Sales and Customer Management

Channel enjoys a strong start to the year

Just how has this year been going? There is no better way to find out than ask a number of those working in the channel Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Daisy combines and rebrands channel operation

IT and telco player combines existing channel facing operations into a single entity to make life easier for partners Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Computacenter gets off to a good start

A trading update for Q1 reveals that the growth it enjoyed last year has continued into 2019 Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor
• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

VAR from the madding crowd

Predatar’s CEO reflects on the transformation from VAR to MSP, highlighting some of the key milestones and the obvious pitfalls to avoid Continue Reading

By

• Alistair Mackenzie, Predatar

Digital transformation spending flooding across all verticals

IDC is forecasting strong customer investments in digital transformation projects but the channel needs to make sure the focus is on more than just spending on tech Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

SAP users get the chance to rate and compare resellers

A TripAdvisor type system means that customers will be able to click through resellers looking for those with the best skills and ratings Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Data projects failing thanks to skills shortages

The channel should have a role to play in helping enterprise customers execute data initiatives Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Channel delivers in Q1 for Aerohive and Veeam

Both firms have reported customer numbers are up in the first quarter and acknowledged the role the channel has played in getting that result Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Why software patch management matters

When building a business case for software patch management, focus on its ability to protect against malware, ransomware, phishing and other security threats, thereby reducing the risk of downtime Continue Reading

By

• Ian van Reenan, Datto

Datto looking to increase MSP sales and marketing support

The managed services specialist has shared its list of attributes that make a world class MSP and indicated that it could provide more help to those looking to increase their sales and marketing activities Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Incoming Nuvias boss clear on distributor's value

In the run up to his start date of next month the incoming boss at Nuvias already has ideas on what makes a successful distributor Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Softcat expanding customer base

First half numbers from the channel player indicate that a strategy to widen the customer base is delivering Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Tech Data CEO looking for the higher value

The distributor is continuing to make its move towards higher value business Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Adapt for the era of virtual distribution

Virtual distribution – the delivery of subscription services rather than physical products – is a growing IT trend. We consider what this means for channel businesses and how they can remain relevant in this changing IT world Continue Reading

By

• Billy MacInnes

Making the business case to create a successful IoT initiative

The internet of things has the potential to address multiple business objectives, but it is not a miracle technology that will provide business benefit in isolation – true value comes only when the wider challenges are considered across all departments Continue Reading

By

• Nick Sacke, Comms365

Those failing to use the channel are missing out on growth

Research from Investec makes it clear that those that fail to use the channel well are losing out on significant amounts of revenue Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Help us to help you – how the customer-first model helps you empower your business

We are in the middle of the fourth industrial revolution, with technologies such as the internet of things, data analytics, artificial intelligence and cloud-based business management tools a regular talking point. But technology alone won’t solve productivity bottlenecks and open new avenues for growth. There is a bigger picture that cannot be ignored – it starts with the customer Continue Reading

By

• Thomas Honoré, Columbus

SMEs failing to embrace innovation

The channel ill need to do a lot of hand holding to help more SMEs embrace some of the latest technological innovations Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Channel has to do more to help SMEs with IoT and AI

Cloud Industry Forum and Ingram Micro Cloud urge resellers to do more to help users overcome hurdles holding back emerging tech adoption Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Fear of failure a digital transformation barrier

KCOM has taken a closer look at what is holding back customer innovation Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Fear of hard Brexit sparking SME exodus

More firms are looking at relocation as a way of avoiding the worst effects of a hard Brexit Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

The channel opportunities in 2019

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What has the channel ever done for digital transformation?

How the channel can play an important role in the drive for digital transformation Continue Reading

By

• Karl Roe, Nuvias Group

Dell calls for more digital transformation progress

The vendor has revealed the findings of global research into the progress in the adoption of digital transformation Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Brexit is hitting IT spending

Research confirms what many in the channel had already experienced with customers hitting the pause button on IT projects Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Channelling the cloud – building healthy CSP relationships

Creating a successful relationship with cloud service providers is essential for channel partners looking to increase their cloud portfolio. iLand 's director of channel sales has five tips to make the most of the opportunity Continue Reading

By

• Stuart Day, Iland

Channel taking steps to remain relevant

A report from Agilitias IT Solutions looking into the channel's efforts to remain relevant has some encouraging findings Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

The channel opportunities in 2019

There are plenty of areas that should excite the channel as the year kicks off Continue Reading

By

• Billy MacInnes

Insight 2019 technology predictions

Michael Guggemos, CIO of Insight, shares his thoughts about what will be the key issues for the channel in the months ahead Continue Reading

By

• Michael Guggemos, CIO of Insight

2018 review: The main channel themes

With the last days of December drawing near it's time to look back at the year that has passed before we do it all over again in 2019 Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

SonicWall increasing local partner support across EMEA

More offices plus extra hires have added depth to the security player's presence across EMEA Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Spectrami aiming to fill VAD gap

The relatively fresh player to the UK market is aiming to provide some of the value added services that it believes larger rivals are missing Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Sabio looks East for latest acquisition

Customer experience player makes a second purchase this year adding both technology and a wider geographical footprint Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Spectrami latest to join list of UK VADs

The UAE based channel player is looking to ramp up its activity across Europe with an independent operation opening in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Distribution set for a solid year as growth continues through Q3

A market analysis of how distribution across Europe has fared in Q3 from Context indicates that it has all been good so far in 2018 Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Enhancing the role of the channel essential for the tech industry

Ben Boswell, Vice President for Europe at World Wide Technology (WWT), discusses how vendors and the channel need to work together to ensure outstanding outcomes for customers Continue Reading

By

• Ben Boswell, Vice President for Europe at World Wide Technology

Tech must be a force for good

VMware CEO shares his belief that the industry has a responsibility to use technology as a positive force in society Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Customers want more automation and better data

A global Cisco study has found that customers looking to innovate need to take the pressure off the IT budget by getting better at predicting where problems might occur Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Microsoft sounds AI warning

Those customers that do not take an interest in artificial intelligence face losing ground and missing out on the benefits Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Exertis plugs Hoover into electricals operation

Plans to grow its position in the small domestic appliance market have been given a boost with the signing of household name Hoover Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Spiceworks: Europe leads in emerging tech

Europe adopting emerging tech in response to GDPR and rising cybersecurity threats Continue Reading

By

• Christine Horton

Services the key to fending off the Amazon Business threat

The retail giant might hoover up the transactional business but those resellers that can provide services will have more chances of retaining customers Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Lenovo pledges to fix channel process issues

The vendor came in for some criticism at the Canalys Channels Forum but responded by vowing to fix the problems in the next six months Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Channel tensions rising

Competition and strained vendor relationships highlighted as concerns at Canalys Channel Forum Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Online retailers posing threat to distribution

Fears about the likes of Amazon eating into channel revenues are well-grounded according to Context research Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Brexit could hit enterprise investment plans

Deloitte's latest quarterly quizzing of the CFO community makes sobering reading for those hoping that the good times will keep rolling Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

PRM a tool to identify next gen partners

Gut feelings might have helped channel managers make decisions in the past but technology should make it easier and more precise Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Nadella calls for more 'tech intensity'

It's an idea that the channel will have little argument with, that customers need to adopt and build the latest technology Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Could YouView save our home from surveillance marketing by the Big Browser brigade

The IoT-connected home is becoming a location for commercial opportunities for the channel finds Nick Booth Continue Reading

By

• Nick Booth

Clear Licensing Campaign turns the focus on maintenance contracts

Customers are often paying maintenance without giving it much thought and as a result could be spending too much Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Looking overseas through Brexit tinted glasses

The idea that UK resellers want to expand internationally caught the interest of Billy MacInnes who found that Brexit was having an impact on those dreams Continue Reading

By

• Billy MacInnes

Computacenter expands European footprint with Misco buy

Misco's operation in the Netherlands becomes part of the Computacenter family after the UK player expands its European reach even further Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

The hidden costs of doing business with vendors

Technology is starting to shed light on more of the mechanics of how the channel works with vendors and Nick Booth finds out about one of the latest offerings Continue Reading

By

• Nick Booth

Vendors under pressure to generate better channel data

The information that a lot of vendors have around rebate, MDF and marketing programmes is nowhere near as good as it should be Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Users feel restricted by vendor contracts and tech choices

There seems to be a gap between the vendor ambitions to make everything simple and what is happening on the ground Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

SMEs changing the bundles approach

Bundles have often been a bit hit and miss but thanks to the need to cater them for SME customers things are improving Continue Reading

By

• Billy MacInnes

Who wants to be number one?

Vendors have an obsession with being number one in their market but is it really that important wonders Billy MacInnes Continue Reading

By

• Billy MacInnes

Agony aunt as a service

Impartner’s chief marketing officer Dave R Taylor has some helpful advice for those trying to increase and improve their partner communities Continue Reading

By

• Nick Booth

Coming back to the channel: why it’s time to rethink reselling

Neil Robertson, CEO of Compleat Software, shares the motivation for the firm's re-engagement with the channel Continue Reading

By

• Neil Robertson, CEO of Compleat Software

Keeping up with pace of IT change a growing problem for customers

Digital transformation might be the aim but getting there is not proving to be easy and that should spell a major opportunity for the channel Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

The bland leading the bland

 Continue Reading

Automation a major focus at UKFast

UKFast has created a chief technology officer role to ensure it can continue to automate more processes across its business Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Quadient and Quertum working on CX opportunity

Growth in the customer experience market means that those providing the tools for banks and utilities to communicate with users are experiencing healthy market conditions Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Maintel picks up Atos contracts

The managed services specialist has spent millions to acquire Atos contracts Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Impartner strengthens partner relationship management portfolio

The PRM specialist has made an acquisition that will give it more muscle in the social media space Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

MicroScope: Focus on film

In this issue, we look at how video marketing can help companies capture customers' attention, as well as the challenges of a multi-cloud world and a focus on Dell's desire to make business easier Continue Reading

Vendor service needs to improve

Firms quizzed by Cogeco Peer 1 have expressed frustration with the level of service currently being offered by vendors Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

PA Consulting adds Sparkler to the mix

Acquisition will strengthen the digital and brand strategy side of the business Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Brighter steals a march with managedservices,co.uk launch

Brighter Connections has cut the ribbon on a website designed to have a national appeal Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

The bland leading the bland

Maybe technology has a role to play in helping customers find out what a solution can really deliver argues Nick Booth Continue Reading

By

• Nick Booth

Poor websites costing resellers customers

Plenty of resellers have yet to get their digital presence up to scratch and that could cost them business Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

If you hated GDPR you may like the African Continental Free Trade Area

For those struggling with GDPR there is a new $2.5 trillion target market that Nick Booth thinks is worth looking into Continue Reading

By

• Nick Booth

Ambitious Nuvias cuts ribbon on Woking HQ

The distributor has pointed to its move as being evidence of its growth ambitions across EMEA Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Millennial tech buyers forcing channel to change sales approach

Fresh research indicates changing attitudes to tech purchasing, and how the channel must adapt accordingly Continue Reading

By

• Christine Horton

Channel roundup: Who's gone where?

Another busy week in the channel as some fresh faces join various resellers and vendors to try and keep the growth flowing Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Probrand launches online marketplace

The firm has put its faith in an online marketplace offering users the chance to procure thousands of products Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

IT departments, LOB and more to come?

The channel is having to get used to lines of business spending more than the traditional IT buyers but Billy MacInnes wonders if change will stop there Continue Reading

By

• Billy MacInnes

Lines of business overtaking IT department as spenders on tech

IDC has indicated that next year will be a turning point in the way funds are spent on IT and that will have ramifications for the channel Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Infrastructure skills shortage causing users problems

Infrastructure and organisation skills are changing and plenty of users are failing to keep up with the different demands being put on staff Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Twilio says it's time you gave your listening muscles a Flex

Most corporations use omni-channels for talking but they’ve got too little time for listening. Nick Booth thinks there’s plenty of scope for improvement Continue Reading

By

• Nick Booth

Skills gap still causing concerns

Those hoping that this year would see an easing of the skills gap are going to be disappointed Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

The rise of the millennials

The rise of millennials will drive disruption and innovation in the channel points out Steve Bailey, commercial director of Agilitas Continue Reading

By

• Steve Bailey, commercial director of Agilitas

Ricoh finds digital transformation a growing SME concern

Seeking out technology that can increase business agility is not an ambition that is confined just to the enterprise end of the market Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

What’s TechUK’s most inspiring data science story - Harry Potter, Mission Impossible or Susan Bowen?

Nick Booth gets inspired talking about programming, coding and the next generation with Susan Bowen, VP and general manager at Cogeco Peer 1 Continue Reading

By

• Nick Booth

Warranties not hitting the mark with millennials

The next generation of buyers do not seem to be that bothered about warranties Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

IoT projects need to deliver growth

Those pitching IoT solutions have underlined the importance of showing customers the positive results Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Channel open to more collaboration

A significant number of resellers are happy to work with other partners to make sure they avoid skill gaps and meet customer demands Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Four tips for successful digital transformation

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Goldilocks IT: Pitching it just right

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CompTIA: Digital transformation driving IT spending growth

The demand for cloud, security , IoT and a fair few other technologies should keep the channel busy throughout the rest of 2018 Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Silver Peak puts the emphasis on local support

Changes made this month designed to provide partners with stronger local support Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Are Claromentis and Iconfirm putting in enough decent crosses for their strikers?

Dealing with customer data is already a challenge and as Nick Booth finds out it is going to get even harder with GDPR coming Continue Reading

By

• Nick Booth

Sage looking for partners to bring in fresh customers

The software firm is stepping up support for its channel to encourage the generation of new customers Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Cisco extending channel reach

The vendor has been leaning on its distribution partners to engage more closely with a broader range of resellers Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Why the UK’s Industrial Strategy needs the channel

Ben Boswell, VP Europe for World Wide Technology, discusses the role of channel players in boosting innovation in the UK, particularly post-Brexit Continue Reading

By

• Ben Boswell, VP Europe for World Wide Technology

Excalibur snaps up Techs4Education

Excalibur has made its fifth acquisition in seven years bolstering the support it can offer educational customers Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

Four tips for successful digital transformation

Nicola Downing, CFO, Ricoh Europe, has some advice for those looking to help customers carry out a successful digital transformation project Continue Reading

By

• Nicola Downing, CFO, Ricoh Europe

Distributor consolidation causing some reseller price concerns

The distribution world has been shrinking in terms of the number of players as the big get bigger and that has raised some reseller worries about price and procurement issues Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor

In praise of the power of partnerships

Some of the most famous partnerships have changed the world, just look at Lennon and McCartney, and the same can be true in the tech world Billy MacInnes discovers Continue Reading

By

• Billy MacInnes

Channel must position themselves as digital transformation experts

Customers and vendors are looking for resellers that are in a position to offer real expertise around digital transformation and have undergone the process themselves Continue Reading

By

• Simon Quicke, Microscope Editor