Achab says ‘Buongiorno’ to UK MSPs

The usual narrative is for a UK distributor to strike out and set up on mainland Europe as part of its expansion efforts. But things are slightly different with Achab, with the Italian player heading this way across the Channel.

The software distributor is keen to work with MSPs that are targeting the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) customer base and has cut the ribbon on a Reading office as a base for its operations here.

The distie is not just looking for MSPs, but is also keen to add to its vendor roster and starts its UK operation with a couple to tempt channel partners, Cameyo and Cyberfish.

Amit Israel, co-founder and vice president of sales and business development at Cyberfish, gave a reaction that the distributor will hope will be echoed by others it brings on board.

“We are excited to be partnering with Achab to launch Cyberfish into the UK MSP market,” he said. “As a channel-only vendor, our solutions are built for managed service providers, supporting them in offering their clients the best protection against phishing attacks, and our partnership will only increase that support.”

The UK operation is headed up by managing director Philip Sansom, who has spells at Datto, Kaseya and IT Glue on his CV. There is also a strong MSP thread through the career of other business leader Simon Bell, who was previously head of technology at Complete IT.

“I have worked with Achab since 2006 and know what special partnerships they have with MSPs throughout Italy, scouring the markets for products that truly make their partners’ lives easier, allowing MSPs to not only implement the best solutions, but also to stay one step ahead of changing client needs,” said Sansom.

Andrea Veca, CEO at Achab, said this was the right moment for MSPs to help customers react to changes accelerated by Covid-19.

“Due to the global pandemic, organisations are facing myriad challenges related to remote working, cyber security and the cloud at a time when they are also struggling to embrace innovations such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and predictive data analytics,” he said.

“More and more businesses are therefore relying on MSPs that can create flexible IT infrastructures that are safe, efficient and cost-effective. We are here to support those MSPs with proven processes, long-standing experience, and handpicked technologies from the best companies worldwide.”

Achab has been around since the mid-1990s and decided to specialise in software back in 2006. It has an established presence in the Italian market, where it works with more than 1,800 resellers.