Comms Dealer

Ingram Micro has expanded its Cloud Marketplace into France, Netherlands and the UK.

The Cloud Marketplace offers partners online access to a range of cloud solutions and services.

Cloud vendors debuting on the Marketplace include Microsoft Office 365, Acronis, Nomadesk, and Cirius.

Ingram Micro anticipates adding others, including Intel Security.

The Ingram Micro's Cloud Marketplace is scheduled to launch in Belgium, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Sweden in the second quarter of 2015.

The Marketplace works as an 'ecosystem' of buyers, sellers and solutions that enables channel partners to purchase, provision, manage and invoice cloud technologies.

Channel partners can manage the end customer subscription lifecycle from a single, automated platform, provided and supported by Ingram Micro.

"For our channel partners, enabling businesses to operate in a hybrid environment that includes cloud-based solutions is as much about business transformation as it is about technology," said Carl Alloin, Executive Director Europe, Ingram Micro Cloud.

"Our Cloud Marketplace was designed to help channel partners quickly scale as they seek to expand their footprint and profitability in the cloud."

Microsoft Office 365 is now available on the Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace, providing partners the ability to directly purchase, provision, and offer unique Office 365 bundles, set prices and invoice monthly.

Partners can also offer consolidated billing.

SSE Enterprise Datacom (part of the SSE Group) is to be integrated into sister company SSE Enterprise Telecoms.

SSE Enterprise Datacom specialises in the design, installation and maintenance of in-building and campus-wide data cabling solutions as well as undertaking civil engineering works for the construction of private fibre networks for telecoms customers.

SSE Enterprise Telecoms provides data connectivity services between customer buildings throughout the UK, and the merger creates a single business unit designed to fulfil demand for high performance connectivity solutions and services 'from desktops to data centres'.

"Bringing the network build capabilities of the Datacom team together with the network operation capabilities of the telecoms team makes good sense," said Colin Sempill, MD of SSE Enterprise Telecoms.

A stand-out performance in the contact centre space has secured Britannic Technologies a top industry award from vendor partner Mitel.

Britannic Technologies was presented with the Contact Centre Partner of the Year Award at the vendor's annual Directors Briefing (staged at The Shard in London) by Executive VP and President for EMEA Graham Bevington.

The award recognises Britannic's revenue contribution of 41% year-on year-growth.

"This award is the result of Britannic's unwavering focus on developing and shaping their customers' contact centre and customer experience strategies, through thought leadership and industry best practice," said Bevington.

This is the third award bagged by Britannic for its contact centre expertise over the last year.

Jonathan Sharp, Sales and Marketing Director, Britannic Technologies, commented: "Our 30 years experience in the contact centre market combined with our consultancy approach is what differentiates us. We discover what the customer's challenges and issues are, and how we can help improve the customers' journey and benefit the business overall."

It's double points this April in Eclipse's Fastest 4 incentive scheme which is accelerating towards the finish line next month.

"April is the last chance for partners to enter Eclipse's Fastest 4 incentive which will see those collecting the most points racing supercars at the Aerodrome at Palmer Sport this June," said a spokesperson.
 
"In an effort to help partners secure a photo finish, Eclipse has doubled the points available throughout April, so those selling most of Eclipse's fastest four connectivity products (plus SIP Trunks) can hit the track."
 
Nexus, Adept Telecom, B4B Telecoms and ACS are the latest to secure places.

Zen Internet has augmented its credentials in cybercrime prevention as the first UK ISP to secure two regulatory accreditations - the Cyber Essentials Plus certification and IASME Gold standard accreditation.

The company's security controls were assessed by certification body SJG Digital.

Following accreditation Zen joins a handful of schools, police forces and online retailers who possess both the certificates.

Only 76 organisations hold Cyber Essentials PLUS, with Zen the only ISP.

Richard Tang, CEO of Zen Internet, said: "Awareness of online safety is increasing as Internet users are exposed to news of high profile hacks and malware programmes almost daily.

"Zen Internet is keen to prove we'll do anything in our power to ensure we don't unwittingly place our customers and their data in a jeopardised position in our now highly-connected world.

"We hope to work together with the government and SJG Digital to spread the word about these certifications, and make Britain a safer place to shop, socialise and do business online."

Customers are driving the pace of change in European software development, attendees at the European Software and Solutions Summit were told last week.

Consumers and users are pushing for more and better systems. "Patience with technology is plummeting," said John Madelin, Verizon EMEA marketing VP told the 150-plus in the audience drawn from ISVs and channels across Europe.

"Early adopters are no longer the ones who lose money," he said with a 'get in first' message for bigger gains by software companies.
And it was the opportunity to solve business problems with a minimal IT investment that would be the economic answer for customers, he added.

HP's Duncan Campbell said that the pace of change meant that the dialogue shifted even more to business outcomes, with faster cycle times on top.

Oracle's John Abel, Senior Director, EMEA Engineered Systems, pointed to a dramatic change in the software landscape with real cloud adoption in two years time more than doubling from the current position.

Virtualisation had driven efficiency, but 'had only taken customers so far'. It means that the 'everything as a service' model will appeal even more to ISVs who will need to look at not just Software-as-a-service (SaaS), but data-as-a-service, middleware-as-a-service, as well as infrastructure-as-a-service.

Interoute's CTO Matthew Finnie also looked at IT efficiency. "In a world where to the costs of people and real estate seem to only go up, business must turn to the silicon in the form of the digital model to push costs down," he said.

"He also warned that standing still was not an option for ISVs and solution providers generally, saying: "With most technologies forever evolving, trying to preserve stuff is no answer."

Earlier in the day, Gartner's Errol Rasit set the scene with a keynote on how customers, channels and competition was changing how IT was delivered.

He had started by saying that IoT is the most important thing to happen to IT in years, a theme quickly picked up by Melissa Di Donato, head of European Channels & ISV Programs at Salesforce.com who pointed out that a connected environment would mean connected sales teams, digital sales aids and an integrated customer platform as part of the broader pattern.
"The world has gone social with 2.3 billion social users, but companies are building their own social networks in the form of communities," she said.

There were other major implications for channels, she said, with the way things were sold.
Errol Rasit had earlier warned that only about 15% of existing channel sales teams would be able to sell concepts to business rather than the traditional point solutions. At least half the rest might be retrained to to the new ways of working, he said, but it would be an issue.

In the afternoon sessions, HP and Oracle seemed to be much in agreement for once, on the need to transform both their businesses, their channels and how customers interacted with them.

ISVWorld's CEO Rene van Erk commented that 'It feels like Oracle and HP are the emerging players in cloud and SaaS after years of headlines dominated by the likes of Amazon'.

HP used the occasion to launch its European ISV2SaaS programme which promised resources and help for software houses making the transition to the new marketplace.

It would offer ISVs a way to reach new markets with service providers and this was a key part of the HP move, Duncan Campbell said, and the model would be developed further in future years.

And while everyone agreed on the speed and nature of the changes in the industry, Oracle also warned of pressures in the channel for resources.

"Available skills are a rising barrier to cloud adoption, even as security concerns, while still top, diminish," commented John Abel - while ConnectWise's Solution Strategist, Malcolm Diack said that any differences in skills between networking and IT people were fast disappearing.

Tom Davis, Exertis VAD Vendor Manager for Dell said that support for channels making this transition would be essential.

telent Technology Services has been awarded a contract for the maintenance of over 1,400 street-based CCTV cameras and associated CCTV Matrices and Operator Interfaces, which collectively form a pan-London Traffic Control CCTV system operated by Transport for London (TfL).

The cameras are distributed across each of the 32 Greater London Boroughs as well as the City of London, and provide the eyes on the street for TfL, the Metropolitan Police, City of London Police, London Ambulance and media services such as the BBC and TfL's 'JamCam' service.

The system monitors traffic flow and as such assists greatly in the management of road incidents, bus lane and yellow box junction enforcement. The system also provides real-time information feeds to media channels and the travelling public.

The new contract has a term of up to seven years and will provide for a comprehensive maintenance service, the supplementary works required to replace obsolete or damaged units, and the deployment of temporary cameras to cover special events.

Iain Blackmore, Head of Traffic Infrastructure for TfL, stated: "Our Road Modernisation Plan is seeing huge investment being made to the capital's roads, improving journeys for all Londoners. This new contract is a good deal for London and will allow us to continue to actively monitor the capital's roads, helping keep disruption to a minimum."

Hats off to VoIP Unlimited's marketing executive Aimee Looker who raised over £558 while hosting a charity pub quiz in aid of HeadSmart, a campaign launched by The Brain Tumour Charity.

Looker, who is taking part in the London Marathon in April, added the money to her marathon pot, boosting her fundraising total to £970. She hopes to raise £2,500 for the charity by May.

The HeadSmart campaign aims to raise the awareness of brain tumour symptoms in children and young people, which include persistent or recurring vomiting, headaches and deteriorating vision.

The Brain Tumour Charity is the leading funder of brain tumour research in the UK, spending over £12 million to date on pioneering projects that will help adults and children with brain tumours.

Looker said: "I'm pleased with the turnout we had at Patrick's for the pub quiz. All the teams did well and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it.

"VoIP Unlimited has pledged to raise at least £10,000 in funds for The Brain Tumour Charity by this November, to raise awareness of brain tumour symptoms in children and young people. I'm just so happy to be doing my bit."

Jabra is celebrating a triple win at the Red Dot Design Awards 2015.

The headset maker was picked out for its Sport Pulse Wireless earbuds with built-in heart rate monitor, and wireless headsets Jabra Stealth and Jabra Storm.

Jabra fended off competition from 4,928 entries from 56 countries to win the awards.

Darcy Clarkson, Senior Vice President at Jabra states that: "Again, Jabra has won three Red Dot Product Design awards in one year, demonstrating that our intelligent audio solutions are on form with the latest design trends."

Sinclair Voicenet, provider of call recording and advanced contact centre applications to the public safety, financial and commercial sectors, has notched up turnover by more than 42% in the last financial year with a corresponding rise in profitability.

Director Peter Gough (pictured) said: "We have made a significant investment in developing new technology solutions and growing our sales and support teams to meet increasing customer demand."

Over the last 12 months Sinclair Voicenet has also experienced a 20% increase in headcount, and established an Advanced Services Group to streamline installations of complex applications that require high levels of technical expertise.

The firm is now the only partner of NICE Systems which is fully certified to manage and deploy advanced applications without having to rely on vendor support.

Sinclair Voicenet has also continued to invest in new products under the SmartVoice brand name.

"The coming year will see further success as we continue to expand the business, target a number of new markets and unveil significant new products," added Gough.