT investment has now 'far exceeded' its pre-crisis peak of £30.9bn in 2008.

According to BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions, this growth is being driven by investment in software which has jumped by 6% in the last year alone from £25.8bn in 2013 to £27.5bn in 2014. In the first quarter of this year, businesses spent £6.9bn on software.

Software now accounts for 80% of businesses' IT capital expenditure, up from 74% ten years ago.

Tristan Watkins UK Country Manager for BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions, said: "Investment in software is surging ahead because while most hardware has become relatively cheap and increasingly standardised, developments in software are advancing all the time.

"Whether that's industry or application specific software such as accounting or design packages, supply chain management programmes or sophisticated security software, businesses know that the right software will help them to be more efficient or provide better customer service than their competitors."

BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions says that as investment in IT continues to rise, it expects to see further growth in businesses' use of 'managed services', with small and medium sized IT suppliers taking advantage of leasing to enable them to offer managed services to wider range of businesses.

The managed service model allows businesses to keep IT costs under strict control by outsourcing much of their IT requirements for a transparent all-inclusive monthly fee.

The same supplier provides configuration, network, security, training and maintenance services, along with the hardware and software and warranties. The fixed monthly payment can be better for cash flow compared to paying for equipment and support needs individually up front.

However, unlike cloud-based solutions, which offer some of the same advantages, there is no need for the buyer's IT facility to be managed off-site. This is particularly important for businesses handling sensitive information and data.

Watkins added: "With businesses increasing their capital investment they want to keep their IT budget under strict control, but without the worries about data security that could come with switching to the cloud. Combining a monthly fee with an on-site service would offer the best of both worlds, helping businesses to keep any in-house IT function lean, and acquire expertise that they do not have themselves, without running up unexpected and unbudgeted costs.

"Unfortunately too few small to mid-sized IT suppliers have been able to provide this sort of service, because it means funding costs like hardware, software, installation and consultancy upfront. Only the largest suppliers - typically working with the biggest organisations - are able to do that.

"Leasing can help smaller IT suppliers to put these packages together, wrapped into a single fee. The leasing provider can fund all of the initial costs, which only leaves future costs such as ongoing maintenance to be funded by the supplier.

"For IT vendors, being able to provide a managed service helps them to build valuable, long-lasting customer relationships. They prove their expertise by providing on-going support, making them a valued partner not just a one-off supplier. The predictability of the monthly payments is also an attraction.

"Vendors are increasingly asking us about the financing packages that we can provide to make all this possible."

A former army Staff Sergeant is firing up a new career with Warrington-based reseller Avandda.

Steve Goddard spent 22 years in the army, deployed to areas such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Cyprus and Northern Ireland, most recently flying Unmanned Air Systems (UAS).

"It's the end of my military career which I have enjoyed and I am now transitioning into civilian life," he said. "For my resettlement I am going in to the telecommunications sector. I've done military telecommunications such as satellite comms and Wide Area Data Networks, so this is a natural fit now."

Goddard (pictured left) was part of a group of resellers who took part in in-depth training courses at Nimans' Manchester headquarters to boost his Samsung technical knowledge. A three-day OfficeServ Foundation course was followed by a two-day programme about Samsung's sophisticated SVMI voice messaging solution.

"I've just started a job as a Project Co-ordinator with Avandda, which I'm grateful for," Goddard continued. "It's been a bit of a learning curve as I'm only just starting off and I need to get some hands-on experience. But I'm a lot more knowledgeable now. The course has been a massive stepping stone."

The two courses were some of the first technical training events to be held in the north, as opposed to Harlow in the south, explained Nimans' Head of Systems Sales, John Mckindland who emphasised that 'plenty more will follow'.

He explained how the entry-level OfficeServ course forms the foundation of all engineer training. Hardware, end points, configuration and programming feature in the comprehensive content. SVMI voice messaging placed particular importance on how to deter toll fraud, as well as focusing on menus, modes and installation techniques.