IT Reseller June 2012

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ADC/POS:Pushing the mobility envelope

Print:Optimising labelling processes

Document/storage management:Storehouse of channel benefits

Network technology:You want one how big?

The magazine for resellers, distributors, system integrators and OEMs

JUNE 2012

Cloud computing special report:High-end view

JUNE 2012 – IT RESELLER 3

As anyone interested in keeping up withcurrent IT blogging sites will testify one ofthe keen discussion points at the moment

is big data. Often the debates can become a littleabstruse but, paring it down to as clear adefinition as we are likely to find, Gartnerdescribes the term big data as being all aboutextreme information management and processingissues that can exceed the capability of traditionalinformation technology. And according to IBM wecreate 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day; so

much that 90 per cent of the datain the world today has beencreated in the past two yearsalone. The large and disparatevolumes of data in question couldbe anything from social networks,Internet data, purchasetransactions, mobile phone GPSsignals, video content and a hostof other forms of data that canpotentially prove highly valuableto an organisation if efficientlyutilised.

IDC has said that big data isramping up to be a bigbusiness opportunity, with theanalysts estimating that

companies will spend US$120 billion on dataanalytics software between now and 2015. Yet,in the view of some industry commentators,including Andy Richardson, CEO of IT servicescompany Influential Software, the majority ofservices and solutions currently on offer thatenable companies to take advantage of thedata within their businesses are resolutely

aimed at the enterprise level.As an example, Richardsonpoints out that IBM alone hasspent $14 billion puttingtogether an armoury of bigdata products and services,while SAP announced majordevelopments to its platformearlier this month. Richardsonadds that one of thedownsides to many of the bigdata solutions that some of thelarger providers haveassembled is that they arecurrently too pricey or complexto be relevant to SMEs’ needs.Consequently, resellers and

systems integrators anxious to get a slice ofthe big data business for themselves arefaced with an unenviable choice. Eitherthey go head-to-head with vendors forenterprise-level business, or attempt toconvince the IT director of a 300-personoperation that they need a software systemspecified for use in a business ten timestheir size.

So what are some possible solutions? InRichardson’s view, the first is to create newofferings. “If there isn’t a solution relevant toyour customers’ needs currently on themarket, why not create one?” he said. “Afterall, channel providers represent a wealth ofknowledge and insight into the IT needs ofthe businesses who account for the vastmajority of global economic activity.”Secondly, Richardson maintains that a keyarea where SMEs look to channel providersto add value in the IT procurement processlies in helping them select the right vendor.“As industry insiders, channel providers arewell aware of the strengths andweaknesses of big data solutions offeredby the major vendors,” he commented,“and this expertise could in itself representa source of new business.”

Thirdly, there is big data as a service.“Whereas many companies will require afully-fledged big data solution hosted ontheir premises and available at all times,many more SMEs’ needs will be moremodest,” said Richardson. He believes that,for those businesses that stand to benefitfrom running sophisticated analytics ontheir data, but would only need to accessthese services every month or once aquarter, an off-premises solution makesbetter sense. And he adds that this is yetanother way for channel providers to get inon the game by offering customers ‘bigdata as a service’. Here customers wouldaccess big data analytics platforms hostedon a channel provider’s own servers on a‘pay as you go’ basis. As Richardson says,by acting as the key people between userand vendor, channel providers have anintegral role to play in taking big data frombeing a buzzword to behemoth.

IT RESELLER – JUNE 2012

Ed Holden

Editor »

Big opportunity


Editor:Ed Holden

Contributor:

Ed Bateman, Avnet Technology Solutions Paul Norgate, Eaton Power Quality

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ISSN: 1369 - 88

JUNE 2012 —

CONTENTS

38 Document Management – Data Storage

Livedrive – Storehouse of channel benefits

G2S Toolshop selects Asigra Cloud Backup

Kodak Scanmate i940 powers up productivity with robust scanning to the Cloud

6 Special Cloud Computing Report

43 Networking – Security – UPS

Eaton Power Quality - You want one how big?

Flame malware – like Stuxnet and Duqu before it

Dataguise launches data privacy protection analytics solution for Hadoop

48 Comms

Hipcom – Good call

12 Automatic Data Capture/Point of Sale

ScanSource Europe – Building on a proven formula

Motorola Solutions ships 5,555,555th LS2208 handheld barcode scanner

American Golf improves in-store efficiency with help from Esteem

Managed Services

Varlink – Relationship building

Vendors and the channel gather for BlueStar's Copenhagen Technology Summit

eCommera launches Mobile App Service for brands and retailers

POSitive Technology helps Pictures Plus create keen customers with new

loyalty rewards programme

Sysdev - Pushing the mobility envelope

Maxatec releases Bluebird ʻPidionʼ mobile device with Android OS

Sigma Touch announces Opticon partnership

Avnet – Opportunities in enterprise mobility

Mint Velvet selects Vodat International to support future growth plans

Handheld - Taking a walk along the bottom line

Socket Mobile – Adapting to change

34 Printing & Labelling

Alatoni optimises labelling processes with the A-Class print engine

from Datamax-OʼNeil

Zebra Technologies unveils new printer series

Saudi Bank, Al Bilad, selects Evolis card printers to personalise its payment cards

Watch Upload ShareIT related videos, watch Quickly upload and tag Easily share your videos withwhat you want when videos in almost any partners and clients, put videos onyou want it! video format. your site or watch them here.

www.YourTechTV.com

Cloud computing is a concept that continues to evolve and demand an ever increasing level of attention bothfrom the B2B and consumer world. IT Reseller looks at a number of current Cloud computing discussionpoints and findings within the system vendor, hosted services, consultancy, legal and channel worlds.

High-end view

IT RESELLER – JUNE 20126 www.itrportal.com

Cloud Computing Special report

Cloud computing continues to

dominate the more technical

or IT-oriented pages of the

press and the world of social

media. So what’s all the fuss

about. A good place to start is the ongoing

debate in IT circles about the benefits or

otherwise of Cloud computing versus the

traditional standard local server approach.

According to WMS developer MACS

Software, software vendors will naturally

tend to extol the virtues of their own

products, and this can lead to an

unbalanced comparison being made

resulting in an inappropriate choice.

Therefore, MACS Software believes it is

important for users not to lose sight of what

they actually want their new system to

achieve. MACS Software’s managing

director, Tony Liddar, considers that rather

than getting bogged down with the science

and technicalities of a prospective new

system it is better for users to look at the

practicalities of how the system would work

in the business on a day-to-day basis and

ask the following simple questions:

• Am I in control of my own destiny

(data/system)? If my vendor goes bust,

can I demand the return of my data?

• Servers can always fail, but what is my

backup operating procedure and am I

comfortable with that?

• What happens if the Internet fails? How

would I have coped with the UK-wide BT

broadband problem at the end of 2011?

• What happens if there is a fire at the

software hosting company?

• What are the costs involved? Not just the

software payments (because paying

monthly is no different to spreading

costs using finance) but the

infrastructure costs associated with my

chosen method of working.

• Can I easily change the number of

licences I need, short or longer term?

• Do I need remote access to the IT

system?

Liddar added that what suits one company

might be inappropriate or unnecessary for

another. “The answer to these questions will

be different for every individual business,”

he said, “so it’s important to look at every

case carefully before making a decision.”

FinancialsUncertainty around the current economic

climate is one factor that is spurring an

increasing number of companies to look at

alternatives to on-site IT infrastructures and

resources. According to a recent survey

conducted by hosted services provider

Rise, one-in-three organisations citing

managed services as a more affordable

option. In excess of 100 IT industry

representatives were surveyed regarding

their willingness to embrace Cloud

computing. Over one-third of the

respondents stated that ‘affordability’ was a

key driver when looking to move from on-

premise to managed services.

Cost was also referenced when it came to

the demands of end users considering a

migration to the Cloud. The potentially

substantial cost savings that can be realised

by such a move was ranked second highest

in a list of various demands. The results also

suggest that while firms are starting to gain

a better understanding of Cloud computing,

there still exists a level of uncertainty when it

comes to the actual adoption. Over 50 per

cent of respondents highlighted issues such

as a lack of understanding, as well as

security and complexity concerns as

reasons for not migrating. Other results from

the survey include:

• Almost two-thirds of participants are

looking to migrate to the Cloud within the

next two years.

• Some 63 per cent of participants

identified cost and maintenance as the

biggest challenge when it comes to

managing existing IT systems.

IT RESELLER – JUNE 2012 7

Special report Cloud Computing

www.itrportal.com

• Over 50 per cent of interviewees stated

loss of control and security and storage

as barriers to Cloud entry.

According to Steve Holford, director at Rise,

the results suggest that while uncertainty still

exists around Cloud uptake, the cost

benefits are forcing organisations to take a

more serious look at managed services.

“The uncertainty hovering over the financial

markets has acted as a bit of a wake-up

call, forcing people to actively go out and

see where savings can be made, and Cloud

is most certainly one of those areas,” he

said. “The financial commitment that goes

with maintaining an in-house IT infrastructure

is huge, and Cloud computing represents

an opportunity to do away with expensive

upgrades and maintenance costs.”

Holford added that the low cost adoption of

Cloud can potentially lead to enormous cost

savings for a business, and in the current

climate he believes these cannot be

ignored. “Instead of buying additional

servers and storage devices that are used

only a fraction of the time, employees can

have access to Cloud applications and only

pay for the amount of time actually used,”

he pointed out. “Also, by outsourcing your IT

needs you’ll be able to realign and focus on

core business activities. We appreciate that

a lot uncertainty still exists, and that us why

a hybrid Cloud model offering the benefits of

a hosted service while keeping sensitive

data on site might also be an attractive

option.”

Fitting innovations together Current trends such as Cloud, mobility,

analytics, Big Data and Social may all be

separate innovations, however Sven

Denecken, SAP’s vice president strategy

Cloud/On-Demand Solutions, sees all these

trends as fitting together and being highly

complementary. “And the Cloud for us is the

perfect time to bring these innovations and

technologies together,” he said. Why?

According to Denecken, this is primarily

because all this innovation in the Cloud sits

on the shoulders of the vendors. “When SAP

provides services to customers these

innovations are already baked in,” he

remarked. “So within the Cloud, we’re

designing the Socials mobile first, and are

bringing in Analytics in context. People who

run business processes want Analytics not

as a tool or an after-thought; they want it

within the context of their own business or

own job role. And for their business

processes they also want to leverage In-

Memory computing tools – such as SAP's

HANA – either in the Cloud or on premise.

Either way, users want to leverage that

technology to also build and use the

solutions differently.”

As an example, Denecken said that sales

personnel today want a system of

engagement that increases their flexibility

and profitability. “Therefore sales people

need to connect quickly with the best

people in their company and to the best

partners,” he said. “And they need to get

the information from every system pushed to

them on their mobile device. They also need

that information within the context of their

accounts, their region and their industry.

And users want this data in real

time and within their own business

context. So, knowing how

business processes run and how

end users work, SAP is designing

Cloud solutions that are very

people-centric.” Denecken added

that Cloud solutions should also

be designed with the flexibility to

embrace the hybrid (Cloud/on-

premise) model. “This is so Cloud

solutions can be connected with

users’ existing on-premise investments,” he

said. “Users should also be able to adopt

these solutions at their own pace, taking into

consideration where pure Cloud or hybrid

fits best within their organisation.”

Eco-system flexibilityIn terms of specific channel partner

opportunities going forward, Denecken

points out that SAP is heavily investing in

Java-based Platform as a Service (PaaS)

offerings, which enable SAP’s eco-system

partners to configure existing solutions

(concerning mobility, analytics, Big Data

and Social, in-memory etc.), leverage the

openness of the integration and also

develop their own solutions for their end

customers on top of this platform.

Microsoft is another vendor company that

fully embraces the Cloud model, while

recognising the importance of flexibility in

Cloud/on-premise integration, and the rich

system integration opportunities available to

its channel partners. Dr Michael Newberry,

HPC product manager at Microsoft,

commented that since the company made

the statement that it was making the

transition into the Cloud a few years ago the

Cloud has become the design goal for all its

products while also facilitating easy

integration with other types of system. If you

look at Microsoft Office, for example, which

remains a very successful on-premise

product, it now has its Cloud analogue –

Office 365,” he said. “For end users, it’s

sometimes a question of either Cloud or not,

but in most cases the focus is on

integration. If a company has an existing on-

premise infrastructure it can easily integrate

this with the Cloud solutions built on our

Azure platform to provide a fully linked,

seamless experience.”

Strong SME uptake While many larger global organisations are

feeling more and more confident as to the

Cloud computing is not going to be suitable for every circumstance andpotential customers would be well advised to undertake a detailed risk analysisbefore committing new applications to the Cloud.” – Conor Ward, Cloud IndustryLegal Forum.

“



business benefits of Cloud deployment, the

SME space is also becoming increasingly

convinced. Figures published recently by

the UK Cloud Magnet point towards a 68

per cent growth in the UK SME market,

amid the greatest economic downturn of the

decade. The analysis of over 100

established SMEs that have all virtualised

with VMware looked at growth over the last

financial year 2011-2012 following the

adaption of Cloud based virtualisation

technology. Alex Parker, Cloud computing

blogger and CTO of Cloud computing and

Infrastructure as a Service provider,

Commensus, commented: “In our

increasingly globalised world, small

businesses need an effective

communications network to span the

geographically dispersed parts of the

business. But the business applications

required to achieve this are an expensive

proposition in our current economic

climate.”

Parker continued: “With Cloud computing,

instead of running desktops, applications,

Microsoft Exchange or a PBX voice system

on physical in-house servers, they are

hosted on centralised virtual servers in a

data centre. This whole process is

instantaneous to setup and effortless to use;

you just login, customise and begin.

Applications are more scalable, more

secure and more reliable as you don’t need

a copy of an app for every department

using it, just one app which is flexible

enough for everyone to customise for their

own specific needs.”

The results from the UK Cloud Magnet study

indicate that by utilising Cloud computing,

businesses can instantly provision

applications whenever they need them as

the end user directly controls the resources

they require, making the firm more agile and

flexible. This allows companies striving to

adapt to the pace and dynamism of

business today to deploy highly resilient

virtual machines for their staff, dawning a

new era of flexibility. This agility and

flexibility also points towards increased

profits with 68 per cent of firms seeing a

positive uplift.

SecurityThe study also looks at security and

highlights that many IT executives still raised

concerns about the security of their data in

the Cloud. However, comments UK Cloud

Magnet, the reality is that this is a

transitional phase “where laggards are yet

to grasp the technology”. UK Cloud Magnet

adds that since all data and applications are

centralised in a data centre, it is vastly

easier to enable and enforce

processes and procedures to

ensure security, privacy and

other best practices. No data is

stored on a device, so you never

have to worry about proprietary

data falling into the wrong hands

if the device itself is lost, stolen

or breaks. This is especially

significant with potentially

gigabytes of sensitive corporate

data sitting on the desk of every

member of staff.

“Many executives are still hesitant to take

the step,” said Parker. “Their view is that

they would no longer be able to ‘touch and

feel’ the systems which drive their business.

Data centres have been on the scene for

three decades or more: Cloud computing is

simply a logical progression of that service.

There has been little evidence of companies

experiencing problems with access to data

and with comprehensive service level

agreements that specify virtually continuous

availability, any remaining concerns should

be set aside.”

Duncan Binnie, marketing manager for

Cloud storage provider Livedrive, reflects

that when Cloud storage was brand new a

lot of people were concerned about the

level of security. “But I think security isn’t

such a big issue any more because of

things such as the current levels of

encryption and the multiple redundancies,”

he said. “It’s now much more of a tried and

tested way of storing data securely and

efficiently.”

From a voice services perspective, Paul

Aabryn, strategy director of next-generation

voice services provider, Hipcom, comments

that security has to be a paramount focus.

“Security is the beating heart of what we

do,” he said. “We spend a lot of time talking

to our customers about the Public Cloud,

the Private Cloud and the hybrid Cloud so

they fully understand the impact of using

these types of services. We run multiple

levels of security; application, network,

service type etc. But really it’s about making

sure that the applications you deploy from

the Cloud over your device – whether it’s a

Bring You Own Device or a typical business

device – have security parameters that

really hold up.” Aabryn recognises that

there is still an element of the ‘Wild West’

with regard to some players in the market,

which can impact on the level of security

available to users. “True Cloud infrastructure

needs to be built from the ground up to

support the environment it’s being deployed

across,” he said. “And security is an intrinsic

part of this process.”

SaaS adoptionIn terms of Software as a Service (SaaS)

adoption, new research from Pierre Audoin

If you process data in the UK, store it on servers in the US, send it viaFrance, managed by support staff in India; whose laws would you obey? Thingscan get messy very quickly and UK companies could easily end up in breach ofUK data protection laws.”

– Andrew Lockwood, Daisy Group.

“



Consultants (PAC) has found that UK SMEs

are rapidly adopting SaaS, although the

supplier community is struggling to keep

pace. SMEs spent almost £1.6 billion on

business application software and SaaS in

2011, according to the report. Despite an

unclear business outlook, SMEs (companies

with less than 2000 employees) will continue

to invest in business applications and SaaS,

with key areas of investment including CRM,

analytics, mobility, and industry-specific

software. PAC expects the SME market for

business application and SaaS to grow to

over £2.1 billion by 2015, which is a faster

rate than in the large enterprise segment.

Fast-growing start-ups, enterprises

expanding overseas, and subsidiaries of

international companies expanding into the

UK, will present the strongest opportunities

for business applications and SaaS

suppliers. However, there are big

differences in terms of customer needs and

level of IT complexities within the SME

marketplace. PAC has divided the market

into five different categories to assess their

specific IT requirements and position the

suppliers that address them. George

Mironescu, senior consultant at PAC

commented: "There are significant

differences in the positioning of vendors by

company size. Although Sage is the

undisputed giant of the UK SME

market, it is not as strong in the Upper

Mid-Market and faces tough

competition from the likes of IRIS

Software in the SOHO segment.”

The SME market is entering into a

major phase of transformation as buyers are

increasingly attracted to Cloud-based

services which enable them to access

enterprise-class functionality on affordable

and flexible commercial terms. PAC expects

the SaaS market in the UK will more than

double its size by 2015 to well over £500

million. However, SaaS is a work in progress

for many ISVs, with established players wary

of cannibalising existing revenue streams.

Of the top 20 application vendors servicing

the UK SME sector, PAC rates only

Salesforce.com and Fidessa as currently

having a mature SaaS proposition.

PAC's report 'Business Applications & SaaS

in the UK SME Sector –

Identifying Hot-Spots and

Mapping the Vendor

Landscape', is the latest

in a new UK local

research programme.

The report analyses the

positioning of key

application vendors in the

SME space in the UK,

and provides an overview

of how various

application vendors are

directing their strategies to tackle the move

towards SaaS. The report also includes data

on the current and future scale of

application software and SaaS spending in

the SME market, as well as a detailed

breakdown of the supplier landscape by

company size.

Infrastructure as a Service Since Cloud started stealing headlines some

five years ago, its role within SMEs has

changed dramatically, according to Cloud

hosting provider Pulsant. No longer seen as

purely a capacity/cost balancing tool,

Pulsant believes that ‘Infrastructure as a

Service’ (IaaS) is fast emerging as the most

flexible storage option for handling the

complex data applications that are essential

to driving competitive advantage. Involved

in Cloud hosting since its inception over ten

years ago, Pulsant comments that it is

increasingly SMEs – not large corporates –

that represent the vanguard behind

Software as a Service (SaaS), Virtual

Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)-style

technologies, Bring Your Own Device

(BYOD) and mobile cloud apps.

Pulsant believes that these new web and

mobile applications, richer digital presence

and growing online sales will further

accelerate demand for Cloud storage this

year. It also predicts that many SMEs will re-

examine Cloud storage to help them cope

with increased data footprints as information

management, analytics and remote and

mobile working become vital to their

performance. Mark Howling, CEO of

Pulsant, said that private and public Cloud

is now a major strategy for any CIO aiming

to help his or her organisation to deliver

high-quality services to internal audiences

and customers, over a variety of channels,

while operating efficient data flows. “Both

types of Cloud use virtualisation software to

create ‘virtual server’ environments - on

infrastructure either owned and shared

across a single organisation (private Cloud)

or rented and shared across many different

businesses (public cloud),” he pointed out.

“Offering elastic provisioning and optimised

data performance, Cloud reduces the

volume, power and costs associated

with traditional server solutions.”

Pulsant maintains that in the past

many SMEs have been reluctant to

embrace Cloud as virtualisation

carries a three per cent increase in

overhead compared to traditional hosting.

However, the company states, time and

experience has revealed that for many

organisations overall operational savings are

returned tenfold. Indeed, adds Pulsant,

many of its own customers report a 40 per

cent reduction in storage running costs. “As

many SMEs turn to Cloud, we are helping

them get the best out of their investment by

making it easier to choose a system that’s

right for them,” said Howling. “It’s all about

building reassurance and establishing trust

– vital if we are to see mass adoption of

Cloud hosting across SMEs. This means

supporting Cloud with better firewalling,

more rigorous IP management and fail over

www.itrportal.com

People who run business processes wantAnalytics not as a tool or an after-thought; theywant it within the context of their own business orown job role.”

– Sven Denecken, SAP.

“



processes. Taking all this into consideration

using Cloud from a proven supplier with

certified processes and offering 24/7

support, will undoubtedly become the

preferred route to Cloud success.”

Attractive price pointIn terms of the main drivers behind the

growth of the Cloud storage market, Duncan

Binnie of Livedrive, comments that originally

companies tended only to store their most

important data in the Cloud. “However, now

with the price of data storage becoming

more competitive there is now a more

compelling reason for companies to store

most or all of their data in this way,” he said.

“Being able to move a greater volume of

traffic to and from the Cloud speedily and

more economically is one of the key reasons

for Cloud storage’s increasing popularity.”

Another reason for Cloud storage’s growing

uptake, according to Binnie, relates to the

high number of smartphone users that

enable the user to access their data from

their phone; data they might previously only

have accessed from their office or home

computer. He adds that by using modern

smartphone apps users can easily stream

videos, photos and music without the need

to store anything on the phone’s hard drive

itself. “Now everything is immediately

accessible from the Cloud,” he said. “So

there’s currently a big focus within industry

on smartphone integration.”

Retail deployment A growing number of companies within an

increasingly wide spectrum of vertical end

user sectors are deploying Cloud-related

systems and services. One strong case in

point is retail. According to a recent survey

and report by RIS News

titled ‘Cloud Evolution:

Moving into the Mainstream

of Retail IT Cloud

computing’ and sponsored

by Dell Boomi, Cloud

computing is becoming an

increasingly popular

solution in retail enterprises,

with Cloud-based

deployments within this

vertical segment expected

to rise 25 per cent by 2013.

The adoption of Cloud computing as a

whole would appear to have fuelled the

retail industry’s comfort level, as has the

hunger for Cloud as an enabler for Big Data

analytics.

As trends such as mobile commerce and

real-time analytics make their way into the

industry, retailers seem to be slowly

abandoning their hesitations about the

Cloud and are beginning to question which

areas of their business it can benefit the

most. The RIS survey suggests that the

three most common kinds of Cloud-based

applications are core retail such as point-of-

sale, general business (i.e. payroll) and

omni-channel and marketing, fast-growing

digital commerce initiatives for example.

‘Pop-up’ channel Continuing the retail theme, according to

Deloitte per cent of retail sales from

traditional brick-and-mortar stores is

currently 91 per cent and expected to fall to

76 per cent in the next 5 years. The need for

the big box retailer would appear to have

been losing appeal, replaced by the Internet

retailer. Only recently, it appears there may

be an emerging third retail sales-channel,

according to Matt Mikell, senior advisor

global Cloud messaging at Dell. This, he

states, is called the ‘pop-up,’ enabled

largely by Cloud computing. “Using POS,

CRM, and other services via a secure Cloud

connection, they have all the same IT

services,” he points out. “While the pop-up

retailer acts like a physical store, with

inventory and systems, it outmaneuvers

most other retailers with its agility and

flexibility to pack-up and follow customers,

seasons, or events. Imagine a store

‘untethered’ by burdens of permanent

locations, staff, machines, or fixtures.”

Matt Mikell adds that if shoppers have

visited the local shopping mall during

Halloween and Christmas seasons, they

would likely have seen this third retail sales

channel. He cites companies such as Spirit

Halloween and The Latest Scoop that

maintain no long-term physical presence,

but spring up overnight in empty retail

spaces and depart after only a few weeks or

months. “In an industry widely known for

‘brick and click’ retailers, we’re seeing the

emergence of the ‘quick’ retailer,” he said.

“They are agile, mobile, and capable of

being strategically placed in large part to

the capabilities of the internet and Cloud

computing.” Adapting to market trends,

testing a market, or moving to where the

customers are, the retailers are free of

shackles of IT and many back-office

systems. Nick D’Alessio, Dell’s retail

marketing lead, comments that vendors

such as RICS are making Cloud

applications so simple that any merchant

with an Internet connection potentially

becomes a store overnight.

Automation and economies ofscale

Stepping back for a moment and

considering how the term Cloud should be

accurately defined, Dan Scarfe, CEO at Not

Net Solutions, observes that many

companies are attaching the term Cloud to

their offerings although, in his view, the true

definition of Cloud is all about economies of

scale and high levels of automation. “We

believe that there are probably only five to

ten companies in the world that can truly be

called Cloud vendors in terms of being able

to operate on a very large scale,” he said.

“These companies include Microsoft,

Google, Amazon and Salesforce.com.”

Secondly, Scarfe believes it is all about the

high level of automation and the subsequent

cost savings available to end customers due

to the minimal number of people required to

run the data centres.

Fine print And what of the legal side of Cloud

computing? A study conducted by the

Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS)

at Queen Mary University of London,



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predicts the evolution of a multiplicity of

contracting models to be used by

suppliers/service providers for Cloud

computing services. The report raises

concerns that end-users often overlook

unfair terms as they are not afforded the

opportunity to negotiate (e.g. through the

use of click thru licences) and they fail to

assess risk properly (if at all) when adopting

low-cost Cloud services.

Conor Ward, partner at Hogan Lovells

International LLP and chair of the Cloud

Industry Legal Forum (CILF), has warmly

welcomed the research and reminds end-

users to carefully consider the legal

implications of the Cloud proposition. “This

is the first in-depth study in

to Cloud computing

contracts, shedding some

valuable light on this still

maturing branch of IT,” he

said. “The legal issues

relating to the use of the

Cloud are well established

and indeed have been so

for some time, but currently this wealth of

understanding and experience is

overlooked.

Ward continued: “To date, the relative

immaturity of the market has resulted in

contracts being used which were not

particularly well-suited to the services being

provided, but the study anticipates that

contracting models will mature as a

combined result of pressure from regulatory

bodies and experience from negotiations on

the larger deals. Cloud computing is not

going to be suitable for every circumstance

and potential customers would, as this study

demonstrates, be well advised to undertake

a detailed risk analysis before committing

new applications to the Cloud. A properly

thought through contract will help mitigate

the majority of risks associated with Cloud

computing services. However, there are few

things that it is important to note. CSPs, like

all external suppliers, will not act as insurers

of a customer's business. Remedies under a

contract may form part of, but should not be

considered to be an entire, risk mitigation

strategy.”

The university’s study identified common

clauses in a wide range of both off-the-shelf,

and negotiated Cloud contracts that raise

cause for concern, these include attempts

by suppliers not to take liability for failures,

service level agreements that do not match

the needs of the business, incompatibility

with EU data protection rules, and the right

of suppliers to change service features

without notice. “Legal concerns can

generally be addressed by technical and

legal means,” said Ward, “and whilst this

may mean that the supplier may not have

total flexibility on where it can process and

store data, in the majority of cases the

supplier is subject to restrictions imposed

by its technical infrastructure in any event

and with full transparency and suitable

contractual terms, data protection as an

issue will disappear.”

Ward added that

ensuring an adequate

level of service will of

course be important, but

data losses or the

temporary loss of Internet

connectivity could have

dramatic consequences

to a business. “Agreed

service levels with limited

service credits will

generally not provide an

adequate remedy,” he

said, “and where the loss of service is due

to a force majeure event, the supplier may

have no liability at all. A careful review of the

contract and SLAs should highlight the

extent to which the customer has any

meaningful remedy if the service levels are

not met and should enable the customer to

take measures to minimise losses or

disruption in the event that a disaster does

occur.”

And with particular regard to the legal side

of data security, Andrew Lockwood, head of

data solutions at unified business

communications provider Daisy Group,

considers that the concern still remaining is

where the data is stored, and if it is stored in

the UK. “If data is

moved to a different

country, a whole

different set of legal

rules could be in force,”

he said. “If you process

data in the UK, store it

on servers in the US,

send it via France,

managed by support staff in India; whose

laws would you obey? Things can get

messy very quickly and UK companies

could easily end up in breach of UK data

protection laws.”

The future So what other developments will we see

from the world of Cloud computing over the

next couple of years or so? As with any

technology vertical, crystal ball gazing can

often prove a less than accurate practice,

with new innovations and trends coming

from often highly obtuse angles. There are a

few likely developments, however, that will

largely revolve around what we already have

in place; just on a grander scale. For

example, user deployment will continue to

increase, both in the consumer and B2B

environment. And, largely as a

consequence, data centres – particularly

those owned by the existing large players –

will likely get even larger. Of course, along

with this growth come increased sales and

integration opportunities for the channel.

Also, keep an eye out for even more

powerful mobile devices – and it will be

interesting to see just how thin they can

become… n

I’ve seen some applications that are working on iPhones and iPadsetc., but I’m not sure whether the majority of the resellers will be re-developing or re-investing a lot of money into porting their applicationsinto the Android or iPhone/iPad markets. We’ll need to wait and see.”

– Xavier Cartiaux, ScanSource Europe.

“

ScanSource, Inc., theinternational value-addeddistributor of specialtytechnology products,recently announced that

Maurice van Rijn had become themanaging director of the company’sScanSource Europe POS & Barcodingbusiness unit. In this position, van Rijnwill be responsible for leading thestrategic direction and management of

sales, product marketing and inventorymanagement for the company’s pan-European operations. First joiningScanSource in May 2002 as part of thecompany’s acquisition of ABCDistribution, van Rijn brings 23 years ofsales and sales managementexperience in IT distribution to his newrole. He previously served as salesdirector for nine years where he wasinstrumental in the success ofScanSource’s European operationslaunched a decade ago. Van Rijn’spromotion to managing director of thePOS & Barcoding business follows the

appointment of Xavier Cartiaux to therole of president of internationaloperations, ScanSource, Inc.

In terms of ScanSource Europe’s currentstrategy roadmap, van Rijn commentsthat the company will continue to sustainand enhance its proven offerings to itsreseller partners – offering them a one-stop-shop purchasing option, highproduct availability, financial services,free pre- and post-sales technicalsupport, Professional Services andcustomer services. In addition, heexplains that the company will continueto manage and build on its value-addedchannel offerings, such as the existingonline mobile application storeAppSource, international partner-matching tool SUMO and the recentlyupgraded pre-shipment ConfigurationService Centre. “We've come a long way

over the past ten years by satisfying ourpartners’ core distribution needsextremely well,” said van Rijn. “Forexample, we’ve always had a well-established portfolio of vendor partnersthat offer solutions that fit our corevertical markets, such as transport &logistics, field mobility, retail & hospitalityand healthcare, and we always holdappropriate stock levels to satisfy theneeds of our VAR and systemsintegrator partners. Then, to add valueto this core service provision, the pastcouple of years have seen theintroduction of extra services such as

our training programme, ScanSourceUniversity, partner marketing, SUMOand AppSource. This will continue to bethe foundation for ScanSource Europegoing forward.” Van Rijn added thatanother key value-added serviceScanSource will continue to develop isits flexible credit service. “We always setout to offer the finance our partnersneed to undertake projects – large andsmall – whether in buoyant or toughertimes,” he said.

Advances in technology

Van Rijn reflected that the productportfolio and service offerings havechanged quite dramatically over the tenyears of the company’s existence inEurope. “A decade ago we were sellingsimple scanners and data collectionterminals,” he said. “By today’sstandards these devices were prettybasic in their operation and were mainlydeployed within the four walls of thewarehouse or retail environment. Now,our biggest market is outside the fourwalls; in the area of field mobilityensuring remote workers can keep inconstant communication with theircompany’s HQ or depots – both sendingand receiving data in real time. So now alarge part of our market is in sellingmobile devices running on WindowsMobile and even Android connectingover WLAN or WAN with peripheralstalking Bluetooth. It's a much morecomplex environment and our resellerpartners come to us for support withtheir projects, whether that meansbefore the sale supporting thedevelopment of ready-configuredsolutions that go directly to their end-customer, or offering flexible credit to


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IT Reseller spoke with Maurice van Rijn, the recentlyappointed managing director of ScanSource EuropePOS & Barcoding, about current market trends and

opportunities, the changing face of technology and howScanSource Europe plans to build on its existing value-

added services for the channel.

There is growing interest from vendors to sell [POS}solutions through a true value-added distribution channel, andthis means there are sales and service opportunities to be had.” “

Maurice van Rijn: “Resellers’ demands areconstantly changing; they expect morefrom their distributor.”

help them manage the more complexand high-value projects. Resellers’demands are constantly changing; theyexpect more from their distributor.”

And because of the pace oftechnological change, van Rijn pointsout that ScanSource’s partner trainingprogramme is designed to keepresellers up to speed with the latesttrends and the business opportunitiesassociated with them, offering resellers avaried programme of specialisedtraining and support. This ranges fromhands-on technical training for specificproducts to the basics of emergingtechnologies. “We’ve seen heightenedinterest in the training we provide overthe past few years,” said van Rijn. “Oneexample of our training offering is acourse we recently ran on the subject ofRhoElements, the new programmingplatform that makes it easier to developapplications and deploy them overseveral different devices. TheRhoElements application is very flexiblein that it is operating system- andhardware-agnostic, so training isimportant in order for our partners toleverage maximum advantage in today’smarketplace.”

Adding service and value

Van Rijn also explained that the AIDCindustry’s maintenance, service andrepair model has changed substantiallyover the past few years. “When we firststarted out in Europe, many of ourpartners did their own repairs for theirend-customer’s devices and systems,and therefore needed a supply of spareparts,” he said. “Today many of the topbrands don’t supply spare parts to thechannel; instead resellers have theopportunity to sell vendor servicecontracts. Resellers are now addingservice and value for the end-user in theform of managed services. And withthese demands often being pushed fromthe end-user’s side our partners need tobe able to rely on ScanSource Europe toprovide them with as much flexibility aspossible in order to ensure they are ableto manage their customers’ projectsmore efficiently. For example, if the end-user would like to have one price perdevice per employee per month of

usage, we can help our partners tofinance this. Some resellers will needexternal help to manage this and that’swhere we come in with our flexibleleasing and financing options.”

In terms of the range of products andsolutions offered by ScanSourceEurope’s POS & Barcoding businessunit, van Rijn comments that the focuswill remain within the AIDC space,together with a heightened focus onPoint of Sale (POS) offerings. “ThePOS marketplace offers a great growthopportunity,” said van Rijn. “There isgrowing interest from vendors to sellthese solutions through a true value-added distribution channel, and thismeans there are sales and serviceopportunities to be had. We also havea lot of reseller partners that want togrow, whether in terms of the numberof vertical sectors they serve or thegeographies they sell into,” he said.“This means they can either sell thesame application to more customers –maybe expanding into differentcountries – or they can take a solutionand adapt it to fit a greater number ofvertical markets. They can also look tosell more solutions to existingcustomers. This may additionallymean that the reseller will look toacquire or partner up with an existingplayer with an already proven footprintin certain geographies, verticals ortechnology areas.”

Van Rijn is keen to stress theimportance of partnership in the wayScanSource approaches its role in thechannel and actively looks to help

resellers find partners that will help themachieve their goals. “Our Partner Tourevents present fantastic networkingopportunities to resellers. We gather ourreseller and key vendor partners in oneplace at one time to discuss the latestmarket and technology trends, and wecan also work through an individualreseller’s business issues during thatface-to-face time. In one afternoon,resellers can meet all the people whoare important to their existing businessand be introduced to new potentialpartners for future activities. And thenwhen they’re back in the office they cansearch on SUMO to find partnershipopportunities all over the world.”

Complexity and scope

Looking at the vertical sectors in whichScanSource currently specialises, vanRijn considers that although demandcan be less predictable than it was fouror five years ago, the principle ROIremains key to end-users. “Many thingshave changed over the ten years sinceScanSource first set foot in Europe interms of the complexity and scope ofprojects, but our resellers’ customersare still looking to improve efficiencyand effectiveness in their daily tasks.For as long as the Auto ID channel canprovide the means for them to achievethat, through the products manufacturedby vendors, the solutions put togetherby resellers and the platform providedby distributors to support projects frominception to completion and evenbeyond, we have some good reasons tobe positive about what we can achievein the future.” n


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Motorola Solutions hasshipped its 5,555,555thLS2208 handheldbarcode scanner provingthat the class leading

device remains popular across Europe,Middle East and Africa. MotorolaSolutions has shipped the device via itsvalue added distribution partnerScansource Europe, to Koncept-L, areseller which specialises in advanceddata capture solutions focused on theretail market in Poland. The LS2208scanner was introduced in May 2003and Motorola Solutions has delivered anaverage of 600,000 devices tocustomers around the World every yearsince, an average of 1700 every day.

The affordable LS2208 handheld barcodescanner is loved because it provides fast,reliable scanning in an ergonomic,lightweight form. The wide working range– from near-contact to 40 centimetres -makes this device ideal for retail, hospital,education or government settings.Multiple on-board interfaces ensureflexible integration with a variety of hostsystems. In the 9 years since it waslaunched, the LS2208 has created its ownmarket and has been sold into all tiers ofretail from large multi-national retailersthrough to the corner shop. The devicehas also been sold into many moreverticals: postal, banking and hospitals. Infact, the LS2208 is suitable for anygeneral purpose scanning environment

where 1D barcodes need to be capturedquickly, accurately and reliably.

Perfect match of features

Przemek Lasocki, president of KonceptL, commented: “The LS2208 offers aperfect match of features, functionalityand affordable price. However thescanner would not have been sosuccessful without another uniquefeature: Motorola’s constant support forthe product. The company’s tech supportand passionate and inventive sales teammake a real difference when comparingthis device with other products. TheLS2208 is a great example of a well-bred, well supported product and we’reproud of having bought the 5,555,555thdevice.”

The LS2208’s durable, single-boardconstruction meeting stringent 5-ft / 1.5mdrop tests while scratch-resistanttempered glass exit window designed for

continuous use. Accurate first-timecapture of 1D barcodes Increasesproductivity, resulting in shorter check-out lines and better customer service

while the device benefits fromintuitive design which minimisessetup and training time. Multipleon-board interfaces simplifiesinstallation and integration andensures future compatibilitywhile plug-and-play, withuniversal cable means rapiddeployment, with a single cableconnecting to any computingenvironment. Ergonomic,lightweight design reduces userfatigue with sleek, balancedform for maximum comfort andproductivity and the hands-freeIntellistand enables presentation

scanning and easy switching betweenhands-free and handheld modes. TheLS2208 is backed by a MotorolaSolutions five year warranty.

Marco Landi, corporate vice presidentEMEA Channels, Motorola Solutions said:“Achieving sales of 1 million devices isalways a great occasion, shipping

5,555,555 of an individual device, as wehave achieved with the LS2208, istherefore very special indeed. MotorolaSolutions is always focused on bringingdevices to market which make adifference to our partners and customersand add value to their businesses. Weare exceptionally proud of the LS2208and the milestone we have reached;shipping over 5 million barcodescanners of one type is a hugeachievement.”

For further information please visit theMotorola Solutions website:www.motorolasolutions.com or view thecompany’s video on the LS2208 at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja77v8spf60&feature=youtu.be


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[Motorola Solutions’] tech support and passionate andinventive sales team make a real difference when comparingthis device with other products.”

– Przemek Lasocki, Koncept L.

“

Still counting: Motorola Solutions

ships 5,555,555th LS2208 handheld barcode scanner

Olaga Krystkiewicz-Latoszek, Motorola accountmanager, left, and Przemek Lasocki, president ofKoncept L, right, celebrate the shipment of MotorolaSolutions’ 5,555,555th LS2208 handheld barcodescanner at the Motorola offices, Warsaw, Poland.

American Golf is a leadingEuropean golf retailer with91 stores throughout theUK and Ireland. Onaverage, American Golf

stores in the UK process 2800transactions per day, worth over£400,000. American Golf recognisesthat the speed and functionality of itsEPoS systems is critical to the successof the business, and that any risk ofslow or faulty EPoS equipment couldresult in large customer queues,dissatisfied consumers and ultimately aloss of custom.

With an in-house IT Supportdepartment of only four employees, allbased just outside of Warrington inCheshire, dispatching staff to locationsacross the UK to undertakemaintenance and installations of EPoSsystems would be costly and timeconsuming, impacting on the IT team’score function of supporting anddeveloping the internal IT systems.

Recognising the need

Head of IT for American Golf, PhilBarker, said: “Seventy five out of ourninety one stores in the UK only haveone EPoS system. If this goes down thesimple fact is we struggle to provide asatisfactory service to our customers.”American Golf recognised the need for

dedicated EPoS support to eradicatethese issues. However, with storesdistributed across the country andservices required on an ad-hoc basis,

it was logistically and financiallyimpractical to directly employ an in-house EPoS support team.

Quicker fix times

American Golf therefore partnered withspecialist EPoS support provider,Esteem Managed Services, formaintenance of its EPoS and back-office computer systems. Esteem wasAmerican Golf’s chosen providerbased on its proven experience insupporting retail organisations togetherwith its ability to commit to extendedhours of support; providing flexibilityand resulting in quicker fix times.

Esteem’s service replicates AmericanGolf’s store opening hours, seven daysa week, and with geographicalcoverage across the UK, an engineer is

reportedly never further than one houraway from any American Golf store.“The most important thing to us is to getsomeone to site within the time frame of

the SLA (Service Level Agreement) andget us up and running ASAP,” explainedBarker. “Esteem fulfils this request,which is why they are essential tokeeping our stores trading.”

Increased employeeproductivity

The services provided by Esteemenable American Golf’s IT team toconcentrate on its primary jobfunctions, thus increasing employeeproductivity. There is also no need todirectly employ a field-based supportteam, achieving cost savings onsalaries and employee expenses.Esteem is also able to provide EPoSloan equipment and new stock wherenecessary; removing the need forAmerican Golf to house and managespare parts.


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American Golf improvesin-store efficiency with help

from Esteem Managed ServicesIn order to remove the need to self-manage its day-to-day EPoS system, retailer

American Golf has partnered with Esteem Managed Services. The result isincreased employee productivity, reduced downtime and maximised revenue intake.

www.itrportal.com

Seventy five out of our ninety one stores in the UK onlyhave one EPoS system. If this goes down the simple fact iswe struggle to provide a satisfactory service to ourcustomers.”

– Phil Barker, American Golf.

“

After a fault is logged with Esteem’sexperienced Service Desk, it isassessed to establish whether theproblem can be fixed on-site. This firstline diagnosis prepares the engineerand means that appropriate spares orloan equipment are taken to site on thefirst visit, ensuring the store isoperational as soon as possible.

Removing the technicalheadache

The added advantage for AmericanGolf of outsourcing its EPoSmaintenance is that Esteem liaisesdirectly with its EPoS hardwareproviders. American Golf’s brand ofEPoS hardware provider is DigiPos, acompany that has a long-standingrelationship with Esteem ManagedServices. Esteem works closely withDigiPos to manage relevant spareparts and jointly identify and resolveproblems, ensuring a completesystem/data restore. This approach

leaves American Golf free toconcentrate on its customers instead ofbeing left with hardware providerstrying to diagnose and resolvetechnical problems.

Responsive partnership

American Golf points out that, for anyadditional ad hoc IT services itrequires, the company knows it canturn to Esteem to do the job efficiently.

For example, when the time came forAmerican Golf to switch Broadbandprovider, Esteem was on hand tochange the routers throughout all of theUK stores. American Golf adds that theservices provided by Esteem not only

represent a cost saving but are also akey driver for increasing customersatisfaction and employee productivity.

Alastair Kitching, sales & marketingdirector for Esteem, said: “Our EPoSsupport service provides AmericanGolf with a solution which makeseconomical and logistical sense. Wework with many companies in the retailsector and understand the importanceof excellent customer service. Our

specialist EPoS engineers’ primaryfocus is to ensure stores areoperational ASAP, limiting anyinconvenience for customers at point ofsale; consequently increasingAmerican Golf’s revenue intake.” n


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Our specialist EPoS engineers’ primary focus is to ensurestores are operational ASAP, limiting any inconvenience forcustomers at point of sale…”

– Alastair Kitching, Esteem.

“

Varlink has now beendistributing Casio productsfor the past six months andreports that the relationshiphas already proven highly

popular with its VAR partner network.For example, one device that hasgenerated strong demand is the CasioIT-9000 handheld device, which waslaunched in early April as areplacement for the IT-3100. The IT-9000 is an IP54 rated, all-in-onehandheld device and thermal printer,providing a full solution for fieldworkers on the move,where printing isrequired on the spot,making it ideal inindustry’s such asparking enforcementand ticketingapplications.

Androidadvantage

Varlink comments thatanother popular Casiodevice within the Varlinkportfolio is the VX-100

Android-based EPoSterminal for the retail andhospitality sector.Varlink’s EPoS businessunit, EPoS Distributor, has beenworking closely with resellers andCasio to select the most suitablesoftware companies to provideAndroid-based software for the VX-100

terminal. Both EPoS Distributor andCasio are now confident they haveselected the most appropriate softwarepartners and can now provide resellerswith a full hardware and Android-basedsolution. According to Varlink andCasio, developing Android into theEPoS market offers a number ofsignificant benefits for the industry;including its power consumptionclaimed to be 85 per cent less thanconventional PC-based systems, andthe fact that the Android platform canprovide thousands of applications that

resellers can tailor tothe individualrequirements of theirend user customers.

And aside from thesenew productdevelopments,existing productswithin the Casioportfolio are adaptingto fit their markets

accordingly, accordingto Mike Pullon, CEO of

Varlink. For example, hecites the DT-X8 handheldterminal, which hasteamed up with Wavelinkto provide their TerminalEmulation (TE) softwarefor warehousingapplications. Thepartnership wasannounced in March andindicates that DT-X8customers can deploy

the TE software across theirhardware offerings. Pullon explains thatexisting users of the DT-X8 will also beable to download the mobility softwareonto the device, updating it to matchthat of the new devices.”

Strengthened businesssolutions arm

Pullon added that this year has alsoseen Casio strengthen its businesssolutions arm by solely relying ondistribution partners to create a marketfor their products. “Varlink benefitedfrom this change back in January whenwe began distributing Casio handhelddevices and Android based EPoSterminals,” he said. “So far this hasbeen a success and resellers who werepreviously direct partners have taken tothe change, understanding the manybenefits of using Varlink as their mainCasio supplier.”

Pullon explained that the newdistribution business model enablesresellers of Casio products to becomepart of the new Casio PartnerProgramme. “This has been launchedto encourage resellers to grow theirbusiness with Casio,” he said, “and,recognising the importance ofpartnerships, it aims to provide all theirresellers with a range of exciting


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Casio’s IT-300 well-established handheldmobile computer.

IT Reseller spoke with Varlinkʼs CEO Mike Pullon, and the companyʼs Casio brandmarketing executive, Lucy Cammiss, about how the value-added distributioncompany is further developing its relationship with vendor partner Casio, with

resultant additional benefits for its channel partners.

Launched in April, the CasioIT-9000 is an IP54 rated, all-in-one handheld device andthermal printer, providing afull solution for field workerson the move.

benefits to support their sales andmarketing activities.” Pullon added thatas Casio customers begin to spendmore with the brand the partner level isincreased and their loyal customrewarded.

Varlink’s own dedicated Casio brandmarketing executive, Lucy Cammiss,works closely with the Casio team toensure resellers get the most out of thebrand. This marketing role entailsproviding resellers with their own end

user-based marketing resources, asPullon explained: “For example, shoulda reseller want to promote the Casiobrand to their contacts, Lucy can assistin the design and creation of minicatalogues, e-shots, adverts, end user-focused PR or anything else a resellermay want assistance with in order toincrease sales of the brand.” Pullonalso pointed out that all resellers thatpurchase Casio through Varlink willhave exclusive access to thisdedicated marketing service.

Cammiss added that Casio is helpingVarlink to diversify its businessofferings in an ever changing marketplace. Currently, this can be seen withits new approach to the EPoS marketwith its Android developments, whilesoon there will also be additionalemphasis given to the tablet PCmarket, which is an area Varlink isconcentrating on heavily as thistechnology continues to make waves inVarlink’s target vertical markets.Cammiss commented: “We are

confident that our relationship withCasio will further develop our presencein the tablet market, particularly as ithas become apparent that hardwareopportunities which we have beenworking on in this area have beenyielding above average margins for ourreseller partners.”

Enhanced incentives

In joint celebration of the Great Britishsummer of sports with the Olympicsand Euro 2012, Casio and Varlink haveteamed up to reward all resellers thatspend a minimum of £7500 in onetransaction on Casio products with afree Casio projector. “The opportunityis on a first-come-first-served basis,meaning that only the first 20 resellersto spend this amount between 6/6/12and 31/8/12 automatically eligible for afree projector worth in excess of£1000,” explained Cammiss. For fulldetails on this promotion, visitwww.varlink.co.uk/casioprojector


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Spend on Casio products with Varlink and you could win a free Casio projector!

T: 01904 717180 E: [email protected] W: www.varlink.co.uk

For full terms and conditions please visit www.varlink.co.uk/casioprojector

Celebrate the Great British Summer of Sport with Casio and Varlink

Casio and Varlink have joined up to offer the fi rst 20 resellers who spend a minimum of £7,500 in one transaction on Casio products, a free Casio projector (part no. XJ-M240-UJ).

Casio’s VX-100 Android EPoS terminal forthe retail and hospitality sector.



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BlueStar hosted itsCopenhagen TechnologySummit recently at the CrownePlaza Hotel in Copenhagen,Denmark. BlueStar created

the Pan-European Technology Summits toallow VARs and ISVs to learn about newsolutions from channel manufacturers anddiscover business developmentopportunities together.

VARs from Denmark, Sweden and Finlandattended the all-day event, learningexclusive details on upcoming productsand services from ISVs across thetechnology solutions industry. BengstSunesson of Identsys RFID Consultingcommented: "I found the BlueStarTechnology Summit in Copenhagen reallyinteresting; I got to see a lot of new productsand solutions from vendors in our industry.There were also some really phenomenalspeakers during the day.”

New developments

Industry expert speakers discussed newdevelopments and innovations in RFID,ADC and other key vertical markets. Globalbrand sponsors showcased new andpopular technology solutions with a focus

on the Nordic region and its specific needs.Jennifer Pintér of Datalogic ADC said:"BlueStar's Technology Summit was an idealvenue for mingling with a broad variety ofresellers and showing off Datalogic's line ofbarcode readers and mobile computers,including our wide range of 2D devices.”

The Copenhagen Technology Summitwas the third in a series of educationaland training events to be hosted across

Europe, uniting vendors and resellerswith the BlueStar team. "We're focusingon the unique educational and trainingaspects of this series," explainedBlueStar's EMEA marketing managerRicard Ferrer. "Summit attendees get theopportunity to gain extensive actionablebusiness intelligence from premierindustry professionals across theregion."

Networking opportunities

In addition to its focus on industryeducation, the all-day CopenhagenTechnology Summit afforded vendors andVARs the opportunity to meet and networkwith potential new partners, building newrelationships to help grow their businessesin 2012 and beyond. "The TechnologySummit in Denmark was a really greatevent," said Jennie Riley of Star Micronics.

"We had the opportunity to meet a lot ofresellers, discuss new businessopportunities and show our complete rangeof receipt printers."

"This series has been extremely popular,"commented BlueStar Nordic marketingmanager Viktor Bergqvist. "Vendors areeager to get the latest information out to theresellers, who themselves are hungry fornew technologies and innovations to growtheir business. The Pan-EuropeanTechnology Summits have been a greatfacilitator in creating and expanding uponsuccessful channel partnerships."

As IT Reseller was going to press, BlueStarwas set to stage another Pan-EuropeanTechnology Summit in Madrid, Spain, withanother Summit scheduled for 25September in Lisbon , Portugal. At theseevents, attendees can experiencenetworking and educational activities,together with the exclusive ‘Tomorrow'sSolutions Rooms’, where resellers haveexclusive access to the newest solutionsavailable. More information and registration is available athttp://eu.bluestarinc.com/eusummits. n

Vendors and thechannel gather for BlueStar'sCopenhagen Technology Summit

Vendors are eager to get the latest information out to theresellers, who themselves are hungry for new technologiesand innovations to grow their business. The Pan-EuropeanTechnology Summits have been a great facilitator in creatingand expanding upon successful channel partnerships."

– Viktor Bergqvist, BlueStar.

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Commera has launched amobile app servicespecifically designed toprovide brands and retailers

with a quick route to market to sell viamobile devices and deepen customerengagement. The latest in eCommera’sTradingEdge family of products, theMobile App Service is a configurableout-of-the-box solution that worksacross multiple mobile devices andoperating systems, including the AppleiOS (iPad and iPhone) and Android-enabled devices, offering retailers theability to serve the majority of potentialcustomers for their products and brandregardless of platform.

The Mobile App Service is madeavailable on a subscription basis,avoiding costly upfront investmentswhile providing access to on-goingfunctional innovations. eCommeracomments that this approach insulates

retailers from the task oftracking and updating theirapplication to cope with newversions of operatingsystems and devices. TheMobile App Service includescross-channel features suchas a store locator with turnby turn directions, in-storestock availability andbarcode scanning to retrieveadditional productinformation or access aproduct video in-store;social functions such assharing a product onFacebook; as well as a fullytransactional mobile store.

Synchronisation

With the Mobile App Service, retailerscan synchronise key aspects of thecustomer journey across channel, so

that customer accountdetails, wish lists, andshopping baskets areavailable anytime,anywhere. The integratedmulti-channel analyticsallow for the analysis ofcustomer behaviour inorder to understand howbest to serve eachcustomer personally.

Andrew McGregor, CEOof eCommera, said: “Theexplosion in mobile and

tablet use has signalled apower shift in retail to the customerwho expects to be able to buywherever and however they like. We’remaking it easier for retailers and brandowners to make a direct connectionwith their customers, to provide anintimacy that will be critical to theirsuccess in a competitive market.” n


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POSitive Technology andRetail Hero, twolongstanding players in theUS Point of Sale retailindustry, have partnered up

to offer Microsoft Dynamics RMScustomer Pictures Plus a POSintegrated customer loyalty rewardssystem called Hero Points. RetailHero's Hero Points for MicrosoftDynamics RMS and POS 2009 is asoftware that allows customers tocollect loyalty points and redeemthem for discounts where the storeowner is given the capability to defineboth collection and redemptionschedules and provide additionalpoints for specific purchases (bonuspoints) and for the new customers(welcome points).

At the POS till during a transaction thesystem detects when the customer hascollected the number of redeemablepoints and automatically prompts thecashier to reward the customer byapplying a discount according to theredemption schedule. Pictures Plus, theHawaiian custom framing specialist,tailored the rewards programme to meetthe needs of its business by creatingthe Pictures Plus Fanatic Card withloyalty points programme. This loyaltyprogramme allows anyone who buysany frame to receive a Pictures PlusFanatic Card, Free. The card qualifiescustomers for added savings onspecially featured products throughoutthe year, plus the ability to earn pointsfor every dollar spent. These points areworth a penny each on future purchases

up to 50 per cent off of the totalpurchase.

Increased customer activity

Charissa Wong, network operationsmanager for Pictures Plus, commented:"When we created our Loyalty Pointsprogramme we had our loyal customersin mind. We wanted to offer our valuedclients the best rewards specialspossible. We wanted to give them anunheard of rate of return on theirspending. Our customers are reallygetting into the loyalty programme…they love it. Since implementing HeroPoints, aka ‘Fanatic Card’, we haveseen a marked increase in repeatcustomer activity.” n

POSitive Technology helpsPictures Plus create keen customers with new

loyalty rewards programme

eCommera launches Mobile AppService for brands and retailers

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Founded in 2006, SysdevMobile Computing is aprivately owned companyspecialising in developmenttools for the mobility market.

Its products allow users to cover themost diverse activities; either indoors(warehouse management, qualitycontrol etc.) or outdoors (enquiries,order registry, technical interventionsetc.). Sysdev’s annual growth hasaveraged at around 15 per cent;reaching an impressive 20 per centover the past year. This growth hasbeen largely due to the company’sstrong international focus; with agrowing presence in many Europeancountries, Australia, the Americancontinent and in the Middle East.

Mobility softwaredevelopment tool

Sysdev offers two main productofferings. The first of these is Kalipso, asoftware development tool for mobilityapplications. This sophisticated mobile

application generator allows users tobuild applications for Windows Mobileand CE, Embedded, XP and 7 in a fastand easy way. There are also plans tointroduce an Android version later thisyear. Sysdev’s international salesmanager, Steven Nieuwstraten,explained that Kalipso is sold directlyto systems integrators or end-userorganisations with their own ITdepartments. It is also available viaSysdev’s authorised distributornetwork. “We sell partly through thedistribution channel because many ofour distributor partners customers arepeople who use Kalipso to developsoftware for their end-user base,” hesaid.

Kalipso is mainly aimed at theprofessional devices market, includingB2B mobile computers and ruggedisedtablet PCs. In terms of core benefits,Nieuwstraten explained that Kalipsoallows Sysdev’s customers toconcentrate on their customer’s coreprocesses without having to spendtime writing lines of code. “WithKalipso, the code is already written forthem,” said Nieuwstraten. “If customershave the required processes in mindthen they can immediately start to buildapplications. It's all drag and drop, andfeatures can be added simply byclicking specific functions withinKalipso. Technologies like barcodereader control, RFID, WebServices,ODBC, Remote Control, eMail, GPSand Signature capture amongst others,are fully integrated in the Kalipsoplatform, so developers don’t need to

spend hours on coding, Kalipsoenables them to easily use thesetechnologies.”

Upgrade

Sysdev recently upgraded Kalipso withthe launch of Version 3.5. “The newversion includes around 30 extrafunctions, including a graphical reportwriter for mobile printers. “All usersneed to do is design their forms likethey would in Word or on screen,”explained Nieuwstraten. “They don'thave to worry about coding printerslanguages like ZPL or CPL; Kalipsosends the report or label as a graphicto a mobile printer and then thedocument is printed immediately.”

No runtime fees

Nieuwstraten added that one of thecore value-added benefits of Kalipso isthat integrators don’t have to pay anyruntime fees. “This means that whenintegrators buy Kalipso they pay fortheir annual support and versionupgrades and that's all,” he remarked.“It doesn’t matter how many projectsthey roll out or how many mobiledevices they install, there are noadditional costs per project. I think thisgives us a strong market edge.”

Voice add-on

In addition to the standard Kalipsopackage, Sysdev offers Kalipso Voice.“This is an add-on to Kalipso andworks within the same development


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Pushing themobility envelope

IT Reseller spoke with Steven Nieuwstraten, internationalsales manager of Sysdev, about the companyʼs softwaredevelopment tools for the mobility market, and the value-

added service offerings available to customers.

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Steven Nieuwstraten: “It doesn’t matter howmany projects [integrators] roll out or howmany mobile devices they install, there areno additional costs per project. I think thisgives us a strong market edge.”

environment,” said Nieuwstraten.“Users who have bought licences forKalipso can easily activate text-to-speech and automatic speechrecognition (ASR).” In the case ofKalipso Voice, Nieuwstraten explainedthat users are required to pay runtimesper terminal, which is common practicein Voice applications.

Mobile Sales System

Sysdev’s other main solutions offeringis the MSS - Mobile Sales System.“This is an easy-to-use and highlyconfigurable Sales and ServiceApplication developed for mobileterminals in order to increase acompany’s sales and technical team’sproductivity and efficiency in thefield,” Nieuwstraten pointed out.Among the many activities covered bythe MSS are: sales force, visit reports,business opportunities, equipment,route-sale, technical services, salesobjectives, and route & schedule.Unlike Kalipso, the MSS Mobile Salessystem is not a development product;rather it has been built to satisfy thehigh level of demand for automatingsales force and pre-sales processes.The MSS is sold purely throughSysdev’s integrator and distributorpartner network; never directly. “Itmakes a lot of practical sense to dothings this way,” said Nieuwstraten.“The distributor can supply theproduct directly to developers andintegrators in order for them toimplement the system for the enduser, and we can supply all the toolsnecessary to enable the integrator to

connect the system to the endcustomer’s ERP system.”

Training

Nieuwstraten explained that Sysdev canprovide its integrator partners with all thebackground training they require. “In thecase of the MSS, normally only one shorttraining session is required,” Nieuwstratenpointed out. “This helps our customers tobecome familiar with the product and itsbenefits, and also helps them toimplement it with an end user’s back-office system, such as ERP or WMS etc.”

UK focus

As well as continuing to expand itspresence within its existing targetgeographical regions, Nieuwstratenexplained that the UK is one of thecompany’s key focuses at the moment.“We really started to gain a majorpresence within the UK during last year,”he said. “A number of integrators in theUK began to buy licences during 2011,and this has continued at anencouraging level into 2012. Kalipsoisn’t the type of product that is sold bythe hundreds, but if we can sustain thecurrent growth rate we consider thatwe’ve done a good job.”

Full customer support

In terms of value-added service,Nieuwstraten makes the point thatSysdev is well-known for the highlyprofessional and reliable level of serviceprovided by its Customer Supportdepartment. “Our average support

response time is less than two workinghours for providing the customer with asolution to his problem, and we offerphone and online support as well,” heexplained. “And in the case of onlinesupport, we can set-up an on linesession and provide integrators or end-customers’ IT teams with instant helpregarding the project they're workingon.”

Cutting edge

In order to continually generate freshand innovative product ideas,Nieuwstraten pointed out that Sysdevregularly recruits new technicalgraduates with good English languageskills, mainly from the local universities.“This helps us remain at the cuttingedge of developing solutions thatperfectly suit the modern developer’sand integrator’s requirements within themobility space.”

Market reflections

In terms of market demand for Sysdev’smobility tools, Nieuwstraten reflects thatthere is currently a strong demand forsolutions that can help developers andintegrators to complete mobility-relatedprojects for their end customersefficiently and within short timeframes.“Kalipso is ideal for this purpose, andwith over 400 integrated functions it canreally take a lot of the pressure off ourcustomers’ developers insofar as it doesthe groundwork for them, including forexample the automatic generation oftechnical documentation,” he said. “Itmakes a lot of sense.” n

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Maxa Technologies(Maxatec) hasannounced theavailability of two mobilecomputing devices with

an Android operating system from theBluebird ‘Pidion’ range. The BM-170enterprise semi-rugged PDA and theBIP-6000MAX rugged handheldcomputer are now available with anAndroid operating system, and softwaredevelopers are being urged to requestinitial units for their applicationdevelopment before first stockdeliveries are exhausted. Android is aLinux based operating system formobile computing devices, includingsmartphones and tablet computers.

The rapid growth of the Android markethas driven many manufacturers ofenterprise mobile computing devices todevelop an Android operating systemplatform, and Bluebird Soft is one of thefirst to the table with the BM-170 andBIP-6000MAX products. With such a

high number of developersfrom the consumer marketnow becoming familiar withthe Android operatingsystem, there is a significantshift in the enterprise worldas Android takes hold. Theopen-source system offers anumber of opportunities tothe B2B market and givesdevelopers flexibility.

Phenomenal growth

Mike Ashcroft, Maxatec’s director oftechnical services, commented: “TheBM-170 and BIP-6000 products nowsupport both Windows Mobile andAndroid OS platform. This will enablecustomers who want to migrate toAndroid the ability to do so, an essentialfeature as enterprise users move fromconsumer smartphones to ruggedhandsets in the field mobility market.The growth of Android has really beenquite phenomenal, and despite some

initial hesitation from the market,both developers andmanufacturers have now showntheir commitment to Androidand we are starting to see

interest and take-up from avariety of sectors.”

Bluebird also plan to release two newproducts into the UK market in the verynear future. The HM40 and 50 will belaunched with the option of Androidoperating system, industry leadingperformance due to new Samsungchipset and improved powermanagement, higher battery capacity,5MP auto focus camera, IP65 sealing,integrated 1D/2D barcode scanner. TheHM40 / 50 will set new industrybenchmarks in terms of price –performance. n

EPoS hardware manufacturerand channel vendor SigmaTouch Solutions has agreeda deal to sell Opticonscanners into the UK reseller

channel. “The partnership allows us tooffer resellers a complete andcompatible EPoS solution basedaround our flagship i700 terminal,” saidTim Van den Branden, director ofSigma Touch Solutions. “Opticon is oneof the most respected names in thescanning market and working closelywith the company will strengthen ouroffering and help us tailor the i700 forthe specific needs of retail andhospitality resellers and end users.”

Additional access

The partnership covers a wide range ofOpticon scanners and mobilecomputers, including the OPI range of

2D handheld barcode scanners, bothcabled and cordless, used in e-ticketing, mobile vouchering and foodretail and the H15 Windows MobileComputer for data collection, stocktaking and price markdown. SteveGibbons, Opticon’s channel managerfor scanner products, said: “Workingwith Sigma Touch gives us additionalaccess to the reseller market servingthe retail trade and aligns us with ahigh quality, innovative EPoS solutionprovider.”

Sigma Touch Solutions launched thei700 in April. The PC-based system,which incorporates a fullyintegrated10” HD customer displayand QR code scanner, is being tippedas a major step forward in theintegration of smartphone loyalty andvouchering technology in the EPoSmarket. It has been designed to

provide businesses with new revenuestreams and ways to engage withcustomers by extending the role ofEPoS into a promotional device,information kiosk and entertainmenthub. n

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Maxatec releases Bluebird‘Pidion’ mobile device with Android OS

Sigma Touch announces Opticon partnership

Bluebird’s BIP-6000MAX ruggedhandheld computer.

Opticon's H15mobile computer.


The enterprise mobility market ischanging. It’s becoming moreconsolidated, more solutions-driven and presents anexciting opportunity for anyone

that can keep up with it. Industry reportscontinue to project steady growth for therugged handheld market but the strongestgrowth opportunity is expected within therugged tablet market. In fact, it is reportedby VDC Research that 55 per cent oforganisations recently surveyed are either

using, currently evaluating or planning todeploy tablets in their business. AsMotorola Solutions has rightly said, it’s timefor tablets to get to work.

With the new ET1 Enterprise Tablet,

Motorola Solutions has clearlydemonstrated its readiness to supportthis growing market opportunity. Unlikeits consumer counterparts, the ET1 hasbeen designed with the enterprise inmind and like the other enterprise readymobile computers in its portfolio, thisdevice will certainly stand the TCO test.

Through this tablet in particular we arenow certainly starting to see theconvergence of technologies that we

have all been expecting for some time.The ET1’s ability to support unifiedcommunications technologies such asvideo conferencing is just one exampleof how this device is opening up newapplications for mobile computing

technology inside the four walls.

If that wasn’t enough, the ET1 supportsMotorola Solutions' HTML5development platform, RhoMobile.Through the suite of tools withinRhoMobile it’s now easier than ever forresellers and ISV partners to developsoftware applications that can be usedby end users across all the hardware intheir business.

Generating demand,maximising opportunity

Whatever the device or technology inquestion, demonstrating how a solutionwill benefit the end user’s business andprovide a return on investment hasalways been an important salesclincher. Raising awareness of newtechnologies, products and solutions issomething that distribution needs toget “hands on” with in order to increasedemand that can be fulfilled throughthe channel.

To support this methodology, Avnet inparticular is investing in demandgeneration campaigns and strategiesthat will increase our partners’ potentialto excel in this market space. Our mostrecent campaign in partnership withMotorola Solutions is a unique video topromote the ET1. Why is it unique?Well, resellers can create their ownpersonalised version, all they have todo is fill in their details on the websitewww.ET1video.com and upload a logoand within seconds they are providedwith the code for their own branded

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Opportunities inenterprise mobility

Ed Bateman, director of the storage, software and wireless mobility business inEMEA for Avnet Technology Solutions, offers his views on the enterprise mobility

space, where the opportunities are and what distribution can do in conjunction withvendors to support resellers in order for them to take advantage of every opportunity.

For the end user, it is now far easier to evaluate whichtechnology partner is the best fit for their requirements and thecomplexity of their project.” “

ET1 in hospitality.

Tour guide to selecting the right service

Accelerating Your Success™

Helping you on the journey to future growth

Together with Motorola Solutions, we can provide the mobility products, service and support you need to grow your business now and in the future.

Finance Marketing Integration Sales support Logistics Software and services.

©2012 Avnet, Inc. All rights reserved. The Avnet Technology Solutions logo is a registered trademark of Avnet Inc.

www.ts.avnet.com/uk/wmob

VALUE ADDED DISTRIBUTOR

Mobile Solutions

video that they can embed on theirwebsite. Web banners and emails canalso be requested by partners topromote the business benefits of theET1 to their customers and prospects.

Empowering partners

Manufacturers’ partner programmescan also provide a range of benefitsand help resellers make the most of thelatest products and solutions. MotorolaSolutions' new partner programme,PartnerEmpower, which launched inApril this year, is an excellent exampleof how vendors are supporting andrewarding their channer partners forthe vital role that they play in deliveringtheir products to the end usercustomer.

Unlike its previous programme andothers in the market, PartnerEmpoweris split into three specific technologytracks. Rather than having access to allMotorola Solutions' product lines,under PartnerEmpower resellers have

access to sell the products in thetechnology track that they elect to

join and are granted a partnerstatus based on their ability to

meet the certification andrevenue contribution criteriafor that specific track.

This new structure offersboth the reseller and the end

user customer enormousadvantages.

Through these new certification levelspartners are able to more effectivelydifferentiate their business in themarket place and demonstrate theirvalue proposition to the end usercustomer. For the end user, it is now fareasier to evaluate which technologypartner is the best fit for theirrequirements and the complexity oftheir project.

The role of distribution

I believe that distribution also has asignificant role to play in helpingvendors and partners to deliversuccessful solutions now and in thefuture. Despite the pressure andtemptation to shop around for the bestdeal on hardware, there are alsoadvantages to working with a singledistribution partner.

It is a priority for Avnet to ensure thatwe are doing everything we can tomake sure our business partners areequipped to capitalise on the marketopportunity. With the range oftechnologies and vendor lines in ourportfolio, I believe we are uniquelypositioned to help our resellersbroaden their product and solutionsoffering with complementarytechnologies that will allow themaccess to a wider world ofopportunities. n



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Ed Bateman: Advantages are to be had in working with a single distribution partner.

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The new solution ensures MintVelvet has a robustcommunications network andconsistent visibility oftransactions and data from all

stores. Stuart Grant, commercial directorat Mint Velvet, said: “We went to marketand decided that Vodat International werethe natural fit and could offer us the

appropriate solution for our business.They have proven experience of workingwith well-known retailers and theirreputation within the market is strong.”

Grant added: “Mint Velvet has grownrapidly over the last three years and ourexisting network infrastructure wasn’t fitfor the future. Communication betweenour stores, data centre, warehouse andhead office is critical to our business, weneed all sites talking together at all timesin order for us to run our business well.”

Ambitious expansion plans

Mint Velvet trades from 91 locationsincluding eight standalone boutiquestores, with an additional three openingsplanned for Spring 2012 in Harrogate,Guildford and Farnham. The companyaims to have 20 to 30 standalone stores inaffluent market town locations. In addition,

Mint Velvet operates 83 concession storesin premium department stores and asuccessful website www.mintvelvet.co.uk.The brand can now be found in every

John Lewis Fashion store. The retailerquickly outgrew its previous solution andis implementing the fully managed Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) networkto support its ambitious expansion plansfor 2012.

Vision for the future

Paul Leybourne, head of sales at VodatInternational, commented: “Mint Velvet isa shining example of a retailer that has avision for the future. We are delighted tohave been chosen as their preferredsupplier and look forward to working withthem in the years to come as theirbusiness continues to thrive.”

Launched in October 2009, the MintVelvet business grew rapidly, with sales of£12 million for the 2010-11 financial year;quadrupling the trading figures achievedin the company’s first year. The businessnow employs 350 people. n


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Mint Velvet selects VodatInternational to support future growth plans

Mint Velvet, the luxury women's clothing retailer and recently listed in the Sunday TimesPwC Profit Track 100 ʻOnes to Recogniseʼ, has selected retail communications solutionprovider, Vodat International, to implement a fully managed network across all stores in abid to improve communication between stores and head office.

VODAT INTERNATIONAL AT A GLANCE

Vodat International specialisesin providing communicationsolutions to enable cross-channel retailing. Vodat’sspecialist knowledge andexperience in retailing enables itto leverage value from each ofits clients’ networks through thedevelopment andimplementation of retail-specificproducts and services, enablingthem to boost revenue throughany channel and improve thecustomer experience. Vodat’sclient base includes 99p Stores,Beaverbrooks, Coast, Dune,East, Fat Face, Jaeger,L.K.Bennett, Spar, WelcomeBreak, Whistles and White Stuff.

[Vodat International] have proven experience of workingwith well-known retailers and their reputation within themarket is strong.”

– Stuart Grant, Mint Velvet.

“

SEPA is Scotland'senvironmental regulator, with1000 personnel in 22 fieldoffices charged withprotecting and improving the

nation's 78,000 square kilometers ofland, which includes 25,000 lochs(lakes) and more than 125,000kilometers of rivers and streams. Nearlythree-quarters of the country's land is inagricultural use, and the country's mostsignificant environmental problem isdiffuse pollution from agriculturalactivities. This is especially true ofScotland's waterways. And while 63 percent of them are rated as being in goodcondition, under the European Union'sWater Framework Directive the Scottishgovernment has committed to raisingthis figure to 98 per cent by 2027.

SEPA has identified 102 ‘prioritycatchments’ – waterway regions thatneed remediation under this ambitiousplan. And the first step is to identify andclassify pollution types and sourcesalong every kilometer of the waterwaysinvolved. That will require some seriouson-the-ground, in-the-field work: SEPAstaff will walk the entire river

network surveying each catchment, andwill also perform farm-scale inspectionsacross Scotland. The first 14 prioritycatchments are scheduled to becompleted by 2015. But all this workmust be done within a current climate ofsevere public-sector spending cuts,which include a 20 per cent reduction instaff.

Dr. Jonathan Bowes is a senior dataanalyst/modeller for SEPA, specialisingin GIS data related to diffuse pollution.As a leader of the data-collection effortsfor this project, he immediately saw amajor problem with the current state ofaffairs – and technology: the massiveamounts of field data required wasbeing collected and recorded by hand.Field staff would have to walk the entirecatchment, recording non-compliantagricultural practices (55 different types)as well as other details such as non-native species and fencingconfigurations ... on paper. Then thedata would have to be organised andentered manually into SEPA's centralcomputer system – an extremely time-

consuming task. Bowesrecognised the potential

advantages of usingtechnology to streamline

the process. "Theanticipated volume of

paperwork involvedin this exercise

triggered theneed for a

fundamentalchange in

the waySEPA collects

data," he said. SEPA

developed a pilot project to test theefficiency and cost savings of usingrugged handheld computers in the field,equipped with project-specific softwarethat would eliminate paper, andpaperwork, from the equation. The SouthEsk Priority Catchment was selected asa pilot area for evaluating digital datacapture technology in parallel withexisting methods.

Finding the best tools for the job

To ensure that the pilot not only provedthe improved efficiency of digital data-gathering but also identified the besttools to use to do it, SEPA searched forthe right resources. SEPA used an open-tender process to select the GeoFieldfield mapping and data collectionsolution from Sigma Seven, and choserugged mobile computers from threedifferent manufacturers to test in fieldtrials. "We selected GeoField as it is fast,lightweight, simple to use and fullycustomisable to SEPA's businessneeds," said Bowes. "Sigma Sevenoffered us a highly attractive,independent approach." Knowing theproject's needs well, SEPA identifiedseveral specific requirements for themobile computers. They needed to be


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Taking a walkalong the bottom line

Scotland's Environment Protection Agency relies on Handheldʼs Algiz 7 ruggedtablet PCs to save money on a long-term field data collection project.

The Algiz 7 highly ruggedised mobile tablet PC from Handheld Group offered everything SEPAneeded; with a 1.6 MHz Intel processor, 64 GB hard drive and 2 GB of RAM. The tablet PC alsofeatures a 7-inch sunlight-readable MaxView touchscreen and running Windows 7, built-in GPS, fullyintegrated wireless communication and a 2-megapixel camera. It weighs just 1.1 kg, and its 2600mAh dual battery pack delivers a full day's work. It is also hot-swappable.

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an all-in-one solution, meaning noauxiliary units or separate pieces. Theyhad to have GPS location accuracywithin 5 meters or less; be shock-, dust-and waterproof; weigh less than 1.2kilograms; have long enough battery lifeto perform for an entire workday in thefield on a single charge; and haveadvanced screen technology.

Those requirements narrowed the field,and the winner that emerged was theAlgiz 7, a highly ruggedised mobiletablet PC from Handheld Group. Thedevice offered everything SEPA needed;with a 1.6 MHz Intel processor, 64 GBhard drive and 2 GB of RAM. The tabletPC also features a 7-inch sunlight-readable MaxView touchscreen andrunning Windows 7, built-in GPS, fullyintegrated wireless communication anda 2-megapixel camera. It weighs just 1.1kg, and its 2600 mAh dual battery packdelivers a full day's work. It is also hot-swappable.

Workers dispersed throughout the SouthEsk catchment, gathering data alongwaterways using their tablets andsoftware, assessing agricultural pollutionsources as well as other water-qualityimpacts caused by factors includingriver engineering, non-native speciesand also good practice. A separateteam surveyed the same area using penand paper. And the results exemplifiedthe reasons listed at the beginning ofthis article. GeoField's customisedsoftware interface removes unnecessaryfields and functions; ensuring datacollection is consistent across all

workers and highly accurate. SigmaSeven's consultative, task-orientedapproach encouraged SEPA fieldoperations staff to provide invaluablefeedback from the trials allowing SEPAto fine tune its solution which in turnimproved performance of the system inthe field. "Working with Sigma Seven hasallowed us to iterate through thedevelopment of the application to allowus to firm up the way it would look,"explained Bowes.

Electronic data collection virtuallyeliminates typos and errors, as well asproblems with writing legibility, loss ofwriting utensils and the effects ofweather on paperwork. SEPA reportedthat the trial has allowed experiencedfield staff to use the system 'in anger' ina range of challenging conditions suchas: rainy and muddy uplandcatchments, jumping fences and walls,being dropped and bashed, densevegetation and in steep canyonisedsections of rivers. The data is securewithin the ruggedized Algiz 7 hardware.Information is gathered and recorded inreal-time, and uploaded nearlyimmediately into SEPA systems, whichcan easily and automatically createreports and maps, as well as a full audittrail.

The process is now easier, faster, moreaccurate and more secure, but whatdoes that mean in the true test –savings? SEPA was able to compare theSouth Esk catchment work with mobilecomputers to paper-based working,using a direct comparison of walking400 kilometers of waterways using eachmethod. The time savings were startling.In the paper-based procedure,collecting data into field maps took theequivalent of 16 days of labour time;converting data to a spreadsheet tooknine days; scanning the field maps intoPDFs took 10 days; and importing thespreadsheet data into the SEPA GISsystem took 10 days. Total timeexpended (and paid for): 45.5 days, androughly £8000 in labour costs. The samedata collection and processing using themobile technology – from walking in thefield to integration into the GIS system –took eight days of labour time, total. Thatrepresents a savings of more than 80per cent in labour costs - or

approximately £6400. To put that into thecontext of the first project segment ofjust 14 priority catchments, theestimated labour savings are £708,000.Projecting that to the entire project of102 catchments, the savings could besubstantial.

Evaluation straight from the field

Of course, focusing on cost savings ismeaningless if the new technology isn'tuseful and the new process isn'teffective. SEPA has found the newsystem of data capture and storagegreatly accelerates the process ofenvironmental improvement. SEPAcaptures and stores field data quicker,cleaner but most importantly it candeliver survey and audit results back outto regulatory and science staff desktopsvia internal web-based GIS applications.It is here where non-compliance issuescan be rectified with landowners muchmore rapidly which theoretically bringsfaster environmental response. "Thewhole cycle speeds up,” summarisedBowes.

The feedback from the field has beenhighly positive. SEPA reports thatworkers have found the Algiz 7 tablets tobe "usable and effective in day-longoperation in rugged and remote terrain.And the digital data capture on maps isan efficient, accurate, robust and easy-to-use alternative to paper-basedrecording”. The agency's officialfeedback report also comments that theAlgiz 7 is "lightweight, and a perfect fitfor your hand," that the MaxView screenoffers "excellent performance in directsunlight, with minimal reflection," andthat the battery life allows workers to"easily get a full day of use with GPS onone charge”.

The pilot project has pointed the way toa streamlined future for SEPA's pollution-assessment initiative. After assessingapproximately 12,000 kilometers ofrivers using the traditional paperworkapproach, SEPA is now transitioning to apurely digital capture system around 26Algiz 7 tablets combined with theGeoField Exchange software that willintegrate with SEPA's enterprise Oracleand spatial databases. n


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“It’s been a tumultuous ride over thepast 20 years,” remarked Mike Gifford,co-founder and executive vicepresident at Socket Mobile, “and as themarket had its ups and downs, so didwe.” Gifford believes the key to thecompany’s longevity has been itsability to accommodate and adapt tothese changes. “As a result, we aremore focused on our current productsthan we’ve ever been,” he continued.“I’m proud to say that we’ve stayed trueto our vision from inception. We lookforward to another decade of meetingthe needs of mobile workers as themarket continues to expand andevolve.”

Small and powerful

The latest product to meet those needsis the SoMo 655. The small yetpowerful device expands upon SocketMobile’s award-winning SoMo 650 lineof handheld devices and affirms thecompany’s dedication to the handhelddevice space by addressing theincreasing demands of mobileprofessionals. Vince Coli, seniorhandheld computer product manager,at Socket Mobile, said: “Socket Mobileis committed to meeting our customers’needs, and the SoMo 655 incorporatesmany new features, including improvedcharging and durability, 4 GB memoryand enterprise-level 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fiwireless technology, specificallyrequested by our customers.”

Proven reliability

Coli continued: “With more than 50,000devices already shipped to healthcareinstitutions, restaurants and other endusers, the SoMo 650 has proven

reliability in business deployments. Thenew SoMo 655 not only providesenhanced features, but also helpsenterprises maximise ROI with a longexpected life of three to five years andprofessional service and supportoptions.”

Part of the reason for Socket’s ongoingsuccess is the relationship built withMicrosoft over the past few years.David Wurster, senior product managerfor Windows Embedded, at Microsoftcommented: “With Microsoft’s trusted

platforms leveraged on devices frommanufacturers like Socket Mobile,enterprises can benefit from a diversearray of solutions to supportspecialised devices across the retailand healthcare industries.” With the

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Adapting to change Since 1992, Socket Mobile has built an extensive suite of portable computing, data

collection and remote networking hardware. These offerings have helped healthcare,hospitality, retail, and other industries worldwide meet the demands of a growing

mobile workforce while eliminating manual processes and maximising efficiency inmission-critical business applications.

www.itrportal.comIT RESELLER – JUNE 201232

“The new SoMo 655 not only provides enhancedfeatures, but also helps enterprises maximise ROI with along expected life of three to five years and professionalservice and support options.”

– Vince Coli, Socket Mobile.

In just 20 years, the constant evolution of operatingsystems, processors, memory, storage, screens, GPS,cameras, the Internet and, most important, end-usertechnology adoption, have transformed what used to besimple notebooks – that lacked network connectivity – intothe slick, fully integrated smartphones, tablets and handheldcomputers of today.”

– Mike Gifford, Socket Mobile.

“

recent withdrawal from the market ofthe HP iPAQ range, Socket Mobile isconfident that it is now well-placed withthe SoMo 655 to provide a reliable,robust and cost-effective alternativemobile solution to its core markets:healthcare, retail and hospitality.

Constant evolution

The release of the SoMo 655 comes atan exciting time for Socket Mobile,particularly as this year it celebrates its20th anniversary. “We couldn’t havepicked a more dynamic marketsegment or a more exciting time to bea part of it,” said Gifford. “In just 20years, the constant evolution ofoperating systems, processors,memory, storage, screens, GPS,cameras, the Internet and, most

important, end-user technologyadoption, have transformed what usedto be simple notebooks – that lackednetwork connectivity – into the slick,fully integrated smartphones, tablets

and handheld computers of today.”With the SoMo 655 at the heart of asolid family of products, Socket Mobilereports that it is looking forward to theopportunities that lie ahead. n

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With Microsoft’s trusted platforms leveraged on devicesfrom manufacturers like Socket Mobile, enterprises canbenefit from a diverse array of solutions to support specialiseddevices across the retail and healthcare industries.”

– David Wurster, Microsoft.

“


CASE STUDY

Alatoni is a British

manufacturer and supplier

that has specialised in the

production of

Mediterranean foods. The

company was founded in 1995 in the

town of Bicester and is well-known

throughout the country for its marinated

olives and other fine specialities from all

over the Mediterranean. Products such

as tomatoes, mushrooms, feta cheese

and, above all, olives are marinated and

packaged to the highest technical

standards in the company’s purpose-built

nut-free factory. Alatoni has become an

important supplier of Britain’s largest

supermarkets.

Due to the growth in the market for

Mediterranean specialities, Alatoni has

expanded its production continuously

over recent years. The company has not

just focused on creating new products,

but has also looked at implementing fast

and error-free packaging and delivery

processes. Simply increasing production

would not ensure that supermarkets and

delicatessens received the correct

supplies in the minimum amount of time.

The packaging of orders and fast, error-

free labelling of shipping carton boxes

became much more important.

Unnecessary personneland material costs

An analysis of the company’s existing

processes showed that, especially in

these areas, there was a considerable

scope for optimising processes. For

example, it became clear that labelling

errors occurred repeatedly because the

labels were printed several days before

actual production. These were often

applied to the wrong cartons causing

unnecessary, expensive material waste

as well as shipment delays. Moreover,

workers had to be drafted in from other

important areas of the business, such as

production or product

development, in order to provide

adequate resources for

manufacturing the labels

required over the following few

days. “These processes were

extremely inefficient,” said Roy

Buchanan, factory manager at

Alatoni, summarising the

consequences. “The costs

incurred due to the extensive

overtime worked by our

employees and material waste

could have been avoided. In

addition, the delays in delivering our

products could also have done

permanent damage to customer

satisfaction. In the worst case scenario,

this would have resulted in a loss of

revenues.”

To eliminate the weaknesses in the

system and create more efficient

processes, the company decided to

equip two packaging lines with high

performance printer applicators. The

project managers had specific

requirements for the solution: first, it was

necessary to end the process of

producing labels in advance in order to

avoid personnel costs due to overtime

claims. Secondly, the solution should

minimise the waste of materials and

significantly speed up the labelling

process so that products could be

dispatched to customers more quickly.

As space was limited in the room where

the two machines were to be installed,

the solution would have to be compact.

High performance printerapplicator with integratedprint engine

The company selected the P100 printer

applicator from British manufacturer

Codeology with an integrated A-Class

print engine from Datamax-O’Neil. The

solution impressed Alatoni’s project

managers with its outstanding

performance and reliability and also

scored high due to its compact design

when compared with other systems. With

a width of just 875 mm including an

integrated conveyor, it projects less than

one metre into the narrow room. In spite

of this, Codeology had to develop an

opposite hand version in order to be able

to install two machines in the given area.

“This ensured that we could optimise the

space used so there would be no

obstructions despite the tight space

available,” explained Buchanan.

Codeology delivered the standard

version of the P100 within one week and

even the design, production and

Alatoni optimises labellingprocesses with the A-Classprint engine from Datamax-O’Neil

Alatoni selected the P100 printerapplicator from Codeology with an

integrated A-Class print engine fromDatamax-O’Neil.


CASE STUDY

www.itrportal.com

installation of the opposite-hand machine

version was completed after just four

weeks. Both systems incorporate the

Datamax-O’Neil A-Class print engine,

which was specially designed for

integration into printer applicators and

offers the capacity required for

manufacturing large quantities of labels

due to its fast throughput of print material.

As well as high performance and easy

operation, the unit has a number of

impressive and innovative design

features. For example, it has a stainless

steel cabinet, which permits continuous

availability even in rugged and extreme

environments. Furthermore, the modular

design of the A-Class makes servicing

and maintenance simple. Normal wearing

parts, such as print heads, can be

replaced quickly and easily and

accessories cleaned with relative ease.

The unit’s LAN connection as well as

parallel, serial and USB ports offer

efficient data transmission and effortless

integration into existing IT systems.

Incorrect labellingproblem solved

Installing the P100 with the A-Class print

engines has allowed Alatoni to eliminate the

weaknesses in its processes. The

improvements achieved in the area of

labelling have been particularly significant.

The number of incorrectly attached labels

and wastage of materials have been

minimised. Labels are now no longer printed

several days in advance but on-demand by

the A-Class print engine when the

corresponding carton passes through the

system. The labels are applied as soon as

they have been printed. This allows Alatoni

to label between 5000 and 7000 shipping

cartons every day without the assistance of

employees from other areas of the company.

The result: lower costs and a noticeable

increase in productivity. Importantly, fast,

error-free labelling not only makes it

possible to adjust the production volume

to meet the rising demand. It also means

there are no longer any problems in

supplying supermarkets punctually with

Mediterranean specialities. Alatoni has

therefore succeeded in raising customer

satisfaction once again.

The high reliability of both the P100 printer

applicator and the A-Class print engine

also virtually excludes the possibility of

system downtimes. Lost revenues due to

flawed packaging and labelling processes

have been consigned to the history books.

On the contrary: using this modern system

has even allowed Alatoni to increase its

revenues. Buchanan concluded: “We are

very satisfied with our decision to purchase

the P100 with integrated A-Class print

engine. The solution has eliminated a

number of weaknesses and optimised our

processes allowing us to focus on

important areas of our business such as

product development – so we can remain

a reliable and innovative supplier to

Britain’s major supermarkets and

delicatessens.” n

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, fi eld 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 mid-range printer, the I-Class Mark II provides lower operating costs and fl awless 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 00www.datamax-oneil.com

20% Faster Print Speed 44% Faster Processing 50% More Memory 61% Lower Power Consumption

your chanceof finding a better printer0%

www.itrportal.com

PRODUCT NEWS

Zebra Technologies unveilsnew printer series

Zebra Technologies Corporation

has announced the release of

the ZT200 printer series, a new

line of printers intended for

light industrial and commercial

applications. The new series offers

advanced printer integration capabilities

and complete device management.

Richard Hughes-Rowlands, EMEA product

manager for Zebra Technologies,

commented: “Zebra’s ZT200 series

highlights our commitment to meet the

ever-changing needs of our customers by

providing solutions that will increase

productivity and drive efficiency. From the

design to the features, these latest

offerings address the pain points of our

customers while providing them with a

reliable platform that can be updated in the

field. We are excited to offer this series of

industrial printers as they are fast, easy to

use, and compatible in a multitude of

environments, including those with existing

printers and systems.”

The ZT200 tabletop printers allow

organisations to improve efficiency in a

variety of verticals. Some of the

specific uses include:

• Manufacturing – light work-in-

process tracking, inventory

management.

• Transportation & logistics – order

picking and packing, shipping and

receiving, and compliance labelling.

• Retail – warehouse logistics and back-

of-store applications.

• Healthcare – specimen labelling and

pharmacy labelling.

Hughes-Rowlands continued: “This is an

exciting time for barcode printers and other

AIDC technologies as new adopters are

turning to these technologies. The ZT200

answers the market need of small and

medium-sized businesses interested in

these technologies to increase business

efficiencies. We are thrilled to bring

this product to customers around the

world via our strategic alliances and

industry-leading channel partners.”

Zebra reports that the new line of

printers fit into customers’ existing

enterprises and is durable and able

to withstand harsh environments.

Also, the ZT200 series helps limit

ownership costs and maximises

printer uptime because it is easy to

connect to the network and maintain

without the use of tools while the intuitive

user interface simplifies the user’s learning

curve for the product. In addition, the

ZT200 printers address a number of

customer needs with its design, which is a

smaller size to fit into crowded workspaces

and which features a bi-fold door, making it

easier to change the media when the

printer is used in a cramped space.

“Our testing of the ZT200 printer was very

positive; we particularly like the size of the

new printer and the reduction in space

needed to reload supplies,” said Madhav

Rao, CIO, Lulu Group, one of the largest

retail chains in the Gulf region. Zebra is

now offering the ZT200 printer series

globally. n

36 IT RESELLER – JUNE 2012

Our testing of the ZT200 printer was very positive; weparticularly like the size of the new printer and the reductionin space needed to reload supplies.”

– Madhav Rao, Lulu Group.

“

Zebra Technologies at a glance

Zebra Technologies Corporationoffers technologies that give avirtual voice to an organisation’sassets, people and transactions,enabling organisations to unlockgreater business value. Thecompany’s wide portfolio ofmarking and printing technologies– including RFID and real-timelocation solutions – illuminatesmission-critical information to helpcustomers take smarter businessactions.

The Zebra ZT220.

The Zebra ZT230.


As part of its adoption of the

EMV standards, Bank Al

Bilad, a major financial

institution in Saudi Arabia,

has decided to use Evolis

card printers to deliver its debit cards with

graphic personalisation and data

encoding. Part of the bank’s new instant

issuance environment, these printers are

seamlessly interfaced with the Dexxis

Instant Issuance solution from Gemalto.

Positive bottom-line impact For Bank Al Bilad, the Evolis Dualys

solution reportedly offers a number of

important benefits. The card

personalisation process is speedily carried

out, with services and features that

match the requirements of customers

that request their card at any

branch. Consequently, the

overall card activation rate has

recorded a significant

increase, demonstrating a

positive impact on the

bottom line.

This new infrastructure

has helped in deploying

a smart card delivery

environment that can

boast top performance

and modern features

while safeguarding against

theft, loss or other issues that can

be experienced with the traditional

centralised card personalisation model.

The solution has been deployed in 100

branches of Bank Al Bilad, instantly issuing

around 2000 cards per day. This project

has successfully rolled out by El Ajou

Group, Evolis’ local partner and a value

added provider of Office Automation

Equipment and Computer Technologies.

To ensure the graphics and electrical

personalisation of their payment cards,

several large global players in the instant

issuance market leverage the strengths

and capabilities of the Evolis

Dualys printer,

designed to

personalise multi-feature cards on both

sides.

Enhanced performance Evolis has recently integrated the

Gemalto GEM PC USB TR encoder

housed in its Dualys printer, to provide

financial institutions with cutting-edge

personalisation and enhanced

performance efficiency and reliability.

Dualys has been deployed by a

large number of banking and

financial institutions worldwide. n

CASE STUDY

Saudi Bank, Al Bilad, selects Evolis cardprinters to personalise payment cards

Evolis at a glanceEvolis designs, manufactures and markets a complete range of solutionsfor plastic cards personalisation. These printers seamlessly integrate all theoptions necessary for bringing graphic, magnetic and electronicpersonalisation (smart cards, with contact and contactless RFIDtechnology) to any type of cards (transit passes, student IDs, paymentcards, loyalty cards etc.) Based in France, with subsidiaries in Miami (USA)and Singapore, Evolis has reported revenues of 44.4 million euro in 2011.Since 1 January 2012 Evolis has marketed a complete range of cardaccessories through the Sogedex Accessories subsidiary. Evolis has aworkforce of 175 and is represented in 125 countries worldwide.

To ensure the graphics andelectrical personalisation of

their payment cards, severallarge global players in the

instant issuance marketleverage the strengths and

capabilities of the EvolisDualys printer, designed to

personalise multi-featurecards on both sides.

This new infrastructure has helped in deploying a smartcard delivery environment that can boast top performanceand modern features while safeguarding against theft, loss orother issues that can be experienced with the traditionalcentralised card personalisation model.”

“


Document/Storage Management Interview

www.itrportal.com

Cloud storage services provider,

Livedrive, was established four

years ago by Andrew Michael,

the founder of successful

hosting business Fasthosts.

After selling Fasthosts in 2008 he founded

Livedrive in December of the same year. The

company now has over 500,000 paying

customers around the world, and has

received a number of accolades such as the

Computer Active Best Online Backup Buy It

award and the Web User Gold Award.

Livedrive has significant partnerships with

some of the world's leading retailers, bringing

Cloud storage and online backup to the

mass market The company provides online

backup services to PC World, Currys and

Dixons in the UK – which are sold under

Livedrive’s Knowhow brand – and to

CompUSA and TigerDirect in the US.

The idea for Livedrive came to Michael

because he had always felt it unnecessary

for individuals and organisations to

carry large amounts of data around

on USB sticks or store data on their

home or office computers. In being

an early believer in the concept of

Cloud storage, he secured a

valuable head start in a

marketplace that is now fast

becoming a highly popular

technology area.

Cloud storage services

Livedrive currently offers 3 different packages

for the home user and also Business

packages aimed at SMEs. All of these

packages are available

to be resold through the

Livedrive reseller

programme.

Backup: This offers a

simple answer to a

complicated problem.

The Livedrive Backup

package simply backs

up automatically folders

on your PC or Mac which can be retrieved

from the Livedrive cloud when needed. If any

extra files or changes are made within your

chosen folders these are automatically

backed up also. Off-site Cloud backup is

much cheaper, quicker and safer than

traditional hard drive or tape backup.

Briefcase: This is Livedrive’s cloud sync

package and enables users to sync their files

between unlimited computers. Livedrive also

has apps for the iPhone and Android which

enables streaming and access to files on the

go. Livedrive Briefcase also has the facility to

“I think that over the next few years on-premise storage ofpersonal and company data will become almost completelyreplaced by the Cloud option as more and more peopleunderstand the concept and its benefits.”

– Duncan Binnie, Livedrive.

Storehouse of channelbenefits Cloud storage technology is changing the way people access their files, photos,music, videos and other digital content. It is also changing the way businesses storeand access their data. IT Reseller spoke with Duncan Binnie, marketing manager forCloud storage provider Livedrive, about the benefits of utilising storage space on theInternet, as well as the attractive channel opportunities to be had by becoming aLivedrive channel partner.

SELL ONLINEBACKUP TO YOURCUSTOMERSJust £39.95 per month for an unlimited number of customers

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Document/Storage Management Interview

store files online only enabling archiving and

freeing storage on hard drives.

Pro Suite: This package combines both

Briefcase and Backup as well as more space

and extra features. Pro Suite users can

backup up to 5 computers and well as

having access to a 5TB Briefcase Cloud

sync drive. Pro Suite also enables use of FTP

to upload files.

Business: The Livedrive Business combines

all the features of Livedrive in an easy to use

package highly suitable for small businesses.

An administrator can set up separate

accounts for every person in the company

but still has access to all the users accounts

as well as being able to set permissions for

different folders for different people within the

company. This enables it to be centrally

managed as well as making it easy for

colleagues to collaborate and share data.

Using Livedrive Business companies can

replace their traditional network drives and

tape backups with a Cloud solution.

[subhead] Reseller incentives

As regards Livedrive channel opportunities,

the company’s marketing manager, Duncan

Binnie, explained that there are a number of

compelling reasons for resellers to become

partners; whether they are web designers,

system integrators or general entrepreneurs.

Binnie pointed out that as a member of the

Livedrive reseller programme, a company

can start selling online backup, remote

access and Cloud storage to its end user

customer base straightaway. He added that

resellers receive a complete toolbox to

customise, procure and manage customer

accounts. Livedrive Backup accounts are

free for authorised resellers

and they can create as

many backup accounts as

they wish; all included within

a fixed monthly fee of

£39.95. By becoming a part

of the Livedrive reseller

programme companies can

sell Livedrive’s Backup,

Briefcase, Suite or Business

products to their end

customers. They can also

customise each package –

turn features on and off, manage the space

each customer can use and see how much

of their allocated space they are using.

Flexible branding

Binnie also explained that Livedrive resellers

have the flexibility of either selling Cloud

storage packages branded as Livedrive, or

adding their own brand alongside Livedrive’s.

They can even brand everything in their own

name (white-label branding). Binnie maintains

that this white-label option is an industry first,

allowing Livedrive resellers to change every

image, string, caption and more within

Livedrive’s Windows, Mac, Web and mobile

apps. “We believe the Livedrive reseller

model is quite unique in the industry because

it enables our partners to create and sell an

unlimited number of backup accounts for a

flat fee,” said Binnie. “Most other reseller

programmes operate as almost like an

affiliate programme where you pay a certain

amount per account as a percentage of the

company and then you only make the

margin on that. With the Livedrive

programme, however, there is simply the

£39.95 monthly fee.”

No direct selling

Binnie explains that resellers

also have complete control

from their own portal. They

can procure new accounts

instantly, manage and

update customer accounts,

control white labelling and

branding, and access

Livedrive’s dedicated

reseller support centre.

Binnie also stresses that Livedrive never sells

directly to the end customer. “So, as a

Livedrive reseller, your customers remain

your own,” he said. “We will never contact

your customers for any reason.”

Binnie added that, unlike the majority of

Cloud storage providers, Livedrive maintains

its own storage infrastructure rather than

relying on third-party storage systems such

as Amazon S3. “This enables us to offer

more flexibility both in terms of offering

cheaper storage and more features to our

users,” he said. Binnie also commented that

unlike most Cloud storage providers which

are based in the US, Livedrive offers the

facility to store data only in the UK. “This is

particularly useful for many UK-based

businesses,” he said.

Attractive value proposition

Binnie concluded: “I think that over the next

few years on-premise storage of personal

and company data will become almost

completely replaced by the Cloud option as

more and more people understand the

concept and its benefits. It’s not just that

Cloud storage is secure, there for as long as

it’s required, and able to offer near-unlimited

storage capacity, it’s also attractive because

people and companies no longer need to

maintain and upgrade their own servers and

the data stored on them. This has to be an

attractive value proposition for resellers and

their end customers.” n

www.itrportal.com

G2S Toolshop selects AsigraCloud Backup


G2S Toolshop, a distributor of

professional tools and

equipment throughout

Canada, has selected Asigra

Cloud Backup delivered as a

service by Telsist. G2S Toolshop chose the

Asigra platform for comprehensive and

continuous protection of all business data

across all computing endpoints.

Established in 1988, G2S Toolshop serves

automotive and industrial aftermarket

retailers as well as mobile jobbers located

across Canada. The company strives to

fulfil the expectations of clients by

understanding their needs and constantly

evolving to meet demands as the market

develops. Prior to selecting Telsist Cloud

Backup managed services powered by

Asigra, G2S was using an online backup

solution that lacked the ability to

adequately protect its SQL Server

environment. Before that, G2S was using

tape-based backup which was time-

consuming to manage and lacked the

ability to efficiently perform remote backup

and recovery. After an extensive search of

more robust data protection solutions,

Asigra was selected for its feature-rich

platform to protect the company’s growing

list of business critical data.

G2S maintains an all Windows IT environment

and has configured Asigra Cloud Backup to

protect all computing systems, including

application servers and Windows OS

desktops. G2S was especially interested in

protecting its SQL Server database,

accounting application data and volumes of

unstructured file data. With the Telsist

managed solution in place, G2S currently

protects 30 gigabytes of data with Asigra’s

local and remote recovery capabilities.

Device-agnostic

According to G2S Toolshop, one of the main

reasons it chose Telsist and Asigra was

because the companies offered a greater

number of business oriented features.

Additionally, the device-agnostic solution

provided for the protection of all computing

systems and the broadest range of business

application data. Add in remote recovery and

automated always-on protection and this

provided an unbeatable combination that

more than meets the company’s data

protection needs.

Elvira Bracci, marketing director for Telsist,

said: “Like many organisations, G2S has

found that automated Cloud backup

supported by a knowledgeable backup

services team to be a high-value alternative

to adding IT in-house resources for backup

and disaster recovery (DR) management.

Customers like G2S also get the latest

technology without the need to deploy,

manage and maintain the process so that all

critical data is recoverable when required.”

So far, G2S has had to conduct one file-level

recovery, which was performed without a

substantial time requirement. The same

action using tape could reportedly have

taken ten times the amount of time. Key

advantages of Asigra Cloud Backup for G2S

include:

• Remote backup with user-enabled

recovery.

• End-to-end protection of all computing

systems.

• Ability to recover the broadest range of

business application data, including SQL

Server.

• Hands-free operation managed by

professional backup service provider.

Document/Storage ManagementCase Study

Kodak has launched its latest

development in desktop

document capture—the Kodak

Scanmate i940 Scanner.

Powerful, portable and

productive, the compact Cloud-connected

scanner quickly and simply converts paper

documents into dynamic digital files for

distribution and sharing. Easy-to-use

features make it a perfect fit for the business

professional in the office or on the go.

Hauke Fast, EAMER product marketing

manager, Kodak Document Imaging, said:

“The Scanmate i940 Scanner comes

standard with smart options that make it

easy for users to collect and manage

content. It is a convenient option for either

office use or business travel thanks to a

lightweight, space-saving design. The

combination of speed and simplicity

enables businesses of all sizes to deploy

desktop capture across their workforce.”

With speeds of up to 20 pages per minute

(in double sided scanning 40 images per

minute), and resolutions of up to 600 dpi, it

reliably captures documents in colour,

grayscale or black&white. A high-capacity

automatic document feeder can handle a

wide variety of media

between DIN-A4 and

business cards and

features an exclusive

hard card feeder.

The i940, an evolution of

the award-winning Kodak

Scanmate i920 Scanner,

includes both TWAIN and

ISIS driver compatibility

for easy setup and

integration with usersʼ

existing systems and

software programs. The

new USB-powered

feature extends the

i940ʼs mobility by allowing users to power

the scanner solely via the USB port on their

computer. Later in 2012, the i940M Scanner

will debut as the first Kodak Scanner to

offer MAC OS compatibility.

Users of the i940 can upload scanned

documents to the cloud through new

connectivity to Evernote, Box.Net, Go-

Docs, and Microsoft Sharepoint Server to

improve teamwork, and sharing of

documents with colleagues or customers.

Kodakʼs Smart Touch functionality

delivers ease of use

and greater productivity

to the initial point of

capture with one-button

file distribution. Smart

Touch allows users to

move files, such as

JPEG, TIFF, Word and

single- or multi-page

searchable PDFs,

directly into email,

Microsoft Sharepoint or

Cloud servers,

networked folders and

other software

applications.

Kodakʼs Perfect Page

Technology provides built-in image

enhancement tools that result in high quality

images with crisp text and bright colours.

Even the most challenging and mixed

document types, can be scanned without the

need to change the scanner settings.

Images from a variety of documents and

media are adjusted and treated with a

number of advanced features, including

deskew, image rotation, content-based blank

page removal, electronic colour dropout and

automatic brightness and contrast to improve

the readability. n

Kyocera Document Solutions

Europe has unveiled two new

Ecosys monochrome A3 MFPs

– the FS-6525MFP and the FS-

6530MFP. The MFPs are said

to be easy to install and maintain, making

them ideal in areas where service staff are

not immediately available, such as remote

or highly secured locations. The FS-

6525MFP and the FS-6530MFP offer great

functionality for offices producing low print

volumes and their small physical footprint is

perfect where space is limited.

Advanced workflows that need more steps to

be carried out are easy to customise and

install with the newly integrated HyPAS*

technology. Both MFPs benefit from this

powerful and scalable solution platform that

delivers easily customisable workflows. Apart

from individual developments customers can

use well known applications such as

language select, fax connect and Mail2Me

which suit innovative customer processes.

The easy to operate devices have wizard

navigation to aid set-up and offer great

usability for typical activities, such as ʻscan

to emailʼ, which significantly reduces user

error and time spent carrying out jobs at the

device. Noriko Ishii, product manager at

Kyocera Document Solutions Europe,

explained the rationale behind the new

devices: “In todayʼs economic climate our

customers need professional A3 MFP

functionality wherever they are. The

affordably priced FS-6525MFP and FS-

6530MFP are robust and easy to operate.

They have adopted the award-winning

reliability of Kyoceraʼs FS-6025MFP and

FS-6030MFP devices which received BLIʼs

Pick of the Year 2011 and Highly

Recommended Awards. We aim to build on

the success of our previous models with the

integration of HyPAS and improved ecology

standards.”

*requires a compact flash card


Document/Storage Management Product news

www.itrportal.com

Kodak Scanmate i940 powers upproductivity with robust scanning to the Cloud

Kyocera launches customisable A3 MFPs

In this article, I am not going to dwell on

UPS topologies as this subject has

already been widely covered and most

leading manufacturers offer

downloadable guides to topology

selection. Suffice to say that, in IT

applications, an on-line topology will in

almost every case be the best choice,

although other topologies, such as line

interactive, are sometimes suitable.

But what size should the UPS be? To

answer this question, the key points that

have to be considered are the configuration

of the UPS installation, the size of the load,

the required runtime, the possibility of

future expansion, and resilience. Let’s take

these factors in order, while noting that they

are, to some extent, interdependent. There

are two main options for the way that UPS

systems are configured: either each server

rack is fitted with its own individual UPS – a

decentralised UPS system – or one large

UPS is used to supply multiple racks – a

centralised UPS system. The first approach

has the benefit of easy expandability, but

the UPS’s do occupy potentially valuable

space in the racks.

The second approach typically allows the

UPS to be located in less valuable grey

space, such as an electrical switchroom,

but careful consideration must be given to

how easy it will be to expand the UPS

system, should the need arise. Once the

basic configuration of the system has been

determined, assessing the size of the load

is, in principle, a relatively straightforward

matter of taking the loading information

from the rating plate on each server fed

from a particular UPS, adding the loads

together and then allowing a safety factor.

Avoid costly mistakes In practice, things aren’t quite so simple, as

the server rating plates will show the loading

in watts (W) whereas the UPS will be rated in

VA, which means that the power factor of the

UPS must be taken into account. For

example, some line interactive UPS’s have a

power factor as low as 0.8, which means that

a 1000 VA UPS of this type can only support

a load of 800 W (1000 VA x 0.8). With modern

double conversion UPSs, the power factor is

more usually around 0.9, so the difference

between the VA rating of the UPS and the

power rating in watts of the load is less of an

issue, but it should still be taken into account.

If there is any uncertainty about the size of

the load or the appropriate safety factor to

use it as a good idea to obtain expert advice

from the UPS manufacturer, and such advice

should always be sought in the case of large

data centres with centralised UPS systems,

as the load calculations are likely to be more

complex and making a mistake can be costly.

You want one how big?


NETWORKING-SECURITY-UPS

www.itrportal.com

Opinion

“…sizing a UPS system isn’t an intrinsically difficult process,

but there are many factors that have to be taken into account.

Careful attention to these factors, ensuring particularly that

none are overlooked, will allow the best and most economical

choice to be made.”

For both resellers and end users, deciding on the right UPS and, in particular, the right size ofUPS for a specific application can be challenging. There are no hard and fast rules but thereare some very useful guidelines, says Paul Norgate of Eaton Power Quality.

The UPS should ideally be selected so that it

will be operating at about 75 per cent of its

rated capacity under normal circumstances,

in order to achieve the highest efficiency while

allowing scope for expansion. It is

nevertheless worth noting that modern UPS’s

lose very little efficiency with loads down to

around 40 per cent, so if future increases in

load are likely, the installation of an over-sized

UPS should not necessarily be ruled out.

Over-sizing shouldn’t, however, be taken too

far – even the best UPS operating at only 20

per cent or 30 per cent of its rated load will

be inefficient.

Let’s move on to runtime. In non-IT

applications, runtime requirements vary

greatly, and should always be considered on

a case-by-case basis. As a rule of thumb for

IT systems, however, a runtime of 30 minutes

is typically considered appropriate but, in

sizing the UPS to provide this, the details of

the application must still be taken into

account. For example, if there is an on-site

standby generator, a shorter run time may be

adequate.

Selective control Also, in some applications, it may be possible

to shut down the power to some servers

almost immediately, while for others it will be

essential to maintain power long enough for

complex data backup and shutdown

procedures to be executed. In reality, most

data centres have servers that fall into both of

these categories. In such cases, an effective

and flexible power management system, such

as Eaton’s Intelligent Power Management

(IPM), will allow selective control over which

servers remain powered and which do not.

The next sizing consideration is the one that’s

most frequently neglected – provision for

future expansion, which is often referred to as

scalability. As has already been suggested,

this depends very much on the configuration

of the UPS installation.

Where each rack has its

own UPS, expansion is

very straightforward –

simply add more racks

with more UPS’s.

Scalability is therefore

guaranteed in these

cases without the need

for special measures.

Where a centralised

UPS system is used, the

situation is rather

different. The decision

then has to be made

whether to buy an over-sized UPS at the

outset, bearing in mind the points made about

minimum loads earlier in this article, or to

invest in a modular UPS system where extra

modules can be added at a future date. With

this last approach, however, it’s important to

be sure that sufficient space will be available

to accommodate the new modules and that

the electrical infrastructure is in place to deal

with the expansion.

The final point to consider is resilience. What

happens if there’s a UPS failure or the UPS

has to be taken out of service for

maintenance? For the most critical systems, it

may be necessary to have a redundant

standby UPS to cover such eventualities.

The best and most economicalchoice

As this article has hopefully demonstrated,

sizing a UPS system isn’t an intrinsically

difficult process, but there are many factors

that have to be taken into account. Careful

attention to these factors, ensuring particularly

that none are overlooked, will allow the best

and most economical choice to be made.

Much more detailed guidance can be found

in the latest UPS Handbook published by

Eaton Power Quality, which can be

downloaded from powerquality.eaton.com.

Finally, it is also worth bearing in mind the old

adage, “If in doubt ask.” The Eaton Power

Quality team is always ready to provide expert

advice. n

44

Opinion

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Certificates exactly like the ones

compromised as part of the

Flame malware, are used

everywhere in organisations

worldwide today and are

vulnerable to the exact same compromise. If

organisations do not have an automated

management system in place, the likelihood

of a catastrophic event is very high. Also,

when the event occurs, recovery and

remediation will take a very long time. Just

like you need to manage and keep software

up to date, you need to do the same thing

with certificates.

Venafi has seen a steady stream of third-party

trust providers and the instruments they

provide being compromised for nefarious

purposes; RSA, Comodo, StartSSL, DigiNotar,

Verisign, and now with Flame, Microsoft.

Major takeaways, no one is too big to be

compromised. “If you hear someone talk

about how they know what they are doing and

have taken precautions so that they won’t be

compromised, run the other way,” said

Venafi’s CEO Jeff Hudson. “They are in denial

or worse. These are very high value targets

and the compromises will continue. I chuckle

when I think about how so many said that the

RSA compromise was an isolated incident.”

Fact of life Weaponised malware (remember when that

terms was first used to describe Stuxnet?) is a

trend, a progression, a continuing fact of life.

Stuxnet, Duqu, and now Flame. This is not the

end, it is the beginning. It was called

‘weaponised’ because it translated to physical

damage and / or because it was apparently

(95 per cent confidence) developed by nation

state(s) to engage in cyber warfare.

The interesting thing about nation-state

developed weapons is that once developed

and deployed, they find their way into the

hands of non-nation state actors. Night vision

goggles, shoulder launched surface to air

missiles, and Kevlar vests, for example, were

developed by nation states for military use

and are now in the hands of criminals and

worse. The attack vectors brought to you by

weaponised malware are, with certainty,

going to be employed by criminals to steal

money, intellectual property, and anything

else of value.

What can be done to reduce susceptibility to

these attacks and to remediate once the

attack has occurred? A long time ago CIOs,

among others, questioned the need to

diligently detect down-rev and unpatched

software and the importance of keeping the

software at the latest revisions. This is now a

well-known best practice that reduces

vulnerability to many kinds of attacks.

Same diligence required The same diligence is required to make sure

that down-rev and nonconforming-to-policy

certificates are detected and updated to the

latest levels. “From the many conversations I

have with CIOs and CISOs in the industry,

their understanding of this issue and their

commitment to actually fixing this problem is

similar to their thinking on software updates

and patches a long time ago,” said Hudson.

“The attitude can be characterised as poor

understanding, non-committed to act,

ambivalence, and from one perspective,

derelict in an important duty.”

Venafi works hard to educate organisations

about their vulnerabilities. Once this particular

vulnerability (ie, poorly managed certificates)

is understood, it is easily addressed.

“This is not a problem that anyone is going to

fix for you,” said Hudson. “Microsoft just

patched a majority of their software products

to remove the compromised intermediate root

certificates. If this was a cross-platform

attack/compromise, who does the patching

and updating? You do. Certificates are a

cross-platform, cross-application, cross-

device instrument. You must keep track of

where they are installed and make sure that if

there is a compromise, you can act fast. One

of our customers has approximately 10,000

certificates in numerous locations. They

thought they had about one half that number

before we started the project. Before they

installed an automatic certificate management

system it would have taken them many

months to replace them if there was a

compromise. Now with automated certificate

management the replacement can be

performed in hours.”

Hudson concluded: “I often wonder why

something so fundamental as knowing which

certificates are active on the network,

understanding the attributes, and managing

the keys associated with the certificates is not

a top priority, especially when managing

these instruments radically reduces the

vulnerability. Maybe because managing

things like certificates isn’t nearly as sexy as

having the latest APT detection and amazing

firewalls?” n



www.itrportal.com

Flame malware – like Stuxnetand Duqu before it

Viewpoint

Dataguise, the developer of data

security intelligence and

protection solutions, has

unveiled its enterprise-grade

data privacy protection and risk

assessment solution for Hadoop. The new

solution, DgHadoop, provides compliance

assessment and enforcement for centralised

data privacy protection to simplify data

compliance management, improve

operational efficiencies and reduce regulatory

compliance costs.

“We live in a time of data proliferation and

much of today’s ‘new’ data doesn’t reside in

traditional enterprise data sources such as

relational databases or enterprise

applications,” said Manmeet Singh, CEO of

Dataguise. “The data can be anywhere, on

premises or in the cloud, and companies

need to reliably enforce data privacy policies

regardless of where it is stored. DgHadoop

meets this challenge by delivering enterprise-

class sensitive data detection, protection and

actionable intelligence for Hadoop, applying

the most appropriate measures to ensure

data integrity and regulatory compliance.”

Because environments such as Hadoop

include very large data sets of mixed

classifications and security sensitivities, they

are particularly prone to data privacy

breaches. And, because so much data is

aggregated into one environment, the risk of

data theft or accidental disclosure is

substantially increased because it serves as a

single point of access to potentially millions of

records. The detection and protection of

sensitive data contained in these large data

repositories is critical to the management of

privacy policy enforcement and control to

minimise the risk of data compromise.

Securing of big data "It doesn't take a clairvoyant – or in this case,

a research analyst – to see that 'big data' is

becoming (if it isn't already, perhaps) a major

buzzword in security circles,"

said Ramon Krikken, security

and risk management strategies

analyst at Gartner. "Much of the

securing of big data will need to

be handled by thoroughly

understanding the data and its

usage patterns. Having the

ability to identify, control access

to, and – where possible – mask

sensitive data in big data

environments based on policy is

an important part of the overall

approach."

DgHadoop was designed to

overcome this challenge. It is a

comprehensive, flexible and

modular solution that delivers enterprise-class

protection to sensitive data aggregated in

Hadoop deployments. Offering actionable

intelligence to decision makers about their

compliance risk and mitigation policies,

DgHadoop adapts easily to different

deployments and data utilisation needs.

Specifically it allows companies to:

• Detect and protect data on the fly, as it is

collected.

• Detect and protect sensitive data stored

in Hadoop HDFS by leveraging Hadoop

APIs. The solution will store protected

data alongside unprotected data in the

same Hadoop implementation or

quarantine data in a separate Hadoop

implementation.

• Detect and protect structured, relational

data in source repositories leveraging

Sqoop to move data into Hadoop.

• Ensure that protected data maintains its

integrity and value by masking data and

reverting masked data to the original

sensitive data, when needed.

• Set access permissions on protected files

to facilitate user credential enforcement

so users can access protected or

unprotected data in Hadoop, according to

their credentials.

"Big Data poses a big challenge to security

technologies; both in the diversity of the data

sets they store, and the sheer scale of the

environments which leverage sensitive data to

perform analytics,” said Adrian Lane, security

analyst and CTO at Securosis. “I see data

masking as a key technology to addressing

data security and privacy in these

environments. Masking, unlike encryption

solutions, can secure a myriad of data types

and still preserve value in large analytics

systems and Hadoop databases.”

Safeguarding data integrity "Customers are looking for enterprise-grade

capabilities in Hadoop. In addition to data

protection and availability, they want to

safeguard data integrity,” said Alan Geary,

senior director of business development at

MapR. "Dataguise secures sensitive data

against unauthorised access and delivers

actionable intelligence that reduces risk and

ensures compliance."

DgHadoop will be available starting in July

2012 directly through Dataguise and through

strategic Dataguise partners, including

Cloudera, Hortonworks, MapR and

Compuware. n


Product news


www.itrportal.com

Dataguise launches data privacyprotection analytics solution for Hadoop

Founded in 2005 Hosted IP

Communications Europe (Hipcom)

has rapidly grown to become a

leading provider of next-

generation voice services in the

UK. The company provides wholesale

communication services from a real-time

platform, uniquely branded for individual

carriers, Internet service providers

(ISPs), system integrators and VARs.

This platform is an ecosystem of pre-

integrated voice-ready application

services that include; Hosted IP

telephony, SIP trunking, call recording,

Microsoft UC-Connect, business continuity

solutions, service assurance and Web 2.0

voice applications. Hipcom’s service is

developed, designed, built and run in-

house. The company invests heavily in both

new technology and

people.

James Brind,

Hipcom’s CTO,

explained that the

company built its

service Cloud offering

as soon as the company

was established, although

the actual term ‘Cloud’

hadn’t come about at the

time. “Our service delivery

platform is the orchestration

engine that sits in front of all

the applications and services we

have,” Brind explained. “The platform

allows our partners to deliver

services in real-time. It also takes

that technology layer away from

our underlying services –

everything from voice and video to

CRM integration so people can get

straight to making our services work for

them.”

Brind pointed out that Hipcom had this

infrastructure in place almost from the

moment of the company’s inception. “A little

later, phrases such as Software as a Service

(SaaS) and Communications as

a Service (CaaS) came

along as well,” he said.

“But this has essentially

been in the

bloodstream of

Hipcom from day one. So from there we

built up our high-level portfolio comprising

voice services, video services, application

services. The application services

concentrate on things such as call

recording and CRM integration. We

also have a number of mobility

services that sit on mobile devices

such as iPads or iPhones. This

means users can take their

number anywhere.”

Building services Brind added that by putting

their telephone numbers

into the Cloud people can

secure a lot more

business value around

those numbers. “If you

look at the old ISDN

services you had a DDI and

that was pretty much where

the story ended,” he said.

“Our customers can do a like-

for-like replacement of the old

legacy TDN world, but once their

numbers are in the Cloud they can then

start building services that mean

something to their partners and to the

different roles within their customer

network.” As an example, Brind said a

salesperson might work on the road but

also need to be able to work from home

IT Reseller spoke with James Brind, CTO of Hipcom, and Paul Aabryn, the companyʼs strategy director,about potentially lucrative opportunities for resellers within the voice services marketplace.

Good call


Comms Interview

Maybe [resellers] already ownaround 80 per cent of the endcustomer’s IT estate, and so webelieve they should see voice asjust another application.”

– Paul Aabryn, Hipcom.

“


Interview Comms

www.itrportal.com

and in the office. “With the Bring Your Own

Device (BYOD) trend of workers using their

own equipment – such as an iPad or iPhone

– in the workplace they need to be able to

use these devices for everything from call

recording to video conferencing etc.,” he

said. “This is where we come in.”

Partner focus And what of Hipcom’s relationship with its

partner network? “We've built our solutions

for the reseller market, although we prefer to

use the term ‘partner’ because our

relationship with our customers is more than

just reselling our services,” explained Brind.

“Our partners range from system integrators

to IT resellers, PBX resellers, ISPs and Tier 1

carriers. So it's quite a broad range. Today

we service companies such as BT

Wholesale and a number of other large

service providers.” Brind added that

Hipcom is 100 per cent partner focused.

“We don’t sell direct and never have done,”

he said.

In terms of ongoing partner recruitment,

Paul Aabryn, the company’s strategy

director, explained that as well as partnering

with resellers that have traditionally come

more from the comms end of the channel

spectrum Hipcom also enthusiastically

welcomes people who have traditionally

been more involved in networks, IT services,

the deployment of desktops and laptops

etc. – people who maybe haven’t become

so involved in voice in the past. “In our

world there is enormous untapped potential

for this type of partner,” said Aabryn.

“Maybe they already own around 80 per

cent of the end customer’s IT estate, and so

we believe they should see voice as just

another application.”

Brind pointed out that Hipcom recently

began proactively seeking more partners

that might have traditionally served their end

customers in more of a support and back-

up role rather than voice service provision.

“We have always focused serving our

partners in the most efficient manner

possible, so we have never wanted to just

open the door, sign up 300 channel

partners and then struggle to serve them,”

he said. “Therefore we have always

preferred to concentrate on a number of key

accounts. However, through this journey we

started to partner with a small number of

back-up/desktop IT support-type

companies, and found that once these

types of partners had been through our

training they came to fully understand the

opportunities that voice offered them and

their customers.”

Full support Brind explained that Hipcom has a number

of sales engineers and partner project

managers that support existing and new

partners. “For new partners, our team makes

sure they are successful with their first voice

deployments,” he said. Brind added that

partners that have traditionally served the

back-up and support market are now

realising how profitable additional recurring

revenues can be achieved through voice

services. Brind added that there are also

opportunities for partners to tie their own

niche products into Hipcom’s Cloud voice

services. “For example, we have some APIs

that partners can orchestrate into and do

things like call control,” he said.

No mystery involved Aabryn made the point that telecoms is

sometimes considered to be a highly

specialised market and is something that

traditional support, back-up and data-

centric resellers may have felt reticent about

engaging with. “For example, some resellers

might think they need to form a business

relationship with Openreach or BT, they

might say to themselves it’s something we

have never been directly involved in before,

it’s a whole new environment, so how can I

structure my business to enter this market?”

Aabryn added that, with this in mind,

Hipcom has made voice work like any other

application or any other type of Cloud

service. “We make sure people know how to

consume our products intuitively,” he said.

“It’s just about providing a service type you

want to deliver and provisioning it through

the portal. There are also very high monthly-

recurring revenues to be had. There’s no

mystery involved, just attractive business

opportunities to consider.” n

…we started to partner with a small number of back-up/desktop ITsupport-type companies, and found that once these types of partners had beenthrough our training they came to fully understand the opportunities that voiceoffered them and their customers.”

– James Brind, Hipcom.

“

Paul Aabryn (left) and James Brind: Attractive recurring revenue opportunities to be had.

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Fax this page to: +44 (0)1707 664800

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