PCR September/October 2020

Diversity

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September/October 2020

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DIVERSITY ISSUE #201

Top 25

September/October 2020

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TheEditor A turning of the tides

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s September/October brings a changing of the seasons it also carries change for PCR as long standing editor of PCR, Laura Barnes steps down from the publication. I’m sure you will all join me in wishing her well in her new pursuits. Now having taken the reins on PCR I am very much enjoying mastering the waves of interesting tech and topical trends that the Channel has to offer. Though with a career in the electronics sector spanning some 15 years I am already well versed in some of the idiosyncrasies and genius of the tech industry. What has been most interesting for me with this first issue is observing the dedication and commitment that many individuals, who work within the Channel really have. In this issue our 25 Top Women in Tech feature really puts a spotlight on how the ladies of the industry are standing out and making a difference and are certainly a role model to anyone aspiring to pursue a career within the Channel. Also our Diversity in the Channel focus in this issue is testament to the work being undertaken to create a workplace of inclusion for all within the Channel. This has really shown again the commitment and scope the Channel has to offer. This echo’s recent news headlines with ‘Black lives matter’ campaigners standing up and fighting for equal recognition and diversity and inclusion is something many organisations in the Channel are focusing very strongly on and embrace wholeheartedly within their workplace.

I very much hope you enjoy this bumper joint September/October issue and look forward to meeting with many of you when life as we once knew it pre Coronavirus returns.

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Top 25

Women in Tech

24 Sep/Oct 2020 06 Retail Analysis: Second life IT equipment market gains momentum 10 Industry Opinions 20 The Big Interview: CompTIA’s Nancy Hammervik 24 Top 25 Women in Tech 32 Diversity in the Channel 36 Top 5 Tech: TP-Link’s Emma Lattimer 40 Sector Guide: Creative Tech 44 Sector Guide: Smart Homes 46 Sector Guide: Smart Phones and Tablets 48 Crowdfunding Corner 51 Life in the channel: NFON UK’s Jon Dailey 54 Life in the channel: ServiceNow’s Seb Fitzjohn

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Retail Analysis

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Retail Analysis

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A new lease of life

Many businesses are turning to the second life IT equipment market to maintain and upgrade their existing IT infrastructure for up to ten years, just as many consumers are freely buying secondhand and refurbished tech as a way of cost effectively owning the latest and more up to date devices.

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s thinking towards refurbished tech becomes more widely accepted with a clearer understanding between the differences of professionally refurbished tech and second hand offerings, the second life tech market is one to keep an eye on as the cost saving benefits and good green credentials offer up a lucrative pool of revenue for resellers, so long as and the all-important refurbishers product guarantees are firmly in place.

Most recently there has been a spike in the second life market caused by homeworking following the Coronavirus lockdown this year, this also alleviated the impact COVID-19 had on the supply chain which created a temporary lack of availability of new tech stock with some electronics manufacturers struggling to produce new equipment.

James Goddard, sales and commercial director at MTR, specialists in second lifecycle solutions for mobile, tablet and wearable devices says: “While the economy has understandably had to adapt to the shifting landscape throughout COVID-19, as always, the mobile industry has moved quickly to help mobilise the UK into working from home, making communication with family easier and helping keep people connected. As such, we have found a spike in online sales through our D2C site www.4gadgets.co.uk. As many companies transitioned to remote working, we’ve seen a surge in demand for tablets and laptops as well.”

Nick Waite managing director, Resource Development (UK) Limited, (RD-UK) Ltd. a specialist in the renewal of IT products experienced something similar: “Laptop sales (for obvious reasons) have remained firm throughout the pandemic so far, with supply being more challenging than generating sales!”

The second life tech market offers quick and easy access to additional IT equipment for home workers and is readily available for much less if businesses are prepared to do their homework and purchase professionally refurbished tech from secondary-market resellers.

Multimillion-pound offering

Both the cost saving benefits not to mention the reduction in carbon footprint are making this into a multimillion-pound market the world over. International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts just the worldwide smartphones used market alone will be 236 million units in 2020 with a value of around $44 billion. This includes refurbished smartphones, pre-owned smartphones, remanufactured smartphones, and certified pre-owned smartphones.

With the increasing number of devices we all use and own a muchneeded shift in attitude towards recycling and reusing is essential and one which consumers are starting to trend towards, as James Goddard, at, MTR explains: “In recent years, we’ve witnessed a much-needed shift towards sustainability within the market. Consumers who are concerned about environmental damage and are unwilling to spend big money on newer handsets are opting for refurbished technology.”

RD-UK has a strong focus on sustainability as Waite points out: “A new laptop generates around 350kg of CO2 in its production/shipment whereas a renewed unit generates around 50 – 60kg. This is perhaps the biggest single reason to choose renewed and will become the focus of our marketing over the next 12 months.”

“Over the course of the next year RD-UK will be appointing a network of resellers to promote its “green alternative IT” products – once up & running, greenalternativeit.co.uk will become the place to find an authorised reseller,” Waite advises.

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Retail Analysis pre life history and condition or mistreatment, along with battery life might throw up cause for concern, buying refurbished tech from a reputable vendor that can offer professionally refurbished product guarantees on a device that has undergone rigorous testing to restore it so that is as ‘good as new’ is a valuable resource within a growing marketplace. Nick Waite speaks of RD-UK’s evolution: “Initially we specialised in traditional component distribution, sourcing from the UK & China but over the last seven years the business has progressed into refurbishing laptops & desktops, gradually developing processes to allow for a high-quality “renewed” product offering, to the point where we now offer a range of “renewed” products which bear little resemblance to products offered by other refurbishers.”

may be subject to varying cosmetic conditions”, adds Waite.

MTR has a similar approach, “When using an audited, accredited business such as MTR to purchase preloved tech, you can rest comfortably in the knowledge that you’re buying quality products.

We follow strict diligence protocols that ensure and provide data security, new part authenticity (where appropriate) and all applicable warranties”, explains MTR’s James Goddard.

Aznu, a new premium refurbishment brand offers products in a condition that looks brand new and that have been through a rigorous process ensuring the internals contain manufactures original parts and work to a standard you would associate with a new product (excluding battery, battery at 85% of original life or higher).

“Buying refurbished has lots of benefits to purchasing against new, look at the warranty and service you require to include returns and DOA, what you need in the box and then make a balanced decision. Not all Refurbished are the same, the level of refurbishment varies, and you need to ask some questions; 1. Is this UK warrantied and if so how long? 2. What is the minimum battery life?

3. Does the device have all original parts? 4. Is the product fully UK compliant?”

Stephen Smith, Business Deveopment Mananger Aznu

Is refurbished or used tech best? For Waite the answer is simple: “The renewed product we offer is vastly superior to either refurbished or used. The laptops we sell undergo a complete exterior renovation using a vinyl wrap process generated on hi tech vinyl cutters. In addition every keyboard is re-printed to restore it to ‘as new’ condition. Every machine undergoes a comprehensive test process, having a new install of Microsoft Windows 10 Professional, before being inspected and placed in a new box”, he says.

UK-based video game retailer GAME told PCR it “commits to the quality of its pre-owned phones and tablets with a thorough 15-point check, using the latest industry approved software to ensure the integrity of the product. Area’s such as battery life, HP check, grading for screen and case quality are covered to ensure the device is up to standard to be sold on to the end user.”

Used and refurbished tech know the difference

Before parting with any money be careful to understand the difference between used and refurbished tech as the condition could be greatly impacted as Waite explains: “A used device will show varying amounts of wear & tear, may not have been thoroughly tested & will generally be supplied with either little or no warranty. A refurbished product will generally have undergone at least a degree of cosmetic improvement & will have been tested. It may also come supplied with either no operating system, a re install using it’s original Windows licence, or a refurbished licence applied. An RD-UK “renewed” product will have gone through our comprehensive refurbishment program.”

“Although used technology may seem cheaper than refurbished tech on the face of it, used devices may come without warranty and

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Stephen Smith, business development manager at Aznu offers this advice: “Buying refurbished has lots of benefits to purchasing against new, look at the warranty and service you require to include returns and DOA, what you need in the box and then make a balanced decision. Not all Refurbished are the same, the level of refurbishment varies, and you need to ask some questions; 1. Is this UK warrantied and if so how long? 2. What is the minimum battery life? 3. Does the device have all original parts? 4. Is the product fully UK compliant?”

Waite agrees adding: “when considering purchasing used or refurbished tech there are several factors that the end user should consider like visual cosmetic condition, as well as ongoing reliability & warranty versus spend. In addition buyers should compare the level of original build quality on the used/refurbished product – the vast majority of products we renew are “enterprise” products, meaning that they were built to a far higher standard than the equivalent “consumer” model & therefore have a far longer usable lifespan.

“Buying from reputable vendors is a wise choice”, says Waite “as every product we sell comes with a minimum 12 months warranty, which can be extended to three years for a small additional cost. Faulty items are collected and repaired/replaced at the company’s expense.”

This is all good firm advice and it is clear a balance between cost and quality is essential as James Goddard rounds off: “As the cost of devices continues to rise, inevitably people are looking to find value for money. Refurbished and used devices allow both businesses and the consumer to get the latest tech at more affordable prices.”

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industryopinion

The ‘new normal’ of home working Thorsten Kurpjuhn, European Market Development Manager at Zyxel advises how resellers and MSPs can support businesses and their networks for remote workers during the coronavirus restrictions

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ith much of the world in various stages of lockdown and office working restrictions in place due to the ever-growing impact of the Coronavirus, the way that many businesses operate has been thrown into a state of flux. The same goes for the demand on resellers and managed service providers (MSPs) from businesses to support these changes, and how they now work to manage evolving needs remotely.

For some businesses, the transition from local to remote working has been quite seamless, as some organisations simply strengthened a digital infrastructure that already enabled home working.

However, for many other businesses, this period of time has been a step into the unknown. While they may claim to adhere to digital working practises, the pressure to not just ‘cope’ but ‘thrive’ in this new climate has inevitably resulted in teething problems.

For these organisations, the main issue revolves around networking. It’s here where resellers and MSPs need to work with businesses to convert digital practises from simply talking a good game, to truly embedding a facilitative digital infrastructure for a dispersed workforce.

In this new norm, bandwidth can become a detrimental issue overnight, as different individuals’ home set-ups struggle to meet enterprise requirements.

To combat the problem, network infrastructures need to facilitate two things. Firstly, the communicative and management capability for employees to continue working as well as they would in-office. Secondly, the security and efficiency of their digital property must still meet the expectations of their customers.

Security, control and flexibility are the ultimate trilogy of considerations that companies now need to strive for to achieve a successful remote working environment. To do so, they must begin by setting up a virtual private network (VPN).

Security

The combination of a VPN and a firewall ensures the requisite efficiency and security required for a corporate network to flourish in the current conditions. With users continuously connected to the company’s infrastructure, it allows them to operate as they would normally, without compromising the security of data being

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produced, collated or shared at any point.

A VPN creates an encryption-protected tunnel that connects each employee directly with their company’s network, thus preventing third parties from gaining unauthorised access to the data being transferred inside. The addition of a firewall to the home office provides protection against other deadly cyberthreats such as ransomware and attacks by viruses that sneak in from the home network.

Control

It may not seem like the opportune time to be looking into operating expenses, but it is vital for companies to provide a remote workforce with multi-layer, bundled security solutions and a safe connection to the business network. Not only will such setups make employees feel more settled, but they will also feel more in control and reassured that sensitive data is kept secure, despite the disbursed sprawl of physical property.

In the coming months, pressure is likely to shift in the direction of resellers and MSPs, and their cloud management systems, which will be under more scrutiny than ever before.

Not only do resellers and MSPs need to offer a robust and quality solution, but they need to do so in a way that is accessible to a broader pool of users than previously experienced. Even the least tech-proficient individuals must be empowered to take greater control over their own network settings, remote monitoring functions and sharing capabilities.

Flexibility

To address the work-life balance of employees, who could benefit from homeworking, is a tangible positive to take from an otherwise negative situation.

There’s an old saying that you should ‘never waste a good crisis’.

For many resellers and MSPs, the remote initiation, installation, deployment, management, and refinement of digital solutions to enable businesses and their employees to work from home may well prove to be more of a long-term transformation, rather than a short-term backstop. It’s critical that resellers and MSPs work with companies to realise this early on and in turn, embrace the potentials that VPNs and cloud management-driven networking have to offer.

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03/09/2020 09:28

industryopinion

Casting the net globally Simon Thompson, SVP, Global Customers, Westcon explains how customers can lean on specialist distributors for global deployment

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he global economy is rapidly changing and growing in complexity. Technology is transforming, cloud adoption accelerating and new, disruptive vendors are entering the space without having the traditional routes to market.

End user demand for global managed services has never been higher, but many customers struggle to provide them.

Customers today expect more than the traditional supply chain model of moving boxes, there is much focus placed on how customers need to add value to remain competitive, and how distributors can help. When it comes to global managed services, distributors need to be able to show their value by offering their expertise and experience in providing global solutions.

In order to build a successful global business, resellers, service providers and systems integrators must adapt to new business models by keeping up with developing technologies and navigating a world engulfed in complexity and nuance. For this, they need global trade experts who understand the challenges of global deployment all the way through the supply chain, and who are able to empower them to deliver truly global solutions and managed services with speed and at scale. This can be achieved by splitting the challenges into three pillars: global reach, value creation and customer experience.

global partners to send goods across borders - it can be costly, time consuming, and can cause a lack of visibility in transportation.

A local-to-local approach, on the other hand, where goods are purchased from the vendor and sold to teams locally, may cost less in total, but often takes longer to complete, with approvals, quotes and further complexities.

Distributors can add value to their services through custom solutions for individual customers. Pre-sales tools help customers to generate quotes quickly and efficiently via self-service platforms to drive rapid sales execution. Distributors should aim to provide simplified services pricing and quicker quote turnaround in order to reduce the time to revenue.

When a customer is facing a complex project that requires multi-vendor solutions, many of whom are new or project specific, distributors can on-board vendors on a customer’s behalf. This avoids the tangled web of companies that can become difficult and expensive to manage, and reduces the number of parties in the supply chain, creating further value for the customer.

Customer experience

One of the most crucial things that a distributor can offer to a customer is excellent customer service in order to maintain a good working relationship. Understanding the requirements of your customer is paramount, and Global reach “Having excellent supply distributors must demonstrate customer-centric Having excellent supply chain capabilities culture, digital transparency and predictable with both local fulfilment and invoicing in chain capabilities with performance. multiple countries means that distributors both local fulfilment and Offering customers a flexible, consultative can quickly scale support and services to invoicing in multiple approach and bespoke services to match their partners across the globe, no matter countries means that solutions with needs goes a long way to where they want to deploy. distributors can quickly supporting global deployment. When Local knowledge in the management scale support and services backed up by central project management, and execution of global IT distribution to their partners across the cost-effective delivery options, simplified is crucial and means that distributors can globe, no matter where deployments, and a clear and consistent pricing navigate those complexities on behalf of their they want to deploy. � model, distributors can ensure they empower partners, who can rest easy, knowing that they their customers to meet their goals. are minimising risk and maximising margin.

There are a wide range of approaches that Customers can lean on their partners for distributors can take in order to provide further value and international expertise to decipher what deployment support to partners. Utilising the key pillars of global reach, value approach they should take - an Importer of Record (IoR) model, or creation and customer service, distributors have the opportunity local-to-local (or hybrid of both) - based on their needs. to offer a seamless and scalable service so their customers can For example, whilst IoR provides the quickest quote turn around focus on what they need the most. and allows for centralised billing - where local teams go through www.pcr-online.biz

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industryopinion

Encourage, nurture, unite Vodafone’s Head of Partnerships and Alliances, Kathy Quashie, discusses her experiences of promoting diversity and inclusion initiatives in the telco channel, and what more can be done to improve equal representation in a traditionally male-led industry.

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hroughout her career, Kathy Quashie, Vodafone’s Head of Partnerships and Alliances has always found that encouraging a diverse pool of colleagues is the best way to deliver excellent performance. After all, if your customer base is diverse, you’ll need a diverse team to properly entice and serve those customers”, she says.

While the channel sector has made promising strides in recent years to become more diverse, Quashie says she would like to see a concerted effort among all stakeholders in the industry to keep moving forward, offering new opportunities to people from different backgrounds.

“I believe that everyone should have the chance to feel appreciated at work, while being themselves and being able to identify with leaders that they can aspire to be one day. Those in positions of power and influence must play their part, and use their status as a platform for change in a way that benefits everyone,” Quashie says.

Diversity in the channel today

Quashie notes how movements such as #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter have brought to the fore the vital importance of diverse thought and equal representation between the corporate world and wider society. “Every company needs to seize this opportunity and reconsider how they nurture talent from all walks of life, so that they can benefit from everyone’s varying experiences and insights,” she says.

Quashie highlights education around what the channel can offer people is a really important part of inspiring a greater mix of people into the sector. “It is not just an environment where technology expertise is needed, but also one where customer-facing soft skills such as account management, marketing and sales play a crucial role in day-to-day operations”, she says.

“Technology is still a male-led industry and the need to bring diversity of thought to collaborate with the technology in use is crucial,” she says. “Clearly explaining this to people outside the industry is our responsibility, and is what I believe will decide the future of its relationship with diversity and inclusion.”

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Improving representation in future

Quashie clearly recognises the upside potential to be gained within the industry, “We have a fantastic opportunity to foster greater diversity in the channel. It will not be a quick fix – encouraging more people from different backgrounds into the sector needs to be built alongside a cultural shift within the wider tech industry”, she says.

“There is still a lack of understanding of what careers in the IT sector entail, and it is incumbent upon all of us working in the tech sector to inform young people about the many interesting opportunities available to them across the industry.

In addition to this, Quashie believes that all companies need to build mentoring and development programs, as well as providing supportive maternity policies and flexible working practices to motivate a more diverse group of employees into their ranks.

“This is what we try to do at Vodafone, with programs like ReConnect, flexible working and a pioneering maternity policy. By creating an inclusive and diverse workplace, we hope to improve the lives of our employees, and motivate our customers, partners and the wider business community to do the same,” Quashie says.

Vodafone’s stake in the debate

Quashie speaks of Vodafone’s, progress with measures that encourage greater diversity in the workplace. “We have a range of initiatives that support the LGBTQ+ community, victims of domestic abuse and our global #ChangeTheFace initiative, which calls on technology leaders to join Vodafone and make a pledge to increase diversity and equality in the UK tech sector.

“We have also worked with Code First to provide computing training for teenage girls. This scheme teaches basic knowledge of developer programmes, and enables students to create a website by the end of the course. This provides great insight into what a programming job would be like. Many of us might be great at coding, but the only way to find that out is to give it a go”, she says.

“We are always looking for ways to improve. Our priority now is to keep listening to our colleagues and to make meaningful changes that truly drive a diverse and inclusive culture, for all at Vodafone and society more broadly.”

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08/09/2020 14:06

industryopinion

Customer Experience & Profitability: It’s not a balancing act - have both!

Rob Shaw, MD EMEA at Fluent Commerce discusses how Omnichannel vendors must act now to streamline their physical and digital user experience to encourage customers back in stores or face loosing out

O

mnichannel fulfillment has increased rapidly in the UK as to be tightly managed, using order management rules that limit retailers respond to the massive shifts in both consumer the number of Click and Collect and/or Ship to Store orders that demand and the impacts on supply chains caused by the are sent to an individual store according to total orders per day.

Covid-19 crisis. However, with big name brands like Cath Kidston, For example, once a store has exceeded a certain number of open Oasis and Laura Ashley closing their doors this year, retailers with a orders, only Click and Collect orders – and not Ship from Store High Street presence will have to adapt fast if they are to continue to orders – are sent to the store. These automated rules will ensure delight customers as shoppers once again venture back in-store. that stores always receive a manageable flow of orders, so staff have The events of recent months have ushered in, a growing the time and resources to service their in-store customers. expectation that retailers will harmonise their digital and physical This level of flexibility should also apply to product selections. channels into a unified and cohesive environment that makes it Having the ability to add or remove products or product categories at easy for shoppers to move seamlessly across channels. Picking up a store level will help prevent poor customer experiences or returns. exactly where they last left off at every point of the shopping journey, For example, if a store in one location is impacted by a local flood regardless of where they are shopping – and how. that damages stock, customer orders can be quickly fulfilled from To stay competitive, and profitable, retailers will need to take another nearby store. action to improve order margins and enable the best possible To reduce markdowns that erode profitability, retailers that have experiences for high value customers. Fine tuning their operations distributed order management software in place can evaluate a to generate incremental improvements that protect and wide range of variables to determine if it is better to source improve in-store experiences, reduce reliance on from locations with the highest markdowns in a given markdowns, and make it cost-effective to introduce store. Or select stock from stores with the most omnichannel fulfillment options that resonate inventory, or the lowest sell through rate, or the with today’s time pressed – and ever more oldest inventory.

“Delivering an exceptional customer demanding – customers.

Delivering an exceptional customer experience is the key to maintaining and In response to the growing need for experience is the key to maintaining growing the loyalty of high value fulfillment agility, a growing number of and growing the loyalty of high value customers. Omnichannel retailers have the retailers are already using their stores as customers. Omnichannel retailers have unique advantage of being able to leverage mini distribution centres with dedicated the unique advantage of being able to their stores to offer a highly differentiated staff undertaking pick and pack leverage their stores to offer a highly VIP experience. This may include restricting the availability of selected activities. But initiating new fulfillment differentiated VIP experience. This may inventory to customers, based on their and distribution models should not come include restricting the availability of loyalty status. Or giving VIPs exclusive or at the cost of compromising the in-store selected inventory to customers, based early access to buy first before the larger experience, to ensure staff still spend the on their loyalty status. Or giving VIPs inventory pool is made available to all same amount of time servicing customers in exclusive or early access to buy first before customers.” store. the larger inventory pool is made available to all customers.

Preserving the in-store experience As retailers prepare to reinvent their store Protecting the in-store experience for customers networks for heightened agility and new omnichannel will be critical, especially at flagship locations where stockfulfillment models, they’ll need a highly adaptable order distribution outs of top moving lines will potentially generate negative customer system that makes it possible to establish unique parameters emotions and lost sales. To counter this, retailers will need to set and rules so that inventory, fulfillment and pricing can all be higher buffer levels that protect supplies to flagship stores. Or make synchronised to reduce costs – and maximise outcomes - without it easy to source from non-flagship stores and move stock quickly impacting on the customer experiences that drive value-added from lesser performing locations. loyalty.

Preserving the in-store experience means store capacity will need

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03/09/2020 09:31

APPOINTMENTS Firstcom Europe

Cloud telecommunications provider, Firstcom Europe has appointed Christian Bleakley as Chief Executive Officer of the company.

Jean-Pierre Vandromme, the previous CEO, moves to the position of President.

Bleakley was previously the founder and MD at Telesis in Bolton which he grew from startup to becoming a market leading B2B telecommunication service provider over 10 years. He has a wealth of experience and leadership in the telecom industry, and previously spent 15 years building Britannia Business Communication into one of the largest independent telecom companies in the UK. The rapidly expanding Pan European provider, Firstcom Europe acquired Telesis in 2018. Having run its entire UK operations since then, Christian now takes on overall leadership of the group which has an annual turnover of more than £30m. The company has an extensive range of SAAS (software as a service) business cloud solutions on its self-developed Universe platform.

Collabtech

Collabtech’s newly appointed President, Jon Sidwick will be joining the global provider of collaboration and AV enablement solutions, as part of a growth and innovation strategy, which includes establishing a European headquarters in the UK. Also newly appointed is Maverick Collaboration lead Jane Hammersley who will be joining the business as Senior Vice President Global Alliances, and will focus on developing collaborative solutions for clients. Jon Sidwick, President of Collabtech explains how the company’s evolvement over the past few years has led to it becoming one of the most exciting and agile businesses in the market right now: “They have a unique set of skills deployed with care and the highest quality for the channel. This moment is pivotal for the market as companies adjust to a new normal and Collabtech can help scale enablement like no-one else.”

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This month’s movers and shakers in the tech industry...

Brigantia

Brigantia has promoted Angus Shaw to Sales Director.

In 2016, Shaw was a key member of the Brigantia management buyout team and, since then, he has built and led a sales team that has year-on-year continued to grow the company’s recurring revenues.

His promotion comes ahead of Brigantia launching its plans for its second five years of growth, which will see Shaw’s sales team continue to expand in size, to ensure the company can meet its ambitious growth targets.

Also, taking on new responsibilities, as they become team leaders, are Chloe Schofield and Tom Newby. Schofield will lead the account management team and Newby the new business development team.

Shaw said of his promotion: “We intend to build a £20 million annual recurring revenue business, over the next five years, and we have an excellent foundation of core vendors combined with a young and ambitious team, both of which will enable us to deliver on our goals.”

Park Place Technologies

Park Place Technologies has announced that John Parlee has joined the company as Chief Information Security Officer.

At CISO, Parlee will be responsible for maintaining Park Place Technologies’ information security program, and ensuring that information and associated technology, applications, systems, infrastructure and processes are adequately protected for our customers and employees.

Adding Parlee to the existing security team advances a market-leading security strategy for Park Place’s third-party maintenance and ParkView products. Currently providing remote hardware monitoring, the company is increasing its focus on security as it prepares to expand its service offerings to discovery and network analytics. The move validates security as a top priority for Park Place and its customers as the company continues to invest in cybersecurity resources to ensure data and customers are protected.

Parlee will lead development and implementation of the Park Place security strategy, management of security threats and vulnerabilities, and compliance with relevant security requirements and privacy laws.

Exertis

Exertis has announced the appointment of Jamie Brothwell as commercial director and Sam Williams as sales director for its accessories business.

Both will report to Mike Buley, Exertis consumer managing director.

As commercial director, Brothwell will extend her responsibility for accessories and peripherals at Exertis’ Harlow and Basingstoke facilities to include the products and vendors at its Kondor business in Christchurch. Her remit will include vendor relationship management and implementing the strategy for growing the category. In addition, Williams has been promoted to the role of Sales Director for accessories including the company’s own brand products across audio, power and protection, and imaging and innovation. www.pcr-online.biz

27/08/2020 15:30

industryopinion

Forming a smart defence Paul Routledge, country manager of D-Link discusses how to effectively secure your smart home in an era where data is invaluable and the prying eye is out

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early half of homes worldwide now have at least one ‘smart’ device connected to the Internet. Bringing Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as voice-enabled assistants, IP CCTV cameras, and smart TVs into our homes can make our lives easier, safer and more entertaining, but also create new opportunities for cybercriminals.

Smart homes are designed to afford consumers more agility and ease, however efforts dedicated to design mean that security features can sometimes take a back seat. Often, it is the devices that we least expect that pose the most risk, For example, Wi-Fi-connected printers process a significant amount of data as it prints, most are sold with a default password, which the wide majority of people never change. Ensuring security in the home includes selecting the right type of Wi-Fi system, to adjusting IoT devices’ security controls to regularly changing passwords.

As recently as July, it was revealed that an IoT hacker had built a botnet capable of “enslaving” 18,000 devices in one day. Once a router is exploited, criminals can launch attacks against the device and remotely execute code to build botnets. Most smart devices from your smart coffee to your thermostat could become infected.

Although manufacturers have a responsibility to build safety features into devices, rapidly evolving threats make it important for the user to take an initiative in mitigating against risks.

Unfortunately, some smart devices are built on a budget and not enough attention is paid to making them secure. For example, some manufacturers implement the same simple password for all devices or using outdated core software.

The intentions of a cybercriminal can vary widely. Their attacks can often be targeted at individuals, but often they are collecting information en route to mounting a larger attack to target an organisation or a company. Practising good cyber hygiene in the smart home is a critical first step towards avoiding any nasty surprises!

One thing is certain: cybercriminals will always seek new ways to undermine network security and persistence is what makes them successful. It is the consumer’s responsibility to take care of how

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smart home networks and devices are managed. A smart way of doing this is through a Wi-Fi management app like D-Link defend, which allows users to centrally manage devices and connections.

Innovations such as smart locks for example, which aim to provide increased security, have in some cases been proven to be easily susceptible to hacks.

However, if you were able to rely on your router to block malicious intruders, you could be giving yourself an advantage. The D-Link EXO router with McAfee protection allows you to block access to known malicious sites, as well as being able to conduct IoT Anomaly and Botnet Detection through the McAfee Global Threat Intelligence database.

Updating passwords and firmware continually renews the protection of devices, but often the most important password to change is the default password. Created by the manufacturers and often the same for all devices produced, default passwords make devices more susceptible to attacks. A common path for botnets to hijack devices is to search for passwords that are hardcoded in devices.

Disconnect devices that don’t need to be connected - the ability to centrally manage smart home devices and systems, allows you to be in control of connections.

Get familiar with security controls on each device and how they can be set to regulate exposure to the Wi-Fi. Consider centrally managed Wi-Fi solutions like D-Link’s EXO router series which includes McAfee protection, and valuable tools that equip parents with more control and ability to protect their kids from inappropriate content, to create a safer more seamless connectivity.

Wi-Fi is the ideal place to start protecting the home. Secure routers with the ability to automate monitoring and ultimately securing home networks are the future of smart home security. D-Link’s EXO router, for example, creates one network throughout your entire home and also includes McAfee protection for every device on the home network. The router also allows you to block access to known malicious sites, and enable IoT Anomaly and Botnet Detection through the McAfee Global Threat Intelligence database, so no security issue goes unresolved.

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17/09/2020 08:07

industryopinion

Creating the home security matrix Simon Buckingham, Brand & Marketing Manager, EZVIZ UK discusses the impact IoT has had on home security and the array of offerings now available as part of an integrated home automation infrastructure

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n an ever changing world, it sometimes calls for ever evolving products and services. More than ever products need to stand out from the crowd, not necessarily aesthetically but majorly in the technical aspect for sure. So where are we now compared to a few years ago?

The Smart Home Security market has an abundance of product offerings in todays market, when I wrote an opinion piece a couple of years ago it was more around the UK adopting Smart Home in general with limited amounts of brands and products to choose from, fast forward to 2020 and the race is on to take market share and deliver what customers demand, as well as what I have already mentioned above, aiming to stand out and be known.

Customer expectation has risen massively with this journey, the demand and requirement to deliver even better quality and even more features for the best value is highly sought after. I can only speak for ourselves here at EZVIZ but we are delivering on the next generation of Security products, not just for the future, but for now as well.

AI Technology is something I spoke about in previous articles, we now see more and more of this application implemented into low and middle entry level, as well as the high end now when you look at the market offerings of smart security camera products at consumer level.

To say the competition and demand is fierce is an understatement.

Many now have superb ability to integrate elements such as Artificial Intelligence with Human and Vehicle Detection, Fall Detection and many others uses as we enter the next couple of years of exciting industry developments and technologies. AI in the smart home industry allows products to be more accurate and cutting edge, as we move more into a cloud and digital based world, the supremacy of some of this technology is truly inspiring.

The further developments and integrations with other products such as Door Locks, Smart Curtains/Blinds, Security Alarms and others, mean that right now a customer can pretty much complete their Smart Home Eco-system in the coming years. Reiterating before what I said about standing out, this is highly important to engage with consumers and build further the brand engagement

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and loyalty. Indeed, another race to have one brands’ app, instead of several.

Another aspect you will see more of in Security cameras specifically is colour night vision, both indoor and outdoor options.

Products such as the EZVIZ C3X Outdoor Camera whereby you have a dual-lens camera capable of producing Full Colour Night Vision in very low light conditions, coupled with some of the AI technologies mentioned above already, as well as features such as customisable voice alerts to help deter or give instruction to those that breach your detection areas, you really do begin to get a lot more for your money to feed the feature hungry audience out there.

Protecting your home or premises is very important, and when you have a product that can not only monitor, but deter as well, you have a great smart home guardian.

Clarity is also key, for potential evidence building and obtaining the best detail possible for your monitoring needs. You will see vast developments in both indoor and outdoor offerings with higher resolution levels such as 4MP and 5MP becoming standard features over the coming years, again giving consumers the best possible products and features for their money.

All of this technology combined delivers that “peace of mind� message we strive for. Whether you are in the house more, away for work or on holiday, all of these features help in one way or another to achieve this.

It was only a matter of time before Smart Home Security really took off, with the arrival of devices such as Google Home Hubs and Alexa Voice devices, the combination of other security products and smart home devices, there came a catalyst and nurtured reasoning behind why a customer may need a smart home, and what does a Smart home deliver for you to help aid your fast paced lives. There are of course so many applications of Smart Home, with IoT, kitchen appliances, smart robotics and more, in higher demand now, one thing is for sure, the Smart Security Tech industry is on the cusp of some very exciting developments to push even harder in an ever changing smart home and smart world. www.pcr-online.biz

18/09/2020 09:20

industryopinion

Delivering on the promise of 5G Angus Ward, CEO, BearingPoint/Beyond investigates the arrival of 5G and its impact on IoT

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he ‘real’ beginning of the 5G era is now upon us, a muchhyped technology that promises to deliver the higher bandwidth and ultra-reliable, lowlatency communications needed for the next generation of Internet of Things (IoT).

At the start of 2020, 33 Communications Service Providers (CSPs) across 18 countries had launched commercial 5G services with another 77 operators set to follow suit in the year. While the global pandemic we are experiencing has slowed down some of this year’s implementations, it is only boosting 5G development and has led many enterprises to hit the ‘fast-forward’ button on IoT/5G technology solutions. Indeed, 5G investments are recovering because enterprises recognise the importance of both public and private networks to accelerate the digitalisation and automation of their businesses, allowing them to continue to operate during the pandemic.

We expect this trend to unfold globally as Covid-19 makes digitalising physical assets, automating through industry 4.0 and securing supply chains more relevant than ever.

However, to capitalise on this opportunity, CSPs need to change how they work with enterprises and small medium businesses and how they are selling 5G and IoT propositions. Enterprises want solutions that would drive their digital transformation faster and address the business problems they are looking to solve. These solutions must be simple to buy, fast to implement and easy to consume. Indeed, our recent research showed that 75% of enterprises believed 5G is highly relevant, but 62% would only purchase 5G as part of a pre-integrated solution that better fits their business needs.

4G/LTE, the most popular and most-used network today, notably gave us the high-speed connections we needed to be able to stream high-definition video on our smartphones. 5G brings much more than that. Firstly, 5G provides faster transmissions. 5G data transfer speeds are projected to be ten times higher than what is possible with 4G, which means we can access files, programs and remote applications in seconds.

Secondly, 5G reduces latency ten-fold, allowing a greater capacity of remote execution. Although it’s not always noticeable, there is often a

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brief lag in time from when data is sent to when it’s received. Thanks to 5G’s ultra-low latency communications and the increase in the number of sensors, machinery or logistics of an industrial plant, for example, can be managed remotely in real-time.

Given the technology’s ability to handle bigger data volumes and the increased network capacity it provides, more people and therefore more devices will be able to connect to the network, have access to instant connections to the Internet and communicate in real-time.

Finally, 5G makes creating subnetworks possible, providing connectivity that is more tailored to specific needs such as prioritising the connections of some users. Considering all this, it’s no wonder 5G has been described as the mobile standard for all connected ‘Things’.

A broad range of industries and sectors are set to benefit from the emergence of 5G and IoT as a means to digitally transform both their operations and business models – healthcare and manufacturing in particular. Indeed, our latest research in partnership with Omdia, predicts that manufacturing should benefit more than any other vertical from 5G. Globally, manufacturers stand to gain $4.6tn from 5G adoption over the term of Omdia’s forecast, in 2035, which is 5.4% of total sector output.

5G clearly has a key role to play, however for transformation to succeed, connectivity alone is not enough. It needs to be integrated with other technologies such as IoT, Edge or AI and requires collaboration between different technology and vertical players. In fact, 95% of businesses believe that building a partner ecosystem to deliver solutions that better fit their needs is more important than 5G technology. Building effective IoT solutions is a team sport and enterprises know that. They don’t expect CSPs to have all of the answers. But they do expect industry players to collaborate to provide solutions to their business challenges.

This clearly shows that by creating a partner ecosystem that comprises CSPs, vendors, solution providers, and channel partners – all bringing complimentary capabilities to the table – CSPs will be able to penetrate new value chains while enterprises will be able to realize the possibilities of 5G and unlock IoT’s potential.

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17/09/2020 08:08

Partner content from

Rise of the Touchscreen Martin Kent, territory manager, HANNspree UK explores the rise in demand for touch technology and how this has become second nature to the human machine interface.

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ouch technology has come such a long way since its conception back in the 1960’s. But it hasn’t been an easy journey. It took a very long time for touchscreen application to become mainstream, and along the way, many companies tried and failed to develop products that would catch the public eye enough to sustain a profitable business. This was primarily because touch technology was too expensive. But touch screens were always surrounded with intrigue, a truly innovative concept that consumers desired. But they believed it to be out of reach. The technology was put on a pedestal and became just one of those cool futuristic techs that you only saw in science fiction.

It took almost 50 years from invention before touchscreen technology became popularised, a

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feat achieved by one very clever portable device manufacturer. The ingenious idea to put touch technology into the hands of the public saw the most popular smartphone born, and the success of the touch screen skyrocketed overnight! To put this into perspective, in 2018, the smartphone market was worth $522 billion. The number of smartphone users worldwide today surpasses three billion. And then of course came the birth of the portable PC which, once again, created a new competitive market for touch technology.

From almost nothing, to a colossal commodity in today’s technology driven world, the application of touch technology has since broadened substantially, and sales opportunities have been created exponentially. Aside from mass consumer devices,

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17/09/2020 15:54

touch technology is now being applied in a vast amount of business sectors. Almost everywhere you look nowadays you can see touch technology in action – the cash point, the airport check-in desk, vending machines, restaurant ordering systems. In fact, virtually no sector is left untouched. The hospitality sector, education, medical, industrial, retail and many more have all employed touch technology one way or another, and the scope of applications is indeed considerable.

HANNspree’s competitive advantages HANNspree has long been in an advantageous position to serve the touch screen market. Under the same HannStar umbrella as HANNStouch, one of the largest touchscreen manufacturers in the world, HANNspree benefits from industry expertise, strong manufacturing capabilities and a competitive pricing structure. So, it’s not surprising that HANNspree has been able to capitalise on the expanding touch screen market and has focussed its roadmap to reflect the competitive advantages it has in the small to medium size touch display sector. Thanks to the competencies of HannStar, HANNspree is able to offer a bespoke service to customise touch displays for any purpose.

How HANNspree touch is being used in todays world From mobile mechanical engineering solutions to information totems featuring temperature detectors, integrated touch solutions featuring HANNspree take on many guises, and can be found in a variety of locations including: Car showrooms, retail outlets, restaurants, care homes, hotel lobbies and much more. Some examples of application to date include: Vehicle emissions testing systems, casino and lottery solutions, ticket kiosks, waste management systems, logistics hubs and sports science monitoring systems.

Touch displays are perfect presentation solutions. The boardroom and the classroom host a number of HANNspree touch displays.

HANNspree also has a portable touch display for mobile presenting.

Interactive education. An over-sized tablet experience for a wealth of educational applications, HANNspree touch displays can be found both in the classroom and at home.

Entertainment and social - HANNspree Tablet PCs are ideal for mobile gaming, multimedia and staying in touch with friends and family.

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Solutions are HANNspree’s speciality A growing area of interest for HANNspree is hardware integration.

HANNspree creates fully embedded solutions, which have already been utilised for a number of large projects. HANNspree’s hard wearing displays are ideal for demanding environments including industrial production line applications and are ready to endure the daily rigors of public touchscreen hardware, such as Point of Sales and Point of Interest displays which are becoming increasingly common. HANNspree offers a comprehensive portfolio of off-theshelf open frame touch displays for integration as well as flexible, bespoke manufacturing for large scale tenders. HANNspree’s Tablet PC series offers all-in-one solutions for hardware integration, providing the versatility of the Android operating system for customisable software application.

HANNspree is probably best known for its standalone touch display range. For almost a decade HANNspree has supplied schools, homes, offices, boardrooms, hotels lobbies and more with stylish displays featuring advanced capacitive touch technology.

Designed for both table-top and eye-level wall mounted display, these solutions enable users to enjoy a high-grade visual and touch experience of today’s touch-enabled applications.

What HANNspree customers say “We are now able to produce innovative products with stunning user interface on an industrial scale. With Hannspree’s support and customization we are confident of our future growth.”

FAS International – Vending Machines “In partnership with HANNspree we have improved the productivity and the level of satisfaction of our customers, responding to a real need in the management of the point of sale.”

ESC Software – POS Solution “HANNspree delivered the design approach, solution reliability and responsiveness in problem solving that have enabled the creation and delivery of a customized solution.”

Lottomatica – Multimedia Totem “Hannspree monitors allowed us to develop innovative solutions thanks to products that are reliable and compatible with our needs.”

I-TEC – Multimedia Totems with temperature detector “We evaluated several all-in-one solutions before we made our final decision to use HANNSPREE products, which give us a guarantee of service and a more interesting quality / price ratio compared to other players on the market.”

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17/09/2020 15:54

thebiginterview

Creating a culture of diversity PCR talks to Nancy Hammervik, EVP, Industry Relations at CompTIA about why diversity in the channel is so important in creating a work place of inclusion

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he tech industry is predominantly white and male, which has historically made it challenging for underrepresented minorities to gain a foothold in leadership.

But this is now beginning to change. Nancy Hammervik, EVP, Industry Relations at CompTIA speaks of the groundbreaking work being undertaken by CompTIA to break with these conventions.

Can you start by telling me a bit more about CompTIA? CompTIA is the technology industry’s largest, global trade association. Our mission is to drive the global technology industry, and its workforce, forward. We were founded 40 plus years ago, in Downers Grove, IL, and are still headquartered there. We are a self-funded, not for profit organisation, funded by the sale of our technical certifications and training. We offer three of the top five selling technical certifications in the world: A+, Network+ and Security + — all vendor neutral. We train and certify more than 300,000 globally, each year. Our membership includes vendors, distributors, integrators, resellers, MSPs, business technology consultants and anyone who builds, sells, distributes or influences the adoption of technology. We have strong, active, member communities in the US, UK, Canada, Benelux and ANZ markets.

Why is diversity in the tech sector so important?

Diversity brings enhanced perspective, creativity and valuable innovation to the work we all do. Studies show workplaces with diverse cultures perform better, offer greater employee satisfaction and tenure and excel at customer relations. We

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live in a diverse world. Our customer bases are diverse. When homogenous teams build products, services and solutions, they cannot accurately consider or represent the needs of their diverse audiences. The business impact of diverse cultures is important but far greater are societal considerations.

Unconscious bias and systemic racism have existed for far too long, leading to discrimination, inequalities and disproportionate opportunities for certain demographics. The skills gap in the global tech industry is tremendous – and a growing, significant concern. Nearly every single industry is dependent on technology and we do not have enough people filling available jobs in tech and more importantly, there are

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08/09/2020 09:52

thebiginterview not enough people even interested in joining our industry. At CompTIA, we feel the underlying issue is a “confidence gap” vs a “skills gap” as the truth is, anyone can learn technical skills.

CompTIA’s Creating IT Futures Foundation trains and certifies thousands of at risk and undeserved populations annually.

Within 10 weeks, an individual completely new to tech can learn and pass an A+ certification exam and be a candidate for a help desk job.

So why aren’t more individuals pursuing careers in tech? Why aren’t more students thinking about careers in tech? Many think a career in tech is not for them because they don’t know anyone in tech and are intimidated by assumptions. This is especially true for minorities, including women. They don’t see people that look like them in tech, so they assume it is not a job they can do. The tech industry is still a predominately white, male industry, failing to attract diverse populations.

We will need to attract and embrace individuals from diverse backgrounds if we ever hope to fill all the open positions.

first time, all four were women! Caitlyn McCaughran, global events manager, Auvik Networks (a UK member company); Hannah O’Donnell, director of sales, Collabrance; Deborah Kestin-Schildkraut, global blockchain ecosystem marketing leader, IBM and Susanne Tedrick, cloud platform technical specialist at IBM were all recognised, by their peers, for their commitments to diversity, leadership, mentoring and community service. Each year the nomination and selection process reminds us that there are many people from our member companies who display their caring, compassion and dedication daily; not for the accolades, but because of their commitment to building a stronger industry with opportunities for everyone.

Are you seeing a growing trend towards the tech industry encouraging more women into the sector?

I have been a woman in tech for 35 years. Yes, for at least the past ten years I have seen an increased focus on embracing women, but there is still so much work to do and the needle has not moved that much. Still, less than 15% of the global tech workforce are women. The number of students pursuing computer science degrees in college is actually decreasing. It is important for people to understand that it is not just about hiring women. It is about creating conducive workplace cultures that retain women. More than half of the women in tech abandon their careers at the midpoint. Few grow into the ranks of management, and less than 5% grow into an executive position. Women still feel isolated in their tech jobs, experience bias and grow weary of continuing to have to prove themselves as a woman in tech.

What information or core message are you currently putting out to industry members in regards to developing a culture of diversity within their business strategy?

CompTIA has long held a position on the importance of diversity. We launched an Advancing Diversity in Technology member community (free to join) in 2016. This community, now called Advancing Tech Talent and Diversity, focuses on giving businesses the insight, tools and resources they need to build diverse workplace cultures. While large businesses often have a diversity and inclusion policy, most small and medium businesses do not. CompTIA is specifically helping these organisations adopt a diversity and inclusion strategy.

Having worked on diversity issues for the past five years, many organisations are now approaching us for help as they seek to improve their strategies.

We’ve also recorded a 4-part podcast series “Culture Shift”, covering topics from ensuring equitable practices to having conversations about race and kicked off our annual, industry event ChannelCon earlier this month with a town hall on diversity issues, led by our CEO and members of our Board of Directors. It’s available on YouTube.

Can you identify any examples of women in the tech industry and the impact they are having?

I am so impressed with sisters Susan Wojcicki, CEO, You Tube and Anne Wojcicki, Founder and CEO of the personal genomics company, 23andMe. They are just brilliant executives. And they are building workplace cultures conducive to every single employee’s growth and opportunity.

Seeing high performing and successful women run companies that are so relevant today is inspiring for all women. But it’s more about the grass roots efforts than big names. To create change, we need lots of smaller efforts and initiatives that continue to beat the drum. I applaud PCR’s initiatives to recognise women in tech. This issue is full of women doing great things at their companies to inspire, encourage and create opportunity for other women in tech. CompTIA just released winners of our annual “Spotlight Awards” and for the

How do you see this impacting the future of the industry and the benefits it will bring?

Building diverse and inclusive workplace cultures will help to attract and retain more talent for the industry. As people start to see more “folk like them” in a prospective workplace, they will be more inclined to join, to perform and to excel. We will start to fill all those open jobs, reach higher levels of loyalty and tenure, and tech will truly be able to deliver on its promise of being a competitive driver for all industries and economies.

Tech is a wonderful, exciting, high paying, rewarding career that is accessible to anyone – anywhere, given the opportunity and training. Offering employment opportunities to diverse populations will also have a direct, positive impact on individuals, families and communities. Finally, we will also see more opportunity, value and innovation in our products and services, as diverse perspectives contribute.

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thebiginterview

New Normal It has been just over a year since Toshiba Client Solutions Europe rebranded to Dynabook Europe. PCR talks to Nick Offin, head of sales, marketing and operations, Dynabook Northern Europe about how the company is supporting channel partners for the new normal whilst leaning on its rich heritage to continue developing innovative products and services

Tell us a bit about the rebranding to Dynabook Europe from Toshiba Client Solutions Europe? What was the strategy behind this and the new company ethos?

In October 2018, the Toshiba Client Solutions global business was acquired by Sharp Corporation. We saw this as an opportunity to take Toshiba’s heritage and Sharp’s scale and start fresh.

The dynabook brand has existed for 35 years in Japan, but it has remained fairly unknown outside of the region. As an industry leader, Toshiba launched the world’s first laptop computer – the T1100 in 1985 – and followed it up with the world’s first notebook computer – the dynabook J-3100 SS001 in 1989.

What does this shift offer in terms of new services, tools and processes?

A key focus for us since the rebrand has been to adapt our channel partner program in terms of evolving it, reestablishing it, rebranding it, and relaunching it – while at the same time staying true to our 35 years of heritage. We’ve also looked at personalising and tailoring a specific service to our channel partners to help them grow their business.

One of the great things about us as a business is that we are 100 per cent channel-focused. We have always sold 100 per cent through the channel and we continue to do so, which is a very strong aspect of our partner program.

We’ve also considered how we become more relevant with our program by making it fully available online and accessible via multiple platforms. This ensures we’re facilitating opportunities and, above all else, simply making it easier for new and existing partners to do business with us and making sure they feel confident in doing so.

How has the company’s personal partner program been designed to maximise opportunities for partners?

At Dynabook, we are working towards building a very 22

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personal program, so it looks like an individual design for specific partners but underpinned with some broader pieces.

One of the key things that sits behind that is an online deal registration tool, which gives partners the assurance that if they bring an opportunity to us it is fully protected.

We also want to reward partners who bring leads early in the sales cycle with additional commercial support.

That gives them access to work exclusively with our end customer sales team, so they can have a joint approach if they desire. They also benefit from access to product specialists and loan units, and then behind that we’re offering a range of other options including services and extended warranty, which allow partners to maximise their revenue and margin opportunity with that particular customer.

We have also launched ‘Dynabook Rewards’, which – as the name suggests – rewards sales teams for their performance with money in their pocket, loaded onto a Visa Card that can be used anywhere, just like a normal card. There are also over 50 retailers in the UK participating in the rewards card program which entitles users to get three per cent cashback with dynabook also covering all tax & NI contributions, when using the card.

This is a new incentive within the program and only recently rolled-out, which covers the majority of our range.

Finally, we’re also making a lot more collateral and media available which partners can tailor and use in their own marketing - including product videos and imagery, as well as cheat sheets. This is especially useful in this ‘new normal’ of the past few months, where salespeople can’t work in the traditional face-to-face, in-person manner they are used to. We’re giving them access to a wide range of online tools to help overcome this challenge. www.pcr-online.biz

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thebiginterview How has the demand of products changed over the last few months and how has dynabook helped partners serve their customers during this time?

We have seen a strong demand for our mobility products, which has clearly been accelerated further in the last few months given the nature of COVID-19 and its impact on the way people are working. We have been able to support partners not only because we held some good inventory in the country, but also through our diverse product offering which allows us to support partners with the flexibility to address the requirements of a wide range of customers, and meet the spike in demand. To give just a couple of examples, we have recently launched the Portégé X30L – the world’s lightest 13.3” device, as well as the Satellite Pro C50, a device designed for the education and SMB markets.

How has the past year been for Dynabook?

It has been a really exciting year, especially in making this transition as a 35-year-old business under the Toshiba brand.

The new Dynabook brand represents a dynamic new opportunity for us in terms of how we communicate that rebrand to the partner base.

We have a core set of partners who we’ve worked closely with over the last couple of years, but now under the new brand we’re reaching out to more partners than ever before with our personalised program.

We’re also pushing out some innovative new technology platforms as well, through which we’re engaging with some other types of partners – the likes of which we traditionally might otherwise not have been involved with.

How has the Coronavirus impacted business for Dynabook?

We’ve been fortunate to benefit from a strong demand for our mobility products in recent months due to the rapid transition of people having to work remotely. This was especially true at the start of the pandemic, at which time we saw a significant increase in demand for our mobile devices. Due to our diverse product offering, we were able to manage this and ensure our partners had the support they needed to serve their customers.

We’ve also been contributing to some large-scale projects during these unprecedented times. Something that we are incredibly proud of is our involvement with the Department for Education’s (DfE) “laptops for schools” program. This fantastic project involved providing over 200,000 laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children so that they can have uninterrupted and reliable access to learning during the pandemic, no matter their location.

The education sector has always been part of our heritage, but this has become more of a focus during the current crisis. www.pcr-online.biz

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How is the company coping with the crisis?

We’re fortunate that Dynabook naturally sits within the mobility sector, which has been at the forefront of the shift to this “new normal” of remote working during the pandemic.

“Something that we are incredibly proud of is our involvement with the Department for Education’s (DfE) “laptops for schools” program. This fantastic project involved providing over 200,000 laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children so that they can have uninterrupted and reliable access to learning during the pandemic, no matter their location. The education sector has always been part of our heritage, but this has become more of a focus during the current crisis.”

How are you finding your partners coping with business during Coronavirus and what are the market conditions?

Partners who have adapted to the new market conditions have performed well. However, it is has created new difficulties in terms of reaching customers, and it is difficult to predict whether we’ll ever return to the normal working environment before the pandemic started. This is in part why we’ve sought to adapt our own channel program and make it more accessible online and via multiple platforms.

We do expect the high demand for mobility and associated hardware and software solutions to continue as remote working becomes the new normal, so in that sense the market remains in a strong place.

Has there been any supply issues? If so how is the company coping with demand?

Although it naturally took some time for the supply chain to recover from the initial impact of the pandemic, we’ve generally not experienced any major supply issues. There were, for example, some limitations with airfreight from China, as capacity was greatly reduced and understandably prioritised for essential medical equipment. However as mentioned earlier, we were fortunately able to manage this period due to our diverse product portfolio.

What projects is the company working on at the moment?

We are working on increasing our product offering for the latter part of this year by expanding our ranges within the mobility sector. We are also seeing several projects come to fruition involving our dynaEdge DE-100 assisted reality smart glasses and mobile edge computing solution, which has become increasingly popular with organisations who require remote diagnostics capabilities.

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08/09/2020 09:43

From sales, distribution, retail, marketing, PR, manufacturing, and more PCR rounds up the Top 25 women in tech, with some of the most innovative ladies both self nominated and recommended by you.

Here’s who made the Top 25 (in alphabetical order by surname) but with so many great candidates this list is far from exhaustive.

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LISA BIRD

Exertis UK - Head of Customer Excellence “Since Lisa Bird joined Exertis she has been a breathe of fresh air with the customer being at the heart of everything she does. Lisa is passionate about delivering the best levels of service and is strongly focused on understanding the company’s key objectives, attaining a high level of customer excellence not only within her department but across the board. Her ability to listen carefully to the needs and requirements of the customers and finding solutions that work for both parties makes her a pleasure to deal with. She is an excellent role model for her supply chain team and many others in the business.

As a committed and valued team player she brings a positive energy and great enthusiasm to everything she undertakes. Lisa is much respected by her peers and is an inspiration to work with.”

JAMIE BROTHWELL

Exertis - Commercial Director

“Jamie Brothwell has recently been promoted to commercial director, accessories business. Her responsibilities extend to include accessories and peripherals at Exertis’ Harlow and Basingstoke facilities. Her remit includes vendor relationship management and implementing the strategy for growing the category.

Jamie has been at Exertis since 2014, most recently as business development director. Prior to that she was general manager for the printing division, where she successfully grew the category in revenue and profit by expanding the vendor portfolio and growing the breadth and depth of the customer base. Jamie is an invaluable member of the consumer board and is also part of the Exertis global diversity steering group. Jamie is passionate about diversity and volunteers in initiatives highlighting the importance and benefits of a diverse workforce. Jamie has also taken on a mentoring role, offering her time and knowledge to those starting their careers at Exertis.”

VICKY CARTWRIGHT

Kaspersky - Marketing Director UK&I

“Vicky Cartwright has over 17 years’ experience in the IT Security Industry, with a full range of channel experience ranging from distribution, systems integration and managed services prior to joining Kaspersky. Over the last seven years at Kaspersky, she has proven herself as a dynamic and creative marketer, moving strategically as the company realigned from a traditional AV vendor predominantly operating in the B2C & SMB space, into a true Enterprise player. Vicky is passionate about providing her team with opportunities to advance their skills.

Vicky has been extremely “hands-on” in implementing Kaspersky’s award-winning new brand rollout in 2020 and has seen brand recognition in the UK rise as a result. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Vicky revised the business’ marketing strategy and developed highly successful reactive campaigns to respond to threat outbreaks, resulting in impressive numbers for 2020 so far.”

CARLY CHESHIRE

BenQ - Head of Consumer at BenQ UK

“Carly Cheshire has transformed the sales and operations of the BenQ UK consumer division since she joined the company in 2014. She has been promoted four times within an extremely short period. Her most recent promotion saw her become Head of Consumer in April 2020, after leading the B2C sales division.

Carly has tirelessly launched new products into the channel throughout the pandemic.

As a result of Carly’s dedication and knowledge of the consumer technology market, the 1H 2020 sales figures across the BenQ UK consumer division have experienced a 25% year-on-year growth, with some key accounts seeing up to a 98% increase on LCD sales alone.

Carly pulls her team together with her positive energy. She has created a solid platform for each individual, propelling them to achieve and deliver outstanding results, while also personally maintaining profitability across the division.”

JENNIFER COX

Tenable - Security Engineer

“Jennifer Cox has 14 years experience in tech and is currently involved in the Cyber Security industry. She works with customers across all of EMEA enabling best practices and cyber exposure prevention to protect against every eventuality.

Active within the industry, Jennifer has spoken at several key industry events including Women in Tech in Dublin in Sept 2019. She is also involved in launching a mentoring project and contributing as an interviewee in the Irish Independent women in tech podcast special.

More recently she attended the Women in Cybersecurity Awards in London as a finalist, was featured on the ‘women in security podcast’ with Lifen Tan and has been featured on Canadian podcast on e-channelnews.com. Tenable has also featured her for International Women’s Day in their celebrations. In 2019 she was shortlisted for a number of awards with Women inTech and Women in IT.”

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KATHARINA DAMM

Synaxon UK Central Trading - Team Leader

“Katharina Damm started her career in the IT Channel just two years ago after finishing her Master´s in Management & Organisation at Universities in Düsseldorf and Bangkok, as management assistant to the managing director of the purchasing business unit.

Over this short period she has become the youngest team leader in the company’s history, and now leads Synaxon’s Central Trading Business Unit in the UK. A dedicated team player Kati’s superpower is understanding what people need and finding a way to deliver it. She excels at communicating and connecting the right specialists from different disciplines to deliver multi-faceted complex projects on time. In just two years, Kati has initiated multiple projects and driven them to successful completion, gathering support from across the business and the channel along the way. A hard worker she is a valued team member with a bright future ahead.”

AMANDA GASCOYNE Westcon-Comstor - Head of Sales, UK & Ireland

“As Head of Internal Sales, Amanda Gascoyne has spent the past 12 months building her team, implementing a competency framework and career development plans for them all. This has resulted in impressive sales growth for the business as well as increased her team’s morale. At the start of the year, Amanda expanded her role to managing both sales and vendor teams across both Westcon UK Sales offices. Following this, her team has expanded further in the last month, meaning that Amanda is now responsible for a team of 46 people focusing on the wider partner end to end process.

Amanda’s peers recognise her dedication to her work and she is commended for her efforts. Admired for her excellent advice and encouragement, she is supportive and focused on developing confidence in her team’s own abilities and is widely respected within the company.”

RACHEL GAWLEY

Whitespace - Chief Innovation Officer

AMANDA HARRIS

Centerprise International - Business Unit Manager – Private Sector

“Rachel Gawley joined Whitespace earlier this year as Chief Innovation Officer, where she is leading the research and development of Whitespace’s new products and setting the on-going innovation strategy for corporate collaborations. Rachel previously held a position in Corporate Venture Design at PWC. On day one of joining Whitespace, Rachel was set the task to create an operational model, nurture and grow a newly formed not-for-profit organisation, Emergent Alliance.

Rachel oversees the Alliance, working alongside researchers and data scientists within the Alliance, who are working in crossindustry teams, using location data as a thread to analyse both traditional economic, business, travel and retail data sets and behavioural and sentiment data. In her first few months as Chief Innovation Officer of Whitespace, Rachel has revamped the overall process and strategy to research and development of new products and business ventures.”

“Amanda Harris joined Centerprise in 2017 to establish its Asset Retirement business, which involved getting Centerprise accredited by ADISA as one of only thirty-five authorised IT asset deposal companies in the UK. Amanda’s hard work was quickly recognised and in 2018 she was promoted to Business Unit Manager - Private Sector as part of Centerprise’s growth strategy. Her determination to succeed has delivered year on year growth in revenue and has increased her company’s net margin position through ongoing efficiency and process improvements.

Respected by her peers Amanda is a personable manager and provides the right balance between driving her team to achieve its business objectives as well as supporting individuals from a personal prospective. In a relatively short period she has developed a collaborative team, which is producing great results with substantial 20% growth over the coming financial year.”

JAYVIAN HONG

Miniclip - Senior Commercial Associate

“Jayvian Hong is committed to her cause and strives to create recognition within the channel. Working in collaboration with a fellow industry member from King, she co-founded Game Changers, an online fireside panel discussion by women for women in the games industry. Topics of discussion range from female career progression in the games industry, spotlight focuses on specific roles ranging from Game Designer, UX/UI, Legal, to handling a toxic work environment.

The first panel discussion kicked off in July and centred on the topic of “Crossing the COVID-19 Bridge: impact, outlook and the silver lining”.

136 people attended the discussion from 25 companies from senior executive level to intern. The next panel discussion is currently in the planning!

Given the heavy male-dominated industry and the few females in leadership roles, Jayvian believes diversity is a much-needed discussion for everyone within the industry to partake.”

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LAILA HEDE JENSEN

ZetaDisplay - Chief Commercial Officer

ESTELLE JOHANNES

CompTIA Ltd - UK and Benelux Community Director

“Laila Hede Jensen has over 15 years of global sales and marketing experience at director level in the AV and technology sectors, with leading brands including Unilumin, SiliconCore and Samsung.

Most recently Laila held the position of Vice President of Sales at Unilumin Group, building a new international sales and support organisation in EMEA. In February Laila joined ZetaDisplay as Chief Commercial Officer and was tasked with leading the global sales team, bringing together a number of specialist divisions into one organisation and expanding the business internationally.

Laila volunteers at board level at the Digital Signage Organisation, offering learning support to its members. She was the face of the online Digital Signage Summit, partaking in two panels and co-hosting the event alongside the organisers and will partake in LAVNCH EMEA by rAVe [PUBS] and Futuresource Consulting, taking place this September.”

“Estelle Johannes heads up both the UK and Benelux Business Technology communities for CompTIA. Described by her colleagues as an engaging head of community she is an energetic team player who constantly comes up with new and exciting ways to add value for community members and to raise the profile of Executive Council leaders. Estelle works very hard to achieve maximum results and constantly tries to find new and innovative ways to do this. This has been demonstrated over the past year by her pulling together agendas and speakers for CompTIA’s live community meetings.

Estelle’s teammates describe her as an absolute inspiration to other women as well as being a pillar of support and a pleasure to work with. A real team player and an advocate for women in tech and diversity Estelle always aims to embrace diversity within her speaker program.”

EMMA LATTIMER

TP-Link UK Ltd - Marketing Manager

Lockdown put tremendous strain on life and home WiFi. Using social listening techniques it was clear that standard issue ISP routers struggled to cope with the demands of working, schooling and socialising from home. Seeing an opportunity to genuinely help people overcome WiFi performance and reach issues, Emma Lattimer developed an educational campaign under the banner of #BetterWiFi. Using the targeting options across the Facebook portfolio she offered Top Tips based on peoples interests and location. For example, using publicly available information about average WiFi speeds she was able to target content about mobile WiFi solutions to people in areas with typically poor broadband connections speeds. The 3 month campaign resulted in a 38% increase in positive brand mentions, 8%+ engagement rate across all social platforms across the campaign lifespan and 18% increase in the number of followers across all social platforms.

LUCY LINCOLN

BullGuard - Senior Channel Marketing Manager

“Lucy Lincoln joined BullGuard in 2013 and has built the channel marketing strategy from the ground up. Lucy has been instrumental in implementing a solid tiered partner program, defining and enhancing BullGuard’s channel partnership.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Lucy has contributed to setting up a hugely effective lead generation tool in the form of an extended Small Office Security customer trial. This was to help small businesses with an immediate need for protection due to the unprecedented uptake in remote working.

As a result of the combined efforts of the channel marketing function and sales, BullGuard’s business has witnessed double digit growth year on year as well as three consecutive accolades of best ‘Software, Services and Support Vendor’ in the PCR Awards 2018, 2019 and 2020.

BullGuard was also awarded ‘Company of the Year’ in PCR’s 2020 awards.”

HANNAH LLOYD

inSOC Inc - VP Channel Sales

“As a young woman in the tech sector, Hannah Lloyd has really stepped up to the mark to share her knowledge and expertise through very active participation in the UK community where she volunteers her time. She is also a well-known and respected individual within the global channel markets, working to on-board and support channel partners across the world. Her CompTIA involvement includes serving on the UK Executive Council for several years where she is now Vice Chair.

She has hosted Community meetings as well as taken part in sessions and is always a willing volunteer. Hannah has an incredible knowledge of channel sales and growth strategies, helping In-Soc become established as a new company. Hannah is a strong advocate for women in tech demonstated through her attendance at diversity events and putting herself forward but also by just being who she is.”

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SAMEHRA MALIK

Seagate Technology - Channel Marketing Manager

“Samehra Malik has an outstanding nine-year career in specialised marketing roles for IT/Tech & the channel. In her recent role she has played a pivotal part in helping to lead the EMEA North region to success. Since joining the company, Samehra has helped change and improve the synergy between sales and marketing for the better, ensuring a consistent drive towards change throughout the business and having one unified goal. As a result, she is a mentor to others and is involved in the EMEA SSD elite team and also the UK social committee.

Samehra is a highly driven and ambitious professional, who thrives on motivating and supporting all her colleagues, with outstanding organisational and project management skills. Constantly pushing the boundaries within a highly engaged EMEA Channel Marketing group, Samehra delivers exceptional partner and alliance projects while simultaneously delivering unbelievable creative campaigns.”

JODIE MASSON

Ingram Micro Cloud - Marketing Executive

“Jodie Masson is a dedicated and innovative marketer who strives for high levels of campaign excellence. Ingram Micro won Microsoft’s prestigious title of ‘Partner of the Year’ 2020; Jodie was responsible for much of the work which supported this win, delivering forwardthinking campaign proposals that positioned Ingram as trail blazers within the Channel.

She started at Ingram just two years ago with limited experience in Marketing. Despite this, her experience and capabilities go far beyond her few years within the industry. This is now being fortified by her studies at London South Bank University where she recently achieved Firsts in her H1 set of assignments– all while working fulltime!

Beyond this, her relationship management is second to none, skilfully navigating difficult conversations and driving towards proactive and fulfilling outcomes.

Jodie’s colleagues are proud and inspired and know the future is bright for her.”

JANET O’SULLIVAN

Fire Eye - Channel Program Manager

“Janet O’Sullivan volunteered and was appointed to the Executive Council of the UK Community in 2015. In Jan 2018 Janet was elevated to the Chair position and in that position helped grow the UK Community numbers.

Janet is now in her fourth year serving and volunteering in the CompTIA UK Community. She leads the charge as a women in Tech, advocating for diversity and inclusion, and collaborating with other companies in the industry to deliver value to clients.

She is seen as a valued colleague that brings inspiration to her workmates and to other women. Janet is committed to her work and brings energy and passion to everything she undertakes.”

OLIVIA OROZCO

Wireless Logic - IoT Carrier Network Manager

KATHY QUASHIE

Vodafone - Head of Indirect Business, UK

“In the last year, Olivia Orozco has been promoted from Network Infrastructure Specialist to IoT Carrier Network Manager. She has helped to design the next generation of Wireless Logic’s secure IoT network to deal with the challenge of over 3 million devices connecting. She has also been instrumental in the upgrade of multiple endpoints, as well as setting up two major products for the company that help its customers secure their data transmissions across public mobile networks. Both of these products have had a material impact on its customers.

Olivia has also taken on the overall management of the support team, integrating support staff from around Europe and across six different languages into one highly capable function within the company, that now supports close to 4.5 million devices connecting around the world.”

With a highly successful career in tech, telecoms, software, retail and banking, Kathy Quashie now leads Vodafone’s Indirect Business. In her role, Kathy has delivered strong performance growth for the channel, transformed the operating model, relaunched the strategy and go-to-market. She’s also built valuable relationships with channel CEOs, helping them market and sell Vodafone’s leading range of intelligent connectivity, including 5G, convergence and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions to businesses of all sizes across the UK. Kathy has been a key member of tech for women programs over the years, mentoring and contributing to the diversity and inclusion agendas of the companies she has worked for. In light of these efforts, Kathy was recognised by Women to Watch 2019, Cranfield University’s spotlight on BAME Board future talent; and more recently, she featured on the EMpower Ethnic Minority Executive Role Model 2020 listing.

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TANITH RUSSELL

CMS Distribution Ltd - Senior Sales Manager London

CLARE SHIPSTON

Kaspersky - Distribution Partner Account Manager

“Tanith Russell is recognised by her sales team as a motivational leader, bringing over 20 years’ experience in Technology and Consumer electronics.

She is passionate about her team, their growth and career development. Her Organisation skills are paramount to her success, providing structure to daily tasks and processes and are key to how she manages her dynamic young team, in a busy fast paced sales environment. Allowing everyone involved to constantly push for success, hit sales targets and deliver on KPIs. Tanith motivates, coaches and supports her team to create their own personal development plan (PDP) to set achievable short and longer-term goals.

Throughout 2020 Tanith continues to keep her team motivated, focuses on monthly targets, gives her full support and does everything possible to ensure each one succeeds, even in these difficult times with challenging targets to reach.”

“With a decade of experience across channel, software technology and technical services, Clare Shipston is a great asset to Kaspersky.

Clare is highly respected within the business and as a self-motivated professional she encourages proactivity amongst her team. Claire provides excellent service and is a valuable team player. Joining Kaspersky at a time of critical change, she has realigned the company’s distribution and implemented reseller recruitment days with incentives for webinars and meetings.

Over the past year Clare has successfully increased the renewal rate on her remit from 69% to 81%. Since joining the team, she has also seen one distributor increase all business by 114% and another by 45% YTD. Clare’s vision for the future of channel distribution in the UK is a harmonious relationship with Kaspersky and distribution, increasing new business and renewals to 50/50 share.

HELEN SIMPSON

Poly - Director of Inside Sales and Renewals, EMEA

Helen Simpson heads up the Inside Sales team at Poly, which brings together the team from Plantronics and Polycom.

Helen’s contribution to revenue generation across EMEA has been significant, with her EMEA team exceeding sales expectations for FY20, achieving 122% of the target. Importantly, all three key hubs — UK&I, Netherlands and Germany — all exceeded regional targets. Individually, two-thirds of Helen’s Inside Sales Account Managers secured more than 100% of their personal target.

Helen believes in championing advancement and to challenge limitations that her team members put on themselves. This is largely down to the highly successful, best in-class onboarding program created by Helen, which offers new starters an imprinting window that stays with them for the duration of their career. Helen has also created a career development program to provide structured growth and advancement within her team.

SONIA URDIALES

Wasp Barcode Technologies - UK territory manager

“Sonia Urdiales has worked for Wasp for 14 years, bringing to the company strong commitment and unrivalled dedication. From grass roots she began her career at the company joining as a Sales Rep. After mastering this role she worked her way up to channel account manager for distribution within the UK, and through her success was promoted to UK territory manager to head the UK region. Within this role she managed the UK management team in respect of Sales, Accounts, Technical, Marketing and HR. Sonia has made a positive impact in the industry over the past year and continues to achieve new goals within her career. She is an allround team player and brings great passion and energy. She undertakes everything with dedicated professionalism and supports her teammates with great industry insight gained from her years of industry experience.

VALERIE VACANTE

LiveArea/Collabsco - Director of Strategy, LiveArea and Founder, Collabsco “Valerie Vacante architected LiveArea’s accelerated innovation solutions, allowing brands to rapidly ideate, design, test and learn products or services before investing big.

She also co-founded retail innovation “LiveArea Scan&Go,” a web-based, app free scan and go experience to alleviate queuing in retail stores and enhance overall consumer experiences.

Valerie was instrumental in evolving Collabsco’s ground breaking Connected Play Landscape, showcased at CES 2020 and featured in ToyNews,VentureBeat, The Drum, VRScout among others.

She was also consulted on the book, “Taming Gaming” by UK Journalist Andy Robertson, about educating kids and families on the power of positive gaming and play, featured on BBC Click.

Valerie was nominated 40/Forty and Mojo Nation 100 Design Champion 2020 and serves on the SXSW Innovation Advisory Board as a CES KAPi Awards Judge and is a Global Expert to MassChallenge.”

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03/09/2020 13:37

If you want to maximise your exposure in the IT and tech channel, advertise in PCR’s monthly print magazine!

PCR’s print circulation is sent, by request, only to readers who meet our strict criteria.

They have to be the decision makers our advertisers want to reach.

Talk to our sales team today to find out how we can showcase your company.

Contact Sarah Goldhawk at Sarah.Goldhawk@Biz-Media.co.uk

PCR House ad exposure_v1march2020.indd 1

24/02/2020 14:23

Number

Here are some of the most interesting stats and facts from the tech channel…

CRUNCHING 84%

CACI’s July report shows UK consumer mobility is currently at an average of 62%, having recovered from a low of 32%. The mobility is unevenly distributed, with local towns and high streets reaching an engaged 70% of pre-lockdown footfall.

Meanwhile city centres are still sitting at 30% due to a lack of workers, tourists and shoppers.

Eight out of ten (84%) C-Suite executives believe their organisation is able to identify the dark data it holds, reveals Exonar. However, the UK survey of 500 IT professionals found that less than half (49%) of data managers agree. This suggests that C-Suite executives may overestimate their ability to identify dark data, or that their teams do not yet feel equipped to do so.

9.2%

30% In Q2 2020 ServiceNow reported 30% year‑on‑year growth, totaling $1,016 million in subscription revenues. This includes 40 transactions closed at more than $1 million and two transactions over $10 million, in net new annual contract value (ACV). www.pcr-online.biz

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79%

62%

Web speed is a vital necessity for any modern website or ecommerce business to keep users and customers satisfied and trustful reports Website Builder Expert. By optimising even 0.1 second of user waiting time can increase retail conversions by 8.4% and average order values by 9.2%. According to 51% of US buyers, a slow website was cited as the reason why they’d abandon a purchase.

If Amazon’s site slowed down by just a second, they’d lose $1.6 Billion!

A new study by Remote, found 79% of UK tech employees would move - 71% to a different country or 8% to a different region, if they were able to work remotely and retain the same job and remuneration. 63% of tech employees believe entrepreneurs need to look beyond London if they want to find the best talent in the world. 57% believe that international remote working is a better alternative to greater immigration.

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Diversity in the Channel

Transformative thinking It’s the 21st century but still in many instances the issues of racial and sexual inequality persist. But 2020 has been a year of great change and has seen the uprising of ‘Black lives matter’ campaigners stand up and fight for equality and equal representation and this may just be the catalyst that will encourage more diversity and inclusion of minority groups across both society and industry.

Michelle Winny speaks to the channel to see what activities are being adopted to encourage a culture of diversity in the work place.

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Sponsored and supported by

F

or the tech channel inclusion and equal representation are aspects many companies are actively seeking to encourage by adopting a culture of diversity at work but not before much effort and hard work has gone on in bridging this divide.

Samehra Malik Channel Marketing Manager at Seagate believes there needs to be more education around the technology channel space at a higher education level: “We need better internship programs in the UK, much like Seagate offers in the US. Giving opportunities to the next generation to experience hands on what is involved and the brands within our channel, would inspire and encourage people to enter the industry,” she says.

Malik explains that Seagate has “admittedly made progress with diversity hiring over the past years however the industry still has a long way to go.” She points out the channel still needs “diversifying at senior and board level.” Also from a marketing perspective, she says it is still very much a “male dominated style of storytelling”.

Speaking about other areas within the channel that could benefit from diversity inclusion Malik says, “Gaming is a good example of where there are drivers affecting diversity; from the point of view of the next generation of gamers. Millennials and Generation x will be key to driving change at a societal level when it comes to diversity through representation for, gender, ethnicity, sexuality and disability.”

For Alex Tempest, MD, BT Wholesale and Ventures, embracing diversity means greater clarity on how to gain workplace entry within the industry: “A key aspect of supporting diversity in the channel is through dispelling the myth that people must go through university as the only route into employment in the technology space. To ensure that a larger variety of people have the opportunity to work within the channel and more widely across BT, we’ve run a successful apprenticeship scheme in our wholesale division for a number of years, which is part of a wider and highly successful BT Group initiative.

“The scheme runs both a GCSE and A-level structure, again widening the pool of talent for young people that have a passion for the channel and telecommunications space. With university costs rising and uncertainty in the job market, this has meant that thousands of apprentices from a variety of backgrounds have benefitted from the scheme, with almost 80% of apprentices that qualified more than five years ago still with the business. That said, our schemes aren’t age dependent, they are open to anyone that is of at least school leaving age when they you start their apprenticeship.

“Diversity takes many forms, and so BT also has ten different diversity networking groups throughout the business, giving people support and community structures to engage with other people that may face the same challenges that they do. Spanning gender equality, ethnicity, LGBT+, ability, faith and carers’ networks as just a selection, these networks are crucial to ensuring that all issues that our workforce may face or worry about can be brought to light and engaged with to make a concrete difference to our culture and the way we operate”, adds Tempest.

Nick Foster, HR director at IT channel services provider, Exertis believes a change in perception is needed: “Unfortunately, a lot of stereotypes still exist within the channel and we are actively working against this. The office-based culture of the past will have discouraged many from considering the channel as an option so

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Diversity in the Channel we need to build on what we’ve learnt over the past few months and ensure we design a working environment that is appealing to a wide range of people.”

Foster explains that diversity & inclusion objectives are now included in all Exertis’ managers performance plans and are being “highlighted and promoted in every town hall meting the company has.”

“We have recently issued all of our managers with a diversity & inclusion toolkit and each one has been asked to ensure they contribute to making a demonstrable positive shift in diversity representation within their area of the business. This is being achieved through completing unconscious bias training, implementing all reasonable measures to ensure a diverse range of candidates are interviewed for vacancies and demonstrating active involvement in diversity programmes either within our business or with customer/vendor/industry body,” Foster says.

“It is no longer acceptable to not have an opinion or stance on diversity. If we are not actively promoting diversity in our recruitment practices, we are missing out on a huge proportion of talent. Moving forwards, candidates will select an employer based on the experience they can offer and not necessarily the monetary reward. Candidates will look for a company that is ethical and authentic in their approach to business and the culture that is offered,” adds Foster.

Women in particular within the tech sector have been an underrepresented minority with a very low level of females in leadership and management roles. For Agilitas recruiting females into the industry has been pivotal to their business as Sue Horsfall, HR director at Agilitas explains: “We are really keen to particularly encourage more women into our business by promoting it as an attractive proposition with a genuine career path into senior roles with continuous support, development and encouragement.

“Diversity in the workplace is essential to create a thriving business, especially when it comes to employee engagement. At Agilitas, we have filtered this into our DNA naturally, and recruit purely based on talent, future potential, and synergy with our core values. We have been running for 30 years and diversity has always been an important part of what we do,” Horsfall enthuses.

Horsfall believes the industry needs to be a little bit more “connected”: “Some businesses have a very good diversity initiative, but others are maybe slightly behind the curve albeit unintentionally. There has to be more transparency across businesses with leaders actually leading by example. The businesses that embrace diversity are the ones that will benefit from securing the best talent and ultimately achieve greater success,” she says.

For future industry growth, Horsfall thinks the shift towards remote working will be a gateway to opening up the channel: “Remote working will definitely help to fuel diversity; people’s mindsets are now changing into thinking what is ‘the next normal?’ People are building much more personable relationships, meaning that integrating new people into a business is going to be accelerated and should become easier. COVID-19 and the changes in our working environments are going to be the main contributors to accelerating diversity. Essentially, the Coronavirus pandemic is the stimulus for driving change across multiple topics and issues within a range of different industries.”

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Gekko

Smart at the home heart

Gekko’s managing director, Daniel Todaro reports from IFA 2020 in Berlin on the latest in smart tech home appliances and the evolutionary trends in IoT

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Gekko

I

FA 2020 is a much smaller, intimate socially distanced affair in Berlin. The event organisers have done a superb job at keeping the CE industries key event open all be it, not to the general public.

The Corona effect has impacted the industry at a global level and as we come out of having spent quite possibly the longest continued time than normal in our own homes, consumer’s desire for new technology to enhance their space has grown.

The industry knows this and my business has seen this since retail reopened with an average conversion to sale of over +60% and ABV increase by +10%.

Drivers to purchase range from replacement to upgrade, desiring the latest in smart CE to complement the extra time we are now spending at home but also just in case we are forced to spend another lengthy lockdown in our cribs.

One of the long-term effects of lockdown has been that people are now spending more time at home, by choice, centred around the kitchen meaning that more of what we consume needs to be made or prepared using technology. This extends to how we wash, not only those pots, pans, crockery etc. but also how we clean our clothes and our homes, in addition to working from home and socialising. Brands within the category have jumped to the call of more innovation, more integration, and more space. The design of the home is evolving faster due to Coronavirus making consumers keen to enhance their quality of life at home through smart technology whilst not compromising on aesthetics.

A brand that seems to have designed to meet this challenge post lockdown is BSH, which has added not only smart technology to its range but also a third shelf in its dishwashing range. It’s also increased the size of its freezers with an extra 26cm of cubic space. Its neat invention, Connected Cookit, is a multifunction food processor with cooking functions that cooks up to 200 degrees. It’s a slow cooker, but not as you know it - it makes it, cooks it and connects to your voice assistants and your smart devices so you can control it remotely. This connectivity extends to BSH ovens, dishwashers etc. from your Fitbit whilst you venture out for a run meaning that you can still be in the kitchen, when you’re not.

Innovations include changing hues of ambient lights on hoods, dishwashers etc. to match your mood or interior and also programming your coffee machine to make the perfect cup of coffee just as you, your family and your guests like it, bringing the barista out in you.

Investment in R&D is the key shout out across all brands showcasing at IFA this year. Amongst the largest was $100bn from Huawei who are committing to developing technologies encapsulated in an initiative called ‘1+8+N seamless connected living’ on which Huawei is in the first chapter and that enable a connected future for all. In reaction to the US sanctions imposed on Huawei and those who worked with the brand, Huawei have risen to the challenge admirably engaging directly with almost 460m monthly active users, 33m in the EU alone. The App Gallery is the third largest app store globally, increasing 76% YOY naturally due to the loss of

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Google services meaning Huawei users have limited choice but to do so. Petal search, the new search engine from Huawei, now has over 100m users with 81,000 apps integrated. Relevant apps are on the platform meaning that whatever the USA government tried to do to dampen Huawei has backfired and served to make the brand stronger in the market.

The investment extends into retail, where others fear to tread, Huawei are leading the charge and opening eight flagship stores across major cities such as London, Paris, Milan which will be complemented by 42 experience zones that offer a user experience unrivalled so they claim.

Another Chinese brand making significant noise is Haier, which also owns Hoover, Candy and GE Appliances wants to be 100% connected throughout its portfolio of products.

Currently they have 18 families of products that they are developing through app and voice connectivity, “democratic connectivity” according to its CEO, Zhang Ruimin. With a three-brand strategy of Candy delivering Value, Hoover as the core and Haier as premium. Candy, positioned in the market by its parent company as ‘affordable, smart, Italian’ claims to have 1.2 million paired products and 30% active users which in 2019 it recorded that 21% of Candy users were launching a washing cycle using its smart home facility, a multiple of 3 YOY and still growing.

Nova by Candy is a fully connected washing machine powered by your smartphone. The first of its type with one single button to control the MDA but also learning about your usage and making recommendations to enable consumers to wash smarter and ecologically.

Impressively it is claimed by Hoover that they sell globally a stick vacuum every minute. The new range will also be connected. H-Wash will scan your label via your smartphone and your connected Hoover H-Wash 500 will select the best program for your laundry. Now that means anyone can do the laundry.

H-Habitat air purifier, connected of course, will assess the quality of air in your home, the weather forecast, pollution stats, pollen count and adapt your purifier to react according to the need within your home. Gathering internal and external air data through the H-Scanner, which activates the robotic vacuum to clear dust and the air purifier to adapt the air quality in your home.

Positioning Haier as a premium brand and claimed to be the fastest growing premium brand (in this category) through creating innovations such as antibacterial laundry and five door cooling each with adjustable temperature zones. Did you know that Haier makes wine storage solutions? They are linking with the Vivino app to help you with how you should store any bottle of wine. By scanning the label, the app will automatically update the temperature of the storage to suit your choice of wine!

The trend at IFA 2020, it would seem, is that every brand is seeking to be the first choice for consumers to integrate with your smart home. It’s fair to say that the big news came predominantly from the MDA sector amongst others.

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Top 5 Tech

TP-Link’s Emma Lattimer TP-Link’s marketing manager, Emma Lattimer tells PCR the five pieces of technology she cannot live without

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Top 5 Tech

WIFI

Where would we have been without wireless during lockdown? These past few months, we’ve all needed stable WiFi coverage in every corner of our home. We’ve transformed every square meter into offices, classrooms, cinemas and makeshift pubs for the weekly family Zoom quiz. Over the past months, I’ve honed my home networking skills to make sure there’s sufficient bandwidth for everyone in the family to have stable Teams calls with colleagues and school. Previously untouched, apart from the router setup, the Deco mesh router app has become a lifesaver. Using the Quality of Service tool.

IPHONE

Never leave home without it. For more than 10 years, the iPhone has been my constant companion.

Like a Swiss Army knife, it’s replaced so many bulky paper-based items in my handbag. It also provides that all-important instant access to the fast-moving world of Twitter, the chance to stay in touch with family and friends across the world through apps like Instagram, Snapchat and of course, Facebook. And the camera… there’s no need to hump around a fancy camera when you go on holiday, it’s quite literally all there in the palm of your hand to capture the moment forever.

POWERBANK

A natural extension to the iPhone is, of course, the powerbank. With the sheer number of jobs, the phone does it’s hardly surprising it needs a top-up towards the end of the day. Having a powerbank at the bottom of my bag gives me the peace of mind that no matter where I am or how late it gets there’ll always be enough juice to order an Uber or find the nearest Nando’s. It’s also been the catalyst for a great friendship that started by helping out a fellow commuter with a battery top-up to see them home.

COLLABORATIVE CLOUD TOOLS

Managing social media for a brand can be very time-consuming, so tools like Slack, Trello and Hootsuite are essential to streamline and collaborate with colleagues in real-time. Responding to and engaging with our community via social is an essential part of the communications mix. Personally, I’m a big fan of Hootsuite; it means people from multiple departments can collaborate in real-time to resolve support issues and get those customers back online as quickly as possible. I also love the Hootlet feature that enables you to share relevant content in real-time directly from your desktop.

SMART SPEAKER

A big fan of the Amazon Alexa, it’s not just handy for playing music or keeping on top of the news, it’s also the heart of my smart home. Using skills from the various smart home brands, my Alexa manages individual lights, and plugs or whole groups of devices without having to go into multiple apps. The ‘drop-in’ feature is an essential part of daily life, vital for communicating with Teens hibernating in their rooms. And finally, I absolutely love the satisfaction of whispering “Goodnight Alexa” at the end of the day, and she turns all the connected devices off for the night.

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Sector Guide

Creative Tech and Software From the latest monitors to headphones here are some of the best solutions available for creative professionals

DesignVue monitor from BenQ “The 27” PD2705Q DesignVue monitor from BenQ has received certifications from CalMAN, Pantone and VESA. Designed specifically for creatives who rely on exact colour reproduction, it combines HDR quality and precise image clarity. The IPS HDR 27” panel features a display resolution of 2560x1440 (QHD), 5ms response time, 60Hz refresh rate and 2Wx2 built-in speakers.

Achieving 100% of industry standard sRGB and Rec.709 wide colour gamuts, the factorycalibrated display arrives with a unique calibration report for guaranteed quality for designers relying on exact colour match.”

Specs: Screen Size: 27, Resolution (max.): 2560x1440, Panel Type: IPS, Backlight Technology: LED backlight, Brightness: 300, Native Contrast(typ.): 1000:1, Viewing Angle (L/R;U/D) (CR>=10): 178/178, Response Time: 5ms (GtG), Refresh Rate: 60Hz, Aspect Ratio: 16:9, Display Colors: 16.7 Million, Colour Gamut: 100% sRGB/Rec. 709, Audio: 2Wx2 Built-in Speaker, Eye Care: Flicker-free Technology and Low Blue Light.

Contact: BenQ

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Sector Guide

Koss Pro4S Headphones “The professional Koss Pro4S is designed with world-class music in mind, the headset features a finely tuned SLX40 element to deliver accurate and balanced sound ideal for any studio or creative set-up.

The Koss D-profile earcups, conform to the natural contour of the ear, with memory foam leather cushions, dual entry cord and padded headband for supreme comfort during those long-hours in the studio.”

Specs: Natural fitting ‘D-profile’ earcup, Aluminium earcups with memory foam leather cushions, Padded breathable headband, Robust metal-on-metal construction, Folds flat, 1.4m coiled, detachable dual entry cable, 6.3mm adapter and travel case included, Koss limited lifetime warranty, Frequency: 10 - 25,000Hz, Impedance: 35 Ohms, Sensitivity: 99dB Contact: KOSS

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Sector Guide

Hama Smart Lavalier Microphone “The Hama Smart Lavalier Microphone is designed for audio and video recording.

Interviews, vlogs, presentations and more can be captured discretely and completely hands free with the easy clip-on attachment and generous 6m cable for ultimate maneuverability on set. For those seeking clearer, professional quality sound, the Hama Smart Lavalier Mic is battery powered for on the go use, fully equipped with wind protection to eliminate audio imperfections both indoor and out.”

Specs: Clip-on design, Ideal for reporters, videographers and vloggers, Improved audio and video recording on smartphones, tablets, cameras, PCs..., Outdoor wind protection, Battery powered (included), Safe storage bag, 6m cable, 3.5mm jack plug, works with Apple (separate adapter available), Frequency: 50Hz – 20kHz, Impedance: 2200 Ohms, Sensitivity: 34dB Contact: Hama UK

Hama 3D Tripod for Tablet and Smartphone “Smartphone, tablet or camera, this versatile Hama tripod provides a secure mount for most mobile devices. A fully adjustable 3D head and 3x extendable height allow optimum screen positioning for reading music or filming vlogs and video presentations, whilst the ¼” thread connection grants additional functionality as a standard camera tripod for complete all-in-one adaptability. When travelling, moving between sets/ locations or simply where storage space is sparse a lightweight collapsible design makes the Hama 3D Tripod a compact yet solid choice.”

Specs: Universal attachment of tablets (11.2 – 18.5cm) and smartphones (5.5 – 8.2cm), Ideal for reading music and vlogging, Rubber coated spring clamp, 3D 3-way head, 36.5 - 106cm Adjustable height, 3 x Extendable legs, Lightweight aluminium design, 1/4” (6.4 mm) thread mount for camera, Weight: 520g, Max load: 500g Contact: Hama UK

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Sector Guide

AERO Creative Range GIGABYTE’s AERO content creation notebook series is the next generation in high-performance professional notebooks. Major upgrades include enhancements across a series of products including AMOLED screens and support for 4K resolutions. Both the CPU and GPU have undergone upgrades, cooling has also been improved using WINDFORCE Infinity technology. This series utilises NVIDIA Studio drivers to optimise over 40 editing programs for improved efficiency.

Specs NVIDIA Studio Laptops - Designed for Creators, Slim and Light aluminium chassis with a long lasting battery, Multiple varieties of I/O including Thunderbolt 3 and SD Card slots, Xrite Pantone screen colour calibration, AMOLED and HDR IPS display panel options, 10th Gen Intel Core i7 and i9 Processors, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 SUPER, RTX and GTX 16 series Graphics Contact: CMS Distribution

Milanote Milanote is a tool for organising creative projects into beautiful visual boards. By design, it feels a lot like working on the wall in a creative studio - visual, tactile and sometimes a bit messy - Milanote is a great fit for designers who work in teams remotely.

Busy creatives can now work seamlessly with this visual organisational tool featuring a flexible drag and drop interface. Create an individual workspace that you can share with your colleagues at a touch of a button.

Use the handy templates to quickly create and share briefs.

Specs Write notes & to-do lists, upload images & files and save things you find on the web, organise visually using the flexible drag and drop interface, create a shared workspace for collaboration with your team, Built-in templates help you get started with a variety of different projects.

Contact: Milanote

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PCR-JUL20 Smithie 2 QVO_Layout 1 17/07/2020 10:40 Page 1

CALL SMITHIE UK SALES TEAM NOW

01256 844 028

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Sector Guide

Smart Home Hardware and software designed specifically for the smart home. PCR rounds up the latest tech for home automation.

EZVIZ DB1 3MP video doorbell “The EZVIZ DB1 3MP Video Door has a 3MP resolution camera and weatherproof casing for outdoor use. Its 180-degree vertical viewing angle and 105-degree horizontal view offers a full vertical angle of visitors at the door and even allows remote voice communication. Connect it to your smartphone via the EZVIZ app to keep your home safe. It also comes with 3 different angle plates and 3 different colour facia plates for optimum look and view.”

Specs: 180-degree vertical viewing angle and 105-degree horizontal view, remote voice communication, smart phone enabled, 3 different angle plates, 3 different colour facia plates Contact: Ezviz

EZVIZ C3N night vision security camera “The EZVIZ C3N security camera provides clear colour night vision to help see every bit of detail at night and delivers a better experience for monitoring your home in the dark. The integrated AI Human Detection deep learning model detects motion in real-time to further reduce false alerts, delivering footage to you wherever you are. You’ll receive instant notification.”

Specs: Clear colour night vision, Integrated AI Human Detection in realtime, Instant incident notification Contact: Ezviz

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Sector Guide

EZVIZ C3X commercial-grade security camera “The EZVIZ C3X is a commercial-grade security camera with a dual-lens setup. Nighttime colour video is now a reality, even with the absence of supplemental lights. Built-in AI algorithms create simplicity of use. Now you can get accurate alerts when people and vehicles appear in your specified zones. Deter suspicious activity using the built-in 100DB alarm and flash light. A new EZVIZ feature has been added that allows users to set customisable voice alerts, activated when motion is detected to help deter suspicious activity.”

Specs: Commercial-grade security camera, Dual-lens setup, Nighttime colour video, Built-in AI algorithms, Specified zones alerts, 100DB alarm and flash light, Customisable voice alerts Contact: Ezviz

EZVIZ LC1 Full HD outdoor floodlight camera “The EZVIZ Full HD Outdoor Floodlight Cam is a weatherproof (IP65) outdoor floodlight with a powerful 2500LM brightness and built-in Full HD 140-degree view camera and 100dB Alarm system. The Floodlight can replace an existing outdoor light unit, or be installed as a new unit. The 270-degree PIR sensor, sends motion detection alerts to your EZVIZ app enabling users to select areas of detection to avoid false alarms. A two way-audio solution is also built-in.”

Specs: Full HD Outdoor Floodlight Camera, Weatherproof (IP65), Outdoor floodlight, Powerful 2500LM brightness, Built-in Full HD 140-degree view camera, 100dB Alarm system, 270-degree PIR sensor, Motion detection alerts, Selectable areas of detection, Two way-audio solution Contact: Ezviz

TP-Link Tapo L510E Smart Wi-Fi light bulb “The L510E bulb brings unlimited smart, secure and easy lighting control to the home. Armed with advanced technology and aesthetically pleasing design, the Tapo range is designed to deliver a smarter, more convenient and secure life. Connect the bulb to your existing Wi-Fi network, with no need for extra hubs or other devices. Benefit from the advanced technology, the Tapo L510E dimmable lights consume less energy than normal LED lights. Controlled through one Tapo app, the ecosystem is able to turn your home into a truly smart one.”

Specs: Dimmable Adjust with Ease, Schedule Set Your Times, Sunrise and Sunset Modes, automatically activate your light according to your time zone, Voice Control, Remote Control, Away Mode Contact: TP-Link UK www.pcr-online.biz

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Sector Guide

Tado° expanded V3+ starter kits smart thermostat “Compatible with 95% of all heating systems, the expanded smart thermostat V3+ starter kits from Tado° offer integration and control of all kinds of boilers from any manufacturer. If there is no wired room thermostat connected to the boiler, then the new Wireless Smart Thermostat Starter Kit can be used. The choice of two simple starter kit with wired or wireless options make selecting the right setup easier and more affordable.

The Wireless Smart Thermostat can also replace a dual channel programmer.”

Specs: Temperature and humidity sensors: 868MHz radio communication frequency: Mesh (6LoWPAN) protocol: 5-36V DC 0.2A/4.5V DC 3 AAA power supply batteries, 1.200 mAh: Polycarbonate outer shell (PC) and ABS plastic in matte white: LED matrix with 10 x 19mm LEDs: Measures 32 x 20mm: 2x capacitive touch buttons: 1x mechanical button Contact: Tado

Smart Phones & Tablets All things connected - PCR rounds up the latest tech that forms part of the Internet of Things

HANNspree Apollo Tablet PC SN1ATP4B “The new 10.1” Apollo Tablet PC is a portable workhorse. Powerful processing incorporating advanced graphic and connectivity capabilities, delivers a PC like experience for on-the-go work applications, multimedia, gaming and much more. Thanks to a super battery and the possibility to charge from other compatible devices via a Type-C port, the Apollo Tablet can keep going for longer, while the slimline, lightweight design is easy to handle and slips neatly into a bag for ultimate portability. Finally, the flexibility to connect to either 2.4GHz or 5GHz WiFi makes it easier to connect at even more locations.”

Spec: 10.1” IPS LED, 1280 x 800, Quad Core CPU, 3GB RAM, 32GB, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n+ac 2.4/5GHz, Bluetooth 5.0, Mini HDMI, Type C USB 2.0, Dual Cameras, GPS, Stereo Speakers, Android 10 Contact: Ingram Micro/Westcoast

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Sector Guide

HANNspree HANNSpad Titan 3 Tablet PC SN14TP1B “The ideal choice for multimedia and entertainment enthusiasts the HANNSpad Titan 3 large screen Tablet PC boasts a substantial 13.3inch IPS Full HD display. The stunning display extends the view of emails and games, enabling interaction with multiple multimedia applications simultaneously.

With a super wide viewing angle, Titan 3 provides a comfortable, and shareable, viewing experience from any angle, complimented by highly responsive 10 Point Multi Touch operation. Titan 3 includes dual-cameras for selfies, videos and photos on the go and 32GB of internal storage plus SD expansion to store photos, games or a massive music library.

Powered by an Octa Core CPU, it delivers rapid, non-stop performance.”

Spec: 13.3” IPS LED, 1920 x 1080, 10 Point Capacitive Multi Touch, Octa Core CPU, 2GB DDR3, 16GB, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, Mini HDMI, Micro USB, Dual Cameras, Stereo Speakers, Android 9 Contact: Ingram Micro / Westcoast

DOOGEE N20 PRO smartphone “The N20 Pro from DOOGEE features a 16MP AI quad rear camera, an impressive 6.3” Waterdrop screen and a Helio P60 Octa-Core processor. The 4400mAh high-capacity battery also uses power optimisation to give a longer lasting charge and supports a 10W quick charge.

The N20 Pro has a 6GB RAM with 128GB hard drive and a maximum expansion of 256GB. The device runs on the newest Android 10 with the system-wide dark theme, privacy controls and many more features. With Bluetooth 5.0, it is a faster and easier experience for the user.”

Specs: CPU – Octa-Core (4 x 2.0GHz ARM Cortex-A73, 4 x 2.0GHz ARM Cortex-A53): Chipset – MediaTek Helio P60 (MT6771), 64-bit Processor: GPU – ARM Mali-G72 MP3, 800MHz, 3 Cores: Camera – 16 Megapixels + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP with Dual-LED and AF Rear Camera | 16 Megapixels Front Camera: Memory – RAM- 6GB LPDDR4X, 1600MHz | ROM 128GB External Memory Supports Up to 512GB: Display – Screen size 6.3-inches IPS FHD+ Display (1080 x 2280 Pixels), 20:9 Aspect Ratio: Battery – Non-Removable 4,400 mAh Lithium-Polymer with Fast Charging: SIM – Dual SIM (Nano-SIM + NanoSIM/microSD): Proximity Sensor, Accelerometer, Ambient Light, Gyroscope, Compass, Fingerprint Rear Mounted: Colour – Black, Purple, Fantasy Forest Gray: Operating System – Android 10 OS: I/O Interface – 1 x Nano SIM Card, 1 x Nano SIM Card or microSD Card Slot, micro USB Port, Audio Out Port, Power Button, Volume Button, Microphone, Speaker: Dimensions – 159 mm x 77.1mm x 8.8mm: Weight – 175 Grams (With Battery) Contact: Doogee www.pcr-online.biz

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UVMask all-day, UV-C air purification face mask UVMask is a next-generation reusable air purification & antipollution facemask with powerful UV-C technology.

Equipped with a passive air filter, and a Sterile-Vortex active purification, it filters the air in real-time, providing all-day, 8-hour protection.

The design build uses two state-of-the-art 265nm pure UV-C LEDs in the Sterile-Vortex, which are ozone free, ultrasafe, and durable.

As you breathe, the air is sent through the vortex and sterilised under two 25,000μW/cm² UV-C LEDs that are connected by a quartz chamber wall, making the total UV-C intensity 50,000μW/cm² throughout.

The UV-C light is sealed within the Sterile-Vortex, ensuring no UV-C leakage during the filtration process.

Enjoy two high-efficiency layers of protection. Beyond purifying, the mask filters the air from dust, pollen, tobacco, bushfire smoke, and air pollutants.

UVMask effectively integrates UV-C tech with the ability to purify the air in real-time. Unlike conventional reusable facemasks, UVMask is the first with an ultra-high intensity UV-C LED active air purification technology.

For more information visit: https://igg.me/at/uvmask-official/x/24476988#/

IRIS Flow Headphones IRIS is a revolutionary audio technology that places the human brain at the centre of the listening experience. The IRIS algorithm re-synthesises the spatial information lost in digital recordings whilst elevating the detail lost in digital compression, delivering audio as you would experience in a live environment; crucially important to how we process audio, because the brain is more active in this environment.

Through this neurological stimulation IRIS is scientifically proven to activate flow state, a neurological state of simultaneous focus and relaxation, alongside complete engagement with what you are listening to.

Through independent consumer research, 75% of users preferred IRIS compared to standard MP3. The study was conducted with 140 participants selected at random. Each participant listened to two streams of the same song, one being a standard MP3 track, the other being an MP3 with IRIS technology enabled. They were then asked to pick which they preferred.

For more information visit: https://igg.me/at/IRIS-Headphones/x/24476988#/

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Amazfit X 92° curved smartwatch Amazfit X features a 326 PPI HD resolution and a 400 NIT high-brightness colour-rich 2.07” display, creating sharp and bright visual clarity even under direct light.

Its 92° curved dimensions are designed to fit your wrist seamlessly for optimum comfort and usability.

Finely crafted using a design process that heats the glass cover to over 700°C, the smartwatch is then put under a 6-step bending process until the it reaches a 92° super arc that wraps comfortably around your wrist. The 7-day lithium battery also follows the curved contours allowing for maximum comfort.

To simplify usability the Amazfit X features an optomised display to allow more visibility of onscreen information at a glance. This means more room for apps to track your health and organise your day and less time spent scrolling to find what you need. Additionally, a titanium alloy uni-body makes the watch extremely lightweight and the design super sleek.

For more information visit: https://igg.me/at/UDcCN3ppo5M/x/24476988#/

New gear is always exciting to hear about and the channel certainly delivers on this. We have sifted through the sea of innovation to bring you a round up of the freshest gear and up-coming giants of tomorrow. Stay ahead of the curve with PCR’s Crowdfunding Corner…

INMOTION L9 cruise in style INMOTION L9 is an all-new way to explore the city. With an extended range, lightning-fast dash charger, and a smooth and comfortable ride, this city cruising e-scooter adds freedom and comfort to the daily commute.

Designed for space contrasted city living this City Cruiser offers a powerful and safe ride up to 59 miles on a single charge. The L9 has been custom-engineered to provide simplicity from the ground up, starting with 10” tires featuring a unique shark fin tire pattern. This large tire size and the tire pattern work together to provide a streamlined motion and great traction on even tough terrain. The front- and rear-spring shock absorption system provides supreme comfort and stability, even over rough surfaces or speed bumps. On any kind of road, in any conditions, you’ll glide right over trouble with speed and style.

For more information visit: https://igg.me/at/iqiHY-PNSWQ/x/24476988#/

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Interview

Life in the channel PCR talks to NFON UK’s channel director, Jon Dailey on why communication is key and how being a ‘disruptor’ when aligning partner programs makes for good business agility

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Interview What is your background and how have you adapted since joining NFON as UK channel director in 2017?

I joined NFON in 2017. I sit under the UK MD, Myles Leach and am responsible for developing and growing our channel program. I have been working in comms for over 30 years, and within the channel for 25 years, where I have worked in all verticals, from reseller right through to vendor. I have been working in senior management for 10+ years now.

NFON’s UK division has experienced tremendous growth in the last three years. We now have over 50 UK staff, split between our Manchester and London offices, and I work between the offices – albeit I am predominately based in the north.

“A commonality we see across partners is that the ones that are most successful are the ones that understand that NFON is a disrupter. As a more agile business, who owns and runs its own technology, NFON is in an excellent place to be an innovative disrupter in the field of business communications.”

Our growth has been fueled by strong partnerships and an industry-leading partner program, which is focused on encouraging and rewarding success. Partners can expect a partnership that is tailor-made for their company. Dedicated inbound and outbound marketing support, access to MDF, Faceto-face and online training (with professional certification), codefined remuneration schemes, special pricing and best in class marketing support all come as standard.

My focus is on ensuring that we maintain delivery of our industry-leading channel program and that we don’t just talk the talk, but that we can actively evidence how we are helping our partners grow their businesses. One way I personally achieve this is by joining my team in strategic partner meetings to actively listen to what they are experiencing and need – you have no idea how valuable just listening can be. I then use feedback to make enhancements.

The product team also reports into me, which means I am very busy working with hardware partners to ensure we have the best portfolio and deals available for our partners.

What Improvements have been made to the partner program to enhance rewards for partners?

Firstly, it’s important to note that we have a channel only model.

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We are not confused on whether we are a direct or channel vendor, because we know that our valued partners should never go head to head against us as the vendor in any opportunity. That is why we operate an indirect only model here in the UK, giving our partners peace of mind that NFON is here to support you and not compete against you.

Secondly, we understand the foundation of a program must be on enabling partners to grow their business. That’s why we offer industry-leading revenues. NFON’s reoccurring revenues are significantly above industry standard and, as long as the customer is live on the platform, our partners will earn monthly revenues.

It’s a simple formula – our partner earns a premium margin from the first sale and the more they sell, the higher your margins. They then earn on-going revenue for each user.

We also have a rewards program called ‘NJoy,’ which gives points for demos and sales. These points can then be redeemed for prizes, which include everything from an iPad to a holiday. It’s very generous and we run lots of specials where points are doubled etc. on a special product etc.

Everything at NFON is geared to let partners ‘have it their way.’

Partner needs are the focus of our flexible partner programs.

NFON’s cloud telephone system, Cloudya, is not only easy to use and reliable, it is also independent, which means partners aren’t locked into an ecosystem that takes away their control. We know that many vendors try and take control from partners – to control the relationship with the end user. We believe our partners deserve to have both the choice and autonomy over how they want to work.

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What is your strategy for delivering customised support for your partner’s?

Whatever our partners challenge or opportunity may be, our dedicated teams are on-hand to provide the support and expertise that partners need. We provide business planning for the partners, we provide quality qualified leads, demo support from our Presales teams who are hands on for start to finish, we can look to offer sales funding, sales incentives and business rewards along with bid support to help partners drive sales.

We also have a second to none marketing department, who offer a wide range of co-brandable collateral. They work closely with our partners to build a marketing plan to target key verticals and support activity through MDF. As part of the program, partners will receive qualified end user leads and much more.

We also have an ‘NFON Academy,’ which is our centre of learning that provides online modular sales and technical training courses.

This enables our partners to have correct skillsets and certifications to help them drive sales and support their valuable customers. This can all be delivered online, but for partners that have large teams and prefer onsite, face-to-face training, then we are always happy to accommodate.

End users are making purchasing decisions on what they feel is important to their business right now. Technologies that enable and streamline remote working are crucial, so the market demand is high. As we look ahead and adjust to a new working model, we believe businesses will continue to invest in technologies that will enable them to implement smarter working practices and have a more agile workforce.”

How you are driving new partnerships?

With the pandemic, our immediate priority has been working closely with our existing partners to help them on their road to recovery and make sure they make the most of the opportunities that arise. We believe that vendor partners need to ensure that they are partners as much as possible and it has been important to live by these values.

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continued our growth trajetory. We are now actively recruiting new partners. We are not focused on a particular sector as we have seen huge success across an array of specialties.

A commonality we see across partners is that the ones that are most successful are the ones that understand that NFON is a disrupter. As a more agile business, who owns and runs its own technology, NFON is in an excellent place to be an innovative disrupter in the field of business communications.

NFON offers a wide variety of businesses the opportunity to get involved with cloud telephony with all features and advantages, rather than focusing exclusively on traditional UC providers.

The classic communications resellers sometimes struggle when it comes to getting their heads around the agility of the new cloud environment. However, a lot of smaller brands and IT partner resellers can easily integrate this new offering into their product portfolio. The fact is, resellers go for the strategy that’s easy, and NFON is trying to give them that. We’re doing commission sales, Wholesale, and more, which means that we can give partners whatever they need. NFON is even exploring the possibilities of the master agent model, by taking over billing and other tasks that their partners don’t want to deal with on their behalf.

We can give our resellers that simplicity when it comes to building their go-to-market strategy. NFON differs from the crowd with its offerings because the company has never stuck to the specific.

NFON already gets a lot of positive feedback from its partners for the disruptive experiences that they offer, and the business wants to keep building on this growth going forward. We want to increase our sales channel, but we don’t want to oversaturate it and give our partners too much competition in the same areas.

How will the increase in demand for flexible working be a key driver of growth for both partners and NFON? End users are making purchasing decisions on what they feel is important to their business right now. Technologies that enable and streamline remote working are crucial, so the market demand is high. As we look ahead and adjust to a new working model, we believe businesses will continue to invest in technologies that will enable them to implement smarter working practices and have a more agile workforce.

The fact is businesses had to adopt new technologies to be able to work remotely in a much shorter time frame than could have been imagined. They should definitely be looking at their communication strategy to ensure they have a plan should this happen again and also to optimise the customer experience.

We see huge opportunities across a number of markets, across SME to enterprise, to vertical sectors. In terms of products, we believe the contact centre market is one to watch. Customer experience has never been more important, and many businesses don’t have the technology to support multiple customer contact channels.

Ultimately our products help businesses communicate and collaborate, wherever they are; so, they have been fundamental in helping businesses during this difficult time. Our recently launched Teams integration, Nvoice for Microsoft Teams, is going down a storm as it’s providing a true enterprise voice solution – with a host of intelligent telephony features – within the familiar Microsoft environment, accessible from anylocation and any device. Its enabled better collaboration and improved productivity.

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“2019 was the crawl phase of our multi-year transformation, and 2020 is our walk phase, moving to a sprint in 2021. We are helping meet partner demand to scale their ServiceNow practices across workflow domains like IT, Risk, Security, HR and Customer Service Management.�

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Interview

LIFE IN THE CHANNEL

ServiceNow’s Seb Fitzjohn The digital workflow specialist’s Vice President, Alliances & Channel Ecosystem EMEA, talks about chapters in his life, life beyond COVID-19 and the importance of good partnerships.

Tell us a bit about your role at ServiceNow. I am fortunate enough to lead our Alliances & Channel Ecosystem go to market strategy in EMEA. Partners have always played a major role in ServiceNow’s success, and the success of our joint customers. But, as we started to shift to the next phase of the company’s growth, we recognised that we needed a more globally consistent and predictable approach to support and scale our ecosystem.

In 2019, we launched a new Global Operating Model, known as Alliance & Channel Ecosystem (ACE). This represents a multi-year transformation and is a strategic component of ServiceNow’s $10BN plan.

At the highest level there are three pillars in this model: 1. A new partner segmentation and coverage model that ensures we are building and supporting a vibrant and balanced ecosystem of partners with coverage, capability and capacity across workflow domain, market segment and industry verticals.

2. Joint engagement that creates the conditions for collaborative co-sell and co-deliver, accelerating growth and driving business value and experiences for our joint customers.

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3. Governance that ensures our partners have the skills, quality and confidence to invest in ServiceNow, and the ability to differentiate in the market based on consistent KPIs and programmes.

What about your background? We’d love to hear more about your career to date I describe my career as being in three chapters so far.

The first chapter was spent in the Royal Air Force, which provided an amazing leadership foundation, and some great life experiences. I then spent time in direct sales roles working for Dell and EMC before moving to my indirect sales chapter, starting with VMware, and then ServiceNow in June 2019. My learning curve is as steep now as it has ever been, which is so exciting!

What is your team working on at the moment?

We are rolling out the Global ACE Operating Model, both internally and externally. But as we do this, we are adding the regional dimension, and also listening to our partners to ensure they are informing our journey. 2019 was the crawl phase of our multi-year transformation, and 2020 is our walk phase, moving to a sprint in 2021. We are

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Interview

helping meet partner demand to scale their ServiceNow practices across workflow domains like IT, Risk, Security, HR and Customer Service Management.

How is your company handling the current working from home situation?

As we move through the COVID recovery phases, it is essential not to overlook the ongoing personal and social dimension of the pandemic, and the impact on our employees, partners and customers. ServiceNow has a massive emphasis on culture and teamwork, so we are working hard to ensure every employee and their families feel supported.

In terms of business operations, as a digitally native company that leverages the power of digital workflow across all business functions, we have been able to transition to a fully mobile and distributed work environment without missing a beat. The situation has also driven even more creativity and agility as we think about staying close to our customers and partners. A great example of this is our recent Knowledge 2020 event, which we moved from being a physical event to one delivered entirely virtually.

How have you worked with partners to accelerate customers through COVID-19 recovery stages?

Our partners have been remarkable during the pandemic. Firstly, they embraced the ServiceNow Emergency Response Apps at the beginning of the COVID crisis, offering free services to deploy these applications into production environments, in record time and at record scale.

More recently our partners have been a driving force behind our Safe Workplace Apps. Partners large and small have been proactively helping customers leverage these new applications to return to the workplace in a safe and controlled way. We’ve also seen our partners embrace our App Engine and write their own custom workflows on the ServiceNow platform, to address specific customer or industry use-cases.

What has the industry learnt from the current pandemic?

Organisations with higher levels of digital maturity have found it easier to respond to the crisis. There is a general consensus that the pandemic will accelerate digital transformation, with some enterprises playing catch up and some trying to capitalise on the advantages that digital gives them by moving faster. At ServiceNow, we believe that the way in which organisations engage with their employees, customers, supply chains (and in fact all stakeholders) will fundamentally change. This

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change will deliver new levels of experience, business agility and productivity.

The pandemic has also served to break down some of the established norms around time to value, payback and return on investment (ROI). Customers are prioritising spend in solutions that accelerate digital transformation and that deliver pay-back within months not years, with the associated ROI being tightly measured.

How is the channel landscape evolving? What does the future of the channel look like?

As always, the channel has done a remarkable job of evolving to deliver customer value and address new market growth opportunities, and I don’t see this changing. The digital transformation revolution is only just getting started, so I see amazing opportunities for partners to help customers accelerate their transformation, and to ensure that they gain the maximum value from their technology investments.

As IT moves out of the data centre, the narrative will be more about ‘as a service platforms’ or systems of engagement that deliver omnichannel, mobile first, consumer-like experiences across the enterprise. Partners who focus on customer outcomes, time to value, and industry or domain expertise, will continue to see enormous growth potential.

“Organisations with higher levels of digital maturity have found it easier to respond to the crisis. There is a general consensus that the pandemic will accelerate digital transformation, with some enterprises playing catch up and some trying to capitalise on the advantages that digital gives them by moving faster.”

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<Logging off>\\| Out and about in the industry

< OnBuy secures exclusive ITV deal, committing £5m to Q4 marketing campaigns > OnBuy has unveiled its Q4 marketing strategy with plans set to massively expand its 8 million-strong customer base, drive more sales for its sellers and solidify the company’s position as a household name.

As part of a wider marketing ramp up ahead of its global launch into over 140 countries, OnBuy claims it has secured an exclusive £1m deal with ITV and will reach over 44 million consumers across the nation. The TV campaign will be broadcast at both peak and off-peak times across ITV’s main channels (including ITV1, ITV2, ITV3, ITVBe and video on demand with ITVHub) in prime time slots throughout Q4, covering Black Friday and continuing into December to ensure maximum consumer visibility.

OnBuy has set aside a £5m marketing budget for Q4 (in addition to its existing marketing spend), ensuring continued success for its sellers and better deals for buyers. Alongside its major ITV campaign, OnBuy plans to unleash a full-scale marketing ramp up, with an aggressive increase in budget for social media, email and external marketing

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channels in addition to huge promotional events to drive further traffic.

After announcing an incredibly successful Black Friday 2019, where OnBuy created £1m in sales solely for its sellers, the company ramp up in spend for 2020 is set to drastically increase visibility to draw more customers in than ever before and have an enormous impact on the site’s ever-growing sales. The scale up in spend comes earlier than anticipated for OnBuy – given the current uncertain economic climate, the online marketplace brought its plans forward in order to better support the 5,000 plus retailers that sell through the platform.

2020 has been OnBuy’s most successful year to date, having announced a record 24,000% growth (with 600% year-on-year growth for the second consecutive year), been acknowledged as the fastestgrowing eCommerce site in the UK and secured £5m in Series A funding. The online marketplace has also seen monthly visitors trend at over 4 million, welcomed upwards of 400 new retailers on board every month, and won several major industry awards.

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<Biggest tech news from…September 20> PCR rounds up some of the top tech news headlines for the month…

VIP Computer Centre’s Rich Marsden “looks to the future” after 21 years as MD at the company After 21 years, Rich Marsden, long-standing MD at VIP Computer Centre Ltd. has decided to step down from his role at the company.

In a post Marsden said: It has been a huge privilege to be part of the company journey over the years, since 1991 when I started.”

CommScope partners with Google to bring Orion WiFi to public venues Network infrastructure provider CommScope is partnering with Google’s Area 120 for the launch of Orion Wifi, a platform designed to bring private, secure roaming for consumers while helping public venues solve cellular dead zones and monetise their networks.

CommScope’s RUCKUS SmartZone controller will support Google’s Orion Wifi by offering a friction-less and secure experience when connecting subscribers to public Wi-Fi in venues.

BullGuard launches latest VPN offering BullGuard has launched BullGuard VPN, a VPN (Virtual Private Network) solution that is easy for consumers to install and use. As many of us continue to work from home and consumers worldwide now more aware of the importance of online privacy, resellers can capitalise on the unprecedented increase in demand.

Vuzix sneak preview’s next gen smart glasses powered by Micro-LED and other advanced technologies Vuzix Corporation is developing a next generation product line of smart glasses powered by micro-LED technology that are expected to hit the stores in 2021. These new glasses will range from a reasonably priced consumer-facing product to a higher end enterprise version with built-in cellular connectivity.

NEXT MONTH November – Health Tech The next issue of PCR will look at the latest in health tech.

We’ll be delving into the wearables market in our market overview and putting the spotlight on tech’s impact on healthcare and the vital importance of securing personal data.

Sector guides in the next issue will cover: • Wearable & Fitness Tech • Memory & Motherboards If you would like to get involved in our Health Tech issue, please contact Michelle Winny for editorial michelle.winny@biz-media.co.uk or Sarah Goldhawk for advertising: sarah.goldhawk@biz-media.co.uk

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ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS HERE AND REACH THOUSANDS OF READERS IN THE IT AND TECH INDUSTRY.

PCR is read throughout the channel, from store managers to leading executives. Put simply, PCR is the trade publication that everybody in the industry reads.

Print is still the most effective way to target an audience engaged with the content theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re consuming.

Find out more about advertising in PCR by contacting Sarah Goldhawk at sarah.goldhawk@Biz-Media.co.uk

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