Comms Dealer

Colt has agreed a partnership with Insight Enterprises to deliver networking, cloud and data centres services to Insight's 80,000 customers across Europe. Through Insight's cloud brand, customers will gain access to the IT services that Colt has developed specifically for the channel to take to market.

"This is another milestone in our journey to take our cloud services portfolio to market across Europe" said Scott Holmes, Director, Cloud Services North Region, at Colt.

Mobile airtime provider Daisy Distribution is cock-a-hoop having bagged the O2 Distribution Partner of the Year award for 2013 at the operator's annual partner conference.

The accolade, picked up at O2's conference dinner which took place on 30th January at The Riverbank Plaza Hotel, London, recognises Daisy Distribution's impressive net connections performance and revenue growth in 2013.

Dave McGinn, Managing Director at Daisy Distribution, said: "Although we continually perform strongly on customer acquisition, our goal for 2013 was to further improve our retention performance. This reward is a great testament to the hard work we put in over the past year and to the efforts of our teams and partners in delivering great business."

Angie Simpson, O2's Head of Distribution Partners, commented: "O2 and Daisy Distribution have enjoyed an excellent working relationship in 2013 and our strategic alignment has helped forge a closer working relationship over the last 12 months."

In an update to its 2008 and 2011 reports, Arthur D. Little has reviewed the performance of leading telecom suppliers in its latest Viewpoint 'suppliers - on the Road to Redemption?'.

The Viewpoint is based on a global survey of over 150 Chief Technology Officers and Chief Procurement Officers.

"After four tough years and significant M&A activity, the industry is showing initial signs of market repair," stated Clemens Schwaiger, a Principal in Arthur D. Little's TIME practice. "As a result of a number of consolidations and positive underlying demand for its equipment and services."

In 2012, 56 per cent of the top 26 operators spent more revenue on Capex than in 2011. This trend is expected to continue, leading to the telecom network equipment and services market delivering healthy growth of 3 to 4 percent CAGR between 2012 and 2017.

According to the survey, LTE/SAE, All-IP (Edge and Core), and Network Maintenance and Operations will be the fastest-growing segments.

However, the industry is still generating little cash despite turnover of USD 125 billion and positive top-line growth. In 2012, the five dominant players generated only USD 8 billion in net operating cash flow. This is an issue, as financial stability is one of the key criteria in procurement decisions.

Asian players have made considerable inroads, now accounting for 38 percent of industry revenue. Many operators see Huawei as an incumbent. Ericsson is another leader, followed by NSN, Alcatel Lucent, and ZTE. A majority of respondents expect the industry to move toward a competitive market of four financially healthy players with comparable product portfolios.

Network equipment suppliers are changing their business offerings to align with the strategic needs of telecom operators, positioning themselves as high-end managed service providers.

"Suppliers and operators will need to work together to manage the transition from growth to efficiency," said Karim Taga, Global Leader of Arthur D. Little's TIME practice. "The business models of operators will dramatically change, and suppliers must respond."

Nimans has added to its iQ PBX family of IP-based solutions with the new x600i, an enhanced version of its predecessor that's capable of 25 concurrent calls and offers an optional hotel module, soft client capabilities, call recording via USB and call logging software. RJ11 sockets are now front facing along with WAN, LAN and USB ports.

Nimans is the exclusive UK distributor of the gateway solution which is available in four versions, from the sub 12 extension market up to over 300 users.

iQ PBX Business Manager, Judith Addison, said: "Thex6000i represents a major step forward and provides resellers with even more ways to capture additional business. It's been redesigned, boasts added processing power and represents exceptional value for money as part of a very powerful all-round package."

Channel Telecom has unveiled a new portal providing partners with a secure Intranet for pricing with supporting information and product collateral.

The portal has a pricing tool for all the carrier networks that Channel Telecom is contracted. This makes it easy to check and compare prices without the need to contact Channel Telecom support staff.

Partners can also find details of any special offers or discounts that Channel Telecom is running currently. The updated portal is intended to make the pricing process faster and more efficient.

Clifford Norton, Managing Director, said: "Together with our website and our personal phone support the new portal will be an important information source for our partners. It gives access to the latest pricing and tariffs instantly online together with details of special incentives that we are running."

Britons are more likely than ever to take action against companies they're not happy with, and telecoms companies rank high on the list, according to a new study by Ombudsman Services.

New figures from the first Consumer Action Monitor reveal that there were 38 million complaints1 made about products and services last year - equating to one complaint every 1.2 seconds.

Internet telecoms companies were behind 7,676 of these complaints (14 per cent) second only to energy (17 per cent) and retail (17 per cent) while mobile telecoms complaints accounted for 10 per cent.

Of these complaints 72 per cent of people lodged their complaints directly with the supplier, while a further 14 per cent had to take their complaint to a third party after failing to solve the complaint with their supplier4.

The survey also revealed that a almost a third (31 per cent) of people that have complained directly to an internet telecoms company have done so three times or more in the last 12 months5.

When it comes to complaints about mobile telecoms (handset and network) in the last year 55 per cent of people sought recompense directly with the supplier, while 11 per cent had to resort to third parties when their problem remained unresolved6.

Despite the record number of complaints, things look set to get worse before they better as almost a third (32 per cent) of Brits saying they are more likely to complain about poor service now than they were a year ago7.

But the new measure, from Ombudsman Services, also reveals that many who have a problem still take no action, with 40 million problems not pursued thanks in part to the perception that complaining is 'not worth the hassle'8. These disgruntled customers deem the process of complaining to be potentially tiresome with time and effort identified as the main reasons holding them back.

Cynicism about companies adds to this sense of frustration, with more than a third (36 per cent) of people believing that big businesses are only interested in money and don't care if something goes wrong with a product or service, a sentiment that also highlights the importance of trust between businesses and consumers9.

Millions of consumers are also resorting to more direct action to get their problems dealt with, with social media frequently used as a way to gain companies' attention. This method is proving much more effective than traditional media (27 per cent (social) vs. 6 per cent (traditional)10.

Commenting on the findings, Chief Ombudsman Lewis Shand Smith said: "Given that consumer trust in companies is low, the time is right for businesses to embrace third parties as a means of resolving disputes."

"The research shows that nearly a third of people would be more willing to buy a product or service from a company offering such a service, so transparency clearly has a big role to play in shaping consumer opinion and enhancing brand image."

Three has signed a deal with Virgin Media Business to provide a high-capacity upgrade to the company's mobile backhaul network.

The five-year, multi-million pound deal will see Virgin Media Business upgrade Three's backhaul services through its nationwide fibre optic network.

The new service will provide better connections between the company's 15 aggregation sites, already underpinned by Virgin Media Business via MBNL, the 50:50 network joint venture between Three and EE, and three core data centres across the UK.

The new fibre optic service will boost Three's network by a staggering 300Gb capacity This new deal will future-proof Three's network, ensuring every customer gets the 4G experience they expect. Whether browsing the internet, video calling or using mobile GPS services on the go, Three's customers will continue to receive a seamless connection.

George Wareing, sales director, Virgin Media Business, said: "In today's hectic world, people increasingly demand more from their mobile devices. Far from just making calls, now we want to do everything from browsing the web to streaming video. Being able to meet these demands and connect people to anything at any time is a challenge for today's mobile operators.

"Three recognises this challenge and is doing all they can to safeguard its future services. Through our network, they can meet customer expectations and deliver a fast and consistent connection."

Bryn Jones, Three's Chief Technical Officer, said: "Being able to browse the internet and stream videos instantly without buffering has become a minimum requirement for many customers when deciding on their provider.

"With the new high-capacity backhaul network from Virgin Media Business we are ready to welcome even more people to the Three family. Regardless of where they are, now all of our customers will receive the best possible experiences when using 4G."

Catherine Haslam, Senior Analyst, Wholesale, Ovum, said: "As mobile operators upgrade their radio access networks to LTE, it is important that they ensure backhaul and core networks have the ability to cope with the increased speed, capacity and latency demands that will follow.

"High quality, high speed fibre networks, such as that from Virgin Media Business, deliver this. They avoid the possibility of bottlenecks appearing in the fixed side of the network that could negate the increased performance of LTE over the air interface."

The finalists for the European IT & Software Excellence Awards has been announced by IT Europa. A total of 81 companies from 16 European countries have made the finals. The winners will be announced at the European IT & Software Excellence 2014 Awards Dinner at the Lancaster London Hotel, on 26th March 2014.

The European IT & Software Excellence Awards are the only pan-European awards which recognise the crucial role that ISVs, Solution Providers and Systems Integrators play in the delivery of real world solutions, and attracted entries from 25 countries. Entries were submitted by the ISVs, Solution Providers and Systems Integrators themselves describing the solution provided. Each entry had to be supported by an endorsement by the client.

"The quality of entries was extremely high and demonstrated the depth of talent in European IT and Telecoms channels," stated Alan Norman, Managing Director of IT Europa. "We had a record number of entries this year the finalists have come from right across Europe, with Central and Eastern European countries well represented."

"There was a definite shift in the nature of the entries this year, with real-world applications delivering clear returns, even in some sophisticated and demanding environments. I'd like to thank all the entrants for their hard work and enthusiasm in preparing them," says John Garratt, Editor of IT Europa. "The way software is now such a fundamental part of the total IT offering, and how much better its use, integration and future possibilities are presented in the solutions this year, impressed the judges."

There were nine categories for ISVs and eleven categories for Solution Provider solutions spanning all major customer and solution segments, from SMB to large enterprises and the public sector. In addition to the ISV and Solution Provider categories, there are five supplier categories for which ISVs and Solution Providers have nominated distributors, hardware and software suppliers, communications, hosting or business services providers for the support they have provided through their partner programmes.

ISV Categories - Finalists

Big Data, Business Intelligence and Analytics Solution of the Year
Conduct AS
Tollring

Communications/Mobility Solution of the Year
Derdack GmbH
MobiCloud
PTV Group
blue-zone AG

ERP/Supply Chain Management Solution of the Year
Poly.ERP
IBA Group

Government/Utilities Solution of the Year
INSOFT Development & Consulting
Software Innovation
SIVECO Romania SA
Doclogix
Thomsons Online Benefits

Information & Document Management Solution of the Year
DocLogix
AvePoint UK Ltd [project1]
AvePoint UK Ltd [project2]
SC SIVECO Romania SA
Software Innovation

Relationship Management Solution of the Year
ccapps
Tollring

SaaS Solution of the Year
Cybertill
Vecta Sales Solutions Ltd
Northdoor
Empolis Information Management GmbH
Nervogrid
Blue Jeans Network

Software Innovation Solution of the Year
Wauton Samuel
Norwood Systems Limited
Xtravirt
Vecta Sales Solutions Ltd
Tollring

Vertical Market Solution of the Year
PureNet
ccapps
Kirchhoff Datensysteme Software GmbH & Co.
KL SOFTWARE
ADSOFTWARE

Solution Provider Categories - Finalists

Big Data Business Intelligence and Analytics Solution of the Year
Roambi
DevScope
AP2S - OPENFIELD SOLUTION
Exceedra

Datacentre Solution of the Year
Green Fields Technology
TechMahindra - Project 1
TechMahindra - Project 2

Enterprise Solution of the Year
Consortium Hewlett Packard Romania - SIVECO Romania
IBA Group
4net Technologies Ltd
Sesui Ltd
AirWatch

Managed Service Solution of the Year
4net Technologies Ltd
M7 Managed Services Ltd
Green Fields Technology
Diligent Boardbooks Limited
Vision (Office Automation) Limited
Wavex

Mobility/Communications Solution of the Year
MobiCloud
AirWatch
Accellion
Liquid Voice
Outsourcery

Networking Solution of the Year
Easynet Global Services
SolarWinds

Public Sector and Utilities Solution of the Year
INSOFT Development and Consulting
Accellion
DocLogix
Consortium Hewlett Packard Romania - SIVECO Romania

Security Solution of the Year
AlienVault
Prot-On
Green Fields Technology
AirWatch

SME Solution of the Year
Node4
Mirus IT Solutions
Wauton Samuel
Tech Mahindra
Vecta Sales Solutions Ltd

Storage/Information Management Solution of the Year
AirWatch
Open-E GmbH

Vertical Solution of the Year
Birlasoft (India) Limited
Lightsout Computer Services
Northdoor
Aspekt
4net Technologies Ltd

Supplier Categories - Finalists

Distributor of the Year
Arrow ECS
Info Quest
Cloud Distribution
Hammer
Exclusive Networks
Advanced Digital Network Distribution GmbH

Finance/ Support Services Provider of the Year
SMS Olympic Support
BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions

Hardware Vendor of the Year
EMC
Toshiba
Emulex
Oracle Corporation

Software Vendor of the Year
AvePoint Ltd
Oracle Corporation
Trillium Software
NetSupport Software
Centrify

Service Provider of the Year
Outsourcery
Amazon WS

Comms giant Vodafone has reaffirmed its commitment to a unified fixed and mobile services strategy with the launch of a new broadband promotion designed to strengthen its presence in the fixed line market and underline the fully converged nature of its channel proposition.

Under the scheme – which is open to mobile and fixed partners who sell mobile through Vodafone Partner Services – partners that migrate their wholesale broadband to the network operator will be rewarded with reduced rentals, a free connection, free migration and a £50 cash incentive per connected circuit during the period of the campaign which runs until 14th April 2014.

Vodafone launched its fixed voice services in July last year when all partners became integrated into the Vodafone partner channel.

Rob Mukherjee, Head of Vodafone Partner Services, said: "As a total communications provider to the UK channel we are keen for partners to take advantage of Vodafone's fixed and mobile UK capability, which is supported by high levels of ongoing investment."

InTechnology Managed Services has signed a contract with INRstar, the Clinical Decision Support Software developed by Sullivan Cuff Software, which currently serves over 2,500 anticoagulation clinics in both primary and secondary care.

INRstar enables health professionals to securely navigate through increasingly complex decisions - a result of the arrival of new anticoagulation treatment choices.
 
InTechnology Managed Services won the contract as a result of its N3 pedigree, quality of infrastructure, scalability, support and account management.
 
Consequently, the INRstar N3 platform now has the back-up of InTechnology's UK-based support team 24/7, ensuring business continuity and peace of mind. 

Additionally the move to InTechnology has enhanced patient care as electronic patient data is no longer reliant on paper records, reducing administrative time and ensuring patient safety through the instant accessibility of up to date information.   
 
Through its IaaS solution with N3 connectivity, InTechnology moved SCSL into the cloud. This led to the provisioning of virtual server resources in the data centre for the running of the latest software version, INRstar N3.  

Thousands of healthcare professionals who use this software now have fast, secure access as a result of the initiation of direct links into the N3 network.
 
Mark Halpin, New Business Sales Manager at InTechnology, said: "We're very excited to be working with SCSL and are looking forward to supporting the company to achieve its main goals of enhanced performance, growth in market share in primary healthcare and expansion into other areas."