Monthly Archives: February 2011
28
Computer 2000 forms alliance with online specialist to help resellers develop Microsoft BPOS cloud propositions
Computer 2000, the UK arm of Tech Data, has formed a strategic alliance with AIMS Online Services, a partner-to-partner IT consultancy which has been formed with the sole aim of assisting IT resellers with the adoption, investigation, migration and support of Microsoft Online Services. Through Computer 2000’s BPOS-Interconnect programme, the two companies will work together to recruit and activate reseller partners who want to develop their cloud-based software business.
25
Irish firms work together to plan for growth
Aviation specialist solutions provider, SR Technics, has signed a major software and services agreement with Drogheda-based Armac Systems, a provider of intelligent inventory planning solutions.
The deal will see SR Technics expand its deployment of Armac’s RIOsys inventory planning solution software as well as consultancy support services. Armac’s RIOsys software will also see service across other aerospace business units of the Mubadala Development Company, SR Technics’ Abu-Dhabi-based parent company.
In a report on techcentral.ie, it is claimed that RIOsys can deliver 25 percent reductions in inventory costs. Armac’s system combines data from ERP systems with the knowledge of
inventory planners and uses its proprietary algorithms to provide purchasing decisions to inventory planners.
24
Investing in the future – Why schools still need to spend on IT in 2011 – Part 3 – Ready to sell
This is the final part of our three part series on ’How and why IT still has an important role to play in education and why we can expect schools and colleges to keep spending on technology. This blog will focus on ‘ready to sell’, how vendors are helping resellers understand hot to enagage with public sector. Remember to also check out the public sector pages on the Computer 2000 website www.computer2000.co.uk/publicsector which provide further information with engageing with the public sector.
23
Sharing our successes
Here at Maverick we like to share our successes, so excuse us for blowing our own trumpet!
We couldn’t be happier with our progression of Promethean, for us they remain a growing vendor even at a time when the public sector is feeling the pinch.
At ISE Maverick were awarded the Promethean outstanding achievement award in recognition of our strong joint partnership and exceptional sales results. We started selling Promethean boards in the UK two years ago, now representing the brand in 7 countries – their largest distributor in Europe.
We could not have achieved this success without you – so thank you!
23
Investing in the future – Why schools still need to spend on IT in 2011 – Part 2 – Tablet take-up
In this second part of our blog articles on Why IT still has an important role to play in education and why we can expect schools and colleges to keep spending on technology – we will be looking at the potential for tablet take up.
Tablet Take up
Many schools will also be taking a good look at tablet technologies this year. The new generation of learners have been very quick to pick up on touch technology and many schools will be examining the possibilities for using tablets in the classroom, especially becasue of the greater variety now on the market. As more products are launched and schools are given more choice, we are bound to see some investment here as well. There are already a whole range of education-focused applications becoming available on tablet formats.
Read More…
22
Investing in the future – Why schools still need to spend on IT in 2011 – Part 1 – Digital signage growth
In this 3 part blog series we look at how and why IT still has an important role to play in education and why we can expect schools and colleges to keep spending on technology – and how to market and sell to them with Computer 2000’s help.
In part 1 we will docus on digital signage growth, part 2 on tablet take-up and the final part will focus on ready to sell.
First a bit of background. In August last year, Gartner forecast that IT spending in education would grow by 2.5 percent to more than $64 million worldwide in 2010. While a regional
breakdown was not provided, a later Gartner forecast for enterprise spending noted that budgets in some vertical markets – education included – would decline in 2011 due to budget cuts. The priority instead would be to maintain spending on teaching.
But this is precisely the reason why many schools and colleges will continue to spend on IT in 2011; the added value that new technologies bring to teaching today and the opportunity to enhance the learning experience means that IT is now a more important and integral part of the classroom than ever.
21
Facing up to reality
In the second part of our series on selling print and peripherals to the public sector, we look at the approach resellers need to take when addressing opportunities now that belts are being tightened.
The attitude in the public sector towards printing is changing. For some time now, concern over the future and how much budget they would have to spend has led to a stasis in the market. Schools, health trusts, local government, have simply stood still and waited to see what happened. As a result, their costs have been edging slowly but surely upwards. But that’s not going to be good enough anymore.
18
Growth in Interactive Learning – Picking up good vibrations
Following Maverick’s success at ISE in Amsterdam and another busy BETT show, we look at the prospects for interactive learning solutions in the education sector.
We may only just be emerging from a downturn and entering a period in which budgets will be kept tight. But you would not have thought that if you visited the BETT Show in London last month and ISE in Amsterdam at the start of February. Both events were as busy as ever and there were plenty of buyers – from the education sector at the former, but also from the wider public sector and the commercial world at the latter.
18
Is the new HP Scala digital signage solution the next big opportunity for UK resellers?
For us the simple answer is yes.
By the end of 2011 the digital signage market is anticipated to be worth three billion dollars, this is an increase from $2.4 billion in 2010. Whilst here in the UK we obviously won’t have access to the whole pie there will certainly be plenty of opportunities available to the UK channel.
