Comms Dealer

Collaboration software and services firm PGi has snapped up Modality Systems, the dedicated Microsoft Lync services and software firm.

PGi funded the purchase through its credit facility.

"Modality Systems is one of the most well-respected Lync practices globally, and we are excited to deliver their value and expertise to our customers," said Boland T. Jones, PGi founder, chairman and CEO.

James Rodd, Modality co-founder and CEO, added: "Since starting Modality in 2007, we have focused on helping organisations improve collaboration, productivity and business processes through the successful implementation of Microsoft Lync.

"PGi shares our focus and dedication to customer success, and we are thrilled to join forces to help companies worldwide reach their business goals through the power of unified collaboration."

With over 75 employees and offices in London, Seattle, San Jose and Sydney, Modality Systems is home to 45 Lync certified professionals, including six Lync Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) and three certified Lync Masters.

IBM has opened a new services centre in Leicester and  revealed plans to create 300 new jobs within the next three years.

The new hub will focus on high value application development and maintenance as well as test and systems management services that help organisations benefit from cloud, big data analytics, mobile, social and security technologies.

The centre will also join IBM's globally integrated capability network for public and private sector customers in Europe and around the world.

The hiring process is expected to begin immediately and, since the company will also offer the internships and hunt for local talents, it will work closely with the universities and institutions.

IBM's investment in the city should help increase the economic growth of the region and, to this end, the company will collaborate with Leicester City Council and the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership.

"This investment in job creation aims to inspire the next-generation workforce from local technical colleges and universities who will deliver the technology skills needed to drive business innovation in the UK," said Chief Executive, IBM UK and Ireland, David Stokes.

"The new centre will help to position Leicester as a hub for global businesses and reflects IBM's commitment to developing skills and providing technology services to business across the UK."

Mitel has announced that it will release its fourth quarter 2014 financial results on February 26th, 2015.

The company will host an investor conference call and live webcast on the same day.

Zen Internet is offering what it claims is a 'super-easy' self-install option across all of its FTTC products.

The option gives partners and their customers the freedom to install fibre broadband on their own timescale, removing many unnecessary headaches and delays, said Zen.

All new orders for Fibre 1, Unlimited Fibre 1, Unlimited Fibre 2 and Unlimited Fibre Office can be provisioned as Self-Install; and Zen will provide a next-generation 'Plug n' Play' TG589vn router worth £60 for free.

The router will be added to the partner's shopping basket automatically and delivered direct to the customer for £6.

"At our Annual Partner Event in November, partners talked about wanting more flexibility and choice around how their services are delivered," said David Barber, Senior Product Manager, Zen Internet.

"Since then we've been working on a number of ideas to make life easier for them, one of which is Self-Install.

"Opting for Self-Install removes all reliance on third parties to successfully get a next generation broadband customer connected. That's welcome news for many who often feel the pain of engineer visits and missed appointments."

Zen Partners can still choose between Self-Install and a managed/engineer install at the point of order. "Managed installs will still involve an Openreach engineer visiting the customer's premises, and partners can request a preferred installation date and time slot for the visit," added Barber.

"This gives Zen Partners the ability to cherry-pick the experience their new Fibre Broadband customers receive and manage the install on their terms."

Lifecycle management company Network 2 Supplies (N2S) has recorded impressive recycling figures despite a 23% increase in the amount of equipment it handles.

The equipment N2S primarily handles comes from redundant or decommissioned computer or communications equipment and associated cabling.

Much of the equipment can be refurbished for reuse or resale, which brings a revenue stream back to N2S clients in an environmentally friendly manner.

During 2014, the company (which has sites in Bury St Edmunds and London) handled over 800 tonnes of equipment, of which 99.6% was recycled.

Detailed figures show 70,730 kilos of the equipment were reused and 716,790 kilos was recycled. Just 3,295 kilos was sent to landfill.

Jack Gomarsall, N2S Managing Director, said: "To record a figure of just 0.4% of 800 tonnes going to landfill is quite remarkable. This serves as a real testimony of our Green credentials and our commitment to the circular economy.

"We deliver services which consistently return perceived technology waste back into resource for re-use, which has huge benefits for our clients but also the environment; it is a win, win situation."

N2S deals with global vendors hardware, decommissioning on client sites to transport and make sure equipment is transparently re-used or recycled.

Materials regular salvaged by N2S include precious metals such as gold, silver and copper, hazardous materials such as mercury and even steel and plastics.

Inclarity has been awarded a place on G-Cloud 6 (for SaaS), the Government's latest cloud procurement framework which includes the Digital Marketplace, an online catalogue that gives public sector organisations the option to choose services which best fit their needs.

Enzo Viscito, MD of Inclarity said: "The framework allows us to extend our cloud offerings to public sector organisations, and enables them to procure IT services without a lengthy tendering process, which will importantly allow them to become more efficient.

"As the demand for cloud continues to grow, more organisations than ever before are investing in cloud-based solutions."

Nimans has added a ‘dual socket' innovation to its connectivity portfolio.

Purchasing Director Andy Winfield says the new multi-purpose two-way USB plug is easy to install and suited to a range of vertical sectors from hotels and hospitals to schools, general offices and even the domestic market.

"The USB solution reflects growing demand for dual connectivity as the growth in mobile phone charging and power for laptops continues to rise," he said.

"It frees up standard plug sockets for other appliances, prevents overloading and is an easy way for resellers to upgrade sites and add more value to their revenue potential."

For decades the name Sennheiser has been synonymous with numerous innovations in audio technology. This year, the audio specialist is celebrating its 70th anniversary. It remains a family-owned and -operated enterprise, now headed by a third generation of the Sennheiser family. Today's CEOs, Daniel Sennheiser and Dr. Andreas Sennheiser, are the grandchildren of the company's founder, Prof. Dr. Fritz Sennheiser.
 
Sennheiser has made a significant impact on the evolution of audio technology over the past seven decades, from the world's very first open headphones, the HD 414, to present-day innovations such as the Digital 9000 wireless microphone system and MobileConnect, an inclusive audio-streaming solution for people with sight and hearing impairments.

To read more about Sennheiser's milestone achievement click here

The finalists for the European IT & Software Excellence Awards 2015 has been announced by IT Europa, with a total of 83 companies from 32 European countries have made the finals.

The winners will be crowned during the Awards Dinner at the Lancaster London Hotel on 25th March 2015.

With record numbers of entrants this year and the highest quality of project submitted, the European IT industry is demonstrating a new-found confidence and a widening range of abilities. In the list released of finalists in the awards, there is a wide range in the sizes of company, technology approaches taken and entries from all parts of the European region.

Chair of the judges and Editor of IT Europa, John Garratt, said: "There is some truly impressive work being undertaken here. The judges' scores were among the highest we have seen in the seven-year history of these awards. And the projects encompassed every type, from government-wide multi-year, multi-disciplined major schemes to innovative ideas for small vertical markets.

"I would like to thank all the entrants, and I think we can use the quality of what is presented here as a confirmation that IT across Europe is vibrant and able to take on the challenges posed by all types of demands from customers."

The finalists:
Solution Provider: SME Solution of the Year
Getronics
Databarracks
Utilize PLC
Enterprise Study Ltd
ADSOFTWARE

Solution Provider: Enterprise Solution of the Year
Xplenty
Accellion, Inc.
Sesui Ltd
Consortium S&T Serbia - S&T Crna Gora
SoftServe Inc.
Komfo
Green Fields
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Ltd

Solution Provider: Datacentre Solution of the Year
VIRTUS Data Centres
Node4
Green Fields
TechMahindra Limited

Solution Provider: Vertical Solution of the Year
VECTA Sales Solutions Ltd
Sesui Ltd
Getronics Services UK Ltd
Carrenza
Tech Mahindra Ltd
IBA Group
Safetybank by Olive Business Solutions

Solution Provider: Public Sector and Utilities Solution of the Year
BJSS
IBA Group
Consortium S&T Serbia - S&T Crna Gora
SoftServe Inc.
McKesson Imaging & Workflow Solutions
DRI
SCC

Solution Provider: Managed Services Solution of the Year
Utilize PLC
Fusion Media Networks
Diligent Boardbooks Limited
Neteven
Interoute
Logicnow
TIG

Solution Provider: Connected/Mobility Solution of the Year
AirWatch by VMware
Sesui Ltd
Connecting Software
SoftServe Inc.

Solution Provider: Storage/Information Management Solution of the Year
Avere Systems
TechMahindra Limited
Diligent Boardbooks Limited
BrightStarr

Solution Provider: Big Data, Business Intelligence and Analytics Solution of the Year
Bell Integrator
Xplenty
Northdoor plc
VECTA Sales Solutions Ltd

Solution Provider: Networking Solution of the Year
Bell Integrator
NetSupport Ltd
Circle IT

Solution Provider: Security Solution of the Year
AirWatch by VMware
SoftServe Inc.
The Lava Group
AlienVault

ISV: ERP/CRM/Relationship Solution of the Year
123 Insight Ltd
Sana Commerce
LIFE IS HARD

ISV: Information & Document Management Solution of the Year
Sana Commerce
DocLogix
Consortium S&T Serbia - S&T Crna Gora
Empolis Information Management GmbH

ISV: Big Data, Business Intelligence and Analytics Solution of the Year
Sana Commerce
Rosslyn Analytics
Vecta Sales Solutions Ltd
Muddy Boots Software
Databarracks

ISV: Connected/Mobility Solution of the Year
BrightStarr
Arkessa Limited
Connecting Software
LIFE IS HARD

ISV: Vertical Market Solution of the Year
Arkessa Limited
Consortium S&T Serbia - S&T Crna Gora
Content Guru Ltd
Symphony EYC
PureNet
Sequel Business Solutions
JETCAM International s.a.r.l.
Safetybank by Olive Business Solutions

ISV: Government/Utilities Solution of the Year
Consortium S&T Serbia - S&T Crna Gora
Arkessa Limited
Content Guru Ltd
UNIT4
Unicorn System a.s.

ISV: SaaS Solution of the Year
Vecta Sales Solutions Ltd
Komfo
Blue Jeans Network
Calendar42
channelcentral.net
Enterprise Study Ltd
Red Fish Systems Ltd
Safetybank by Olive Business Solutions

ISV: Software Innovation Solution of the Year
Sequel Business Solutions
Sana Commerce
Databarracks
Hosting Systems Ltd
Elephants Don't Forget Limited
5nine Software
BrightStarr
Komfo

Suppliers: Connected Technologies Vendor of the Year
QLogic Corp.
Emulex

Suppliers: Distributor of the Year
Wick Hill
ADN Advanced Digital Network Distribution GmbH
Hammer
Avnet
Espion
AB S.A.
Info Quest Technologies S.A.
Exclusive Networks UK

Suppliers: Finance/ Support Services Provider of the Year
BNP Paribas Leasing
Syscap

Suppliers: Security Vendor of the Year
Centrify
Fortinet

Suppliers: Service Provider of the Year
Interoute
Genius Networks

Suppliers: Software Vendor of the Year
EMC
IFS
Nexenta Systems

Suppliers: Technology Vendor of the Year
Toshiba
Tintri
EMC Corporation
Violin Memory
Oracle

OneM2M, the global standards initiative for M2M and the IoT, has issued its Release 1 global standards.

More than 200 member companies from the across the world contributed to Release 1's development through the seven ICT standards development organisations and five industry consortia that founded oneM2M.

oneM2M's Release 1 is a set of 10 specifications, all publicly available from oneM2M's website, covering requirements, architecture, API specifications, security solutions and mapping to common industry protocols such as CoAP, MQTT and HTTP.

oneM2M Release 1 also makes use of OMA and Broadband Forum specifications for Device Management capabilities.

Release 1 provides sufficient building blocks to enable today's generation of M2M and IoT applications to interwork with each other.

"Release 1 utilises well- proven protocols to allow applications across industry segments to communicate with each other as never before, not only moving M2M forward but actually enabling the Internet of Things," said Dr Omar Elloumi, Head of M2M and Smart Grid Standards at Alcatel-Lucent and oneM2M Technical Plenary Chair.

"Having such a set of specifications working together at the service layer to truly stitch M2M together will allow service providers to support applications and services across a range of industries. This opens up a whole new world, a future of seamless interaction to transform the way we all work and play in the future."

oneM2M Release 1 follows the announcement last August of oneM2M's Candidate Release specifications - the first publication of the specifications which have now become Release 1.

The Candidate Release was circulated for comment and amendment by the industry. In December a successful showcase event took place in Europe where demonstrations were conducted by technology companies and organisations.

"Tis is just the start of our role in the process. We now need to work on making the whole experience of using M2M much easier for everyone, as well as looking to achieve further seamless interworking with other IoT technologies through collaboration with the groups working on them," added Dr Elloumi.