IT Reseller April 2012

The magazine for resellers, distributors, system integrators and OEMs APRIL 2012

AIDC special report: The consumer-B2B dynamic ADC/POS: Power in consolidation

Print: Broadening channel reach

Document/storage management: Full integration

Network technology: Fighting cyber crime For the latest news and to subscribe to the IT Reseller weekly newsletter visit

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IT RESELLER – APRIL 2012

Over exposure ecurity continues to be a predominant theme in the world of IT, and, incidentally, is one of the subjects of this month’s Special Report focusing on issues surrounding the use of consumer-grade smartphone and tablet PCs within the business-to-business environment. Recent research suggests that inadequate security on mobile phones and tablets exposes UK businesses to massive risk. Organisations large and small would appear to be failing to respond to the culture of employees using their own mobile devices for work and are opening up their systems to security risks. These are the preliminary findings of the 2012 Information Security Breaches Survey (ISBS) written

by PwC in conjunction with Infosecurity Europe and supported by the department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

According to the research 82 per cent of large organisations reported security breaches caused by staff, including 47 per cent who lost or leaked confidential information. Only 39 per cent of large organisations encrypt data downloaded to smart phones and tablets, while 54 per cent of small businesses (38 per cent of large organisations) do not have a security awareness programme. Some 52 per cent of small businesses say social networking sites are important to their business, while only 8 per cent monitor what their staff post on those sites.

S

More worrying news: some 75 per cent of large organisations (and 61 per cent of small businesses) allow staff to use smart phones and tablets to connect to their corporate

systems and yet only 39 per cent (24 per cent of small businesses) apply data encryption on the devices. A substantial 82 per cent of large organisations (and 45 per cent of small businesses) reported security breaches caused by staff and 47 per cent (20 per cent of small businesses) lost or leaked confidential information, showing this is not a threat they can ignore. Personalisation is creating new security threats, from both malicious software and data loss, the survey shows, and organisations that allow personally owned devices tend to have weaker controls than those that allow corporate devices only. Chris Potter, PwC information security partner, has commented that with the explosion of new mobile devices and the blurring of lines between work and personal life, organisations are opening their systems up to massive risk. He said that smartphones and tablet computers are often lost or stolen, with any data on them exposed, and mobile devices can literally drill straight through your security defences, if you’re not careful. “However, organisations aren’t responding to these new challenges,” he remarked.

Alarmingly, 54 per cent of small businesses (and 38 per cent of large ones) do not have any kind of programme for educating their staff about security risks. Only 26 per cent of respondents with a security policy believe their staff have a very good understanding of it while 21 per cent think the level of staff understanding is poor. Indeed, 75 per cent of organisations whose security policy is poorly understood had staffrelated security breaches over the past year. There has to be an opportunity for the channel here to inform and educate on the subject of a more effective security regime. Don your mortarboards now.

Ed Holden Editor »

APRIL 2012 – IT RESELLER

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Editor: Ed Holden Contributor:

APRIL 2012 —

CONTENTS

Dr Guy Boxall, Casio Electronics

Publisher: David Lee Art Direction: Ian Curtis - First Sight Graphics Production: Christine Pateman Circulation: Sarah Schofield IT Manager: Peter West Accounts: Carolyn Pither Published by: Calvert Media Ltd, Latimer House 189 High Street, Potters Bar Herts EN6 5DA UK Tel: +44 (0) 1707 664200 Fax: +44 (0) 1707 664800 Email (publishing): info@itrportal.com Email (editorial): editor@itrportal.com Printed in the UK by: The Magazine Printing Company plc www.magprint.co.uk No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. No liability is accepted for any action arising from the contents of this publication; readers are advised to check any manufacturer’s or supplier’s claims for products. The publisher does not endorse opinions expressed in any article by an outside contributor. While every care is taken over photographs and illustrations, which are returned when requested,no liability can be assumes by the publisher for the loss of such material ISSN: 1369 - 88

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6 Special AIDC Report

12 Automatic Data Capture/Point of Sale ScanSource Europe – A decade in distribution Datalogic – Power in consolidation Maxa Technologies – Take your partners Varlink – Products, training, awards and more at Meet the Manufacturer 2012 BlueStar UK Distribution – Vartech arrives in the UK Cybertill – Retailers looking for mobile and wireless solutions in-store Casio – The high street fights back Getac PS236 rugged handheld now built with Android Ingram Micro EMEA a winner at the Microsoft 2012 EMEA Partner Operations Conference Socket Mobile celebrates 20th anniversary as mobile device manufacturer Motion – Explosive improvements HP chooses Futura to produce ʻPOS in a boxʼ 30 Printing & Labelling New LED modular digital label printer by Impression Technology Fujitsu mobile printer for iPhone and iPad Datamax-OʼNeilʼs expansive printer portfolio at Advantech-DLoG Partner Conference Ninewells Hospital produces accurate labels with help from Episys Brother PocketJet 600 Series now available from Synergix Lexmark appoints Micro-P to broaden channel reach in the UK Canon Group targets £710 million public sector print opportunity Sato introduces TG3 Series printers for retail applications Intermec unveils new PC Series desktop printer portfolio for light duty labelling

40 Document Management – Data Storage

Kyocera launches mobile print app Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) appoints new MD and strengthens board Nexsan launches solid-state enhanced unified storage featuring FASTier Caringoʼs object storage platform fully integrated with Symantec Enterprise Vault 10 Xerox DocuMate 4760 handles plastic cards, documents, long forms and more

44 Networking – Security – UPS Softcat launches xStorm to fight cyber crime Sophos partners with Egnyte to provide end-to-end hybrid cloud encryption Centrix platform for SaaS governance and private cloud application delivery Emerson Network Power hosts Energy Theatre at Datacentres 2012 Molex connectors ʻfor future-proof, end-to-end 25 Gbps channel interoperability Eatonʼs intelligent ePDUs now integrated with Cisco EnergyWise technology

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AIDC

Special report

Meeting of worlds For this special AIDC report, IT Reseller spoke with a number of leading distributors about the current dynamic between business-to-business mobile devices and their consumer-grade counterparts, and what it means for the channel.

W

ithin the consumer world, smartphones and tablet PCs have become the ‘must-have’ lifestyle accessories of our times within rather a short timeframe. You can barely walk into a café or get on a train without sitting within close proximity to one or more individuals that have their eyes riveted to their iPad or Samsung Galaxy Android etc., with their iPhone or similar smart device in near proximity. And you can see the attraction – near-immediate access

entertainment or personal education pursuits, but also for the undertaking of work-related tasks.

Fit for purpose But just how suitable are these consumergrade devices for deployment within a more business-oriented context? For example, are there serious constraints concerning their level of robustness if used within certain business/industrial settings. And, in this regard, are the more established industrial-grade devices the only real

“

…when the iPhone and later the iPad first came out they proved that they are actually suitable not only for the consumer market but also the B2B space in many ways. They can add real value to your business if you need limited apps and need web access and e-mail. There's nothing you can’t do on an iPad that means you definitely need a Windows tablet or an Android tablet. I think there is so much growing momentum now that access to the application is almost more important than perhaps the openness of the system.”

– Mark Charleton, Blue Solutions.

to whatever information you require on the move, entertainment at your fingertips at any time, various modes of communication with friends, associates or work colleagues wherever you happen to be, and the list continues. Now we are hearing about, or witnessing, individuals increasingly using such devices, not just for social,

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option? For Mark Fraker, BlueStar’s vice president of marketing, it’s very much a case of horses for courses when considering deployment of such devices within certain business verticals: “Some vertical sectors need more ruggedised equipment because of the environment they have to work in; take construction for

example,” he said. However, Fraker added that there are other sectors that do not have to insist on the use of such robust systems.

“For example, consider devices used by nurses who provide homecare,” he said.

Fraker also made the point that it is certainly the case now that more and more IT directors are encouraging workers to bring their own device to work. Fraker explained that he used to be restaurateur and one of the questions he would ask when hiring staff was ‘how old is your car, because he wanted to know whether they would be able to get to work on time.

“Similarly, I think now more and more people will ask: ‘do you have a smartphone, what brand is it, what model? – OK great, now we would like you to download this application to your Android or whatever and that’s how you’re going to take orders’. So IT directors now are expected to support all the different operating systems involved.

Motorola came out with RhoElements, which is a software whereby if you write in HTML 5.0 it will run on iOS and any of the Microsoft mobile platforms and Android – one code. So we are now seeing some of our ISVs are starting to re-code and write on middleware in order for devices to run on all the main platforms.” So, added Fraker, there may be issues related to the level of robustness of devices in certain environments, but within some of the less

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Special report

‘industrial’ verticals the more consumergrade devices are being increasingly deployed.

Xavier Cartiaux, president of ScanSource Europe, considers that in a warehouse or other environment where workers wear gloves it wouldn’t be easy to use something like an iPad or other consumer-grade tablet.

“Here it’s the good old scanners and terminals that are required,” he said, adding that, when tablets are indeed deployed within many of the target vertical markets that ScanSource and its reseller partners serve it is the more ruggedised industrial models that are required.

Mark Charleton, director of Blue Solutions, believes there is probably a narrow line here in terms of what is commonly referred to a consumer device and what is referred to as business device. “For example, when the iPhone and later the iPad first came out they proved that they are actually suitable

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AIDC

“

Now, because of the consumer awareness that’s been created by devices like the iPad the tablet is considered much the same as any desktop or networked PC. The only difference is that it’s now mobile and there are some issues in terms of integrating it, mounting it, making sure it’s rugged enough for the environment it’s going to work in, and ensuring it can withstand the humidity and heat of the environment it is required to work in.”

– Steve Berry, Maxa Technologies.

not only for the consumer market but also the B2B space in many ways,” he said.

“They can add real value to your business if you need limited apps and need web access and e-mail. There's nothing you can’t do on an iPad that means you definitely need a Windows tablet or an Android tablet. I think there is so much growing momentum now that access to the application is almost more important than perhaps the openness of the system. So I think there’s going to be a lot of continuing convergence within this space.”

Continuing the theme of convergence, Charleton reflected that a few years ago many people had PDAs with touch screens for business use. “These devices were of little use within the consumer space, but now touch screens have converged with your phone and so you can use your phone to do many things both at home and at work. And unless there’s a billing issue there’s no benefit of having your own separate personal phone and your own personal work phone. If you have an iPhone

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AIDC

Special report

Samsung and their more consumer-grade devices. In his view it is more a case within the B2B vendors recognising there is a market for tablet PCs within the business environment, and therefore bringing to market a tougher grade of device. “When you see Motorola and other vendors coming to market with a tablet PC with a more ruggedised form factor but still a tablet, they must see the value of offering such a device with a more robust form factor,” he said.

Selling the concept

“

…many of our software writer partners have built their software to be resilient and fit for purpose in the B2B space. I'm sure that exactly the same is the case on smartphones because those same ISVs support smartphone applications as well. Even banks are now bringing out apps to run on Android and Apple devices, and you can't believe that a bank would publish an app that didn’t offer the maximum required level of security.”

– Mike Pullon, Varlink.

or Android you can use them both at home and at work quite seamlessly, and they offer enough functionality for both uses.”

Steve Berry, director at Maxa Technologies (Maxatec), considers that where consumer devices tend to fall down is not just in terms of deployment in the more challenging environments, but also with regard to system integration etc. “If many of our resellers could simply buy a device such as an iPad or other similar consumer device to do their job they wouldn't be working with us,” he said, adding that in the sectors where Maxatec partners work there can be a host of issues to consider – including environmental issues, and many challenges related to connectivity, integration, mobile device management and power management. Therefore consumer devices could potentially fall at the first hurdle. “At Maxatec we have a lot of technical strength, which means we can work with our resellers

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– and sometimes end-users on behalf of our resellers – to ensure the devices in question fulfil all the required criteria and are fit for purpose,” he said.

B2B threat?

So some deployment of consumer-grade devices could be seen as suitable within certain business contexts. But is the consumer technology space actually in danger of compromising the profitability of devices designed specifically for businessto-business use? Xavier Cartiaux, president of ScanSource Europe, believes the iPad has indeed secured some share of the business-to-business AIDC marketplace.

However he adds that these are still comparatively fragile devices compared with the units that are specifically designed for business and industrial use. Cartiaux also remarks that he doesn’t believe the business-to-business solutions space is losing any major market share to Apple or

Has the popularity of consumer devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs impacted on the level of corporate awareness of such technology to any considerable degree? Berry makes the point that tablet PCs are of course not new within the business-to-business environment. However, he adds that looking back as recently as three or four years just selling the concept of a tablet PC to a potential user organisation would have been a challenge. “Now, because of the consumer awareness that’s been created by devices like the iPad the tablet is considered much the same as any desktop or networked PC,” he said. “The only difference is that it’s now mobile and there are some issues in terms of integrating it, mounting it, making sure it’s rugged enough for the environment it’s going to work in, and ensuring it can withstand the humidity and heat of the environment it is required to work in. It’s also important to ensure you can buy it on terms that make it a viable business proposition and not just an attractive, shiny piece of kit.” Nevertheless, Berry concurs that the iPhone and iPhone have increased visibility of tablet PCs and mobile computers that have been in the business word for some time. “Most people now have a smartphone rather than a phone,” he said, “and the availability of this technology in the consumer world is definitely making more and more people aware that you can use this kind of concept in the business environment.”

Like Berry, Cartiaux believes devices such as the iPad have likely created some extra

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Special report

AIDC

“

I’ve seen some applications that are working on iPhones and iPads etc., but them how convenient it is to use their chosen apps on such a device.”

I’m not sure whether the majority of the resellers will be re-developing or reinvesting a lot of money into porting their applications into the Android or Security And what of security? Fraker considers that iPhone/iPad markets. We’ll need to wait and see.”

– Xavier Cartiaux, ScanSource Europe. in the case of a lack of knowledge on an

focus and attention on the traditional vendors and their tablet PC offerings within the B2B tablet space. Pullon has also witnessed that the iPad in particular has certainly created a desire for middle and senior managers to have tablet PCs as a part of their kitbag. “And I’ve heard that there are instances where a business justification is made to finance just so staff can have their own iPad for whatever purpose,” he said. However, looking at the bigger picture, Pullon believes there is no doubt that the possibility of a technology that is lightweight, easy to transport and one that uses an operating system that is intuitive and familiar to the user has made many previously sceptical people far more

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open to the idea of owning a tablet PC. “Of course, there have been tablet PCs available in the business-to-business marketplace for some time,” he points out.

“But I think what the iPad has done is change the concept of the tablet PC from being viewed as a ‘blue-collar’ tool to one that is front of shop. And this has also affected the attitude of software application writers as well. At Varlink we have a number of software application partners who have been very swift to take their PDA applications and get them on to iPad. This is either because their end customers already use iPad or Android etc. or it’s considered that the best way of introducing them to tablet computing is by showing

organisation’s part, its workforce could quite easily find itself jeopardising the company’s data security through failing to ensure that any consumer-grade devices used for business purposes are equipped with the required levels of security and encryption for the business world. “This can be a problem without a doubt,” he said. “That's why there have been breaches of some small- to medium-sized businesses around the world, relating to credit cards for example.” Mike Pullon, CEO of Varlink, isn’t sure that the products that a B2B device distributor sells are any more secure than products in the ‘smartphone’ category. “As long as you are using the right encryption software and the security software that's proven and regularly available then there

IT RESELLER – APRIL 2012

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AIDC

shouldn’t be an issue,” he said, adding: “Frankly, security questions hardly ever arise within our ISV or VAR partner network.

If you look at the Psion spec sheets for the EP10 handheld, for example, it makes it perfectly clear that it’s fit for the tasks required of it. And many of our software writer partners have built their software to be resilient and fit for purpose in the B2B space. I'm sure that exactly the same is the case on smartphones because those same ISVs support smartphone applications as well. Even banks are now bringing out apps

Special report

to run on Android and Apple devices, and you can't believe that a bank would publish an app that didn’t offer the maximum required level of security.”

Channel commitment Regarding the channel’s direct involvement, can VARs and systems integrators help to ensure that consumer devices are able to be comfortably deployed in a number of business contexts? Cartiaux remarks that, in the world of ScanSource and its resellers

and software developer partners, it is all about solutions, and part of the solution is the application software. “So it’s a question of whether the applications that are important for business use can be developed for, downloaded on to, or integrated within consumer-grade devices,” he said. “I’ve seen some applications that are working on iPhones and iPads etc., but I’m not sure whether the majority of the resellers will be re-developing or reinvesting a lot of money into porting their applications into the Android or iPhone/iPad markets. We’ll need to wait and see.”

“

Consumers are now to the point where they’re very used to paying so much Payment methodology As with any investment, there is the issue of a month. And, similarly, many business consumers are become increasingly finance to consider. With this in mind, used to a similar payment model. For example, they might think that rather than Fraker observes that another dynamic spend X amount of millions of Dollars on a solution roll out we would like to just increasingly shared by both the B2B and consumer space is that concerning how rent them for three years on a monthly basis – in other words subscribe to a Solution as a Service (SaaS) model. We're seeing more and more of our partners people pay for their solutions and applications. “Consumers are now to the asking for that option.” point where they’re very used to paying so – Mark Fraker, BlueStar. much a month,” he points out. “And,

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Special report

AIDC

by business-class manufacturers that while having an ongoing product roadmap also ensure their current products are supportable and fully supportable for several years after they are no longer available.”

Merging lines

similarly, many business consumers are become increasingly used to a similar payment model. For example, they might think that rather than spend X amount of millions of Dollars on a solution roll out we would like to just rent them for three years on a monthly basis – in other words subscribe to a Solution as a Service (SaaS) model. We're seeing more and more of our partners asking for that option.”

Control Because of the way these types of consumer devices are often used mainly in a social or personal amusement context, can there ever be an adequate level of management control over how these devices are really being used when adopted for business use? Charleton considers that staff behaviour related to the use of mobile devices is always going to be hard to fully enforce. “For example, in an email-based office environment staff probably won’t need their phones for work purposes. So you could assume that if they're on their smartphone during working hours it's for their own personal use and they might be on Facebook or sending text messages. This isn’t an easy issue to resolve.”

choosing which devices to roll out within your organisation. He makes the point that the devices some companies have rolled out have not met genuine proof-of-concept criteria and have proved to be nonsupportable, non-business oriented devices that become obsolete every six months or so,” he said. “And after obsolescence the company can’t get spares for the devices, and so the devices are effectively dead,” he said. Berry added that much of Matatec’s daily activities revolve around managed services: “We believe in the value of a fiveyear support contact and the provision of genuine business-class devices supplied

Looking to the future, will the uptake of consumer devices within the business-tobusiness space become a growing trend?

Pullon’s view is that the lines are merging now. However, he makes the point that when looking at, say, a Datalogic product, a Casio product or a Psion product there is a level of ruggedness and robustness that cannot be found on a consumer-grade device. He adds that even mobile phones and smartphones that are positioned as being rugged are not as comparably robust as industrial handhelds and tablet PCs. Also, Pullon reminds us that with industrial devices you are normally told precisely how many drops to concrete it can withstand and what its IP rating is.

One thing is for certain; the relationship between consumer-grade devices and the B2B space has a lot of mileage yet to run.

No doubt a host of other themes concerning strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats will emerge over the coming months and years. Watch this space. n

Support Berry stresses that ongoing support is another big factor to consider when

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IT RESELLER – APRIL 2012

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INTERVIEW

automatic data capture

point of sale

A decade in distribution IT Reseller spoke with Xavier Cartiaux, president of ScanSource Europe, about the companyʼs ten-year milestone in distribution, as well as some of the companyʼs more recent initiatives.

product inventories and a broad range of high-value, channel-focused services.

Xavier Cartiaux: Dedicated to growing channel business.

t is a decade now since ScanSource Europe – the pan-European distributor of automatic data collection, EPoS, voice, video, data and mobility solutions – first opened for business. As this milestone passes, the company still remains totally dedicated to selling purely through the channel, and to providing its reseller

I

Cartiaux observes that, coincidentally, the ScanSource brand was first launched in the US some 20 years ago, the success of which led to the formation of the European arm a decade later. Reflecting on ScanSource Europe’s anniversary he points out that, in many respects, the role of a distributor over this timeframe hasn't really changed. “Our main business still revolves around carrying inventory, providing credit lines for our channel customers, having knowledgeable technical and marketing personnel on board and ensuring all the technical support our resellers require is easily accessible,” he said.

“

In the early days we were carrying 5 to 10 million euros worth of inventory, now we are up to around 60 to 70 million euros. We now offer our resellers a huge amount of product – and most of it is available for next-day dispatch.”

partners with a wide range of addedvalue services and support packages.

ScanSource Europe’s president, Xavier Cartiaux, points out that the company’s core focus continues to be on growing its reseller partners’ businesses across Europe by providing services and tools that are able to make them more efficient and successful in their chosen vertical sectors. With this in mind, ScanSource ensures that its resellers have access to many of the autoID, POS and communications industry's leading vendors, one of Europe's largest

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always part of a broader solution and we think they should still be considered as part of the solution. It then continues to give us as the distributor a valueadded role in our marketplace. Even if we were to reduce the price of our products by, say, 50 per cent, we don’t believe we would definitely see a jump in sales. It’s not the same as in the consumer market where if a vendor substantially reduces the price of its smartphone or tablet PC there would very likely see a bigger surge in sales.”

Cartiaux also reflects that ScanSource Europe’s relationship with its vendor partners has evolved over the past few years, particularly insofar as ScanSource now partners with a smaller, more select group of brands than it did ten years ago. “This change is mainly because there has been a considerable level of acquisition and brand consolidation within our marketplace,” he explained. Cartiaux added that the modern relationship between the vendor and distributor has evolved into more of a partnership. “The

However, explains Cartiaux, one thing that has changed is that the increasingly broad product portfolio supplied by many vendor partners has meant that ScanSource Europe has had to substantially increase the number of SKUs in its DC. Also, Cartiaux makes the point that over the past decade some market players have tried to commoditise the autoID and POS marketplace. “But it's really not a commodity market,” he insists. “The products we distribute are almost

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point of sale

ensuring that these vendor programmes are well-controlled and executed in the channel.”

Cartiaux added that ScanSource Europe has launched a number of major initiatives of its own over the past 18 months. “The first to be introduced was SUMO, which is a web platform that allows resellers, ISVs and third parties to meet, network and potentially build incremental business and facilitate the building of incremental new solutions.” Cartiaux also pointed out that more recently ScanSource Europe has introduced a number of marketing and educational programmes, such as its POS and Healthcare websites, which help resellers to more easily access the information they require, as well as providing additional network opportunities. “We believe it's very important to help resellers find their way through the huge amount of documents that are posted on the Internet,” said Cartiaux. “So that is one of the roles we play.”

majority of our vendor partners now consider us as a key part of their sales and channel strategy,” he said.

“Therefore as a distributor if you don't have your channel model in good shape in terms of pricing, credit availability, inventory and support the relationship with the vendor is never going to work.

These basic offerings are now more important than ever.”

Another notable change can be found in terms of the value of the inventory held

by ScanSource Europe. “In the early days we were carrying 5 to 10 million euros worth of inventory, now we are up to around 60 to 70 million euros,” Cartiaux pointed out. “We now offer our

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resellers a huge amount of product – and most of it is available for next-day dispatch.”

As well as being a solutions distributor, Cartiaux sees ScanSource Europe’s role also remains one of keeping the channel aware and educated regarding not just the products but also the various vendor marketing programme initiatives. “If you think back ten years I believe none of our vendor partners had a channel programme as such,” he said. “Now most of them have their own programmes offering a range of benefits. So we see part of our role as helping resellers to find their way round all the benefits on offer, as well as

INTERVIEW

automatic data capture

Another addition to the ScanSource Europe programme portfolio, which first made its appearance in mid-2011, is AppSource. “AppSource is really an electronic store where resellers can buy or rent applications,” explained Cartiaux. “We introduced AppSource primarily to allow resellers to go lower in the end user market. The price of hardware over the past decade has come down overall. But the price of software, development time and services hasn’t gone down. So some potential end users may not be able to afford our technology because of the price of the software and the work involved to tailor the software to their specific requirements. So this is why we came up with more entry-level applications around asset management, inventory tracking POS receipt printing etc. This gives our resellers the opportunity to prospect a lot of potential new end users that couldn't afford to use our POS and barcode technology in the past. And if we can stimulate even greater sales growth for the VARs this naturally becomes a win-win for everyone concerned – the vendor, reseller, ourselves, and of course the end user.” n

IT RESELLER – APRIL 2012

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INTERVIEW

automatic data capture

point of sale

Power in consolidation IT Reseller spoke with Bill Parnell, CEO of newly formed Datalogic ADC, about the rationale behind the recently consolidated company, its solutions roadmap and current trends and channel opportunities within the autoID technology area.

n late 2011 Datalogic SpA. announced that its separate businesses, Datalogic Scanning, Datalogic Mobile, Enterprise Business Solutions and Evolution Robotics Retail, would become integrated to form Datalogic ADC (Automatic Data Capture) as of the beginning of 2012. This recent move is a major component in Datalogic Group’s strategy for growth and in its plans to further bolster its competitiveness in two key markets: Automatic Data Capture (ADC) and Industrial Automation (IA). “Previously, we were in effect four separate businesses,” explained Datalogic ADC’s CEO, Bill Parnell, “and each had its own dedicated sales staff. We therefore had multiple sales people who often found themselves serving the same customers as other companies within our Group; particularly in retail. Therefore one of the main driving forces behind the decision to form Datalogic ADC was to offer one-stop shopping to all of our customers; not just in retail but throughout the ADC marketplace.”

I

Strong channel relationship Parnell added that as the new company was being conceptualised it realised it also had the ideal opportunity to look at which divisions had the best practices and which had the strongest go-to-market models.

“Realising this opportunity, we took some time to develop a more consistent and comprehensive market model at the same time as we were forming our new company,” he said.

Parnell also made the point that one of the most important elements retained from the previous separate companies 14

IT RESELLER – APRIL 2012

Bill Parnell: Strong channel relationship.

within the Datalogic Group is the strong relationship and reliance on the channel. “We are first and foremost a partner company and value our distribution partners and value-added resellers immensely,” said Parnell.

“There are a few instances where we sell direct to the customer – for example, where one of the larger retail chains has expressly requested this type of relationship. Nevertheless, we remain, and will always remain, predominantly a channel-focused organisation.”

Further developments Parnell commented that the newly formed company will continue to offer all the well-established Datalogic solutions available for the autoID market. These include: the Magellan 8500Xt bioptic scanner; LaneHawk bottom-of-thebasket (BOB) visual scanner; Joya selfshopping pod; Falcon X3, Kyman, Skorpio, Memor and Elf mobile computers, the Gryphon and QuickScan series of general-purpose handheld corded and cordless scanners; and the

PowerScan series of industrial handheld readers. However, Parnell added that the company is also dedicated to bringing to market new and innovative systems to the autoID marketplace. One example of this is a major new product development recently demonstrated at the National Retail Federation tradeshow in New York. The development in question is a 100 per cent digital imagebased ‘automated portal’ checkout system. Although it is yet to be officially named or launched to market Datalogic ADC is planning an official unveiling in the latter part of 2012 or early in 2013.

“At the show we received tremendous interest in the system from many of the world’s top retailers,” enthused Parnell.

“Some people call it a ‘tunnel’ system since you can see the goods go through the point of sale. We refer to it as a ‘portal’ system. It’s essentially a moving conveyor; consumers put their goods on the belt, the goods then go through the portal and everything is ‘read’ automatically. In this way, the new system can potentially double or even triple the speed of throughput at the point-of-sale.”

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INTERVIEW

automatic data capture

Magellan 8500Xt bioptic scanner.

Parnell added that speed of throughput has been a problem for many retailers in the past; especially those that have invested in self-checkout solutions.

“Speed of throughput can be quite slow using traditional methods, but if you compare our automated checkout system even to the fastest checker it is substantially faster and frees up the checker to provide a higher level of customer service. So it's a step function change.” Parnell explained that, although this new solution hasn’t yet been launched to market, it has already gone live in three retail stores in Europe; one in Germany, one in Sweden and another in Spain. “These retailers are beta testing the solution for a few months in order to fully understand the time and efficiency benefits it offers before looking to rollout the system to other stores. Beyond productivity there are also clear benefits in loss prevention and improved ergonomics,” he pointed out.

Good reception And how has the formation of Datalogic ADC been received by Datalogic channel partners in Europe? “We started seeing a good reception from our partners immediately,” said Parnell.

“Again, I think this relates to the fact that rather than having two or three different entities to deal with our distributors and VARs now have a single point of contact and a more consolidated organisation. Our partners can also take advantage of our various service programmes, such

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Elf mobile computer.

as EaseOfCare, to make their business process simpler and to improve their service levels. So I think the formation of Datalogic ADC really strengthens our channel relationships even further.”

Solutions business unit

also be incorporated in the ceiling at the point of sale; not so much to monitor people but to monitor transactions. For instance, if there's something that has been left on the cart that has not been scanned an alert goes to the checker to point out that they have missed an item.”

And what of other aspects of the Datalogic ADC roadmap? Parnell points out that surrounding the aforementioned automated portal scanning development is the establishment of a new Solutions business unit, which was recently launched. “A key component within this unit is one of our recent acquisitions, a company called Evolution Robotics Retail,” explained Parnell. “Evolution Robotics Retail was attractive to us in the way it made use of image recognition software to identify items. With this methodology you don’t need a barcode to recognise an item. And, as you can imagine, when an item passes through the image-based ‘automated portal’ scanning system, a barcode won’t be read each and every time – maybe a few barcodes are covered up by other items, or maybe the barcode is damaged. So instead of relying on barcodes we can log an item by recognising a database of images. This camera technology is something that's new and exciting and able to be deployed in many different ways. For example, you can also monitor shelves or stock-outs. You can even monitor theft; if someone takes shelf items without paying for them an alert can be sent immediately to a store manager’s portable data terminal (PDT), such as the Falcon or Elf. A camera can

Parnell also explained that another piece of the Solutions business group is the Enterprise Business Solutions (EBS) unit headquartered in Italy. The EBS unit develops complete selfshopping solutions and consumer relationship technologies for the retail world. Solutions currently available include the modular software, Shopevolution, together with its pod Joya. The raison d'être of the Business unit is to develop solutions for the modern world of retailing; analysing the retail dynamics with particular interest to customer behaviour, the main driver of retail market changes. “The EBS unit is dedicated to developing technology that enables shoppers to go through the store, scan their own goods, go to the checkout and pay and leave,” explained Parnell. “We are now looking to integrate some of this self-shopping knowhow with the imaging recognition technology and traditional scanning technology to create revolutionary point-of-sale solutions. This is why many of the world’s leading retailers are standing up and taking notice. We will continue to work with solutions providers and integrators to bring this technology to market in an effort to better meet the needs of retailers worldwide.” n IT RESELLER – APRIL 2012

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INTERVIEW

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Take your partners IT Reseller spoke with Steve Berry, director at Maxa Technologies, about a number of recent newly formed partnerships the company has formed within the autoID technology space.

Steve Berry: Dedicated service and support for the channel remains sacrosanct.

he past few months have seen the forming of a number of major new vendor partnerships at Maxa Technologies, (Maxatec). In January, the company was appointed as a distributor for Arbor Technology, a designer and manufacturer of rugged tablet computers based in Taiwan.

Arbor has evolved in recent years as one of the major players within the rugged tablet PC market space. Established in 1993, and with a firm foothold in the embedded and network computing sector, the release of its range of rugged tablet computers in 2010 marked a significant step in Arbor’s strategic product roadmap.

Maxatec director Steve Berry commented that Arbor’s product offerings fit well with Maxatec’s expanding mobile computing product set.

“The quality and performance of the company’s Gladius range

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is superb,” he said, “and we have been delighted with the all-round support offered to us from Arbor UK and its HQ in Taiwan as we have been gearing up to release the products to our channel.

It is essential for us to select supportive partners with high-quality products, and Arbor fits this remit exceptionally well. We have already seen significant interest from resellers in some of our key market areas, and this is a really encouraging start to our partnership.”

including IP54 and MIL-STD-810F, making the products suitable for outdoor use. In addition to the Gladius range, Arbor also offers a range of tablets for the medical and healthcare markets. Design features include: antivibration and shock specifications, biometric fingerprint validation, safety requirements for medical electrical systems, radio disturbance and immunity characteristics and much more.

The Gladius range of rugged tablet PC’s from Arbor consist of 7”, 8” and 10” options. It features a fanless design and the dual li-ion battery packs provide about 8 hours of running time.

The G0720 and G0820 both have sunlight readable touchscreens and a range of industry specifications

Business on the move

Other news released this January was Maxatec’s UK distributor agreement with Bulgarian EPoS solutions supplier, Datecs, for the Datecs MPED-400 mobile pin-entry device (PED). The MPED-400 is a PCI EMV and Common Criteria-approved device. With a host of connectivity options including Bluetooth, USB and Serial, the PED can be used for a wide range of payment applications; from fixed point of sale to payments taken in the field. The ergonomic and Arbor’s Gladius G1056 tablet. lightweight design means the MPED-400 is well-suited to business on the move. Berry commented that with the ‘Handpoint Headstart’ payment application and the Handpoint payment gateway, a wide range of new opportunities are opened up to mobile chip and pin. He added that the PCI and Merchant Bank approved gateway allows payments to be processed efficiently and

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leads and sales back into the channel.

“Hoeft & Wessel have grown in the domestic market in Germany in the German-speaking territories by manufacturing in some cases very customer-specific solutions,” Berry pointed out. “They are very close to the retail market and offer some products that are quite unique and very focused at specific challenges in retail. At Maxatec we were very attracted by that because it fits with our own history in this vertical sector. We were also attracted to the unique differences Hoeft & Wessel’s solutions can offer the UK market. They are not your average set of handhelds and their range also moves into some quite retail-specific small tablets that don't overlap with the range provided by Arbor.”

Hoeft & Wessel’s skeye.e-motion rugged IP54-rated tablet.

securely through an internet connection. The platforms which the solution can work upon are Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Windows PC, Android and IoS.

be distributing the full Hoeft & Wessel mobile product portfolio which, in addition to the products mentioned earlier, includes the Skeye.Integral mobile rugged handheld device, the Skeye.Allegro, a flexible rugged mobile device with IP65 rating, and the Skeye.Pad, a high performance tablet for a wide range of applications in the field service and logistics sectors.

These announcements followed hot on the heels of a deal signed between Maxatec and Hoeft & Wessel last December for the distribution of Hoeft & Wessel’s Skeye handhelds.

Berry comments that Hoeft & Wessel’s primary focus is on quality and innovation, expertise and reliability, offering a wide range of products for the wholesale & retail and logistics sectors. The quality, German-designed and engineered products include the Skeye.Dart, a robust top-of-the-line PDA, the Skeye.e-Motion, a rugged IP54 rated tablet and the Skeye.POS, a versatile mobile or stationary POS Datecs’ MPED-400 mobile pin entry terminal. Maxatec will

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Complementary portfolio Berry commented that Hoeft & Wessel’s Skye handheld products perfectly complement Maxatec’s existing portfolio in the UK. He added that Maxatec will be working closely with Hoeft & Wessel’s UK sales manager, Paul Carrington, to develop the reseller base and focus on specific target market areas, while also driving

INTERVIEW

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Channel incentives With all these recent new partnerships, Berry believes Maxatec will continue to attract an ever wider reseller base, incentivised by both compelling product offerings and Maxatec’s own dedicated service and support expertise. “We continue to adopt a more long-term channel approach in that we set out to offer good product with reliable technical backup,” he said. “With this strategy in place we are recruiting resellers that aren’t merely attracted by short-term incentives.

Partners come to us because of the support and technical expertise we offer as well as the quality of the product we supply. Our products might be lesser-known brands but they are selected for quality and saleability first and foremost. These products haven’t become commoditised in the way that, say, a laptop PC has become, so there remain many communication, battery management and mounting issues etc.

This scenario can provide attractive revenue opportunities for the channel.

The stack them high and sell them cheap model doesn't work for us or our vendor and reseller partners.” n

device with card.

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EVENT NEWS

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New products, training, awards and more at Meet the Manufacturer 2012 he seventh outing of Varlink’s Meet the Manufacturer (MTM) event took place from 5 to 7 March at the Marriot Hotel, York. This year’s exhibitors comprised a large number of Varlink’s key supplier partners together with partners of Varlink’s point of sale arm, EPoS Distributor. This year the event took up an additional room at the hotel, and also included a group of independent software developer partners, such as Trakware, who were in attendance to network with hardware resellers and forge new business partnerships.

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At the event, Zebra exhibited its new QLn Series mobile printers. This series provides fast and accurate mobile printing, and is suitable for use in healthcare applications such as bedside specimen and pharmacy labelling. It is also suited to retail shelf-edge, price and return labelling. At the show, Zebra invited delegates to joint its PartnersFirst programme, which provides access to marketing and sales tools, a Zebra account manager, enhanced technical support, priority booking for training courses and allocation of end user sales leads. Also on show was Fujitsu’s Stylistic Q550 tablet PC, described as a ‘comprehensively secure’ device aimed at UK Government and securityconscious corporate deployment.

Debut NEC made its debut appearance at this year’s Meet the Manufacturer event displaying a range of EPoS terminals.

Posiflex displayed its bezel-free screen EPoS terminals, while Janam introduced its XG105 gun-shaped rugged mobile computer with new laser engine. The device is intended for scan-intensive environments. Main attractions on Psion’s stand included the Omnii XT15 PDA for supply chain logistics. Modular by design, the XT15 builds on the versatility 18

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of Psion’s Omnii platform to create a rugged and flexible solution. Psion also provided delegates with the chance to meet some of its ISV partners, including Connexion2 and CommonTime.

Additionally, Psion sponsored the show’s event registration, creating a visitor registration system hosted on Psion EP10 terminals.

Falcon X3 gun mobile computer. Nearby, Seagull Scientific promoted its BT-Pro BarTender Professional software and BTBSC BarTender Basic software – both for unlimited printers and one user.

Meanwhile, over on Getac’s stand were a range of the company’s handhelds, including the PS535F flexible and rugged PDA.

Among the products on Brother’s stand was the PocketJet 600 Series rugged A4 mobile printer, able to fit neatly in a computer bag or able to be easily mounted in a vehicle, while on the Portsmith Europe stand was a selection of the company’s adapters – wired USB peripheral/host to Ethernet and USB to Modem. Zebex displayed a range of handheld/fixed scanners among them the Z-6010 omnidirectional scanner, while Orient promoted a range of its thermal receipt printers, including the BTP-R580 spill-proof model. On the Bixolon stand could be found a range of printers, including the recently launched SPP-R300 3-inch mobile printer, while AirPOS promoted its multi-channel ePOS and web store software for retailers.

Datalogic focused largely on displaying its established range of handhelds, including the Elf Professional PDA and

Also on display was the new Trimble Yuma tablet PC with 80GB SSD, double the storage capacity of previous Yuma models. The larger SSD is well suited for software solution developers, field researchers and mobile workers with substantial data and processing requirements in extreme environments.

Trimble also held a training event on the second day of the show. This provided delegates with the opportunity to find out more about the company’s handheld terminals and opportunities available for the channel. Meanwhile, Opticon showed its latest addition to its H-Series of mobile computers – the H-22. This new offering features a large 3.7” touch screen display, laser or 2D imager and an RFID option. The H-22 is IP65 rated and has a drop spec of 1.5m. Opticon also displayed its OPI-3201 low-cost 2D imager that can be easily integrated into

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contactless smart cards and RFID tags.

Six models are available with additional options including C-MOS imager, magnetic card reader, 3G, HSDPA, GPS and a colour auto-focus digital camera.

Value-added

Back row, left to right: Bill Gordon, Varlink; Andy Reason, Casio; Mike Pullon, Varlink; Richard Adlington, Opticon; Sabine Kelly, Varlink; Robert Hurt, Janam.

Front row, left to right: Sarah Beamish, Paralympic archery; and Hannah Powell, Olympic weightlifting.

e-ticketing, healthcare and retail environments. Among Casio’s portfolio on its stand was the IT-9000, an all-in-one handheld device with built-in thermal mobile printer and near-field communications reader/writer for

Over lunch delegates and exhibitors were able to meet two athletes who will be competing at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Sarah Beamish (Paralympic archery) and Hannah Powell (Olympic weightlifting) took questions from Varlink’s guests.

Varlink is participating in Team 2012 – a fund-raising programme to help GB athletes reach their full potential. On the evening of the first day, Varlink held its annual appreciation awards at the Merchants Adventures Hall in the Centre of York. The awards were hosted by comedian Adam Bloom, who kept the audience entertained throughout the proceedings. Among the many accolades was Opticon’s award for Manufacturer of the Year 2011. The

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award recognised Opticon’s continuous efforts and support, from order administration, technical support and reseller support to a positive marketing partnership. Another of the many award highlights was Psion’s award for Positive Impact throughout 2011 and BEC (Systems Integration)’s award for Outstanding Collaborative Marketing.

Mike Pullon reflected on some of the developments within Varlink since Meet the Manufacturer 2011: “The past year has brought substantial development to Varlink, with 17 per cent growth in FY11.

As a result we have significantly increased the size of our Sales and Marketing teams, and added new resource to our Technical and Operations departments. We are committed to delivery outstanding pre- and post-sales support and these appointments are made with our customers’ requirements in mind. As well as expanding our internal resources, we have also doubled our warehousing capacity, taking on a new business unit.” n

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The Opticon H-22, Beyond Smart, It’s Brilliant This compact rugged PDA provides efficient and secure access to information, speeding up response times, and reducing costs in industries such as utilities, logistics, field services, facilities management. s Windows Mobile 6.5.3

s Rated IP65: withstand1.5m drop

s 3.7 inch touch screen

s Integrated 3.2 mega pixel camera

s 1D and 2D imager, with optional RFID

s Upgrade your standard 2 years warranty with new OptiCare package

s 3G, 3.5G and assisted GPS s Full range of accessories including a pistol grip

Want to know more about the Opticon product range?... Call Varlink today on 01904 717180 or alternatively email varlinksales@varlink.co.uk or visit www.varlink.co.uk

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EVENT NEWS

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Vartech arrives in the UK lueStar’s well-established Vartech educational conference and trade show formula, Vartech, was staged in the UK for the first time on 21 March. Held at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham, the event brought together 45 BlueStar vendor partners and 147 VARs of ADC, mobility, RFID, POS and ID card & security technologies for a day of education and networking. A total of 26 BlueStar staff were on hand to provide

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collaboration and interaction between VARs, hardware manufacturers, software solution providers, service partners and the BlueStar team. Vartech UK 2012 activities included: One-on-one product demonstrations in the CodeZone; new seminar and workshop sessions presented by industry experts, including the BlueStar team; plus the continuation of networking opportunities at the evening event. An additional attraction was guest Keynote speaker Richard Denny, whose presentation – The Year of

“

The number of VAR delegates in attendance was very impressive, and they benefitted from an ideal environment in which to network, discuss potential vendor alliances and secure new or enhanced business opportunities.”

– Tony Jephcott, BlueStar UK Distribution.

assistance, guidance and advice throughout the day. As well as focusing on BlueStar as a global distributor brand, Vartech UK primarily concentrated on the current activities and strategy roadmap of Bluestar UK Distribution – the company recently formed out of BlueStar’s acquisition of Blackroc Distribution during 2011. Gold manufacturer sponsors at the show were: Psion, Zebra, Honeywell, M3 Mobile and HP. Silver sponsors were Unitech, Datamax, ELO and Wavelink.

Bronze sponsors comprised Sato, Impinj, Redbeam, Seagull Scientific, Retail Pro, Systemslink Two, Qcom Outsourcing, ARMOR, APG Cash Drawer, Baracoda, Citizen and Signagelive.

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Growth – included advice on how delegates can grow their businesses; professional sales techniques; and how to taking great care of customers; and the importance of value-added service provision.

High-energy show

Collaboration

Tony Jephcott, BlueStar UK Distribution’s director, commented: “Vartech UK proved itself to be a fantastic high-energy show. The number of VAR delegates in attendance was very impressive, and they benefitted from an ideal environment in which to network, discuss potential vendor alliances and secure new or enhanced business opportunities.”

As with all Vartech events, the UK outing facilitated and encouraged full

Jack Feichtner, BlueStar's Fusion programme director, added that

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BlueStar UK Distribution will continue to add more vendors and VARs to its partner portfolio over the coming months and into the future – covering a wide range of technology verticals; including AIDC, mobility, RFID, POS and ID card & security, digital signage and more. He added that many of BlueStar’s value-added service offerings to its partners, including the Fusion marketing programme, is now available to UK partners, with a plan to establish further initiatives – such as BlueStar’s popular In-a-Box Series of ‘complete solution’ packaged hardware, software and critical accessories– over the short term.

Explosive growth Doug Bivins, Jr., BlueStar’s vice president of finance, commented that the success of the company’s strategy of providing complete solutions, valueadded marketing support and channel relationship-building opportunities has borne out by the financial evidence.

“We've grown from a company that in 1992 was worth less than US$1 million in revenue to one that last year exceeded $700 million,” he said. “This next year we expect to exceed $850 million, so our results have been proven out. And it’s vendor partners like the ones we see at this show that have allowed us to have this type of explosive growth.”

The next Vartech will be a panEuropean event that will be announced later in the year for early 2013. BlueStar UK Distribution will be holding specialist open days during 2012 focusing in particular on specific vendors and verticals. n

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Retailers looking for mobile and wireless solutions in-store Many of the retailers visiting the recent Retail Business Technology Expo were looking for Mobile Points of Sale (MPoS) complemented by wireless technology and peripherals, according to Cybertill.

PoS & e-commerce supplier, Cybertill, makes its solutions available as a web-based managed service over a virtual private network.

Cybertill has become an EPoS system of choice for retailers of all sizes and in many sectors of non-food retailing including fashion, footwear and accessory shops.

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Retail without restrictions At the show, Cybertill showcased its cloud-based EPoS system and multichannel software, but with a twist; it was deployed on iPads and Windowsbased tablets which linked to truly portable, match-box sized Bluetooth scanners. MPoS in turn linked to Epson’s wireless receipt printer, the TM-T88V-i. It clearly demonstrated the future of retail and how MPoS enables queue busting, the management of pop-up stores and offer the customer a greater personal shopping experience.

This technology is available now and allows retailers to scale up their operations as required. Conversely, retailers can turn them off when required. The integration of wireless devices in store makes deployment straightforward and immediate.

Cybertill customers already use the system to manage pop up stores at events, festivals and trade shows. In the past they have typically managed this with a laptop, USB scanner and receipt printer. Now with an iPad, Bluetooth scanner and wireless receipt printer, the store environment can be recreated in any location. It gives retailers the flexibility to take advantage of pop up stores, while still having full visibility and control of

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stock and the retail process.

Cybertill’s CEO, Ian Tomlinson, commented: “The concept of pop up stores is changing retail and retailers.

PRODUCT NEWS

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pop up store, without the need for installing and managing cabling, is also critical for retailers. Wireless systems will further refine and grow the practice of mobile retailing. What’s

“

Wireless systems will further refine and grow the practice of mobile retailing. What’s more, to be able to deploy wireless MPoS in busier periods, in a fixed store environment, will also become common place, thus helping queue busting.”

– Ian Tomlinson, Cybertill.

The notion of being able to set up retail operations in new locations at a moment’s notice is being seized upon by agile retailers, as they recognise the advantages it can bring them.

Having systems that can be deployed instantly to manage a

more, to be able to deploy wireless MPoS in busier periods, in a fixed store environment, will also become common place, thus helping queue busting.” n

Cybertill at a glance EPoS & e-commerce supplier, Cybertill, makes its solutions available as a web-based managed service over a virtual private network. The result is a real time, cost-effective solution for all retailers. Enabling its clients to exploit multi-channel retailing, Cybertill optimises single sales channels or integrates operations across stores, e-commerce and mail order in a flexible and intuitive way. Cybertill has become an EPoS system of choice for retailers of all sizes and in many sectors of non-food retailing including fashion, footwear and accessory shops. It has helped to remove the barriers of technical complexity, risk and affordability for many smaller businesses. At the same time, its power and scalability have resulted in some of the UK’s largest retailers selecting the solution for use in hundreds of stores. The company now supports thousands of storebased users and hundreds of web-based businesses in the UK, Europe and the US.

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OPINION

The high street

fights back

By Dr Guy Boxall, senior product marketing manager, Casio Electronics. he venerable British high street is in decline. Every week, another well-known brand or local independent shop closes permanently.

Rising rents, rates and increasing regulation, together with greater competition from Internet retailers, are all threatening to make high street stores an endangered species.

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At the end of 2011, 14.3 per cent of retail units in the UK were empty[1], with some areas reaching 30 per cent unoccupied, and these figures are set to rise again this year. The Government has published research on the state of the British high street[2], showing that a third of high streets are ‘degenerating

retailers to restore the high street to its former glory by making a positive difference to the overall shopping experience.

Light at the end of the high street Mary Portas, the Federation of Small Businesses and the British Retail Consortium advocate a number of good ideas for saving the high street; including more market days, free town centre parking, reductions in trading regulations and changes to local planning.

In fact, some shops – including charity shops, small convenience stores,

“

So is it too late for the high street? I say no. The high street as we know it has to change and adapt, but now is a good time for retailers to restore the high street to its former glory by making a positive difference to the overall shopping experience.”

or failing’. The same report predicts that by 2014, less than 40 per cent of retail spending will be on the high street, losing out to out-oftown retail locations and the Internet.

So is it too late for the high street? I say no.

The high street as we know it has to change and adapt, but now is a good time for

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pharmacists, food specialists, stationery shops and some fashion retailers – are experiencing growth. So it’s not all bad news, but how can we help these and other shops expand?

At Casio, we believe much of the change needs to happen at the Electronic Point of Sale (EPoS), altering the way retailers

serve and interact with customers.

Although internet retailing has many benefits, it lacks one thing – personal interaction, or put another way, good old-fashioned customer service.

Customers tearing their hair out For the consumer, there are some really frustrating experiences to be found on the high street. From the length of time it takes for shop staff to find out if the right pair of shoes is in stock to forgotten discount vouchers and the difficulty in arranging home delivery, there is certainly room for improvement.

Partly to blame is the traditional EPoS terminal, which has barely changed in 30 years while consumer habits have moved on. Casio Electronics is looking very carefully at the overall high street customer experience and how EPoS

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OPINION

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“By adopting the open-source Android smartphone operating system, the Casio VX-100 EPoS solution has a low cost of entry, no expensive licensing fees, a powerful and mature software architecture, and all development tools available free of charge.”

business solutions can be improved.

It’s now time for the high street to fight back, and intelligent retailing can make a difference to how we serve – and how we retain – our high street customers.

Good customer service leads to greater loyalty and the sharing of positive experiences with other consumers through social networking.

The launch of Casio’s new Android platform VX-100 EPoS terminal, together with further product releases during 2012, makes it an exciting time for retail. Some of Casio’s new products and concepts were on show at the Retail Business Technology Expo, London Earls Court last month.

How Casio and Android together can help By adopting the open-source Android smartphone operating system, the

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Casio VX-100 EPoS solution has a low cost of entry, no expensive licensing fees, a powerful and mature software architecture, and all development tools available free of charge. Additionally, retailers will be able to manage stock more carefully, handle PCI and PADSS-approved card payments and provide paperless receipts to smartphones or email accounts. Casio is also working with its partners to create a workable payment structure, from consistent monthly fees to the convenience of pay-as-you-go.

apps from the ground up, retailers have an opportunity to win back customers.

The fight-back has already started, and there is no doubt that by taking advantage of the innovations available today, the high street has every chance of turning the tide. n

References: But the real difference is how it can improve customer service and interactivity, with consumers able to take advantage of location-based offers and deals, real-time stockchecks, easy web links, social media connections and new, flexible ways of paying. With the ability to tap into the growing smartphone market and build

[1] Local Data Company High streets hit as 14 per cent of shops stand empty, February 2012.

[2] Department For Business Innovation & Skills: Understanding High Street Performance, December 2011.

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PRODUCT NEWS

Getac PS236 rugged handheld now built with Android Getacʼs PS236 rugged handheld mobile computer is now available with Android, a move that follows the manufacturerʼs collaboration with Android developers across the globe. The military-standard mobile handheld now comes equipped with Android 2.2, for those partners and customers looking to run the open-source software. eter Molyneux vice president of Getac UK, comments that offering Android in addition to the Microsoft Windows Mobile platform provides users with a wider range of applications, across utility and field service sectors. “The trend of fieldbased operators using Android applications continues to grow, and the

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Molyneux. The rugged device is built with e-compass, altimeter, integrated GPS, and hi-res display, making it ideal for GIS surveying and other GPS/mapping-based applications.

In addition to IP67 certification, which protects against dust and allows the unit to be water-proof to 1 metre, the PS236 has full MIL-STD-810G

“

We’re continuing to work closely with developers in the UK, Europe and globally through our Beta Testing Programme to make the most of Android, and we’re pleased to be offering it on one of the fastest and most rugged handhelds in the world.”

– Peter Molyneux, Getac UK.

platform is becoming business-critical in a number of sectors,” he said. “We’re continuing to work closely with developers in the UK, Europe and globally through our Beta Testing Programme to make the most of Android, and we’re pleased to be offering it on one of the fastest and most rugged handhelds in the world.”

Hardware variations As well is offering a different operating system to the Windows version of the PS236, the Android unit incorporates some hardware variations, including 256MB of internal memory (as opposed to 128 MB), and USB client 2.0. At 806MHz the PS236 remains one of the fastest devices of its kind on the market. The handheld is also IP67 rated and a phone.

“The device is built to withstand vibration, drops and shocks, and is the ultimate tool for handheld data input and communication in the field,” said 24

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certification, which is the generally accepted standard of military ruggedisation and compliance for mobile computers and equipment.

Readable in sunlight Molyneux continued: “The 3.5 inch touch-screen display is readable in sunlight, offering both anti-glare and anti-reflective capabilities required to perform in the field, and with 8GB of Flash Memory, expandable up to 24GB (with 16GB SDHC), the PS236 offers Android users the ultimate combination of speed, processing power and rugged reliability.” Key features include: • •

• • •

Android 2.2.

3.5” LCD VGA, sunlight readable display and pressure sensitive touchscreen.

SDHC card slot; USB Client 2.0.

3.5G WWAN; Bluetooth; GPS. 3 megapixel auto-focus camera; Ecompass; altimeter.

Getac at a glance Getac UK is a wholly owned subsidiary of Getac Technology Corporation. Getac Technology Corporation, a key subsidiary of MiTAC-Synnex Business Group (2011 consolidated revenue US$25.3 billion, was established in 1989 as a joint venture with GE Aerospace to supply defence electronic products. Getac’s business coverage includes; rugged notebooks, rugged tablet PCs and rugged handheld devices for military, police, government, communications, manufacturing and transportation applications ranging from fully rugged to commercial-grade rugged. Getac’s R&D capabilities allow it to provide a high level of customisation and all-aspect hardware-software integration solutions. Apart from the rugged computing business, Getac is also involved with the design and manufacture of plastic and lightweight metal components.

The acquisition of Waffer Technology in 2009 has made Getac the world’s third largest aluminium-magnesium alloy producer.

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Ingram Micro EMEA wins three operational excellence awards at the Microsoft 2012 EMEA Partner Operations Conference ngram Micro EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), a division of Ingram Micro Inc., the global wholesale provider of technology products, has won three awards in operational excellence as part of the inaugural Microsoft EMEA Partner Operations Awards programme.

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The annual Partner Awards ceremony, introduced at the Microsoft 2012 EMEA Partner Operations Conference was held in Dublin, Ireland recently. Ingram Micro was chosen in the presence of 300 top distributors and major resellers for meeting or exceeding specific performance criteria in three different categories: Ingram Micro Spain’s efforts were

recognised with two Operational Excellence Awards as “Best Commercial Distributor in EMEA” and as ‘Best Commercial Distributor in Western Europe’. Ingram Micro Germany received the Operational Excellence Award for ‘Best ODR (OEM) Distributor in EMEA’.

Manuela Levy, senior software manager at Ingram Micro EMEA, commented: “Ingram Micro is very pleased in receiving such recognition from an important company such as Microsoft. This confirms Ingram Micro’s focus on the delivery of high quality Microsoft solutions and license types Cloud and on premise.”

COMPANY NEWS

automatic data capture

Denise Fleming, senior operations account manager EMEA, added: “I congratulate Ingram Micro in winning these awards. Distributors such as Ingram Micro are important in supporting our customers through providing licensing services to our partners.” n

Socket Mobile celebrates 20th anniversary as mobile device manufacturer Conference ocket Mobile, Inc., provider of mobile productivity solutions, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Since 1992, Socket Mobile has built an extensive suite of portable computing, data collection and remote networking hardware that have helped healthcare, hospitality, retail, and other industries worldwide meet the demands of a growing mobile workforce while eliminating manual processes and improving efficiency in mission-critical business applications.

S

The company started as Socket Communications with the vision of a mobile workforce that could collect, access, and communicate data in any mobile work environment. Since then, the company has remained at the forefront of mobile technology from introducing the PCMCIA network card to co-inventing the CompactFlash I/O standard and

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helping to define the Bluetooth and SD I/O standards.

Dynamic market segment "We couldn't have picked a more dynamic market segment or a more exciting time to be a part of it," said Mike Gifford, co-founder and executive vice president at Socket Mobile. "In just 20 years, the constant evolution of operating systems, processors, memory, storage, screens, GPS, cameras, the Internet, and most important, end user technology adoption, have transformed what used to be simple notebooks – that lacked network connectivity – into the slick, fully integrated smartphones, tablets, and handheld computers of today.”

Gifford continued: "It's been a tumultuous ride, and as the market had its ups and downs, so did we. I believe the key to our longevity has been our ability to

accommodate and adapt to these changes. As a result, we are more focused on our current products than we've ever been. I'm proud to say that we've stayed true to our vision from inception. We look forward to another decade of meeting the needs of mobile workers as the market continues to expand and evolve."

Socket's current product line includes the SoMo handheld computer and the Socket Bluetooth Cordless Hand Scanner (CHS) Series 7. Both are experiencing a recent surge in demand as businesses look to the SoMo as a suitable replacement for HP's discontinued iPAQ Pocket PC series, and multiple models of the CHS Bluetooth barcode scanners for use with smartphones and tablets have recently become Apple certified. For more custom solutions, Socket also offers a line of OEM products. n

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point of sale

CASE STUDY

automatic data capture

Explosive improvements Motion tablet PCs, Allegiance Technology and Active Ink create ideal mobile computing solution for Blasting Solutions, helping to realise 75 per cent time savings.

lasting Solutions, Inc. (BSI) utilises the controlled detonation of explosives primarily to deslag boilers using coal, wood or fuel oil.

Typical applications include the removal of slag, clinkers, pendant build-up and webbing between tubes (gas passages), furnace throat plugs and other hard deposits normally requiring manual labour to remove. BSI is a fast-growing company with a fastgrowing concern – the company’s reliance on paper-based forms was costing valuable time, money and resources.

B

"With this type of work, licensing requirements at the state and federal levels, along with Department of Transportation (DOT) and safety compliance forms, means we have to process a lot of paperwork," explained Steve Woodhall, operations manager, Blasting Solutions. "BSI is committed to providing the best trained, best equipped, safest explosives professionals in the industry, and we wanted to apply this level of quality to all facets of our workflow."

Manageability, compatibility and security The solution came to Woodhall during a visit to a retail store, where he noticed Motion tablet PCs being used at the sales kiosks. Immediately impressed with the tablets’ ability to automate tasks, Woodhall knew he found an answer to his problem in the rugged F5v Tablet PC. Able to withstand drops, bumps and spills, the F5v tablet PC is durable yet ergonomic and lightweight enough for all-day use. Running

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Able to withstand drops, bumps and spills, the F5v tablet PC is durable yet ergonomic and lightweight enough for all-day use. Running Microsoft Windows, it delivers the manageability, compatibility and security as well as the power, performance and battery life BSI needed.

Microsoft Windows, it delivers the manageability, compatibility and security as well as the power, performance and battery life BSI needed.

While the Motion Tablet PCs provided a mobile computing platform, BSI still required a solution that would digitize and automate its paper-based forms.

Through Motion, Woodhall was referred to John Hill and Allegiance Technology, a provider of electronic form solutions and tablet PC reseller.

Woodhall added: "Our main goal was to find a way to automate our job book, a compilation of all necessary information about the job, including customer information, worker

“

Before we had to wait for a fax, or we might not be in the office when a foreman called, so it could take a while to fix a problem or provide additional information. Now I can be in Minnesota working with a crew in Arizona, and I’m able to access the same forms they have on the tablets and fix any issues almost instantly.”

– Steve Woodhall, Blasting Solutions.

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CASE STUDY

automatic data capture

point of sale

information, hours for payroll, invoices, safety checklists, DOT shipping forms and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) mandated inventory forms. Every state, company and government agency has different requirements, and the amount of time we were spending on paperwork was tremendous.”

Before going paperless with Motion and Allegiance Technology, BSI’s foremen were required to fill out an entire job book by hand. At a minimum, workers were required to fill out 16 forms, and the majority of jobs required more than double that number. Not only did the paper forms take up time, but the cumbersome process left more room for errors than was necessary.

"Every mistake could be a costly one," noted Woodhall. "If the DOT forms were missing a comma or dotted ‘i,’ we could be fined for each error. It was critical that we find a way to maximize consistency, reduce errors and gain control of our forms."

By taking a sample of BSI's job book, Allegiance Technology was able to

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completely digitize each form, simplifying the overall process and noting places where the company could save time and money.

“Allegiance Technology showed us an Active Ink form for a blasting permit, and that was it; we were sold," remarked Woodhall.

fax, or we might not be in the office when a foreman called, so it could take a while to fix a problem or provide additional information. Now I can be in Minnesota working with a crew in Arizona, and I’m able to access the same forms they have on the tablets and fix any issues almost instantly.”

Quick realisation of results

BSI also benefits from shortened billing cycles. With the paper forms, foremen had to bring the work orders back to the office, and only then could the billing process begin. Now everything can be done onsite, with customers signing off directly on the tablets and the invoices being uploaded and processed almost instantly.

"We noticed results very quickly," said Woodhall. "Almost instantly, the amount of time we spent filling out our job books was reduced by 75 per cent, just in the field alone. And for those of us in the office, it was amazing as well.

We no longer had to decipher people's handwriting and double check for inaccuracies."

For each job, BSI audits the entire job book from front to back, and what previously took 3 to 4 days to complete now takes approximately 15 minutes.

"It’s so easy to audit the entire Job Book now," said Woodhall.

BSI can now also provide support to its field staff in real time. Woodhall continued: “Before we had to wait for a

Rising to the top Woodhall concluded: "People are expected to do the same work for less money these days, and without technology to help, we couldn't thrive as a company. Thanks to Allegiance Technology and Motion Computing, we now have the ability to rise to the top of our field with new technology, ensuring safety and quality work along the way.” n

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HP chooses Futura to produce ‘POS in a box’ HP has chosen Futura to design a simple EPoS and retail management system, Futura One, specifically for retailers with just one till. HP and its partner Westcoast believe this will revolutionise the market for smaller retailers, giving them strategic control of their business, to gain a competitive edge. he new product includes a HP touchscreen EPoS unit; a receipt printer; bar code scanner; cash drawer and the Futura One retail software. This has full POS functionality and all the tools found in sophisticated packages to streamline their operations.

T

Daniel Gowers, HP UK&I retail solutions country manager, said: “We chose Futura because of their 30 years of experience working with the world’s leading speciality retailers, their proven technology and innovative management team. They have pared back the tried and tested Futura system, to result in a standalone, affordable product. We believe Futura One will give business owners infinitely more chance to manage and control their business than just a cash register and spreadsheet.”

Complete life cycle Futura One handles the product’s complete life cycle, allowing items to be purchased, received into the business, sold, promoted and reported upon. This total control and visibility of products leads to better business decisions. Its unique wizard helps get shop owners started, straight from the box.

Ian Royall, managing director of Futura Retail Solutions, said: “Futura’s proven technology is being used in 35,000 installations in retail outlets in 23 countries, and so we are delighted to have our 30 years of experience and retail strength recognised by a major IT

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CASE STUDY

point of sale

automatic data capture

“

We believe Futura One will give business owners infinitely more chance to manage and control their business than just a cash register and spreadsheet.”

– Daniel Gowers, HP UK&I.

presence like HP. We think the product will be popular with one shop and speciality retailers in fashion, footwear and jewellery, convenience, gifts, music, books, stationery, art & craft, electrical & electronics, cosmetics, homewares and sporting goods.” n

Futura Retail Solutions at a glance Futura supplies mid-sized lifestyle retailers with a robust and affordable POS, merchandising, stock control and CRM system, designed to improve customer experience, give management the best vision and control, while driving cost savings and efficiencies throughout the company. Chosen by fashion houses and department stores worldwide, customers include: Oliver Bonas, Crew Clothing, General Trading Company, Cath Kidston, Greenwoods menswear, 99p stores and the Conran Group. Futura’s integrated business intelligence and cuttingedge technology gives retailers greater customer sales and purchasing data enabling them to make informed decisions, whether in the office or on the move.

Futura International Solutions serves large international retailers such as Tommy Hilfiger of Germany, Diva of Australia, the Merlin Entertainments Group of UK, Fossil of Switzerland, Compagnie des Alpes, Jersey World of Pearl and Rubaiyat of the Middle East. With a group turnover of over 19 million Euros, Futura has over 120 employees, over 3300 customers and more than 35,000 Futura installations in 23 countries including Russia, Australasia, N&S America, South Africa and Asia.

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NEWS PRODUCT

Fujitsu mobile printer for iPhone and iPad

S

ince the release of the iPhone and iPad thousands of new applications have been created. The iPhone and iPad are highly popular in the consumer market, but their usefulness has also crossed into professional applications such as parking control, public transportation,

hospitality systems and fleet management.

With a wide range of applications running on the iPhone and iPad there was still one hurdle to take, a mobile printing

facility covering multiple operating systems. Fujitsu, with its years of experience in mobile printing, has developed a mobile printer with driver that can be used with mobile devices such as the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

Due to the easy drop-in system, changing the thermal paper roll is very straightforward and can be done in a matter of seconds.

Fujitsu Components Europe at a glance Fujitsu Components Europe B.V. is responsible for managing the sale, marketing and distribution of its relays, touch panels, thermal printer mechanisms, wireless modules and connectors in Europe, Middle East and Africa. The company is headquartered in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands and has representatives throughout Europe.

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IT RESELLER â&#x20AC;&#x201C; APRIL 2012

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NEWS PRODUCT

Ruggedised The Fujitsu mobile printer is well-suited to applications where receipts and tickets are required and regular printers are not available. The printer has been designed for mobile use, is lightweight, has a rugged design and a splash

proof case. Additionally, the printer has been designed to withstand a drop from up to 1.5 metres. The mobile printer is based upon Fujitsu’s years of experience with thermal print technology.

The printer does not depend on cartridges but instead uses thermal paper. Due to the easy drop-in system, changing the thermal paper roll is very straightforward and can be done in a matter of seconds. The printer supports iOS and other platforms, and features both Bluetooth and USB interfaces to support connectivity with a variety of mobile computing devices. It is powered by either a 3.7VDC lithium ion battery or a 120/240VAC adapter, and has a 40mm/sec print speed and operating temperature of 0 to +50 °C. n

Mobile printer For smartphones and tablets

Supports iOS and other platforms

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IT RESELLER – APRIL 2012

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news Company

Datamax-O’Neil’s expansive printer portfolio at Advantech-DLoG Partner Conference

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atamax-O’Neil, provider of stationary, portable and mobile label and receipt printers, presented its wide range of printing solutions at the recent global Advantech-DLoG partner conference at the Hotel Dolce, Munich, Germany). Alongside portable devices such as the RL4 4-inch label printer and the MP Compact4 Mobile, Datamax O'Neil also introduced attendees to its high

“

The Advantech-DLoG event is an excellent opportunity to give important representatives from our core markets of transport and logistics as well as manufacturing and field service an overview of the wide range of products offered

by Datamax-O'Neil."

– Christian Bischoff, Datamax-O'Neil.

performance stationary printers, including the E-Class Mark III and the M-Class midrange industrial printer.

Datamax-O'Neil partner and host organisation, DLoG, is active in the areas of industrial information technology and vehiclesupported computer applications for extreme environmental conditions in the logistics, large-scale machinery

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and industrial manufacturing sectors.

Overview "The Advantech-DLoG event is an excellent opportunity to give important representatives from our core markets of transport and logistics as well as manufacturing and field service an overview of the wide range of products offered by DatamaxO'Neil," said Christian Bischoff, regional general manager EMEA at Datamax-O'Neil.

"We therefore attend the event with a large number of suitable printers. This allows us to demonstrate specific solutions that meet the application requirements of all interested users and contribute to improving the processes in their companies."

Mobile printers for transport, logistics and field service Datamax-O'Neil exhibited the RL4, one of the most rugged portable label printers on the market. The RL4 was developed specially for use in challenging environments, offers a high printing speed of up to 102 mm per second and supports productivity and efficiency improvements in warehousing, transport and field service applications.

The compact design of the MP Compact4 Mobile makes it ideal for installation in vehicles. In addition, DatamaxO'Neil has fitted the printer with a solid, impact resistant metal housing.

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news Company Datamax-O’Neil at a glance Datamax-O’Neil is a global provider of stationary, portable and mobile label and receipt printing solution products that enable manufacturing and supply markets to capture the benefits of automated product identification and automated legal and financial transactions. Datamax-O’Neil is the barcode and mobile printing business group of Dover Corporation’s Product Identification Group (PIDG), a global platform entity with products and services covering all the leading marking technologies and applications. The company’s products address a wide variety of applications, including those in the industrial, healthcare, retail, automotive and ticketing market sectors.

Datamax-O’Neil is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, and maintains key facilities in California, Illinois, and France, as well as sales and technical support offices around the world.

Stationary solutions for warehousing and production Datamax-O'Neil also exhibited the M-Class, an industrial unit from its range of stationary label printers. The modular design of the M-Class makes it easy to service with quick replacement of components and printing materials. With the E-Class Mark III range, Datamax-O'Neil presented an entry-level printer that combines the performance and features of higher priced solutions. This printer offers users high printing speeds while also being simple to operate since media can be loaded quickly. n

DLoG GmbH DLoG GmbH, a member and IMC (International Mobile Computing) centre of excellence of the Advantech Group since 2010, was established in 1985 and has become a global player in the field of industrial PC and vehicle terminal solutions for extremely challenging environments – in construction machinery, forklifts, trucks, mining equipment and industrial production. The new brand name of Advantech-DLoG combines the experience gained by both companies in the past with the objective of turning Advantech-DLoG into a leading global provider for selected vertical markets such as warehousing, heavy goods management and fleet management. Within the framework of a comprehensive support, sales and marketing network, more than 3600 employees are dedicated to providing swift time-to-market services for Advantech-DLoG’s global customer base.

20 % Faster Print Speed 44 % Faster Processing 50 % More Memory 6 1 % Lower Power Consumption

0%

your chance of finding a better printer

I-Class Mark II: We made the best better.

Datamax-O’Neil’s I-Class revolutionized the barcode printer industry with its award winning modular design, field installable options and rugged reliability. For the past several years, resellers have named the I-Class the “best channel product” in some of the industry’s most reputable independent surveys. Now we’ve raised the bar even higher, with the redesigned I-Class Mark II. Offering the fastest processor, largest memory and widest selection of communication ports available in a midrange printer, the I-Class Mark II provides lower operating costs and flawless print quality. For applications as diverse as manufacturing, transportation & logistics, food & beverage and pharmaceuticals, the I-Class Mark II will maintain its outstanding reputation for performance, reliability and value.

+33 4 75 75 63 00 www.datamax-oneil.com

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33

y Case stud

Ninewells Hospital produces accurate labels with help from Episys

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inewells Hospital has implemented the Ultimate Platinum labelling system from Episys, the global information technology solutions and services company, in order to produce accurate labels for aseptically dispensed medicines, reflecting the needs of users, in a controlled environment with not only a low risk of error, but the ability to produce them quickly.

Structured electronic methodology Ultimate Platinum enables the hospital to design labels matching its exact requirements that can be printed whenever they need and with the desired quantity.

The solution also includes Approvals, a feature that provides a structured electronic methodology for approving label designs, database records and worksheets. The Approvals Module tracks and records all the changes which are made to ensure only approved labels can be printed. The Worksheet Modules allows Ninewells to produce worksheets and labels together as part of the same print request. In addition Ninewells Hospital is also using the Worksheet Module to prepare medicines for several patients on the same worksheet.

By using the Worksheet Module the risk of inconsistencies between worksheets and labels is reduced and overall this is a more efficient way of working.

David Coulson, principal pharmacist, Aseptic Dispensary at Ninewells Hospital, commented: “Previously when it came to labelling aseptically dispensed medicines and issuing them to nursing colleagues for administration to patients, we had a limited format and couldn’t edit our labels to display the critical information in a format that matched the nursing medicine administration process. Ultimate Platinum now gives us the ability to edit the full content on the label design before printing,

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and anything that needs to be added or removed from the label can be easily achieved before the print run is conducted.”

Security and audit trail features Ninewells is also benefiting from the extensive security and audit trail features encompassed within Ultimate Platinum, which meet the stringent needs of the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 21CFR Part 11 regulations.

Derek Buchanan, chief executive officer at Episys, added: “Ninewells has been an Episys customer for approximately two years, and particularly liked the Ultimate

on the wards, which would further speed up drug dispensing and consequently, beds will also be freed up sooner and patients

“

Ultimate Platinum now gives us the ability to edit the full content on the label design before printing, and anything that needs to be added or removed from the label can be easily achieved before the print run is conducted.”

– David Coulson, Ninewells Hospital.

Platinum system and recognised the positive effect it could have on its business. Going forward, the hospital is also now contemplating implementing a mobile printer

can leave more quickly as they would no longer have to wait for the pharmacy to dispense the drugs.” n

Episys at a glance Episys is a global information technology solutions and services company to the retail, manufacturing, logistics, chemical, healthcare and public service sector industries. The company provides products, services and support for signage, labelling and mobile systems. Episys works with strategic business partners worldwide and with a range of technology manufacturers, enabling it to provide solutions to meet unique business needs – from integrated signage systems for major worldwide retailers to specialist labels for food manufacturing. Clients include NHS Hospital Trusts throughout the UK including St George's Healthcare NHS Trust, Addenbrookes Hospital, Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust, Northwick Park Hospital, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Guys & St Thomas Hospital NHS Trust, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Royal London Hospital, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and University College London Hospitals, plus pharmaceutical organisations including GlaxoSmithKline, Mundipharma Research, Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare and Roche.

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news Channel

Brother PocketJet 600 Series now available from Synergix

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ynergix, the auto-ID and barcode division of the UK’s largest trade-only distributor Midwich, has signed an agreement with Brother to distribute the PocketJet (PJ) range of mobile printers. Mobile printers are being used by more and more modern businesses as a means of increasing worker productivity and consequently improving customer satisfaction. They are recognised as an important tool in the field worker’s apparatus as they offer freedom and mobility, minimise the need for follow up and communication back to the office, and they enable sales people to close deals on site while the customer’s interest is still high.

The PJ 600 is a rugged and durable mobile printing solution producing A4-sized prints at a fast 6ppm and capable of a resolution of up to 300dpi. It is, therefore, perfect for printing documents where more detailed information is required, such as invoices, service reports, and delivery notes. And with a full range of accessories available, PocketJet can be tailored to meet the extact needs of the user.

A truly mobile solution, it can connect to PDAs, smartphones, tablet PCs and laptops via USB or Bluetooth, and can be mounted in vehicles. Because the PocketJet is a thermal printer, it can be mounted in any orientation without the risk of spilling ink. It also means that the user is spared the inconvenience and added cost of purchasing ink, toner, or ribbons.

Another advantage, that users of PocketJet range have found is that thermal printing is ideal for in-vehicle use as it is less susceptible to fluctuating seasonal temperatures and humidity extremes.

The Brother PJ 600 has been designed with several vertical markets in mind. Used in field sales, the user can print invoices, quotations, financial plans and contracts

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The Brother PJ 600 has been designed with several vertical markets in mind.

without having to communicate back to the office, giving them more time to visit customers. In field service, mobile engineers can increase overall efficiency by issuing invoices, and service reports on the spot. For logistics and delivery businesses, the PocketJet can help busy delivery drivers by quickly printing order sheets, and delivery notes. Also useful in the fields of public safety and emergency services, the PocketJet reduces the potential for clerical error in the production of citations, incident reports, patient reports and warning notices.

Strengthened partnership Jonathon Francis, business manager at Synergix commented: “This further strengthens our partnership with Brother.

The PocketJet range of mobile printers are niche products that require specialist focus from both Synergix and the reseller channel. Those who invest their energy in these products will be rewarded, via good margin retention and first class support from Brother.

Francis added: “Building on Synergix’s strengths, this partnership gives us the opportunity to attack the various mobile workforce markets, also allowing us to form some alliances with the handheld terminal vendors. With Brother’s strong heritage in the PCT sector, this market can be an instant win for all concerned. Following an incredible sales year for its business,

Brother’s commitment and focus on these new products only breeds confidence that working together we will take these products to more resellers, and via them, reach more end-users. I urge all resellers to speak with the Synergix sales team and find out more about this exciting opportunity.”

Phil Jones, UK country head for Brother UK, commented: “The changing way that businesses are accessing and printing information presents a huge opportunity for Synergix and its resellers. Public and private sector businesses continue to look for ways to be more efficient, as well as keeping with dispersed workforces as productive as possible.”

Jones continued: “Working with our customers, we’ve developed an in-depth insight into the mobile print market with a sound understanding of their needs, requirements and end uses of the products for each target industry. The PocketJet range provides teams with the ability to produce high quality results. They are designed to equip field-based workers with the right mobile technology solution to dramatically improve productivity and customer service. By eliminating the need to return to the office to print out important documents such as invoices, quotes or notices, more transactions can be completed each day, order errors or issues can be reduced and customers get a faster, smoother service.” n

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news Company

Lexmark appoints Micro-P to broaden channel reach in the UK Lexmark, the global IT solutions provider, has appointed Micro-P as a distributor to broaden its channel reach in the UK. Micro-P is a B2B distributor and aims to help Lexmark expand its channel operations into new areas, increase traded accounts and drive incremental revenue.

L

exmark comments that it offers Micro-P a true B2B partnership with a professional and extensive product line up. With immediate effect, Micro-P will stock a large selection of Lexmark’s business products, including laser printers and multifunction products (MFPs). The addition of these devices will add increased product choice to Micro-P’s business portfolio.

partner programme designed to deliver added value. We have aggressive growth plans for the UK, so we look forward to working closely with Micro-P to achieve and exceed our objectives.”

Stronger proposition Daniel Lenan, general manager of Micro-P Print Division, added: “Micro-P is excited to announce the introduction of Lexmark

“

Our channel partners will benefit by having greater choice, support and service, backed by a robust channel partner programme designed to deliver added value. We have aggressive growth plans for the UK, so we look forward to working closely with Micro-P to achieve and exceed our objectives.”

– Gary Bourland, Lexmark.

Complementary Gary Bourland, country general manager for Lexmark UK & Ireland, commented: “The appointment of Micro-P will complement our existing distribution partnerships and will enable us to expand our channel base, explore new market opportunities and drive incremental revenue. Our channel partners will benefit by having greater choice, support and service, backed by a robust channel

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IT RESELLER – APRIL 2012

within our vendor portfolio. This partnership means that we will be able to increase the breadth of print solution offerings that we offer to B2B resellers. Lexmark's channel strategy complements Micro-P's current portfolio and renewed investment and drive into the print market. Lexmark will enable us to deliver an even stronger proposition to help support and service our valued reseller partners.” n

Lexmark at a glance Lexmark International, Inc. provides businesses of all sizes with a broad range of printing and imaging products, software, solutions and services that help customers to print less and save more. Perceptive Software, a stand-alone software business within Lexmark, is a provider of process and content management software that helps organisations fuel greater operational efficiency.

In 2011, Lexmark sold products in more than 170 countries and reported more than US$4.0 billion in revenue.

Micro-P Micro-P is a B2B and retail distributors in the UK and a wholly owned subsidiary of parent company DCC PLC, Ireland’s 8th largest company. After 31 years of profitability Micro-P has doubled its business over the past 4 years and achieved revenues in excess of £750 million in 2010. This includes its recent acquisition of Advent Data, a consumables distributor, Sharptext, the Irish distributor and Tekdata, a SonicWALL distributor in Europe, which combined make up the Micro-P group of companies.

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NEWS Company

Canon Group targets £710 million public sector print opportunity

F

ollowing a comprehensive public tender process imaging solutions provider Canon Group has been named as a preferred supplier in two Lots of the latest public sector print framework agreement. The successful bid opens up a potential market of up to £710 million of total Lot spend through public sector purchases for the duration of the framework agreement. The Canon Group, which brings together the technologies and expertise of Canon UK and Océ UK, has been successful in Lot 2, to provide a full catalogue of products which the public sector can buy from and Lot 3, which is specifically designed for the provision of Managed Print Services.

Canon has been a supplier to the public sector for over 25 years, and the latest announcement means the company is well placed to grow its already significant public sector customer base. The Government Procurement Services, Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation and YPO evaluated potential suppliers on a number of criteria beyond cost, with Canon scoring highly in its ability to provide a range of services & solutions which enable organisations to improve efficiencies whilst minimising the costs associated with print and document management.

Rob Ferris, country channel director, Business Imaging Group, Canon UK & Ireland, said: “We are delighted to have been successful in securing supplier status in two significant Lots on the public sector print framework. Canon’s engagement model is services-led and we applaud the key decision makers within the framework for recognising that public sector organisations don’t just need hardware & software suppliers, they need partners who deliver solutions that meet their specific challenges and needs.”

A significant part of the framework agreement will be the provision of Canon’s Managed Print Services (MPS). Canon MPS

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provides bespoke consultancy & services with a range of benefits including multivendor service and support, change management, consolidated billing and a single point of contact.

combined strengths of Canon and Océ. Océ joined the Canon Group this year. The Canon Group comprises over 198,000 employees worldwide.

Ferris continued: “The public sector is constantly striving for greater efficiency and with the public wallet shrinking, it’s crucial that vendors deliver long term efficiency gains and MPS is a great example of how this is possible. MPS is about partnership, not one off cost cutting measures, and Canon has a strong heritage of working with public sector organisations to ensure print and document management solutions meet their exacting and individual needs.”

[1] Canon is a preferred supplier in Lot 2 and Lot 3 of the public sector print framework. The total value of Lot 2 and lot 3 is up to £710 million. The total value of the full public sector print framework is up to £900 million and includes four Lots – Lot 1 is Limited Range of Standard Specification MFDs and Services; Lot 2 is Full Catalogue Offering of MFDs and Services, including Print Room; Lot 3 is Managed Print Services; and Lot 4 is Print Audit Services.

The Canon Group bid brought together the

[2] Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation.

Canon (UK) at a glance Canon (UK) Ltd is the UK & Ireland marketing and sales operation for the global company, Canon Inc., based in Tokyo, Japan employing around 1450 people. Founded in 1937, with the specific goal of making the best quality cameras available to customers, Canon has since extended its technology into many other markets and has established it as a world player in both consumer and business imaging solutions. Its solutions comprise products ranging from digital compact and SLR cameras, through broadcast lenses and portable X-ray machines, to multi-function and production printers, all supported by a range of value added services.

IT RESELLER – APRIL 2012

37

NEWS PRODUCT

Sato introduces TG3 Series printers for retail applications

S

ato, the barcode printing, labelling, and EPC/RFID solutions provider, has introduced its new TG3 Series printers. Designed and built especially for retail industry applications, the TG3 is ideal for tagging and labelling apparel, accessories, house hold goods, furnishings and much more.

The TG3 Series thermal and direct thermal printers enable retailers to create brand identity awareness by producing high quality, attractive tags that may include brand name, brand logo, brand tagline, product ID, company URL, etc. Users can also create tags or labels to display price, price markdowns, inventory clearance items, product Stock Keeping Unit information, Price Look Up information, product origin, and size/style/gender ID.

variety of plug-in interface cards including USB, LAN, WLAN, Parallel, and RS-23C2 (Serial) are important additional features of the TG3 Series.

Automated print-cut-stack function The TG3 Series features an automated print-cut-stack function for hassle-free printing, separation of tags for batch printing (by cutting the first tag longer or using the ink ribbon mechanism to place

Feature rich “Once again Sato’s focus on innovation creates an affordable and feature-rich solution to facilitate in-house markdowns and in-store promotions,” said Brian Lang,

“

Sato’s new TG3 Series will help retailers enhance the customer experience and allow for accurate inventory management, sales accuracy, and improved employee productivity.”

– Brian Lang, Sato International Europe.

an ink mark on the side of each batch separator tag), energy-saving LCD, precision cutting of tags/labels, and the ability to perform standalone printing using the optional keypad.

High-speed printing up to 25.4cm per second, support for tags up to 0.33mm thick, a large user-friendly LCD, and a

38

IT RESELLER – APRIL 2012

managing director for Sato International Europe. “Studies have shown that nearly 40 per cent of retailers now facilitate their markdown needs manually with hand written markings and some dedicated sales floor staff to this task. Manual markings are not a visually pleasing procedure. They diminish the stores branding and increase the potential for employee mistakes and

loss in profitability. Sato’s new TG3 Series will help retailers enhance the customer experience and allow for accurate inventory management, sales accuracy, and improved employee productivity.” n

Sato at a glance Sato is a global provider of integrated Automatic Identification and Data Collection solutions that leverage barcode and RFID technologies. Sato offers complete solutions to businesses by integrating hardware, software, media supplies and maintenance services. Customers rely on Sato for accuracy, labour and resource savings helping to preserve the environment. Founded in 1940, Sato is publicly listed on the first section of Tokyo Stock Exchange in Japan. It has sales and support offices in over 20 countries and is represented globally through a world-class network of partners.

For the fiscal year ended 31 March 2011, it reported revenues of JPY 78,368 million/US$914 million (Conversion is based on an average exchange rate of 1 US Dollar – 85.73 Japanese Yen).

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NEWS PRODUCT

Intermec unveils new PC Series desktop printer portfolio for light duty labelling

I

ntermec has introduced a new series of desktop printer portfolio – providing intuitive, flexible and smart solutions for light duty labelling applications in transportation, courier, hospitality, manufacturing, warehouse and office environments. User friendly and flexible, the PC23d, PC43d and PC43t models offer a complete new line of desktop printers with a purpose-built platform. The new printers are available in 2 and 4 inch direct thermal and 4 inch thermal transfer, respectively, and are highly suitable for space-constrained settings with a sleek and compact design. The entire PC Series also offers a fast throughput of eight inches per second.

"Built with customer challenges in mind, Intermec's PC Series of desktop printers are designed specifically to empower the user," said Chuck Dourlet, Intermec’s vice president of printers & media. "With a highly intuitive and flexible design, Intermec's newest line of printers offers a fast return on investment by empowering users with simple set up, various ease of use and maintenance features, and a modular design enabling future upgrades for investment protection."

Tailored for applications where users need reliable, trouble-free printing operations and quick set-up options, the PC Series is equipped with a universal Icon interface or colour LCD in 10 languages for immediate and intuitive notifications to reduce training and support needs while optimising uptime. The PC Series also includes the ability for one-handed media loading and quick configuration via a USB stick device, making the printers easy to install and maintain.

Easy to install, maintain and support Intermec's PC43d direct thermal printer is optimised for the courier and postal markets, as well as office and retail

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environments, and is ideal for customers looking to increase printing operations on items such as shipping labels, while reducing support calls to IT with the simple user experience and easy self-maintenance capabilities. The PC43d also delivers quick installation and flexible placement options with the ability to wall mount or use battery power, making it an easy fit into many different environments.

Increase worker productivity, lower support expenses Designed for user-friendliness and flexibility in the SMB manufacturing and distribution centre environments, the PC43t thermal transfer printer delivers the fastest label output closest to where the label is needed, boosting efficiency and productivity. The printer accommodates the largest ribbon roll (up to 11,811 inches /300 m) in a desktop printer, reducing the need for frequent replacements and helping to maximise uptime.

User-friendly, efficient printing in healthcare environments PC23d – an intuitive, flexible and smart desktop printer designed to set a new standard for user-friendly, efficient printing operations in healthcare environments. With a compact and purpose-built design, the two-inch PC23d direct thermal printer is ideal for hospital settings and an affordable choice for healthcare organisations performing wristband and labelling applications including patient tracking, sample and bedside labelling as well as pharmacy and medical records. PC23d is designed for quick set-up and trouble-free use, ideal for healthcare customers new to barcode printing or who are making the

switch from laser or inkjet.

The printer facilitates one-handed media loading and the ability to configure on the spot with a USB flash drive (no computer required). It is also optimised with a disinfectant resistant case, built to resist chemicals and cleaners. Additionally, Intermec's INband wristband media offers a tested and proven wristband solution with the ability to withstand repeated exposure to moisture, water and sanitizers.

The PC Series accessories are all user installable, allowing users to quickly and easily add necessary accessories without advanced knowledge. Additionally, the printers are programmable with the ability to directly add standard USB keyboards, scales or other peripherals for customised applications that simplify processes and can eliminate hardware. The PC Series also comes with modular connectivity options for easy migration into the existing network environments. USB is standard along with optional, serial, parallel, secure Ethernet or dual wireless card with Bluetooth and CCXcompliant 802.11 b/g/n.

Drew Nathanson, vice president of VDC Research Group's Auto ID practice, commented: "The launch of the PC43 printers has not only enabled Intermec to extend the benefits of its user-friendly platform to most light duty printing environments, they have also introduced a product that is highly aligned with the needs of the rapidly emerging SmallMedium Business (SMB) market.” n

IT RESELLER – APRIL 2012

39

Document/Storage Management Product news

Kyocera launches mobile print app yocera Document Solutions Inc. has introduced its latest mobile business application, Kyocera Mobile Print. Kyocera Mobile Print helps mobile users to print and send files, scans and images from their mobile devices to selected Kyocera document imaging devices in their network.

“

With Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) driving mobility, employees want to connect their own iPhone, iPad or Android smartphone and tablet to enterprise resources. Kyocera’s innovative technology, powering both multifunctional products and mobile apps, can make the office a truly mobile experience for end users who want a simple way to print and scan quickly from their mobile devices.

everyday document workflow making it much faster and easier when using iOS and compatible Android smartphones and tablets in the workplace.”

•

Kyocera Mobile Print offers the following functions: • Device Discovery: Quickly and easily use WiFi to discover Kyocera printers and MFPs. • Print: Print photos, documents, or webpages stored on mobile devices from any file format including PDF, JPEG, PNG, TXT and HTML. • Job Accounting: Track print jobs when job accounting is enabled at the MFP or printer.

Supported devices are: • iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch with iOS 4.2 or higher.

• Android Smartphones with Android 2.2 or higher.

• Android Tablet PCs with Android 3.0 or higher.

• Kyocera printers and MFP devices with PDF-Direct Print 1.4 or higher.

• The Kyocera Mobile Print app can be downloaded for free via the Android market place and iOS app stores. n

K

Oliver Kreth, general manager European Marketing at Kyocera Document Solutions, said: “With Kyocera Mobile Print, end users can print and scan files from their smartphones and tablets to Kyocera printers and multifunctional products (MFPs). Kyocera Mobile Print lets end users simplify their

Kyocera Mobile Print lets end users simplify their everyday document workflow, making it much faster and easier when using iOS and compatible Android smartphones and tablets in the workplace.”

– Oliver Kreth, Kyocera Document Solutions.

Document Management

•

Scan: Scan documents from a Kyocera MFP and send them to a mobile device.

Email: Easily store and share documents stored in the app as email attachments.

Company news

Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) appoints new MD and strengthens board s Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) builds its reputation as a successful provider of managed print and document management solutions, its strategy has been further underpinned with a new managing director appointment and the strengthened of its board structure. After five years, Yuki Kobayashi, former managing director of the UK business has returned to Konica Minolta headquarters in Japan to take up a senior post within group operations. Neil Dingley becomes the new managing director.

A

Previously in the role of operations director 40

IT RESELLER – APRIL 2012

and company secretary, Dingley has worked closely with Mr Kobayashi for the past five years, supporting the turnaround of the UK operation and contributing to its success. In addition, a new board position has been created as a key support in the development of new revenue and profit streams. Keiji Masamoto will be joining the UK business as director of strategic business expansion and brings with him significant experience in driving market expansion through geographical, OEM and alliance building.

Reporting directly into Dingley, he joins the UK business from the Konica Minolta in Japan where he played a key role in support of global major account business expansion.

Dingley commented: "Despite a challenging economic environment, we have seen growth of our business in new markets and are seeing our brand strengthen as a key player in the provision of managed print and document management solutions, further our vision of developing long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships with our customers and strategic partners is making real progress. I am excited by the future prospects for our business and I am confident we have the right leadership team in place to achieve our strategic business objectives.” n

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Product news

Document/Storage Management

Nexsan launches solid-state enhanced unified storage featuring FASTier exsan has launched a line of solid-state enhanced unified storage systems, known as the NST series. In addition to providing both file-mode (NAS) and block-mode (iSCSI), the NST series combines solid–state storage with SATA and SAS drives via Nexsan's proprietary FASTier acceleration technology. FASTier automatically and intelligently uses the speed of solid state memory in a fully fault-tolerant architecture to substantially accelerate the performance of SAS and SATA spinning media all in one integrated system.

N

NST unified storage systems with FASTier intelligently optimise caching and tiering by utilising DRAM and flash-based solid state memory, along with spinning media, to triple real-world random I/O performance. This is said to enable server applications to become accelerated without the significant costs of pure SSD systems. The new NST systems combine FASTier’s sophisticated software with up to 24 Xeon CPU cores, 192GB of DRAM, 12 dedicated RAID engines, and up to1PB of storage capacity. FASTier can scale from 100GB to 2.8TB, allowing an NST system to hold entire working sets, further amplifying performance with high IOPS and reduced latency without complication, or the need to utilise a separate management paradigm.

Nexsan comments that, with NST storage systems, SATA drives can be used to deliver performance which was only attainable with 15K SAS drives previously, and 15K SAS drives can be used to deliver unprecedented new levels of performance in virtualised infrastructures, databases, email servers, or in cloud deployments. The NST storage systems also deliver a high storage density of nearly 15 drives per U of rack space, and AutoMAID power management for up to 85 per cent lower power and cooling costs.

(ESG), the adoption rate of unified storage is growing steadily. “Unified storage is attractive in terms of both operational and financial efficiencies – a winning combination by any standard,” said Mark Peters, senior analyst at ESG. “The combination of unremitting data growth, a still-cautious macro-economic

“

With the NST systems, we have paired support for iSCSI block, NFS/CIFS shared folders, snapshots, replication, quotas, thin provisioning, and online capacity expansion all into one easyto-manage solution.”

– Gary Watson, Nexsan.

climate and massively higher expectations of IT, means users are not only seeking better cost structures in their infrastructure but simultaneously want better performance and application support. Nexsan can provide that mix with its FASTier enabled NST5000, by delivering significant advances in unified storage that can help IT organisations to economically increase their productivity in both highly virtualised and/or cloud computing environments.”

NST storage systems feature an intuitive graphical user interface with wizards that streamline setup and maintenance for the IT generalist, requiring only 15 minutes for setup. With single-pane-of-glass, lights-out management features included in all systems, they deliver a very compelling case for management efficiency and low total cost of ownership. Nexsan Flexible Scalability breaks through the barriers imposed by scale-up architectures whose controllers cannot keep up as the population of drives is increased, and trumps scale-out ‘bricks’ that do not allow performance and capacity to be scaled independently. Offered on all NST storage systems, Nexsan Flexible Scalability™ is unsurpassed in its ability to meet the IT storage administrator’s needs today and into the future.

Winning combination According to the Enterprise Strategy Group

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needs of today’s demanding midsize enterprises,” said Gary Watson, CTO of Nexsan. “With the NST systems, we have paired support for iSCSI block, NFS/CIFS shared folders, snapshots, replication, quotas, thin provisioning, and online capacity expansion all into one easy-to-manage

“At Nexsan, our goal is to deliver the best-inclass, turn-key solutions that match the

solution. The result is an enterprise-class storage system that can meet the capacity, performance and availability needs of any environment, without a heavy investment.”

Multiple models for any enterprise The Nexsan NST storage systems include multiple models for any size enterprise – from 8TBs to more than one petabyte. Key features of the Nexsan NST include: •

•

• •

•

•

•

FASTier acceleration technology, which triples random I/O performance of the underlying SATA or SAS drives.

Sophisticated storage acceleration algorithms that operate without the need for manual intervention.

True unified storage with support for simultaneous CIFS, NFS and iSCSI. Nexsan Flexible Scalability - trumping both scale-out and scale-up storage architectures.

Up to 85 per cent less power usage using Nexsan’s AutoMAID energy-saving technology.

Highest density unified storage system available at nearly 15 drives per U of rack space.

True unified management with a webbased GUI that provides wizards and a single-pane-of-glass access for local and remote storage systems. n

IT RESELLER – APRIL 2012

41

Document/Storage Management

Product news

Caringo’s object storage platform fully integrated with Symantec Enterprise Vault 10 aringo Inc., provider of object storage software, has successfully integrated its Object Storage Platform powered by CAStor with Symantec Enterprise Vault 10, Symantec’s newest email and content archiving software.

The integration is said to provide a long-term data retention solution that leverages Caringo’s cloud architecture, bringing a vendor-neutral scale-out storage solution with automated protection and replication all at cloud economics.

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Substantial saving Caringo claims to enable Symantec customers to save up to 40 per cent in total cost of ownership over NAS or tape by using standard x86 server hardware with any size hard drives, providing a unified storage system that can scale to billions of objects and hundreds of petabytes per location.

Caringo’s object storage approach also saves time and money in litigation support by delivering a WORM-capable storage repository with auditable access for

“

Symantec Enterprise Vault 10 that scales by simply plugging in new drives, using their choice of hardware vendor and any size hard drive,” said Mark Goros, Chief Executive

Caringo at a glance To receive such positive feedback from our customers is

testament to Version One’s functionality-rich and user-friendly document management and imaging solutions and our high levels of customer service.”

– Mark Goros, Caringo.

adherence to even the most stringent regulations, while still delivering instant access to data.

Highly secure and resilient storage target “By using our object storage software, any organisation can easily implement a highly secure and resilient storage target for

42

2TB, unlimited, full-function license key for CAStor from www.caringo.com n

IT RESELLER – APRIL 2012

Officer at Caringo. “What we are doing is bringing cloud architecture and cloud economics to Symantec Enterprise Vault 10 users, which will enable them to not only keep up with their archive growth, but get ahead of it so that they can focus on their core business.”

Caringo invites Symantec Enterprise Vault users to try CAStor by downloading a free

Caringo is an object storage solutions provider and developer of the Caringo Object Storage Platform powered by CAStor – software that enables massive scalability and future-proof accessibility of unstructured data. Caringo object storage enables cloud storage solutions, big data repositories and general storage infrastructure replacing NAS, tape and VTL. The company’s field-proven technology utilises any combination of x86 server hardware to build storage solutions accessible via HTTP. Caringo object storage is integrated into data management applications from CommVault and Symantec, among others. Caringo has over 400 customers ranging from SMBs to Fortune 500 companies.

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Product news

Document/Storage Management

Xerox DocuMate 4760 handles plastic cards, documents, long forms and more isioneer and Xerox have unveiled the Xerox DocuMate 4760, a high quality production sheet-fed scanner that scans documents at 60 ppm (simplex) and 120 ipm (duplex), and includes a 150page capacity Automatic Document Feeder (ADF). The new affordable scanner has the ability to scan a wide range of mixed document sizes (up to A3) and supports long document scanning up to 965 mm.

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“The DocuMate 4760 is an ideal back-office production scanner in a paper intensive environment, especially one where document sizes may regularly exceed A4 and vary to the other extreme of business cards or plastic ID cards,” said Peter Trapmore, EMEA sales director at Visioneer. “Combining exceptional drivers and reliable hardware with Kofax VRS software ensures that scan jobs work well on the first pass; that they don’t require user intervention and they enable maximum productivity.”

Ultrasonic Double Feed Detection Ultrasonic Double Feed Detection (UDFD) is built into the DocuMate 4760. Therefore, states Xerox, a page will never be skipped due to a misfeed or a stapled document going through the scanner. The DocuMate 4760 offers a professional software package, together with advanced Twain and Isis drivers, to enable communication with advanced electronic content management (ECM) software applications such as Xerox DocuSharre and Micro SharePoint. Visioneer OneTouch technology connects the scanner with tools that greatly improve the efficiency of the user’s workflow.

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“

Combining exceptional drivers and reliable hardware with

Kofax VRS software ensures that scan jobs work well on the first pass; that they don’t require user intervention and they enable maximum productivity.”

– Peter Trapmore, Visioneer.

The new offering allows documents to be scanned with the correct settings for resolution, colour, cropping, file format and then delivered to virtually any application, folder, device or the cloud, all at the touch of a button. Bundled software includes Nuance OmniPage Pro, Visioneer OneTouch with Kofax VRS technology, and Twain, certified Isis, WIA and Visioneer DriverPlus drivers. n

Visioneer Visioneer provides a broad range of scanning solutions for the desktop, distributed and departmental document imaging markets as well as the mobile and remote business scanning segments. In 2003, Visioneer combined its scanner technology with Xerox brand recognition to develop the Xerox DocuMate product line. Visioneer and Xerox DocuMate highperformance business scanners and imaging software solutions offer users speed, image quality, advanced paper handling and ease-of-use with exclusive Visioneer OneTouch technology.

Xerox at a glance With sales approaching US$23 billion, Xerox is one of the world’s leading enterprise for business process and document management. Its technology, expertise and services enable workplaces – from small businesses to large global enterprises – to simplify the way work gets done so they operate more effectively and focus more on what matters most: their real business. Headquartered in Norwalk, Conn., USA. Xerox offers business process outsourcing and IT outsourcing services, including data processing, healthcare solutions, HR benefits management, finance support, transportation solutions, and customer relationship management services for commercial and government organisations worldwide. The company also provides extensive leading-edge document technology, services, software and genuine Xerox supplies for graphic communication and office printing environments of any size. The 140,000-strong personnel of Xerox serve clients in more than 160 countries.

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43

NETWORKING-SECURITY-UPS Product news

Softcat launches xStorm to fight cyber crime IT provider Softcat has launched a new Cloud service – xStorm, a vulnerability scanning service that helps clients to keep their public infrastructure secure against the threat of hackers and cyber criminals. he service uses a system that

T

automatically scans a client organisation’s public-facing infrastructure once a month, gathering information about

device operating systems, patch levels, antivirus software and other data that cyber criminals can use to execute successful attacks. It then emails a report to the client, identifying vulnerabilities and providing advice on corrective action.

Support The managed services team at Softcat is on hand to alert clients to critical risks, and offers

“

If you keep your publicfacing infrastructure secure, it helps to prevent hackers from stealing your data, your money or your patents. That’s why we are launching this service for our customers.”

– Robert Pooley, Softcat.

takes care of proactively reviewing the results

at Softcat, added: “Compliance with the ISO

and highlighting critical issues for them.

27001 and PCI DSS security standards is

Cloud Softcat’s xStorm service enables our

important, of course, but plain common sense

customers to be confident that their external

is the best reason for businesses to perform

facing infrastructure is patched against the

vulnerability scans. If you keep your public-

latest vulnerabilities.”

facing infrastructure secure, it helps to prevent hackers from stealing your data, your money or your patents. That’s why we are

phone support to address any problems that

Common sense

arise. Each comprehensive and concise

Robert Pooley, IT security business manager

launching this service for our customers.” n

report includes details on the severity of each threat, the potential consequences of exposure, regulatory compliance, and validated patches and fixes.

“A number of our clients are already using the service, and so far the feedback is excellent,” said Simon Walker, managed services director at Softcat. “Customers really want to run these critical scans but just don’t have the time to do it. Our service ensures our customer don’t have to buy and maintain the appliances

Softcat at a glance Softcat is a provider of software licensing, hardware, security and related IT services.

Softcat, founded in 1993 by chairman and majority shareholder Peter Kelly, remains privately owned and currently employs more than 400 people. It achieved a turnover in excess of £200 million in its last financial year and has been profitable since inception, resulting in a strong balance sheet and very firm financial foundations. The company sells and supports products and solutions from the world's leading IT companies. On all its portfolio products and solutions it offers a full range of services, including advice and guidance, technical design, product sourcing, implementation, support and project management. It enjoys a trading relationship with over 2500 longstanding customers, predominantly from the UK corporate sector but also including large enterprises, small businesses and public sector organisations.

themselves. The Secure 24 x 7 NOC team

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IT RESELLER – APRIL 2012

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NETWORKING-SECURITY-UPS Product news

Sophos partners with Egnyte to provide end-to-end hybrid cloud encryption T security and data protection company Sophos, and Egnyte, provider of hybrid cloud file server solutions, have announced the integration of Sophos SafeGuard Enterprise and Egnyte HybridCloud file server, which offers enterprises an end-to-end solution for directly managing the encryption of data stored locally or in the cloud. Customers can define and manage their own encryption keys, enabling complete control over files no matter where they live.

I

As cloud services gain traction in the enterprise, and consumerisation of IT continues its rapid ascent, data leakage has become a major concern for IT managers.

Files no longer live in one location – they are shared across local storage, cloud provider storage and a growing diversity of devices.

Increased collaboration means partners, employees and customers need secure access to these files, whether they are in an office or roaming.

full control over their own data with ownership of their own encryption keys.

Through this partnership, Egnyte HybridCloud customers can use Sophos SafeGuard Enterprise to create and control their own encryption key to secure designated files. Customers have access to files anywhere, anytime, whether behind the firewall or in the cloud, as well as consistent encryption standards at every point.

“While the cloud opens up many opportunities to collaborate seamlessly, it also presents security issues and uncertainties, especially as employees use personal devices to access company information,” said Vineet Jain, CEO and cofounder, Egnyte. “What’s unique about our partnership with Sophos is that the combination of our services provides the market with a hybrid-cloud solution that scales up and down as needed, and provides IT managers with ultimate control over their data and the ability to manage encryption keys without additional support.”

Full control Ownership over encryption keys is an essential part of enterprise security policies and protections. This allows customer files to be encrypted throughout the process of file transfer and across multiple devices and locations. Most importantly, enterprises have

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Changing the enterprise IT landscape “The cloud is changing the enterprise IT landscape and Egnyte is at the forefront of this evolution. One of the biggest drivers for adoption is understanding how to carry a security policy from the

customer side through to the cloud provider,” said Matthias Pankert, VP product management, Data Protection at Sophos.

“As providers like Egnyte develop these abilities, enterprise cloud computing will be utilised even further. An example is true mobility freedom – the concept that smartphones and tablets become viable equals to the laptop or desktop. We see our partnership with Egnyte evolving to support this shift in the future.” n

Sophos at a glance More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss.

Sophos provides security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver a low total cost of ownership. Sophos offers encryption, endpoint security, web, email, mobile and network security solutions backed by SophosLabs – a global network of threat intelligence centres.

With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards. Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK.

Egnyte Over 1 billion files are being shared by businesses daily using the Egnyte HybridCloud file server. Egnyte’s technology provides the speed and security of local storage with the accessibility of the cloud. Users can easily store, share, access and backup files, while IT has the centralised administration and control to enforce business policies. Egnyte, founded 2007, is based in Mountain View, California and is a privately held company backed by venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Floodgate Fund, and Polaris Venture Partners.

IT RESELLER – APRIL 2012

45

NETWORKING-SECURITY-UPS Product news

Centrix platform for SaaS governance and private cloud application delivery entrix Software, the provider of

search for an appropriate application

enterprise workspace

while allowing IT to maintain a consistent

computing solutions, has

application use policy.

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announced a new release of Centrix WorkSpace Universal,

•

Admin pad – administration of WorkSpace

a workspace delivery platform that provides

Universal is greatly simplified by context

unified access to applications, desktops and

sensitive Admin pads that provide easy,

content from any device and any location.

role-base controlled access to authorized

Part of the Centrix WorkSpace suite, Centrix

administration functions.

WorkSpace Universal 5.3 provides a platform for unifying application service delivery in

•

Launch pad – as users access

private cloud and hybrid computing

WorkSpace Universal from any device

environments. The release of WorkSpace

and any location, Launch pads simplify

Universal 5.3 brings new features for

the user experience with quick and easy

supporting the compliant use of software-as-

access to key applications and content.

a-service applications and dynamic application provisioning in private cloud

“New application delivery options bring great

environments. New features announced today

opportunities for organisations to drive more

include:

operational and service efficiency but also

•

require new management approaches to

WorkSpace Universal is part of the Centrix

Cloud pass-through authentication –

traditional desktop provisioning. In addition,

WorkSpace suite. Centrix Software also

enterprise users of SaaS solutions have to

the influx of SaaS is increasing at a rate that

announced today an update to its workspace

provide a set of credentials to SaaS

requires IT to determine policies around the

computing analytics solution Centrix WorkSpace

providers that are different from their

use and support of external applications,”

iQ, providing deep analysis and management

ActiveDirectory account credentials.

said Paul Burke, director of products at

reporting for Windows 7 and desktop

WorkSpace Universal 5.3 provides pass-

Centrix Software. “With the release of Centrix

transformation projects – see

through authentication to SaaS

Universal 5.3, organisations can create

http://www.centrixsoftware.com/press-

applications, automatically supplying the

governance around new virtual and cloud-

releases/centrix-software for more information. n

required credentials to SaaS providers on

based service delivery while maintaining

behalf of users. This minimises

application availability and supporting existing

management overheads for the IT team,

infrastructure investments.”

Centrix Software at a glance

lowers helpdesk costs and improves quality of service for users.

•

Content Launch Policy Control – as users

A more hybrid and virtual environment

are used to ‘launching a document’ rather than opening an application to access

John Abbott, chief analyst at The 451 Group,

their file, this can present a problem to

said: “For organisations expanding their use of

organisations adopting a virtualisation and

virtualisation or planning private cloud services,

SaaS infrastructure. Content Launch

having the ability to control all aspects of

Policy Control sets a flexible policy by

application provisioning and delivery is vital. As

which content, documents and files are

the enterprise IT infrastructure moves towards a

dynamically associated with an

more hybrid and virtual environment, a service

appropriate application from a variety of

framework across application provisioning and

provisioning options (local, virtual or

access workspaces will be a necessity. This is

SaaS). With this feature, WorkSpace

also critical for controlling the emergence of

Universal 5.3 enables users to get easy

SaaS as a major component of the enterprise

access to their files without having to

technology operation.”

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IT RESELLER – APRIL 2012

Headquartered in Newbury, UK, with the US corporate office in Framingham, MA, Centrix Software provides workspace computing solutions that optimise the way IT infrastructures deliver applications and content provisioned from physical, virtual, web or hosted platforms. By enabling a user-centric approach to IT service delivery, Centrix Software helps its customers to be more agile, flexible and efficient in how they deliver clientside technology services. Centrix Software’s solutions have helped organisations in banking and securities, insurance, telecommunications, retail, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, energy and utilities, and the public sector.

www.itrportal.com

NETWORKING-SECURITY-UPS Events news

Emerson Network Power hosts Energy Theatre at Datacentres 2012 he organiser of Datacentres 2012,

T

EMEA, Emerson Network Power, said: “We

commercial topics that confront day to day

the content-led event for data

feel that it is really important for Emerson

management of facilities. A host of topics and

centre and cloud users and

Network Power to attend industry events such

key speakers will be provided across three

operators, has announced that

as Datacentres 2012. It brings together

theatres plus the Datacentre Cinema, offering

Emerson Network Power is acting

businesses and industry influencers, giving us

a mix of educational insight tracks, solution

as Diamond sponsor and host of the Energy

the opportunity to identify and discuss key

sessions, plenary sessions, training

Theatre. The event takes place from 23 to 24

trends in an open forum. We specialise in

workshops and a data centre clinic. It will also

May 2012 at the Acropolis Convention centre

data centre-critical infrastructure, which gives

provide inspiring perspectives of Cloud and

in Nice, France. Data centre energy costs can

us a deep understanding of business drivers

Energy, vertical markets, finance and

be 100 times higher than those for typical

affecting availability, capacity and efficiency. It

business models, in-house versus

buildings, and continues to feature as a

is also a great platform to share the strength

outsourcing, new developments in modular

critical factor that all operators confront. The

and depth of our portfolio.”

datacentres, and emerging markets.

Global forum

Robust discussion and debate

2012 is subtitled Energising the Future of IT

The programme and networking opportunities

Jack Pouchet, director of energy initiatives at

Delivery, which is reflected in the programme

will also support enterprises to identify

Emerson Network Power, will deliver a

content. Now in its eighth year, the event has

technology solutions to their day-to-day

Masterclass in reducing data center energy

transformed into a global meeting place and

challenges, and will facilitate robust

use. He will discuss Energy Logic, a vendor-

forum. With more than 35 countries and 700

discussion and debate across a wide range

Energy Theatre will provide insight into all aspects of energy source, power and cooling inside the data centre.

of issues. Warwick Dunkley, vice president at

“

BroadGroup, commented: “As the flagship

We feel that it is really important for Emerson Network Power to attend industry events such as Datacentres2012. It brings together businesses and industry influencers, giving us the opportunity to identify and discuss key trends in an open forum.”

– Emiliano Cevenini, Emerson Network Power.

event for anyone engaged in the data centre sector, 2012 will offer the most comprehensive range of insight tracks, educational sessions, keynotes, and workshops complemented by a major exhibition and high networking values.

We are delighted that Emerson Network Power will be actively participating in the event. Their experience and international presence will add greatly to the value of the

neutral approach to reducing datacentre

attendees represented in 2011, the organisers

energy use up to 65 per cent. He will detail

have teamed up with organisations in Europe

ten strategies and the quantified energy

and North America whose memberships will

Data Centres 2012 is sponsored by APC by

savings associated with each and provide a

extend the breadth of audience and horizon

Schneider Electric, Hewlett Packard Inc,

lens through which facilities can self-assess to

of opportunity.

Infinity SDC, Emerson Network Power, Migration Solutions, TelecityGroup, e-Shelter

determine which strategies present the best opportunity.

Emiliano Cevenini, vice president marketing,

www.itrportal.com

debate.”

Datacentres 2012 delivers an extensive

GmbH, and is supported by Microsoft and the

educational programme that assembles many

EUDCA. n

of the critical technical, operational, and

IT RESELLER – APRIL 2012

47

NETWORKING-SECURITY-UPS Product news

Molex connectors ‘for future-proof, endto-end 25 Gbps channel interoperability upporting next-generation 100

signal could pass through the midplane and

Gbps Ethernet and 100 Gbps

daughtercard via Impact Orthogonal and

InfiniBand Enhanced Data Rate

EdgeLine CoEdge connectors. Designed for a

(EDR) applications, Molex

direct PCB connection, the Impact 100-Ohm

Incorporated offers a wide

orthogonal direct right-angle male connector

S

portfolio of end-to-end, high-speed channel

and daughtercard system mitigates the

solutions for increased data rates with

performance constraints of backplane and

minimal crosstalk and maximum signal

midplane connections. The space-saving

integrity in mobile telecom and data

Impact technology supports high-speed 25

communications, storage and networking

Gbps data rates and greatly reduces airflow

applications.

restrictions, cross-talk, and capacitance

Molex zQSFP+.

constraints in high-speed channels. Impact

to the motherboard and into the backplane to

“Today’s customers need faster and denser

connectors feature compliant-pin technology

another Impact solution, so the signal is

systems that will meet the demands of

and the lowest mating force in the industry.

delivered quickly and cleanly. The recently launched Molex NeoScale mezzanine

tomorrow’s bandwidth-hungry users,” commented Joe Dambach, global new

The EdgeLine CoEdge connector offers a low

connector features a patent-pending triad

product development manager at Molex.

profile height interconnect solution that

design to group signals into electrically

“They benefit from cost-effective, future-proof

creates minimal wind resistance in an air-

optimised structures.

solutions that can deliver high performance

cooled chassis and an electrically optimised

interoperability. Molex cables and

terminal to minimise noise for high speed

connectors ensure that they can optimise the

transmissions in excess of 25 Gbps. This

Clean signal

high-speed channel from end-to-end to

scalable and cost-effective, one-piece

The triad design offers a designer flexibility in

achieve next-generation data rates.”

EdgeLine connector allows designers to

mixing and matching different triad configurations based on the needs for high

“

speed differential pairs, high speed single-

Today’s customers need faster and denser systems that will

ended transmission, low speed control links

meet the demands of tomorrow’s bandwidth-hungry users …

and power requirements. This design also

Molex cables and connectors ensure that they can optimise the

provide a very clean signal channel. The

high-speed channel from end-to-end to achieve next-generation

NeoScale connector’s PCB attach method

data rates.” Joe Dambach, Molex.

Charge SMT attachment technology and the

optimises the channel electrically, helping to

comes in both Molex’s award winning Solder option for press-fit attach. The triads conform

specify first-mate, last-break designations and

to a mirror image footprint to provide ease

Reliable performance

shorter stubs for high-speed communications

and flexibility of PCB routing in one or two

A typical channel for a high-speed network

using a customisable card-edge interface.

PCB layers to minimise a designer’s PCB thickness, in turn decreasing PCB cost. n

connection could start with zSFP+ (Small Form-factor Pluggable Plus) SMT I/O

As the signal exits the daughtercard, a

connectors receiving data (e.g., a signal)

zQSFP+ integrated cage and connector

entering into the switch chassis. Enhanced

routes it through to a zQSFP+ breakout cable

zSFP+ 20-circuit connectors deliver reliable

and into a router/switch. Supporting next-

performance in high-speed telecom and data

generation 100 Gbps Ethernet and 100 Gbps

communications equipment. Designed for 25

InfiniBand Enhanced Data Rate (EDR)

Gbps serial channels in high-speed Ethernet

applications, the Molex zQSFP+ interconnect

and Fibre Channel, the scalable Molex zSFP+

solution provides 28 Gbps data rates for up to

interconnects provide optimal EMI and signal

4km with good thermal cooling, signal

integrity. The signal could next route to a

integrity, EMI protection and low optical power

motherboard through a Searay board-to-board

consumption.

mezzanine connector.

Once at the router, a NeoScale 28 Gbps Travelling at data rates of up to 25 Gbps, the 48

IT RESELLER – APRIL 2012

Molex at a glance Molex delivers complete interconnect solutions for a number of markets; including data communications, telecommunications, consumer electronics, industrial, automotive, medical, military, lighting and solar.

Established in 1938, the company operates 40 manufacturing locations in 16 countries.

mezzanine connector could direct the signal

www.itrportal.com

NETWORKING-SECURITY-UPS Product news

Eaton’s intelligent ePDUs now integrated with Cisco EnergyWise technology aton has announced new

outlet level and aggregate this

manage their power via a single interface and

functionalities for its intelligent

information over multiple

a single IP address. The new mass

enclosure power distribution units

ePDUs in the network so

configuration and mass upgrade

(ePDUs), including support for

that it is available at a

functionalities, performed via Intelligent Power

Cisco EnergyWise power

glance. In addition, the

E

management, the ability for users to define

ePDUs provide control

customised outlet groups, a power scheduling

over power usage by

function for planned shutdowns, and mass

enabling the EnergyWise

configuration and mass upgrade of ePDUs.

network to securely switch

These new functionalities enhance the

individual outlets on or off.

Manager, provide further ease of use.

Through mass configuration multiple ePDU units can be simultaneously configured to userdefined settings, including, for

Intelligent Power distribution capabilities of

example, alarm

Eaton ePDUs and are available for the recently launched set of Managed, Advanced Monitored and Switched ePDU product ranges via firmware updates.

Eaton’s family of intelligent enclosure power distribution units (ePDUs).

levels. This provides

Cisco EnergyWise technology allows companies to manage, switch and control the

Coote added that the

power consumption of their infrastructure in

monitoring functions of Eaton’s

an EnergyWise-enabled data centre. With

advanced ePDUs, combined

Eaton ePDU integration, customers are

with Cisco EnergyWise power

provided with further power usage

management capabilities, give a

management and in-depth monitoring of

comprehensive overview of energy

power consumption down to the individual

demands and usage in a data

server level to control their total cost of

centre – be it small, medium or large.

ownership.

“Providing accurate data on the power reduced set-up

consumption of hundreds of ePDUs in Stefan Coote, manager of solutions for small

a network in a simple and easy-to-

and medium data centres at Eaton Power

understand way is very important for any

Quality, EMEA, said: “The data centres of today

data centre,” he said.

times for data centres and makes ePDU installation and maintenance easy. The mass upgrade functionality allows data centre managers to carry out future

are constantly seeking new ways to reduce energy consumption and cut operational costs

A further new addition is the ability of ePDUs

firmware upgrades of network interface cards

without compromising reliability. This cannot be

to allow users to define customised outlet

on multiple ePDU’s at the same time, thus

achieved without a clear understanding of

groups. This makes it possible to attribute

allowing easier access to future functionality

power consumption levels.”

outlet groups so that an individual user,

enhancements and releases.

customer or a specific department of a Eaton’s advanced ePDUs offer intelligent

company can more easily track and manage

Intelligent Power Manager version 1.25, due to

power distribution and are able to measure

their power usage. Furthermore, power

be released soon, is required to support both

consumption of volts, watts, amperes and

scheduling enables users to plan shutdowns

mass configuration and mass upgrade

kilowatt-hours in individual servers with one

of non-critical equipment, for example over a

capabilities. It is available for download at no

per cent accuracy (over 2 amperes). Through

weekend or for particular nights, allowing

charge (for up to 10 devices) at

the addition of Cisco EnergyWise, ePDUs

further options for energy conservation.

www.eaton.eu/intelligentpower

work as a Cisco endpoint in the EnergyWise All new functionalities are available via firmware

network and can be accessed directly from any EnergyWise-enabled management

Mass configuration and upgrade

update for Managed, Advanced Monitored and

application. They allow Cisco’s management

All Eaton ePDUs are fully integrated into

Switched ePDUs. n

stations to query and collect information on

Eaton’s Intelligent Power Manager (IPM)

power consumption right from the individual

monitoring software, which allows users to

www.itrportal.com

IT RESELLER – APRIL 2012

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