it reseller may'11
DESCRIPTION
The magazine for resellers, distributors, system integrators and OEMsTRANSCRIPT
www.itrportal.comFor the latest news and to subscribe tothe IT Reseller weekly newsletter visit
ADC:Delivering the complete package
Print:The power of mobile printing in thewarehouse and beyond
Document management:Finding and storing documents with oneclick of a button
Network technology:Manageability and efficiency
The magazine for resellers, distributors, system integrators and OEMs
MAY 2011
Cloud computing special report
IT R
ES
ELLE
RM
AY
20
11
IT RESELLER – MAY 2011 3
This edition of IT Reseller features a ten-page special feature on Cloud computing.The Cloud is certainly one of the current
most hotly discussed technology topics; withchampions and sceptics blogging, tweeting andemailing with near religious fervour. But pros andcons aside, the big question is: will it really be
largely embraced bymanufacturers, logisticsprofessionals, retailers, local andcentral government, the healthsector etc. – thus securing ahost of resultant long-termbusiness opportunities for thechannel? Well, if recent researchby Pearlfinders is anything to goby the answer is certainly in theaffirmative camp.
According to Pearlfinders, Q12011 saw a massive leap in thepopularity of Cloud computing.Of 212 executives interviewedby Pearlfinders in 2011 with a
requirement for external support, 42.0 per centexpressed an interest in Cloud solutions. Thishas increased from 12.2 per cent in Q4 2010.According to Pearlfinders, theIndustry/Manufacturing sector had the greatestnumber of Cloud computing opportunities inQ1 (17.2 per cent of projects). Here,executives are beginning to consider the
potential for Cloud-hostedERP and business intelligence(BI) applications. The secondmost popular industry was thePublic Sector, followed byProfessional/BusinessServices.
So, many companies wouldnow appear to recognisebenefits such as lower capital
expenditure, improved financial controland rapid deployment. But with regard tocompanies with financial directors andchief financial officers that are still reticentto take the plunge into the Cloud, RealAsset Management comments that it isperhaps understandable that many FDs orCFOs may be more reticent to rushheadlong into the Cloud with a business-critical application such as the corefinancial software. However, the companypoints out that there are other aspects ofthe financial portfolio that provide a strongopportunity for testing the viability of thehosted model.
Karen Conneely, group commercialmanager at Real Asset Management, hascommented that those companies that optfor a hosted Fixed Asset Register canrapidly discover the benefits of the Cloudand prove the long-term viability of thehosted model for the entire softwareportfolio. Although some reservationsremain, an ever increasing level ofacceptance and confidence in all thingsCloud-related seems to suggest that themomentum is hardly about to run out ofsteam now.
Clear view of the Cloud
IT RESELLER – MAY 2011
Ed HoldenEditor »
4
Editor:Ed Holden
Contributors:
Colin Booth, ScanSource Europe
Bob Rossman, Agentrics
Mark Beauchamp, Citizen Systems Europe
Naveen Louis, Diskeeper Corporation Europe
Publisher:David Lee
Art Direction: Ian Curtis - First Sight Graphics
Production:Carolyn Pither
Circulation: Sarah Schofield
IT Manager:Peter West
Accounts:Katherine Saward
Published by: Interactive Business CommunicationsLtd, Latimer House, 189 High Street,
Potters Bar, Herts EN6 5DA, UKTel: +44 (0) 1707 664200Fax: +44 (0) 1707 664800
Email (publishing):[email protected] (editorial):
Printed by:The Magazine Printing Company
No part of this publication may bereproduced in any form without writtenpermission from the publisher. Noliability is accepted for any actionarising from the contents of thispublication; readers are advised tocheck any manufacturer’s or supplier’sclaims for products. The publisher doesnot endorse opinions expressed in anyarticle by an outside contributor. Whileevery care is taken over photographsand illustrations, which are returnedwhen requested,no liability can beassumes by the publisher for the loss of such material
ISSN: 1369 - 88
MAY 2011 —
CONTENTS
38 Printing & Labelling
Citizen Systems Europe: Counting the environmental costs of e-waste Datamax O’Neil: The power of mobile printing in the warehouse and beyond Zebra Technologies establishes new EMEA channel marketing team to supportglobal ISV initiativeChannel push continues for Sato
44 Document Management – Data Storage
Konica Minolta's Bizhub Press C8000 receives highest product rating from BERTL Abbyy releases FlexiCapture 10 software system for enterprise data and document capture Diskeeper Corporation Europe: Have you been told ‘you don’t need to defragment’? Version One toasts Green IT Awards success for second year running DocuWare Smart Connect – finding and storing documents with one click of a button
6 Special Cloud Computing Report
IT RESELLER – MAY 2011
48 Networking – Security – UPS – Storage
Eaton 5PX UPS provides manageability, efficiency and energy metering capabilities Riello UPS brand will consolidate entire Riello Elettronica UPS portfolio
16 Automatic Data Capture/Point of Sale
Unitech’s HT660e for greater mobility and productivity ScanSource: Delivering the complete packageDurabook launches the U12C rugged convertible notebookVarlink expands capacity and resources furtherDOTel launches DOTH-300 lightweight and rugged mobile computerOvercoming the complexities of supply chain collaboration with AgentricsIngram Micro EMEA Telecom Division adds BlackBerry Mobile Voice System toBlackBerry offering Honeywell broadens mobile computing portfolio with Microsoft Windows EmbeddedHandheld 6.5 operating systemNine out of ten businesses look to mobility to drive productivity and cost savingsAvnet Technology Solutions: Leveraging the power of the webHampshire Police deploys 170 Panasonic Toughbooks in patrol and specialist vehiclesBlackroc Distribution and Impinj Workshop focuses on RFID opportunities for the channelPsion remains pick of the crop for UK fruit farm
www.docuware.comIntegrated Document Management Solutions
Documents on Demand+44 (0)1932 268434www.DocuWare.com
D t D dDocu+44
uments(0)193D W
on Des32 2684W
emand434
www.DocuWww. .coearWWa om
dwwwI
w.docdated
.dIntegr
wwww..doc .comearuwd Dd Document M
.comearuwement SgMana Solutions
6
Organisations are increasingly becoming aware of technical, commercial and economic benefitsof hosting their data and applications in the Cloud. But how do ICT resellers take advantage of
this emerging demand? The following article, based on a Risc Group white paper, discusses thecommercial benefits of traditional ICT resellers offering Cloud services.
Cloud computing White paper
Making money from theCloud – an ICT reseller’s guide
According to recent research
carried out by the Centre for
Economic and Business
Research (CEBR), Cloud
computing could represent a
total market value of €763 billion to the five
leading European nations. This trend is, in
part, driven by a commercial need to
reserve capital expenditure traditionally
associated with IT infrastructure and
application investment; as operational
experience is a current preferred route to
buying required software and infrastructure.
Additionally, organisations are increasingly
becoming aware of the operational benefits
that Cloud computing can offer; such as
increased security, availability and access.
Increasing growth and value
Cloud services offer a unique opportunity
for traditional ICT resellers to enter high-
growth, high-margin business. Business
benefits include low sales barriers,
recurring revenues and low churn
customers. Traditional ICT resellers are
already experiencing the significant
benefits of adding Cloud services to their
current portfolio. These benefits include:
• Recurring revenue based on secure
and sometimes lengthy contracts.
• Increased customer loyalty by offering
business-critical infrastructure services.
• Easy to deploy through instant
provisioning tools.
• Increase in customer size and sectors
by offering enhanced security and
remote worker access.
This white paper has been written for ICT
reseller owners to discuss the benefits of
offering Cloud services as an extension to
traditional IT, data and voice services.
There has been considerable research into
the emergence of Cloud services
conducted by leading industry analysts;
including Gartner, Forrester and Aberdeen
Group. Many of the topics discussed in this
paper are based on the research that can
be found by these commentators. Cloud
services are commonly divided into two key
categories: Platform as a Service (PaaS)
and Software as a Service (SaaS).
Gartner predicts that 80 per cent of the
Fortune 1000 enterprises will pay for SaaS
by 2012, while 30 per cent of them will pay
for PaaS. The predicted growth of Cloud
services is allowing traditional IT, data and
voice resellers to offer increased services
to their customer base through
partnerships with Cloud services providers
such as Risc Group.
Overview of Cloud services
Platform as a Service: Sometimes called
Infrastructure is a Service, Platform as a
Service provides organisations with the
ability to outsource traditional server
hardware into secure and environmentally
controlled data centres. The benefits of
utilising Platform as a Service include 100
Evidence suggests that the demand for Cloud services will increasethroughout 2011-2012 in the UK marketplace. All sectors and organisations lookset to take advantage of the commercial and operational benefits that Cloudservices have to offer.”
“
Gartner predicts a 26 per cent growth inSaaS demand by 2012 compared with muchsmaller growth in the software licensingindustry as a whole.
www.itrportal.comIT RESELLER – MAY 2011
per cent scalability, access & security
guarantees and availability guarantees.
Additionally, by outsourcing an
infrastructure, organisations enjoy the
ability to remotely monitor usage and set
up significant disaster recovery plans that
would otherwise be cost-prohibitive.
Software as a Service: In addition to
outsourcing their infrastructures, many
organisations are seeking to outsource the
availability and management of their
software applications, known as Software
as a Service, or SaaS. The benefits of
utilising SaaS include: pay-as-you-use
licensing, real-time version upgrades and
remote support from application VARs.
Additionally, outsourcing software licensing
enables organisations to scale licensing in
line with user numbers and avoid the
upfront capital costs of buying individual
licences as most SaaS providers charge a
monthly fee, typically based on a contract
term.
Why do organisations wantCloud services?
‘Cloud service’ or ‘Cloud computing’ offers
significant benefits to organisations. These
benefits include:
Economies of scale: The ability to grow and
manage IT infrastructure and related
software applications without the upfront
capital expenditure normally associated
with running an IT environment.
Greater security: By outsourcing and IT
infrastructure and related software
applications to an ISO-accredited data
centre, smaller organisations enjoy
significant benefits of increased security
and availability. Many providers offer
Service Level Agreements that guarantee
availability and security. For many smaller
organisations this level of security would be
cost-prohibitive if deployed and managed
on premise.
Remote worker access: Many organisations
choose to outsource their IT infrastructure
and related software applications based on
the demands of a remote or out-of-office
workforce who still require access to the
organisation’s infrastructure and
applications.
Quality of service: Many PaaS providers
can offer service levels that internal IT
resources would struggle to compete with.
Many data centre environments have dual
power and backup assurances to enable
their customers to enjoy 24/7/365
availability.
What are the business benefitsof offering Cloud services as anICT reseller?
Recurring revenue: By offering Cloud
services ICT resellers can enjoy regular
monthly income from a contracted
customer, typically based on 12 monthly
payments. These regular payments help
ICT resellers with cash flow and can give a
more predictable forecast of business
income for up to 12 months ahead.
Reduced cost of sale: Sales teams offering
Cloud services typically enjoy a reduced
sales cycle compared with offering
traditional infrastructure and software
services. Cloud services have significantly
less barriers to sales closure due to the
following points:
Fewer barriers to closing a sale: Cloud
services are typically offered on a per-
month-per-user basis. This reduces any
large upfront investment that sometimes
stalls traditional IT services from closing.
No set-up costs: Cloud services can
typically be automatically provisioned.
OPex not CAPex: Cloud services are
typically charged as an operational cost
rather than a capital expense, making it
easier for prospective customers to build a
business case for its deployment.
Increased business value: Many ICT
resellers experience increased business
value by offering Cloud services. The
reasons for this can include:
Longer contract terms: Cloud services
typically represent business-critical
applications and environments; therefore it
is not unusual for customers to extend
contract periods beyond 12 months if they
experience good levels of service.
Increased demand for business services:Many ICT resellers experience additional
income by offering associated professional
support services such as training and
configuration.
Increased status: By offering Cloud services
many ICT resellers experience an increase
in perception by their customer base. Many
ICT reseller customers speak of a deeper
trust being forged by outsourcing traditional
IT services to a third party.
IT RESELLER – MAY 2011 7
White paper Cloud computing
www.itrportal.com
Cloud services offer a uniqueopportunity for traditional ICTresellers to enter high-growth,high-margin business.
What can an ICT reseller expect toearn by offering Cloud services?
Many ICT resellers enjoy significant
margins compared to offering traditional
vendor-based IT, data, hardware and voice
services. To give an example Risc Group
has taken an average sale opportunity
based on 40 users to illustrate the profits
that can be achieved:
Cloud back-up services?Number of users: 40.
Monthly profit: £860.
Typical contract value: £10,340.
Cloud exchange services? Number of mailboxes: 40.
Monthly profit: £180.
Typical contract value: £2160.
Cloud security services?Number refuses: 40.
Monthly profit: £180.
Typical contract value: £2160.
Increasing demand
Evidence suggests that the demand for
Cloud services will increase throughout
2011-2012 in the UK marketplace. All
sectors and organisations look set to take
advantage of the commercial and
operational benefits that Cloud services
have to offer. Early Cloud services
providers look set to benefit most from
emerging market as customer loyalty
appears to be a key benefit of Cloud
services; making the chance of obtaining
commitment from new customers already
inside a contract hard. There are significant
commercial benefits for ICT resellers with
an existing customer base to ‘cross-sell’
Cloud services with minimal marketing and
sales investment.
Remaining barriers?
In terms of remaining concerns related to
the Cloud model, Risc Group still sees
some barriers from VAR customers. “These
barriers typically relate to concerns around
security, access and data compliance,”
explained Andrew Gibbens, sales director
at Risc Group. “Many of these concerns
relate to regulated industries, such as
financial service and organisations
managing public and financial data. It is
our belief that for the vast majority of
customers, the public Cloud offers greater
security, access, control and scale
compared to on premise solutions.
However we would always recommend
dedicated environments (or private Cloud
hosting) where an organisation needs to
offer guarantees to their data owners. But
this approach can be significantly higher
than the economies of scale that the public
Cloud can bring. We would always
recommend that VARs ask where data is
stored and undertake their own due
diligence on a data centre’s ISO and
security accreditation.
Will the Cloud will become anincreasing threat to the on-premise model?
Gartner predicts a 26 per cent growth in
SaaS demand by 2012 compared with
much smaller growth in the software
licensing industry as a whole. But it is not
just software licensing that’s driving Cloud
demand, believes Gibbens. “At Risc Group
our VAR network mainly serves SMB
audiences and we’re seeing an increasing
demand as the need to upgrade or replace
internal storage and application servers
takes hold,” he said. “The benefits for an
SMB to offer an accredited and fully
supported IT infrastructure that is 100 per
cent scalable is starting to be understood
by business owners. Additionally, the
economy is driving the need for many
organisations to reserve capital. So the
idea of IT as an operational cost has great
appeal for CFOs who seem to be driving IT
decisions more and more these days. This
said, we still see a need for a hybrid
environment within some organisations
where the return of investment for a
dedicated hosting environment cannot be
justified as significant internal infrastructure
investment has already been made.”
Gibbens concluded: “Cloud computing
represents a cultural shift in the VAR
network, and whilst many of our partners
still see significant growth from providing
traditional on premise services, demand is
growing as the benefits are acknowledged
at a business level.” �
IT RESELLER – MAY 20118 www.itrportal.com
Cloud computing White paper
As the Cloud computing
debate rolls on, MTI’s Aad
Dekkers is keen to turn the
spotlight on the hybrid model,
where an organisation
combines the resources of both its private
and public Cloud infrastructures. Using this
model, a company needs to decide where
it stores certain types of data and where it
processes this data – either in the public or
private Cloud. Some commentators also
bring up the issue of security as being a
key driver in determining where data is
stored. However, Dekkers doesn’t consider
this to be a core concern. “It's more of a
trust issue in terms of whether data should
be kept in-house or stored externally,” he
said. “It’s just a matter of confidence and a
matter of getting over certain perceived
drawbacks. You could say it’s a bit like
keeping your money in a certain bank –
you need to be able to trust that bank and
know it’s safe.”
Dekkers added that end users’ desire to
secure the best possible solution from their
Cloud/on-premise mix opens up an
opportunity for Cloud infrastructure
consultancy and integrator companies
such as MTI to help users to build what
could be referred to as a virtual private
Cloud. “Many users have been using virtual
private networks for quite some time, and
essentially the virtual private Cloud is an
addition to this where users have on-site
and off-site resources controlled by
themselves,” he said. “This is what service
providers need to work with to make sure
that it’s clear who is responsible for what,
and who does what. In many cases it is
good to have companies like MTI sitting in
the middle in order to ensure everything
runs smoothly; so this is where we position
ourselves.”
Application services
Historically, systems integrators and
consultants have relied on on-premise
implementations and customisation of
applications. However, Dekkers considers
that if these organisations remain purely
focused on supplying and distributing
products they will be on a hiding to
nothing. “Users are increasingly
considering what they should keep inside
the organisation and what should be stored
in the Cloud,” he said. However, Dekkers
adds that many established companies will
have legacy systems that, in many cases,
have been in use for many years. He
maintains that a growing number of these
companies want to determine which of their
applications can be efficiently replaced by
applications services. “We’ll probably see
the Cloud increasingly having an influence
within the organisation, where the internal
IT team will become the service provider
inside the organisation, complemented with
resources that are more cost-effective and
flexible than the ones that are being used
inside the organisation,” he remarked.
Progressive journey
So Dekkers believes we are seeing a
progressive journey to the Cloud, and
moreover a journey to the hybrid Cloud
where end-users, service providers and
systems integrators will increasingly need
to work together. “Companies like MTI can
be the partner that brings the best parties
together,” he said. “There are a number of
important perspectives to consider –
including security, unified communications,
hosting, application service provisioning
and Cloud infrastructure building.
Therefore, companies should seek the
assistance of an organisation that can be
the broker in bringing all these elements
together in order to produce an effective
total solution for the end customer.” �
IT RESELLER – MAY 2011 9www.itrportal.com
Interview Cloud computing
MTI AT A GLANCE MTI Europe is a specialist Cloudinfrastructure consultancy andintegrator. MTI Europe has abackground of more than 20 years’experience as a technologyinnovator, providing customers withstrategic consultancy, technicalexpertise and a single point ofcontact that can eliminatecomplexities while deliveringoperational efficiencies. MTI is alsoa qualified member of the Vblockpartner ecosystem for VCE, theVirtual Computing EnvironmentCompany. MTI Europe utilises itsthree inter-connected solutioncentres in France, Germany andthe UK to demonstrate completeproof-of-concept for its Vblockcustomer Cloud solutions.
Aad Dekkers: “Many users have been using virtual private networks for quitesome time, and essentially the virtual private Cloud is an addition to this whereusers have on-site and off-site resources controlled by themselves.”
Building the best IT Reseller spoke with Aad Dekkers, chief marketing officer at MTI, about
Cloud computing, the benefits of the hybrid model and how reputableCloud infrastructure consultancies and integrators can help ensure end
users enjoy the very best total solution.
IT RESELLER – MAY 201110 www.itrportal.com
Cloud computing Research
The research, conducted in
January and February this year,
found that 73 per cent believed
end users were now ready to
embrace Cloud services even
though they were fairly evenly split on
whether the current market messaging was
over-hyped. In a further statement of
confidence, 83 per cent of the participants
rated Cloud services as either equal to or
better than on-premise solution (46 per cent
specifically cited ‘better than’ on premise).
Some 63 per cent are already active in the
sale and/or support of Cloud services
(comprising a mix of SaaS, IaaS and PaaS
solutions). On average 18 per cent of 2010
revenues for the IT channel were purported
to have been generated from
Cloud-based services, and this
figure is expected to increase to
an average projected figure of
32.87 per cent by 2014.
Andy Burton, chairman of the
Cloud Industry Forum, stated:
“There has been a noticeable
increase in speculation over the
future of the IT channel as a
direct result of end user
adoption of Cloud computing in
recent months. However, the
findings of this research indicate
that the IT channel is in fact
evolving and embracing the
Cloud opportunity as a key part
of its value proposition, intending
to bring real value to its
customer base in turn.”
Three quarters (76 per cent) of
IT channel partners selling Cloud
services also provide proactive
advice and guidance on how to implement
them within their wider IT capabilities and
48 per cent of them prefer to sell Cloud
services over on-premise and a further 40
per cent had no preference between the
two models.
However, amid all the positive feedback
from the research, inconsistencies arose
between the priorities of what end users
were seeking in terms of Cloud services
and the maturity of what is being offered
through the channel. In addition, there was
a tendency in IT channel organisations who
are not participating in Cloud services
today to over-emphasise perceived issues
that prevent adoption (such as is the cloud
secure, or, does the Cloud minimise the
customer’s ability to maintain control)
compared to the actual feedback received
from end users who saw these as
questions to be answered and not
fundamental barriers. Other Key findings
include:
• Of those offering Cloud services 14 per
cent purely resell third-party branded
services, while 22 per cent solely
deliver their own solution/s. The majority
(64 per cent) offer end users a mix of
both models.
The IT channel isconvinced of the Cloudopportunity
… the findings of this research indicate that the IT channel is in factevolving and embracing the Cloud opportunity as a key part of its valueproposition, intending to bring real value to its customer base in turn.”
– Andy Burton, the Cloud Industry Forum.
“
Cloud services are seen to be important – and increasingly so – to the majority of the UK ITchannel today, according to the latest research conducted by the Cloud Industry Forum…
• Of those offering Cloud services, 39
per cent operate their own data centre,
33 per cent manage their own
infrastructure but using a co-location
data centre partner, 11 per cent OEM a
service from a third-party white label
provider and 17 per cent resell services
on behalf of other providers.
• For those organisations not yet offering
Cloud services, 51 per cent intend to
but are not ready, 19 per cent do not
believe they have the skills to sell or
manage cloud services and 30 per
cent do not ever intend to offer them as
they do not believe the market is
tangible yet.
• Some 14 per cent of those companies
not offering Cloud services believe
them to be a threat to their business
whereas the majority (86 per cent)
do not.
• Where partners see Cloud as a
competitive threat, 36 per cent believe
Cloud competes with their primary
offering, 27 per cent believe the Cloud
diminishes their relationship with their
customers and 18 per cent do not
believe there is a viable business model.
Alex Hilton, sales director at Rise, stated:
“There is an apparent disconnect between
the end user and the IT channel providing
Cloud services. The channel should
consider what solutions are required by
their customers and how to overcome
concerns of a service-led sale over an on-
premise sale. The answer could lie (in the
shorter term) in the development of white
label self-service from the channel for
Cloud solutions, with more complex
applications such as business intelligence,
remaining on premise.”
Ian McEwan, VP EMEA, FrontRange stated:
"The research highlights how a three-way
relationship between customers, channel
partners and vendors needs to evolve. I
understand the IT channel's desire to get
involved in Cloud solutions, and there is a
strong market opportunity for them, but it
also requires a change in mindset to
accommodate the different type of solution
and the customer expectations."
Ian Moyse, EMEA channel director of
Webroot, added: “What stands out clearly
from this research is that the IT channel is
realising there is a place for them in the
value chain of providing Cloud solutions.
What is also clear is that there is an
opportunity for the IT channel to provide
sound guidance, support and services to
their customers, establishing an effective
balance between on-premise and Cloud-
based services.” �
IT RESELLER – MAY 2011 11
Research Cloud computing
www.itrportal.com
There is an apparent disconnect between the end user and the IT channelproviding Cloud services. The channel should consider what solutions arerequired by their customers and how to overcome concerns of a service-ledsale over an on-premise sale.”
– Alex Hilton, Rise.
“
Companies in the IT channel are realising there is a place for them in the valuechain of providing Cloud solutions.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND SAMPLING In January and February 2011, Vanson Bourne conducted research onbehalf of the Cloud Industry Forum to determine Cloud adoption attitudesand trends both among end users and the IT channel. The research polled200 respondents from the UK IT channel covering a broad cross-section ofbusiness models and is spilt between IT consultancies making up 24 percent; managed service providers at 22 per cent; systems integrators at 13per cent; specialist resellers at 10 per cent; technical VARs at 10 per cent, IToutsourcers at 10 per cent, distributors and large resellers comprising 7 percent and finally, IT retailers on 5 per cent. Overall, 24 of the participantsdefined themselves as transactional vendors, the remaining 176 as moretechnical focused organisations.
Pearlfinders IT spoke to over 3500 UK-based IT decision-makers across all industries touncover new business opportunities across a range of IT disciplines…
The state of play at Q1
IT RESELLER – MAY 201112 www.itrportal.com
IT services Survey
The Pearlfinders Index collects
and analyses data from these
interviews, allowing the
company to monitor key
characteristics of the IT industry.
What follows are the results from Q1 2011 -
presented in comparison with results from
last year. The Index includes detailed
commentary on trends and patterns across
the complete spectrum of IT services. The
analysis looks at the following services
categories: Cloud computing; Virtualisation;
and unified communications &
collaboration.
Sector heat
Pearlfinders tracked the level of planned-
for corporate activity in Q1 2011, to
determine which sectors are most likely to
hire IT support. This is a reliable method for
deciding where to focus new business
resources. The indicators we use include
news of company growth, hiring of new
staff and corporate transactions.
The Industry/Manufacturing sector was the
most prominent area of IT investment in Q1
2011, up 6.5 per cent on the same period
last year. This reflects recent statistics from
the ONS's ‘Index of Production’, which
indicate the sector is up 2.4 per cent on
the same period in 2010. Retail and
Prof/Business Services remain good areas
to be targeting,
although their development is flat when
compared to last year.
Most likely to engage technology
support (%) Q1 2011:
1. Industry/manufacturing 16.4
2. Retail 10.9
3. Professional/business services 10.2
4. Public sector 8.7
5. Financial services 8.3
Q1 2010:
1. Industry/manufacturing 9.9
2. Retail 11.5
3. Professional/business services 11.5
4. Public sector 9.9
5. Financial services 9.0
Technology sought
Some 212 decision-makers specified an
immediate requirement for a technology
solution in Q1. Cloud computing's
popularity exploded in Q1 (its prevalence
more than tripled compared to Q1 2010),
overtaking virtualisation to become the
most popular service category. While
Cloud-based services are now perceived
to offer a secure, cost-effective alternative
to locally hosted solutions, concerns
remain over the shift in working practices
required to make the most of such set-ups.
Most desired technology solution (%) Q1
2011:
1. Cloud computing 42.0
2. Virtualisation 20.3
3. Unified comms/collaboration 20.3
Q1 2010:
1. Cloud computing 12.2
2. Virtualisation 38.8
3. Unified comms/collaboration 31.7
Pearlfinders also tracked the skill-sets
prospective suppliers would need to
demonstrate to be eligible for these
opportunities. Compared to 2010, IT
decision-makers are most interested in
those with software, hardware, managed
services and telecommunications
expertise, rather than those who specialise
in network infrastructure maintenance.
Expertise most desired of suppliers (%)
Q1 2011:
1. Software 58.5
2. Hardware 38.4
3. Managed services 35.7
4. Telecoms 23.4
5. Networking/infrastructure 17.8
Q1 2010:
1. Software 40.1
2. Hardware 35.2
3. Managed services 35.4
4. Telecoms 12.2
5. Networking/infrastructure 36.8
The business driver
Compared to Q1 2010, this quarter has
seen a total collapse in the number of
decision-makers investing in IT projects for
reasons of cost cutting. Paradoxically,
fragile economic confidence in February
and March 2011 has also seen a drop in
the number of executives spending to drive
business growth when compared to
January, although this is still up when
compared to the same period in 2010.
Sustainability and efficiency drives remain
good reasons to be pitching IT solutions to
your prospects.
Business driver (%) Q1 2011:
1. Supporting growth 27.1
2. Efficiency 15.4
Anthony Cooper:“CIO's haveaccepted thatCloud has thepotential to delivercost efficiencies toorganisationsacross all industrysectors as well asacross companiesof all sizes.”
3. Green IT 14.4
4. Cost-cutting 2.3
Q1 2010:
1. Supporting growth 15.6
2. Efficiency 13.7
3. Green IT 16.3
4. Cost-cutting 8.2
Fertile regions
Pearlfinders gathered data on companies' IT
interest for different areas of the UK.
Business driver (%) Q1 2011:
1. South East 41.0
2. Midlands 13.5
3. North West 12.1
4. North East 11.1
5.Scotland 6.7
Q1 2010:
1. South East 33.5
2. Midlands 9.9
3. North West 17.2
4. North East 15.3
5.Scotland 5.2
Prospecting preferences
Pearlfinders gathered data for where IT
decision-makers specified how they wanted
suppliers to engage with them from a new
business perspective. This quarter has seen
an increase in the proportion of execs
requesting in-depth written prospecting
communications from suppliers via email
and/or post, and a slight fall in those stating a
preference for telephone-based introductions.
Prospecting Preferences (%) Q1 2011:
1. Email 46.5
2. Phone 46.3
3. Post 31.1
4. Networking 4.5
Q1 2010:
1. Email 35.6
2. Phone 47.4
3. Post 13.0
4. Networking 1.4
Q1 2011 Highlights:Cloud computing• Q1 2011 saw a massive leap in the
popularity of Cloud computing as an IT
service category. Of the 212 executives
interviewed in 2011 with a requirement for
external support, 42.0 per cent expressed
an interest in Cloud solutions. This has
increased from 12.2 per cent in Q4 2010.
• Acceptance of Cloud computing as a
viable, secure alternative to locally-hosted
services is being driven, in part, by the
Coalition Government's decision to push
forward with the G-Cloud project. This
effort to share services across Whitehall
departments, led by the Cabinet Office, is
part of an ambition to slash £3.5 billion
from the public sector's IT bill by 2013.
• Demand for Cloud computing in both the
Industry/Manufacturing and the
professional/business services sector
rebounded from a slow Q4. In the latter,
accountancies, law firms and recruiters
sought to boost remote workers' efficiency
through external hosting of applications.
• Security concerns have lessened
compared to last quarter. Now, the
barriers to Cloud computing adoption
relate to the practicalities of its use;
ensuring sufficient bandwidth in remote
locations, and making sure working
practices shift to ensure ROI from the
investment.
Sector heat
The Industry/Manufacturing sector had the
greatest number of Cloud computing
opportunities in Q1 (17.2 per cent of projects).
Here, executives are beginning to consider
the potential for Cloud-hosted ERP and
business intelligence (BI) applications. The
second most popular industry was the public
sector, followed by Professional/Business
Services. The public sector's adoption of
Cloud computing is being driven by the G-
Cloud project, which was recently given the
go-ahead by the Coalition Government. When
it comes to the reason why executives are
investing in Cloud computing in these sectors,
one theme was the potential for Cloud-based
IT RESELLER – MAY 2011 13
Survey IT services
The Industry/Manufacturing sector had the greatest number of Cloudcomputing opportunities in Q1 (17.2 per cent of projects). Here, executives arebeginning to consider the potential for Cloud-hosted ERP and businessintelligence (BI) applications.”
“
www.itrportal.com
IT RESELLER – MAY 201114 www.itrportal.com
IT services Survey
applications to allow access from anywhere in
the world. In the Professional/Business
Services sector, accountancies, law firms and
recruitment consultancies are considering
Cloud computing solutions to deliver access
to mission-critical applications on the move.
Sectors with most Cloud computing
opportunities (%) Q1 2011:
Industry/manufacturing 17.2
Public sector 14.9
Professional/business services 13.8
Q4 2010:
Industry/manufacturing 7.7
Public sector 7.7
Professional/business services 7.7
Shifting working practices tosuit Cloud-based delivery
It is now generally accepted that Cloud
computing has the potential to deliver cost
efficiencies to organisations across all industry
sectors. This quarter we've seen executives
concern themselves less with the perceived
security threats associated with Cloud
computing, although some reservations
remain here. One notable trend this quarter
has been the challenges decision-makers feel
exist when it comes to changing existing
working practices to suit Cloud-based
services. At LV=, for example, the group
infrastructure & service delivery manager
talked about the undertaking of a feasibility
study to investigate the ‘cultural shifts’ that
using Cloud-based tools can lead to.
The issue of bandwidth is another key
concern. This quarter saw a number of
companies – particularly those with a
presence in remote locations – expressing
concern that their incumbent connectivity
solutions would lead to poor user experience
of Cloud-hosted programs. One exec spoke
about the possibility of re-routing connections
to data centres in the US and Germany
through a Telecity facility in London, although
there were worries over cost here.
Pearlfinders’ managing director, Anthony
Cooper, commented: “Cloud computing has
already been named top inquiry topic in 2010,
which suggests the global Cloud computing
market could reach US$150 billion by 2014.
It's a growing market and any VAR who
chooses to ignore and hope it goes away is
frankly naïve and missing a huge opportunity.
There is still a lot of debate going on about
whether or not it's actually anything ‘new’ but
the initial security-related objections are
becoming less of a focus. CIO's have
accepted that Cloud has the potential to
deliver cost efficiencies to organisations
across all industry sectors as well as across
companies of all sizes. This is where the
opportunity lies for resellers to capitalise on
this shift in demand by evolving their own
product portfolio, and positioning themselves
as a service-focused
consultative partner.”
Cooper continued:
“We've been told by a
number of clients that
they're already seeing
ROI having evolved
their service offering in
this way, mainly by
putting together
dedicated cloud sales
and support teams.
This doesn't mean VAR's should abandon
existing specialisms, least of all around
virtualisation. The two technologies go hand-
in-hand with each other, and at enterprise
level it's pointless investing in private clouds if
you haven't already got a virtualised server
environment. Establishing your credentials as
a flexible, agile and innovative partner, makes
cross-selling cloud and virtualisation solutions
more attractive and let's face it, more credible.
There's no point sugar-coating it, most VARs
will find this period to be extremely stressful
and it may be the end for those who keep
following the same, tired business model. But
this is an opportunity to demonstrate you can
take the pain and risk out of what is likely to
become inevitable for most companies.”
Q1 2011 Highlights:Virtualisation • Virtualisation was no longer the most
popular distinct IT category for investment
in Q1 2011. Of those 212 execs that
specified an immediate technology
requirement, virtualisation work made up
20.3 per cent of these. This is down from
38.3 per cent in Q4 2010.
• Desktop virtualisation remained the primary
focus with 51.6 per cent of execs planning
to invest, marginally greater than the
numbers planning server virtualisation work.
• Some 44 per cent of decision-makers
planning a virtualisation project were
doing so to facilitate growth at their
organisation. This overtook cost cutting
There's no point sugar-coating it, most VARs will find this period to beextremely stressful and it may be the end for those who keep following thesame, tired business model.”
– Anthony Cooper, Pearlfinders.
“
In the last quarter of 2010, the marketsaw the number of virtualisation projectsat SMEs increase to represent 38.8 percent of all work, suggesting virtualtechnologies are becoming standard farefor any company's IT infrastructure,regardless of size.
IT RESELLER – MAY 2011 15
Survey IT services
www.itrportal.com
and green IT as the primary reason for
virtualising.
Sector heat
The Industry/Manufacturing sector had the
greatest number of virtualisation opportunities
in Q1 (22.4 per cent of projects). The retail
sector saw the greatest increase in
virtualisation projects (+2.7 per cent) – disaster
recovery was a factor here following the havoc
wreaked by the weather over Christmas.
Sectors with most virtualisation
opportunities (%) Q1:
Industry/manufacturing 22.4
Professional/business services 11.1
Retail 8.9
Q4:
Industry/manufacturing 20.5
Professional/business services 10.2
Retail 6.2
Scalable, virtual infrastructuresto drive business growth
Over the past year, decision-makers have
given reasons such as cost cutting and green
IT considerations as the main drivers behind
virtualisation projects. For the first time, in
2011 the greatest number of decision-makers
are using virtualisation projects to facilitate
expansion (24 per cent) – there is now a
consistent viewpoint that a virtual
infrastructure provides a scalable platform for
company growth. Companies within the
industry/manufacturing, retail and leisure
sectors were those most likely to expand
either through office moves,
mergers/acquisitions or increasing the size of
their user-base in Q1.
Virtualisation for all?
Decision-makers were split almost 50/50
between those planning to adopt VDIs and
those looking to roll out server virtualisation.
As we've seen previously, those choosing to
go down the thin client route had, by and
large, already invested in server virtualisation.
In the last quarter of 2010, the market saw the
number of virtualisation projects at SMEs
increase to represent 38.8 per cent of all work,
suggesting virtual technologies are becoming
standard fare for any company's IT
infrastructure, regardless of size. In Q1 2011
however, uptake of virtualisation projects at
SMEs dropped back to 27.3 per cent,
showing that it is enterprise businesses that
are continuing to drive the strength of this
technology service category.
Q1 2011 Highlights:Unified communications& collaboration • Of those decision-makers with an
immediate requirement for external
support, Unified communications projects
make up a smaller percentage of work
than they did last quarter (down 11.4 per
cent). Like virtualisation the technology is
being 'diluted' in the marketplace by the
popularity of Cloud computing solutions.
• That said, the demand for UC is on-going,
driven by the emergence of second
generation products and services, which
have assuaged fears about technological
maturity and reliability.
• UC investment is now more of a business
decision than a technological one;
companies are deciding on it in
collaboration with finance and operations
departments. For suppliers, the argument
to win is simple – do the solutions you're
pitching improve your prospects' margins?
Sector heat
The Public Sector had the greatest number of
UC opportunities in Q1 (14 per cent of
projects) although this was down 7.9 per cent
on Q4 2010. This was followed by the Retail
and Industry/Manufacturing sectors (both 11.6
per cent). Retail has posted the greatest
increase when compared to Q4 2010 (+7.5
per cent). Within the public sector, it was
educational and healthcare organisations that
were driving investment. For example, the
head of IT at the Glasgow School of Art
highlighted an interest in the presence
features of second generation Cisco UC
solutions.
Sectors with most UC opportunities (%)
Q1:
Public sector 14.0
Retail 11.6
Industry/manufacturing 11.6
Q4:
Public sector 21.9
Retail 3.1
Industry/manufacturing 6.3
Second-generation UC
The prevalence of so-called 'second
generation' UC technologies has been
notable in Q1 2011. Vendors have responded
to businesses – particularly SMEs – that are
reluctant to invest large sums of money in all-
encompassing solutions by encouraging
partners to develop applications that allow for
the federation of existing applications, such as
Outlook, Skype, Yahoo! and MSN Messenger.
Early 2011 saw a slew of decision-makers
express an interest in the use of
videoconferencing as the technology freed
itself from its reputation for being patchy,
unreliable and not a viable substitute for face-
to-face meetings. FMCG manufacturer PZ
Cussons identified improving
videoconferencing facilities as being a
primary goal this year, as did engineering
giant Aker Solutions and security services
firm G4S.
For suppliers, the objections you have to
overcome are now less about the
technologies powering UC, and more
about whether or not there's a business
case to be investing in them. There were
fewer instances of decision-makers citing
problems with the quality of VoIP
technology, but one thing remains constant
– you have to prove the potential for your
prospects to generate ROI from a UC
investment. �
Q1 2011 saw a massive leap in thepopularity of Cloud computing as an ITservice category.
IT RESELLER – MAY 201116
PR
OD
UC
T N
EW
S
automatic data capture
point ofsale
www.itrportal.com
To Come
IT RESELLER – MAY 2011 17
automatic data capture
point ofsale
www.itrportal.com
PR
OD
UC
T N
EW
S
To Come
When a reseller receivesan order for hardware– be it barcodescanners, EPOSsystems, handheld
terminals – there are a number ofrequirements that their customer mayhave which go beyond the simplepurchase of the hardware. Meetingcustomer’s needs can certainly becomeproblematic, costly and timeconsuming. Especially when youconsider that those requests differ withevery order from every customer. Whatresellers need is a place to go to takecare of one-time pre-sales servicerequirements efficiently in terms of time,cost and utilises services that pre-configures hardware.
For this reason, at ScanSource Europewe have seen an ever-growing trend ofresellers demanding pre-salesconfiguration services. So much so thatwe have recently upgraded our currentConfiguration Services and transferred itto a purpose-built Configuration Centre.This will allow us to handle pre-salesconfiguration projects of any size.
Configuration Services includes a widerange of tasks. Whether it is physicalproduct customisation, such aspreloading of operating systems orapplications, bundling of equipment,charging batteries or even productdispatch customisation – simpleadditions of reseller marketing material –ScanSource will take care of it all. Thisfrees up resellers’ internal technical
resources so they can work on tasks,like installing hardware that requirestheir specialised knowledge. It alsoenables resellers to take on largerprojects than their existing resourcesmay otherwise allow; ultimately helpingthem to manage peaks and troughs intheir business.
Focusing on the core business
Technical resources are extremelyvaluable to resellers so what theConfiguration Centre does is it allowscompanies to deploy those resources tomore business-critical areas. Now thatwe have a larger, purpose-builtconfiguration environment we can makeit even easier for resellers to dobusiness by taking on their time-consuming, repetitive tasks so theydon’t have to, and allowing them tofocus on their core business, increaseprofitability and, crucially, meeting thecustomer’s demands.
The time and cost saving are not onlylimited to the allocation of resellers’internal staff. The pre-shipping
configuration of hardware at thewarehouse allows a reseller to opt fordirect shipment to their customer, safein the knowledge that the products willbe ready for use, or ready for installation
by an engineer. Time is saved byavoiding having to ship the goods viathe reseller and therefore also shippingcosts are reduced. In an industry wherewe talk so much about value adds it isessential that we can provide resellerswith real concrete savings.
At ScanSource Europe we continuallyaim to be as flexible as possible tosupply resellers with not just hardware,but full wrap-around solutions, covering
IT RESELLER – MAY 201118
OP
INIO
Nautomatic data capture
point ofsale
Delivering thecomplete package
Colin Booth, director of Professional Services Europe, ScanSource Europe, outlinesthe role a value-added distributor is providing in pre-shipment product configuration
which provides resellers with real savings.
www.itrportal.com
… all technical and physical product configuration work, forboth business units, is taken care of by qualified engineers andall work is performed following recognised industry standards.” “
Colin Booth: ScanSource Europe – continuallyaiming to be as flexible as possible.
as many aspects of the purchasing andsupply process as possible andproviding resellers with peace of mind.The Configuration Centre ticks this boxas well. Deliveries can be made tomultiple countries and configuration canbe performed on any product that wesell. Configuration Services is a part ofour business that is becoming wellestablished for auto ID, POS andbarcoding products, and we are nowextending this to our Communicationsbusiness as well.
All taken care of
The concept is the same for each of thebusiness units. On a more aestheticlevel for communications productsresellers can request that theircustomer’s logo already appears on ahandset for example, while on atechnical level, our qualified engineers
will configure units andpre-install IP addressesas requested. In fact, alltechnical and physicalproduct configurationwork, for both businessunits, is taken care of byqualified engineers andall work is performedfollowing recognisedindustry standards.
We also work closely with all ourvendors from every part of the businessto provide resellers with a stable andreliable service. By doing this, it meansall warranties and service andmaintenance contracts can be updatedand resellers avoid issues relating to thecustomisation at a later stage shouldsomething go wrong with the hardware.
On a final note, Configuration Services
forms part of ScanSource Europe’sProfessional Services, which offers aseries of pre- and post-sales services,including radio frequency site surveys,installation and commissioning, stagingand rolls out, systems integration andindeed maintenance and servicecontracts. And as such, represents forresellers a one-stop-shop for all theirservice needs. �
IT RESELLER – MAY 2011 19
OP
INIO
NC
OM
PAN
Y N
EW
S
automatic data capture
point ofsale
www.itrportal.com
ScanSource Europe hasunveiled its new web portal,ScanSource City, a virtual cityshowcasing the distributor’svalue-added services using
an interactive, dynamic and modernapproach. Accessible atwww.scansource.eu/city, the portal is anengaging way for resellers to learn aboutthe services that add value to theirbusinesses and help make thedistribution channel more efficient.
Each building in ScanSource Citydesignates an available service; forexample a school representsScanSource’s channel education
initiatives, while a construction site givesdetails on the distributor’s ProfessionalServices offering. By clicking on thebuilding, users get the information theyneed about the service.
"We’ve put the information on our valueadds all in one place," said XavierCartiaux, president of ScanSourceEurope. "These are crucial to the way wedo business. Our value adds helpresellers boost their business, increasemargins, and diversify their own offering.We provide the broadest value addedoffering in the industry and give ourcustomers access to leading vendors, ahuge product inventory, and services and
tool that make resellers more successful.”
Cartiaux continued: "For our best-of-breed vendor partners, ScanSource Cityenables them to learn more about ourcommitment to growing the channel,creating new business opportunities andraising awareness of their brands andproducts. We work hard to highlight ourunique selling points in the channel andScanSource City is an innovative andstylish way of doing this."
The services illustrated on ScanSourceCity are available to resellers from boththe communications and barcodebusinesses. �
ScanSource Europeunveils new web portal
Durabook has launched theU12C, a versatileconvertible notebook with a12-inch LCD screen.Rugged and lightweight,
the U12C has passed MIL-STD 810G fordrop, vibration and shock and isdesigned with innovative features andflexibilities for a wide-range ofapplications and work environments;such as government, field service, utility,emergency, police, transportation and
logistics.
In the case ofthe logisticsmarket alone, itis said to besuitable for useat airports, railyards, truckcabs,
maintenance bays, courier vehicles,warehouses – and any otherenvironments that can leverage majoradvantages from the use of modernmobile computer systems andtechnology.
Staying operational longer
Because any malfunctions orinefficiencies can quickly erode profitsand impact scheduling. Durabook laptopswith integrated mobile technology aredesigned to stay operational longer,ensuring less downtime and fewerrepairs. Durabook reports that theseadvantages result in a lower total cost ofownership and a greater ROI.
Durabook comments that mobileworkers no longer need to worry aboutroughing the edges of their computer,or suffering the inconvenience of afailing computer due to vibration andshock. The U12C also features anintegrated ergonomic handle, making iteasily and conveniently transportable‘on the go’.
Suitable for mission-criticalapplications
U12C is designed with special featuressuch as One-Click Stealth Mode thatimmediately disables all emitting lightand sounds. This feature is designedfor the mission-critical applicationssuch as covert operations – includingstakeouts. Modular I/O ports allow
user to change different I/Os forvaries applications in just a few
seconds.
In addition, the aluminum- magnesiumalloy case is said to be able to resistvibration or shock on the road or field,while the built-in GPS feature enablesdrivers to precisely pin-point deliverylocations. Additionally, the wireless WANdevice keeps the connection with thecompany’s network all the way, and thetouch panel and sunlight readabledisplay enables users to undertake workmore easily and check information inany light conditions. �
PR
OD
UC
T N
EW
Sautomatic data capture
point ofsale
www.itrportal.com
U12C is designed with special features such as One-ClickStealth Mode that immediately disables all emitting light andsounds. This feature is designed for the mission-criticalapplications such as covert operations – including stakeouts.”
“
Durabooklaunches the U12Crugged convertible notebook
IT RESELLER – MAY 201120
Durabook’s U12C is a versatile convertiblenotebook with a 12-inch LCD screen. Ruggedand lightweight, the U12C has passed MIL-STD810G for drop, vibration and shock.
To accommodate theadditional people andwarehousing requirementsthat had been caused bysales growth of over 30 per
cent in the previous 6 months, thecompany has moved into a second uniton the Osbaldwick Industrial Estate.
“Our fast-growing sales of PosiflexEPoS terminals, and Orient and Bixolontransaction printers, required us toincrease the size of our bulk purchasesto keep pace with the needs of ourcustomers,” explained Bill Gordon,director with operations responsibility.”The physical bulk of theseconsignments meant that we neededextra warehouse capacity. Wemanaged to secure our target building,which provides not only warehousingcapacity, but also the space to locateour finance and purchasing teams,together with our technical support andproduct configuration group. The office
space that was freed up in ourestablished building has beenredeveloped to house additional salesand marketing personnel. It also givesus extra space to store our higherstock levels of mobile computers.”
Strengthened offering
Varlink CEO Mike Pullon takes up thestory: “Since we established Varlinkwe have worked hard to shape ourbusiness to anticipate and meet the
needs of our customers. We havespent quite some time evaluating therange of products provided by themanufacturers we represent, andidentifying opportunities to strengthenour offering, and therefore that of ourcustomers, by adding additionalbrands. Clearly, to do a good job forthese brands, and for our customerswho resell them, we had to get theinfrastructure right. The extra spacethat we have obtained enabled us toput a recruitment campaign in place
IT RESELLER – MAY 201122
CO
MPA
NY
NE
WS
automatic data capture
point ofsale
Varlink expandscapacity and resources further
The spring of 2011 saw a number of significant developments takeplace at Varlink, the York based specialist distributor of Mobile
Computing & Data Capture products…
www.itrportal.com
The office space that was freed up in our establishedbuilding has been redeveloped to house additional sales andmarketing personnel. It also gives us extra space to store ourhigher stock levels of mobile computers.”
– Bill Gordon, Varlink.
“
Mike Pullon: “We are now well positioned to continue the growth in sales of our establishedbrands and to create and develop business for the recent additions to our brand range.”
Imag
e co
urte
sy o
f Rob
ert N
emet
i of N
emet
ipho
tos.
com
,on
beha
lf of
Yor
k E
veni
ng P
ress
.
that has seen us add sales andmarketing resource, for both Varlinkand EPoS Distributor customers, aswell as adding to our technicalsupport and warehousing teams. Weare now well positioned to continuethe growth in sales of our establishedbrands and to create and developbusiness for the recent additions toour brand range.”
Significant demand
Varlink’s business developmentmanager, Georgina McWhirter, added:“Since our Meet The ManufacturerEvent in February we have seeninterest turn into sales for the keyproducts that came to market in late2010. The Datalogic Elf terminal is nowwell established in a number ofsolutions developed by our customers,and sales of the Getac MH132 andPsion Omnii are strong. The expansionof capacity and resource that we haveput in place means we can maintainour service levels while growing sales.This will have even more significance
when the eagerly awaitedPsion EP10 is launched;as we can already see asignificant demand for thiswell specified and pricedterminal.”
Focused andcomprehensivemarketing support
Sabine Kelly, Varlink’smarketing manager,concluded: “Ourexpanded marketing teamcan now offer ourcustomers focused andcomprehensive marketing
support for Zebra,Datalogic Mobile, Seagull(Bartender), Brother,Zebex, DatalogicScanning, Getac, Unitech,Psion, Opticon, Trimbleand Janam. Ourappointment of SarahEggleton as EPoSDistributor marketingexecutive gives our EPoScustomers a single pointof contact, which will helpthem put in placecampaigns to drive salesof their solutions in theretail space.” �
IT RESELLER – MAY 2011 23
CO
MPA
NY
NE
WS
automatic data capture
point ofsale
www.itrportal.com
Our expanded marketing team can now offer ourcustomers focused and comprehensive marketing support forZebra, Datalogic Mobile, Seagull (Bartender), Brother, Zebex,Datalogic Scanning, Getac, Unitech, Psion, Opticon, Trimbleand Janam.”
– Sabine Kelly, Varlink.
“
Organised by Supported by
DETAILS & REGISTRATION
For locations and timings and to reserve your place, visit http://www.varlink.co.uk/psionroadshow
Coming soon to a city near you!1ST JUNE
Leicester
8TH JUNE
Swindon
15TH JUNE
North London
Georgina McWhirter: “Sinceour Meet The ManufacturerEvent in February we haveseen interest turn into salesfor the key products thatcame to market in late 2010.”
DOTel has launched theDOTH 300 mobilecomputer; a slim,lightweight and compactPDA that features the
Monahan PXA 320 806MHz processorfor high-speed data processing, Theunit is highly ruggedised and certifiedto IP64 standards; confirming thatunder test conditions it is able towithstand drops to up to 1.5m. It canalso be operated in temperatures aslow as -20ºC; consequently the devicecan work in particularly toughconditions, including dusty or low/hottemperature warehouse environments.
Host of built-in features
According to DOTel, the button on theDOTH 300 is durable enough towithstand thousands of pushes byworkers. It is also said to be a highlysecure device with a host of state-of-the-art built-in features; including HSPA,WLAN, GPS, 3M AF camera andHF/UHF RFID reader. Also, its full QVGA3.5in LCD screen provides the mobileworker with a graphical display that iseasy to ready in just about any workingenvironment. Additionally, DOTel pointsout that the extended battery life offeredby the unit means users in sectors suchas logistics, retail and parcel deliverycan be assured of long, reliable andcontinuous hours of use.
Flexible communicationsystem The DOTH 300 features a flexiblecommunication system with HSPA,WLAN and Bluetooth, making it easyfor users to send and receive data, and
synchronise with otherdevices. And thedevice’s powerful fast-reading laser barcodescanner makesreading and scanningbarcodes a simple,efficient and accurateprocess.
DOTel comments thatthis lightweight andslim but ruggeddevice is anenhanced handheldmobile computer witha design that lookslike an attractivesmart phone. It addsthat workers caneasily fit the device intheir pocket, meaningit can be carried justabout anywhere. The company reportsthat many companies active within adiverse range of industries are lookingto both increase data accuracy andefficiency while also cutting costs. Withthese mission-critical requirements inmind, DOTel believes the DOTH 300provides them with the key mobile-device functionality they need.
Durability and stability DOTel highlights durability and stabilityas being two of the key strengths of thenew offering. It adds that throughleveraging these benefits companiescan not only improve their own bottom
lines but also provide a morereliable and professionalservice to their endcustomers, which canhelp to cement strongerbusiness relations goingforward.
DoTel is rolling out theDOTH-300 this month.The company also reportsthat UHF compact andUHF gun type readers arescheduled to be availablein the Autumn. �
IT RESELLER – MAY 201124
automatic data capture
point ofsale
www.itrportal.com
The DOTH 300 mobile computer can be operated intemperatures as low as -20ºC; consequently the device canwork in particularly tough conditions, including dusty or low/hottemperature warehouse environments.”
“
DOTel’s new DOTH 300 mobilecomputer is highly ruggedisedand certified to IP64dust/splash-proof standards.
DOTEL AT A GLANCE Established in 1999, DOTel is a totalsolutions provider for the Auto IDindustry, covering PDA units,embedded system development,enterprise mobility, set-top boxes,vehicle navigation systems andmobile point-of-sale units. DOTel isone of the leading mobile computermanufacturers in Korea.
PR
OD
UC
T N
EW
S
DOTel launchesDOTH-300 lightweight
and rugged mobile computer
Agents in the distribution ofgoods and services arebecoming increasinglyreliant upon strongrelationships with their
trading partners, customers andsuppliers to ensure the efficient deliveryof products to their target audience.According to a 2011 Aberdeen researchreport, almost half of the world’s topretailers are increasing supply chaincollaboration or business processinitiatives with suppliers. A typical retailertoday will be managing many millions ofproduct items, dealing with thousands ofsuppliers, and potentially millions ofcustomers every week. But how well areretailers working together with thosetrading partners?
Traditionally, the buyer and supplierrelationship has hinged upon the creationof a purchase order, or ‘PO’, as the vitaldocument on which all orders anddeliveries are based. Until the supplierreceived the PO, they had no insight intowhether their product would be sold. Butas the process of delivering goods to themarket becomes more complex – forinstance, on multiple orders subject tolast minute changes; or against a
backlog of deliveries fromoverseas
manufacturers with long lead times andpossible delays - there is a significantrequirement for sharing of information thatwill allow buyers and suppliers toeffectively plan for the unknown. Retailersand suppliers can work together to makesure that the source of supply is availablewhen the buyer comes calling, as well asensuring that the buyer doesn’tcompletely relieve the supplier of all itsinventory. And so the need forcollaboration among trading partnerswas born.
However, effective collaboration isn’tnecessarily that easy, especially inpractice. Research by the Institute ofGrocery and Distribution (IGD) in 2010revealed that only around forty percent ofcompanies believed their collaborativeapproaches to be any good, mainly dueto inaccurate demand forecasts and out-of-date sales history. Most industryinsiders claim that availability ofresources remains the biggest hurdle toeffective collaboration. We’d argue thatit’s not necessarily that difficult, you justneed to be shown the way. And thebenefits certainly far outweigh the costs.
Supply chain collaboration centres onbuyers, suppliers and trading partnersdeveloping value-added processes thatdeliver innovative, high-quality, low-costproducts on time with greaterresponsiveness than ever before. Supplychain collaboration therefore requires anincreased reliance on closerbuyer/supplier relationships that co-operatively work together to deliver valueabove and beyond what is achievablethrough simple long-term contracts. The
key elements of these relationshipsinvolve:
• Sharing key operational information.
• Building cooperative business processes that complement the processes of each organisation.
• Building common goals, to ensure that both partners are trying to optimise the results.
This is the only way companies will beable to achieve true competitiveadvantage through supply chainexecution. Yet, many major retailers andmanufactures are reluctant to expandtheir supply chain collaboration programsdue to this increasing complexity. Thisdegrades the trading partners’ ability totruly extend their supply chain networkand take full advantage of a collaborative,demand driven supply chain. Supplychain collaboration is reduced to anautomated data feed with all partiesexpected to access, derive value fromthe information, and act in the bestinterest of the trading partner. What isbeing ignored is the relationship betweenthe trading partner, the act of building acollaboration program together, to drivethe process to cut costs, improve servicelevels and deliver overall value.
Often collaboration has not worked,simply due to a primary attention on datato the detriment of process, and notenough focus on the end customer. Orfailure to recognise mutual interests,resulting in unreasonable demandsplaced on suppliers and retailers.Staying ahead of the game
OP
INIO
Nautomatic data capture
point ofsale
Overcoming thecomplexities of Supply
Chain CollaborationAre you communicating effectively with your trading
partners?, asks Bob Rossman, vice president ofsupply chain solutions at Agentrics.
www.itrportal.com
Bob Rossman: Retailers and suppliers knowthat collaboration is a good thing. But stillrelatively few do it.
Motorola is able to monitor and analyse theperformance of its products. This providesMotorola with the visibility to see trends,understand how products are moving throughthe retail channel, and address operationalissues such as stock-outs and excess inventory.
26 IT RESELLER – MAY 2011
Increased competition, more frequent newproduct introductions and shorter product lifecycles are driving complexity in planning andforecasting for demand. Organisations havealso become more complex in the last decadewith a greater number of locations, businessunits and markets they operate in. Not tomention the unprecedented levels of economicuncertainty that has affected buying patternsand historical data.
Today, busy sophisticated consumers demandhigher levels of service, quality and shoppingconvenience. Improving the consumershopping experience, keeping up with demandand adapting to customer needs is thereforeessential. These challenges, together withimproving service levels and sustainability,have never been more critical to maintainingmarket share and building supply chainflexibility.
One rule of thumb is that if retailers andsuppliers work together to plan in times ofvolatile demand, there is a greater chance ofgetting forecasts right for just-in-time production(in other words, goods arriving at the right time– not too early, not too late) and matchingsupply with demand. The reality, however, is a cynicism about theconcept of supply chain collaboration, and a
vast number of technology solutions,interpretations and jargon that goes with it.Many organisations have memories of difficultyimplementing collaboration programs such asVMI (Vendor Managed Inventory) or CPFR(Collaborative Planning Forecasting andReplenishment), and are overlooking theopportunity to use supply chain collaborationto improve planning efficiencies, increaseforecast accuracy, cut costs, improve servicelevels, and drive value to their bottom line.
Share and collaborate, theneveryone benefits
Retailers and suppliers know that collaborationis a good thing. But still relatively few do it. Thismight be principally down to limited resources,but also a lack of trust. Or, quite often, otherbarriers like technical challenges and know-how. It’s not uncommon to be faced with asituation where retailers don’t want to gothrough all the motions themselves and justneed some third party help and direction.Today’s economic climate for greaterefficiencies and lower costs, not to mentionconsumer pressure for better service, will forcethe industry to connect more collaboratively.Technology, people and process will enablethese connections to happen. �
IT RESELLER – MAY 2011 27
OP
INIO
N
automatic data capture
point ofsale
www.itrportal.com
CASE STUDY: MOTOROLAMotorola, the telecomsmanufacturer, uses AgentricsSCS Intelligence to gain accessto point-of-sale (POS) andinventory data directly fromvarious retail chains. So,regardless of the service bundledwith its handsets, Motorola isable to monitor and analyse theperformance of its products. Thisprovides Motorola with thevisibility to see trends,understand how products aremoving through the retailchannel, and address operationalissues such as stock-outs andexcess inventory. This givesMotorola the ability to proactivelymanage its product portfolios tooptimise the ability to exploitopportunities in the market,increasing sales whilesimultaneously carrying lessinventory.
This is an extract taken from awhite paper downloadable atwww.agentrics.com. Agentrics isa global provider of retail andsupply chain solutions for clientsincluding ASDA, Carrefour,Auchan, Marks & Spencer,PepsiCo, Casino, Walgreens,Coles and Best Buy.
The HT660e offers just that what is needed in a modern day data collection environment. Based on the successful platform of its predecessor, HT660e is now ready to take your applications one step further. It is the ideal mobile data collection terminal for users that currently deploy a DOS-based terminal and are looking to future proof their business by changing their applications to a Microsoft Windows CE-based
Develop your own applications and manage your own integration with the HT660e. This feature-rich hand-
and control over your mobile data collection appli-cations. JobGenPlusEmbedded (JGPe) provides you a free of charge solution to develop applications with little programming knowledge. This latest addition to the Unitech handheld product range offers all the fea-tures you need for applications in warehousing, retail and logistics.
HT660eMobility and ProductivityReady for the future
www.ute.com
For more information: Unitech Europe (The Netherlands) Tel: +31 (0)13 460 92 92 Email: [email protected]
s just that wherThe HT660e offfe
or thReady ffo
our elop yDevhat is needed in a
ehe futur
Thi fh h HT660wnour own applications and manage yo
oductivityMobility and PrroHT660e
n
ye
Wapplications to a Microsofttheirulooking to future proof their b
y a DOS-basey deplorentlthat curcollectiodatamobileidealtheisIt
our applicatioe yw ready to taknom of its predorthe successful platffo
viy data collection enn daaymoder
Unitech Euormation:inffoemororF
and logistics.ou needtures y
the Unitech haammlittle progr
gcharof free a JobGecations..
ocontrol and
ation witintegr
ws CE-basedWindoy changingusiness b
minal and areed tersuserorffominalteron
therr.ons one step furHT660e is r,decessorrr,Based onronment..
(0)+31el:TTe(The Netherlands) ope ur
retaor applications in warehousing,, d ffoeas all the ffeerange offfeandheld product r
This latest addition to.wledgeming knowithapplicationselopdevto solution ge
ouvides ye) proenPlusEmbedded (JGPapplicollection data mobileour yer vo
ich handeature-rThis ffe.th the HT660e
[email protected]:929213 460
ail-aohu-i
-d
m
Ingram Micro EMEA (Europe, MiddleEast and Africa), a division ofIngram Micro Inc., has addedBlackBerry Mobile Voice System(BlackBerry MVS) to its growing line
of mobile products. BlackBerry MobileVoice System (BlackBerry MVS) isdesigned to unify fixed and mobilevoice communications to provide onebusiness phone number, one caller ID,one voice mailbox, and office phonefeatures through BlackBerrysmartphones.
BlackBerry MVS integrates into a varietyof telecommunications environments.Companies can leverage the value oftheir existing PBX system or upgrade tothe latest technology as it becomesavailable. BlackBerry MVS is designedto mobilise telephony features such ascall transfers, switching between callsand call filtering. BlackBerry MVS addsdesk phone features to BlackBerrysmartphones. It integrates directly withthe native phone application to allow theuser to receive or place calls from themobile line or the enterprise line.
Seamless integration
BlackBerry MVS interfaces between theBlackBerry Enterprise Server and thecorporate PBX system, to mobilise deskphone features on BlackBerry
smartphones. This seamless integrationprovides secure authentication andallows for easy administration ofBlackBerry MVS functionality. Callsmade through BlackBerry MVS areanchored through the enterprise PBX toensure that company policies are met.Calls can be logged and audited tostrengthen risk management policies.Calls can be made over Wi-Fi at work, athome, or in Wi-Fi hotspots to addresscost, coverage, and communicationneeds.
Pierre-Yvon Mechali, executive directorand general manager, Telco Division,Ingram Micro EMEA, said: “We are veryglad to promote such an innovativesolution to our customers. We havealready put resources in place andconducted training in several countries.This generated a lot of interest so farand the Ingram Micro’s Partnersdemonstrated their will to invest in thisarea. BlackBerry Mobile Voice System(BlackBerry MVS) represents atremendous opportunity for our resellersto tap into new business opportunitiesand provide technical services.”
Tailored strategies
In 2010, Ingram Micro EMEA launched anew telecommunications division, andunder Mechali’s leadership thecompany has established a team oftelecommunications experts acrossEurope who are implementing tailoredstrategies in each country and receivingearly positive recognition from the
market. In November, Ingram MicroNetherlands was named the BestTelecom & Networking Distributor for2010 at the CRN Channel Awards inAmsterdam. Early December IngramMicro announced it has become anofficial distributor of a full suite ofBlackBerry smartphones, accessories,software and technical supportservices.
Through its telecommunicationsstrategy, Ingram Micro EMEA will extendits logistics offerings with a tailoredservice offering designed to meet theexpectations of resellers, retailers,Mobile Network Operators and MobileVirtual Network Operators. In addition,Ingram Micro will augment its productline by significantly increasing its brandcoverage in netbooks, smartphones andaccessories across EMEA. �
IT RESELLER – MAY 201128
CO
MPA
NY
NE
WS
automatic data capture
point ofsale
www.itrportal.com
BlackBerry Mobile Voice System (BlackBerry MVS) isdesigned to unify fixed and mobile voice communications toprovide one business phone number, one caller ID, one voicemailbox, and office phone features through BlackBerrysmartphones.”
INGRAM MICRO INC. AT A GLANCE
Ingram Micro creates sales andprofitability opportunities forvendors and resellers throughmarketing programmes,outsourced logistics, technicaland financial support, managedand Cloud-based services, andproduct aggregation anddistribution. The company servesmore than 150 countries on sixcontinents with a comprehensiveportfolio of IT products andservices.
Ingram Micro EMEATelecom Division
adds BlackBerry Mobile VoiceSystem to its BlackBerry offering
“
Honeywell has announced itwill now offer the MicrosoftWindows EmbeddedHandheld 6.5 operatingsystem for the Dolphin
6100 and 6500 mobile computers,providing resellers, customers and otherpartners with one common platform formobile device application development.Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 wasdesigned specifically to power mobiledevices that run critical enterprisebusiness applications, such as those inretail, supply chain and other light-industrial environments.
Boosting productivity For Honeywell’s Dolphin 6100 and 6500,Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 willbring efficient and secure data inputcapabilities as well as improvedconnectivity options, boostingproductivity by enabling users tocapture, access, and act on business-critical information in real-time. With theaddition of Handheld 6.5, Honeywelloffers its customers more options, as itwill also continue to support WindowsCE 5.0, an architectural platform that
includes robust developer tools and areal-time operating system.
Most advancedtechnologies
“Honeywell has maintainedits leadership positionwithin the mobile computingspace by listening to ourcustomers and partners andcontinually working withindustry leaders likeMicrosoft WindowsEmbedded to deliver themost advanced technologiesavailable,” said Greg Payne,director of mobility systems,Honeywell Scanning & Mobility.“Our customers asked forportability in our next operatingsystem platform and we knewWindows Embedded woulddeliver. Windows EmbeddedHandheld 6.5 matches thereliability you expect fromMicrosoft with an architecturaldesign that is flexible enoughto be used across marketsegments and regions.” �
IT RESELLER – MAY 2011 29
automatic data capture
point ofsale
HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL Honeywell International is a Fortune 100 diversified company servingcustomers worldwide with aerospace products and services; controltechnologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products;turbochargers; and specialty materials. Based in Morris Township , N.J.,Honeywell’s shares are traded on the New York , London and ChicagoStock Exchanges.
www.itrportal.com
CO
MPA
NY
NE
WS
HONEYWELL SCANNING & MOBILITY AT A GLANCE Honeywell Scanning & Mobility is a manufacturer of high-performanceimage-and laser- based data collection hardware, including ruggedmobile computers and barcode scanners. The company providessolutions for vertical markets such as retail; healthcare; andtransportation & logistics, and complements its products with advancedsoftware, service and professional solutions that enable customers toeffectively manage data and assets. Honeywell products are soldworldwide through a network of distributor and reseller partners.
Honeywell broadens mobilecomputing portfolio with Microsoft
Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 operating system
Our customers asked forportability in our nextoperating system platform andwe knew Windows Embeddedwould deliver. WindowsEmbedded Handheld 6.5matches the reliability youexpect from Microsoft with anarchitectural design that isflexible enough to be usedacross market segments andregions.”
– Greg Payne, HoneywellScanning & Mobility.
“
For Honeywell’s Dolphin6100 and 6500, WindowsEmbedded Handheld 6.5 willbring efficient and securedata input capabilities aswell as improvedconnectivity options.
The survey findings show thatover the next two or threeyears, the majority of UKcompanies will be planningor at least considering an
implementation of mobile businesstechnology. Accurate real-timeinformation is now expected anywhere,
at any time, for greater customerservice, improved business flexibility,and increased productivity. With theneed for innovation never greater, manyare recognising the capabilities ofmobile technology in meeting theserequirements.
Significant increase
In the next two to three years, an 80 percent majority said they will either beplanning or considering theimplementation of mobile BusinessIntelligence (BI) and mobile BusinessAnalytics. 76 per cent said they will belooking at Customer RelationshipManagement (CRM), and a further 64per cent said they would be planning orconsidering an Enterprise ResourcePlanning (ERP) implementation. Thismeans that there will be a significantincrease in the number of companiesrunning or implementing mobileapplications; In some cases this isalmost double the current number(presently, 43 per cent run BI andBusiness Analytics, 49 per cent runCRM, and 43 per cent run ERP).
Less than one fifth said they were notseeing a significant increase in the needfor mobile information and use of mobiledevices across the business, indicatingthat across the UK, companies arelooking at their options for innovatingthrough mobility.
Choice and flexibility
Tim Noble, managing director at SAPUK & Ireland commented: “The movetoward mobile technology andworkforce is indicative of businesses’need to innovate in order to increasecompetitive edge, increase productivityand ultimately profitability. It is also ledby demand from the end user who
IT RESELLER – MAY 201130
SU
RV
EY
automatic data capture
point ofsale
Nine out of tenbusinesses look to mobility todrive productivity and cost savings
Organisations are increasingly turning to mobile solutions to innovate, reducecosts and increase productivity, with 94 per cent stating that the need to increaseproductivity and reduce costs is driving the increased use of mobile devices andtechnology. These are the findings of a new survey of IT decision makers in 320
UK businesses of all sizes and across a number of key industries (manufacturing,retail, public sector and financial services) conducted by SAP…
www.itrportal.com
The move toward mobile technology and workforce is indicative ofbusinesses’ need to innovate in order to increase competitive edge,increase productivity and ultimately profitability. It is also led by demandfrom the end user who increasingly wants access to business-criticalapplications on the go.” – Tim Noble, SAP UK & Ireland.
“
increasingly wants access to business-critical applications on the go. From thisresearch it’s clear that over the two orthree years we are going to see Britishcompanies favouring an increasinglymobile approach to business. At SAPwe are well set up to provide ourcustomers with the choice and flexibilitythey need to innovate and succeed.”
When asked about the drivers forincreasing their use of mobile solutions,increased productivity was the numberone driver (53 per cent), while over athird (41 per cent) stated reduced costsand a further 38 per cent citedimproved customer service. With onethird of companies expecting between20 per cent and 30 per cent of theiremployees to be mobile compared withonly 4 per cent now, it is perhaps nosurprise they are starting to invest in on-device solutions.
Mobile workforce productivity
Some 66 per cent of companies felt thatmoving to a more mobile workforce hashad a positive impact on employeeproductivity, with around a 16 per centproductivity rise amongst workers.Respondents also stated that a 12 percent OPEX saving could be made if anadditional 25 per cent of the workforcewas made mobile. Nearly two thirds (65per cent) of those surveyed said theyfeel their mobile workforce is better ableto do their job, at least to some extent,with a further 63 per cent saying thatthere is greater level of job satisfactionacross on-device workers.
“On-device models allow people toaccess information and data whereverthey are and whenever they want. AtSAP we are investing heavily to ensurewe provide our customers withdeployment choice and flexibility. Inparticular with on-device we are greatlyextending the reach of SAP software tomany more users and deliverapplications for the business andtechnical user on many mobile devices.We believe that with SAP’s OnPremise,OnDemand, and OnDevice productstrategy we are creating newopportunities for our customers to buildvalue and capitalise on changingmarket conditions,” added Noble.
Mobile trends for verticals:
• Over two thirds (77 per cent) of manufacturing organisations are either currently using or planning to implement mobile devices in order to increase efficiency and productivity in the area of customer service and communication.
• Nearly half (41 per cent) of retail organisations do not have a mobile application allowing customers to view their product catalogues, but only one tenth said they do not plan to develop or release a mobile application within the next two or three years, demonstrating a shift in the retail industry toward innovation through mobile devices. A 97 per cent majority said that a mobile application would increase brand loyalty to some extent.
• A 59 per cent majority of respondents in financial services organisations agreed that over the next two to three years we will begin to bring our business right to the customer doors step by utilising the latest tablet PC or laptop
technology, equipped with high-speed wireless connectivity.
• Two thirds of respondents in public sector organisations stated that the budget cuts would not hold back their drive to a more mobile workforce, however only 41 per cent said they saw the mobile workforce as a key platform for cost reduction to tax payers. �
IT RESELLER – MAY 2011 31
SU
RV
EY
automatic data capture
point ofsale
With the need for innovation never greater,many are recognising the capabilities of mobiletechnology in meeting these requirements.
www.itrportal.com
Avnet Technology Solutions,the solutions distributor andan operating group ofAvnet, Inc., has announcedthe launch of Marketplace,
a new website designed to help Avnet’swireless & mobility resellers, VARs, ISVsand associated suppliers in EMEAgenerate additional Motorola hardwarerevenue.
“Avnet recognises that it has becomeincreasingly challenging for our channelpartners to find new end useropportunities,” commented KeithRobinson, product business group
director, EMEA, atAvnet Technology Solutions. “At thesame time, we realise that it is hard forend users looking to deploy a mobiletechnology in their business to find atrusted partner to deliver a solution thatexactly meets their requirements.Marketplace was designed specificallywith both of these challenges in mind.”
Confidence and peace of mind
Marketplace is available in the UK,France, Germany, Italy, Benelux andTurkey. In order to appear onMarketplace and benefit from the lead
generation opportunities associated withbeing listed on the site, partners mustfirst register and qualify to become anAvnet Certified Partner. Among theconditions of becoming a certifiedpartner, the reseller must be able to offerlocal language technical support andhold up-to-date Motorola certifications.Once a partner has been approved byAvnet, they will be supplied with anAvnet Certified Partner logo that can beused on their own website andmarketing collateral. This logo willprovide end users with the confidenceand peace of mind to approach partnersthat appear on Marketplace about theimplementation of their IT solutions.
Every partner that registers to joinMarketplace will be able to create atailored company profile page, in locallanguage, including information about
the vertical markets theyspecialise in and the productsthey sell. In addition, partnerswill be able to uploadbrochures and case studies totheir profile and include a linkto their website. A dedicatedenquiry form will be providedfor end users to contact thepartner directly. Partners will beprovided with regular statistics
on site traffic and visits to their profilepage, including ‘click throughs’ to theirwebsite and enquiry forms submitted.
Networking platform
End user companies will be able to useMarketplace to find a trusted partner toimplement their mobile technologyproject by searching for a partner byregion, solution type and or application.In addition, Marketplace provides aplatform for channel partners to networkwith one another and build new workingrelationships. For example, hardwareresellers can locate ISVs with specificvertical market expertise to assist with aproject and close a deal. “We areconfident that Marketplace will help ourchannel partners to discover newrevenue streams and opportunities in2011,” concluded Robinson. �
IT RESELLER – MAY 201132
CO
MPA
NY
NE
WS
automatic data capture
point ofsale
Leveraging thepower of the web
Avnet Technology Solutions launches ‘Marketplace’: a new website to generateadditional Motorola business for Avnet Channel Partners across EMEA.
www.itrportal.com
AVNET Avnet, Inc., a Fortune 500 company, is one of the largest distributors ofelectronic components, computer products and embedded technologyserving customers in more than 70 countries worldwide. Avnetaccelerates its partners' success by connecting the world's leadingtechnology suppliers with a broad base of more than 100,000customers by providing cost-effective, value-added services andsolutions. For the fiscal year ended 3 July 2010, Avnet generatedrevenue of US$19.16 billion.
AVNET TECHNOLOGYSOLUTIONS AT A GLANCE
As a global IT solutions distributor,Avnet Technology Solutionscollaborates with its customersand suppliers to create anddeliver effective solutions thataddress the business challengesof their end-user customerslocally and around the world. Forfiscal year 2010, the group servedcustomers in more than 70countries and generated US$8.19billion in annual revenue. AvnetTechnology Solutions(www.ats.avnet.com) is anoperating group of Avnet, Inc.
Avnet Technology Solutions’Marketplace website has beendesigned to help Avnet’s partnersin EMEA generate additionalMotorola hardware revenue.
© 2011 Avnet Inc. All rights reserved. The Avnet Technology Solutions logo is a registered trademark of Avnet, Inc.
Accelerating Your Success™
Discover a whole new way to generate revenue
www.reseller-marketplace.com
Accelerating
Success™ourYYog
genDisc
nerate revcover a w
venue whole new
w way to
vnet IA1© 201
vnetATheAll rights reserved.Inc.
echnology Solutions logo is a regTTe
vnet, Inc.Agistered trademark of
.resellwww
er-marketplace.com
The Toughbooks will provideHampshire Police with instantaccess to intelligenceservices such as PNC andpolice databases while on
the road, and also give them mobileaccess to their station IT systems tocomplete paperwork when in the field.Using the Toughbooks, the officers willbe able to:
• Reduce unnecessary journeys back to the police station for paperwork or information, enabling the patrols to stay out in the community longer.
• Reduce bureaucracy by completing work processes in the field, helping to make the most of the force’s resources.
• Instantly access information whilst in their communities, helping to work smarter and more effectively to reduce crime.
• Capture witness statements and victim reports at the scene, without the need to bring members of the public back to the station, improving the service and capture of quality data.
“We are continuously looking at ways touse mobile technology to improve theefficiencies and service we can provide
as a police service,” said chiefinspector Cleave Faulkner, of
Hampshire Police. “It wasclear we required a mobilecomputing device that
could be used by officersboth in and outside the
vehicle and that was hardwearing andreliable. After carrying out extensivetrials, the Panasonic Toughbook was the
obvious device choice and our decisionwas made even easier by the excellenttechnical support we received from thePanasonic team.”
Highly durable
The Toughbook CF-19 is part ofPanasonic’s Fully Rugged range and isequipped with Intel Core i5 vProprocessor. A magnesium-thickenedcasing offers maximum protection forthe most sensitive components such asthe display, while hard drives aresecured against impact and shock. Afall from a height of 90cm is said not toaffect functionality in any way, and aspecial protective coating provides dustand water resistance.
The CF-19 is also a convertible ruggednotebook, which means that the devicecan be used as a conventional laptop orconverted to a tablet PC for easy use
when taking statements or filling informs in the field. The lightweight devicecan easily be held with one hand andthe bright touchscreen LCD display iseasy to use both inside and outside inbright light conditions. And for reliablecommunications when in the field, theHampshire Police units contain 3Gbroadband capability, to ensure officersare always in touch with the command
centre.
Perfect technology companion
William McGregor, Toughbook UKCorporate Sales Manager, said: “Thepolice service has a very difficult job todo in challenging economic times.Panasonic Toughbooks are the perfecttechnology companion for Hampshirepolice patrols to assist officers to cutbureaucracy, improve efficiencies andtheir service to the public.”
The fully ruggedised Toughbook CF-19sare being installed between now andJune and will be available in patrol cars,as well as specialist vehicles for criticalevent management and firearmresponse teams. �
IT RESELLER – MAY 201134
automatic data capture
point ofsale
www.itrportal.com
We are continuously looking at ways to use mobiletechnology to improve the efficiencies and service we canprovide as a police service. It was clear we required a mobilecomputing device that could be used by officers both in andoutside the vehicle and that was hardwearing and reliable.”
– Cleave Faulkner, Hampshire Police.
“
Hampshire Police is upgrading 170 of its vehicles with ruggedPanasonic Toughbook notebooks to improve efficiency and
service when out patrolling and on special operations…
Hampshire Police deploys170 Panasonic Toughbooks in patrol
and specialist vehicles
CA
SE
STU
DY
Blackroc Distribution andrecently appointed RFIDpartner Impinj held aWorkshop at StaffordUniversity last month,
informing many of its RFID developerchannel partners about recentdevelopments within this technologyspace and pointing out ways todevelop bespoke applications for endcustomers. The day included acorporate overview of Impinj and itsbackground in RFID development,together with an explanation of howRFID, antennas and readers work. Thebenefits offered by UHF Gen 2 RFIDtechnology were also explained. Thispresentation was provided by PaulGarner-Evans, Impinj’s senior salesdirector, and Casey Hagen, thecompany’s director of applicationsengineering, who also gave a livedemonstration of how RFID can now bean effective and easily installed plug-and-play application.
Formal distribution agreement
Impinj entered into a formal distributionagreement with Blackroc Distributionrecently to provide its RFID reader andantenna products in the UK andIreland. Impinj identified Blackroc as anatural selection for distribution of itstechnology in UK. Garner-Evanscommented: "With Blackroc's deepunderstanding of RFID and the AIDCindustry, we feel that this newrelationship will be the first of manypositive steps towards growing theImpinj brand within the UK and Irishmarkets.”
Blackroc and Impinj are looking toencourage more and more resellers tobecome active in the field of RFID andwill be providing a host of services tohelp support and educate resellerswho want to expand their solutions
using RFID. In addition to this readilyavailable training Blackroc has a well-equipped demonstration facility inStafford, which is freely offered to itsresellers for meetings and workingdemonstrations for their potentialcustomers. "The ability to add realvalue-added support to our channelpartners within these markets is criticalto our success as a channel drivenbusiness," said Peter Horton, Impinj'sglobal channel marketing manager."Blackroc brings an enormous amountof value to our channel network withrespect to technical training andsupport, making them the perfectdistributor to support these markets."
The Blackroc Impinj relationship willdeliver a wide range of products andsolutions comprising high-performancereaders, software, antennas, andsystems integration. Impinj productsprovide high-level performance,integration, and cost effectiveness to aglobal customer base, in applicationscovering numerous vertical markets,including apparel, inventorymanagement, asset tracking,authentication, and serialisation.
Deep-level involvement
At the Workshop, Tony Jephcott,Blackroc Distribution’s managingdirector, commented: “For some timewe’ve been involved at a very deeplevel with RFID, having developedPsion’s first ever reader. And our on-going RFID activity means we are fullyable to support our channel partners inthis technology space. To grow ourinterest in RFID further we’veestablished partnerships in the area ofRFID-related software in order to makeit easier for our application developerpartners to create their ownapplications. One example of this is asoftware development kit (SDK) from
Impinj, which provides a high-levelinterface between the finishedapplication and the low-level logicprotocol. Also, our own technicalpersonnel have recently developed twoexample applications using the ImpinjSDK. So, through developingapplications ourselves we have learnthow to use this technology at a deeplevel. And this knowledge can beleveraged to support our channelpartners when they use tools such asthe Impinj SDK to assist them increating their own applications.”
Jephcott added that BlackrocDistribution has also formed apartnership with RF-IT Solutions, basedin Graz in Austria. “RF-IT is a well-established business that has createdan application platform that makes iteasier for our channel partners tocreate their own applications,” he said.Terry Kemp, RF-IT’s sales director,spoke about RFID modular softwareduring the afternoon session at lastmonth’s Workshop. �
IT RESELLER – MAY 2011 35
CO
MPA
NY
NE
WS
automatic data capture
point ofsale
www.itrportal.com
Blackroc Distribution andImpinj Workshop focuses onRFID opportunities for the channel
Tony Jephcott: “[Blackroc’s RFID knowledge]can be leveraged to support our channelpartners when they use the Impinj SDK toassist them in creating their own applications.”
Psion, a global provider ofmobile computing solutions,and its UK partner TSCBarcode Solutions, hasannounced a new deal with
Thomas Thomson (Blairgowie) for itsWorkabout Pro 3 product to replace anexisting fleet of Psion devices. Thecompany is using Psion’s rugged,modular handheld computers to help thefarm with managing staff performanceand productivity, maximising fruit yieldsand to meet its obligations to itssupermarket customers for producetraceability.
Thomas Thomson (Blairgowie) is aScottish-based fruit farm that suppliesgrade A product to major UKsupermarkets. In the low-margin, high-volume and quick-turnaround businessof fruit farming, the company’s firstpriority is to drive costs as low aspossible. This entails maximising theproductivity of each field of fruit,identifying underperforming fields andturning around as much produce in asfast a time as possible.
Critical role
The company employs 400 staff duringits busy harvest season to meet thesupermarkets demands for quality freshBritish fruit. Groups of up to 30 workers
use the Psion mobile computers toclock in and out, record piecework, andhours spent on different jobs such asplanting or tunnel construction. Therecords play a critical role in producingthe company’s payroll.
The Psion devices are part of theThomas Thomson Fruit Picking System,which was specified, designed anddeployed by TSC Barcode Solutions,provider of mobile computing, barcodeand RFID data capture and label printingsystems, in full co-operation with thefarm. The system running on Psion’sdevices is helping to dramaticallyimprove efficiency and productivity in thefield by providing instant recording andaccess to benchmarking data.
The company had been using Psion’sprevious Workabout Pro devices but afternearly a decade of loyal service, ThomasThomson’s existing device had finallyworn out as Administrator at the farm,Laura Woods, commented: “As you canimagine, a farm is a pretty demandingenvironment for any computer and ourPsion devices had stood the test of time.However, we’d reached the point wherewe were cannibalising three units tomake one working device and needed toupgrade our Workabout Pros.”
The company chose Psion Workabout
Pro 3 for three reasons. “We’d had a longand positive experience with theWorkabout Pro devices on our farms andtrusted Psion to give us the sameexperience with the new units,”explained Woods. “Workabout Pro 3 alsogave us larger and improved screensthat enabled the use of sophisticatedproductivity and reporting software in thefield saving time downloading data at theend of an already long day. The thirdreason was that Workabout Pro 3 is amodular device and we liked the idea ofbeing able to swap modules in the fieldrather than having to send devices backfor repair or upgrade.”
Meeting traceabilityrequirements
Thomas Thomson now relies on Psioncomputers for all its performancebenchmarking. Company supervisorscan check key performance reports,such as field yield and staff performancein real time as often as they wish directlyon the Psion Workabout Pro 3 devices.Finally, the company can also meettraceability requirements coming fromthe supermarkets. With the use of theWorkabout Pros high quality barcodescanners, they can record each bar-coded tray rapidly and the data for thattray is stored in the farm’s systems incase any problems with produce areidentified in the packhouse.
In the future, the company is consideringmoving to wireless downloading of data,so the Workabout Pro 3’s mobilecapabilities will prove valuable here too. �
IT RESELLER – MAY 201136
CA
SE
STU
DY
automatic data capture
point ofsale
Psion remains pick ofthe crop for UK fruit farm
www.itrportal.com
We’d had a long and positive experience with the Workabout Prodevices on our farms and trusted Psion to give us the same experiencewith the new units.”
– Laura Woods, Thomas Thomson (Blairgowie).
“
The advent of WEEE in 2007 had
a mixed reception, with some
responsible producers and large
outlets (like Currys for example)
offering free recycling services to
customers and even non-customers. The
issue of who pays for the proper recycling of
e-waste is also a moot one. Reputable
brands such as Citizen abide by strict
codes and invest heavily in good practices.
Other organisations may be much less
sympathetic and uncooperative and this
varies from country to country too.
Indeed, four years after the implementation
of the WEEE directive, the situation is still
confusing, with a combination of missed
targets and confusing objectives. Most EU
countries have somewhat managed to
increase the recycling of electric and
electronic goods. Some of these initiatives
stem from organisations such as Remploy,
the UK’s largest employer of people with
disabilities, offering refurbished entry level
computers for as little as £92 to encourage
people on low income to gain IT skills and
access the internet. Most of this equipment
comes from government offices and would
have just been scrapped (one can only
hope that sensitive data has been
accurately removed). Of course, eventually
even these items would need to be
recycled, so even in this admirable example
the concerns at the back of the WEEE
directive remain.
Despite initial successes two areas remain
of great concern. The first relates to the
export of obsolete or recyclable items to so-
called recycling sites in developing nations.
The second concern relates to the USA and
also to the developing countries themselves,
the so called BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India,
China) economies in particular, where use of
electronic goods has increased
exponentially since the drafting of the WEEE
directive in 2003.
Failings
For example, a study by the American
Chemical Society estimates that e-waste
from developing nations will reach 700
million units by 2030, 500 million more than
which the developed nations would have
produced by the same date. This situation is
made worse by the position of the USA as
this country has consistently failed to sign
up to international agreements on the
recycling of e-waste, with the result that
much has now become landfill in the US
itself, or simply exported without appropriate
checks and as second hand equipment.
Much of this second hand equipment is
converted and re-used in developing
nations; however, given the often limited life
span of these reconditioned items, they are
quickly discarded and simply amassed in
often unregulated landfill areas. Some of this
e-garbage is also sent to developing nations
marked as ‘donations’. The US isn’t alone in
this grey trade and indeed this flow exists
even within the EU, as according to
Greenpeace, up to 47 per cent of the e-
waste traded from our seaports should
actually be deemed as illegal under WEEE
regulations.
The WEEE regulations were well meaning
and in theory made perfect sense. Many
electronic items contain precious metals
such as copper, iron, silicon, nickel and gold.
These metals can be extracted during an
appropriate recycling process and obviously
reused. A standard mobile phone, for
IT RESELLER – MAY 201138
Counting the environmentalcosts of e-waste
www.itrportal.com
By Mark Beauchamp,European marketing managerfor Citizen Systems Europe.
OPINION
For developing nations there is a real opportunity to createefficient and safe operations where goods are properly recycled,refurbished and even re-exported, creating much neededemployment and skills.”
“
IT RESELLER – MAY 2011 39www.itrportal.com
OPINION
example, is 19 per cent copper and 8 per
cent iron. Manufacturing mobile phones and
personal computers consumes 3 per cent of
all the gold and silver mined worldwide each
year, 13 per cent of the palladium and 15 per
cent of all cobalt. Simply discarding these
items makes no sense whatsoever.
Incineration is equally wasteful and also
extremely dangerous, as in the process,
highly carcinogenic substances can be
released in the environment.
Mobile phones are of particular concern as
their lifespan is well below that of a standard
computer or other peripherals. Fashion and
in-built obsolescence dictates that a mobile
phone is now changed every 18 months or
so, with the result that the International
Telecommunications Union estimates that 5
billion phones are registered every year
globally. With such short lifespan and
extreme portability it’s easy to dispose of
unwanted phones, though many remain at
the back of cupboards probably for several
years, before their owners finally decided to
dispose of them.
There is now a brisk trade of e-waste from
developed countries to India, China and
Africa. China is making serious attempts at
preventing becoming a global dumping
ground. This isn’t entirely selfless, however,
as China already produces about 2.3 million
tonnes (2010 estimate) of domestic waste,
second only to the United States with
approximately 3 million tonnes. Moreover,
most of China’s own e-waste is improperly
handled, much of it incinerated by backyard
recyclers to recover valuable metals like gold
– a practice that releases steady plumes of
far-reaching toxic pollution and yields very
low metal recovery rates compared to state-
of-the-art industrial facilities.
Dumping ground
In India the situation is more
complex and with fewer controls it’s
much more difficult to estimate the
scale of the problems. However, a
leading environmental group
estimates that in Delhi alone over
30,000 people are employed in the
task of recovering e-waste. The real
problem relates to Africa and to
Ghana in particular, a country with a
GDP of just over 600 US$. Ghana has
recently been named the dumping
ground of used gadgets and the problem is
exacerbated by the fact that Ghanaians
living abroad literally scavenge for these
discarded items in Europe and America,
package them and then ship them home,
according to officials from the Ghana
Standards Board. This can be a lucrative
trade but ultimately the costs are passed on
to the already impoverished state, in terms
of safe disposal and health risks. In the
heart of Accra – in an area called
Abgogbloshie – lies one of the most toxic
and polluted sites in Ghana, which is where
all discarded electrical gadgets are
dumped. Thick black smoke billows from
different parts of the site as parts are burnt
in an attempt to retrieve the copper. In the
process, people inhale toxic smoke
containing lead and cadmium, a carcinogen
that damages lungs and kidneys.
In the light of the above it seems that
directives alone, no matter how well
meaning, will not be enough to prevent
large scale environmental problems, unless
proper recycling processes are in place
globally. For developing nations there is a
real opportunity to create efficient and safe
operations where goods are properly
recycled, refurbished and even re-
exported, creating much needed
employment and skills. Yet such an
enlightened approach can only come with
a combination of scaled up control
measures combined with well-targeted aid
from developed countries. �
A study by the American Chemical Societyestimates that e-waste from developing nationswill reach 700 million units by 2030, 500 millionmore than which the developed nations would
have produced by the same date.
CITIZEN SYSTEMS EUROPECitizen Systems Europe operates from locations throughout Europecovering the EMEA region. It offers a wide range of printers for industrial,retail, healthcare and mobile applications specialising in label, barcode,portable and point-of-sale printers. In each case, the company’s productsare sold and supported by a network of specialised partners. CitizenSystems Europe is a wholly owned subsidiary of Citizen Systems Japan andpart of the Citizen group of companies, a global organisation thatmanufactures products ranging from its world-famous Eco-Drive watches,calculators, mini-printers and industrial printing systems to machine tools,quartz oscillators, LEDs and other electronic components.
IT RESELLER – MAY 201140
DATAMAX O’NEIL
WHITE PAPER EXTRACT
www.itrportal.com
With the growing emphasis
on cost cutting,
companies need to find
new and better ways to
enhance efficiencies and
ensure accuracy across their supply chains
and distribution networks. One strategy that
is still effective in helping achieve this goal
is the implementation of greater mobility into
warehousing and distribution functions
through devices such as mobile printers.
According to a recent study, mobile devices
and software commonly improve workforce
production by 20 per cent or more. This
translates into lower labour costs, lower
operating costs, and faster payback on
investment1. Such gains are not hard to
envision. By minimising the time needed to
print labels and apply them to materials,
work in process, finished goods, pallets,
boxes etc., mobile printers help drive down
labour costs while improving performance
on the warehouse and DC floors.
Similarly, companies bound by centralised
printing and labelling solutions risk
diminished productivity and increase the
likelihood of errors because workers have to
leave their positions to travel to and from
the centralised printing station to retrieve
barcode labels. While the integration of
these centralised stations with enterprise
applications has proven effective in driving
up efficiencies and driving down costs, they
have in many cases reached their potential.
To further streamline the operation of
processes and extend the value of software
and computer assets within the warehouse,
mobile printing solutions can empower the
worker, right where he or she is at that
moment, whenever he or she demands this
functionality.
The case for mobile printers in thewarehouse
Greater efficiency and reducing the cost of
errors are the two principal drivers of mobile
printing in warehouse operations. When
pallets are unloaded from a truck that is
delivering goods to be stored in a receiving
warehouse, a forklift is used to get the goods
from the truck. Sometimes an entire pallet
goes in, but in many cases the pallet has to
be broken down. In either case, the
destination for goods has to be identified
and catalogued, and a label has to be put
on each piece, so that it can be identified in
the system (ie. these are wheel bearings,
those are something else). The items have to
be assigned to a location in the warehouse.
All this information has to be clear so that the
manufacturing process can move forward. If
every time a worker goes to a pallet, they
have to go to a printer that is at the end of
their loading dock, operator time is going to
be wasted. The operator has to go back and
forth, pick up the label, put the label on, and
then take the item back to the warehouse.
On the other hand, in this environment, if the
operator is wearing the printer or the printer
is attached to a forklift, then the operator can
print labels as soon as items have been
identified on the pallet – as soon as the pallet
is touched. The operator spends less time
going back and forth to the stationary printer,
and efficiency is increased.
Also if operators are distracted, items may
go to the wrong place in the warehouse or –
worse – outbound items may get shipped to
the wrong destination. Mobile printing greatly
reduces the likelihood of such errors and
their associated costs, which can drive costs
upwards by 15 per cent2. By empowering
printing at the point-of-use, mobile printers
speed time to completion and improve
compliance, as print and label execution
becomes a more natural part of the
employee’s workflow.
Redefine receiving
Instead of workers moving to printers at the
end of the dock or from the dock to the IT
office to pick up labels of advance ship
notices that are printed and stored upon
receipt, they can print at the point of
receiving from belt- or forklift-mounted label
printers. In this way, barcodes or RFID labels
can be affixed immediately upon unloading,
ensuring that incoming items are prepared
accurately for the warehouse’s automated
processing systems. This eliminates the time
required for round trips between the dock
and office, and minimises the chance that a
worker could apply a wrong label. Labelling
items in this manner also ensures that 100
per cent of incoming items are bar-coded, so
that warehouse applications can be fully
leveraged.
Capitalise on cross-docking
By minimising steps for personnel, mobile
printing optimises cross-docking procedures
used at a trans-shipment point to save time
and labor in moving goods from an inbound
vehicle to an outbound vehicle. Staff
equipped with mobile devices can receive
inbound shipments, log them into the
warehouse management or inventory control
systems with a mobile computer or
handheld device, and then use a mobile
printer to create labels with the appropriate
cross-docking information. Doing this at the
point of use speeds the process while
improving accuracy.
Greater efficiency and reducing the costof errors are the two principal drivers of
mobile printing in warehouse operations.
The power ofmobile printing in thewarehouse and beyond
41www.itrportal.com IT RESELLER – MAY 2011
Make putaway painless
Inherent delays in the fixed-printer model –
routing to and from the printer, time spent at
the printer per se – have had a negative
effect on putaway. Using mobile printers
within integrated environments that include
mobile printers, wireless networks, and
shared databases can attain significant
efficiency gains over an architecture that
utilises stationary devices located near, but
not at the point where the work actually
happens. Specifically, an integrated system
empowers personnel to initiate label
requests by entering data into a handheld
computer that transmits the data to the
company’s ERP system over a wireless LAN.
After the ERP system receives the
transmission and updates inventory,
information required to create the
appropriate label or labels is sent back to
the handheld for mobile printing.
Picking possibilities
Since picking is essentially the opposite of
putaway, mobile printers can provide this
function with similar time and cost savings.
By enabling operators to pick multiple orders
simultaneously and within a very small
footprint, mobile printers drive down empty
transit time and drive up productivity. The
printers are used to create barcode or RFID
labels for each individual item; these are
subsequently scanned to speed the sorting
of items for shipment.
Excellence in packing and shipping
When a manufacturing process is finished,
personnel can use the mobile printer to
create a label for the finished goods; or,
warehouses and distribution centers can use
mobile printers to manage ship-to-order
requirements. Workers can use labels and
scanning to verify the pick/pack of all items
necessary to complete an order, eliminating
the need to identify and label final
assemblies. The processing of ship-to-order
requests can be improved by labeling items
with an order code to associate them with a
specific customer during picking or packing.
When the order finishes, a mobile printer
creates the shipping label, ensuring
accuracy in packing and shipping.
Beyond the ordinary
In addition to the classic
warehouse procedures
(receiving, QA, putaway,
picking, packing, and
shipping), mobile printers
are proving effective in
driving efficiencies in other
labelling applications,
including: Asset Tracking;
Compliance Labelling;
Inventory Control; Real-Time
Tracking Status and Spare Parts; Spare Parts
Inventory; Asset Utilisation; Customer
Compliance; and Overage, Shortage, or
Damage. Mobile printers are also showing
value in other environments. For example, on
the manufacturing shop floor, mobile printers
are being used more in actual production
areas – around production lines,
workstations, machines, and equipment –
where point-of-work printing access can
drive up efficiencies by eliminating wasteful
travel and social dwelling time.
Why Datamax O’Neil?
Why does Datamax O’Neil make sense as a
supplier? Two compelling reasons:
RuggednessIn mature markets, which generally are
markets with higher labour costs, many
installations have already been done. When
it comes to portable devices, whether it is a
printer, hand-held terminal, smartphone, or
laptop, those who have used these devices
know the cost of supporting a non-
ruggedised solution is significant. They know
that the total cost of ownership does not pay
off when you have to buy extended
warrantees or have a large hot swap pool to
replace units that keep going down so
operators can keep working, either on the
manufacturing floor or in the field. Datamax
O’Neil mobile printing solutions eliminate
these problems because they are ultra-
rugged by design, providing a truly durable
solution that doesn’t need frequent
maintenance or replacing.
Easy integration Datamax O’Neil printers are designed to
reduce your fixed cost of installation,
even when the printer comes with a full
complement of accessories (eg. fork-
truck mounts, power supplies for in-
vehicle applications, multiple battery
chargers). Accessories also include
language emulators; Datamax O’Neil has
control language emulation that covers
ZPL, CPTL, and IPL, as well as Datamax
O’Neil’s own DPL. Many Datamax O’Neil
printers can automatically interrogate the
data stream and apply one of many
control languages that is native to the
device. The rugged and portable RL4
‘speaks’ six different control languages.
Easy integration also means integrating
well with Warehouse Management
Systems (WMS). SAP has a WMS module
specifically designed to improve
warehousing environments, as do Oracle,
Manhattan Associates and many other
WMS solution providers. These
companies make software specifically
designed to allow manufacturers to better
organise the flow of products across their
shop floors and through their
warehouses. Datamax O’Neil’s proven
compatibility with these WMS is another
important differentiator.
Specific solutions for your warehousing,
distribution centre, retail, or route
accounting applications keep your
business efficient and error free.
NOTES
1. ‘Rationalising Maintenance without
Compromising Capability’, ARC
Insights, Arc Advisory Group, July 22, 2010.
2. ‘InfoTrends/CAP Ventures Studies Document
Costs for Major Organisations Worldwide’,
InfoTrends/CAP Ventures, September 28, 2005.
DATAMAX O’NEIL
WHITE PAPER EXTRACT
Datamax-O’Neil’s 4-inch label printer, the
RL4, designed forrugged environments
typically found inmanufacturing,
transportation andlogistics applications.It is ideal for wearingon a belt or mounting
to a forklift anddelivers labels where
you are, when youwant them.
This expansion follows the rapid
growth of Zebra’s partner base
since it launched the
PartnersFirst scheme five years
ago, and more recently to
support its global ISV programme which was
announced earlier this year. ISVs can now
take advantage of Zebra’s reseller channel
and global sales resources, as well as global
alliance partnerships that include Motorola,
IBM, Oracle and SAP.
“We have developed our partner network
significantly and we understand that
companies in the channel appreciate the
benefits of joining a programme that will offer
them the support required to stay ahead of
the competition,” said Rebecca Brookes,
channel marketing team manager, Zebra
Technologies. “We are now extremely well
positioned to support our evolving channel
and ISV base in the UK and across EMEA.
With these new roles in place, I look forward
to further success in the relationships with
our channel partners.”
New roles
To support the latest developments Zebra
has added to its marketing team a range of
new channel programme and channel
marketing roles which include an EMEA ISV
programme manager, a channel marketing
manager and two channel programmes
development specialists.
As ISV programme manager, Chris Ayres will
now adapt Zebra’s global programme to the
EMEA region and manage Zebra’s ISV
programme across Europe. As the new
channel marketing manager, Chris Gubbins
will focus on the development of various
programmes including incentives and
marketing support, while the channel
programme specialists’ roles will include
overseeing the ongoing development of
online resources for partners, and
programmes for partners that specialise in
specific product areas. �
IT RESELLER – MAY 201142
Printing & labelling Company news
www.itrportal.com
Zebra Technologies establishesnew EMEA channel marketing teamto support global ISV initiative
“ ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIESZebra Technologies Corporationoffers a broad range of enablingsolutions to identify, track andmanage critical assets, people andtransactions for improved businessefficiencies. Serving more than 90per cent of Global Fortune 500companies in more than 100countries around the world, Zebra’sspecialty on-demand printing, RFIDand enterprise location solutionshelp customers create smarter andmore connected infrastructures,resulting in significant improvementsin visibility and businessperformance.
Zebra Technologies Corporation, the global provider of specialty printing, RFID andenterprise location solutions, has announced the expansion of its EMEA channel
marketing expertise with the addition of four new team roles…
We have developed our partner network significantly and we
understand that companies in the channel appreciate the benefits
of joining a programme that will offer them the support required to
stay ahead of the competition. We are now extremely well
positioned to support our evolving channel and ISV base in the
UK and across EMEA.”
– Rebecca Brookes Zebra Technologies.
ISVs can now take advantage of Zebra’s reseller channel and global sales resources, aswell as global alliance partnerships that include Motorola, IBM, Oracle and SAP.
IT RESELLER – MAY 2011 43
Printing & labelling Interview
www.itrportal.com
Sato has been a well-established
name in the world of barcode
printing solutions for over two
decades, The company’s
product line includes everything
from direct thermal and thermal transfer
printers and RFID smart printers, to OEM
print engines, 10.5in-wide web printers,
printer accessories, label design software,
labels and thermal transfer ribbons. The
company’s prime focus is within the retail
sector, including restaurants and hospitality.
General manufacturing and food
manufacture also makes up a sizable slice of
the company’s customer base, as does
transportation & logistics, government and
healthcare. Sato’s Brian Lang pointed out
that the company’s main theatres of
operation are focused within US, North and
South America, North Africa and Europe –
including Turkey and Greece. Sato also has a
base in Singapore, which manages the
company’s Asia Pacific market activity,
including South Africa.
Three-tier partner model
To further boost its activity in Europe, April
2010 saw Sato launch a new European
Partner Programme. Lang explained that the
rationale behind the launch of this channel
initiative in Europe has been to bolster the
level of VAR partners within three core tiers
within the programme. “We’re looking for
market specialisation, application
specialisation, specific technical skills, value-
added qualities within a segment of our
target markets, and also proven geographic
penetration,” he said, adding: “At the top tier
we’re looking for qualities that are rather
unique, and that make us think we can
invest with these partners and grow a
specific part of the market. At level 2 we’re
looking for partners that have proven AIDC
industry experience, or offer solutions and
services that we can bold our technologies
and solutions to, and take them to our target
markets and geographic segments. The third
level comprises the general AIDC community
that buys and sells product.”
In terms of partner credentials, Lang
explained that Sato supplies a number of
solutions and products that offer access
based on particular qualifications. “We sell
print engines rather than sell print
application machines,” he said, “and we
have a number of partners throughout
Europe that we work closely with. They
take our print engines, built them into their
applications and then sell them into their
particular target marketplace. There are a
number of other products we offer where
there’s a certain certification aspect. Again,
we will provide the base technology. For
instance, if our partners are looking to seel
our recently launched TH2 printer [reported
on in the March 2011 edition of IT Reseller]
there’s a certain certification process they
need to go through involving learning about
the Application Enabled Printing (AEP)
programming language and basically being
able to build and resell these types of
solutions. So we are looking for more
partners with very specific expertise;
companies that can build solutions and
offer them as part of their overall package
to the end customer.”
Strong business proposition
Lang added that Sato’s market share in
Europe is convincing, and sales continue to
grow. “So attractive sales opportunities for
our partners are certainly in place,” he said.
Lang added that Sato provides solutions that
can add significant value to its partners’
business proposition. He also pointed out
that the company is able to provide a good
level of local support, with around 400
people spread throughout Europe offering
sales and technical back-up when required.
“Together with attractive margin
opportunities, we believe we offer a highly
attractive business proposition to our
partners,” concluded Lang. �
Channel push continuesfor Sato
IT Reseller spoke with Brian Lang, managing director International Europe at Sato,about the company’s channel strategy and what its European Partner Programme can
offer existing and prospective VARs.
Brian Lang: Attractive business proposition.
IT RESELLER – MAY 201144
Product news Document Management
Konica Minolta’s Bizhub Press
C8000 digital production print
system has received
‘Exceptional 5-Star Rating’ from
The Business Equipment
Research and Test Laboratories Inc (BERTL)
in the US. The ‘Exceptional 5-Star Rating’ is
highly significant because BERTL is an
independent testing laboratory providing
objective, independent product evaluation
reports and comparative analyses on
imaging devices and software solutions.
BERTL ‘Exceptional 5-Star Rating’ is only
awarded to industry-leading products, and
positions the Bizhub Press C8000 as the
must-have colour digital press for the
production print
marketplace.
“Konica Minolta has
drawn the line in the
sand and set a
new quality of
standard with the
Bizhub PRESS C8000,” said Arthur V.
Wynne, III, President, BERTL, Inc. “This
feature-rich production system certainly
steps up to the challenge and exceeds
expectations by delivering an end-to-end
production solution. Customers concerned
with image quality and full production
capabilities will find that the Bizhub Press
C8000 will not only meet their needs but
exceed their expectations. BERTL analysts
were very impressed with the image quality
generated from the Bizhub C8000.”
During the extensive product
testing, the Bizhub Press C8000
reached 5-Star Ratings in high
profile categories
such as finishing,
media handling,
printing, image
quality and features.
BERTL also
mentioned the
system’s security
and workflow capabilities as well as its ease-
of-use and configuration options with three
different image controllers.
Independent endorsement
For Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK),
Pauline Brooks, group product manager for
the Production Print Division commented:
“The Konica Minolta approach to customer
intimacy is key in providing outstanding
equipment. Only through customer intimacy
can we truly understand what our customers
want and need from production class
equipment. The BERTL 5-Star rating
provides an excellent independent
endorsement of the Bizhub Press C8000’s
performance, quality and reliability. It is an
endorsement that buyers can trust and use
as a benchmark. Konica Minolta is
committed to providing outstanding digital
print solutions to meet the needs of print
professionals and the BERTL 5-Star rating is
clear evidence of this.” �
Abbyy – provider of document
recognition, document capture,
and linguistic technologies and
services – has announced the
availability of Abbyy
FlexiCapture 10, the next generation of its
data and document capture system. With the
new release, Abbyy offers one of the most
comprehensive data capture solutions, serving
a broad range of user scenarios from desktop
to enterprise level and delivering template-
based form processing and intelligent
document recognition in a single product.
Abbyy comments that new FlexiCapture
technology with auto-learning helps
companies ‘start smart’, significantly
reducing an organisation's time to results,
yet delivering a high level of accuracy in
locating and recognising data fields in
documents of any level of complexity. The
system also extends its feature set for the
enterprise with enhanced processing power
and maximum fault tolerance. In addition, it
delivers new intelligent tools for remote
operations as well as customisation features
for easier integration with business
processes and applications.
Addressing document processing problems
common among large organisations, Abbyy
FlexiCapture 10 provides intelligent
technologies for streamlining the process of
extracting key data from a variety of
documents including machine-readable
forms, semi-structured and unstructured
documents. It offers a full range of
functionality for document scanning,
classification, indexing and data extraction,
enabling the solution to meet needs specific
to each individual organisation. An all-in-one
solution, FlexiCapture 10 scales from a
standalone application to a distributed
system. It is designed to locate key data
fields on complex document layouts so that
it can process multiple types of documents
in a single stream, eliminating the need for
multiple systems to process different kinds of
document types.
"FlexiCapture has evolved with the needs of the
market, becoming more and more self-sufficient
and capable of performing the majority of tasks
automatically and simplifying various stages of
the document management process in
organisations," said Aram Pakhchanian, director
of Data Capture Products department at Abbyy.
"FlexiCapture 10's product advancements were
developed to save organisations time,
streamline data processing and communication,
and reduce implementation costs, ultimately
improving the user experience for both
customers and integrators." �
Konica Minolta's Bizhub Press C8000receives highest product rating from BERTL
Abbyy releases FlexiCapture 10 softwaresystem for enterprise data and document capture
www.itrportal.com
Konica Minolta’s Bizhub Press C8000 digitalproduction print system has received ‘Exceptional5-Star Rating’ from BERTL.
Product news
IT RESELLER – MAY 2011 45
Document ManagementOpinion
Have you been told ‘you don’t needto defragment’ when adding a SANenvironment into your network estate?
“Tips, best practices and SAN I/O optimisationmethodologies should always be obtainedfrom the respective SAN vendor.”
By Naveen Louis, IT consultant at Diskeeper Corporation Europe.
With massive electronic
data growth occurring
today, there is now a
much greater need for
storage. SAN is at the
forefront for most storage solutions and
providers such as HP, IBM and NetApp, to
name a few, are providing the necessary
platforms to cater to this. Virtualisation and
Cloud solutions are promising less hardware
in this respect but data storage, if held
locally, will inevitably mean acquiring more
hardware. This additional hardware is where
the problem will lie in terms of cost for many
companies today.
Misconception
It therefore stands to reason that making full
use of your SAN potential is vital. A common
misconception related to SAN storage
environments is that they don’t suffer from
fragmentation related issues. This is the
‘party line’ being handed out by many of the
storage providers. There are plausibly a
couple of reasons for
this. First, that each
SAN provider will have
their own propriety
logic when it comes to
arranging blocks
within the SAN
environment, and
secondly, which is
more likely, is that
they get to sell more
hardware to their
customers.
To understand this a little better, every file
system is a ‘virtual’ disk, stacking one virtual
component over another (ie. one file system
on top of another). What the vendor of a
SAN file system does at their SAN file system
level is irrelevant to what the Windows file
system does underneath ― all Windows file
systems fragment, regardless.
SANs typically employ a clustered/SAN file
system to pool disk arrays into a
virtualised storage volume. This is not
Windows NTFS, but rather the proprietary
software, provided by a SAN hardware or
software vendor. Claims that ‘you do not
need to defragment’ may be
misunderstood and incorrectly implied to
mean ‘Windows NTFS’ ― NTFS always
needs to be defragmented. It is very
possible that you do not need to
defragment the ‘SAN file system’. Tips,
best practices and SAN I/O optimisation
methodologies should always be obtained
from the respective SAN vendor.
SANs are only ever block-level storage, they
do not know what I/Os relate to what files.
Therefore they cannot intelligently spread the
fragments of a file across multiple disks. A
whole mass of separate I/Os writes/reads for
fragmented files (which will most certainly be
interspersed with other simultaneous data
writes/reads) will non-optimally be spread
across the disks in the SAN storage pool.
Measurement
As for NTFS, it still fragments and causes the
Windows OS to ‘split’ I/O requests for files
sent into the SAN, creating a performance
penalty. You can measure this using the
Window's built-in PerfMon tool and watch
the split I/O counter. You can also use the
Average Queued Disk I/O, given that you
account for the number of physical spindles.
The only solution offered by SAN vendors to
address the split I/O problem is adding more
spindles. This solution would mask the
problem by dispersing the I/Os across the
additional disks. This would mean you will
need to add more disks as the I/O
bottleneck increases, which would occur
over a period of time.
The actual problem lies at the NTFS level, for
every fragment of a file is a separate I/O that
has to be generated to access it. The less
fragmented a file is, the less I/Os are required
to access the file, compared to when it is
heavily fragmented. �
Virtualisation and Cloud
solutions are promising less
hardware in this respect but
data storage, if held locally, will
inevitably mean acquiring more
hardware. This additional
hardware is where the problem
will lie in terms of cost for many
companies today.”
“
Naveen Louis: Theless fragmented afile is, the less I/Osare required toaccess the file.
www.itrportal.com
This is the second successive year
that Version One has been
declared a Green IT Awards
winner after its tree planting
scheme won the ‘Best Carbon
Offsetting Scheme of the Year’ category in
2010. This year’s winners were announced at
an awards ceremony on 19 May 2011 held at
London Zoo.
The Green IT Awards recognise the
outstanding environmental products, suppliers
and projects of 2010 and highlight the
companies and teams that have made
significant contributions to improving the IT
industry’s environmental performance.
Blenheim Palace is the ancestral home of the
11th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and
the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. As a
prestigious World Heritage Site, Blenheim
Palace wanted to reduce its impact on the
environment and selected Version One’s
solutions to electronically store and process
the 20,000 financial documents it handles
each year.
StreamliningVersion One’s systems have significantly
streamlined Blenheim Palace’s financial
processes, drastically reducing its
environmental impact. The 20,000 purchase
invoices Blenheim Palace receives each year
are now being scanned, tagged to the
appropriate record in the Palace’s Sage Line
500 accounting system and electronically
stored. The original paper copies can then be
destroyed. Purchase invoices are now
retrieved electronically by authorised users,
eliminating the need to photocopy, file and
post paper documents.
Julian Buck, Version One’s managing director,
commented: “We are delighted to have won
this prestigious award in partnership with
Blenheim Palace, building on our previous
success at last year’s Green IT Awards. Our
innovative solutions help organisations to
transform their efficiency levels and
significantly reduce their environmental
impact by eliminating the need to store,
process and distribute large volumes of
paper. We are therefore very proud to be
recognised as an environmental leader within
the IT industry once again.”
Version One’s portfolio of document
management and imaging solutions enable
the electronic creation, storage, retrieval,
management, delivery and authorisation of
business documents. By implementing
Version One’s systems, businesses
significantly reduce their paper consumption,
cutting costs and improving process
efficiencies whilst supporting their
environmental agendas. �
IT RESELLER – MAY 201146
NETWORKING—SECURITY—UPS—STORAGE
Company news
Version One toasts Green IT Awardssuccess for second year running
www.itrportal.com
Document management and imaging software author, Version One, inpartnership with Blenheim Palace, has won the ‘Environmental Project of
the Year’ category of the Green IT Awards 2011…
Version One Version One is the author of electronic document management and imaging
solutions. These solutions enable the electronic storage, retrieval, management,
enhancement and delivery of business documents such as invoices, purchase
orders and statements. This 'paperless office' technology is seamlessly integrated
into all major ERP and accounting systems and with a typical ROI of less than six
months, Version One's solutions are enabling thousands of organisations to cut
paper consumption whilst saving dramatic amounts of time and money.To increase
the awareness of Version One’s Clean and Green Project and for project information
and updates as well as green hints and tips, Version One has launched its Eco
Gecko website www.ecogecko.org. Version One is an Advanced Computer Software
Group plc company.
Anew browser-based module
from DocuWare called Smart
Connect lets users incorporate a
document management solution
into other applications without
any special programming. Whether for
processing orders, authorising invoices or
clearing up inquiries, the necessary
documents for any workflow processes can be
accessed with a single click of a button.
Documents can also be archived in the same
manner, straight out of any application.
DocuWare reports that cumbersome key
combinations are no longer necessary; users
can simply position a button comfortably
anywhere within their familiar business
applications to access DocuWare. Whether
searching for a document or indexing before
storage, with a Smart Connect button
information can be used directly from the user
interface.
Web-based – no effort, no cost The new Web-based module is easy to use
and does not require a complicated client
installation. Also, a Wizard is on hand to help
any proficient user set up a configuration. The
user determines which content will be used
from the application and whether a search or
indexing process will be started. Next, a Smart
Connect button is created to launch the
configuration. How the button is labelled and
where it is positioned on the user interface can
be customised by the user.
Manifold benefits
With the new module users
can access information
needed for any process with a
single mouse click, straight
out of any application. It can
also be used to store
documents as part of any
workflow. For example, if
users need to access a stored
incoming customer order from
their accounting program, they
simply click on the Smart
Connect button. Multiple
buttons can also be set up in a
single screen mask.
“By incorporating the latest Web technology in
the development of our products, users get
many benefits,” said DocuWare co-president
Juergen Biffar. “As an example, Browser-
based applications are much easier for
administrators to use and can be distributed
throughout an organisation, without a lot of
effort spent on configuration or installation.” �
IT RESELLER – MAY 2011 47
DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT
www.itrportal.com
Product news
DocuWare SmartConnect – findingand storingdocuments with oneclick of a button
“With the new module users can access information needed
for any process with a single mouse click, straight out of any
application. It can also be used to store documents as part of
any workflow.”
Juergen Biffar: “By incorporating thelatest Web technology in thedevelopment of our products, usersget many benefits.”
The new Web-based module is easy to use anddoes not require a complicated client installation.
IT RESELLER – MARCH 201148
NETWORKING—SECURITY—UPS—STORAGE
www.itrportal.com
Company news
To Come
With immediate effect, all
UPS products, including
those previously sold under
the Aros name, will be
marketed worldwide under
the Riello UPS brand, with a new logo and
visual identity. All solar inverter products will be
sold under the AROS Solar Technology brand.
For UPS customers and business partners,
the consolidation under the Riello UPS brand
signals the successful conclusion of the 14-
year-old integration of Riello UPS and Aros
engineering, manufacturing and marketing
resources into a single UPS supplier.
Stronger focus Roberto Facci, Riello’s international sales
director, commented: “Our UPS customers and
partners will benefit from a stronger focus on
the UPS business by a dedicated UPS team.
That will translate into a stronger product
portfolio, enhanced service and support and
stronger brand visibility and communications.”
Fabio Passuello, CEO of Riello Elettronica,
added: “Both our UPS and solar inverter
businesses have achieved remarkable growth
in virtually every market where we are active.
By consolidating each business under a
dedicated brand, we are creating a strong
marketing platform to support future growth
worldwide.”
Ongoing growth opportunities Solar inverter customers and partners are
expected to benefit as Aros Solar Technology
teams focus their attention and resources
exclusively on this rapidly growing sector.
Facci said: “Consolidating all of our UPS
activities under a single, global brand reflects
both our strong UPS positions and our
ongoing growth opportunities, especially in
EMEA, India and China.”
As the brand consolidation rolls out, UPS and
solar inverter customers and partners will
continue to benefit from the full current
portfolios of products and services. The
branding initiative will reportedly have no
impact on employment. To continue building
the Riello UPS brand, the three-year-old Riello
UPS sponsorship/partnership with the Ducati
Corse motorcycle racing team was renewed
for 2011. �
49
NETWORKING—SECURITY—UPS—STORAGE
Company news
Riello UPS brand will consolidateentire Riello Elettronica UPS portfolio
www.itrportal.com IT RESELLER – MAY 2011
Riello Elettronica has launched a branding initiative designed to reinforce theglobal marketing and sales efforts supporting its rapidly growing UPS portfolio…
Riello UPS at a glanceRiello UPS, a Riello Elettronica Group company, develops, manufactures, markets
and services static uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). The company provides UPS
solutions for offices, electro-medical environments, safety and emergency devices,
data centres, industrial complexes and communications systems. A worldwide sales
and services network, including fully owned subsidiaries and selected business
partners, enables Riello UPS to serve customers throughout EMEA, Asia/Pacific and
South America. In 2009, Riello Elettronica, a privately-held company, reported
revenues totalling more than 160 million euros, with an EBITDA in excess of 22
million and a cash flow of 21.2 million. Riello UPS (UK) is part of the Riello Elettronica
group and has subsidiary companies and support offices across the world.
Riello UPS – creating a strong marketingplatform to support future growth worldwide.
“Our UPS customers and partners will benefit from a stronger
focus on the UPS business by a dedicated UPS team. That will
translate into a stronger product portfolio, enhanced service and
support and stronger brand visibility and communications.”
– Roberto Facci, Riello UPS.
FR
EE
SU
BS
CR
IPT
ION
- F
RE
E I
NFO
RM
AT
ION
SE
RV
ICE
FR
EE
SU
BS
CR
IPT
ION
- FR
EE
INFO
RM
AT
ION
SE
RV
ICE
Fax this page to: +44 (0)1707 664800
reseller
MAY 2011 “Sign up now to receive your digital edition of IT Reseller magazine”
www.itrportal.com/digital
Section 1 Your DetailsPlease complete in all cases
Name ..............................................................................................................................................
Job title ..........................................................................................................................................
Company ........................................................................................................................................
Address ..........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................................
Tel: ................................................................ Fax: ........................................................................
E-mail: ............................................................................................................................................
Section 2 Job Function (Tick one box only)
Corporate management � IT management � Marketing management � Consultant �
Other, please specify .............................................................. �
Section 3 Number of Employees (Tick one box only)
1-5 � 6-10 � 11-50 � 51-100 � 101-500 � 500 plus �
Section 4 Business Function (Tick all boxes that apply)
Manufacturer � Distributor � VAR � Systems Integrator � Reseller �
OEM � Software Developer � Other, please specify................................................................... �
Signature ................................................................ Date ........................................Only signed and dated forms can be accepted
To receive regular copies of IT Reseller free of charge tick here �
To cancel your subscription to IT Reseller tick here �
ww
w.R
eta
ilTech
no
log
yR
evie
w.co
m
On 14 June 2011, the ScanSource Europe Partner Tour stops off at Vinopolis in London.
The ScanSource Europe Partner Tour 2011 is your industry event of the year. We’re coming to you with
another fantastic programme – education, entertainment and quality networking time.
This day is specially designed for your business to get as much out of it as possible. Invite your colleagues
and make it a trip to remember.
What we offer you:
- Vendor demonstration area and ISV area. Join us and meet representatives from all the top brands in
the Auto-ID industry as they showcase their latest hardware. Our software partners will present you
their most innovative applications
- Opportunities to meet with ScanSource local teams and executives
- A day filled with quality networking, followed by a fantastic dinner and entertainment.
Go to www.partnertour.eu and register yourself and colleagues.
Act fast, as the number of participants is limited.