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The finalists for the European IT & Software Excellence Awards 2017 have ben revealed by IT Europa.

A total of 61 solution providers, 39 ISVs and 51 suppliers from 28 European countries have made the finals. The winners will be announced at the European IT & Software Excellence 2017 Awards Dinner at the Royal Garden Hotel, on 30th March 2017.

Now in their 9th year, the European IT & Software Excellence Awards 2017 attracted more than 500 entries. The awards are given for IT solutions that get to the heart of customer issues, delivering better business, a clearer understanding of data, and more efficient and profitable outcomes. The judges, with many decades of experience of IT industry involvement between them, have arrived at a list of finalists that they believe truly reflects both the strength of Europe's IT industry and many of the changes in direction occurring within it.

John Garratt, Editor of IT Europa, who heads the judges' panel says: "We have seen an even higher quality of entry this year. The fact that IT can make such a transformation in the business and organisation of so many enterprises, countries and organisations of all sizes is a tribute to the hard work that the industry puts in to effect such changes. In some ways IT transformation has been a well-kept secret and we aim to push out the core message in the coming year about just what the IT industry is capable of doing to a wider audience by highlighting some of the possibilities and potential contained in these awards."

The award winners will be announced on 30th March 2017 at a gala dinner and presentation ceremony.

The Finalists 2017:
Solution Provider Finalists 2017
Big Data, IoT or Analytics Solution of the Year
• Combis
• Allstate
• Datawright
• Zizo
• ProcessFlows
 
Connected/Mobility Solution of the Year
• Unit4
• Syskoplan Reply S.r.l.
• 360 Solutions
• Arkessa
• ANsecurity
• Capita IT Managed Services

Customer Experience/Management Solution
• RapidValueSolutions
• Bulpros Consulting
• Brookcourt Solutions
• Kamarin Computers
• Deutsche Bank
 
Datacentre Solution of the Year
• Schneider Electric
• Arista Networks
• Tech Mahindra
• Scale Computing

Enterprise Solution of the Year
• Unit4
• Tech Mahindra
• 4net Technologies
• Cleverbridge
• Acronis
• N-iX
• Cisilion
 
Managed Service Solution of the Year
• StorageCraft
• Hyve Managed Hosting
• Kaseya
• Business-e Spa
• netConsult
 
Public Sector and Utilities Solution of the Year
• Infopulse
• SIVECO Romania
• 4net Technologies
• NSFOCUS
 
Security Solution of the Year
• TIG
• Inforlandia, SA
• Corvil
• NSFOCUS
• Wavetree
• ANSecurity
• Allstate

SME Solution of the year
• Trilogy Technologies
• Intuitive Systems & Networks
• 123 Insight
• Cleverbridge
• Avangate
• Datawright
• Infopulse Ukraine LLC
 
Storage/Information Management Solution of the Year:
• Tech Mahindra
• Siveco Romania
• Unisys Corporation
• AltexSoft
 
Vertical Solution of the Year
• AltexSoft
• FHL Cloud Solutions
• SIVECO Romania
• Unisys Corporation
• Audacia consulting
• Cognizant Worldwide
• Excell Group
• Sequel Business Solutions
• Empolis Information Management
 
ISV Finalists 2017
Big Data, IoT or Analytics Solution of the year
• PureClarity
• Datawright
• Celaton
• Logi Analytics
 
Connected/Mobility Application Solution of the Year
• IBA Group
• LIFE IS HARD
• Total Mobile
• Arkessa
• Mellanox Technologies
 
Government/Utilities Solution of the Year
• SIVECO Romania
• Sorsix International
 
Information & Document Management Solution of the Year
• IBA GROUP
• LIFE IS HARD
• Cyroserver
• Qualsys
 
SaaS Solution of the Year
• ContentGuru
• SolarWinds MSP
• IBA Group
• Mitrefinch Ltd
• ZiMovi
• ConnectWise
• Quantiv
• DVS SOFT T/A PRINCIPALITY IT
 
Software Innovation Solution of the Year
• ESTECO
• StorageCraft
• Capita IT Managed Solutions
• Datawright
• Acronis
• ContentGuru
• Fookes Software Ltd
• Webroot
• Sequel Business Solutions
 
Vertical Market Solution of the Year
• Sorsix International
• Interconsul Bulgaria ltd
• PureNet
• Escher Group
• ContentGuru
• LIFE IS HARD
• Natech S.A.
• SIVECO Romania SA
 
Supplier Finalists 2017
Distributor of the Year 
• Tech Data 
• Ingram Micro      
• Arrow                   
• ABC Data  
• Westcoast 
• Exertis       
• CMS Distribution
• Cloud Distribution  
• e92plus     
• Nuvias (Wick Hill/Zycko)

Service Provider of the Year
• Annodata   
• AWS
• KPN 
• SolarWinds MSP
• OVH 
• GCI Network Solutions
• Hyve Managed Hosting         
• N-iX  
 
Finance/Support Services Provider of the Year
• BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions     
• Close Brothers Technology Services      
• Knight Corporate Finance 
• DLL Group
 
Security Vendor of the Year
• ESET         
• Symantec  
• Kaspersky 
• Avast /AVG
• Palo Alto    
• NSFOCUS
 
Software Vendor of the Year
• Microsoft   
• Red Hat
• Veeam       
• ConnectWise      
• Suse
• Avast /AVG
• CAS Software     
• StorageCraft       
 
Connected Technologies Vendor of the Year
• Cisco
• Daisy Group       
• Verizon      
 
Technology Vendor of the Year
• Dell EMC   
• IBM Watson        
• Informatica
• Tintri 
• N-iX  

Channel Programme of the Year
• AWS
• Zerto
• Riverbed   
• Informatica
• Schneider Electric
• Interactive Intelligence 
• Epicor Software Corporation

If reason guides business decisions then selling power is a logical no-brainer, claims Fidelity Energy MD John Haw (pictured) who urged resellers not to deny themselves the key to sparking up a new engine of growth.

In a bid to capture the channel's imagination Fidelity Energy is gearing up to stage two power-packed reseller roadshows (March 28th in London and March 30th in Manchester). Their aim is to shift a critical mass of power into the hands of resellers, thereby enabling them to spot sales opportunities at a 100 paces and step confidently into what Haw describes as 'the margin rich energy market'.

"In education, strategy, planning and support, our roadshows show the easy way to make selling energy pay," stated Haw.

He also noted that the channel is adept at morphing into new areas, and that Fidelity Energy's roadshows have been designed to fast track delegates into becoming resellers of energy in just three hours.

"The 'Gold Rush Discovery' roadshows will provide a full overview of the energy market and showcase the tools that enable partners to grasp this opportunity at speed," noted Haw.

He says the door to the energy market is wide open but success hinges on the support structures put in place by Fidelity which has invested significantly in developing a portal that is capable of procuring and managing a customer's energy services in just a few clicks.

"Delegates will learn how to sell the proposition, the angles that give partners a way in, details of the processes and how to ensure a great customer experience," added Haw.

The company has also invested in marketing tools along with straightforward go-to-market strategies that Haw claims will ensure partners gain an edge on entering this new market sustained by Fidelity Energy's support.

"For marketing we offer partners email templates, brochures and websites," explained Haw. "The roadshows will also outline what can be achieved when a comprehensive strategic plan is put in place."

He added that the roadshows will provide insights and deep context ranging from matters concerning the customer and winning deals to the main suppliers themselves, one of which will provide on overview of the energy industry.

Also being revealed is Fidelity Energy's new docusign process that caters for all suppliers, which Haw claims is a 'first for the industry'.

Register at www.fidelity-energy.co.uk/energy-discovery-events

Tech Data has completed its $2.6bn acquisition of the Technology Solutions business from Avnet, creating a global end-to-end IT distributor. 

Tech Data CEO Bob Dutkowsky said: "Our combined company is positioned at the epicentre of the IT ecosystem-with the scale and scope to serve dynamic markets throughout the world, giving our customers access to an end-to-end portfolio of IT solutions and bringing our vendors' products to new customers in more markets."

The addition of Technology Solutions broadens Tech Data's value-added distribution business, enhancing its go-to-market capabilities with complementary skills, expanded vendor relationships and new customer sets.

The combined company has a larger and more balanced geographic footprint, including a presence in the Asia-Pacific region, a new market for Tech Data.

The company has operations in 40 countries, with 14,000 employees serving approximately 115,000 customers in more than 100 countries.

The transaction is expected to be accretive to Tech Data's non-GAAP earnings per share in the first full year. The company expects to achieve annual cost savings of approximately $100m within 24 months, with one-time costs to achieve these cost savings expected to be approximately $150m. 

Pennine has bagged Bristol-based two-way radio and wireless comms firm Co-Channel Electronics, giving the Nycomm Group company a base in the south west.

Co-Channel Electronics was founded in 1978 and serves a broad range of clients across its region.

The firm's staff and operations will be integrated within Pennine's national PennineRadio division, with the Bristol premises retained as a regional technical and sales support hub.

Bury-based Pennine has confirmed that all Co-Channel staff will be retained apart from former joint owner Teresa Griffiths who is retiring, while founder and MD John Crawford will continue as a consultant.

Pennine MD Andrew Roberts (pictured) commented: "This acquisition will facilitate further growth and provide us with additional resource to service our existing client base in the region."

Pennine began its commercial life as a two-way radio servicing company in 1976. The company has since evolved into a provider of UC, mobile telephony, wired and wireless networking, cloud and IT services.

Ingram Micro is beating the cyber security drum having positioned security as one of the three strategic pillars in its cloud ecosystem alongside infrastructure and services.

The company has also pledged to make several investments into cyber security, including plans to expand its wrap-around services for channel partners and the launch of a cloud security business unit later this year.

As part of its security strategy the distributor has added the Symantec Endpoint Protection Cloud (SEPC) offering to its automated Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace.

SEPC configures policies based on the role of a user in an organisation and enables end users to self-enrol their own devices, corporate or personally owned, via their own online portal.

Apay Obang-Oyway, Director, Cloud Northern Europe at Ingram Micro Cloud, said: "With SEPC, our partners have access to a cloud-based endpoint security proposition via a monthly subscription, boasting the benefits of enterprise quality protection at an SMB price."

He cited figures from the Cloud Industry Forum that suggest the user base for cloud security is set to grow by almost half, with 36% currently deploying a cloud-based security solution, and a further 17% expecting to do so in the future. "Now's the time for resellers to maximise on the opportunities," stated Obang-Oyway.

The move follows the addition of Microsoft Azure in the UK to the Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace late last year.

Global IT distributor Ingram Micro was snapped up by Chinese investment firm Tianjin Tianhai a year ago for $6bn.

Atos has reported record results in 2016 and the over-achievement of all its 2016 financial objectives.

Revenue was €11.717bn, up +9.7% year-on-year, +12.8% at constant exchange rates, and +1.8% organically. Revenue grew by +1.9% organically in the fourth quarter, showing 'good sales momentum' and the continued revenue trend improvement.

This dynamism was particularly led by the Atos Digital Transformation Factory answering the strong demand of large organisations in their digital transformation.

Operating margin was €1.104bn, representing 9.4% of revenue, compared to 8.3% in 2015 at constant scope and exchange rates.

This improvement by +110 basis points was notably resulting from more cloud-based business and the execution of the Tier One efficiency program through industrialisation, global delivery from offshore locations, and continuous optimisation of SG&A. In addition, operating margin benefitted from ongoing cost synergies including the integration of Unify.

The commercial dynamism of the Group was 'particularly strong in 2016' with record order entry reaching € 13.0bn, +16.2% compared to € 11.2bn statutory in 2015.

It represented a book to bill ratio of 111% in 2016, of which 119% during the fourth quarter of 2016.

Full backlog increased by +11.9% year-on-year to € 21.4bn at the end of 2016, representing 1.8 year of revenue.

The full qualified pipeline represented 6.4 months of revenue at € 6.5bn, compared to € 6.2bn published at the end of 2015.

Net income was €620 million, +41.9% year-on-year and net income Group share reached € 567m, +39.6%. Basic EPS Group share was €5.47, +36.1% compared to € 4.01 in 2015 and diluted EPS Group share was €5.44, +36.5% compared to €3.98 during 2015.

Free cash flow reached €579m in 2016, +47.3% compared to €393m in 2015, materialising a strong improvement of operating margin conversion rate to free cash flow, reaching 52.5% in 2016 compared to 43% in 2015 and in line with the circa 65% 2019 objective. Net cash position was €481m at the end of 2016.

Thierry Breton, Atos Chairman and CEO said: "In 2016, we achieved an excellent performance by overreaching all our financial commitments. Atos delivered revenue growth across all sectors, as well as record margin improvement and free cash flow conversion.

"Accelerating innovation in cyber security, automation, and analytics, mirroring the booming demand from our customers, combined with a rigorous execution of our strategy were the key factors of this success. Our solid financial performance materialised the alignment of our comprehensive Digital Transformation Factory with rising client needs."

The European parliament has voted for EU-wide legislation to regulate the development and 'ethical' use of robots and artificial intelligence.

The parliament also demanded insurance schemes to cover liability for 'driver-less' cars. At the same time, MEPs rejected a proposal to impose a 'robot tax' to help retrain workers who lose their jobs from robot deployments.

According to the Frankfurt-based International Federation of Robotics, robot sales rose by an average of 17 percent per year between 2010 and 2014, and by 29 percent worldwide in 2014 alone.

The parliament heard that EU-wide rules are needed for the fast-evolving field of robotics to enforce ethical standards and establish liability for accidents involving driver-less cars and other robotic systems.

MEPs noted that regulatory standards for robots are being planned in several countries, and pointed out that the EU needs to 'take the lead' on setting such standards, so as 'not to be forced to follow standards set by third countries'.

They called for a mandatory insurance scheme and a supplementary fund to ensure that victims of accidents involving driver-less cars are fully compensated.

They also proposed a voluntary ethical code of conduct on robotics for researchers and designers, to ensure that they operate in accordance with legal and ethical standards and that robot design and use 'respect human dignity'.

In addition, they asked for a European agency for robotics and artificial intelligence, to supply public authorities with technical, ethical and regulatory expertise.

The vote in the parliament will lead to legislation being demanded from the European Commission, which the Commission is not obliged to deliver, but if it doesn't it has to formerly give reasons why it won't. The parliamentary resolution on an amended report was passed by 396 votes to 123, with 85 abstentions.

Report author and MEP Mady Delvaux from Luxembourg said she was disappointed that the idea of a robot tax was rejected.

She said: "Although I am pleased that the plenary adopted my report on robotics, I am also disappointed that the right-wing coalition refused to take account of possible negative consequences on the job market. They rejected an open-minded and forward-looking debate and thus disregarded the concerns of our citizens."

The decision to reject a robot tax was welcomed by the International Federation of Robotics. It told Reuters: "The IFR believes that the idea to introduce a robot tax would have had a very negative impact on competitiveness and employment."

The IFR maintains that automation and robots create new jobs by increasing productivity.

Germany's ADVA Optical Networking has expanded its Ensemble Harmony Ecosystem with six new partners to push its network virtualisation and cloud offerings.

The new partners are Iricent of Ireland, Jolata in the US, Netrounds of Sweden, Quortus in the UK, Senetas of Australia and Viptela in the US.

Brian Irish, Director, Global Marketing Programmes, said: "The latest expansion means more players, more technology and more choice for our customers. Ensemble Harmony helps us continue delivering on our promise of simplifying NFV (network functions virtualisation) for our customers.

"Together with our partners, we're accelerating the pace of software-based innovation and leading the way to a cloud-based future."

According to Gartner the value of the global market for BI and analytics will balloon to $18.3 billion in 2017, an increase of 7.3 per cent on 2016.

"The modern BI and analytics platform emerged in the last few years to meet new organisational requirements for accessibility, agility and deeper analytical insight, shifting the market from IT-led, system-of-record reporting to business-led, agile analytics including self-service," said Rita Sallam, Research Vice President at Gartner.

The market is expected to decelerate from 63.6 per cent growth in 2015 to a projected 19 per cent by 2020. Gartner believes this slowing effect is a reflection of data and analytics becoming mainstream. The market is growing in terms of seat expansion, but revenue will be dampened by pricing pressure, pointed out Sallam.

"Purchasing decisions continue to be influenced heavily by business executives and users who want more agility and the option for small personal and departmental deployments to prove success," she added. "Enterprise-friendly buying models have become more critical to successful deployments."

Gartner has identified the factors it believes are driving demand for modern BI and analytics. "While business users initially flocked to new modern tools because they could be used without IT assistance, the increased need for governance will serve as the catalyst for renewed IT engagement," noted Sallam. "Modern BI tools that support greater accessibility, agility and analytical insight at the enterprise level will dominate new purchases."

Vendors will also drive the next wave of market disruption, reckons Sallam. "The emergence of smart data discovery capabilities, machine learning and automation of the entire analytics workflow will drive a new flurry of buying, prompted by its potential value to reduce time to insights from advanced analytics and deliver them to a broader set of people across the enterprise," she added. "While this 'smart' wave is being driven by new innovative start-ups, traditional BI vendors that were slow to adjust to the current 'modern' wave are driving it in some cases."

Meanwhile, the need for complex datasets is driving investments in data preparation. Business users want to analyse a diverse, often large and more complex combinations of data sources and data models, faster than ever before. The ability to rapidly prepare, clean, enrich and find trusted datasets in a more automated way becomes an important enabler of expanded use, according to Gartner.

"Extensibility and embeddability will also be key drivers of expanded use and value," emphasised Sallam. "Both internal users and customers will either use more automated tools or embed analytics in the applications they use in their context, or a combination of both. The ability to embed and extend analytics content will be a key enabler of more pervasive adoption and value from analytics.

Support for real-time events and streaming data will be another driver, as organisations increasingly leverage streaming data generated by devices, sensors and people to make faster decisions. "Vendors need to invest in similar capabilities to offer buyers a single platform that combines real-time events and streaming data with other types of source data," said Sallam.

Cloud deployments of BI and analytics platforms have the potential to reduce the cost of ownership and speed up the time to deployment. However, data gravity that still tilts to the majority of enterprise data residing on-premises continues to be a major inhibitor to adoption. That reticence is abating and Gartner expects the majority of new licensing buying likely to be for cloud deployments by 2020.

"Marketplaces will create new opportunities for organisations to buy and sell analytic capabilities and speed time to insight," explained Sallam. "The availability of an active marketplace where buyers and sellers converge to exchange analytic applications, aggregated data sources, custom visualisations and algorithms is likely to generate increased interest in the BI and analytics space and fuel its future growth.

"Organisations will benefit from the many new and innovative vendors continuing to emerge, as well as significant investment in innovation from large vendors and venture capital funded start-ups. They do, however, need to be careful to limit their technical debt that can occur when multiple stand alone solutions that demonstrate business value quickly, turn into production deployments without adequate attention being paid to design, implementation and support."

Pinacl is set to 'smarten' up Newport with a number of proof of concept smart solutions for the council following the implementation of a city wide IoT platform.

The open access IoT network will also enable IoT vendors to trial new products in a 'living lab' city environment.

Pinacl is hoping to link-up with interested parties (manufacturers and R&D institutions) to work with it on new developing IoT solutions within our urban environments.

Pinacl is deploying a LoRaWAN (low power wide area network) solution across Newport with the capability of providing connectivity to thousands of remote smart sensors which can be battery powered with a lifetime of up to 10 years.

Stream Technologies has been selected by Pinacl to monitor and manage the network and connected devices.

The IoT network will sit alongside the existing dark fibre network deployed throughout Newport, connecting back to NGD's data centre and the public Wi-Fi infrastructure installed within the city centre.