Comms Dealer

Middle East and Turkey-based distributor StarLink has opened a central London office as part of its planned investments to expand across the rest of EMEA. It is looking to recruit security specialised resellers.

StarLink's entry into Europe has been timed with the evolution of the region's threat landscape, as organisations invest more in building stronger defences against cyber-attacks and in ensuring that they can recover quickly when breaches happen.

Founded in 2005, StarLink says it is rapidly growing with a presence in 11 countries. StarLink has grown organically at an average rate of 60% year-on-year, and now has a $145m turnover.

StarLink sells through a network of over 250 IT security VARs and systems integrators.

Avinash Advani, StarLink's SVP strategic alliances & international markets, whose responsibility is to spearhead the company's European expansion, commented: "Our plan is to drive our European expansion by replicating our 'True VAD' business model into the UK, and then progressively covering the rest of Europe over the coming months."

VoIP Distributor ProVu is teaming up with Cisco to host a reseller launch event in Manchester on Thursday 24th November.

Taking place at Cisco's Manchester offices, the event is aimed at resellers who wish to find out more about Cisco's newest range - the 7800 and 8800 series of multi-platform SIP phones.

ProVu MD Darren Garland commented: "Having launched the new Cisco 7800 and 8800 series last month we have seen a lot of interest around these phones. By teaming up with Cisco to host a launch event, attendees can come along and see the range for themselves and be among the first to hear about Cisco's upcoming plans."

TeleWare has acted to reduce the impact of mobile notspots with Business Anywhere, a UK multi-network SIM that allows customers to switch between networks and keep working on-the-go.

It is reported that there are 525 locations around the country with non-existent coverage and around 17 million people who are unable to use mobile devices at home.

And foreign visitors to the UK may be in a better position than local workers. Overseas SIMs with roaming equipped are not tied down to any one network. They can therefore switch to find the strongest signal.

Steve Haworth, CEO at TeleWare, said: "We're pleased that the seriousness of the mobile notspot issue is being recognised by Parliament and we're supportive of the work being done by the British Infrastructure Group, led by the Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP.

"There would be a national outcry if businesses had to choose their offices based on where they could gain access to critical IT systems and it shouldn't be the case that being unable to connect via mobile affects agile working habits either. It's also amazing that people visiting the UK may be able to work more efficiently than the businesses that form the backbone of our economy.

"We're doing our part to make sure that businesses can stay connected and continue working-wherever they are. By using Business Anywhere, companies can rest assured that they will be available to take and place crucial calls."

Business Anywhere combines a number of TeleWare's products including cloud call recording and instant conferencing.

Customers can also access Office 365 to maintain access to all-important documents, mobile apps and cloud services.

Andrew Fawcett, Product Manager, TeleWare said: "It's a stark fact that businesses are losing out due to areas where they just can't connect.

"Notspots are a national problem and we're happy to be providing a solution that can help alleviate their impact and facilitate efficient and seamless mobile working."

Enterprise cloud and IT services company KCOM has added its entire spectrum of cloud-based capabilities to the Government's G-Cloud 8 framework, increasing its offering from 36 services to 141.

The move makes a much wider selection of private and public cloud capabilities available as managed services for all public sector organisations in the UK.? 
The G-Cloud 8 framework is an agreement between the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) and cloud services suppliers. It supports the Government's policy to manage centrally the procurement of common goods and services through an integrated commercial function at the heart of Government.

The framework aims to save public sector organisations and suppliers the time and increased cost associated with individual procurement contracts. The G-Cloud 8 Digital Marketplace now hosts over 26,000 products from 2,700 companies ranging in size from small to enterprise level suppliers.?
Previously listing services from only Microsoft Azure and AWS, KCOM will now offer its full range of cloud-based services with an overarching managed service capability. It will also offer consultancy services to help public sector organisations as they migrate to the cloud, helping them to use cloud services effectively and improve overall productivity.? 
"Showcasing our full offering to public sector organisations is a great opportunity to demonstrate what can be achieved with access to innovative cloud systems," said Bill Halbert, CEO of KCOM.

"By listing all cloud products on G-Cloud 8, we are making it possible for a wide range of organisations to access advanced technologies that improve day-to-day tasks. With managed services and consulting accompanying all products, public sector organisations will have greater control over their cloud platforms to ensure they are being used effectively."

A Halloween themed day at Nimans raised hundreds of pounds for charity with staff dressing up as scary characters in support of Key103's cashforkids initiative, the official charity of a local radio station that helps disabled and disadvantaged children across Greater Manchester.

The Pure Technology Group has been awarded gold accreditation against the Investors in People Standard.

Founded in 2007 the group has grown from zero to £20m and its 1,000-strong customer base includes global and national enterprises alongside SME and public sector bodies.

Paul Devoy, Head of Investors in People, said: "The Investors in People accreditation is the sign of a great employer, an outperforming place to work and a clear commitment to success. The pure technology group should be extremely proud of their achievement."

Michelle Lazenby, Group HR Director at the Pure Technology Group, said: "I'd like to thank each and every one in our team for taking the time to participate in the review of our Investors in People accreditation.

"This illustrates that through significant growth and change our team truly stand together and continue to appreciate and benefit the investment and development the group has to offer.

"We will continue to invest in developing skills, enhancing our working environment and ensuring we have a culture that is one which we can embrace and enjoy."

Virtual1's CTO James Hickman has been re-elected as Chairman of the London Central Branch of the British Computer Society (BCS).

He has been a member of the Society, which represents the IT profession to other professional bodies, the Government, industry and academia, since 1995 and was initially elected chairman in 2015.

The London Central Branch has over 8,500 members, drawn from both commercial and academic organisations and runs free talks every month on topics ranging from security to project management, and emerging networking technologies to problem analysis.

One of the key projects they are hoping to progress this year, is their Student Ambassador Programme, which looks to encourage more engagement with the Universities the Branch works with.

Another key initiative being planned is the Doctoral Consortium, which is designed to bring together PhD students working in similar fields, to enable them to network and share their experience.

On a broader level the Institute seeks to promote professional practice, tuned to the demands of business, by providing practical support and information services, to its members and volunteer communities around the world, while promoting professional development and the acquisition of respected IT qualifications.

The Institute collaborates with Government, industry and relevant bodies to establish good working practices, codes of conduct, skills frameworks and common standards, offering a range of consultancy services to employers to aid the adoption of best practice.

Hickman said: "I was delighted and honoured to be re-elected as Chairman of the London Central Branch of the BCS for the coming year. This gives me a wonderful opportunity to continue the work that we have been doing over the past twelve months, through our ambassador programme and free talks, whilst developing our membership."

Avaya's just-launched and streamlined Edge channel programme includes new gem designation levels - Diamond, Sapphire and Emerald - to reduce complexity and the resources needed for partners to manage the programme.

Partners are now compensated for a broader scope of revenue, including hardware/product sales and recurring services and software. New incentives will reward partners for strategic areas of achievement, such as customer value, growth and new product adoption.

Five partner tracks align with their go-to-market model, and maps partner revenue targets and rewards based on track and geographic region.

Steve Biondi, Vice President and Global Channel Chief, Avaya, said: "The strength of a channel programme is the degree to which it enables the success of its partners, recognises and applauds their capabilities as they apply them to serve our customers.

"This means the programme needs the flexibility within a supportive structure that reduces requirements to only those that are most essential."

GCI has become one of 25 organisations in the UK with a place on Lot 10 of the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Network Services agreement.

The agreement will support GCI's ability to service a growing public sector customer base among central government departments, local authorities, NHS Trusts and government agencies.

The Network Services agreement provides customers with access to networks and telecommunications services, including PSN compliant services.

Mike Ayres, Chief Commercial Officer at GCI, said: "We see the framework as a key route to market which enables us to assist public sector organisations in realising the benefits of the latest unified communications and collaboration technology, while reducing procurement timescales and procurement costs.

"The Network Services agreement, with a focus on SMEs, has already played a significant role in breaking down the dominance of multinational IT suppliers in the public sector. It has, in particular, provided a new channel to allow public bodies to safely take advantage of new cloud-based communications technologies.

"When Outsourcery went into administration in the summer, GCI acquired most of the assets of the business. However, Outsourcery's position on the Network Services Agreement had been understandably suspended. I am pleased that after the relevant due process, Crown Commercial Services has felt it appropriate to now appoint GCI to the Lot."

The Government's beefed up National Cyber Security Strategy and the £1.9bn of financial support that will underpin it has been welcomed by ITSPA but the industry body has called for Parliament to put more flesh on the bones of its plans to combat telephony fraud. 

Eli Katz, Chair of ITSPA, said: "Telecommunications fraud in an IP world creates extra challenges for the industry and, while we welcome the proposal to develop a new 24/7 reporting and triage capability in Action Fraud, we believe that more needs to be done to both improve cross-border cooperation around cybercrime as well as commit greater resource to bring cyber criminals to justice."

The international element involved in cyber crimes such as telecommunications fraud is an important area to consider. Cross-border cooperation is required to effectively tackle this crime, which continues to be used by criminals and terrorists as an important revenue stream.

Katz added: "ITSPA believes the option of communication providers refusing to pay for call traffic that originates from fraudulent sources needs to be explored further.

"We believe the necessary regulations are already in place but not currently enforced. Current estimates put the global cost of telecommunications fraud at $46 billion, adding 2% to the average user's phone bill. This solution would require improved cross-border cooperation but would effectively help resolve the problem in one fell swoop."

Equally ITSPA believes the extra funding announced today should in part help with greater resource and coordination within Government. Whilst ITSPA has developed good relations with the current organisations involved in tackling telephony fraud, more manpower is needed to encourage the industry to report fraudulent activity and in turn enabling law enforcement bodies to make successful prosecutions.

Katz stated: "It is difficult to bring a successful prosecution in telephony fraud and other cybercrime cases. We need to break the cycle of non-reporting. Equally, more resource within Government should help their liaison with industry to enable more prosecutions in the future. We look forward to a constructive future working relationship."