Tag Archives: tech

Business Advice, Business Software, Data, News, Technology

Redefining Compliance with V6 Cisco Director and V6 Cisco 360 Advisory

Helping businesses realize the full potential of their Cisco Partnership

Ensuring strong alignment with Cisco’s market direction and programs in today’s fast evolving commercial environment makes a material difference to the bottom line for Cisco partners.

That is why Vortex 6 is pleased to announce the launch of V6 Cisco Director and V6 Cisco 360 Advisory, a comprehensive suite of tools and services designed to maximize the value of Cisco partnerships. Together, this suite delivers greater management awareness, improved competitiveness, business continuity and better alignment with Cisco programs.

Commenting on the launch Peter Olive, CEO says: “We are driven by a passion for helping our customers fully realize the value of their relationship with Cisco. V6 Cisco Director and V6 Cisco 360 Advisory provide Cisco partners with new opportunities, better alignment, and more control and visibility for all stakeholders. Most importantly it delivers the opportunity to maximize profitability and make a significant difference to the bottom line.”

The Cisco Director suite comprises:

V6 BOM Analyzer

BOM Analyzer is a powerful sales tool for Cisco partners. It provides true deal margin visibility which can typically be up to three times the visible margin. V6 BOM Analyzer lets partners know the margin on the product, applicable VIP, CSPP, Life Cycle Incentive opportunities and Professional Services margin. This is good for partners and good for Cisco.

V6 Cisco Compliance

V6 Cisco Compliance fully automates management of compliance with the Cisco Partner Program in a single dashboard. Delivering full visibility of the current position and providing advanced notice of upcoming changes that will affect program status. It’s a powerful planning tool enabling partners to consider different strategies and includes all the training and costs required for each Certification to make budgeting simple. Partners no longer need to build and maintain custom spreadsheets or find people with deep knowledge of the Cisco Programs. V6 Cisco Compliance reduces cost and risk.

V6 Cisco Incentives

Cisco offers generous incentives and rebates to encourage partners’ business direction and market focus. The V6 Cisco Incentives management solution enables them to take advantage of these by providing a comprehensive view of incentives and rebates including accrued VIP rebate, status of minimum bookings, rebates accrued by client, financial forecasting and upcoming renewals.

V6 Cisco 360 Advisory

We have pulled together all of our expert advisory services into V6 Cisco 360 Advisory. It covers advice on every aspect of a partner’s relationship with Cisco from strategic alignment through to operational efficiency, specialization advice, incentive forecasting, and audit preparation.

V6 LCI Advisory (Life Cycle Incentives)

V6 LCI Advisory offers detailed guidance to unlock rebates across all LCI opportunities, ensuring compliance with Cisco’s criteria for Customer Success Plans and Business Outcomes. This strategic support assists in navigating Cisco program changes, optimizing lifecycle processes for efficiency, and securing maximum rebate potential through expert advisory services.

Vortex 6 is attending Cisco live in Las Vegas from 2-6 June, if you would like to talk to any of the team about V6 Cisco Director and V6 Cisco 360 Advisory please email Andy.Macleod@Vortex6.com

To find out more about V6 Cisco Director and V6 Cisco 360 Advisory, please visit www.vortex6.com.

 

News, Technology

SynergyXR Secures €2 Million Investment to revolutionize industrial XR solutions

Danish software company SynergyXR has secured a €2 million investment from Finnish industrial technology-VC, Kvanted, alongside their existing investors. The investment is a targeted boost to help SynergyXR secure topline and bottom-line growth as a preferred XR and spatial computing software provider to industrial companies throughout the Nordics and the United Kingdom.

The next ‘Industrial Revolution’ of the manufacturing, process, and production industries – also known as the Digital Transformation – is well on its way in the Nordics and the United Kingdom.

Danish software provider, SynergyXR, is at the forefront of this transition, with XR and spatial computing technology becoming popular tools for companies to start or scale this process.

Driving transformation with innovative XR–tech

Finnish VC Kvanted recognizes the potential of this technology. Subsequently, Kvanted – and a group of existing SynergyXR investors – have just invested €2 million in the Danish scaleup.

Kvanted specializes in investments in technology companies that improve and disrupt the industrial value chain and shape society for the better, and SynergyXR is a perfect fit for this mission.

“We are thrilled to fuel the fire of innovation by partnering with pioneers who redefine the limits of software and hardware. SynergyXR is not just creating technology; they are crafting the future of industrial digital transformation. Its proven software solution will likely revolutionize manufacturing, offering unparalleled opportunities to improve the safety and development of employees, while at the same time making industrial processes more efficient. This is the kind of tangible, transformative value we are excited to support,” says Eerik Paasikivi, Founding Partner of Kvanted.

Proven technology attracts investors and market interest

Digital transformation is important because it allows organizations to adapt to ever-changing rules and regulations, as well as continually helping organizations improve and innovate.

More importantly, it is a competitive advantage, according to SynergyXR CEO Mads Troelsgaard. Likewise, he argues that the company’s industry-proven technology is a competitive advantage:

“In today’s dynamic digital landscape, transformation is not just about staying relevant; it is about seizing the lead with technology that’s already proven its worth. Despite a tightening investment climate, our ability to not only retain our trusted investors but also welcome Kvanted into our circle is a testament to our vision’s strength and our technology’s impact. This partnership marks a pivotal step towards accelerating our growth across the Nordics and the UK – and Northen Europe and the US, as well – setting new benchmarks for success in our industry.”

Facts and figures

  • The total investment equals €2 million or approximately DKK 15 million.
  • Lead investor is Finnish industrial technology-VC Kvanted (www.kvanted.com).
  • Additional existing investors are EIFO, Innovester, North-East Ventures and AURA Ventures.
  • SynergyXR’s goal is to secure significant topline and bottom-line growth.
  • XR (Extended Reality) is a broad umbrella term that encompasses spatial computing technologies, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR).
Fintech, News

Fintech startup Alloy launches in the UK

US fintech Alloy has launched in the UK, strengthening its presence in EMEA with key senior hires and office space in London.

Alloy’s Identity Decisioning Platform helps banks and fintech companies to make smarter and faster decisions about the risk profile of each customer, and keep them safe from financial crime. The platform connects to more than 170 data sources, enabling financial institutions to automate customer approval and account opening, and monitor transactions in real time. Over 350 companies around the world trust Alloy to help them simplify processes and respond rapidly to new risks.

Fraud is a more serious threat than ever before: 91% of financial institutions said that fraud has increased year-on-year, and 71% increased their spending on fraud prevention, according to recent Alloy data. In the UK alone, bank fraud cost consumers almost £610M in the first half of 2022.

With Alloy, clients see an average 48% reduction in fraud. UK fintechs now have access to the company’s full product range, enabling them to stay ahead of regulatory requirements and scale their operations with ease.

Alloy’s former COO Edwina Johnson has relocated to London to head up global expansion, while James Baston-Pitt, former Vice President at Onfido, will spearhead commercial initiatives as the EMEA Director of Growth. The UK team is currently hiring for roles across sales and partnerships, and will continue to build out its go-to-market and client services functions throughout the year.

Since Alloy was founded in 2015, the firm has helped more than 350 of North America’s most innovative banks and fintech startups prevent fraud and financial crime, including Carta, Ramp and Brex. Alloy has raised over $210M to date, reaching a $1.55BN valuation, and last year announced its expansion into 40 new countries. The company has doubled down on its commitment to EMEA by establishing a physical presence in London, its first local site outside the US.

Edwina Johnson, Head of Global at Alloy said: “For financial institutions to remain competitive in today’s market, cross-border functionality is no longer a major advantage – it’s a must. Fintech startups are now building with a global mindset from day one, and looking for technology partners who can scale with them, adapting to their changing business needs, appetite for risk, and compliance requirements.

“The UK is one of the world’s most powerful fintech hubs, and we can’t wait to help innovative local firms unlock their potential abroad. For too long, international expansion has involved trade-offs with risk management, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Alloy provides dynamic support for companies operating across multiple regulatory environments, so they can focus on growing their business without worrying about the threat of fraud.”

To learn more, visit Alloy.com.

Health, News

Irish oncology care platform announces collaboration with NCCN

Irish oncology software company ONCOassist teams up with NCCN to improve HCP’s day-to-day and patient care across 150+ countries

The Irish-founded oncology software company, ONCOassist, today announces a new agreement with The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®). The collaboration will focus on integrating NCCN Content to create a digital tool that will help oncology professionals around the world stay up to date with relevant clinical content about cancer care. ONCOassist is a CE-approved decision support app for oncology professionals around the world. It is currently the only oncology app on the market with regulatory approval for use in a hospital setting.

ONCOassist hosts tools and content specific to oncology and is used by more than 73,000 professionals across 150+ countries. It is estimated that 40 percent of oncology healthcare professionals (HCPs) globally use ONCOassist. ONCOassist is revolutionizing the delivery of global cancer care and aiding in reaching the goal of improving the quality of patient care globally. 

NCCN is a not-for-profit alliance of 32 leading cancer centres devoted to patient care, research, and education. NCCN is dedicated to improving and facilitating quality, effective, equitable, and accessible cancer care so all patients can live better lives. 

By joining forces, NCCN enables ONCOassist to make key decision support information available to their users around the world, advancing their mission of helping HCPs make more-informed oncology decisions. The new agreement will allow oncology clinicians to access relevant, up-to-date tools and content at their fingertips on the ONCOassist smartphone app. ONCOassist and NCCN are working together to bring their content to oncology clinicians around the world, irrespective of their resources. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the healthcare delivery system. 

According to Cancer Research UK, there are around 375,000 new cancer cases in the UK every year which is around 1,000 every day. Globally, 18,094,716 million cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2020 alone according to the World Cancer Research International Fund. With that in mind, DATA-CAN found that there was a significant drop in urgent referrals for early cancer diagnosis along with a noticeable reduction in chemotherapy attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic. This indicates that COVID-19 may have impacted and prevented patients from being diagnosed early on. ONCOassist aims to make life easier for both oncology professionals as well as patients themselves. 

When speaking about the agreement, Co-founder and CEO of ONCOassist, Eoin O’Carroll said, “We are thrilled to announce this opportunity to collaborate with the NCCN. This project has been in the pipeline for some time and we are very much looking forward to working together. This is an exciting step forward for ONCOassist for our work in cancer care and goal to facilitate healthcare professionals by gaining access to the right information and delivering better care to patients.”

When speaking about the collaboration, Robert W. Carlson, MD, CEO of NCCN, said, ”Clinicians need to have frequently-updated, evidence-based, expert consensus information available at their fingertips. This collaboration will help make sure the gold-standard recommendations from NCCN’s expert panels are easily accessible to the people who need them. Ultimately, this means more people with cancer will receive the kind of treatment that is most likely to lead to better outcomes.”

News

New cyber security courses offer protection for businesses

Hereford’s Cyber Quarter, Midlands Centre for Cyber Security has launched a new range of courses to help businesses protect themselves from attacks which are costing SMEs millions of pounds every year.

The centre, based on Skylon Park, Hereford Enterprise Zone, is offering a range of courses for all levels of technical know-how with cyber attacks on businesses on the rise.

The Cyber Quarter’s Abimbola Sangodoyin said 82 per cent of breaches involved a human element, making it even more vital for employers and employees to spot when attacks are imminent.

“Whether it is use of stolen credentials, phishing, misuse or simply human error, people continue to play a large role in incidents and breaches alike. People are an organisation’s first line of defence against online attacks, so it’s vital that they are properly trained to spot and deal with anything suspicious.

“Cyber threats are forever evolving and becoming more sophisticated. Small and medium sized businesses are a prime target for cyber criminals, with almost one in three businesses suffering breaches or attacks at least once a week.

“Properly trained employees are your cyber-shield – whatever skill level people are at, the Cyber Quarter has a course that will strengthen your security against attack,” added Abimbola, the centre’s CPD manager.

The courses revolve around four themed areas: Information Security Awareness, targeted towards SMEs; Cyber Security Fundamentals, beginner level training for people from an IT background wanting to upskill or reskill into cyber security; Technical Training, an advanced course for existing cyber aware practitioners and Cyber Security Leadership and Management.

There are more than 30 online courses available, catering for the general public and those without specific knowledge through to those in leadership and management.

Managing director of Skylon Park, Hereford Enterprise Zone, Mark Pearce said the courses were an extension of the wider support for cyber, defence and security businesses on offer through the Cyber Quarte“From cyber security testing to research and development, we have a world-class facility on Skylon Park which can help play an important role in helping businesses across the region and the UK protect themselves from costly attacks. Led by the expert cyber team from the University of Wolverhampton, the courses allow businesses to tap into knowledge which can ensure their online security.”

Ross Cook, Director of Economy and Environment at Herefordshire Council, said: “With the development of our Cyber Quarter, Herefordshire is a key player in the Cyber Valley which spans this county, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire and is home to 15 per cent of the UK’s top 600 cyber companies. The specialist centre established through a Joint Venture between the council and the University of Wolverhampton, backed by the academic team from the University’s Cyber Research Institute, allows us to support businesses, develop their skill sets and take the lead in cyber security testing, research and development, building on our local strengths in this area.”

For more information about the courses available, visit www.cyberquarter.co.uk/cpd-training-and-short-courses/

News

Walr officially named a 2022 UK’s Best Workplace™ in Tech

The 2022 UK’s Best Workplaces™ in Tech list was launched this morning by Great Place to Work® UK, recognising Walr among 142 ranked organisations. 

The recognition reflects the company’s dedication to creating a rewarding and inspiring working environment. Since it was founded in 2020, Walr has acquired the technology firm QuenchTec and grown the team to 70 employees (and counting). 

Emily Whiting, Chief of Staff at Walr, comments, “At Walr, we revel in innovation. We believe the best innovations are born from collaboration with our global colleagues – bringing together different cultures, experiences, and viewpoints to push our collective thinking.” 

Walr is a team that equally emphasizes individual accountability and collective success. The team takes time to value each other’s contributions, invest in growth by prioritizing Learning & Development, and celebrate milestones during Monthly Group Meetings. Employee-led initiatives are also encouraged and supported. One such initiative was the beginning of Walr Central. This internal group meets monthly to discuss how Walr can enliven its global culture and improve the employee experience.  

Simon Vaarning, Walr CTO, adds, “We truly prioritize our people. We trust our employees to think outside the box for new ways to innovate and propel Walr forwards. How we structure our organization has been key to shaping our culture.”

Employee benefits at Walr include a shadow options scheme that is offered to all employees, allowing them to participate in the future success of the company. The scheme allows all employees, no matter their seniority, to benefit from the growth of Walr in the form of financial reward, by simulating stock ownership. 

“I’ve never worked in a company before where the opportunities are so numerous and available. It’s actually encouraged to get involved in things that aren’t ‘your normal job’. If you want to widen your experience by doing something different, Walr lets you do it. No lengthy explanation or requirement ‘to make a business case’ needed.” 

As Benedict Gautrey, Managing Director of Great Place to Work® UK, explains: “Now in its fifth year, our 2022 list showcases the largest collection of Best WorkplacesTM in Tech that the UK has ever recognised.  

These results are based on what employees working in the technology industry have anonymously reported to us about their workplace experience. In a fast and ever-evolving industry, these organisations are at the forefront of ensuring employees have the right environment to thrive, they are focused on providing positive work experiences, they value diversity, differences and better ways of doing things and, importantly, are investing in effective leadership to ensure continuous growth. 

A huge congratulations to Walr for making one of our most prestigious lists.”

Healthcare, Healthcare News, Healthcare Tech, News

Softcat awarded multi-million-pound device tender contract with Liverpool University Hospitals

Softcat plc, a leading IT infrastructure solutions and services provider, has been awarded a contract to be the new device partner for Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The £4 million contract will support the opening and operation of Liverpool’s new 640-bed Royal Liverpool University Hospital which is due to open in September 2022.

Softcat will provide end-user devices, peripherals, pre-staging, deployment, engineering, and recycling services.

During this time, Softcat will work as an extension of the Trust’s Digital Services delivery team, joining an ecosystem of partners to deliver modern health-specific solutions, enabling them to meet current demands and challenges and provide a seamless experience for end-users.

The services that Softcat is set to provide are built to be agile, flexible and scalable, and form part of the company’s wider strategy to support digital transformation initiatives within the public health sector.

Softcat is an approved supplier on over 50 UK&I government frameworks, enabling healthcare organisations to obtain the technology they need at the most competitive price, whilst maintaining contractual compliance.

The device contract was awarded to Softcat following a further competition via the Health Trust Europe (HTE) ICT Solutions Framework (ComIT 2 – Complete IT); a framework that offers a broad scope of ICT, including hardware, software and professional services, to support NHS and wider public sector organisations with their procurement requirements in a proficient and cost-effective way.

 

Adam Rice, Public Sector Director at Softcat, said:

“Softcat plc is delighted to be working with the Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to support the organisation in achieving true digital transformation. The contract builds on over 10 years’ experience in helping our healthcare and NHS customers deliver a safer, efficient environment for their staff and patients.

 “NHS Trusts are being challenged by the need to transform the way they deliver care, while continuing to manage unprecedented demand. By helping Trusts harness the power of technology, we enable them to meet the challenge head on and improve outcomes, and patient and employee experiences.”

 

Dr Jason Bincalar, Chief Information Officer at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust added:

 “Softcat is a valued strategic partner who bring to the table significant IT experience and great capability.”

 “Providing the best patient and staff experience at the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital was the driving force for the partnership with Softcat. The Trust needed an innovative way to equip the new hospital without compromising the high-quality service that our Digital team provides at our existing hospital sites. Sharing this challenge with Softcat and leveraging their full technology life cycle service has proved to be best approach.”

News

IDEX Biometrics Receives Large Order For Digital

IDEX Biometrics ASA has received a new material order for their advanced fingerprint sensor technology, which will be deployed in the customer’s digital authentication application. The customer is a large US company with a global footprint. This order represents the largest single order in IDEX history. Shipments against the order will begin in the 4th quarter of 2022.

In addition to our primary target market for biometric payment cards, IDEX continues to see increasing demand for its biometric sensors for use in the growing market of digital authentication. As demand continues to increase, IDEX Biometrics is expecting additional production orders throughout the second half of 2022 from both existing customers, and new customers who have not yet been announced.

 

News, Technology

New Camwood Service Helps Businesses Avoid Significant Ramifications of the End of Windows 10

The Windows 11 Readiness service empowers IT teams to take control of migration to the new operating system

Camwood, a leading IT consultancy specialising in digital evolution, has announced a Windows 11 Readiness service to support businesses following the revelation that Microsoft will no longer support Windows 10 Home, Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions from October 2025.

The end of life for Windows 10 could have serious ramifications for organisations and individuals currently reliant on the operating system, as well as those still using the outdated Windows 7, potentially signaling the end of life for their end-user devices, applications, and in-house developments. The latest launch also sees businesses face stricter hardware requirements and a change to how applications will integrate into the base operating system.

As Microsoft proactively encourages organisations to migrate to Windows 11 as soon as possible, Camwood’s Windows 11 Readiness service has been designed to help businesses gauge the time, resources, and budget required to do so successfully.

With as much as 20-30% of apps likely to not work straightaway following the update to Windows 11, organisations must be able to identify incompatible apps before making the switch. Failure to do so could result in end-users experiencing system downtime or performance issues that could ultimately damage business operations.

As a specialist in the field, Camwood is uniquely positioned to help organisations overcome the potential challenges of a move to Windows 11, with its Windows 11 Readiness service empowering customers to digitally evolve their enterprise and keep their platforms current.

The Windows 11 Readiness service from Camwood offers organisations a range of checks and benefits to ensure that both business operations and employee experience is maintained throughout Windows 11 adoption. This includes hardware requirement checks across the entire physical device estate, identification of which devices to keep, upgrade or refresh, measures to ensure that business-critical applications are not impacted by the adoption of Windows 11, identification of user, device, departmental and geographical readiness, and the creation of a pilot group of candidates based on readiness scores and application usage.

Andrew Carr, managing director, Camwood, said, “As Microsoft Windows 10 end of life approaches, it is critical for organisations to act now to ensure their applications, devices, and management processes are in line with industry best practices. We understand just how much work and preparation needs to go into such a migration, so have designed our Windows 11 Readiness service to help businesses through the process and ensure that they can migrate successfully and securely. While 2025 may still seem some way off, organisations must begin the groundwork now as any delay in planning for Windows 11 will have a significant knock-on effect across their IT landscape – from security to productivity. It is time to treat applications as a business asset and not an after thought during this process”

—

About Camwood

With 20 years’ experience in enterprise IT and managed services, Camwood is a leading IT consultancy that provides digital acceleration through the lens of applications. A company that has innovation, automation and deep technological expertise at its heart, Camwood to help customers to digitally evolve their application and end user environments.

Camwood boasts an in-depth capability in applications, modern workplace and managed services that rivals cannot match, using this expertise to create tailored solutions to help customers overcome their challenges. Numerous software solutions have been created through Camwood’s technology incubation team, with many now stand-alone businesses, including Rimo3, NexBotix and Infinity. Camwood’s first automated product, App-DNA, was sold to Citrix systems back in 2011.

News

WorkMotion appoints Maarten Dermul as Chief Revenue Officer

Leading provider of HR-tech for global employment announces new appointment following rapid company growth and recent funding round

 WorkMotion, a leading HR-tech firm for global employment, today announced the appointment of Maarten Dermul as Chief Revenue Officer. Dermul’s appointment builds on WorkMotion’s continued growth, including the recent Series B funding round of $50 million and the addition of Pieter Manden as Head of Trust and Employer Compliance, earlier this year.

Dermul joins the company with a wealth of leadership experience, having built Hewlett Packard’s SMB team in Northern Europe and grown Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Inside Sales HUB from a handful of sales representatives to a team of over 400, driving about $1B of discrete quota. Dermul was most recently at Nutanix, where he gained expertise at managing remote teams while leading their Inside Sales and Customer Success teams.

“We are delighted to welcome Maarten to WorkMotion as our Chief Revenue Officer. His expertise in developing high-performance teams and expanding the business make him a perfect fit for this crucial role,” said Carsten Lebtig, co-founder and CEO, WorkMotion. “Maarten will be a key player in WorkMotion’s hyper growth, helping to further accelerate our global sales momentum and cement WorkMotion’s position as the leading European global talent operating system.”

“I am incredibly excited to be joining WorkMotion at such a pivotal moment. Today’s organisations need flexible work policies that help attract and retain talent, and WorkMotion helps organisations do just that – easily and compliantly,” said Dermul, CRO, Workmotion. “WorkMotion is leading the way when it comes to facilitating global employment, and I look forward to working with our teams to provide our customers the best experience and develop long lasting partnerships as the company continues its growth trajectory.”