Comms Dealer

Aegis IT has been rescued by Technology Services Group (TSG) which bought the failing firm out of administration from rescue and recovery specialists Begbies Traynor.

TSG saved the jobs of all of the Aegis staff who will be integrated into the TSG team.

TSG Chief Exec David Stonehouse said: "Given the quality of both the customer base and the team there was a high level of interest in acquiring Aegis.

"Both the team and the customers fit perfectly with delivering our strategy to increase penetration in the mid-market, most importantly sharing our consultative approach and a deep understanding of technology.

"I'm also delighted that the staff are so enthusiastic about the opportunities for development and career progression that we can offer at TSG."

With expertise across cloud, infrastructure and applications, TSG is an ISO 9001 accredited IT solutions company headquartered in Newcastle with 400 employees in offices around the UK.

TSG holds six Microsoft Gold competencies and continues to make significant investment in the development of its own managed IT services solution, SystemCare.

O2 has launched Just Call Me, a new conference calling solution for businesses. The service turns a mobile number into a conference bridge, removing the need for lengthy and complex dial in details and hidden premium rate charges, said the company.
 
According to O2 Business's own research, over half (52%) of UK workers found conference calls to be more personal, and one third (32%) felt they helped them manage their time more efficiently.

But conference calls are often not widely used in the workplace with the main reasons cited as noisy environments (24%), and difficulty with scheduling calls in diaries (19%).
 
Furthermore, over a third (38%) of respondents believe it is easier to get a point across during a conference call, whereas nearly two thirds (58%) of workers worry that the content of their emails will be misconstrued.
 
Paul Lawton, General Manager of SMB for O2 Business, said: "Our research shows that there's often a reluctance amongst UK workers to pick up the phone even though it might be a better option.

"With O2 Just Call Me we've made conference calling as easy as it can be. O2 Just Call Me forms part of  our recently launched business apps portfolio, giving our customers a range of communication tools so they can work smarter and more effectively."

The average UK worker now spends 288 hours, equivalent to 36 working days of the year, writing emails according to the study from O2 Business.

Research has found that over a third of employees feel 'overwhelmed' by their inboxes, sending on average 4,118 emails a year and receiving 6,225.
 
Despite over half (56%) believing that calling is more effective, the study into workplace communication revealed that the UK is  becoming increasingly over-reliant on email with nearly two thirds (59%) of workers using this form of correspondence more than any other.
 
O2 Just Call Me provides an alternative to email overload, said the company. The app can host a call for up to 20 participants, with no PIN codes and no premium rate dial-in numbers.

Participants do not need to have the app installed themselves and to join a call they just need to dial the host's mobile number as normal.

After years of on-off discussion and persistent industry speculation, Nokia has confirmed it will acquire Alcatel-Lucent (ALU), its rival in the telecom equipment business, for EUR 15.6 billion (a 28% premium for shareholders).

Subject to regulatory approval, the all-paper deal is expected to close during the first half of 2016.

"The merger of near-equals will create a company ranked second in the sector with combined 2014 net sales of EUR 25.9 billion and operating profit of EUR 300 million," said Frost & Sullivan's Senior Analyst for Information & Communication Technologies, Europe, Sheridan Nye.

"This long-awaited move is primarily a defensive one. Neither Nokia nor Alcatel-Lucent alone could realistically take significant share from market-leader Ericsson, or fight off aggressive competition from Huawei. The merger creates a competitor that is stronger than the sum of its two parts. The timing is also good as both companies have completed the worst of their cost cutting programmes and Nokia has extracted itself from the lacklustre Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) joint venture.

"But the challenge is to convince employees and shareholders that cultural integration will be more effective than at either Alcatel-Lucent or NSN, both of which suffered from fragmented governance of merged companies with strong cultures and histories.

"Almost exactly 10 years ago, French national champion Alcatel merged with Lucent, AT&T's former technology arm, but the deal largely failed to realise its potential. Nonetheless the company's customer base in North America now represents its most valuable asset.

"In effect, this 'merger' could be seen as a takeover as the new Nokia Corp will be headquartered in Finland and Nokia's Rajeev Suri will continue as CEO. But implementation will take time and money and effective management will determine whether it succeeds or fails. Nokia also needs to convince competition regulators - notably in the United States and China - to approve the deal, a process that could take several months.

"The passing of the Alcatel and Lucent names into history will be mourned by some, but ultimately it is more important to enter the next phase of telecom transformation under a single, unified banner."

The line-up of finalists for this year's Comms Dealer Sales Awards (Café De Paris, London, May 7th) has been announced following a rigorous judging process. This must-attend event (headline sponsor Eclipse) recognises and applauds the creme de la creme of the ICT industry's revenue generating stars who have greatly excelled in their profession during the past year.

"We call on the industry to come and celebrate the success of our finalists and ultimately our winners at this year's awards ceremony luncheon," enthused event organiser and Comms Dealer Editorial Director Nigel Sergent.

"Whether you are a vendor, distributor or a reseller in the channel don't miss this unique opportunity to share the success of your partners and peers and network with industry friends and colleagues at one of the most motivating and fun events in the channel calendar."

Pete Tomlinson, Director of Sales, Marketing and Product at headline sponsor Eclipse (pictured above delivering the 2014 Sales Award keynote), added: "The ability of our sales and marketing teams to create value in our own businesses and to change the lives of our customers is unparalleled, yet all too often this goes unrecognised.

"These awards ensure that this is no longer the case and recognise the skills and commitment of the most talented people in what is now a true profession. I am delighted to be part of celebrating this success with Eclipse as headline sponsors."

To book your table or individual place please contact Simon Turton - simon@bpl-business.com 01895 454 603, or Claire Hatchett - chatchett@bpl-business.com 01895 454 476

THE COMMS DEALER SALES AWARDS 2015 SHORTLIST

Reseller Sales Team of the Year up to £2.5m

Dataphone
Exsel
LDD Group
Lilly Comms
Nexus IP

Reseller Sales Team of the Year £2.5m-£7m

Nix
Uplands Mobiles
Berry
Greenfields
Imerja

Reseller Sales Team of the Year £7.5m plus

Focus Group
Elite Comms
IP Solutions
Olive Communications

Reseller Best Marketing Campaign

Calyx
Lilly Comms
Olive Communications
T-TECH

Service Provider Channel Account Team of the Year

Channel Telecom
Comms-Care
Coms
Fidelity Group
Frontier Voice & Data
GCI
Node4
Vaioni Wholesale
Zest 4

Service Provider Channel Marketing Team of the Year

Channel Telecom
Comms-Care
GCI
Voiceflex

Service Provider Channel Marketing Campaign of the Year

Channel Telecom
Frontier Voice & Data
ICUK
Voiceflex

Distributor Channel Account Team of the Year

Daisy Distribution
Exertis
Nimans
ProVu
Siphon
Westcon

Distributor Channel Marketing Team of the Year

Pragma
Westcon
Siphon
Nimans

Distributor Channel Marketing Campaign of the Year

Ingram Micro EU
Nimans
Pragma
Westcon

Vendor Channel Account Team of the Year

8x8
Ebillz
Entanet
Gamma
Jabra
Union Street
Virtual 1

Vendor Channel Marketing Team of the Year

Entanet
TMS
Virtual 1
Union Street

Vendor Channel Marketing Campaign of the Year

BT Wholesale
Cisco
Entanet
Jabra
Union Street
Virtual 1

Telstra has completed the acquisition of Pacnet, a provider of connectivity, managed services and data centre services to carriers, multinational corporations and governments in the Asia-Pacific region.

Telstra Group Executive, Global Enterprise and Services, Brendon Riley said Pacnet would be integrated into Telstra and the Pacnet brand progressively retired.

Telstra will continue the development of the joint venture in China. US assets will be integrated when regulatory approval is obtained.

"The completed acquisition will double Telstra's customers in Asia, and greatly increase our network reach and data centre capabilities across the region," said Riley.

"This includes the addition of the largest privately owned intra-Asia cable network, 29 data centres and the ability to further grow our China operations through the existing joint venture.

"The acquisition provides us greater specialisation and scale, including the delivery of enhanced services, such as software-defined networking and opens up significant incremental opportunities for our business."

Nimans has strengthened its network services proposition by becoming a 'superConnected Cities' authorised supplier - with more locations now added to the project.

The Government scheme has been expanded to cover 50 cities to help businesses gain access to the best broadband speeds available, via their resellers. The project has been extended to March next year having been due to finish this Spring.

The SuperConnected Cities programme is managed by Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), a unit within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It has now been extended and covers new locations such as Liverpool, Southampton and Glasgow - creating additional reseller revenue opportunities.

"The initiative provides financial support of up to £3,000 for Superfast Internet connectivity to small and medium businesses," explained Mark Curtis-Wood, Head of Nimans' Network Services.

"Many of our resellers have already harnessed the opportunities as Nimans is an an official supplier of the scheme. We can help them target their customers and get competitive quotes to potentially save thousands of pounds on install costs.

"I think the Government scheme to provide UK residents and businesses with access to the best broadband speeds available is good news for everyone - and will have a positive impact on our industry and the economy in general.

"Expanding the scheme from 22 cities to 50 creates many more reseller opportunities. We are delighted to be playing a significant role and don't want resellers and their customers to miss out.

"The government is committed to making sure that the benefits of improved broadband services are felt by as many homes and businesses in the UK as possible, to build on the rapid pace of change in the UK's broadband infrastructure, and to ensure that consumers continue to enjoy high speeds, a competitive broadband market, and attractively-priced services."

Alderley-Edge based Chess has released more details on a trio of acquisitions made in March, bagging IT systems provider Compwise Systems, the business telecom assets of provider Businesscoms Consultancy, and the carrier services division of Calyx Managed Services.

The deals extend Chess' IT portfolio, bolster its customer base for fixed lines, calls and data provision, and supports the firm's vision to provide complete end-to-end solutions for businesses.

They bring £8m additional revenues and over £1m to Chess' EBITDA.

Chess CEO David Pollock said: "These three businesses deliver technological advantages to customers. We have the talent, knowledge, skill, experience and drive to build a business we can all be proud of, our people will now strive to maximise the potential of these businesses within the Chess Group."

Daisy Wholesale has integrated netEvidence's Highlight cloud-based monitoring and reporting service into its Ethernet family of products, delivering a new level of intelligence and control across its Ethernet services.

From April 2015, Daisy Wholesale will deliver Highlight to all existing reseller networks and as part of all future placements.

Oliver Green, Project Manager at Daisy Wholesale, said: "We wanted to add value and enhance our Ethernet family of products. Highlight makes our services far more attractive with a new level of intelligence that wasn't on offer before."

Using Highlight resellers can monitor the stability of services, line health and usage to foster better communications with their customers. 

They can also give customers access to the same online reports with opportunities to upsell the service with greater reporting features and functionality.

ScanSource Communications is to extend its training offerings in Europe through its ScanSource University programme.

Seven new courses for Avaya have recently been made available. ScanSource University's training capabilities now include nine Technical and five Sales workshops, which are regularly scheduled in various locations throughout Europe.
 
Iain Murdoch, business development manager, University and Services for ScanSource Communications, Europe, said: "These training programmes are instrumental in developing and reinforcing the experience and knowledge of our partners' Sales and Technical staff, enabling them to become as self-sufficient as possible with the Avaya solutions they sell and support."

Craig Skelton, EU distribution sales lead, Avaya, added: "The better trained our resellers are the better able they are to deliver the high-level service and support customers demand. We view ScanSource University as a route to better informed partners and more satisfied customers."

A trio Six Degrees Group (6DG) employees have witnessed first hand the positive impact that HOPEHIV projects are having on Malawi's younger generation.

Through education, youth clubs, vocational training and microfinance initiatives, vulnerable children and young people in Malawi are being protected and empowered to build a better future for themselves.

HOPEHIV provides support for orphans and vulnerable children in sub-Saharan Africa whose lives have been deeply affected by HIV/AIDS.

They work closely with project partners in both urban and rural communities to provide these children with a network of emotional and social support and teach them the values of education, child rights and economic empowerment.

Six Degrees of Hope, 6DG's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, has supported HOPEHIV since the company's creation in 2011.

In three years, Six Degrees of Hope has raised over £200,000 for the charity.

The three Six Degrees of Hope Ambassadors who travelled to Malawi visited the community projects that they have helped to fund and to listen to the inspirational accounts of the beneficiaries.

They visited pre-schools, Kids Clubs', vocational trainees and a VIP (Village Investors Programme) group which all provide crucial support for orphans and vulnerable children and their guardians.

HOPEHIV's CEO, Mark Glen, said: "6DG have been such a significant and committed partner to HOPEHIV over the last few years, and we are constantly bowled over by the energy and effort they invest on behalf of our cause. It was a privilege to be able to take three of the team to Malawi, to show them in person the kind of life-changing impact their ongoing involvement is making possible."

Campbell Williams, Group Strategy and Marketing Director, 6DG, said: "It was an honour and a pleasure to be part of the team visiting Malawi. The trip provided an invaluable insight into HOPEHIV and the grassroots approach they adopt to improve the lives of vulnerable children and young people in sub-Saharan Africa.

"We saw directly the immense difference that HOPEHIV is making to some very rural communities by providing support, education and training to a generation of hope. Seeing the projects first hand gave us a new understanding of the charity and a new level of determination to support them in their work."

6DG's most recent fundraising events, including participating in the London Duathlon, the 6DG Charity Golf Day and the 2015 Ski Trip, have raised nearly £50,000 for HOPEHIV.