News in the Channel - issue #18

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Issue #18

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COMMENT

Intelligent thinking AI is becoming embedded in the workplace, and there is a raft of AI-enabled devices being launched into the market. This means it is imperative for resellers to be up to date with the technology and able to communicate its benefits to customers.

While AI has been a buzzword for some time, it is now starting to come of age with the practical uses for business starting to become clearer. With that, the number of devices that are being launched with AI as an integral part is starting to increase rapidly. For instance, in this issue, we cover the launches of two ranges of laptops that have AI integral to them by Dell and Acer. These are just two of the manufacturers that are now working with companies such as Microsoft to have assistants like Copilot installed on new models – many others have also launched models or have ones in development

Cybersecurity solutions are imperative, but they must be agile and cover all aspects of the business, including things like email. Read more on p24. This demonstrates how important AI now is – and will be in the coming months and years to businesses in all sectors – and that for resellers it is something they must be across as customers of all sizes will increasingly be asking about it. With the efficiencies that AI can bring, among other benefits, many businesses will look to lean into it to try and help improve their bottom line as costs for many are still high and margins low. This means that resellers need to have good knowledge of AI, AI-related devices and products and their applications. Customers will want their resellers to give them confidence about the potential for AI and lead them through the process to find the products they need to boost their business. If their usual reseller can’t do this – then they will find another that can. While AI is an emerging technology, and it isn’t always possible to have in-house expertise, resellers should find partners that can provide it and mean they can sell AI devices with confidence. As always, I hope you enjoy the issue. If you have any topics that you would like to see covered in a future issue – or you would like to get involved in editorial or send in a news story or opinion piece – please contact me at dan@newsinthechannel.com

Dan Parton

to launch in the coming months. You can read more on the Dell and Acer products on p14 and p20 respectively. AI is also starting to

change other aspects of the sector, such as how data centres

are cooled. With the increased power AI requires, it adds extra heat, meaning greater

cooling measures are required, and liquid cooling is an option to consider. Read more on p38. But while AI presents opportunities for businesses, it also brings threats. Cybercriminals are always looking for new ways to break into systems and steal data or hold a company to ransom to name but two things. Legal and financial services businesses are particularly attractive targets due to the often-confidential nature of the information they have, and AI is creating new threats that must be guarded against.

See the Categories and Nominations stockies.co.uk

Stockies AWARDS

2024

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00 03

CONTENTS

News You should know p6 Product Launches Dell AI laptops p14 Snom: High quality with increased security p17 Acer Copilot+ PC p20 Cybersecuirty Legal & Financial businesses p24 Interview Greg Jones, Kaseya p30 Product Review Boom Collaboration Work from Home kit p34 Liquid Cooling for Data Centres Cooling the future p38 UCaaS Value-add Features Unlocking potential p40 Multi-cloud Approach Cloud diversity p44 Interview Arctic Wolf p46 DCC Results Thirty years of growth p48 On the move People updates p50 STOCKIES 2024 Nominations s1

Multi-Cloud Approach – p44

Cybersecurity– p24

Many businesses are adopting cloud technology, but a multi-cloud approach rather than single provider should be considered to enhance cloud resilience, says Amaya Souarez, EVP Cloud Services & Operations at Sage.

Cybersecurity is vitally important for legal and financial businesses, especially through emails. As the threats continue to evolve, solutions must also be agile enough to cope.

Interview: Greg Jones Kaseya – p30

Kaseya has recently launched a range of new offerings to help managed service providers to grow their business – and it backs Greg Jones’ assertion that this is a great time to be an MSP.

Product Launch: Dell – p14

Dell has become the latest manufacturer to integrate AI into its laptops with the launch of five new devices aimed at consumer and commercial markets to make everyday

tasks simpler and faster to complete.

Product Launch: Snom – p17

Businesses that operate hybrid working policies are increasingly looking for quality telephony solutions – but also ones that offer enhanced security as the number of cyberthreats continues to increase. Snom’s latest release aims to provide a solution.

CONTENTS

Stockies AWARDS

Liquid Cooling: Data Centres – p38

https://stockies.co.uk/ 2024

Editorial Dan Parton 07941 979 845 dan@ newsinthechannel.com Head of Sales Martin Jenner-Hall 07824 552 116 martin@ newsinthechannel.com Publishing Director Justin Penn 07816 573 186 justin@ newsinthechannel.com

The Nominations – so far... This year the Stockies are bigger than ever, with an entire week dedicated to celebrating the successes of the IT channel.

Liquid cooling for data centres offers businesses a range of benefits, including greater efficiency and sustainability, which presents opportunities for the channel, says Martin Ryder, channel sales director Northern Europe at Vertiv.

SEE THE NOMINATIONS

Interview: Arctic Wolf – p46

Cybersecurity provider Arctic Wolf has grown quickly in the UK with its 100% channel strategy and the company is planning on further growth as there are opportunities to grow revenue.

Product Launch: Acer – p20

With artificial intelligence becoming a much more established technology, Acer has launched its Swift 14 AI laptop, its first with Copilot+ and with greater processing power.

Published by: In the Channel Media Ltd Company registration number: 14363401 Registered office address 14-18 Heddon Street,

Product Review – p34

With work from home now a firmly established working practice, those outside the office want access to technology so they have parity with colleagues in the office when they are collaborating – which is where the Boom Work From Home kit comes in.

Mayfair, London, United Kingdom, W1B 4DA In conjunction with:

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NEWS

Vertiv unveils end-to-end AI power and cooling solutions

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) and High- Performance Compute continue to disrupt the data centre landscape, Vertiv has announced a new portfolio of high-density data centre infrastructure solutions to support the higher power and cooling requirements of AI. Now available across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Vertiv™ 360AI is designed to accelerate AI deployments of any scale, with designs ranging from rack solutions for test pilots and Edge AI, to full data centres for AI model training. AI and accelerated computing are driving unprecedented demand for power and cooling, with rack densities anticipated to reach up to 500kW per rack. As a result, power and cooling infrastructure design and deployment has become significantly more complicated. Vertiv 360AI provides a simple way to power and cool AI, with a complete portfolio of power, cooling and service solutions that solve the complex challenges arising from

the AI revolution. Vertiv 360AI solutions include validated designs and pre-engineered solutions to provide the benefit of Vertiv’s expertise while eliminating design cycles. “After the successful launch in North America, we’re thrilled to bring the new Vertiv 360AI portfolio to EMEA and boost our customers’ AI plans,” said Karsten Winther, president for EMEA at Vertiv. “Our solutions provide a streamlined approach for scalable AI infrastructure, addressing the evolving challenges posed by high-performance computing. Vertiv™ 360AI is designed to help accelerate retrofits of air-cooled edge and enterprise data centres, as well as the development of hyperscale greenfield projects.” Vertiv™ 360AI also features prefabricated modular solutions to enable customers to deploy AI without disturbing existing workloads and without consuming floorspace. Initial Vertiv 360AI solutions can power and cool over 130kW per rack and include designs optimised for retrofits.

Karsten Winther EMEA president

vertiv.com

Arrow Electronics and Scality in new distribution agreement

Arrow Electronics and Scality have agreed a new distribution agreement to drive further adoption of ARTESCA, Scality’s secure, easy-to-use object storage software for immutable, cyber-resilient backups in focused markets across EMEA. “We are excited to have the opportunity to address our customers’ pressing demand for cyber-resilient storage solutions,” said Mike Worby, head of strategic alliances for Arrow’s enterprise computing solutions business in EMEA. “Scality’s solutions precisely target the intersection of three pivotal customer priorities: cyber resiliency, data management and preparing for the modern AI data centre.

solutions to support organisational data stored across public, private and on-premises environments is projected to grow over the next eight to 10 years. Specifically, reports also indicate the private cloud segment will experience steady growth due to concerns over the security and protection of confidential data. “The alliance with Arrow accelerates our mission to keep end-user customers protected against ransomware,” said Wally MacDermid, Scality vice president of worldwide alliances and distribution. “With Scality ARTESCA and Veeam, Arrow channel partners on the hunt for cyber-resilient infrastructures now have a turnkey, immutable solution to thwart any threat – even AI- fuelled ransomware attacks.” Arrow will distribute all

Mike Worby head of strategic alliances

ARTESCA is especially appealing for customers and channel partners alike with its low cost of entry, easy deployment models and integration with large backup vendors like Veeam.” The agreement comes

arrow.com

Scality product SKUs with an emphasis on ARTESCA cyber- resilient storage for Veeam. According to Scality, ARTESCA has grown five times year over year in revenue since 2023, with channel partners driving 100% of the business.

at a time when the hybrid cloud infrastructure market is on the rise. According to recent reports, overall demand for infrastructure

scality.com

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NEWS

Object First partners with Exertis Cybersecurity

Exertis Cybersecurity has announced a collaboration with Object First, the developer of Ootbi (Out-of-the-Box- Immutability). This partnership marks a significant milestone in Exertis Cybersecurity’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions to organisations across Europe. Ootbi is a ransomware-proof backup storage solution designed specifically for Veeam customers. It offers secure, simple and powerful appliance-based backup storage with out-of-the-box immutability and zero access to root. Designed around zero trust and data security principles, Ootbi helps customers drastically reduce their risk of ransomware affecting backup data with no security expertise required to operate. Ootbi’s object storage has been engineered to explicitly ingest and secure Veeam data at the default block encryption size, meaning no additional optimisation or configuration is required, and offers

supercharged instant recovery of up to 4Gbps. "We understand how crucial immutable

backups are in today's cybersecurity environment," said Matthew Swindail,

commercial manager at Exertis Cybersecurity. "Partnering with Object First enables us to provide channel partners with the necessary tools to safeguard their customers’ data and ensure business continuity. We believe Ootbi will offer tangible benefits, including improved data security, regulatory compliance and peace of mind." Mark Haddleton, EMEA channel sales director at Object First, added: "Teaming up with Exertis as our distributor was an obvious choice. The UK market is a significant one for Veeam, and virtually every Veeam customer can benefit from secure, simple and powerful backup storage to reduce their risk of ransomware and data loss. We are delighted to partner with Exertis Cybersecurity and look forward to a strong first year of growth together.”

Mark Haddleton channel sales director, EMEA

objectfirst.com

AI, automation and private networks top of tech agenda for UK enterprises

A need to increase revenues, keep up with technology advances and increase efficiencies are the top factors driving the need to purchase new technology, where AI, automation and private networks are top of the technology agenda, according to a report from CCGroup. In addition, there has been a dramatic proliferation in the marketing channels and content formats that enterprises refer to when making technology purchasing decisions, which are fundamental to vendor selection. Based on a survey of 200 technology decision makers from UK enterprises, the report, ‘ Understanding enterprise technology buying: Lessons for vendor marketing ’, showed that despite market conditions, enterprises are investing in new technologies and have healthy budgets to do so. When it comes to purchasing behaviours, the report reveals that: l O n average, enterprises have made five technology purchases in the past 12 months l Enterprises’ top priorities over the next 12 months are increasing sales (33%), reducing operating costs (32%)

and growth via new business areas or geographies (30%) l The need to increase revenues is a top deciding factor for purchasing new technology (47%); followed by the need to keep up with new technology advances (42%) and the need to increase efficiencies (42%) l Technologies being frequently discussed within enterprises are AI (73%), automation (69%) and private networks (69%). There are several additional factors that enterprises consider as part of the technology buying process: l 68% of organisations request a vendor’s sustainability policy as part of the RFP process l 60% of organisations request a vendor’s D&I policy l 56% of technology purchases involve a channel partner in some capacity – whether technology has been purchased via a partner, or through a combination of direct sales and via a channel partner. When making technology purchasing decisions, enterprises use a range of

Understanding enterprise technology buying: Lessons for vendor marketing

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marketing channels and consult more content formats to make these decisions: l The three most influential channels in terms of building buyer awareness of technology vendors are industry analysts (72%), business technology media (67%) and management consultants (67%) l When it comes to selecting vendors, live events, trade media and peers are all ranked equally important (67%), highlighting the importance of vendors’ presence and voice within the industry l But across the board, almost all marketing channels and content formats enterprises refer to when identifying and selecting vendor partners are ranked similarly important. Everything from industry analysts through to trade media, direct marketing, webinars, case studies

and press releases are being used and consulted to identify and select technology vendors. “Against a challenging macroeconomic environment, enterprise buyers are being much more considered when making technology purchasing decisions,” said Chloe Pope, head of next-gen connectivity at CCGroup. “It’s essential for technology vendors to have fully integrated marketing programmes in place to ensure they aren’t missing out on RFP opportunities. Reputation, sustainability efforts and DE&I policies are major factors that contribute to selecting vendor partners. Successful vendors not only need to showcase their market leadership and technology innovation, they need to clearly outline their business goals and workplace cultures too.”

Chloe Pope Head of next-gen connectivity

ccgrouppr.com

Cradlepoint unveils new global MSP programme to accelerate 5G enterprise growth

Cradlepoint has announced significant updates for managed service providers (MSPs) in the UK and Ireland. The newly redesigned Cradlepoint MSP Partner Programme is tailored to fit the evolving needs of the MSP partner business model. With features designed to enable MSPs to build and run an even more robust service, Cradlepoint’s MSP Programme will help partners take advantage of this rapidly growing market. Organisations across industries are increasingly turning to wireless solutions, such as 5G, to deliver agile, secure and reliable WAN connectivity. Gartner believes that 50% of enterprise wireless endpoints are expected to use networking services that deliver additional capabilities beyond communication by 2025. This rapidly growing market underscores a significant opportunity for Cradlepoint and its partners to expand their Wireless WAN leadership, particularly

regarding MSPs leveraging Cradlepoint’s NetCloud Service and portfolio of fixed sites, mobile and IoT cellular routers. “5G is an essential WAN infrastructure, and we are seeing firsthand how our partners are leveraging the technology to enable agile and secure connectivity for their customers while creating new market opportunities for their own business,” said Ross Hockey, director EMEA of managed service partners/solution service providers at Cradlepoint. “We are ‘all channel, all the time,’ meaning our partners are an extension of our company. As our channel programme has grown globally, we have listened and worked with our partners to evolve and enhance our programmes, including this very important step of supporting their managed service offerings.” Specific new enhancements include: l Updated benefits and requirements that

Ross Hockey director EMEA of managed service partners/solution service providers

align with the MSP practise l Dedicated SP onboarding

cradlepoint.com

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NEWS

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and marketing support l An SP specific price list providing SKUs with pricing, packaging and functionality designed to meet the needs of MSPs and their customers l Planned NetCloud Manager enhancements exclusively for MSPs l ‘White glove’ logistics support. In addition, Cradlepoint has developed

an ‘MSP Playbook.’ As part of the playbook, partners will receive guidance on their market opportunity, use cases and success stories, marketing, sales, training support and a full programme review. The Playbook is designed to support MSPs further as they work with Cradlepoint to create and deliver managed networking and cloud-based services as key components in their offerings.

Tanium and Plat4mation announce strategic partnership

Tanium, a provider of converged endpoint management (XEM), has announced a partnership with Plat4mation, a global ServiceNow partner in platform consultancy and implementation services. This partnership will accelerate the value customers receive from their combined Tanium and ServiceNow investments by leveraging Plat4mation’s expertise, best practices and experience in successfully implementing, integrating and optimising more than 1,000 ServiceNow projects spanning a decade. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Tanium as a strategic implementation partner that will help us strengthen and expand our footprint within the ServiceNow ecosystem,” said Jim Austin, managing director, Plat4mation. “Our deep domain knowledge and track record of guiding clients through modernisation and business transformation will be greatly enhanced.” Tanium empowers organisations to optimise the accuracy and completeness of their Configuration Management Database (CMDB) data and maximise the overall value extracted from ServiceNow investments. Tanium’s partnership with Plat4mation will supercharge the value ServiceNow customers experience with Tanium’s XEM platform, with benefits including: l Eliminating blind spots: Tanium supplies real-time data about every endpoint across the environment, ensuring users

can eliminate blind spots l Reducing cost: Tanium maintains a real-time ServiceNow CMDB with complete visibility into hardware and software inventory and usage, no matter the operating system or network so organisations can reduce license costs l Risk reduction: With Tanium, it’s easy to collect real-time vulnerability and compliance data for prioritisation and investigation in ServiceNow Vulnerability Response and ServiceNow Configuration Compliance l Enabling AI: Tanium's platform can provide real-time, granular data from across an organisation's endpoints, which is essential for training AI models and ensuring that the insights and predictions generated are reliable. "Our alliance with Plat4mation represents Tanium's commitment to helping organisations unlock maximum value from their ServiceNow investment by providing complete, real-time endpoint data and enabling CMDB updates in a matter of hours, rather than days or even weeks,” said Shawn Gallagher, VP of strategic alliances at Tanium. “In some cases, that is up to a 90% reduction in refresh times. Our customers will now be better positioned to take advantage of the latest AI innovations and establish a formidable, data-centric security strategy with reduced cost and complexity of point solution integrations.”

Jim Austin managing director

plat4mationcom

Shawn Gallagher VP, strategic alliances

tanium.com

10 31062

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O nce upon a digital era, in the kingdom of IT security, there lived a diligent but beleaguered IT security manager named Cinderfella. Cinderfella spent his days a slave to the outdated security protocols and the demanding ugly sisters— incumbent firewalls, who forced him to waste precious time on manual updates and management. C inderfella dreamed of a cybersecurity kingdom where he could escape the clutches of the ugly sisters and focus on other strategic IT endeavours. His opportunity arose with the announcement of a grand Cybersecurity Tender, where

the esteemed board of directors at Handsome Prince Ltd, were seeking the perfect partner to help show them a better way to rule their kingdom. F ortinet, the godmother of cybersecurity solutions, heard of Cinderfella’s plight. With a wave of a magical Fabric wand, Cinderfella was transformed into a beacon of cybersecurity excellence, adorned with automated efficiency, the allure of central visibility and the confidence to capture the attention of the board. A t the gala, the board were bored. They had hoped to find the perfect partner to safeguard their brand, maintain compliance, and protect their kingdom from digital threats. When Cinderfella arrived -

now a vision of cybersecurity prowess, they chatted through the night, Cinderfella perfectly able to showcase the advantages that Fortinet’s magic bestowed. The evening came to a close as the clock struck midnight and Cinderfella returned to the life of drudgery with the two incumbent ugly sisters. W ithin days, Cinderfella heard that the board were desperate to locate the perfect partner they’d met that night. Armed with the Glass Slipper of Proof, Cinderella bowed before them, presenting their perfect match. Enchanted, once again, by the promise of brand protection, compliance maintenance, and fortified cybersecurity, the board embraced Fortinet as the solution to lead their kingdom into a secure and prosperous future. It was the perfect fit!

A s the ugly sisters faded into obscurity, Cinderfella lived happily ever after, liberated from the mundane tasks of manual management and empowered to navigate the evolving digital landscape. T he moral of the story: In the cybersecurity kingdom, Fortinet helps even the most beleaguered manager to present the perfect fit, leading to a happily ever after where security reigns supreme, and the kingdom is safeguarded from threats.

Become a Fortinet partner to discover how to provide your customers with comprehensive cybersecurity solutions to protect their networks, applications, and data from evolving threats.

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PRODUCT LAUNCH

Dell launches new range of AI laptops Dell has become the latest manufacturer to integrate AI into its laptops with the launch of five new devices aimed at consumer and commercial markets to make everyday tasks simpler and faster to complete.

Dell has expanded its portfolio of AI PCs and workstations with the launch of five new laptops – XPS 13, Inspiron 14 Plus, Inspiron 14, Latitude 7455 and Latitude 5455 – which offer a range of consumer and commercial options that the company says deliver exceptional speed and AI performance to elevate computing and simplify tasks. The brand-new class of devices deliver extraordinary performance and battery life, upleveled productivity and powerful security, according to Dell. With AI processing locally on the device across the custom-integrated Qualcomm Oryon™ CPU, GPU and neural processing unit (NPU), Dell’s new AI PCs offer: l Groundbreaking battery life l 45 trillion operations per second of performance on the NPU, so AI tasks can be run more efficiently l Instantaneous results when searching your own content using on-device Copilot. This means connection to the internet or the cloud isn’t required, making tasks more seamless, accessible and secure wherever the user is. Amplified creativity Built for AI, XPS 13 is Dell’s first XPS to feature Copilot+ powered by Snapdragon X Elite. The laptop now has powerful on-device AI that delivers cutting-edge responsiveness and impressive speed for navigating demanding workloads and freeing up time to be more creative, all the while extending time away from the outlet. XPS 13 is Dell’s thinnest and lightest XPS

choose from two new Inspiron AI laptops with exceptional battery life. Both Inspiron 14 Plus (available in ice blue) and Inspiron 14 (available in titan grey) are crafted with light weight, low emissions aluminium and are energy efficient with EPEAT Gold rating. Inspiron 14 Plus features the Snapdragon X Plus platform with up to 15 hours of battery life. The device offers an upleveled video and audio experience with quad speakers and a QHD+ display with 400nit brightness. Inspiron 14 is powered by Snapdragon X Plus and provides an easy-to-use platform with features like voice commands and a mechanical privacy shutter for extra security. Unmatched productivity New Latitude AI laptops with Copilot+ feature Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite 12-core and Snapdragon Plus 10-core processors, packing game-changing performance and exceptional battery life. Users can operate efficiently and smoothly throughout the day without needing to charge. The Latitude 7455 is a premium AI laptop up to 21 hours of battery life stacked with a14-inch QHD+ touch display, quad speakers with AI noise reduction, Qualcomm® FastConnect™ Wi-Fi 7 and optional 5G for greater connectivity and collaboration. The all- aluminium chassis is built with a combination of low emissions and recycled aluminium. The Latitude 5455 packs performance in a mainstream AI business laptop option with a 16:10 FHD+ display and dual speakers. Multiple layers of hardware and firmware security features also protect the laptop, from rigorous controls at the supply chain to deep defences at the BIOS level. Beyond the device, new Dell Implementation Services for Microsoft Copilot solutions rapidly enable more efficient ways

New Latitude AI laptops with Copilot+ feature Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite 12-core and Snapdragon Plus 10-core processors, packing game- changing performance and exceptional battery life for today’s busy worker. “

”

Dell XPS 13

and now has all-day battery life of up to 27 hours. Consumers can also

PRODUCT LAUNCH

Dell Inspiron 14

seamless performance during conference calls including microphone mute/unmute, video on/off, screen share and chat. For those concerned with sustainability as they refresh their laptop fleet, Dell recovery and recycling services provide customers with a seamless and secure way to responsibly retire devices, while addressing their own sustainability goals. Dell says that with its Environmental Impact Report feature for Asset Recovery Services, it is the only OEM to offer a personalised, real-time report, dynamically updated and aligned with ISO 14000 standards. Mark Linton, VP device partner sales, Microsoft Corp, hails the “thrilling” new era of AI PCs. “Our collaboration with industry leaders like Dell enables us to develop innovative devices that seamlessly integrate new AI experiences, enhancing our customer's productivity and creativity like never before,” he adds. “Our deep engineering collaboration has been crucial in delivering productive and secure PCs for commercial, consumer and gaming customers for decades. With Dell’s launch of their Copilot+ PCs spanning Inspiron, XPS, and Latitude series, we will bring new AI experiences to life for consumers and businesses alike, taking advantage of on- device and cloud AI to empower individuals and organisations to achieve more.” Availability and pricing The XPS 13 and Inspiron 14 Plus are now available for pre-order, starting at $1,299 and $1,099, respectively. However, the Latitude 7455, Inspiron 14 and Latitude 5455 will be available in the coming months. Meanwhile the Dell Silent Mouse (MS355) and Dell Silent Keyboard and Mouse Combo (KM555) will be available worldwide in the third quarter of 2024 for $37.49 and $62.49 respectively. The Dell Wired Collaboration Keyboard (KB525C) will be available worldwide in the third quarter for $39.99.

of working across the entire organisation, reducing risk and preparing the right users to fully adopt Copilot technologies. New AI experiences Dell’s Copilot+ PCs include new exclusive AI experiences powered by Snapdragon X Series platforms, which allow users to take back time in their day and focus on the tasks that matter most. For example, Recall remembers everything the user has done on the device and stores it securely on the PC, not in the cloud, making it quick and easy for users to pick up where they left off. Users can easily search for files and applications they were working on weeks ago using natural and descriptive language of what they remember to quickly get back to work. Using Cocreator, users can create AI generated images using a combination of descriptive words and brushstrokes. Users can iterate the image in real time to make it exactly as they like. Live Captions adds the ability to translate any live or pre-recorded audio from 44 languages to English, making it even more seamless to connect with friends and colleagues on video calls. New Windows Studio effects adjust lighting and offer new creative filters to enhance call collaboration. Auto Super Resolution uses AI to upscale videos and games in real-time for smooth streaming and gameplay. AI connected ecosystem Users can complete their AI ecosystem with one of two new keyboards, featuring a dedicated Copilot key for quick access to it. The Dell Silent Keyboard and Mouse (KM555) – ideal for open office environments – provide silent typing, clicking, scrolling and gliding, in a space-saving compact design and offers up to 36 months of battery life. The Dell Wired Collaboration Keyboard (KB525C), the world’s first wired collaboration keyboard for Zoom and Microsoft Teams, features dedicated keys designed for

Mark Linton VP device partner sales

microsoft.com/en-gb/

With Dell’s launch of their Copilot+ PCs “

spanning Inspiron, XPS, and Latitude series, we will bring new AI experiences to life for consumers and businesses alike.

”

Dell Silent Keyboard and Mouse Combo

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PRODUCT LAUNCH

Snom launches solution for call centres and remote workplaces Businesses that operate hybrid working policies are increasingly looking for quality telephony solutions – but also ones that offer enhanced security as the number of cyberthreats continues to increase. Snom’s latest release aims to provide a solution.

With workforces increasingly embracing hybrid working solutions, there is also growing demand for telephony solutions that give employees high-quality telephony wherever they happen to be working. But it isn’t just about quality of telephony, businesses want solutions that are secure as cyberthreats continue to grow and would- be hackers will look for any weak point in a network to gain access. To this end, Snom has recently launched the SP800. This solution is aimed at businesses that want high-quality telephony with increased security requirements, but are using a remote desktop, terminal server or soft client. The SP800 is a solution in terminal server environments and for telephony via soft client. The compact device guarantees perfect audio quality and meets strict security requirements, according to Snom. These solutions are favoured in many industries such as call centres, banks, insurance companies and public sector organisations. Employees can use them to access all applications that are centrally available on the server, irrespective of location. All they require is an internet connection. Effective protection In addition to the reduced administrative costs that come with eliminating individual installations, these technologies offer effective protection against the misuse of resources and security risks. Typically, these technologies have been designed for accessing and processing data. An integrated telephone system with softphones and headsets may prevent the need to purchase a phone. It is also secure and can prevent unauthorised telephone calls, but this is often at the expense of audio quality. This is because terminal servers cannot distinguish between data and audio. Snom’s aim for its SP800 is to revolutionise the user experience in these environments.

While conventional terminal server solutions often must contend with inferior speech quality, the SP800 guarantees a first-class audio experience. Equipped with the same features as a Snom D862 desk phone, the SP800 offers a robust security architecture that enables employees to have the same outstanding listening experience via remote desktop or soft clients. Even when used in demanding application scenarios, voice transmission remains clear and audible.

But it isn’t just about quality of telephony, businesses want solutions that are secure as cyberthreats continue to grow and would-be hackers will look for any weak point in a network to gain access. “

”

Range of features The device offers numerous features, such as the latest audio codecs, comfort noise, speech pause detection, DND (‘Do not disturb’) and adaptive jitter buffers. The SP800 has been designed to be efficient and user-friendly, from configuration via auto provisioning, SRAPS or a user-friendly web interface to the seamless integration of computer telephony and comprehensive diagnostic tools. The phone is operated via USB headsets or other accessories with a 3.5mm jack. Thanks to its sleek and discreet design, the SP800 is compatible with any work environment and can be easily placed on or under any desk. It is the ideal solution for companies that value secure and high-quality communication, without compromising flexibility. The SP800 is available now from specialist retailers and comes with a three-year manufacturer’s warranty.

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Lightning fast speeds At M2M Direct , Samsung Internal SSDs serve as the backbone for a myriad of essential applications across various sectors. In the realm of enterprise solutions, these SSDs power high-performance databases, ensuring rapid data access and seamless operation for businesses. In the healthcare industry, Samsung SSDs are integral components in medical imaging systems, facilitating quick retrieval and analysis of patient scans for timely diagnosis and treatment. In gaming and entertainment, these SSDs deliver lightning-fast load times and smooth gameplay experiences, enhancing user satisfaction and immersion. Whether it's accelerating data-intensive processes in finance, bolstering security systems in government, or optimising content delivery in media, Samsung SSDs available at M2M Direct provide reliable, high-speed storage solutions tailored to diverse use cases, driving efficiency and innovation across industries. 990 Pro SSD Superb SSD for gaming enthusiasts - Reach max performance of PCIe® 4.0. Experience longer- lasting, opponent-blasting speed. The in-house controller's smart heat control delivers supreme power efficiency while maintaining ferocious speed and performance, so you can stay at the top of your game. Unlock the full power of 990 PRO: Samsung Magician software's user-friendly suite of optimisation tools always gets you the best SSD performance. Protect data, get firmware updates and monitor the drive’s health - Your personal SSD toolkit.

990 EVO, PCIe 4.0/5.0, NVMe M.2 SSD

990 PRO PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD

990 PRO with Heatsink PCIe 4.0 M.2

980 PRO NVMe™ M.2 SSD 2TB

980 PRO with Heatsink PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD 2TB

980 NVMe™ M.2 SSD 1TB

970 EVO Plus NVMe™ M.2 SSD 2TB

In Stock

Elevate performance Samsung

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Samsung's internal SSDs are the perfect fit for your PC workstation solution due to their exceptional speed, reliability, and capacity. Designed with cutting-edge V-NAND technology and advanced controllers , Samsung SSDs deliver blazing-fast read and write speeds, significantly reducing load times and accelerating data- intensive tasks. Their robust durability ensures long-term performance stability, making them ideal for demanding applications. Additionally, with a range of storage capacities available, Samsung SSDs offer the flexibility to expand as your data needs grow, ensuring your workstation remains future-proof and efficient.

M2M Direct specialises in building powerful workstations tailored to handle data- and graphic-heavy workloads such as video editing, animation, architecture, software developing, gaming and engineering. Leveraging Samsung's high-performance SSDs, these workstations are also equipped with powerful processors, ample RAM, and cutting- edge GPUs, ensuring seamless multitasking and superior rendering speeds. With M2M Direct's expertise, you can customise your workstation to meet your specific requirements, resulting in a reliable and efficient solution that maximises productivity and enhances your creative and technical workflows. SSDs are streamlined devices that slide easily into your computer, completely bypassing the system’s typically limited number of SATA ports.

Speak to one of the M2M Direct team for more info on the Samsung SSD Portfolio.

The Samsung Workstation Solution Available at M2M Direct

870 EVO

WORKSTATIONS

1U SERVER

990 PRO

2U SERVER

DRAM

JBOD

GPU

In Stock

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PRODUCT LAUNCH

Acer launches first Copilot+ PC With artificial intelligence becoming a much more established technology, Acer has launched its Swift 14 AI laptop, its first with Copilot+ and with greater processing power.

cater to a broad spectrum of customers while also balancing style and performance with affordability, making technology accessible to a wider audience while also focusing on sustainability. With Acer’s launch of its Copilot+ PC, the Swift 14 AI laptop, we will bring new AI experiences to life for customers, taking advantage of on-device and cloud AI to empower individuals and organisations to achieve more.” Snapdragon X Series platforms The Snapdragon® X Series processors are built for AI and are designed to be among the most powerful, intelligent and power efficient processors created for Windows in its class. The Swift 14 AI, powered by Snapdragon X Elite, features 12 high-performance CPU cores on a 4nm process node, integrated Qualcomm Adreno™ GPU of 3.8 TFLOPS, and Qualcomm Hexagon™ NPU capable of 45 TOPS. It is also equipped with up to 32GB LPDDR5X-8533 memory and up to 1TB NVMe PCIe Gen 4 SSD to enhance system performance and navigate demanding multi-tasking workloads across productivity, creativity and immersive entertainment scenarios without sacrificing power. Paired with the hundreds of premium apps that are optimised for Arm-compatible architecture, Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus processors enable user experiences that run smoothly and efficiently. New AI era The Swift 14 AI has been optimised with powerful AI, unlocking new productivity, creativity and communication experiences. With Recall, users can easily find anything they have seen on their PC by simply describing the clues they remember. With an explorable timeline, users can easily scroll across time to get back to apps, documents

Acer has launched its first Copilot+ PC with the Swift 14 AI laptop, in collaboration with Microsoft and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., which sees the company ushering in a new AI era with new user experiences and AI capabilities on Windows 11. The Swift 14 AI has multiple device models, powered by Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus platforms, and both feature one of the world’s fastest NPUs for laptops to enable on-device AI processing. Users can streamline everyday tasks with smarter PC functions and tackle complex workloads more effectively. “Engineered for AI from the inside out, the Swift 14 AI is the first among many Acer Copilot+ PCs to come,” said Jerry Kao, COO, Acer Inc. “These next-generation AI PCs see significant leaps in AI processing power, unlocking brand new experiences that we know users will love.” Mark Linton, VP device partner sales, Microsoft Corp, added: “It’s exciting to collaborate with Acer to bring AI technology to its Windows PC range of devices from sleek ultrabooks to powerful gaming rigs. “Our collaboration has been crucial in delivering productive and secure PCs that

Mark Linton VP device partner sales

microsoft.com/en-gb/

PRODUCT LAUNCH

or messages they previously used. Live Captions with live translations provide automatic speech

captions and conducts translations in real-time of any live or pre-

recorded video from 44 languages into English. In addition, visual or written prompts can now be

used to co-create AI images and texts on the device with Cocreator. Auto Super Resolution automatically upscales graphics resolution and frame refresh rates of games in real-time to deliver the visuals players crave without taking a hit on performance. For those who always want to look and sound their best while better engaging their audience in video calls, Windows Studio Effects helps to automatically improve lighting conditions and cancel out unwanted noise. It can also be used to activate three artistic filters on any video platform via Quick settings, allowing users to express themselves in new and creative ways during video calls. And Copilot is accessible via a single click of the dedicated Copilot key. Premium design and features The Swift 14 AI sports a refined Copilot+ PC- exclusive design, highlighted by a unique AI icon stamped on the cover of the thin-and- light chassis and an Activity Indicator on the touchpad that illuminates when the device or Copilot is activated. The laptop features a 14.5-inch WQXGA (2560x1600) IPS display with a 120Hz refresh rate and support for 100% sRGB colour gamut. It is available with edge-to-edge touchscreen options and comes with TÜV Rheinland Eyesafe® Certification 2.0 to help minimise the effects of harmful blue light without sacrificing colour accuracy. A 180-degree hinge design provides the flexibility of a different user mode and enables easy opening of the aluminium cover with one hand. A 1440p QHD IR webcam with a triple microphone array and privacy shutter supports Acer’s suite of AI-boosted

Swift 14 AI Laptop

conferencing tools in Acer PurifiedView™ 2.0 and Acer

PurifiedVoice™ 2.0 to ensure users always look and sound their best. These can be swiftly calibrated thanks to Acer QuickPanel, which intuitively appears when the device’s webcam or microphone has been switched on. A dedicated key directs users to the Red Dot Design Award-winning AcerSense™ app for device management and a library of AI features available on the device through the Experience Zone. This Copilot+ PC comes with Windows Hello that supports biometric and facial recognition login for quick and secure access. Sustainability remains a vital pillar for Acer, with the Swift 14 AI utilising PCR plastic in the device, shipping with 100% recyclable packaging, and receiving the EPEAT Gold certification for its compliance with the highest EPEAT criteria. The device also boasts Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth™ 5.4 connectivity to deliver speeds of up to 5.8Gbps and low network latency of under 2 ms, plus a host of generous port selections including two USB Type-C and two USB 3.2 Type-A ports for added flexibility. Pricing and availability The Swift 14 AI (SF14-11) will be available in in EMEA this month, with prices starting at starting at EUR1,499. Exact specifications, prices, and availability will vary by region. To learn more about availability, product specifications and prices in specific markets, please contact your nearest Acer office.

“

Sustainability

remains a vital pillar for Acer, with the Swift 14 AI utilising PCR plastic in the device, shipping with

100% recyclable packaging, and receiving the EPEAT Gold certification for its compliance with the highest EPEAT criteria.

”

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AD INTEGRAL

If extra time comes without warning, are you ready? Gareth Southgate’s squad will need energy in backup if they are to succeed, which is an area that Eaton and Northamber know very, very well! So make sure you’re not only kitted out and ready to support the Three Lions to victory this summer, but also if the unexpected requirement for backup energy comes up, like extra time and the dreaded penalty shoot-out, you’re confident and ready. Ready for Extra Time at the Euros?

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