WE TAKE A LOOK AT MIXED REALITY
POSITION YOURSELF AS A THOUGHT LEADER!
What’s around the corner and who is leading the charge!
We look at some of the easy steps to becoming a thought leader
AUTUMN issue 9.
Smart CCTV Security
business
Wire-Free Worry-Free
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16 UNIFIED COMMS: CLOUD, HYBRID OR ON-PREMISE?
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EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING AS A SERVICE
WI-FI: WHY SECURITY NEEDS SPECIAL CONSIDERATION
CONTENTS 05 EXERTIS COMMENT Phil Brown introduces the autumn edition of The Future Business
20 EAAAAS
It seems everything and anything comes as a service these days
06 MARKET STATS UPDATE
How we’ve built a great components business
39 EDUCATION END TO END SOLUTIONS
We look at the current technology trends you should be aware of
How resellers can benefit from Exertis’ range of educational solutions
08 NEWS IN BRIEF A quick look at what’s happening in the technology market
46 B2B MUST HAVE ACCESSORIES
12 REALITY IS MERELY AN ILLUSION
Our top 10 recommended accessory products for business
What is mixed reality and who is leading the charge?
16 UNIFIED COMMS: CLOUD, HYBRID OR ON-PREMISE
What are the choices for a UC solution and the pros and cons for each
37 FOCUS, DEDICATION AND A COMPREHENSIVE CATALOGUE
25 FSB Mitigating and managing late payments
28 HOT PICKS A range of best-selling products designed to make you more margin
33 HOW TO: POSITION YOURSELF AS A THOUGHT LEADER We look at some of the basic steps to becoming a thought leader
35 WI-FI: WHY SECURITY NEEDS SPECIAL CONSIDERATION Wi-Fi brings great benefits but also risks
03
Immerse yourself in total entertainment Taking the lead with the world’s first 100% Colour Volume*, the new QLED TV brings out the best in our latest 4K certified UHD Blu-ray™ player. Combine these vibrant, stunning colours with our curved All In One Soundbar and you’ll be in pole position for the ultimate cinematic experience. Ask for more details.
*Measured to DCI-P3 standard, certified by VDE.
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Publisher Exertis Editor Nerissa Tong Design Sophie Hammond Website store.exertis.co.uk
WELCOME FROM EXERTIS Typically, this is a time when many of us take an extended break and spend time with our family and friends. Whilst we live in a digital age, it’s even more important to be disciplined and strike the right work life balance. Apparently, no fewer than 44% of working adults check their email every day whilst on holiday. Whilst our industry has made that possible, we should all take responsibility to leave the work in the office and take the opportunity to recharge our batteries. The reality is many don’t. Talking of reality, VR and AR are extremely topical. We now have a mix of the two with Microsoft leading the charge in combining the real world with the virtual world. With new hardware products to be launched from Lenovo, Dell and Asus, exciting opportunities lie ahead as described in our Mixed Reality article on page 12. Continuing the reality theme, thought leadership is something that a lot of companies and individuals strive for. The fact is, it’s not an easy task as illustrated on page 33. It seems everything and anything comes as a service these days. Besides the more familiar as a service acronyms, we take a look, on page 20, at the growing trend for organisations to consider IT as a Service (ITaaS). Our professional services team can help resellers transition their customers to an ITaaS platform. Unified Comms is a growing market and there are alternative methods to deploy a UC solution (see page 16). We have a team of specialists able to support resellers in consultatively selling the right proposition.
One of the benefits of having such a diverse technology business is our ability to provide a complete end-to-end solution for our customers. A great example of this is in education where we have developed a number of great solutions that resellers can buy from one source and use our services to support their implementation. Our article on page 39 demonstrates how you can take advantage of these. In addition, with our recent vendor announcements, we now offer all the components needed for system builders to create even the most sophisticated PC solution using a range of products from market leaders in their respective categories. Not only do we have a great line-up but a very experienced team waiting to help you. You can read about that on page 37. On page 35, we have the second instalment of our three-part wireless feature which this time focuses on Wi-Fi security. The first part can be found in the last issue of Future Business which can be accessed along with other publications at: http://bit.ly/2vPpsxJ We have our regular feature from the Federation of Small Business, in addition to our market trends, top picks, accessories, news snippets and of course a wide range of product information from our vendors. Enjoy the read and thank you for your continued support.
Phil Brown Sales and commercial Director, IT and Enterprise
Basingstoke Sales: 01256 707 070 Address: Ashwood Chineham Business Park Chineham Basingstoke Hampshire RG24 8EH To place an order please call 01256 707 070 between 9am – 6pm Monday to Friday
Burnley Sales: 01282 776 776 Address: Technology House, Magnesium Way, Hapton, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 7BF To place an order please call 01282 776 776 between 9am – 5.30pm Monday to Friday
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BUSINESS TRENDS DRIVING DEMANDS GLOBAL IT SPENDING TO HIT
$3.5 TRILLION
IN 2017 UP 2.4% FROM 2016
[GARTNER]
$246.8BN THE SIZE OF PUBLIC CLOUD SERVICES
$165 BILLION! BY
WORLDWIDE REVENUES
2020
FOR AR AND VR ARE FORECAST TO REACH
$165BN BY 2020
[IDC]
MARKET IN 2016, UP 18% YOY [GARTNER]
43% BY 2021
THIN AND LIGHT DEVICES ARE SET TO RISE FROM 30% IN 2017 TO 43% OF THE OVERALL
PERSONAL DEVICE MARKET
$1.4 TRILLION BY 2021 IDC PREDICTS THAT THE WORLDWIDE IOT MARKET WILL GROW [IDC]
[IDC]
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How to be productive when you’re on the go. Ultra-mobile laptops On-the-go professionals have specialised needs, like power, portability and reliable, secure internet connections. Why? Because business travellers usually need to do business while travelling. Imagine that. The Dell Latitude 7000 Series with 7th Gen IntelŽ Core™ processor is perfect for people who need to work from just about anywhere. It’s part of a product line designed just for busy professionals who tend to GR PRVW RI WKHLU ZRUN DZD\ IURP WKH RI¿FH LQ SODFHV OLNH DLUSRUWV DQG hotel rooms.
High Performance
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By 2020, 42% of the global workforce will be considered mobile.*
XPS 13 9365
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Thin design, ultimate productivity. This 12� business-class laptop is our thinnest and lightest ever. Featuring secure and essential work features and an optional touch display.
:RUN ÀH[LEO\ RQ WKH JR The ultimate 14.0� productivity tool, designed for better security, manageability and reliability. Built with a versatile design and essential business features.
%HDXW\ ZLWKRXW ERUGHUV The world’s smallest*13-inch 2-in-1 ZLWK ,Q¿QLW\(GJH GLVSOD\ PRELOH performance and best in-class security.
ProSupport Plus for PCs and tablets Complete support for evolving businesses. *Source: Global Mobile Workforce Forecast, 2015-2020, Strategy Analytics Report, November 2015.
Contact your Exertis Account Manager today for more details
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WI-FI IN AEROPLANES BY 2022 A new report from Juniper Research has forecast that commercial aircraft adopting in-flight Wi-Fi services will reach 14,419 globally by 2022, up from an estimated 5,243 in 2017. This will mean that over half of the global fleet will offer such services in 2022, compared with just under a quarter this year. This increase will primarily be driven by the impact of the BYOD (bring your own device) trend, despite increased security concerns from several governments.
A LICENCE TO SELL MORE Microsoft has seen commercial revenue from Office 365 beat the revenue generated by its traditional licensing software for the first time. Releasing its figures for the three months ending 30 June, Microsoft said overall revenue was up 13% year on year to $23.3bn (£18bn), while revenue in the cloud unit was up 11% to $7.4bn.
FORECASTS FROM THE ANALYSTS Worldwide IT spending is projected to total $3.5 trillion in 2017, a 2.4% increase from 2016, according to Gartner, Inc. Worldwide spending on devices (PCs, tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones) is projected to grow 3.8% in 2017, to reach $654bn. Worldwide spending on public cloud services and infrastructure is forecast to reach $266bn in 2021, according to the latest update to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Semi-annual Public Cloud Services Spending Guide. Although spending growth will slow somewhat over the 2016-2021 forecast period, the market is expected to achieve a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.0%. Public cloud services spending will reach $128bn in 2017, an increase of 25.4% over 2016. Software as a Service (SaaS) will remain the dominant cloud computing type, capturing two thirds of all public cloud spending in 2017 and nearly 60% in 2021. Meanwhile, spending on Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) will grow at much faster rates than SaaS with five-year CAGRs of 30.0% and 29.7%, respectively.
IOT WILL DRIVE DATA According to Accenture, in just three years’ time, 98% of new cars will be connected through the internet of things and five years later, it will be 100%. Vehicle data synced with mobile phone data is set to reveal an extraordinary amount of information. Raconteur maintained that information including the driver’s last 100 parking locations and the latest destinations entered into the GPS will be known as well as where the driver changes to another mode of transport, such as the bus or a train. Detailed data on the battery condition in electric and hybrid cars, and mileage, in addition to the length of time that the vehicle has been used in different modes and even the number of times a seat belt is tightened because of sudden braking could be collected. Accenture estimates that the data from connected cars will be worth £4,000 per car in extra revenues for the manufacturer, with selling it on to third parties accounting for a fifth of that sum.
See our feature on as a service on page 20.
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HUAWEI CREDITS EXERTIS Exertis has become the only distributor in the UK to have gained Huawei Certified Services Partner (CSP) status for both IT solutions and IP networking. Through their ISO 20071 accredited Professional Services Division, Exertis now holds 4 star Certified Service Partner status for IP networking and 3 star for IT solutions.
IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT REVENUES TO RISE BY 30% The new research, In-Flight Entertainment & Wi-Fi Connectivity: Technologies, Business Models and Key Players 2017-2022, found that in-flight wireless streaming is increasingly being offered as an IFE (in-flight entertainment) option, based on a lower installation cost and weight savings versus seatback systems. Indeed, with many vendors offering combined wireless streaming and Wi-Fi connectivity services, Juniper predicted that wireless streaming will replace seatback in-flight entertainment on most short haul flights, with seatback IFE being increasingly reserved for longer flights with premium carriers. With BYOD, and thus consumer take-up encouraged by wireless services, monthly in-flight entertainment revenues are forecast to rise by 30% on average per aircraft over the forecast period.
GOOGLE ESTIMATES RANSOMWARE COSTS According to Google research, cyber-thieves have stolen at least £19m in the last two years. The two strains that made the most money were Locky collecting nearly £6m and Cerber accounting for almost £7m. The research also maintained that 95% of Bitcoin payments for ransomware were cashed out via Russia’s BTC-e exchange.
NEWS FROM EXERTIS: COMPONENTS PORTFOLIO BOOST Exertis has announced some great new vendors to its components portfolio: Intel for their processors, SSD, Optane memory, and NUC products. ZOTAC for its complete line-up of products, including graphics cards and Mini-PCs. Kingston Technology to include their DRAM, Flash and SSD products. Exertis already distributes the HyperX branded products from the vendor. See our Components feature on page 37.
Kevin Matthews, Exertis Enterprise Sales Director said “As a CSP we have the capabilities within our engineering and services team to provide UK based support for our resellers across the Huawei IT and IP portfolios. Our customers benefit from having a single point of contact for sales and service and we have continued to invest in people with a dedicated Huawei team of 10, set to grow through 2017. We are also delighted to have been awarded Huawei Distributor of the Year 2017 which reflects the work we have carried out in partner enablement and upskilling our customers.”
HEADS UP Ian Aitken has been promoted to Exertis Medium AV director with responsibility for sales and commercial operations. Ian will head up the Exertis Medium business at their new facility at Stockley Park, London. “I am excited by the opportunity. We have an excellent team combining the strengths of two well established AV companies that can provide our customers with business continuity, technical expertise and a portfolio of leading vendors with products and solutions that can cater for the requirements of AV specialist resellers and IT resellers that have an AV proposition.” Exertis Medium has also made some additions to its Promethean sales team. Steve Shervington has been appointed business development manager with Leona Brown and Stephanie Grange announced as account managers. Mike Harris has been promoted to retail sales director, IT and mobile, reporting to Mike Buley, Exertis consumer sales director. The appointment is a continuation of the expansion of the recently created Consumer Business Unit (CBU) announced in April. The continued growth and investment in Exertis’ specialist print division in Norfolk has seen Matthew Jeffrey join as LFP business manager with Rebecca Lawrence appointed as Epson LFP account manager Jonathan Wagstaff has been appointed to the newly created position of Business Intelligence Manager, joining from data analysts Context. Based in Basingstoke with a European remit, his role will help to identify trends in the technology market, including new technologies, significant new market players (vendors, customers, operators, and others) and the impact of these new technologies on the distribution space. He will report to Stephen Casey, Finance & Development Director at DCC Technology.
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REALITY IS MERELY AN
ILLUSION
albeit a very persistent one The above quote from Albert Einstein couldn’t be more pertinent today as we seemingly transition into a hybrid of both Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) to what some have coined as the next big paradigm shift, Mixed Reality (MR). So what’s the difference? With VR, you get a totally immersed experience with visual, auditory and other sensory simulation in a pre-programmed digitised world delivered through wearing a helmet connected to a computing device. VR has no direct interaction with the real world. Consumers have already seen and experienced what VR is capable of and how this technology is delivered thanks to Google, Samsung, Facebook with Oculus Rift and others. What makes AR different from VR is that it is designed to be part of the user’s reality placing digital content between the viewer and reality. AR works by adding 2D or 3D layered content on top of real world objects or locations, allowing the user to unlock additional information that may be relevant, therefore turning the physical world around them into digital media.The digital content is intended to help in a real world environment. Enterprises have already made use of this to enable engineers to follow digital instructions hands free.
A HYBRID OF VR AND AR With mixed reality, the real world and the virtual world combine: virtual content can be placed on top of the real world and interact with it, creating a blend of the physical and digital world. Much of the MR experience is the same: you wear a headset, watch the screen and have your movements tracked to move around the virtual world. However, with a system of front-mounted cameras or internal tracking sensors, you can either experience real world objects in your virtual world or virtual objects in the real world. By scanning your physical environment and creating a 3D map of your surroundings, users gain a real-time view of actual surroundings combined with an overlay of intelligent virtual objects that allows for new interactions through gesture and voice input. If AR can provide a hands-free manual for an engineer to follow whilst undertaking a task, MR is a digital tool that can recognise the environment and seamlessly recommend the reference manual to complete a task.
BASIC DEFINITIONS* •
Virtual reality (VR): An artificial world in which you interact with virtual objects. • Augmented reality (AR): Virtual objects added to the real world, like Snapchat filters. • Mixed reality (MR): Real objects added to a virtual world, or virtual objects added to the real world, or just virtual objects in a virtual world *(Source: Pocket-Lint.com)
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Microsoft’s Inside-out tracking feature keeps the movement tracking within the device and is designed to eliminate the constraints of mobile VR where you are static or tracked VR where movements are monitored by cameras but limited in range. Equally Microsoft has made recommendations for the minimum specification required for MR which indicates a mass market approach as they are not quite as demanding as the requirements for VR running on a gaming PC: • • • • • • •
Intel Core i7 NVIDIA GTX965M (notebook) NVIDIAGTX980/1060 16GB RAM HDMI 1.4, 2.0 or DisplayPort 1.3 USB 3.0 100GB SSD Bluetooth 4.0
With its competitors focused on VR and AR, Microsoft is clearly looking to establish itself as a leader in MR based around its ecosystem. According to reports, it’s already working with developers to come up with new experiences using its Windows Mixed Reality software kit, which will help them create universal apps for its ecosystem. In terms of hardware, it’s suggested that these new headsets will be priced between £250 and £300 compared with the Hololens where you should add another zero to the cost but with reduced specifications and tethered rather than standalone. Many of these are still in developer mode and not yet available for consumer purchase.
TO BE RELEASED Unveiled at Computex 2017, Dell is offering a sleek and comfortable, white headset, designed by the company’s XPS and AlienWare teams, which will be available at an affordable price. It will feature a weight balanced headband, replaceable cushioning, a convenient flip-up visor and cable routing that ensures stray wires don’t interfere with the experience.
MICROSOFT IN MIXED REALITY RACE There are many use cases for MR across a host of vertical markets from education to healthcare, construction, fashion, engineering and sport. However, mass adoption of this technology requires more affordable devices. Microsoft has the only premium device in the market with Hololens but with recent announcements, the market may be about to change. Companies like Lenovo, HP, Acer, Dell and Asus are all committed to entering the market with MR headsets that will need connecting to a Windows 10 PC environment. Whilst Hololens is still seen as a priority for Microsoft, it clearly wants its Mixed Reality platform to be more attractive and affordable to more people by enabling its trusted OEMs to develop the hardware for mass adoption.
TYPICAL HMD SPECIFICATION • • • • • • • •
Two 1440 x 1440 LCD panels Hinged front display 95-degree field of view 90Hz refresh rate 3.5 headphone socket for audio and microphone Single cable for HDMI and USB 3.0, 4-metres long Inside-out tracking Connection to a Windows 10 PC
The Asus design looks particularly unique with its polygonal 3D cover panel to the front that certainly looks high tech. Fast, powerful and ultralight according to Microsoft. Lenovo’s headset includes built-in sensors for inside-out tracking and is described as incredibly affordable. There are no exact timings for a release date. Like VR, MR is likely to create a lot of interest over the coming months with applications that are restricted only by your imagination. Microsoft seems determined to lead this market, having already convinced several of its OEM partners to build headsets around Windows 10 so that users have a familiar user interface and standard inputs. Developers will be encouraged by having a universal app platform and an established base of Windows 10 users. Whatever the outcome reality in all its guises remains a persistent area of interest. Sources & Acknowledgements: thenextweb.com, The Verge, Pocketlint.com, Microsoft
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UNIFIED COMMS:
CLOUD, HYBRID OR ON-PREMISE?
The seemingly inevitable move to the cloud is prevalent across the IT landscape. Unified Comms is no exception. Gartner and others have shown that the UCaaS market continues to grow faster than the general UC market with vendors investing in cloud-based conferencing, voice and telephony, messaging and communications applications. Many companies are looking to move away from traditional, on-site models to hosted UC environments. However, the cloud is far from the universal solution for every organisation as enterprises weigh up the implications of moving business critical functions like UC out of their sphere of control. It seems that the majority of companies initially opting for a hosted UC are smaller to midsize businesses without legacy hardware, able to reap the benefits of web conferencing, for instance, with hosted voice another key area of interest. Where sensitive information is being shared in a collaborative environment within larger enterprises, there is obviously more reluctance to move to the cloud, although security is continually improving. For many organisations, the choice doesn’t necessarily have to be one or the other. A hybrid solution may well be the answer for companies that want the benefits that a cloud offering can provide whilst maintaining some of the infrastructure in which they have already invested. Newer companies or those wishing for a complete refresh are the greenfield opportunities that are particularly ripe for UCaaS. For others, a hybrid model may only be practical if the vendor who supplied the original equipment can offer it as an option. Shoretel is one such vendor that can provide an on-premise, hybrid or cloud solution.
PROS AND CONS With multiple options it’s clearly advisable for companies to work with a trusted advisor like their reseller to see which is the right solution for their business. Indeed, there’s no better time for resellers to engage with their customers’ IT managers to discuss those options. With UCaaS growing in popularity as a means to acquire new technologies, some companies can clearly benefit from a business software phone system hosted in the cloud. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits on both sides. Firstly, for those companies that don’t have the resource or expertise in-house, a cloud based UC solution can reduce support needs, freeing up skills that can be deployed in other parts of the business and enabling budgets to be spent on other projects. Secondly, it can provide better cash management by converting capital costs for equipment to expenses. UCaaS is deductible as an expense in the year the cost is incurred whilst capital equipment is depreciated over a period of years. Some companies will prefer to capitalise their expenses with a higher upfront investment but with ownership of the equipment (CAPEX), others will prefer a pay as you use model, typically on a monthly subscription. Either way companies will need to calculate their return on investment based on the basic costs for the UCC system and software, the costs of connecting devices like handsets and video conferencing which are likely to be same irrespective of choice and the costs of the devices to be deployed. With some systems, existing devices may not function. Thirdly, a cloud proposition provides better scalability as a business grows and access to the latest features and capabilities in collaboration and telephony. Certainly, for companies that have seasonal variations
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in head count, that flexibility can be very beneficial. It can also tackle the issue of integrating technology and telephony across multiple sites providing greater freedom and productivity for remote workers. Supporting remote office locations can be a problem for IT departments so a hosted IP telephony solution not only reduces the amount of physical hardware but also the amount of traffic generated on the WLAN between offices. Thirdly, implementing cloud based telephony can include a disaster recovery plan. Lastly, for some companies an on-premise solution is preferable if they wish to control their system and its security whilst having the IT resources to manage it effectively. Or the equipment may not be fully depreciated to make a cost-effective change. However, as indicated earlier a hybrid model may well offer the best of both for some organisations, particularly those enterprises that have already invested in an on-premise phone system but would like the added benefits that the cloud can offer. In addition, some enterprises aren’t ready for a full cloud deployment and with their phone system premise-based, choose to remain with their trusted vendor. Moreover, some will face the challenge of having one vendor for the phone system, one for video and another for e-mail. It’s true to say that many organisations are already using some form of hybrid services under the UC banner: web conferencing and collaboration as a UCaaS with on-premise voice platforms. However, there may be little integration between the two. Creating a seamless hybrid cloud proposition requires a common platform that enables companies to deploy the same applications across their systems, creating close integration between the hosted platform that for instance focuses on the branch offices and the on-premises UC platform.
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A SHORETEL SOLUTION The ShoreTel Connect business communications platform is built on a single code base which enables users to choose a managed service from the cloud, a hardware system internally managed by IT or a hybrid deployment where some locations and applications are managed in the cloud and others are managed onsite. Companies can choose when and how to go the cloud, enabling organisations to selectively add apps incrementally to an on-site deployment. Fewer integration issues exist when UC is delivered by one vendor and ShoreTel is uniquely positioned with its products to meet the needs of companies looking for a unified communications solution. Furthermore, ShoreTel also provides resellers with a managed services partner programme, for those with fewer IT resources, that provides a complete solution for their end customers. Unified Comms has been an important part of our enterprise offering and Exertis is working with ShoreTel to maximise the UC opportunity that exists. We have recently restructured our comms team with UC sales specialists able to support resellers in consultatively selling the UC proposition. UCaaS has the potential to make companies more competitive by reducing costs, increasing flexibility and improving productivity. For resellers, the movement to the cloud for UC services provides an opportunity for risk-free, recurring revenue with a market leader. If you would like to know more contact your account manager for details. Sources and Acknowledgements: Tech Target
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EAAAAS Whilst we are used to acronyms in the IT industry, it seems that “Everything and Anything is as a Service” these days. The common denominators seem to be that it describes a service that requires little upfront investment, can be scaled accordingly, maintained predominantly externally and paid for by usage on a subscription basis.
SAAS, IAAS AND PAAS Some of these terms like Software as a Service or SaaS are well known and even understood outside of the industry as more people choose to use applications like DropBox or Office 365, preferring a licence model that you subscribe to with the benefit of always having the latest version and features. For the vendor and the reseller, it has required a change in business mindset where unlike traditional financial models based on a one-time transaction, recurring revenues provide smaller but on-going, subscription fees. There are of course benefits for all parties. For businesses, it provides a predictable cash flow, fewer issues with payment, continued entanglement, satisfaction and loyalty with the customer, and the ability to capture data that can track consumer trends and preferences at a level which can’t be achieved through a single purchase. Besides access to the latest versions, users get the benefit of consuming what they need, when they need it.
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Of course, this service for software is delivered through the Cloud. However, it also relates to hardware. Infrastructure as a Service or IaaS refers to having your hardware in the Cloud. A lot of the same benefits apply. Instead of having to invest in capital equipment like servers and the related costs of housing, powering and cooling them, organisations can pay a subscription fee. Typically, IaaS provides outsourced services for hardware, storage, servers and data centre space or network components. IaaS is one of the three main categories of cloud computing service, the last being Platform as a Service or PaaS. Here developers gain access to a platform to build, run and manage applications over the internet without the need to maintain infrastructure. Businesses can requisition resources as they need them, scaling as demand grows, rather than investing in hardware with redundant resources. PaaS services are hosted in the cloud and accessed by users simply via their web browser.
ITAAS HAS BENEFITS FOR BUSINESS Moving to a consumption model that provides scalability and cost reduction would also appeal to the running of any organisation’s IT department. Enter ITaaS: IT as a service. The same principles apply but with an IT department becoming more customer centric, providing the hardware, software and staff needed at any given time. Just like the change in mindset to an annuity model for business, ITaaS will require a cultural change to how the IT function is viewed internally and the expectations placed upon it. For medium to large size companies, contracting an external IT service provider to monitor and manage their technology has plausible benefits, not least in helping existing staff keep up with developments as well as reducing costs by only adding or keeping resource as required. Just like the other “as a service” offerings, it enables organisations to scale up as required ensuring software and hardware are kept up-to-date. It also provides a more efficient way to plan and budget. There are other benefits of ITaaS. Companies can utilise their IT budgets in innovative projects that help them meet key strategic business goals rather than using their staff to monitor servers
Basingstoke: 01256 707 070 | Burnley: 01282 776 776 | store.exertis.co.uk
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24/7/365, manage security, back-up and recovery procedures. Any problems can be handled by the provider. This frees up the IT team to have a more business centric focus, allowing them to deliver services that align with current and future business requirements and removes some of the barriers to innovation. For those companies with a dispersed workforce in many locations, an ITaaS provider can be tasked to resolve open tickets as part of a service level agreement. Maintaining every employee’s laptop, desktop or mobile device can be part of that SLA, ensuring essential upgrades and security are deployed. Exertis has a range of professional services that can help resellers transition their customers to an ITaaS platform. These can be white labelled and used to support and supplement a reseller’s proposition. If you would like to find out more, download our services guide at http://bit.ly/2uLLJ2i or ask your account manager for details.
UNIVERGE® 3C
WELCOME TO NOW!
WWW.NEC-ENTERPRISE.COM
WWW.NEC-ENTERPRISE.COM
Sources and acknowledgements: Itbiz, Forbes, Cloud Computing, CIO, Converge
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Basingstoke: 01256 707 070 | Burnley: 01282 776 776 | store.exertis.co.uk
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MITIGATING
AND MANAGING LATE PAYMENTS
The impact of late payments on small businesses and the self-employed is shattering. FSB research shows that the issue causes 37% of small businesses to run into cash flow difficulties, 30% have been forced to use an overdraft and it has hit profits for 20%. At the extreme end, cash flow difficulties cause businesses to fail. It is estimated that late payments cause around 50,000 business closures a year. The average value of a late payment owed to a small business is £6,142. So, whilst FSB continues to ask Government to take measures to tackle the worst payment practices, it has now introduced a new debt recovery product to help smaller businesses and the selfemployed right away. This should have a really positive benefit on a day-to-day basis, and for many this could be a lifeline. By using the service, you can expect to recover 100% of the debt owed, whilst not being charged any fees or commission. Using the service means a free solicitor’s letter will then be sent on your behalf, which, in the majority of cases, is all it takes to receive payment. In the unlikely event that this doesn’t happen, there are further steps that can be taken. There are strategies that you can put in place to try and curtail damage from late payments, essentially ways to minimise expenditure whilst maximising income. For example, ensuring your cash flow forecast is a true reflection of what you really need and thinking creatively about how you could minimise expenditure. For example, could you lease, borrow - or even share - equipment, rather than investing in your own? Think about utilising networking organisations to pool ideas and get inspiration. FSB Connect is the UK’s biggest business networking group, and is free to join. You could put aside around 30% of revenue for tax, to avoid being hit later. This could also be used as a contingency fund to help ease the situation in the short term in the event of late payments. Also
make sure that your terms and conditions are very clearly set out at the beginning of your invoices. Keep up with all your invoices and chase them even ahead of your maximum payments terms. Check what date of the month the pay run is for your payee and check that your invoice met this after you submitted it. The majority of late payments (84%) to small businesses and the self-employed are more than two weeks late, with an average delay of about six weeks. It’s worth being aware that large businesses are the most likely to pay late - 61% of late payments are from large private firms. Late payment has been a huge and debilitating problem for smaller businesses for too long. Whilst FSB, as the UK’s biggest business group representing small businesses and the self-employed continues to ask the Government to tackle the worst payment practices, we’ve introduced this new product to empower small businesses and the self-employed to recover their debts in the most simple and effective way possible so they can focus on running and growing their businesses. As the UK’s biggest business support group, FSB’s focus is both on successfully engaging with Government and opposition parties to make important policy decisions, whilst offering effective tools, advice and benefits that have a positive impact on the day-to-day lives of small business owners and the self-employed. FSB.org.uk Join the conversation on Twitter @FSB_Voice
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Everything you need for picture perfect presentations
MP C2011SP is ideal for cost conscious customers who need a productive colour imaging device with versatile functionality, productive performance and outstanding image quality. • • • • •
Simple operation with colour touch screen panel & one-click drivers Low hardware cost High quality colour & mono output Remarkably easy to use Low power consumption
To learn more, call our Print Sales Team: North 01282 776776, South 01256 707070 Basingstoke: 01256 707 070 | Burnley: 01282 776 776 | store.exertis.co.uk
ThinkS ThinkStation S Tiny P320 T World’s S Smallest Workstation Worksta at
The Most Powerful Tiny So much power in a small package
Top 5 Reasons
ISV Certified Ecosystem of Accessories Lenovo Performance Tuner
Ease of Deployment Professional Graphics
STEM educators (K-12) as well as higher educators are looking for ISV certified workstations to train their students on various software packages. They appreciate the small size and convenient mounting solutions of P320 Tiny when deploying into existing or new school computer labs. Integrated WiFi makes computer lab deployment much easier as well. Financial trading demands the highest performance in the smallest footprint. Their biggest requirement is to drive 4-6 displays from a single system. P320 Tiny is the ideal solution because of its small size, energy efficiency, and ability to drive multiple displays with professional Quadro graphics. High-speed storage and memory allow for fast data transfer Product design and Architecture both require ISV certified workstations along with NVIDIA Quadro professional graphics to run 2D and entry 3D design and engineering software. The P320 Tiny also has high speed storage and memory that allows for fast data transfer to accommodate design files such as electronics, tools, bicycles and more.
ThinkStation P320 Tiny Specifications • NVIDIA Quadro P600 • Up to 7th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU • Up to 2TB M.2 NVMe SSD storage
• Up to 32GB DDR4 memory • 1L in size and 2.9 pounds • Security lock
Contact your Exertis Account Manager for more information
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BUSINESS
EXERTIS BUSINESS
HOT PICKS
TOP 5 MOBILITY PRODUCTS 1
LINX 1020 Users can work and play the way they want with the powerful Linx 1020. Featuring 2 full-size USB ports, dualband Wi-Fi for better connectivity and all the great features of Windows 10.
HUAWEI MEDIAPAD T2 10 PRO WI-FI
Part Code LINX1020/BUN
SAMSUNG GALAXY S8+
Your customers can have power and beauty with Huawei’s MediaPad T2 10 Pro. Fully equipped with a 10.1inch Full-HD display and the latest in 4G-LTE connection means this tablet delivers on speed and performance.
Give your customers end-to-end screen coverage with the new infinity display on the Samsung S8. The revolutionary design begins from the inside out so users only see pure content and no bezel. Part Code S10153703 - Orchid Grey
Part Code HUAT210PRO - Black
1
TOP NEW PRODUCTS LENOVO THINKPAD YOGA 370
AVER SVC100 MULTIPOINT HD SOLUTION
A revolutionary way to think about TV, Samsung’s The Frame turns into a beautiful work of art when not in use. The brilliant Ultra HD TV features an array of art and photography to suit every mood and style.
Give users the freedom to work and play anywhere with the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 370. The stylish and durable Yoga 370 combines power and performance with a vibrant 13.3” display and 360° hinge for 2-in-1 use.
The next generation of Aver’s video conferencing system. Featuring a futuristic design, the curved stand supports a powerful 18X total zoom lens to provide users with an unparalleled video conferencing experience.
Part Code UE55LS003AUXXU
Part Code S10155874
Part Code S10156981
SAMSUNG THE FRAME 55” ART MODE ULTRA HD CERTIFIED TV
Basingstoke: 01256 707 070 | Burnley: 01282 776 776 | store.exertis.co.uk
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TOP 5 BEST-SELLING BUSINESS PRODUCTS
TP LINK WI-FI SMART PLUG Your customers can easily manage home electronics with TP-Link’s Wi-Fi Smart Plug. The easy to set up smart plug gives users the ability to manage their appliances anywhere, anytime. Part Code TPHS100
EPSON EXPRESSION HOME XP-442 The XP-442 is a cost effective, high quality printer. Part of Epson’s small-in-one range this compact Wi-Fi printer features individual inks, mobile printing and a large colour LCD screen.
LG G6
Part Code EPSXP442
The seamless design with refined build elevates LG’s G6 into the next generation of smartphone design. The FullVision display with narrow bezel gives superior picture quality for a more engaging viewing experience.
LOGITECH KEYBOARD K120 Your customers can enjoy lowprofile, whisper-quiet keys with Logitech’s K120 keyboard. Featuring a tough and spill resistant design, simply plug into a USB port and start using straight away.
Part Code S10153851 - Black
SONY XPERIA XZ PREMIUM SO Sony’s most ground breaking smartphone to date. The Xperia XZ Premium features astonishing 4K HDR display and the new Motion Eye, a camera so advanced it can capture motion that the human eye can’t see.
Part Code LOG920-002524
BELKIN 11” LAPTOP/ CHROMEBOOK SLEEVE BLACK
5
Belkin’s form-fitting sleeve ensures a precise fit for 11” Laptops and Chromebooks. Built with multi-layer technology and woven side webbing means users can carry their devices safely and securely.
Part Code S10153942 - Black
Part Code BELB2B081-C00
OTTERBOX POWER PACK 10,000 MAH
D-LINK SERIES GIGABIT L2 MANAGED SWITCH
Military tested to withstand drops from up to 6.6 feet the OtterBox 10,000 mAh power pack reserves ample backup power for multiple devices. It charges microUSB-enabled gadgets directly and also features a USB port.
D-Link’s DGS-3000 Series Gigabit L2 Managed Switch provides a variety of ports for increased bandwidth. Their suite of security and management tools make the DGS-3000 ideal for medium and large installations.
Part Code S10163051@RET
Part Code DGS-3000
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PLANTRONICS BLACKWIRE C325 HEADSET Plantronics’ easy to use C325 delivers great UC features and bottom line performance. The corded USB headset features a noise-cancelling microphone and hi-fi stereo sound for a truly outstanding performance. Part Code PLA20444601
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Connect Any Device to Any Display From legacy technology to cutting edge connectivity, StarTech.com brings you the widest selection of display adapters. Connect easily to multiple monitors for increased productivity or plug-and-play to any projector to ensure your next presentation goes smoothly.
NEW!
Introducing our new Presentation Adapter.
We keep your computer awake. The audience is up to you.
Switch
Our Presentation Adapter features a unique Presentation Mode switch that keeps your laptop awake while connected to a projector. This adapter is the perfect accessory for boardrooms where long meetings may cause laptops to go into power-save mode.
When the switch is turned on, the laptop display will not enter sleep mode.
HDMI
CDP2HD4K60SA
VGA
CDP2VGASA
Use adapter cables as a cost-effective and clutter-free way to connect your laptop or docking station directly to your monitor. or. Mini DisplayPort to HDMI DisplayPort to DVI USB-C to DisplayPort
MDP2HDMM2MB DP2DVIMM10 CDP2DPMM6B
Contact your Exertis Account Manager for more details
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SO YOU WANT TO BE A
THOUGHT LEADER? HERE ARE THOUGHTS ON HOW
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Becoming a thought leader is one of those terms often mentioned by companies. A buzzword, overused and often misunderstood. Yet correctly exploited it can have a positive effect on customer behaviour. Of course, its meaning is open to interpretation but let’s start by trying to define what it really means. Thought leadership is the art of positioning your company as a leader in its field or an individual as an authority on a specialist subject whose views are sought and often rewarded. Of course, anyone with knowledge and an opinion could consider themselves as a thought leader but it’s the ability to share original content with an interested audience on a regular basis that helps complete that definition so that potential clients and industry peers begin to associate your brand with insight and authority. To truly become an influencer requires not only for you to believe the information to be interesting and valuable but more importantly that your audience does as well. Aspiring to be a thought leader can bring great benefits to your brand and to your business. Managed successfully, it can create a relationship built on trust, breed loyalty, retain customers and attract potential clients.
LET’S LOOK AT SOME BASIC THOUGHTS ON HOW TO ACHIEVE THOUGHT LEADERSHIP. Firstly you need to pick a topic. A subject matter which you know well, have expertise in and a passion for, and one which other people will find interesting. Becoming a thought leader in tech is no easy matter and requires not only knowledge but experience backed up by research where possible. Secondly, you need to know your target audience and narrow it to a manageable size in order to establish recognition where it matters most and realistically be able to communicate with it. Thirdly building a reputation starts with sharing information and ideas. You need to spend time not only in creating your message but also in distributing it effectively by sharing it through blogs, articles and industry events. This requires excellent written and verbal communication skills. The former could be outsourced but requires close attention to ensure the messaging is correct. Most importantly, take time to consider what questions or issues your audience might face. Anticipating their needs and solving their problems will be key. Providing value will be vital. Equally, don’t use this vehicle to openly promote your products, albeit that sales may be an ultimate result. Fourthly, establish multiple routes to market. Publishing from your website is a good start to build your followers. Using social media like Linked-In Pulse will help establish an audience, your credibility and your visibility. Twitter can alert your followers to a new article. Contributing to established industry sites is another valuable route. Collaborating with other thought leaders to help promote your message to their followers can be very useful. All this requires time and frequency of information if you are going to build and retain an audience. Thought leadership enables you to differentiate yourself from your competitors but it’s your audience that determines whether you are a thought leader or not. It’s not something that can be achieved overnight with one interesting blog or speech. But with the correct strategy, it can place you in a position of strength as a trusted source of information and an authority that can drive interest in and awareness of your company, and as a result generate additional sales for your business.
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If only all your office mates were this cool, quiet, and reliable . . . Introducing self-contained, integrated ‘cooled enclosure’ solutions that fit anywhere. Need more IT room but don’t have the floor space or budget? No problem. APC™ by Schneider Electric™ understands the challenges and has the answer. Our integrated NetShelter CX enclosure - a soundproofed ‘Server Room in a Box’ allows for IT deployment wherever and whenever it is needed, saving space, cost and deployment time. The integrated rack enclosure designed to keep IT equipment cool, quiet, and secure while blending seamlessly into any office environment. The NetShelter CX combines the technology IT managers demand and now you can deploy servers and networking equipment right in the workspace – no need for a dedicated computer room. A rack enclosure so quiet, you won’t know it’s there The soundproof construction allows you to place the NetShelter CX Office anywhere without disrupting day-to-day office activity. The ultra-quiet aircooling system and advanced sound-dampening features reduce server noise by more than 98 percent – lowering it to the same unnoticeable background hum of building air conditioning. Integrated, all-inclusive plug-and-play solution Fully portable, completely pre-assembled, and carefully pre-tested, the NetShelter CX Office gives you integrated power distribution, cable management, and high thermal capacity in a standard size rack enclosure. Add the award-winning APC Smart-UPS and environmental monitoring and management software, and you have a complete IT package. All you need to do is decide where to put it.
Speak to your Account Manager today!
Available in four sizes: 12U, 18U, 24U, and 38U.
Expand your server roomspace without building out. The unique NetShelter CX Office enclosure solution includes everything you need to house a highly reliable IT deployment anywhere you have empty space. > Available in four convenient sizes: 12U, 18U, 24U and 38U. > Supports nearly every major server series > Zero U power distribution unit—no need for additional rack-mount PDU > Soundproof cooling handles up to 3.6kW thermal capacity > Removable side panels for easier maintenance and installation > Locking doors for security
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WI-FI WHY SECURITY NEEDS SPECIAL
CONSIDERATION Despite the spectre of GDPR the pendulum of complacency is swinging back in the wrong direction as far as wi-fi networks are concerned. Wi-fi brings great benefits, but also potential risks and it is the duty of a VAR to ensure all customers understand these. The issue of wi-fi security needs to be understood by all organisations, whether they have wireless networks or not. Employees with company devices put themselves and their employer at considerable risk if they connect to open guest networks (still more commonplace than would be expected). These networks afford absolutely zero protection, it’s why they’re called ‘open’. Consumer data transmission is visible to everyone simply by ‘sniffing’ the air. A ‘man in the middle’ can easily hi-jack connections by sitting between the device and the outside world, reading everything and hi-jacking transactions in process. And if you think SSL protects, think again as ‘spoofing’ it renders such encryption useless. Organisations implementing their own Wi-Fi network should understand that securing it needs to be viewed from a new perspective. Traffic walking through the front door - employees, guests, the public – are probably walking right past the corporate firewall. People walking in can bring all sorts of malware. People walking out can take all sorts of data - a GDPR issue. VARs who understand the specific security issues associated with Wi-Fi, and wireless devices, and who help their clients develop and implement robust security policy will quickly become the trusted advisors of the wireless world. Needless to say, security starts with the policy. Who can access the network from where via what device? How is access controlled, how are connections secured, how is malware isolated? Policy should cover people and devices both on and off-site, and technology plays a central role in its implementation.
THE YEARS BC – BEFORE CLOUD In what seems another age in the years BC (Before Cloud) this was relatively simple. The controller had encrypted tunnels to the access points, a directory service, and perhaps a guest or BYOD manager. It had VLANs straight into the firewall, or was itself the firewall. Users were authenticated, traffic encrypted, access controlled before data got onto the corporate network. In short it was manageable, visible and secure. Along came cloud based wi-fi to simplify things. It does this beautifully but all too often the trade-off for simplicity is compromise. It usually has a more limited security feature set and, if they exist, many of the functions occur remotely, so data hits the network before passing stringent security. In short vulnerabilities appear. It’s true to say that cloud Wi-Fi vendors have been accelerating and enhancing their security offerings. Some build a firewall into the access point while others implement a cloud managed security gateway. What is crucial is that whichever method is chosen security requires very careful consideration and configuration of underlying services if architectural vulnerabilities are to be eliminated. Similarly, technology helps secure devices on public networks. A VPN will encrypt the data, endpoint protection keeps devices clean and free of malware, two-factor authentication ensures passwords remain secure and users are who they say they are. But, without training on the associated risks and what constitutes acceptable use, employees can still put their organisation, personal data and personal finances at risk by connecting to open Wi-Fi. So, in addition to providing a robust wireless infrastructure that meets connectivity and mobility requirements there is a lucrative opportunity for VARs to expand their solution into the security layer. By offering consultancy services, security products and valueadded applications a VAR can transform Wi-Fi into a secure, revenue generating service at a value that is likely to exceed that of the original wireless engagement. To find out more about Wi-Fi and wireless device security please contact your Exertis account manager.
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FOCUS, DEDICATION AND A COMPREHENSIVE CATALOGUE When it comes to stocking the components that make up a PC, you’ll find it hard to find a better range than the team at Exertis has to offer from its dedicated business unit. Indeed, it’s the one stop shop for any retailer, etailer, reseller or systems integrator needing any component, from the operating system and processor to the cases, power supply units, motherboards, graphics cards, memory and storage as well as a range of gaming keyboards, mice and headsets. The only consideration will be deciding on the brand. That might be a tough choice with Exertis stocking all the major manufacturers in each of the categories. Certainly, customers seem to like what Exertis has to offer as the business unit has consistently been growing faster than the market in many areas. Last financial year, it recorded a 32% growth and to date, this has climbed to 98% over the same period last year. With many vendors, Exertis holds a number one market share position, consistently adding new customers and obtaining more depth of sales from existing ones. Indeed, the base has risen to over 3,000 traded accounts. The components unit has seen growth across all of its categories. Some, like the graphics card market, have been growing strongly on the back of the continued rise of PC gaming with a recent spike driven by the cryptocurrency boom; the key here is ensuring supply continues to get through to the gamers whilst facilitating some crypto demand. However, there has also been big upsides in SSD, hard drives, memory, cases and motherboards. The latter in a declining total available market.
SUCCESS DOWN TO A NUMBER OF FACTORS Stuart Hatch, Exertis general manager for the components division puts the success down to a number of factors which in combination have made the distributor the first destination for customers. Firstly, it has dedicated teams just focused on components. A team of ten, operating from the northern office handle all the B2B accounts including the key system integrators and major corporate resellers. Their focus is entirely on the components business, enabling vendors to have easier and more productive interactions with the sales team, and the sales team to provide expertise and knowledgeable support to the customers. In addition, retail and e-tail accounts are handled by the sales team in Basingstoke supported by the components commercial team. This has created a high level of support and expertise for these channels. Secondly, it has a comprehensive catalogue of products. It has strategically added to its portfolio over the last few years. Only last month, it added Intel processors and NUC to its portfolio, having already secured the OEM contract with Microsoft. With Kingston and Zotac products also recently joining the vendor portfolio, the range is probably the best in components distribution.
Hatch believes his team’s ability to build great relationships with an optimum mix of vendors is also key; he also praises the proactivity and interaction of his vendor partners with his commercial and sales teams. Exertis is the only distributor to supply flash memory from the top three global manufacturers (Samsung, Toshiba and Sandisk). In other categories, they enjoy an exclusive relationship (e.g. Corsair and Fractal PC cases, along with graphics cards and ZBOX small form factor PCs from Zotac. Lastly, Hatch believes his team has made a major contribution with their knowledge and expertise of the market. Stuart himself has been in the components industry for 22 years but he acknowledges that having a team with focus, dedication and a desire to put the customer first has been instrumental in the success. Looking to the future, Hatch eyes further growth as both corporate and gaming markets continue to evolve, requiring Exertis to bring innovative services to market to aid resellers to capitalise on the opportunities. For more information on the products and services we offer, please contact your Exertis account manager.
DGS-3000: Gigabit Layer 2 Managed Switches Multi-Gigabit Performance with a variety of ports
PoE
10G SFP+
Full Port Configuration
24/7 Superior Reliability
Comprehensive Security Solution
Service Provider Features
D-Link Introduces Gigabit Performance DGS-3000 Series Layer 2 Managed Switch The newly launched DGS-3000 Series Gigabit L2 Managed Switches by D-Link, provide wired Gigabit speeds, featuring a variety of ports for increased network bandwidth. Surge protection, advanced Layer 2 functions, and a suite of security and management tools make the DGS-3000 Series Gigabit L2 Managed Switches ideal for medium and large installations.
Top features • Full Port Configuration: Variety of port types including PoE ports as well as 10 Gigabit SFP+ uplink ports. • Superior Reliability: Per-port surge protection and Ethernet Ring Protection Switching (ERPS) maximise service availability. • Service Provider Features: Layer 2 multicast functions allow IPTV streams to be distributed efficiently and security features prevent network abuse. • Comprehensive Security Solution: Supports Access Control Lists (ACLs) and multiple device/user authentication methods.
For more information contact your Exertis account manager
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To buy online: store.exertis.co.uk exertis.co.uk
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A ONE STOP SHOP WITH END-TO-END SOLUTIONS FOR EDUCATION DELIVERING MORE FOR LESS
EXERTIS OFFERS RESELLERS:
More than ever, educational establishments are under pressure to do more with less. The National Audit Office forecasts a £38bn annual shortfall in education funding by 2020, yet annual spending is at record levels with the dedicated schools grant sitting at £40bn per year. The new funding formula delivers financial winners and losers but whichever category an educational establishment may find itself in, the same priorities apply: deliver the curriculum, enhance the learning experience, drive results, comply with regulation, perform well in inspection, improve student acquisition…. and deliver more for less. Technical innovation in schools and classrooms is the only way to meet these demands. However, resellers, systems integrators and service providers face competition for contracts and e-purchasing is creating price transparency leading to margin pressure. Prospering in such an environment requires even greater service levels from ease of doing business to providing expertise in solutions that can be deployed to enable schools, colleges and universities to take advantage of a wide range of technology. Exertis with its scale, product portfolio, supply chain efficiency, service and technical expertise is best placed to help resellers with a one stop solution that can meet the demands of educational establishments.
Tech IoT VR AR Drones Games Software
Networks Wired wireless POE GBICs Connectors
Cables + Accessories Secure Carry Connect Charge
Security Firewall Filter NAC 2FA MDM SIEM
Tablets + Computing Windows Chrome Android
Infrastructure Applications UC CCTV Digital Signage Class Mmnt
Print Managed Unmanaged
Data Center Solutions Server Storage UPS KVM Backup Racks
Audio Visual LFD Signage Interactive Projection
Specialist Software Single Sign-on HA CAS Load balancing
• • • • • •
Multiple technology solutions for education A single point of contact for educational requirements Technical expertise from our product specialists and commercial teams Optional white label professional services Business development and tender responses Marketing and credit programmes
END-TO-END SOLUTIONS With over 400 brands in our portfolio, we have the products that can build a total end-to-end solution and even provide you with the opportunity to grow your business into new technology areas enabling you to engage with Exertis on a broader and more cost effective basis. In addition, we can provide the services that can complement your business and the dedicated support that makes it easy for you to leverage the advantage of buying from one source. With such a diversity of technologies, vendors and products, we are best placed to be able to offer solutions for every facet of education backed up by product specialists and technical experts who can assist throughout the sales cycle from pre-sales to post-sales support with services that include: tender support, special bids and promotions, managed services and a wide range of white label professional services. We have developed a range of educational solutions that cater for different requirements whether it’s for the benefit of the student and teacher in delivering a technology learning environment or the educational establishment in providing the infrastructure to support it. Furthermore, we have created a vertical focus team for education with a single point of contact. This team brings together our relevant product ranges, creates solutions, value propositions, cross selling opportunities and provides access to our wide range of services. Why not find out more? Our latest education guide is available to download at: http://bit.ly/ExertisEG and you can contact us at any time at education@exertis.co.uk
All-Flash. Full control.
Introducing the Fujitsu All Flash Price Promise! Fujitsu are pleased to announce the All Flash (AF) Price Promise. If you can an provide a competitive quote that is already cheaper than the Fujitsu All Flash equivalent they will match the price and give you a further 5% discount. Terms & Conditions apply.
*
Fujitsu’s ETERNUS AF boasts some of the best performance in the market and d coupled with this promotion, the best price point. Storage Performance Council* cil* have shown that Fujitsu ETERNUS AF has some of the lowest latency response e times in the market. Why Fujitsu ETERNUS AF? rice. ETERNUS AF is Enterprise ready All Flash storage with a highly competitive price. Enterprise ready means having leading software features such as: us • Fujitsu can replicate all flash to spinning disk for the budget conscious customer that needs HA. This is unique to Fujitsu. cations • AQOS – Automated Quality of Service to ensure mission critical applications and resources get the performance and low latency they need • High IOP capabilities with some of the lowest latency in the market • Granular control allowing the end user to decide what features they want to enable, including De-Duplication/ Compression/ QOS • A high level of application integration including: VMWare, Microsoft, Oracle VM
Contact your Exertis Account Manager for more information. ation. *The SPC is focused on expanding the recognition, use and publication of its industry-standard benchmarks and results. Allowing customers to more accurately assess the performance and price/performance of competing storage products prior to acquisition.
Powered by Intel® Xeon® processor.
Visit the NEW Fujitsu microsite today: http://info.exertis.co.uk/fujitsu-enterprise/
Exertis recommends Windows.
Warranty offers and accessory options available from Fujitsu, please speak to your account manager for further details.
Toshiba recommends Windows 10 Pro.
Your cutting edge business laptop that ticks every box Tecra X40 Toshiba’s Tecra X40 stands at the cutting edge of business functionality. The latest generation of Intel® Core™ U Series processors and our unique Hybrid Cooling technology deliver uncompromising and optimised productivity – with a battery life of up to 11 hours. Secured by a magnesium honeycomb chassis that is tested to MIL STD 810G, and protected by Toshiba’s own in-house BIOS, security and durability are assured wherever you’re working. And a non-glare In-Cell touch screen and a wide range of connectivity options unleash the possibilities of working your way wherever you are. The Tecra X40 is the business laptop that ticks every box.
Ultra-thin: 16.9mm 16.9mm
11 hour
11hrs Battery life with quick charge
1.25 kg
Ultra lightweight: 1.25kg
Two-factor authentication *****
Touchscreen
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Contact your Exertis account manager today for more information
THE
To buy online: store.exertis.co.uk exertis.co.uk
FUTURE
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NOT ALL CLOUDS
ARE EQUAL
SPONSORED CONTENT As a successful VAR or MSP, you fully understand that data is the lifeline of your customer’s business. As your client’s trusted advisor, not only have you kept local backups of their data, but you have also replicated these offsite to ensure that your customer can access these at all times and keep their business running in the face of any disaster. When deciding where to replicate this data, there are a number of key considerations including: how quickly can you restore the data, how complicated is it to restore the data, can you restore in all scenarios …
THIRD PARTY DATA CENTRE OR IN-HOUSE CLOUD: THE BURNING QUESTION… If, like a growing number of companies, you have decided to replicate your customers’ data to the cloud, you need to decide if you will build your own cloud offering or go with a third party cloud offering. This is an important decision for any VAR or MSP. One of the potential pitfalls for any service provider is to try to be all things to all people. Data centre specialisation may well be one area you might want to leave to a third party provider. A number of questions you need to consider when making the decision include: • • • •
Do you have the upfront funds needed to invest in the required infrastructure? Do you have the capacity to build in the redundancy to offer 99.999% uptime to your clients? Do you need to hire expert staff or retrain existing staff to build out your cloud offering? Are you confident that your cloud is compliant with GDPR and other compliance regulations?
For the increasing numbers of service providers looking to outsource their Disaster Recovery Cloud, here are some important considerations: •
Look for a purpose-built Disaster Recovery cloud as opposed to a cloud simply offering storage. This will be essential to ensure you meet the Service Level Agreements put in place with your customers. If you need to restore your customers’ data within 2 hours, it will not be enough to simply store data in certain public clouds from which it may take days or weeks to restore from.
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•
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How complicated will it be to restore from the cloud? This needs to be quick, seamless and easy. You need to be able to sleep at night knowing with full confidence that you will be able to restore your customer and offer total failover in the cloud. Can you easily and regularly test recovery from the cloud? You need to regularly test and show your customer that you can restore their data quickly. (This will be essential when GDPR comes into force.) Pick a self-service cloud that puts you in control. Adding or deleting accounts should be simple. It is imperative you can restore your customers’ data easily, without intervention from a third party. Cost of the Cloud offering: You want to grow your company revenue so you need to choose a solution that will allow you to wrap services around your cloud offering and make a decent margin. Choose an EU data centre and confirm that your customers’ data does not travel outside the EU.
ENTERPRISE CLOUD FAILOVER IN THE FLICK OF A SWITCH StorageCraft Technology offers complete on-site and off-site Disaster Recovery. With the ability to restore and failover entire systems to the StorageCraft purpose-built Disaster Recovery Cloud, the company offers an enterprise Disaster Recovery solution: • • • • • • •
Failover in the Cloud 99.999% uptime Restore customers remotely in minutes Self-service, one-stop portal Predictable monthly billing, no hidden fees Flexible service levels One-click site-wide failover testing without production environment
disrupting
In today’s fast-paced and “always on” technology landscape, being down and out for a few hours, let alone a day or more, just is not an option for most companies. StorageCraft offers a highly customisable disaster recovery cloud, allowing you to replicate backups remotely and to provide data recovery and instant virtualisation of machines in the cloud.
FUTURE
B2B MUST HAVE ACCESSORIES
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GA B UM S I IN NE GS A SN D E N T E R T A I N M E N T
OTTERBOX DEFENDER IPAD PRO 10.5” CASE
Designed with three layers of rugged protection, the defender series case is built to cover the entire 2nd Generation iPad Pro. It also includes a shield stand for added protection and hands-free use.
Users can say goodbye to the fear of the unexpected with Zagg’s Sapphire Defense for iPhone 7. A combination of screen protection, sapphire-infused scratch resistance and the properties of smooth tempered glass create a virtually indestructible screen protector.
RRP: £79.99 Colour: Black Part Code: 10167161
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RRP: £34.99 Part Code: 10147924
TARGUS UNIVERSAL DOCKING STATION
Targus Universal Docking Station is ideal for home or office environments where desk space is limited. Designed to support multiple laptop operating systems where a simple, fast connection to dual screens or the internet is needed.
CYGNETT CHARGEUP 10,000MAH POWER BANK
Providing power when it’s needed most, the ChargeUp Ultra 10,000 Portable Powerbank gives up to 7x smartphone charges with its 2x USB ports. The battery also switches off automatically when not in use to preserve precious power.
MAROO TACTICAL FOLIO MICROSOFT SURFACE PRO 3/4
SAMSUNG GALAXY TABA 10.1
RRP: £69.99 Colour: Black Part Code: 10162170
OTTERBOX SAMSUNG GALAXY S8 SYMMETRY SERIES CASE
RRP: £29.99 Colour: Black Part Code: 10134931
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GRIFFIN SURVIVOR ALL-TERRAIN
Designed and rigorously tested, Griffin’s Survivor All-Terrain case is built from the inside out to be the most protective case possible. Fully equipped with a built in screen protector and detachable stand for extra protection.
RRP: £49.95 Colour: Black Part Code: 10066225
Otterbox’s sleek Symmetry Series case features a screen bumper to help protect the Samsung Galaxy’s S8 touchscreen and the easy to install one-piece design makes the case easy to slip on and off.
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BRYDGE BLUETOOTH KEYBOARD MICROSOFT SURFACE PRO 12.3
RRP: £149.99 Colour: Silver Part Code: 10164942
Maroo’s Tactical Folio case is made from black diamond grip with a microfibre interior to keep users’ Surface Pros snug and comfortable. The built in Pro Hinge also provides a range of viewing angles, up to 140 degrees.
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Help your customers attach their phone or device securely in the car with Cygnett’s MagMount. Featuring an incredibly strong and reliable hold with a space saving ultra-compact design.
The award-winning Brydge 12.3 keyboard gives an unmatched laptop-like experience. Fully equipped with LED backlit keys for a consistent typing experience and complete flexibility for every user.
RRP: £44.95 Colour: Black/Grey Part Code: 10079279
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4
CYGNETT MAGMOUNT360 VENT MAGNETIC MOUNT W/PLATE
RRP: £14.95 Part Code: 10079299
RRP: £104.99 Colour: Black Part Code: 10156854UZ
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2
ZAGG SAPPHIRE DEFENSE IPHONE 7
10
TARGUS SAFEPORT RUGGED TABLET CASE FOR IPAD AIR 2, IPAD PRO
9.7” AND IPAD 97” (2017)
Targus SafePort tablet case offers robust protection in a slim, professional-looking case. The shock absorbing TPU shell provides advanced protection from sudden drops and harsh conditions. RRP: £59.99 Colour: Grey Part Code: 10164862
Basingstoke: 01256 707 070 | Burnley: 01282 776 776 | store.exertis.co.uk
Designed to Stand out BrandIT
Floor Standing Tablet Kiosk Designed from the floor up, our new BrandIT tablet kiosk demands your attention. Steel and aluminium construction securely holds Linx tablets or Apple iPads, the latter also includes options to restrict access to the home button. The front panel can be branded for promotions or branding and there are white and black options available. •
Ideal for reception areas, hotels, showrooms, exhibitions, events and retail
•
Large area for branding or sales message
•
Movable or can be secured to the floor
•
Available in black or white
•
Cable management
•
Power supply lead can be hidden in base
For further information call your Exertis account manager: Basingstoke : 01256 707070 Burnley : 01282 776776 www.securityxtra.com
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Targus Magnetic Privacy Screens effortlessly attach to your MacBook screen and narrow the viewing angle so on-screen data can only be seen from directly in front of it.
visible Blocks angled viewing from prying eyes
CONTACT YOUR EXERTIS ACCOUNT MANAGER FOR MORE DETAILS