Monthly Archives: June 2021

News

New e-commerce site offers top quality timber direct to customers

Following a surge in demand for their products over the last 12 months, Crumlin-based Mill Timber Direct has launched a new e-commerce site to cater for its growing customer base.

Part of the award-winning Premier Forest Group, Mill Timber Direct is an outlet store supplying a range of high-quality timber products and ancillaries direct from the on-site sawmill to both trade and the public.

The company, which has operated an outlet store from its sawmill site for five years, is responding to the needs of its customers by launching online shopping and home delivery of its full range of products across south Wales.

Items include high quality landscaping timber products such as fencing and fencing accessories, garden furniture, decking, planters and sleepers. The site will also cater to trade professionals and features a full range of building materials such as tools and accessories, aggregates, timber sheets, plasterboards, drill bit accessories and screws.

Gary Pugh, branch manager of Mill Timber Direct said: “Mill Timber Direct has built a reputation for high quality timber products at competitive market prices and we hope that by offering our product range online, we will be able to make these items available to an even wider audience.”

Terry Edgell, CEO of Premier Forest Group said: “Demand for landscaping products soared during lockdown and the feedback from our customers was that they would be keen to shop online if the option was available.

“The move to e-commerce has been on the cards for a while, it is a model successfully employed in our Irish operation, and we have been keen to follow suit with our offering in south Wales. E-commerce is the way of the future for our business and we’re looking forward to seeing how it is received by our customers.”

The full range of products is available at  www.milltimberdirect.co.uk

 

Premier Forest Group is a vertically integrated timber operation engaged in the importation, sawmilling, processing, merchanting, and wholesale distribution of timber and timber products from its eight strategic sites in England and Wales.

 

Jobs, News, Security

Leading North Wales Security Experts Delighted to be hiring SIA event security operatives for busy 2021 event calendar

After a year of pandemic restrictions, Corvus Security Ltd. are delighted to have a full calendar of events this year and are looking to recruit SIA licensed operatives to join the event security team for 2021.

Successful applicants will attend multiple festivals and events all over the UK throughout the summer season.

Corvus Security Ltd is North Wales leading Crowd Management and Security company providing event security at UK-wide festival and events.  Events and festivals the company will be working with this year include:-

  • IRONMAN,
  • Campo Sancho,
  • Reading,
  • Wireless and
  • WOMAD.

The company, who also offer traffic management, facilities management and VIP close protection, say they are just pleased to be back to what they are doing best.  Andy Butterfield, Managing Director said:

“Our team are experts at what we do, and while we have been able to provide full CCTV monitoring and premises security during the pandemic, it’s great to get back to what we do best, keeping workplaces, venues and people secure – and of course, it’s even better that we are now in a position to hire additional operatives.  Hopefully this will be a very successful year for us as things slowly return to normal.”  

Among the duties expected,  security operatives will undertake:

  • Screening of persons suitability to enter an event;
  • Searching of persons or property to prevent unauthorised items entering;
  • Ejecting individuals from an event;
  • Responding to incidents within crowds which relate to anti-social or disorderly behaviour;
  • Protecting identifiable areas to prevent damage;
  • Guarding property in situ including the set up and breakdown of the event;
  • Patrolling the perimeter of an event to prevent unauthorised entry being gained.

The ideal candidate will be honest, reliable and hardworking; punctual and be able to communicate clearly and effectively.  They will also be motivated and work well as part of a team and understand the need to deliver high levels of customer service and a good event experience while maintaining a safe and secure environment.

An SIA licence is required for the role and candidates will need either a Door Supervision or Close Protection licence.

Candidates will be screened for this role to BS7858:2012 and you must be able to provide evidence of a 5-year employment/education history and references in a timely manner upon the request.

Job Type: – Work is on a casual basis with the majority of events spanning from May – October with a chance of some winter work on an ad-hoc basis. Salary – typically between £9.11 + hols = £10.21 equiv £10.71 + hols = £12.00 equiv Dependent on role and event.

Holidays accrued at 12.07% and can be taken when you want, i.e. save them up or take when off between each event. If you are interested or want any further information, please call 01248 800103 and ask for Mark or Brad.

Brexit, Farming, News

‘The farming community was most definitely split on the [Brexit] vote’ – Gareth Davies, CEO, Wynnstay Group speaks to Cardiff Business Club

CEO of Wynnstay Group, Gareth Davies, addressed guests at the final Cardiff Business Club webinar of the 2020/21 season, speaking about the impact of both Brexit and the pandemic on the agricultural sector in Wales.

Gareth, who grew up as the youngest of ten children on a beef and sheep farm near Builth Wells, began his career in commercial agriculture as a fertiliser salesman before joining Wynnstay in 1999. Rising through the company from Sales Manager to Head of Agriculture, Gareth was appointed CEO of the company in 2018.

Based in Llansantffraid, Powys, Wynnstay Group is a £400M business, employing over 900 staff across its operations and specialising in four strategic units: feed, arable, agricultural depots and subsidiary businesses.

Working with both arable and livestock farmers, Gareth has witnessed the challenges the sector has faced due to the Brexit vote. He said: “The EU was the biggest trade partner for food products and £3.1billion of agricultural support came from Common Agricultural Policy so membership was important. The farming community was most definitely split on the vote; beef and sheep farmers rely on European support and markets while poultry, pig and dairy farmers were less reliant, looking for less bureaucracy and more opportunities.

“As a business, it was a difficult period. We had four years of uncertainty, not knowing whether it would be a hard Brexit or a deal, which certainly stifled investment in our business and farms. As new trade deals, like Australia this week, are announced, I would like to see more detail around providing a level playing field and ensuring that our farmers are not negatively impacted.”

Speaking about how the Covid pandemic has affected agricultural supply, Gareth said: “This is an interesting one. The initial lockdown in March 2020 was a severe blow for the company and industry. The closure of the hospitality sector and certain shops overnight forced lamb and beef prices down by 20%, milk was poured away, abattoirs reduced throughput and export markets fell so not a good start.

“In the wider industry, while the closure of hospitality was an initial blow there was a rise in home cooking, sourcing products locally from butchers and retailers, which increased the demand for UK agricultural products. When we look back at the last 12 months, we have seen an increase of upwards of 10% on the spend of home-produced lamb and beef, and a significant increase in demand for eggs and cheese.

“Our business was deemed an essential supplier, and whilst we adapted to operating within Government guidelines all our manufacturing and distribution operations continued to function.”

The full address and Q&A can be viewed at the following link: https://youtu.be/1KLBMBKuhPA

To keep up to date with the latest information on Cardiff Business Club’s upcoming 2021/22 season, visit https://www.cardiffbusinessclub.org/

News

Most enterprises facing shortage in IT skills to maintain and manage aging systems, new global report from Advanced reveals

Concerns around the global IT skills shortage continue to rage on according to Advanced’s latest annual report on mainframe modernisation. The IT services provider has revealed that 89% of large enterprises worldwide are worried they won’t have access to the right IT talent to maintain and manage their legacy systems.

The skills to modernise these systems are in short supply too. Almost two-fifths (37%) of senior professionals – including CIOs and Heads of IT – have admitted their modernisation programs have failed because they lack the depth and breadth of skills required for newer technologies like the Cloud. With 38% also blaming a lack of planning for the success of modernisation projects, it’s startling that businesses are not learning the lessons of the past and approaching modernisation with these elements front of mind.

The 2021 Mainframe Modernisation Business Barometer Report is the second of its kind from Advanced, examining the challenges facing large enterprises worldwide with annual revenues of more than US $1 billion. This year’s report reveals the extent of the IT skills gap in maintaining and modernising legacy systems, which has been exacerbated by Covid-19.

More than three quarters (78%) of organisations have started at least one modernisation program as a direct result of the pandemic – but it has brought challenges. A third are worried experienced staff are retiring and taking their legacy skills with them, while 36% are concerned that people entering the workforce only have modern skills. In addition, 29% say their staff don’t want to learn legacy skills, even though they are still in high demand.

The State of New Jersey in the US is one example which, at the start of the pandemic, saw hundreds of thousands of residents quickly submit applications to its unemployment system. The sudden 1,600% increase in claims crashed the mainframes supporting critical applications, resulting in an urgent plea from the state’s governor for programmers qualified in COBOL – a coding language that is more than 60 years’ old, yet remains the most prominent language in the mainframe estate for 75% of the enterprises surveyed.

Tim Jones, Managing Director of Application Modernisation EMEA at Advanced, says: “The State of New Jersey isn’t an isolated example. Many organisations worldwide are struggling to find the skilled staff needed to maintain and manage their critical systems. If programmers with expertise in the most prominent languages are retiring and taking their skills with them, large enterprises will continue to experience huge disruption to their operations.

“And, as they move their mainframe estate to a modern environment like the Cloud, enterprises could also end up overcompensating on the skills imbalance by hyper focusing on recruiting modern skills and disregarding the need for legacy talent. It’s important they cross-train existing talent to improve existing staff’s ability to support both legacy and modern systems, particularly during and after a major modernisation initiative.”

Tim concludes: “It’s clear that more work needs to be done in ensuring that modernisation programs not only succeed but that senior leaders see their business value. This requires organisations putting in place a defined strategy, backed by a partner with tools, expertise, and demonstrated successes in legacy modernisation.

“The right partner, for example, will conduct a thorough assessment to gain a true understanding of the enterprise’s environment before starting any modernisation program. It will also have a team of people with both legacy and modern skills. For many organisations, including the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), this has become a no brainer.”

Earlier this year, the DWP successfully completed a large-scale project to modernise its 40-year-old core legacy applications. It partnered with Advanced’s application modernisation practice to move its entire application estate off the VME platform to a modern, open systems platform. The applications support DWP’s benefit paying systems, which are fundamental to paying out £150 billion a year to more than 15 million UK citizens.

To view the full report, visit https://www.oneadvanced.com/modernization2021

 

News

Fast-growing ecommerce startup aisle 3 announces launch of new business division in India

Fast-growing London-based ecommerce startup aisle 3 today announces the launch of a new division in India as it continues on its rapid growth trajectory. Aisl3 India Pvt Limited has launched with a team of 12 and plans to triple the size of the team in the next year. 

 aisle 3 is a disruptive ecommerce marketplace that aims to fix the current fragmented shopping experience – with product research being disconnected from product purchases. By aggregating all offers into a single screen, aisle 3 will save Shoppers hours of research across a myriad of open tabs, boards, spreadsheets or note apps.  

 The move to formally launch in India ensures the UK based company can show its commitment to the team, offering them the same personal security as a full time employee. Initially based in Ahmedabad, the business expects to open up to three new offices across the country in the next year as the team blend the ‘new normal’ of remote working with the desire to return to luxury offices alongside their colleagues. The tech team in India is focused on using innovative Machine Learning & AI algorithms to match up offers without any effort from the retailer.  

According to Thomas J. Vosper: “Having hired entirely remotely across five continents during Covid, we continue to be impressed by the tech talent in India. In less than a year the team have built a web crawler that discovers products, uses AI to transform and enrich product data alongside neutral networks to aggregate products and place a ‘personal shopper in your pocket’.”  

 He continued: “When we closed our last round of investment we were positive we would allocate funds to lay roots in the local market and increase our commitment to better support the team that had previously operated as independent consultants. They are all excited by the big challenges we are tackling. I’m really excited to see how the business and team scales over the next 12 months.”

ecommerce startup aisle 3 has now raised more than £500,000 in pre-seed funding in just six months and is interested in speaking with experienced angel investors and VC’s in India. Some of the most credible names in ecommerce have already backed the founders’ vision for a new, disruptive ecommerce marketplace offering truly personalised experiences for large networks of engaged shoppers. 

News

Five reasons why employee ownership can re-energise and unify your workforce post-Covid

In a year that has witnessed huge change for organisations, employee ownership – offering employees a stake in the business – has come to the fore as a way to re energise and unify the workforce. The Employee Ownership Association reports year on year growth in EO companies in the UK, with over 450, contributing in excess of £30 billion to UK GDP in 2020. It offers a compelling option for improving staff retention, putting employees at the heart of the organisation whilst delivering a persuasive point of difference to customers.

Trace Solutions has been employee owned since 2007 – it was ahead of its time when its founder Richard Wolfe bought the company back from being a Plc. Fourteen years on, it has identified the top five reasons why it believes the EO model can deliver benefit to organisations post-Covid.

 

  1. Stand out from the competition

With under 500 companies in the UK having EO status, it’s a point of difference to prospects and customers that’s tangible during the sales process and beyond. As a PropTech IT company, Trace has discovered that being EO in an industry where its competitors are largely investor-backed, high-growth organisations make it unique among its peers and provides another reason to consider doing business with the company beyond just its product offering. There is a greater feeling of partnership where a ‘service’ is being delivered and promise of a long-term fruitful relationship for both organisations. In some cases, it has been an important reason for customers choosing to do business. An organisation that’s not simply driven by profit but has customer service central to its strategy is clear to those who engage with it.

 

  1. Provide greater wellbeing for employees

In a post-Covid workplace where organisations have been largely working remotely and have struggled to create a culture that helps with recruitment and retention, offering EO to new employees is a benefit that that attracts candidates, and differentiates a job offer from others. Higher employee engagement, motivation, wellbeing, retention and recruitment are all benefits of EO. Trace’s employees often refer to being part of a close family unit where openness internally means there is a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility and involvement within the communities it operates in. Everyone has a collective responsibility for the delivery of good service and software to customers – pulling in the same direction to achieve it. Around 20% of Trace employees have over twenty years’ service with the company, with the average length of service of the workforce being twelve years.

 

  1. Deliver a superior product

The fastest way to an extensive product portfolio is often via company acquisition, however it can be difficult to glue together the component parts of two or more organisations’ products and services into something that has the customer at the heart of it. By contrast, as an EO company building a product from the ground up, testing it with the customer base and continuously updating it to suit the needs of the market means the product is built with the customer in mind and is supported by the people who built and understand it best.

 

  1. Put your customers before profit

Putting customers first means that the needs and requirements of clients comes ahead of anything and everything else – even profit. Trace is clear that if its PropTech software isn’t right for a prospect, it will flag up its concerns rather than sell a square peg for a round hole. Long term customer partnerships are the primary objective, and they are nurtured by providing excellent customer experience via product experts. Building trust and understanding within the customer base, such that clients know they have a supplier that is concerned with their challenges and is working hard to address them – above all else.

 

  1. Deliver stability for all

In an EO company the threat of acquisition is eliminated. Employees care more because they own it, have a vested interest in remaining in its employment and doing the right thing for their customers. Trace’s longest serving customer is over forty years and having ridden a wave of instability in its flotation on the stock market in the early 2000’s, and its subsequent buy-back in 2007, the company is in an enviable position to promise and deliver on longevity and quality of service for its customers.

 

June 25, 2021 is Employee Ownership Day

 

Appointments, Business News, Construction, Recruitment News, Wales News

Sphere Solutions Gearing up for Growth with New Appointments

Construction recruitment experts, Sphere Solutions have strengthened its Cardiff head office team to support ambitious growth plans, with several appointments.

The resilience of the construction industry throughout the pandemic has meant that the need for skilled candidates has increased. After a successful start to the year, the investment in the head office team is one of the many exciting plans in the pipeline for Sphere.

Sphere’s investment in their growth not only includes the expansion of the team but also an exciting redevelopment plan for their Cardiff head office, which will create a ‘workforce hub’ environment that will include a café and a gym.

The team’s growth includes the appointment of Charlotte Bugg and promotion of Jakir Hussain. Jakir, who joined Sphere in 2014, has been promoted to Company Management Accountant having gained his ACCA qualification.

Managing Director, James Hughes said “Since he joined the business 7 years ago, Jakir has been a key part of our finance team and is a huge asset to the business. We are really proud of his achievement in completing his ACCA and we are excited to see him continue his professional development following his hugely deserved promotion”.

Jakir’s promotion is one of the many examples of Sphere’s commitment to grow the team organically and highlights good practice for recruitment and development.

Boosting the strength of the payroll team, Charlotte will be instrumental in launching Sphere’s new online portal, which will help to clients to control costs on-site.

Bryn Jones, Finance Director added “Charlotte joins us at a really exciting time for the business. After a hugely challenging Covid-19 affected 2020, we see a huge opportunity for growth over 2021 and beyond. Charlotte will lead the delivery of the weekly freelance payroll and will be a key point of contact for our stakeholders, in particular our candidates”.

More exciting growth is expected for Sphere Solutions in the next 12 months, with the construction industry set for double-digit growth in 2021. Mr Hughes concluded: “We are starting to see markets return and the year ahead is an exciting one with several announcements to come”.

Celebrating 16 years of success in 2021, Sphere provides recruitment services across the whole of the UK, with offices in Wales and the south west of England, as well as international operations in Calgary and Toronto.

Business, Finance and Banking, London News

London bathroom supplier expands during pandemic with HSBC UK support

London-based bathroom supplier, VR-Bathrooms, has purchased new premises to facilitate its continued expansion with the support of a seven-figure commercial mortgage from HSBC UK.

Founded in 2008, VR-Bathrooms had previously rented a small site in Feltham but now has moved into a warehouse unit four-times the size in Bracknell, occupying 13,000 sqft. The new site will not only allow the company to hold additional stock on site but will also support the organisation’s future growth strategy.

Rav Reehal, Managing Director at VR-Bathrooms, said: “It was really hard to find a unit that gave us the size requirements we needed whilst staying within a relatively local radius to our previous offices so that we could take our existing staff with us. The staff are excited with this new phase of growth for the business during uncertain times. The additional space will enable us to bring in greater volumes of current and new product lines and help us concentrate on growing the business and increasing our current market share.”

VR Bathrooms has seen shopping habits change over the last 12 months, with a dramatic rise in online orders over the course of the pandemic recorded and expects this to remain constant in the future.

Rav Reehal added: “The commercial mortgage has helped me secure the future of the business, as well as allowing me to achieve my own personal objective of why I started the business in the first place. HSBC UK has supported the development of our current business model and helped us quickly react to the increased demand we have seen over the past year. We now have a great facility in place and online retail will remain a key part of our business model moving forwards.”

Raj Yadav, HSBC UK Senior Commercial Manager for South West London Business Banking, commented: “Whilst the retail sector has faced a challenging period, it’s great to see that the team at VR-Bathrooms have adapted to the changing landscape and pivoted their approach to ensure customers – both trade and members of the public – have been able to continue to secure products and services throughout the lockdown periods. The new site will support their future growth strategy and we look forward to continuing to work with them to help realise these ambitions.”

Camping Kit News, Food & Drink

Add Some Attitude to Picnics and Camping Trips this year

Campingaz introduces the Attitude 2go CV, a new portable gas barbecue for great food on the go.

Last year, Campingaz launched its Attitude range of table-top barbecues, catering to the needs of city-dwelling barbecue enthusiasts with limited outdoor space. For 2021, Campingaz has taken the Attitude range to the next level with the introduction of the Attitude 2go CV. This gas barbecue offers the same combination of sleek styling and pioneering, precision cooking as the larger Attitude barbecues, yet is more compact and lightweight so it can be easily transported to your favourite outdoor cooking spot. Whether you’re a camping enthusiast or an urbanite looking to make the most of your city’s green spaces, the Attitude 2go CV will ensure you don’t have to compromise on your barbecue experience on the campsite or when picnicking.

The Attitude 2go CV arrives pre-assembled, with the hose and regulator already attached, and it has piezo ignition so you can get cooking with the press of a button. Light yet powerful, the Attitude 2go CV benefits from perfectly even heat distribution across the entire cast iron cooking surface thanks to the updated Blue Flame stainless steel burner and Campingaz’s Even Temp® technology.  The cooking surface has been reimagined to provide burner protection, removing the need for a protective layer below the cooking surface. As a result, hot grease and juices are unable to collect and cause dangerous flare-ups while cooking, so you’ll have a safer and more enjoyable cooking experience.

With cooking temperatures reaching above 250°C and a cooking surface large enough to prepare meals for up to 6 people, you’re sure to have superb grilling results when using the Attitude 2go CV. Plus, the cooking surface is protected by a five year warranty so you’ll be able to enjoy great barbecues for years to come. The elegant, matt black die cast aluminium lid which retains heat for convection grilling is also covered by a ten year warranty and features a built in thermometer so you can check the temperature without lifting the lid and causing the heat to escape.

This portable barbecue is conveniently shaped for easy storage, making it perfect for when you need to maximise your packing space in the boot of your car or in your motorhome when heading off on an adventure. Soft rounded handles also make transportation by hand easy, so you can take it with you to your local park for a picnic. Increasing this barbecue’s portability even more, the Attitude 2go CV is powered by Campingaz’s lightweight CV470 Plus cartridges which are also used for the brand’s camping stoves. These gas cartridges are held in an integrated basket at the back of the barbecue and the Easy Clic® PLUS connection allows you to safely connect and disconnect the cartridge.

Those who loath the post-barbecue clean-up will be pleased to find that the Attitude 2go CV features an integrated front loading grease tray which is removable and dishwasher-safe, making cleaning as quick and simple as possible. The cast iron cooking surface can also be cleaned just as easily with a barbecue brush.

To find out more about the new Attitude 2go CV, please visit: https://www.campingaz.com/UK/p-27862-attitude-2go-cv-barbecue.aspx

News

What constitutes a successful channel programme?

Jeff McCullough, Global VP, Channel Sales at Park Place Technologies, considers the value of a channel programme

Vendors have traditionally used the channel to facilitate scale at speed and usually as an expansion of their own internal sales force whilst extending reach into interconnected services and complementary solutions. Evidently then, the channel model continues to play a critical role in the tech sector, albeit with a dynamically changing landscape. Much has been documented about the decline of the traditional VAR channel in favour of the MSP pay-as-you-go online services provider with MSPs touted in many regions as the new dominant IT channel.  Likewise, sitting at the top of the channel pyramid – and acting as the link between vendor and partners – is the evolving role of the channel Distributor. Is their role as a Value Added Distie (VAD) becoming eroded and replaced by a breed of Master MSP facilitators – often working alongside pure maintenance providers for hardware service extension? Covid-19 catalysed channel change further still as organizations transitioned to online software service provision to facilitate remote working via SaaS platforms.

Successful channel programmes are only as good as the channel relationships that underpin them, key values of which pivot around trust, mutual profit, and a desire for ongoing growth With this backdrop, traditional channel programmes, portals and initiatives have raced to keep pace to serve both the consultancy driven, specialist VARs while also equipping the cloud based Managed Service Providers with the tools to churn more white-gloved app based services. We examine if it is time to rip up the rule book on tired portals, lacklustre QBRs and ad-hoc rebate schemes to invigorate the dynamic channel of today to add real value to sales and customers?

To answer that question, we need to consider if the output of channel programmes currently in place differs greatly between traditional partners and MSPs, as we have already established that their DNA now differs. Dual partner personas provide a problem for vendors trying to offer best of breed generic channel programmes that satisfy both licence revenues and annual recurring revenues (ARR).

VARs & MSPs need different channel programmes:

Here is the conundrum. To survive and thrive, VARs need the tools and marketing to continue to demonstrate their independent value, provide trusted advice and offer hands-on expertise on physical hardware and software products to justify their existence. MSPs on the other hand, need to keep a sharp eye on their incredibly competitive monthly service recurring costs to clients, while extending their buckets of complex online IT services to grow revenues and survive in a margin-deflated model. Because now so many are offering SaaS, MSPs sometimes struggle to establish unique selling points and can fall into the trap of offering similar propositions with the only differentiator being price. So, to support these different channel models, what’s worth keeping the in traditional channel kitbag?

The topline requirement in any channel programme remains constant, that of full transparency between organizations. With transparency comes trusted partnerships, which in turn leads to increased deal recognition and enhanced mutual remuneration. Within the channel deliverables, sit the desired requirements of self service capability; structured rewards and rebates; a stepped training and accreditation scheme that rewards both the partner and the partner employee; incentives for reaching into different sectors of the vendors portfolio and, of course, lead registration to protect deals. On the marketing side, best practice channel programmes should continue to offer co-branded marketing capabilities and piggy-back marcoms services, sometimes with concierge services for automated rollouts. (Especially critical for MSPs, as they frequently lack dedicated marketing functions). The housing of these channel marketing tools needs to be greatly enhanced and modernized too. Partner Portals have come a long way from offering singular point services such as lodging Fund Requests for Marketing Development Funds, to transition towards the fully immersive and digitalized partner apps now available across any device, that synchronise directly into leading CRM tools within the vendor.

Discreet onsite outsourced service provision to deliver extension services, is set to continue:

Established savvy VARs, MSPs and even VADs can and do increasingly benefit from discrete partnering arrangements with leading Third Party Maintenance providers. Reliable TPMs offer a natural middle ground for expansion and transition of services whether VAR or MSP, meaning that the partner can confidently quote to outsource certain highly profitable professional services to increase incremental value, standing and footprint within their existing customers without carrying the full Professional Services overhead. For instance, the world’s leading TPM, Park Place Technologies daily equips VARs and MSPs with services that expertly increase their own service provision to include hardware maintenance, ITAD, Remote Hands, IT Discovery. Given that the onsite TPM engineer discretely represents the partner, they can now front and extend service offerings to customers. By offering additional services onsite to key customers, partners become even closer to helping the end user reach their core IT objectives outside of just selling hardware or delivering SaaS. A broader swathe of offerings allows partners to align closely with the services they provide end customers.

Notably too as we emerge out of the COVID-19 pandemic where Cloud environments have soared, it is highly likely that delayed refreshes in on-premise environments will come to the fore later in the year and into 2022, especially refreshes for critical enterprise applications running in local data centers. This could lead partners who have refocussed towards an MSP model in 2020 to be short of onsite installation support for refreshes and upgrades. Again, there is a natural extension working alongside a reputable TPM who can plug in for the duration of the project with specialist quality help, allowing the partner to provide the customer with complete solutions implemented by experts. Working with other providers and partners is today increasingly familiar, plugging into other specialists. For instance, leading MSPs are now becoming the de facto experts in integrating entire cloud services from various vendors and see themselves fast becoming the new breed of Master MSP facilitators.

One thing is for sure. The tech channel has proven itself to be as durable as it is dynamic. Channel programmes need to match similar levels of progression to maintain relevancy.