Future Business Issue 18

THE SMART SIDE OF SURVEILLANCE

SIZE DOESN’T MATTER

MENTAL HEALTH

It’s about tracking, trends and transitions, using AI to make smart, informed decisions

We explore a range of unique micro-form factor PCs and their applications

Looking into this crucial aspect of employee wellbeing

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HOW TO GENERATE LEADS Our how-to guide on using our new marketing portal to leverage new business Page 30

BUSINESS ISSUE 18

AV - POWERING COLLABORATION IN THE WORKPLACE In this issue, we turn our attention to how technology can end the frustration that many companies and their employees find when it comes to meetings

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Trade-In TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR CORPORATE TRADE-IN PROGRAMME

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Mental Wellbeing

AI

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THE SMART SIDE OF SURVEILLANCE

CONTENTS Page 05: Exertis Comment Phil Brown introduces the Winter edition of Future Business

Page 24: Hot Picks A range of best-selling products designed to make you more margin

Page 42: AV Event Editorial Highlights of our Exertis Plug In To Exertis event

Page 06: News in Brief A quick look at what’s happening in the technology market

Page 26: Hypertec adds Just Lamps Providing the entire range of original OEM and equivalent Diamond Lamps products

Page 56: Breaking the Ice What’s new with Intel’s 10th Generation processors?

Page 11: Market Stats Update We look at the current technology trends you should be aware of

Page 30: How to Generate Leads for your Customers How to take advantage of a great marketing opportunity from Exertis

Page 13: Size Doesn’t Matter A look at the Small Form Factor market

Page 17: Windows Server 2008 EOL The deadline is fast approaching

Page 35: Keeping Pace With PAAS A managed print service solution

Page 38: The Power Of Influence Selecting the right influencer and an intro to Exertis Plug In TV

Page 20: SD-WAN A market opportunity for resellers

Page 59: GDPR Complacency Threatens SMES Cybercriminals don’t discriminate by size or sector

Page 22: Multi-Layered Security is a Must Endpoint and Cloud App Security

Page 62: B2B Must Have Accessories Our top 10 recommended accessory products for business

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Wider experience, compact design Enjoy high quality viewing on a stunning 21:9 CinemaWide™ display.

Capture any scene in perfect focus with a triple lens camera and immerse yourself in the latest audio technologies. The Xperia 5 brings you the latest experiences from Sony in a stylish design made to fit your hand.

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WELCOME FROM EXERTIS Welcome to our first issue of 2020.

In November, we were delighted to have won the CRN distributor of the year award. It’s great recognition for the team at Exertis who are dedicated to making the extraordinary happen for our resellers, retailers and vendors. A big thank you to all our customers for your support in 2019.

Following the success of our Plug In To Exertis events, we ran a category event dedicated to AV in November. This proved to be an outstanding addition, focused on the collaboration in the workplace where we have some excellent solutions with our expertise in Pro AV, UC, mobile and networking. Indeed, collaboration is one of the themes we have covered in this issue on pages 44-48. This really is a growing market and one which is open to both AV and IT resellers. We can provide some great expertise and support for you to take advantage of the opportunity.

It’s been over eighteen months since GDPR came into force but it’s important that companies don’t get complacent about the need for protecting data and security in general. Cybercriminals don’t discriminate by size of company or sector, they constantly look for the weakest link and it’s not a one-time solution. It requires constant vigilance as highlighted on pages 58 & 59. We also emphasise the need for a multi-layered approach to security and the need for endpoint and cloud app security on page 22. The increased use of CCTV has its critics but combined with Artificial Intelligence, it can help organisations make smart and informed decisions quickly that can have a beneficial effect in many areas as discussed on page 50. Of course, that video data has to be stored and analysed but that creates opportunities. Our security and storage teams at Exertis Hammer can provide all the help you need to both protect your customers and take advantage of the new technologies. Talking about new technologies, SD-WAN continues to be one of the fastest-growing segments of the network infrastructure market and Exertis has a great solution on page 20.

Last issue, we featured the various

applications for Intel NUCs and that theme is continued in our Small Form Factor market article. There are some great innovative products to choose from and Exertis has a wide choice as you can find out on pages 13 & 15. Of course, these products benefit from new levels of processing power that can be packed into ever smaller components. We take a look at what’s new with Intel’s 10th generation processors on page 57.

Sustainability is an increasingly important area for companies. Our corporate trade-in programme for mobile devices supports the circular economy and provides resellers with an easy and cost-effective way to keep their customers up-to-date with the latest technology whilst making the most of their assets. Find out more on page 29. These schemes also keep you close to your customer and we look at another opportunity to do this, discussing the merits of a managed print service on page 35.

Timely, as we can now offer you the benefits of Epson Print365 through Exertis.

We like to look for opportunities to help you gain more business and our low cost, highly efficient e-mailing tool could well be the answer on page 30. We’ve also launched our Plug in TV initiative on page 38 & 39 where we also discuss the merits of using influencers in social media. In addition, our Hypertec team has developed an easy to use configurator for the Just Lamps portfolio on page 26 & 27.

Enjoy the read and thank you for your support in 2019. Here’s to a profitable new year

PHIL BROWN SALES AND COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR, BUSINESS

Publisher Exertis Editors Phoebe Harper Zarra Cushing Design Shannon Dow Basingstoke Sales: 01256 707 070 Address Ashwood Chineham Business Park Chineham Basingstoke Hampshire RG24 8EH To place an order please call 01256 707 070 between 9am-5.30pm Monday to Friday To buy online visit store.exertis.co.uk

Burnley Reception: 01282 776776 Address Technology House Magnesium Way Hapton Burnley BB12 7BF To place an order please call 01282 776776 between 9am-5.30pm Monday to Friday

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NEWS IN BRIEF

A summary of the latest news in business 1. ISO RECERTIFICATION Exertis has secured recertification of its ISO 9001 accreditation.

Richard Hinds, Exertis UK&I, chief operating officer said, “As a recognised standard worldwide, ISO 9001 gives our customers and partners confidence that we work to standards and procedures that will provide them with a high degree of quality and service. We attach great importance to quality and having that checked regularly by an independent organisation is evidence that customers are at the core of our business. In addition, an ISO 9001 certification is often a prerequisite and minimum requirement for some of our vendors when they are considering suppliers or tendering for business opportunities.”

of our employees for their efforts for such worthy causes. As a business, we place great importance in giving back to the communities, promoting the culture that we want at Exertis with a genuine desire to make a difference.”

The following donations have been made: Basingstoke: £2,487.30 for Naomi House & Jacksplace Burnley: £1,320 for Derian House Children’s Hospice and £1,700 for the Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF) Elland: £3,477.76 for Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice Harlow: £3,672.80 for Accuro. The total money raised for Naomi House & Jacksplace has now reached £141,587.22 since Exertis started to support the charity back in 2010.

2. L OCAL CHARITIES BENEFIT TO THE TUNE OF £12,600 Exertis employees have raised over £12,600 for a variety of local charities. The money has been raised through events organised by members of the Exertis UPGRADE trainee management programme and held by teams in Basingstoke, Harlow, Burnley and Elland.

Paul Bryan, Exertis UK & I, managing director, said, “This is a fantastic achievement by our employees who have organised events in their own time with local charities of their choice. From family fun days and casino nights to cake sales, raffles and auctions, I am immensely proud

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3. MOBILE TV According to a report in Mobile News, citing a survey from YouGov Profiles by Dixons Carphoneowned online smartphone retailer e2save, more than one in four people watch TV on their smartphone up to five hours per week – an increase of 16 per cent from 2017; one in five from their laptop – an increase of 18 per cent from 2018.

4. NEW VENDORS ON-BOARDED AT EXERTIS In enterprise, Exertis has added VMware SD-WAN™ by VeloCloud® providing resellers with a marketleading solution in a growing market. Jason Beeson, Exertis, enterprise sales director, said “SDWAN is rightly a hot topic in the industry and we are delighted to be able to offer a product from VMWare, a leader in virtualisation, networking and cloud computing.

SDWAN offers a transformational approach to simplifying branch office networking and ensuring optimal application performance.”

In addition, the ForgeServe IP device provisioning and management suite from Swoop Datacom which simplifies and reduces the cost of IP device deployment with a cloud based solution, is also now available.

In mobile, Exertis has strengthened its position as the home of Android.

The mobile division can now offer customers Motorola’s range of consumer and Android enterprise recommended smartphones. These include the highly successful and best-selling moto g range the innovative Motorola one family and the entry level moto e range.

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Exertis’ specialist supplies division is now an authorised HP Tier 1 supplies distributor. Resellers will have access to the entire range, special bids and promotions.

Andrew Beaumont, Exertis Supplies, managing director said, “We are delighted to be recognised as an HP Tier 1 supplies distributor. It goes without saying that HP is a key vendor in the inkjet and laser print market. We are a strong advocate of genuine supplies designed specifically for the machine as they ensure perfect print quality and reliability. It’s also great news for our customers who can now benefit from purchasing all their HP supplies along with other office products from one source.”

5. P C MARKET GREW IN Q3 BUT

BY HOW MUCH? Whilst the three leading market analysts (IDC, Gartner and Canalys) agree that the PC market grew in Q3, they differ by how much – ranging from 1.1 per cent to 4.7 per cent. The Windows 10 refresh cycle and the end of support for Windows 7 was a contributory factor to the growth acknowledged by all three. However, IDC and Gartner disagreed that the trade tensions between the US and China had any influence on the numbers but they did agree that Lenovo, HP, and Dell represented the top three PC makers worldwide. All experienced strong growth, extending their lead over smaller vendors.

6. HYPERTEC ADDITIONS Hypertec has announced a supplier agreement with Black Box, one of the world’s leading providers of voice, data infrastructure and network products.

The accreditation also helps customers and other businesses identify those employers who are committed to equality in the workplace.

Lianne Denness, Hypertec, managing director, said, “The Black Box portfolio fully supports and complements our current product ranges by providing the infrastructure products that can wrap around them. This is an exciting opportunity for our resellers and system integrators providing them with access to the full range of products and services from Black Box which can be deployed in a multitude of vertical markets.”

Hypertec is now also providing the entire range of original OEM and equivalent Diamond Lamps products from Just Lamps, the world’s largest projector lamp distributor and has developed a channel friendly on-line configurator. (see page 26-27) It’s also launched a new product, Lite by Hypertec - a slim laptop stand with document holder. It’s light and portable and ideal for use with external keyboards and mice.

The Lite by Hypertec laptop stand helps create a portable office space.

7. INCLUSIVITY AND SUPPORT Exertis has gained level 2 Disability Confident Employer status, an initiative from the Dept of Works & Pensions. Disability Confident (DC) is creating a movement of change, encouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people.

“We are delighted to have secured Disability Confident Employer status.

Exertis wants to be recognised as a business that strives to be inclusive of everyone, wants to tap into skills and experience wherever they are found and supports everyone to give their best, ultimately benefiting our business.

This accreditation will help us recruit and retain great people, drawing from the widest possible pool of talent and securing highquality staff who are skilled, loyal and hard working,” said Samantha King, Exertis, recruitment manager.

Exertis also announced recently that it has trained 25 of its employees as Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) , with coverage in all of its locations, to ensure that any colleagues with mental health issues have all the relevant support networks in place.

8. TWO ADDITIONS FOR KONDOR CUSTOMERS Kondor has announced a supplier agreement for the iRing®, an attachable accessory for smartphones. The iRing® enables users to hold, hook or dock their smart device. It comes in a variety of colours and finishes. In addition, it can now offer Urban Armor Gear (UAG) ruggedised cases and wearables for a wide range of smartphones, tablets and laptops.

UAG cases offer full access to all ports and buttons, with minimal bulk, and are available in a wide variety of colours for the most popular Apple, Samsung, Microsoft and LG mobile devices.

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9. N XT TO GO Exertis Hammer has launched an innovative range of server solutions targeted at the general VAR market, named NXT To Go. Working in collaboration with Intel, it comprises a complete range of off-the-shelf server systems featuring Intel Cascade Lake Xeon and Intel Optane DC persistent memory with the added benefit of multiple configuration and branding options.

launched, there is a permanent communication station on the moon, high-speed satellites offer a competitive alternative to 5G networks and 50 of the most congested cities in Europe, Asia and the Americas deploy smart traffic systems.

primary storage space, at a fraction of the cost of deploying new, larger NAS systems. Unlike other data management solutions, InfiniteIO saves on capex and boosts application performance without changing any existing IT operations or infrastructure: there is zero disruption to ongoing processes and workflows, while ensuring end-users can access their data like always—even if it hasn’t been touched in years.

The NXT to Go range is made up of 5 common key server solutions types (1u, 2u & Pedestal) all of which cover a wide range of use cases, are all highly configurable, have 3 year NBD-onsite warranty as standard, options to ship with MS Server 2016/19 and are available fully configured in a 3 to 5 day lead time.

11. CLOUD ECONOMICS AND ALL-FLASH PERFORMANCE WITHOUT CHANGING IT

10. CCS INSIGHTS TO THE FUTURE Amongst a flurry of predictions from analysts CCS Insights, here’s a few to start a conversation.

By 2025, one in 50 affluent households has a domestic robot for chores, security and companionship.

By 2029, environmental pressure sees virtual reality displace 20% of business travel. By 2030, the first commercial 6G networks will have

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Exertis Hammer is offering hybrid cloud storage solutions from InfiniteIO, which delivers a unique approach to file metadata management that simultaneously reduces storage cost and improves performance for on-premises and cloud storage. Up to 90 percent of all file storage operations are requests for file metadata, such as directory lookups and access privileges. InfiniteIO is installed like a network switch to offload metadata processing from the NAS to make existing systems outperform even the fastest all-flash NAS systems.

InfiniteIO also automatically discovers cold data on the primary NAS and automatically places it on a much more cost-efficient object storage or NAS system to reclaim

12. APPOINTMENTS Caroline Hope has been promoted to commercial director for consumer products reporting to Mike Buley, Exertis consumer, managing director.

In this role, she will have overall responsibility for the consumer, Smart Tech and commodity networking business units. Kati Eagle has also been promoted to UK purchasing director reporting to Richard Hinds, Exertis UK&I, chief operating officer. Kati steps up to the role, following Mark Kahr’s move to an Exertis Group position as global procurement director, previously announced in June.

Exertis also announced the appointment of two general manager roles in the UK. Sarah Potter moves internally from business, sales general manager to become general manager for the computing and TFT division and Zoe Doel returns to Exertis to

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take on the business, sales general manager position. Both report to Phil Brown, Exertis business sales and commercial director. Two newly created global roles have also been announced. Phillip Turner has joined as head of voice of the customer (VoC), reporting to Neal Johnston, Exertis, global operations, managing director. Turner will be responsible for developing the voice of the customer vision and strategy, as well as taking ownership of the entire customer feedback model including data analysis and insights.

“As Exertis expands on a global basis, it’s now more critical than ever that we listen to our customers and use their feedback to influence our go-to-market strategy. In an extremely competitive market, customers demand a personalised experience and really knowing and understanding our customers is critical. Voice of the customer is all about delivering a culture of putting our customers at the heart of everything we do and ensuring that by analysing data and feedback, Exertis can take appropriate actions in order to improve customer experience and deliver positive business outcomes,” said Johnston.

Also reporting to Johnston, Angelo Apa has taken on the role of global head of enterprise vendor management. He will be responsible for expanding new and existing

enterprise vendors into Exertis territories on a worldwide basis and developing go-to-market strategies that enable resellers to take advantage of opportunities to win more business. Apa has been in the IT industry for over 25 years, most recently as technical sales and business development director at Lenovo Data Centre Group. Prior to that he spent over 20 years at IBM in a variety of channel development and senior sales roles in the UK and EMEA. “I am looking forward to the challenge of growing the Exertis enterprise business with our vendors across an expanding geographical footprint. Partners are increasingly looking for distributors that can simplify their supply chain yet increase their customer breadth.

Exertis is clearly well-positioned to do both and add real value to resellers in the enterprise space with their enhanced portfolio and range of services,” said Apa.

13. DCC TECHNOLOGY REMAINS ACQUISITIVE Already, DCC has a total cash spend of £118 million on acquisitions in the first half of its financial year.

DCC Technology, which trades as Exertis, announced two further strategic acquisitions that add expertise and specialism to the business as well as broadening its European coverage.

Firstly, in Ireland, it has acquired Bconnected, a provider of Enterprise Mobile Management (EMM) and Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions.

This acquisition will enable Exertis to offer and develop a range of end-point management support services for resellers and vendors as well as a greater opportunity to expand these services into other geographies.

Secondly, in the Netherlands, it has acquired Keren, a specialist, value-add, Pro AV distributor which demonstrates its commitment to becoming the leading Pro AV distributor, globally, both through key acquisitions and organic growth.

Exertis is building its expertise and a compelling proposition that resonates with vendors and customers to take advantage of a growing collaboration marketplace which requires a distributor that can provide a complete solution across AV, UC and networking.

14. GROWTH SPURT FOR SMARTPHONE MARKET IN Q3 According to analysts, Canalys, the global smartphone market has grown for the first time in two years in Q3 2019. The increase marks an end to two years of decline.

Smartphone shipments reached 352 million units compared with 349 million the previous corresponding quarter. Samsung topped the rankings, shipping 78.9 million devices, a 2 per cent increase compared to Q3 2018, followed

by Huawei, shipping 66.8 million units, just over 4 per cent increase compared to previous year’s quarter, and then Apple, shipping 43.5 million, a fall of just over one per cent.

Canalys research director Rushabh Doshi said: “5G is the next battleground for Samsung. It is one of the very few smartphone vendors to design its own chipsets and modems. It is not, therefore, restricted to the innovation cycle of a third party component supplier like Qualcomm. If Samsung moves faster than Qualcomm, it can win the race to mid-range smartphones with 5G.”

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True Interactivity for Bringing People Together With differentiated cutting-edge touch technology, the TR3BF Series supports multi-touch & writing functions providing accurate drawing and authentic touch quality. In addition, the Air Class and web browsers support multi-directional communication and interactive learning, which will help you achieve the successful business.

Contact your exertis account manager for more information

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BUSINESS TRENDS DRIVING DEMAND according to a recent study from spiceworks, 79% of businesses still run windows 7

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SIZE DOESN’T MATTER The first computers were as big as a room but thanks to the advances in technology, there is an abundance of powerful small sized devices on the market. Even early versions of desktop computers were somewhat cumbersome, taking up a large portion of space either above or below the working area. With technology improving, processors and microchips have reduced in size and innovations such as solid-state drives have enabled systems to become much smaller. Hence, we now have what manufacturers have termed Small Form Factor (SFF) PCs. SFFs are available in a variety of sizes and shapes such as cubes and book-sized PCs. For comparison purposes, the size of an SFF case is usually measured in litres – the unit of measurement often used to measure case volume. Whilst, there isn’t a set definition, a standard ATX desktop tower is said to measure between 40-45 litres, and to qualify as an SFF the device has to be around half of that. However, as the name suggests SFFs are probably best described simply as computers designed to take up less space.

them ideal for conference rooms with their ability to offer a discreet way to power a projector or video conferencing. Equally, they provide a great opportunity in digital signage and kiosks. With Wi-Fi, they can be deployed in places without a physical network connection and all of Intel’s NUC enclosures have mounting holes that can be screwed to a special VESA compatible bracket.

Most displays are VESA compatible, enabling the NUC to be hidden completely out of sight by attaching it to the back of the screen, so ideal for public places.

Size is a clear advantage for choosing an SFF PC but there are others. Because

of each other – unlike traditional all-in-one systems, where the CPU is integrated with the display. When an update is required, there is no need to replace the entire system.

For those customers that want to build their own PC, there are many more options now available for an SFF device. Many systems under 25 litres can now use the same components that might be found in a PC twice the size. Kits and components are available from a variety of companies that can, for instance, enable gamers to build a high-performance gaming system. However, with less space to work in, selection of components, and use of cooling and cable

SHAPES AND SIZES However, SFFs can look quite different.

Slim PCs were the earliest type of SFF but mini PCs about the size of a book have also been introduced by manufacturers. These lack the display, keyboard, mouse and have an external power supply to reduce their size, and are constructed based on laptop components. There are also cube systems such as the Intel NUC featured in the last edition of Future Business. These have gained in popularity, particularly for gaming enthusiasts that need the same performance of a desktop system but a smaller footprint.

With network gaming, and so-called LAN parties (where gamers bring their PCs and network them together), driving demand for a small form factor, the cube provides the opportunity for gamers to install graphics cards with the latest technology that can cope with current gaming titles. Their small size and connectivity options also make

SFFs are available in a variety of sizes and shapes such as cubes and book-sized PCs. of their reduced size and number of components, they tend to offer lower power consumption. Their lighter weight adds to their portability and they can easily be mounted under desks, behind displays or in server racks at data centres.

However, their size doesn’t compromise on performance and with the introduction of USB 3.1, having fewer expansion slots is less of an issue.

In addition, there are a number of monitors that can easily house some of these SFF PCs. Because they are separate modules, the PC and monitor can be changed independently

management can be more complex.

What the user wants from a PC will dictate whether an SFF is the right choice. Cost, size, performance and use will all come into the equation. Certainly, there is no shortage of innovative options available from Exertis.

LENOVO M TINY SERIES Compact yet fully featured with impressive processing power and energy efficiency, the M series Tiny desktops deliver big business performance. The Tiny can slide into the back of a ThinkCentre Tiny-in-one display to become an all-in-one PC, providing a versatile and upgradeable solution.

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The desktop you didn’t expect NEW OPTIPLEX 7070 ULTRA The new OptiPlex 7070 Ultra is the world’s most flexible, fully modular zero footprint desktop solution1. It features swappable elements for ultimate configurability and performance, while the PC completely hides inside a monitor stand, offering you a sleek and beautiful desktop experience.

Speak to your Exertis Account Manager today.

Based on Dell internal analysis of competitive products, June 2019. Ultra 7070 supports Dell and 3rd Party VESA Displays up to 27”, sold separately. Zero footprint solution requires OptiPlex 7070 Ultra 1

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DELL OPTIPLEX 7070 ULTRA

THINKCENTRE M90N NANO

A mini PC that’s designed to be compatible with a variety of monitors up to 27 inches, transforming the device into an all-in-onedesktop. The slim build is slender enough to be slid into a monitor stand, making it ideal for the smallest of workspaces. It features 8th generation Intel i3 to i7 chips, up to 64GB, ITB SSD and a good number of ports.

Less is more with the ThinkCentre M90n Nano. Powered by up to 8th generation Intel Core vPro processing and DDR4 memory, it’s smaller than most paperbacks.

Yet, it gives powerful desktop performance and extra workspace to get more things done, fast. Durable and secure, it can be deployed almost anywhere with a single cable. It also boasts a modular design and supports USB-C docking, offering even more flexibility. The modular design of the ThinkCentre M90n Nano enables users to custom-build the perfect all-in-one PC. As business needs change, the display or CPU can be changed without having to replace the whole system, which can be more costly.

By combining the power of Windows 10 and Intel Core CPUs with a display, microphone, touchpad, camera and speakers, users can experience an Assisted Reality solution designed to help them get the job done, whether they’re working onsite or remotely. Thanks to its battery and WiFi/Bluetooth connectivity, and tested to MIL 810-G standards, the dynaEdge is mobile and rugged enough to perform in the toughest situations.

FUJITSU ESPRIMO Q558, Featuring full desktop PC functionality in a stylish and compact mini PC with up to 9th Gen Intel Core processors, it provides the performance to meet most daily office needs. The Zero Noise PC function ensures silent operation and with its integrated, energy-efficient power supply, this mini PC helps reduce energy bills. Its compact size and wide range of interfaces make the FUJITSU ESPRIMO Q558 an ideal choice for offices where space saving is critical for the business.

AR100 smart glass wearable, giving users a complete head mounted display and camera. Not only can the glasses deliver the mission critical information users need, exactly when they need it, but they can also record and stream their situation to a remote expert or app so they get help, advice and interaction in real time.

THINKCENTRE M90N NANO IOT From tapping into the Internet of Things (IoT) to extending legacy systems, the ThinkCentre M90n Nano IoT delivers real flexibility and reliability. With 4G and I/0 Box capabilities, it gives diverse connectivity and multi-user options. Compact and fanless, it can be housed almost anywhere. Able to handle big data with ease, this reliable system integrator also features first-rate security and durability. By seamlessly interacting with smart devices and sensors, both near and far, the ThinkCentre M90n Nano IoT lets a business leverage the real benefits of IoT. With 8th Gen Intel processors, the ThinkCentre M90n Nano IoT performs as quickly and reliably as a regular PC and with the USB-C port, it has expansion options, too.

DYNAEDGE DE-100 A Windows based Edge computing device, the dynaEdge DE-100, with up to Intel Core m7 Processors, connects to the

INTEL NUCS The latest NUC models usually have one or more M.2 slots, can accommodate a 2.5” SATA storage drive, use 260-pin SODIMM memory modules and support DDR4 memory. Considering their size, they also come with a great range of connectivity and ports with, commonly, at the front 1 or 2 USB ports, a charging port, a 3.5” audio jack, a power button, a microSD card slot and a Kensington-style security lock. At the rear, there are two more USB ports, an Ethernet and HDMI port and a USB port that supports Thunderbolt 3 enabling the possibility to daisy-chain multiple devices.

They also offer wireless and Bluetooth connectivity.

Exertis can provide the full range of NUC systems and kits as well as the components that can be used for customisable solutions.

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EXCLUSIVE TO EXERTIS Bring the power of Philips Android displays to life with our free Novisign offer We now offer all Philips Android-powered professional displays with a free NoviSign content management software licence*.

Versatile, trusted and secure, the Android-powered technology integrated into Philips displays brings you blazing performance and unmatched flexibility.

Now you can boost the power of Android with NoviSign’s Digital Signage Software – a modern, easy to use cloud-based software solution for creating and managing digital signage. Using Novisign’s easy-to-use, media-rich drag-and-drop widget-based web Studio, your customers can quickly create dynamic content for their office reception, university campus, restaurant, employee communications, hospital, factory floor, and more.

Contact your exertis account manager for more information. * Free Novisign licence for one year only While stocks last. Offer ends 31 March 2020.

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WINDOWS SERVER 2008 EOL The deadline is fast approaching Extended support for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 ends January 14, 2020. For businesses, this means Microsoft will no longer release security updates, which may expose organisations to security attacks or expose them to noncompliance with industry regulations such as GDPR. For resellers, this is an opportunity to help customers modernise their application stack and avoid any business disruptions.

For any variant of Windows 2008, there will be no additional: • Free security updates on-premises • Non-security updates • Free support options • Online technical content update When Microsoft stops supporting an OS, often vendors follow suit. It won’t just be the OS that’s unsupported, it’s likely that any applications and drivers being used with the operating system won’t be supported either.

UPGRADE OR MICROSOFT AZURE However, there are two possible options for businesses. Either they migrate to Microsoft Azure and take advantage of the cloud to modernise their applications or upgrade to the latest version of Windows Server – Windows Server 2019. Running the latest version of Windows Server allows enterprises to use the latest features,

including the latest security features, as well as delivering improved performance.

Microsoft recommends that organisations take the opportunity to take a systematic look at their environment to determine what they have, where it is, what it does, and whether it’s a good candidate for moving to the cloud or upgrading onpremises. In this assessment stage, it is suggested that businesses determine the best path by using Microsoft and partner tools to inventory apps and workloads, then categorise each one by type, criticality, complexity, and risk to prioritise and plan based on issues and opportunities. The output of the Assess phase is typically a list of the items discovered, ranked according to business impact and value, with a recommended plan for migration and a timeframe for each item.

For cloud migration, businesses can use proven tools such as Azure Site Recovery to seamlessly rehost virtual machines and Azure Database Migration Service to move databases to Azure. Depending on the approach, an organisation might also refactor apps with container services, rebuild, or rearchitect. On the other hand, if a business plans to upgrade on-premises, it can benefit from the latest version of Windows Server, which helps them to get cloud- and DevOps-ready while supporting current workloads. Ongoing hybrid coexistence can give organisations

a powerful strategy to help achieve the right mix of upgraded on-premises applications, rehosted workloads in the cloud, and, eventually, rebuilt applications native to the cloud. Windows Server 2019 helps companies to bridge on-premises environments with Azure services, adding additional layers of security while helping them to modernise their applications and infrastructure.

Each release of Windows Server offers improved security, stability, and functionality. Businesses using Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 will need to plan to use the server role migration method or upgrade from Windows Server 2008 to Windows Server 2012 R2 and then upgrade again to Windows Server 2016, and then Windows Server 2019, as direct updates are not supported. Ensuring that organisations move from legacy Windows Server operating systems presents a great opportunity for resellers to help their customers decide on the best option for their business. Our Exertis enterprise team can assist you in not only determining the best path but also in supporting you with the purchase of new products that may result from the transition. According to Spiceworks, one third of organisations buy new servers because of the end of life of a server operating system and despite its age some reports estimate that as much as 70 per cent of all enterprise apps are still running on Windows Server 2008 R2 or earlier₁. With security and compliance so important for today’s organisations, there’s every opportunity for new business.

ASK YOUR ACCOUNT MANAGER FOR DETAILS ON HOW EXERTIS CAN HELP. ₁ https://www.docker.com/resources/webinar/migrate-windowsserver-2008 https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/cloud-platform/windows-server https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/4456235/end-ofsupport-for-windows-server-2008-and-windows-server-2008-r2

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THE POISON IS THE CURE Animal researcher Dr. Zoltan Takacs travels the world studying venom to produce new medicines.

“As a young kid, I wasn’t thinking about being a medical researcher,” began Dr. Zoltan Takacs, reflecting on the early days of his childhood in Budapest, Hungary.

Like many other spirited youngsters, he was diving head-first into nature without too much thought: taking home toads, lizards, and snakes whenever he could get his eager hands on them.

“Despite the inherent dangers, I was completely captivated by venomous snakes and their allies,” he continued.

“This drew my interest further to study pharmacology.”

Flash forward to the present, and Takacs’ childlike sense of adventure and wholehearted embrace of the environment’s wild side has only intensified. After studying pharmaceutical sciences in Hungary, as well as obtaining a PhD in pharmacology from Colombia, Takacs has embedded himself in the jungles and canopies of the Amazon Rainforest.

Specializing in venom research, he’s

Technology helped my dreams come true.

My ThinkPad is my office while I’m in the field.

From the bottom of the ocean to the heart of the Amazon Rainforest, Takacs’ work takes him all across the globe — often to places where technology doesn’t fare well.

Nonetheless, his ThinkPad can withstand the weather. No matter the environment, he has the tools he needs to innovate.

Presently, there are about 20 mainstream medications made from animal venoms, which are taken by 40 million patients around the world. The challenge is that there are still 20 million toxins left in the world that are completely unexplored.

That’s where Takacs comes in.

“I co-invented ‘Designer Toxins’ technology, which is a platform that screens millions of toxin variants for those with the highest promise to treat diseases,” he said. “We are innovating on nature’s already powerful toxins to push them ahead for drug development and

“I’m extremely passionate about my work — others would call it crazy!” laughed Takacs. “For me, it is an intellectual challenge and satisfaction that is particularly rewarding to be engaged in.” become a world-renowned scientist and explorer, discovering innovative cures for life-threatening diseases in uncommon places. For instance, inside tiny spiders, marine snails, or the threatening fangs of a Gaboon viper.

“The very same power that can kill can be used to treat high blood pressure, heart attacks, diabetes, cancer, and HIV pain,” explained Takacs. “Oddly enough, venom can save your life.”

Venom toxins, though often carried in a frightening package, have some of the most potent and selective molecules in the world. Moreover, they are one of the best templates for designing new therapeutic agents.

other biotech solutions.”

To see Takacs in his element is truly an exercise in extreme contrasts. Illuminated by the glow of a small bonfire on the rainforest floor, he types away at his ThinkPad with a flashlight headband strapped on. And even though he’s been bitten by so many venomous creatures he’s actually become allergic to antivenom, there’s no way he plans on slowing down.

In his travels across 147 countries, Takacs has learned to dredge water from plants, outrun forest elephants, and how to find snakes by simply listening to the harmonious chirps of birds. But with 150,000 venomous animal species in the world, he still has many more daring adventures ahead of him.

VISIT US AT: STORE.EXERTIS.CO.UK

SD-WAN

A market opportunity for resellers According to analysts IDC, the global software-defined wide area networking infrastructure market is forecast to grow at almost 31 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2018 to 2023 to reach $5.25 billion in 2023 from $1.4 billion in 2018.

“SD-WAN continues to be one of the fastest-growing segments of the network infrastructure market, driven by a variety of factors. First, traditional enterprise WANs are increasingly not meeting the needs of today’s modern digital businesses, especially as it relates to supporting SaaS apps and multi- and hybrid-cloud usage.

Second, enterprises are interested in easier management of multiple connection types across their WAN to improve application performance and end-user experience,” said Rohit Mehra, IDC, vice president, Network Infrastructure. “Combined with the rapid embrace of SD-WAN by leading communications service providers globally, these trends continue to drive deployments of SD-WAN, providing enterprises with dynamic management of hybrid WAN connections and the ability to guarantee high levels of quality of service on a perapplication basis.”

SD-WAN is a technology solution that enables the connection of branch locations and remote offices with SaaS applications and software running on public clouds such as AWS and Microsoft Azure. Traditional WAN technology lacks most of the features needed for connecting to cloud and SaaS applications, such as simplified management, cost-effective bandwidth utilisation and WAN flexibility, efficiency and security, stated IDC in its forecast report.

Applications are no longer hosted solely in enterprise centres but in on-premise data centres, public or private clouds or subscription-based software as a service solutions such as Office 365 or Dropbox.

SD-WANs are being increasingly deployed by geographically distributed enterprises as they increase business productivity, enhance business agility and responsiveness, improve security and reduce threats, simplify branch WAN architecture and reduce costs.

INTRODUCING VMWARE SD-WAN™ BY VELOCLOUD® VMware SD-WAN by VeloCloud is a solution which can now be offered by Exertis. It provides enterprise customers with a transformative wide area network experience, including exceptional application performance over any transport, drastically simplified network management, and streamlined access to Cloud services and platforms.

Jason Beeson, Exertis, enterprise sales director, said “SD-WAN is rightly a hot topic in the industry and we are delighted to be able to offer a product from VMWare, a leader in virtualisation, networking and cloud computing. SDWAN offers a transformational approach to simplifying branch office networking and ensuring optimal application performance. VMware SD-WAN™ by VeloCloud® can provide a high margin, recurring revenue for our managed service providers offering solutions to customers with multiple sites, with opportunities to add services including design, installation, on-going network management and technical and customer support.”

VMware SD-WAN™ by VeloCloud® addresses some of the major trends facing enterprises including; increased usage of bandwidth hungry apps, such as VOIP, unified comms and video; expansion of branch locations and remote workers; migration to cloud applications and demand for rapid deployment of temporary sites.

Ask your Exertis account manager for details on this important and growing segment of the enterprise market.

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ZyWALL ATP 100/200/500/800 ATP Firewall - Next-Gen Firewall for SMB’s The Zyxel ZyWALL ATP 100/200/500/800 is an Advanced Threat Protection Firewall Series dedicated for small and medium businesses, empowered by cloud intelligence to level up network protection, especially in tackling unknown threats.

Sandboxing

Web Security

Application Security

Malware Blocker

Intrusion Prevention

Geo Enforcer

Managed AP Service

SecuReporter

Fancy an upgrade?

Trade in your old security device and get 20% Trade Up discount on the purchase of new Zyxel equipment.

Act quick - offer ends 31/12/19!

Contact your Exertis account manager for more information.

VISIT US AT: STORE.EXERTIS.CO.UK

MULTI-LAYERED SECURITY IS A MUST. Technology is always changing. Likewise, there is a need for companies to keep up with the latest security threats. Protecting the perimeter of a network, deploying a firewall, adding antivirus on endpoint devices aren’t sufficient in isolation to combat the complex threats organisations face today. Adopting or investing in one security feature isn’t enough, irrespective of the size of business - a multi-layered approach is required which also takes into account the increasing use of cloud-based web applications.

As more and more companies and employees embrace the adoption of remote working, together with an increase in the number of mobile workers and mobile devices, and more cost-effective means of communication through software enabled conferencing systems, security of data and information becomes even more difficult to control and monitor.

ENDPOINT; A SECURITY BATTLEGROUND Endpoint remains one of the most vulnerable parts of an organisation’s IT environment. Indeed, endpoint security has become an increasing threat with the Pokemon Institute₁ reporting that 64 per cent of organisations have experienced at least one endpoint attack that compromised data or their infrastructure in the past year. The number of successful endpoint attacks has jumped 10 per cent over the last year, in large part because organisations are painfully slow at patching and maintaining up-to-date systems throughout the network says their report.

Endpoint security will remain a battle ground for some time. Exertis provides a number of solutions for customers from leading vendors such as Kaspersky, Panda Security, ESET and SonicWall.

CLOUD APP SECURITY At the same time, whilst organisations of all sizes, across all vertical markets, see

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the cloud as a scalable and cost-efficient way for their business to grow, there are still security concerns of moving data to the cloud. With increased usage of Office 365, Dropbox and other software-asa-service applications, employees often use these services without going through the IT network thereby posing more security threats as they potentially transfer corporate data to the cloud. As a result, cloud app security solutions have come to the fore, providing additional protection and visibility across all cloud services that can’t be achieved from more traditional security solutions.

With Cloud App Security (CAS) solutions, IT can identify all the cloud services (both sanctioned and unsanctioned) that are being used by an organisation’s employees.

This includes visibility of east-west traffic (cloud-to-cloud) as users can authenticate to unsanctioned apps using sanctioned IT such as Office 365. With e-mail the most popular SaaS app used, protection is critical. CAS solutions include features such as attachment sandboxing, advanced URL protection and Business Email Compromise (BEC) protection. In addition, they prevent malware propagation through apps such as OneDrive, Box and DropBox with real time anti-virus scanning for known threats and sandboxing for zero-days and unknown threats. Data security is enforced by providing granular access controls and preventing the upload of sensitive or

confidential files as well as monitoring user activity and blocking or limiting access.

In effect, CAS makes existing infrastructure cloud-aware. With employees increasingly using cloud applications for work, CAS enables administrators to detect gaps in security posture, classify cloud applications into sanctioned and unsanctioned IT applications, and enforce access policies to block risky applications.

SonicWall’s Cloud App Security solution is available from Exertis. This easily scalable solution seamlessly integrates with sanctioned SaaS applications using native APIs, providing CASB functionalities visibility, advanced threat protection, data loss prevention (DLP) and compliance.

When deployed with SonicWall nextgen firewall (NGFW), Cloud App security offers shadow IT visibility and control for cloud usage on the network. The solution empowers IT departments to roll out SaaS applications without compromising on security and compliance, and without impacting employee productivity.

Both endpoint and cloud app security provide great opportunities for resellers to talk with customers about their needs and requirements. Exertis has a dedicated team of security professionals that can help you in this area. Ask your account manager for details. https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/468115/whitepapers/state-ofendpoint-security-2018.pdf

THE RDX:

RUGGED, RELIABLE, REMOVABLE, SECURE

Are you worrying about your backup data?

Make sure your backups are safe against local disasters, cyber-attacks, harsh environments, and user error with the RDX.

With on the go capability, it’s ideal for off-site disconnected storage with its Air-Gap protection.

New Year, New data protection. Ensure your data’s protected the right way with the RDX.

Speak to your Exertis account manager today!

VISIT US AT: STORE.EXERTIS.CO.UK

EXERTIS BUSINESS

HOT PICKS Top 5 Mobility Products 2. SONY XPERIA 5 Capture any scene in perfect focus with a triple lens camera and immerse yourself in the latest audio technologies.

TOP PICK:

SAMSUNG GALAXY A40 ENTERPRISE EDITION Featuring Knox Configure configure your mobile fleet straight out-of-the-box.

4 years security and maintenance releases.

Product Code S10259254

Part Code: S10268476

3. NOKIA 6.2 Go without charging for a full two days thanks to the powerful Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 636 processor Part Code: S10260919

2. DYNABOOK PORTÉGÉ A30-E-143

Top 5 New Products

The Portégé A30-E-143 delivers productivity and reliability on the move.

Part Code: S10268765

TOP PICK: ASUS ZENBOOK PRO DUO The unique design features a full-width 4K ASUS ScreenPad™ Plus that works seamlessly with the main 4K UHD OLED display.

Product Code S10222861

3. LENOVO THINKCENTRE M90N NANO Powered by up to 8th generation Intel® Core™ vPro™ processing is smaller than most paperbacks, durable and secure.

Part Code: S10263573

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CALL OUR TEAM AT: B ASINGSTOKE 01256 707 070 | BURNLEY 01282 776 776

For more information on our Hot Picks, don’t hesitate to get in touch: STORE.EXERTIS.CO.UK BASINGSTOKE 01256 707 070 | BURNLEY 01282 776 776

Top 5 Best-Selling Business Products TOP PICK:

LEXMARK MC3224ADWE

4. ACER CHROMEBOOK SPIN 13 The Chromebook Spin 13 is one of the first enterprise-class Chrome devices powered by 8th Gen Intel® Core™ processors.

Compact and lightweight, the Lexmark MC3224adwe multifunction brings colour printing, scanning, copying, faxing and touchscreen convenience to small workgroups.

Part Code: S10254462

Part Code: S10230453

2. DELL POWEREDGE R740XD SERVER

5. ASUS ZENSCREEN MB16AP

Increase storage scalability and performance with up to 24 NVMe drives in a 2U dual-socket platform.

A lightweight portable monitor with a built-in battery designed to take mobile productivity to new heights.

Part Code: S10222108

Part Code: S10236990 3. 50“ SAMSUNG RU7400 4K TV Discover exceptional picture quality with the Smart RU7400 Dynamic crystal colour TV. Part Code: UE50RU7400UXXU

4. KONFTEL 800

4. ZYWALL ATP 200 SWITCH

Discover the award-winning hybrid conference phone with intuitive interface.

Smart cloud intelligence giving seamless protection against all those Advanced Persistent Threats.

Part Code: S10269196

Part Code: ATP200-EU0102F

5. APC ECOSTRUXURE

5. PHILIPS 276E8UJSB 1PS 4K MONITOR

Ecostruxure™ IT revolutionises how IT and DC professionals monitor and manage their critical IT infrastructure on-premise, in the cloud, and at the edge.

The Philips 27” 4K UHD monitor gives ultra-clear picture quality Part Code: S10248368

Bundles available up to 1500 devices

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VISIT US AT: STORE.EXERTIS.CO.UK

HYPERTEC ADDS JUST LAMPS Hypertec is now providing the entire range of original OEM and equivalent Diamond Lamps products from Just Lamps, the world’s largest projector lamp distributor.

Lianne Denness, Hypertec, managing director, said, “Our OEM matched memory, SSD and power proposition now extends into projector and smartboard lamp equivalents with the Just Lamps portfolio, providing exceptional product performance, value for money and healthy reseller margins. In addition, to make it easy for our customers, we have taken the Just Lamps range and produced a channel friendly on-line configurator where our resellers can choose from over 8,500 projector models.” Just Lamps provides every brand and model of projector and rear projection TV as well as its own brand of Diamond Lamps, which are superior in quality to compatible lamps but offer the same lamp life as projector manufacturer’s lamps but at a lower cost and with a 24-month warranty. The Diamond Lamp range will also be available to Hypertec resellers.

Hypertec is a leading distributor of global brands and their own brand products that include: memory, storage, connectivity, USBC docks, accessories, and assistive technology.

- Find Lamps quickly and easily with the Hypertec Configurator.

- Follow the steps, choose your Lamp and contact your Hypertec Account Manager to place an order.

- For even quicker and simplified ordering, copy and paste part codes into your own system.

- For access to pricing and availability, simply sign into the Configurator with your Company Login.

- Already know your Lamp’s OEM part number? Use the search bar to quickly access stock and pricing.

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CLEARER PICTURE Maintain the clarity of your projector with the highest quality bulbs. Diamond Lamps source only the best bulbs directly from the World’s leading bulb manufacturers (including Philips, Osram, Ushio and Phoenix). Achieve top performance in terms of brightness, colour and evenness of illumination across the screen with Diamond Lamps.

REDUCE RUNNING COSTS Most compatible lamps are cheaper to buy, but the poor lamp-life they provide creates higher running costs. Reduce the running cost of your projector lamps and get better value for money with durable, high quality lamps. Diamond Lamps give exactly the same lamp life as projector manufacturer’s lamps but at a lower cost.

24-MONTH LAMP WARRANTY Most projector manufacture replacement lamps only come with 3-month

warranties and compatible lamps with significantly higher return rates often have just 1-month warranties. Get quality performance you can rely on with Diamond Lamps 24-Month Lamp Warranties.

DON’T FANCY SAVING MONEY USING THIRD PARTY BULBS? Hypertec and Just Lamps also offer an extensive range of OEM Original lamps.

Choose from over 8,500 projector models on the Hypertec Configurator to find the original OEM lamp for your projector’s make and model.

NEED HELP FINDING YOUR PERFECT MATCH? Both Original OEM Lamps and Diamond Lamps can be matched to your projector as an OEM compatible solution.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.HYPERTEC.CO.UK

CALL OUR TEAM AT: B ASINGSTOKE 01256 707 070 | BURNLEY 01282 776 776

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CALL OUR TEAM AT: B ASINGSTOKE 01256 707 070 | BURNLEY 01282 776 776

TRADE-IN

Take advantage of our corporate trade-in programme.

Exertis has launched an innovative, corporate trade-in programme for smartphones, tablets and laptops. Tradein programmes have become increasingly popular driven by the higher initial cost of top of the range devices, the residual value that premium products retain, the desire for consumers and businesses to be using the latest technology, and the recognition that sustainability is an important issue for everyone.

WHY SHOULD YOUR B2B CUSTOMER RECYCLE THEIR OLD TECHNOLOGY? Firstly, as pointed out, today’s smartphones, tablets and laptops hold their value and that residual value can be put to good use by either reducing the cost of a new device, upselling to a higher spec device or cross selling to other categories such as peripherals or accessories. In addition, whilst that device might not be suitable for one company, it may still be able to be deployed elsewhere with some refurbishment, preventing harmful materials entering landfill and contributing to the circular economy. Sustainability is an important consideration for companies, as expectations from employees and customers on corporate responsibility increases.

HOW DOES THE TRADE-IN JOURNEY WORK? Exertis has made the trade-in journey as simple and secure as possible, utilising the skills, expertise and resource of our MTR subsidiary, a company that is dedicated to providing 2nd lifecycle solutions. The first step for the resellers or their customers is to request a quote for the devices they would like to exchange. Exertis will provide a quotation, assuming the devices are fully functional but subject to final inspection. If the quote is acceptable, the devices are sent to our refurbishing facility. These devices are then inspected, graded and a final value confirmation is provided. If that value is accepted, a payment can be made direct to the corporate end user, to the reseller or into a customer technology fund for future

A circular economy is an economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources.

Circular systems employ reuse, sharing, repair, refurbishment, remanufacturing and recycling to create a close-loop system, minimising the use of resource inputs and the creation of waste, pollution and carbon emissions. The circular economy aims to keep products, equipment and infrastructure in use for longer, thus improving the productivity of these resources.

purposes. If the value isn’t accepted, the devices will be returned to the customer.

For those devices that are accepted, their journey continues and this is a key consideration for why resellers and, their corporate customers, should choose Exertis. MTR is an industry-leading secure processing facility, accredited by ISO for quality management (ISO 9001:

2015), environmental management (ISO 14001:2015) and registered with the ICO for data protection and the Environmental Agency as a registered waste carrier for safe disposal of hazardous waste. The facility has been designed to offer the highest level of product security with state-of-the-art CCTV surveillance and monitoring systems. Most importantly, it provides a secure process for protecting customer data, partnering with Blackbelt to ensure multiple levels of data wipe, up to military standards. Data wipe certifications are issued to customers.

Devices are then resold either as graded or refurbished product or destroyed with full certification provided to the customer.

ABOUT BLACKBELT Blackbelt leads the way in providing secure data erasure solutions on all smartphone operating systems, ensuring that any handsets or tablets with confidential information attached, are wiped clear as quickly and effectively as possible. It means that all data is permanently removed from that device. Erasing mobile device data is an excellent way to protect customer data and avoid any unnecessary destruction or re-procurement costs. Not only that, but erasing mobile device data also allows recycler companies to redistribute used handsets quickly and effectively, safe in the knowledge that all previous data has been destroyed.

If you would like to know more about the Exertis trade-in programme, contact your account manager for details.

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VISIT US AT: STORE.EXERTIS.CO.UK

HOW TO GENERATE LEADS AND LEVERAGE NEW BUSINESS Feedback has been great from participating resellers with a consistent theme of ease, quality and high response rates If you are looking for a low cost, highly efficient way to generate leads for your business, then our e-mailing tool could well be the answer. Exertis has partnered with InControl marketing to provide you with a means to send a compelling eshot backed up with a content rich landing page that can provide you, and your customers, with the opportunity to generate new business.

E-mail still remains a highly costeffective way to engage with customers providing that the content is relevant to the target audience. We’re providing a constant source of ready to go emails from our industry leading brands. You are guaranteed to have at least eight campaigns a month to choose from. Exertis designs the marketing assets and uploads these to a web portal. All you need to do is choose which ones suit your business.

The portal has been thoroughly tested with 75 resellers already using the system and we have successfully run a number of campaigns featuring Microsoft, Epson, Lenovo, Dell, Acer, Intel, Philips, Brother, Oki and AOC with click through rates in excess of 5%, almost twice the industry average₁.

proactively communicate this initiative to our customers and prospects converting it into a tangible sales opportunity. Whilst a proportion of our customers were aware of the move towards Windows 10, and the consequences, the campaign has had the effect of both creating a sense

...it really looks and feels like it has come from us Minimum effort, maximum impact.

What’s more, the e-mails are personalised in your own branding. You receive a full preview of the e-shot and landing page where your customers can download a wide variety of information, watch a video, read a case study and even click through to your own website. All you need to do is simply decide at the press of a button to opt into the campaign. The tool also provides you with reporting information on click through and open rates.

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Feedback has been great from participating resellers with a consistent theme of ease, quality and high response rates. ‘As a small, busy dealer, marketing is one of the areas which we are constantly looking to do better, without having to invest too much of our limited time and budget’, commented Carly Halls of Bellas Office Supplies and Stationery Ltd. ‘Managed email campaigns are the perfect solution.

It’s incredibly easy to review and approve each campaign in advance. The email content is bright and interesting, it’s tailored to our branding and our website, so it really looks and feels like it has come from us’.

Conversion of leads into business has also been a feature. Themis Hemley, director at reseller BOSS, said, “The recent“ make the shift’ campaigns have enabled us to

of urgency and positioning BOSS as the specialist, local business able to offer both advice and solutions. This has created a significant uplift in sales. To date we’ve generated in excess of £75,000 incremental sales as a direct result of the campaigns.

We’ve already supplied over 120 new PCs and laptops across multiple brands, as well as related sales on software and services. We’re really very keen to continue marketing this, and other campaigns, to our customer base and we’re delighted with the quality of the marketing content and the results”.

For more information please visit https:// www.incontrolmarketing.co.uk/privacy policy’

Fast track to Data Center Infrastructure

Intel® Xeon® Platinum processor

FUJITSU Integrated System PRIMEFLEX

Building and managing data centre infrastructure is increasingly complex, error-prone, time-consuming and expensive. FUJITSU Integrated System PRIMEFLEX reduces risk, shortens time to value, increases operational efficiency and drives down cost.

The do-it-yourself approach to data centre infrastructure is fraught with challenges. Servers, storage, network components and software need to be selected from a myriad of options, procured and integrated. Moreover, extensive testing to guarantee compatibility requires deep knowledge of all components involved and their interdependencies on each other.

With PRIMEFLEX, Fujitsu provides a broad range of pre-defined, pre-integrated and pre-tested systems that take out complexity, increase operational efficiency and speed up deployment of data centre infrastructure. PRIMEFLEX covers key usage scenarios like virtualisation and cloud deployments, SAP landscapes and analytics initiatives.

Learn more about PRIMEFLEX: www.fujitsu.com/primeflex

shaping tomorrow with you

Your advantages ■ Fast time to production ■ OPEX savings across complete system lifecycle

■ Easy scalability, built-in high-availability and simplified management

■ Simplified path to hybrid IT ■ Flexible service options and one-stop support

THINK YOU Top reasons to invest Intel® Xeon® processor

FUJITSU Storage ETERNUS AF All-Flash Storage Systems

The FUJITSU Storage ETERNUS AF accelerates, modernises and transforms data centers in a flash new world.

Built on a powerful architecture, it delivers all the strengths of flash storage, plus seamless management integration with existing disk storage environments.

100% INTEROPERABILITY WITH HYBRID STORAGE SYSTEMS

LEADING PERFORMANCE ARCHITECTURE

Based on a leading performance architecture, ETERNUS AF takes top positions in official SPC benchmarks and in specific customer evaluations.

ETERNUS AF all-flash storage is fully compatible with ETERNUS DX hybrid storage.

Your advantages

■ Easy and gradual migration from hybrid storage to all-flash ■ Data can be mirrored and replicated between hybrid and all-flash systems ■ One seamless administration experience that increases productivity ■ Maximum system interoperability – less training required ■ Maximum investment protection for storage hardware and software

■ Increase application performance by factors of 5 ■ Benefit from 8 times more transactions ■ Consolidate all workloads in one system ■ Drive system utilisation up to 90%

Your advantages

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KNOW FUJITSU? Standout Benefits of the LIFEBOOK U7 The new LIFEBOOK U7 family with the latest 8th Gen Intel® Core™ processor strikes the perfect balance between the needs of technology decision makers and business end-users.

- Premium Connectivity - Biometic Security - Easy to Carry - 180° Display Shift

- Hinge Design - Mobile Productivity - Durable Material - Convenience

Fujitsu recommends Windows 10 Pro for business

8th Gen Intel® Core™ processors: Designed for what’s coming next.

Ultra-Mobile Meets Ultra-Secure FUJITSU Notebook LIFEBOOK U7 Series powered by latest 8th Gen Intel® Core™ processors

More information: www.fujitsu.com /LIFEBOOK

shaping tomorrow with you

The choice is yours

Did you know Fujitsu are the only Tier 1 vendor who can offer up to a QUADRO P2200 full height graphics card in a Small Form Factor chassis?

Fujitsu of

...THINK Did you know, we have a complete portfolio of DISPLAYS?

ffers a complete portfolio to meet

For more information please c

Fujitsu recommends Wind

AGAIN Did you know with the ESPRIMO G558 you can power your device with a single USB Type-C lead?

t the demands of today’s modern

contact your Account Manager

dows 10 Pro for business

Did you know our LIFEBOOK U939x is the World’s lightest convertible

business

Fujitsu PC-as-a-Service

Hard-working devices without the hard work

Give your workplace devices the as-a-service treatment.

And free yourself from the burden of managing PC deployments across your business.

Tell us about your people. Then we’ll identify the right devices, roll them out, support them and refresh them after three years – recycling your old devices. All for one monthly payment.

Whether you have 50 or 5,000 seats, Fujitsu PC as a Service (PCaaS) is hardware that’s less, well, hard to deal with.

Fujitsu recommends Windows 10 Pro for business

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CALL OUR TEAM AT: B ASINGSTOKE 01256 707 070 | BURNLEY 01282 776 776

KEEPING PACE WITH PAAS Printing as a Service PaaS has many benefits for businesses of all sizes and it presents a great opportunity for resellers to keep engagement with their customers by providing a managed print service. Managed print services offered by providers manage all aspects of printing from the hardware, supplies and support for one monthly rate. All of these assets reside on the provider’s balance sheet rather than the business. This is a great solution for organisations that want no overheads, no depreciation, no worries about support, parts and labour, and all at a predictable cost.

Despite the digital age, there is still a requirement for organisations to print and often they struggle to recognise the cost of printing to their business. A surprising number of companies still fail to properly track their print costs or the time taken by their IT department to respond to print related issues. A managed service can solve both of these issues.

In the past printers have been sold on the basis of print quality, speed of output and cost per page, and whilst still important factors, the as a service model provides resellers with the opportunity to provide a more detailed assessment of customer needs taking into account functionality (printing, scanning, copying), user to device ratio and floor lay-out, security, document workflow and permissions as well as training on how to use the products. In addition, a managed service can include taking responsibility for the disposal of the asset at the end of its life in an environmentally friendly manner.

EPSON PRINT365 OPPORTUNITY The demand for managed print services continues to rise but if it seems daunting or outside a reseller’s particular expertise, then it’s still possible to take advantage of the opportunity by outsourcing this to a third party but still maintaining the relationship with the customer. Exertis recently announced the availability of the Epson Print365 managed print solution for our UK resellers. This has many advantages, not least that resellers aren’t competing with another provider. Each Epson Print365 package includes a choice of printer from its fast and reliable Workforce Pro RIPS (Replaceable Ink Pack system) range of business inkjets and full service and support.

Al Coyne, Exertis, print general manager, said, “The Epson Print365 proposition provides a solution for resellers that want to offer their customers cost-effective, peace of mind printing and support within a fixed, all-inclusive, monthly fee. This is a great opportunity for a reseller to provide a print solution for any size of company that wants a combination of great printing but low energy consumption, taking advantage of Epson’s renowned stance on sustainability.”

This is a great proposition for channel partners as it stands, but where Epson Print365 breaks the MPS mould is by using low energy consumption and lowintervention business inkjet printers to facilitate the solution, adding great peace of mind for an increasing customer base looking to reduce their carbon footprint,

but who wouldn’t want to compromise on productivity. Furthermore, this is a solution that exists for companies of any size with different print requirements and the proposition has become more and more popular among SMEs who are after simpleuse printers that won’t burden their limited office resources.

The Epson Workforce Pro range of multifunctional, colour printers are suitable for small to medium or medium to large workgroups. Epson continues to lead the industry shift from laser to business inkjet printing with cost reductions that result from the higher ink yields and lower energy bills of its products, and low intervention. The Epson Print365 solution provides customers with complete control of how much their printing will cost them, improved document security and lower environmental impact.

In addition, the eco messaging, deriving from their energy efficient devices, is an increasingly influential message for resellers when selling this proposition.

ASK YOUR ACCOUNT MANGER FOR DETAILS ON EPSON PRINT365.

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THE POWER OF INFLUENCE There is nothing particularly new about video marketing, nor is it surprising how powerful an endorsement or a review can be to the success of a product.

Combining the two has been very evident in the consumer market and increasingly so in B2B, using social media platforms as a platform for marketing messages.

There are lots of statistical data, supporting the use of video, from a variety of different sources but here are two facts that really stand out in the context of using video.

Forrester’s much reported statistic that a 60 second video is equivalent to about 1.8 million words and Cisco’s estimate that there will be almost a million minutes of video per second crossing the internet by 2020. Clearly, there is a strong preference to audio-visual content rather than just text. It’s much easier and quicker to watch a video explainer than read through a document. Furthermore, video has found

social media platforms to be particularly effective with You Tube dominating the sector.

Nowadays, people want to not only see and hear about the product they are buying but also what others are saying about it.

Unsurprisingly, research has shown that customers are more likely to buy a product if they see it has received positive reviews.

Positive reviews promote trust in the product and the business.

Known as micro or nano influencers, these people tend to have a much stronger engagement with their audience. Indeed,

Cisco’s estimate that there will be almost a million minutes of video per second crossing the internet by 2020.

Indeed, if that positive review or endorsement comes from someone influential, it adds to its credibility. Most noticeably in the consumer sector, brands have used relationships with megainfluencers to endorse their products.

These influencers could either be wellknown celebrities or established bloggers/ vloggers who have large followings in a particular sector. However, consumers are also increasingly aware that a celebrity endorsement isn’t always authentic if the presenter is simply paid to be seen with the product or talk about it. Credibility is more important than the number of followers.

SELECTING THE RIGHT INFLUENCER FOR YOUR BUSINESS Of course, B2B brands have been quick to follow what’s happened in the consumer sector, attracted to work with top influencers that have large social media followings. However, for certain sectors such as technology, companies are

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perhaps better served by finding industryspecific influencers that have an in-depth knowledge or experience of that area.

These may not have the huge following of a celebrity but there are still many out there that have the tech knowledge and power to influence their subscribers to engage with the product and ultimately drive the sale.

some companies may well find that they have such a person in their midst.

Employees can often be an overlooked and certainly less costly resource. Certainly, unboxing videos have been a feature in the commodity tech sector, where such influencers can be seen to provide genuine, honest advice without being over technical, focusing on the features that their audience are most interested in rather than technical specifications.

INTRODUCING EXERTIS PLUG IN TV Resellers can now get the benefit of the above from Exertis with the launch of our Plug In TV channel. Here, we aim to promote a range of technologies in an informal and engaging manner. It will feature “How to” and “Unboxing” videos, product spotlights and promotions, hosted on our new news site. (https://www.exertis. co.uk/plugin/) Exertis Plug In TV will feature leading, tech expert and TV broadcaster, Georgie Barrat from the Gadget Show.

CALL OUR TEAM AT: B ASINGSTOKE 01256 707 070 | BURNLEY 01282 776 776

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The best of Samsung, packaged for business. Galaxy Enterprise Edition is a complete suite of mobile technology and services designed to give you more — more choice, more control and more protection.

Knox Configure Configure your mobile fleet straight out of the box.

E-FOTA on MDM Easily manage and schedule updates across your Samsung fleet.

4 Year Security and Maintenance Releases Stay ahead of security threats.

It’s now easier to configure, update, deploy and run mobile technology across your organisation at scale — helping to ensure your people are always securely connected with reliable technology that keeps your teams working.

Extended Product Lifecycle Maintain a consistent fleet of Samsung devices.

3 Year Enhanced Support Enhanced support to keep you going, includes next business-day.

Galaxy Enterprise Edition devices A range of devices to equip your employees with the technology they need for work.

Knox Configure

4 Year Security and Maintenance Release

Make configuring and deploying your fleet of mobile devices quicker and simpler. With Knox Configure, you get more control over settings, restrictions, apps and other mobile content — allowing you to set up and switch specific user group configurations without even opening the box. All this means your workforce can be up and running as soon as they turn on their devices, wherever they are.

Keep your business protected from mobile security threats. With Galaxy Enterprise Edition, you get 4 years of firmware updates either monthly or quarterly, so you can be sure all of your mobile devices are up to date with the latest Android and Samsung security and maintenance patches. This helps protect your fleet of Samsung devices against malware, phishing or any software malfunction that might pose a threat to your business.

3 Year Enhanced Support

E-FOTA on MDM

Keep your business running with extra support for your devices. Galaxy Enterprise Edition gives you 3 years of enhanced service support, ensuring your mobile technology continues to perform.

Our dedicated UK-based Business Services Centre can provide technical support and advice when required.

And should any of your devices need replacing, we offer a next business-day replacement service.

Samsung Enterprise Firmware OverThe-Air on MDM (E-FOTA on MDM) is a tool that enables you to remotely update the firmware across your entire Samsung fleet via your MDM — ensuring everyone is on the same version. It lets you test version updates and new apps to ensure stability, reliability and in-house capabilities before rolling them out.

You can even set updates to happen automatically, or schedule them for whenever best suits your business.

Extended Product Lifecycle Ensure consistency across your fleet of Samsung devices. All Galaxy Enterprise Edition phones come with an extended product ifecycle, ensuring they’re available longer than standard devices.

This brings greater continuity to your mobile fleet.

Are your customers ready to upgrade to smarter business devices?

Contact your account manager today

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A DAY TO REMEMBER FOR AV CUSTOMERS Our first category Plug In To Exertis event featured our Pro AV division and it proved to be an outstanding success for the AV and IT resellers that attended. Held on the 5th November at the Vox Exhibition Centre, within the NEC campus in Birmingham, it certainly went off with a bang.

Featuring the very best AV products and solutions from our line-up of worldleading vendors together with a number of seminar topics and show-floor features, the feedback from our customers confirmed it was a day well spent with some great opportunities featured.

Ian Aitken, Exertis Pro AV, director opened proceedings outlining how the division has grown over the last few years, providing more products, more solutions, more resource and more expertise available to customers. “Our strategy is to change the way AV is sold, responding to market dynamics which require a combination of AV, VC, mobile and networking solutions that fit the requirements of the modern workplace and today’s workforce as well as providing traditional AV solutions.”

He pointed out that Exertis is in a unique position to provide that with its ability to call on expertise in all of these areas with its broad technology and specialism.

Collaboration was a key theme of the event and is a great opportunity for both

AV resellers and IT resellers - the Unified Communications & Collaboration (UCC) market is projected to surpass $60 billion by 2025₁. Conferencing platforms are expected to witness the highest growth of over 12% during the forecast period.

Not forgetting other areas, NEC also delivered an interesting session on dvLED. Display technology has been undergoing something of a renaissance in recent years.

4KUHD is now mainstream and its adoption has raised the bar.

This point was picked up by the keynote speaker, Chris McIntyre-Brown from industry analysts Futuresource, experts in the AV market. He pointed out the continued convergence of the IT, AV and CE market and how this is providing new opportunities that are constantly evolving with technologies such as 5G, machine learning, IoT, Big Data, Smart environments and others, all contributing to the market dynamics. He highlighted the impact of LED and the huge developments in a very competitive landscape, the opportunity to replace legacy IWBs with IFDPs (particularly in education), the growth of wireless presentation solutions and the increased demand for content sharing from mobile devices to a main display. The keynote was greatly appreciated by the audience with some great data from Futuresource.

Pro AV is a key area for Exertis with solutions supported by our comprehensive range of services. With the recent surge in collaborative solutions we have aligned our UC team more closely with our in-house Pro AV experts to maximise opportunity in this space. If you missed the chance to join us at this event then please reach out to our head of interactive and collaborative solutions, Tony McCool to discuss how we can help you grow your AV business (Tony.McCool@ exertis.co.uk)

COLLABORATION IS KEY OPPORTUNITY

“Excellent format enabling much better interaction & engagement than the likes of ISE. Speakers were excellent and gave it a nice mix – it was particularly useful to get a market update from Futuresource”

On the topic of collaboration (see also our article on pages 44-48), Chris acknowledged how the traditional meeting room has changed from simple displays, telephony and control systems to a greater demand for workplace collaboration with the onset of high-quality video communications and UC platforms.

Attendees were given a great insight into how these collaboration environments could be implemented at the event with two areas featuring Microsoft Teams and Zoom, showcasing a range of possible scenarios set up in the exhibition area.

These solutions were further explained in four separate seminars on the subject hosted by Microsoft, Zoom, Lenovo and Exertis.

WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS LIKED AT PLUG IN TO EXERTIS PRO AV “The overall quality of the event the location, food, exhibition hall and range of exhibitors were all top notch”

“It’s great to hear a different voice in the AV Expo market!”

“The layout of the event across one hall, incorporating the novel use of headsets for the seminars made for a fantastic atmosphere” “With such a diverse range of vendors in attendance the event provided a really valuable opportunity to network.”

₁ https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/unifiedcommunications-uc-market

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2

Teamwork simplified Introducing Samsung Flip 2, the interactive display that simplifies teamwork without any hassle.

Introducing the Samsung Flip 2, an interactive display that simplifies your customers, teamwork and with a host of convenient features, presenting is easier and more flexible than ever. With The Samsung Flip 2, your customers can create freely thanks to a smooth pen-to-paper-like writing experience. Available in two sizes, 55 and 65 inches, both models offer great collaborative features supported by unique designs. No matter the size, the Samsung Flip 2 allows teams to work smarter, faster and better and help them live their best work life.

Find out more Contact your Exertis account manager for more details

VISIT US AT: STORE.EXERTIS.CO.UK

EMPLOYEES EXPECT...

...instantaneous and seamless collaboration In the previous issue of Future Business, the article on “Free Rein Working” touched on how AV, UC and networking have collectively changed the dynamic in the workplace through their convergence.

AV is a key component of the modern office becoming increasingly important as a facilitator of communication and collaboration between different office spaces and remote workers. In this issue, we turn our attention to how technology can end the frustration that many companies and their employees find when it comes to meetings.

• Waiting for people to arrive (90%) • Setting up technology (70%) • Dialling in to a conference call or waiting for others to dial in (59%) • Locating the meeting room (55%) • Connectivity issues (51%)

WHY ARE MANY MEETINGS UNPRODUCTIVE?

From a technology standpoint, the tech needs to be the solution rather than the problem. A Zoom video₃, available on You Tube, hilariously portrays the issues that many of us have encountered and probably still do with the traditional conference call – muted speakers, late arrivals, echoing, loss of connectivity, inability to share presentations etc. Of course, meeting room tech brings a host of benefits but unfortunately, the meeting room can be equally troublesome if it isn’t working properly. Often, the time it takes to get

In a study commissioned by design company Moo₁ and widely reported in mainstream media, nearly one million people spend more than half their working week in meetings. The average worker is said to spend 213 hours a year or 26 working days in meetings, with that number continuing on an upward trend. Of course, with companies seemingly embracing and acknowledging the benefits of employee collaboration, that figure may not be quite so surprising.

However, at least a third of that time is entirely wasted, according to the study.

In another report from Doodle₂, the cost of poorly organised meetings in 2019 will amount to nearly £45 billion in the UK. If the average business meeting lasts an hour, it’s easy to see how the cost of ineffective meetings can add up very quickly. Clearly, it’s important to understand why.

According to the Moo report, 90 per cent of UK employees are waiting up to 20 minutes for latecomers to join the meeting.

Over half, 55 per cent, maintain it can take up to 20 minutes to find a suitable meeting room with 51 per cent admitting they can waste up to 10 minutes trying to connect into a conference call or waiting for others to connect. In summary, there are many reasons why:

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TECHNOLOGY NEEDS TO BE THE SOLUTION NOT THE PROBLEM

90 per cent of UK employees are waiting up to 20 minutes for latecomers... the meeting room up and running is an issue, waiting for IT to be brought down to fix a problem, searching for the right connector, trying to connect with a remote office, displaying something on the screen, swapping presenters and connectors

or sharing and saving information – all can contribute to a lack of productivity.

According to Zoom, 69 per cent of presenters experience a meeting room tech problem.

Of course, the AV industry has been able to deliver a premium meeting room experience for many boardrooms in many enterprises. However, implementing the latest advancements in audio and video conferencing, content sharing and remote connectivity has traditionally been cost and time prohibitive to many, due to the complexity of high-end conferencing solutions. Companies have had to selectively deploy collaborative solutions in a few locations making it difficult for employees to profit from the infrastructure.

CLOUD BASED VIDEO PLATFORMS HAVE IMPACTED THE MARKET So, what’s changed. Today, the technology is more accessible, more affordable and there is more choice in the market with greater interoperability providing opportunities to allow cost-effective audio/ video and collaboration in even the smallest of spaces. Interactive screens, whiteboards, cameras and conferencing endpoints still remain a feature but the introduction of cloud-based video platforms driven by software means there is a much lower point of entry for meeting room hardware.

This has created more of an opportunity for businesses of all sizes to take advantage of audio and video conferencing, opening up a range of communication options that can be available just as easily to SMBs as enterprises. Huddle spaces equipped with audio, video and display system technologies are all you need for a collaborative environment, often replacing

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the need for large conference rooms and contributing to the redesign of the workplace. Such systems even work on mobile phones, enabling participants to be anywhere and connect anytime.

ZOOM AND MICROSOFT TEAMS Two of the most popular software platforms that provide communications, collaboration and content sharing are from Zoom and Microsoft, both are leaders in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant₅ for meeting solutions. Zoom’s cloud platform provides video, audio conferencing, collaboration, chat and webinars on mobile phones, tablets, laptops, desktops and all endpoints, typically with just one or two clicks. Microsoft Teams is an allencompassing workstream collaboration plus unified communications combining meetings, chats, calls and file sharing with Office 365 apps. Both offer their “Room Systems” with features that can suit both the simple huddle room and the more complex executive conference room.

Zoom can be integrated with a wide range of third-party apps and productivity tools such as OneDrive, Slack, Salesforce and Marketo. It’s also scalable and can accommodate up to 1,000 presenters and 10,000 attendees. Zoom Rooms are wireless and can be activated through calendar software, voice commands or touch screen controls. The company

operates a subscription-based pricing model depending on usage and features.

Microsoft Teams has extended the key features of Skype for Business to enable group communications and collaboration.

It can now accommodate up to 5,000 members, double the previous limit. It can also easily incorporate third party apps such as Google Drive, Dropbox or Trello, enabling it to work well with commonly used tools.

If a company or individual already have an Office 365 subscription then there are no additional costs for MS Teams.

The choice of platform may well depend on an organisation’s needs and in any event, both can combine to work together.

Indeed, multiple collaboration apps are increasingly the norm in organisations.

Fortunately, with the ability to integrate Zoom and MS Teams, it’s possible for companies to take advantage of the features of both tools.

Furthermore, companies are also looking at better ways to schedule and monitor their meeting rooms. Finding a meeting room to start with can become a chore.

It’s estimated that employees can spend up to 30 minutes a day, every day, looking for unoccupied rooms within the office to meet. Equally, rooms are often booked, yet remain unoccupied. A study by Performance Building Ltd found that the average company’s meeting rooms are booked 92 per cent of the time but 15 per cent of the

reservations aren’t taken up. Nowadays, there are a number of solutions available that enable employees to book a room from their laptop, or the meeting room screen, free up meeting rooms that have been pre booked but remain vacant and monitor or analyse the usage of the rooms.

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR RESELLERS So, what’s in it for resellers. According to analysts Futuresource, there are 5.3 million meeting rooms in Western Europe. In addition, there is a huge demand for huddle room spaces to enable better and more frequent opportunities for collaboration. By 2023, 73 per cent of video-conferencing meetings will happen in huddle rooms according to Frost & Sullivan (August 2019). Exertis is uniquely placed to provide solutions that can take advantage of today’s technology described above along with the interactive displays, cameras, connectivity and wireless presentation solutions that might be included. This was aptly demonstrated at our recently held Plug in To Exertis Pro AV event (see page 42) with both Zoom Rooms and Microsoft Teams Rooms solutions demonstrated with a range of different equipment which typically includes a display, hardware device, camera and sound.

Exertis provides a full range of: interactive displays from Samsung, Dell, LG and Philips; hardware control room systems

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VISIT US AT: STORE.EXERTIS.CO.UK

from Lenovo, Logitech, and Harman; and camera and sound bars from Aver, Poly and Harman. At Plug In To Exertis ProAV, various solutions, using Zoom and Microsoft Teams as the platform, were put together incorporating a choice of equipment that can be used to provide instantaneous and seamless collaboration.

DISPLAYS PHILIPS 43” D SERIES This responsive solution offers brilliant picture quality, simple control, and reliable connectivity.

Even in areas that are hard to network. With the Philips D-Line of professional signage displays, you step up to full commercial 24/7 operation. With its integrated Wi-Fi and SOC designed for running Android apps, it’s the next evolution in signage solutions.

The Android operating system gives you the capability of loading signage apps from a wide selection of Philips’ software partners.

SAMSUNG FLIP 2 Samsung Flip is an intuitive and easy-to-use digital flipchart for any meeting environment, offering enhanced collaboration capabilities in an easy UI with a host of features, including brush mode, annotation on, merge to roll, and other collaboration tools.

Available in two sizes, 55 and 65 inches, both models offer great collaborative features supported by unique designs. The 55-inch model offers increased workspace in front of the display, a hinge assembly structure and wheels for an efficient, moveable solution.

The 65-inch model provides a larger screen which can be used as the main display in a meeting room, while the no gap wall mount removes any unnecessary space between the product and the wall. No matter the size, the Samsung Flip allows teams to work smarter, faster and better.

DELL C5518QT A 55-inch 4K interactive touch display with dazzling visuals, designed for seamless collaboration.

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It’s estimated that employees can spend up to 30 minutes a day, every day, looking for unoccupied rooms LG 65TR3BF This 65-inch model brings true interactivity.

With differentiated cutting-edge touch technology, the TR3BF Series supports multi-touch and writing functions providing accurate drawing and authentic touch quality. In addition, the Air Class and web browsers support multi-directional communication and interactive learning, connecting up to 30 students and offering interactive meetings for all mobile devices on the same network.

The TR3BF Series can simultaneously use up to 20 points of multitouch and 10 points of writing, as well as 2 types of stylus pens.

This function offers a lifelike board writing experience and makes collaboration much easier.

HARDWARE CONTROL ROOM DEVICE LENOVO HUB ZOOM With the ThinkSmart Hub 500, meetings become more productive. Easy to deploy and easy to use with integrated touch

control, this all-in-one meeting room device is the key to efficiency. Designed for huddle rooms, it’s also scalable across room sizes and flexible across platforms – preconfigued and optimised for either Zoom Rooms or Microsoft Teams. ThinkSmart Hub 500 can help to avoid late starts and with one tap of the finger, everyone can start collaborating. Share content quickly and easily and hear what everyone has to say, loud and clear, making meetings a better experience.

HARMAN AMX ACENDO CORE For meeting spaces that are multi-purpose and need to support Zoom Meetings, web browsing and more, the powerful AMX Acendo Core Collaboration System is immediately ready to support and natively run the Zoom Meetings app. The Acendo Core can directly connect and login to Zoom servers, obtain schedules, and join Zoom meetings with a single click. By giving enterprise customers the choice of using Zoom Meetings and other web conferencing and meeting solutions, users can have simple meetings regardless of platform while still benefiting from the additional benefits of using Zoom Meetings like recording meetings with searchable transcripts, screen share with co-annotate, and end-

Hub500

Fast. Productive. Easy to use.

The amazing ThinkSmart Hub 500 is an easy to deploy, easy to use, all-in-one room collaboration solution from Lenovo. Using the ThinkSmart Hub 500 meetings start on time, every time with one tap of a finger. No more dial-ins, no more complicated pass codes. Hear what everyone has to say, loud and clear. And see the difference this makes to your productivity - and bottom line.

Contact your Exertis Account Manager for more information

VISIT US AT: STORE.EXERTIS.CO.UK

to-end encryption. The AMX Acendo Core platform delivers a flawless end-to-end meeting experience and features wireless document sharing, web browsing, room scheduling and more.

DELL OPTIPLEX 7070 The Dell OptiPlex 7070 Ultra, a mini PC that’s designed to transform a monitor into a modular all-in-one. Dell’s OptiPlex mini PCs are already small and designed to be mounted out of sight. However, this new model takes that to another level by making it thin, narrow and slender enough (at 3.78 x 10.09 x 0.78 inches) to be slid into a monitor stand, essentially turning your monitor into an all-in-one desktop that’s modular and upgradable.

CAMERA: AVer The AVer VC520+ conference camera is an indispensable video collaboration tool for businesses that use web or cloudbased conferencing. Suitable for meeting rooms of all sizes, from huddle rooms all the way up to large conference rooms, the VC520+ boasts a powerful pan-tilt-zoom camera and an advanced speakerphone, providing delicate, detailed images and vivid sound quality that more than meet the needs of most businesses. Especially well-suited to laptops, the VC520+’s plugand-play design puts high-quality video communication just a USB connection away.

Alternatively, the AVer CAM340 is an industry leading professional Ultra HD 4K huddle room collaboration USB Camera.

LOGITECH MeetUp is Logitech’s premier ConferenceCam for small conference rooms and huddle rooms.

MeetUp brings remarkable video quality to small conference rooms. Its extra wide field-of-view easily accommodates huddle rooms where people sit on either side of the camera.

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The 4K ultra high-def sensor and Logitech lens deliver extra sharp clarity, while pan, tilt, and zoom controls let you focus on presenters and their visual aids. MeetUp’s integrated audio is optimised for huddle room acoustics, delivering exceptional sound in small rooms and a custom-tuned speaker ensures meetings sound as great as they look.

NEC INFINITYBOARD

The NEC InfinityBoard is designed to fit any meeting room and collaborative scenario with a choice of screen sizes from 65” to 86”. It comes with an ultra-high definition InGlass™ touch display and two passive pens. Its design also includes an ultrawide angle Huddly video conferencing camera and high-end conference speakers.

The combination of an open platform and a PC with Windows 10 Professional installed means the solution can be tailored according to the customers’ requirements without restriction to any particular software, video conferencing app, operating platform or infrastructure. In addition, an integrated slot-in PC can easily be upgraded at any time, thereby futureproofing the investment and offering a compellingly low TCO. SOUND AND CAMERA:

HARMAN VIBE The Acendo Vibe 5100 is an expertly designed web conferencing sound bar with integrated camera. Featuring a wideangle, 110° field-of-view camera; sound

by JBL; far-field microphone array; echo cancellation; ambient noise reduction; Bluetooth® and USB connectivity; and a look that enhances modern workspace architecture, Acendo Vibe supports the high standards of today’s workforce.

POLY STUDIO The Poly Studio is a sleek USB video bar that brings convenient 4K videoconferencing facilities to smaller businesses. Poly’s new product combines all of the technology necessary to support a video meeting camera, microphone, speaker and codec - into a single piece of equipment, paired with a Poly-manufactured tablet to perform tasks such as joining a meeting. Automatic group framing detects where all participants are sitting and uses the camera’s 5x digital zoom function to crop the viewing area appropriately. There’s speaker tracking too, which identifies and zooms in on the active speaker. Meanwhile, Poly’s Acoustic Fence and NoiseBlock features identify and remove annoying background noises. The product will natively run Zoom’s video conferencing app, but Poly will add support for meeting software from other leading cloud video vendors over the next few months.

WIRELESS DISPLAY ScreenBeam: delivering an appfree screen sharing experience on any modern device, bringing intuitive wireless collaboration into any meeting space.

ScreenBeam wireless display eliminates the frustration of finding the right cable or adapter. Unlike other solutions, it provides native wireless screen mirroring on a Windows, Android and Apple device without apps. Screen Beam streamlines the process of connecting mobile devices to displays and projectors by eliminating the need for AV cables and HDMI or VGA adapters.

To take advantage of a growing collaboration market, resellers need only talk with our Exertis Pro AV team. We’re here to help you put together the best solution for your customers. Ask your account manager for details. ₁ https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/we-spend-26days-in-meetings-at-work-thats-more-than-your-holiday_ uk_5d5a6b08e4b056fafd0e6683 ₂ https://meeting-report.com/state-of-meetings/0 ₃ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMOOG7rWTPg ₄ https://www.goaskcody.com/blog/infographic-a-one-hourmeeting-is-never-just-a-one-hour-meeting ₅ https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/3956977/magicquadrant-for-meeting-solutions

Wide open possibilities With two high-performance monitors in one

Brilliance 49” 32:9 SuperWide curved display

499P9H

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AI

The smart side of surveillance SURVEILLANCE IS NOT SIMPLY CCTV KEEPING TRACK OF PEOPLE’S MOVEMENTS. IT’S A LOT MORE THAN THAT; IT’S ABOUT TRACKING, TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS AND USING AI TO MAKE SMART, INFORMED DECISIONS. Neither is it just relating to safety and security. Surveillance is increasingly used by businesses seeking commercial advantage, by councils to improve public services efficiencies and by the utilities to help address global issues such as climate change via smart energy use.

This is surveillance - the recording and storing of images - with artificial intelligence tagged on allowing fast and superior levels of analysis and reaction.

With AI, surveillance systems are leading to greater insights across many sectors.

In retail, for example, footfall and browsing pattern analysis allows shops to change pricing or product positioning based on

real-time customer movements.

Smart cities - those that are connected and communicate data among a range of services - can use AI and surveillance to improve traffic flow, for example, by changing traffic light phasing in response to real-time activity. The finance sector can quickly spot irregular activity to minimise fraud. The options are almost endless and these responses are being undertaken by computers – not humans.

capacity and robustness. SkyHawk AI hard drive is the first created specifically for AIenabled video surveillance solutions.

SkyHawk AI handles the intensive computational workloads that accompany AI work streams. It provides unprecedented bandwidth and processing power to manage always-on, data-intensive workloads, while simultaneously analysing and recording footage from multiple HD cameras.

If you think about it, AI is the obvious match – and evolution – for surveillance.

We’ve been capturing images for years with banks of screens where humans watch and respond. Now, with AI, these images can be analysed quickly with suitable responses created and implemented.

All good, but it means that, with AI surveillance, there is much more data that needs to be stored and analysed. It means surveillance systems have to be quicker, deeper and smarter. It’s no longer a case of storing video streams, the data has to be extracted and interpreted.

Seagate has released a video explaining what AI is and why you need the technology for intelligent surveillance systems. You can view it here: https://youtu.be/ANqnAmkI3Rk

Exertis Hammer vendors such as Seagate and Intel are leading the pack on this.

Seagate’s Skyhawk AI is a purpose-built hard drive for AI surveillance with extra

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Intel has Optane memory, a smart technology that accelerates computers’ responsiveness which, while still in its infancy, is expected to be mainstream in four years or so.

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE SYSTEMS AND STRUCTURES BEHIND AI SURVEILLANCE, SPEAK TO YOUR EXERTIS HAMMER ACCOUNT MANAGER.

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Zero frame design for multi monitor setup, together with IPS technology for supeirior picture quality from any angle. With full ergonomics to find the perfect angle

Claim 100% refund of the full price paid if your Acer device develops a fault and is repaired under warranty within the first year.

Full connectivity options from HDMI* to USB hub*. USB type-C* options for fast data transfer and charging capabilities. Webcam* options available for video conferencing and Windows hello facial recognition compatible for extra security

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Old display technology will cost businesses more. Upgrade your old monitor and receive a cashback reward.

With energy star rating 7.0 and TCO and EPEAT certification for environmental consciousness and sustainability.

Flickerless, Blue light shield, low dimming and comfy view technology to reduce eye strain and provide a more comfortable viewing experience

Contact your account manager today * specifications vary by model.

65” RU7400 Dynamic Crystal Colour HDR Smart 4k TV

Discover exceptional picture quality with our RU7400 Dynamic Crystal Colour 4K TV Don’t settle for anything less than True 4K colour and clarity. Samsung delivers pure colours, sharp contrast and brightness you would expect from the latest 4K resolution standards.

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MENTAL WELLBEING A HAPPY, HEALTHY WORKFORCE IS CLEARLY GOOD FOR EMPLOYEES AS WELL AS BUSINESS. The importance of mental wellbeing both in and out of the workplace is rightly gaining more attention. The Department of Health estimates that one in four of us will experience some form of mental ill health during our lives. That could range from anxiety, stress and depression to more serious conditions. These can occur as a reaction to events or experiences at home or at work or perhaps a combination of both. It’s important to recognise that, from time to time, employees will go through some stressful periods in their life. As an employer, it’s important to ensure that conditions in the workplace reduce the incidence and negative impact of mental ill health, and to take steps to promote positive mental health and provide the necessary support when required.

HOW TO IMPROVE THE MENTAL WELLBEING OF EMPLOYEES IN THE WORKPLACE. Promoting positive mental health in the workplace has clear benefits in terms of staff performance and productivity, attendance levels, recruitment and retention as well as helping to provide customer satisfaction.

Most employers are acutely aware of the costs of workplace mental illness. The government-commissioned “Thriving at Work report”₁ estimated that the cost of poor mental health to UK business is between £33 billion and £42 billion a year. It set out a framework of six actions or “Core Standards” designed to help employers of all sizes to improve the mental wellbeing of employees in the workplace: 1. Produce, implement and communicate a mental health at work plan that promotes good mental health of all employees and outlines the support available for those who may need it.

2. Develop mental health awareness among employees by making information, tools and support accessible.

3. Encourage open conversations about mental health and the support available

60% of UK chief executives state that mental health is the area of wellbeing they are most concerned about. when employees are struggling, during the recruitment process and at regular intervals throughout employment, offer appropriate workplace adjustments to employees who require them.

4. Provide employees with good working conditions and ensure they have a healthy work life balance and opportunities for development.

5. Promote effective people management to ensure all employees have a regular conversation about their health and wellbeing with their line manager, supervisor or organisational leader. Train and support line managers and supervisors in effective management practices.

6. Routinely monitor employee mental health and wellbeing by understanding available data, talking to employees, and understanding risk factors.

In addition, a Howden “Employee Wellbeing Research 2018” report₂ highlighted that mental wellbeing was the number one concern for UK employers with 60 per cent of UK chief executives stating that mental health is the area of wellbeing they are most concerned about.

Employers need to be supportive and enable any employees suffering from mental health to get back to good health as soon as possible. Sadly because of the stigma associated with mental health, it often goes unrecognised. By training and appointing Mental Health First Aiders in companies₃, anyone suffering with depression, anxiety, stress or other conditions can approach them in confidence. Workplace culture, stress, employee engagement, and employee benefits are all factors that impact the workforce in terms of mental health.

It’s clear that promoting a caring culture, striking the right balance between work and home life and supporting employees when needed are great investments that can also provide tangible results. ₁ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thriving-at-work-areview-of-mental-health-and-employers ₂ http://www.pshp.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/REBAEmployee-Wellbeing-Research-2018_web.pdf ₃ https://www.exertis.co.uk/news/article. php?id=5d9ef7afd18c7doc558117420

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10TH GEN INTEL® CORE™ i5 PROCESSORS

HIGH PERFORMANCE, HIGHLY PORTABLE ENJOY LIFELIKE VIDEO AND VIBRANT 3D GRAPHICS

EASILY JUGGLE MULTIPLE PROGRAMS

FINISH FAST WITH AUTOMATED APPS AND VIDEO FILTERS Exertis has an extensive range of 10th Generation devices.

Talk to your account manager today to find out more © Intel Corporation.

VISIT US AT: STORE.EXERTIS.CO.UK

BREAKING THE ICE

What’s new with Intel’s 10th Generation processors?

Ice Lake processors are set to boost laptop performance with new levels of processing power, integrated graphics and better battery efficiency. But that’s not all, these new mobile processors will feature built-in artificial intelligence, new and improved connectivity options such as Wi-Fi 6 and Thunderbolt 3, 4KHDR and new CPU and GPU architectures built on Intel’s advanced 10 nanometer (nm) process.

Indeed, this marks a significant difference to recent generations and it will be the first mass market CPU family to use a 10nm manufacturing process. Intel has been using the 14nm process since 2014.

The move to 10nm means more transistors can fit on the die and consequently the CPUs are more efficient, reducing their power consumption requirements whilst increasing their battery life. Intel also believes this will enable the OEMs to manufacture thinner and lighter devices without affecting their power and performance – ideal for 2 in 1s and ultrathin laptops.

enable the chips to become smarter and more efficient, delivering the intelligent performance needed for modern AIinfused applications, with a suite of features and capabilities. Intel suggests that its inclusion of its “Deep Learning Boost” feature will provide as much as eight times performance improvement compared to market rivals. DLP is a new, dedicated instruction set that accelerates neural networks on the CPU for maximum responsiveness in scenarios such as automatic image enhancements, photo indexing and photorealistic effects. Intel claims it can also deliver up to 1 teraflop of GPU engine compute for sustained, high-throughput inference applications like video stylisation, analytics and realtime video resolution upscaling. Finally, with Intel® Gaussian & Neural Accelerator (GNA), it provides a dedicated engine for background workloads such as voice processing and noise suppression at ultralow power, for maximum battery life.

GRAPHICS CAPABILITY

INTELLIGENCE BOOST However, it’s not the only innovation, it has deployed artificial intelligence to

Whilst integrated graphics aren’t comparable to dedicated graphics cards and chips, Intel claims it has doubled the

graphics performance of Ice Lake when compared to previous generations of CPU with the deployment of a new and improved graphics engine. With Intel Iris Plus graphics, reality gaming in 1080p and higher-level content creation, like 4k video editing, quick application of video filters and high resolution photo processing can be achieved on the go. It promises a smoother gaming experience played in full HD for titles such as Fortnite and Dirt Rally 2.0. In addition, as Intel Iris Plus is based on Gen11 graphics architecture, Ice Lake CPUs are the industry’s first integrated GPU to incorporate variable rate shading for improved rendering performance.

BETTER CONNECTIVITY In terms of connectivity, support for up to four Thunderbolt 3 is now built into the CPUs, meaning OEMs will find it much easier to include this feature and users will be able to hook up more external devices and peripherals, offering up to 4 times faster speeds than USB 3.1. Ice Lake CPUs also support the latest Wi-Fi standard, Wi-Fi 6, which deliver faster transfer speeds and better handling of multiple devices.

PRODUCT LINE-UP At launch, there were 11 10th Gen Core processors available, all of which are built for laptops and 2-in-1s. There are five lowpower Y-series and six higher performance U-series options, each spread across a variety of Core i3, i5, and i7 CPUs IDENTIFYING THE CPU Intel model numbers are best explained as below: Intel Core represents the brand and the different i3, i5 and i7 are known as the brand modifier – the higher the number the more powerful the processor. The numeric number has two elements, the first two numbers represent the generation (10 in the example) and the second two is the stock-keeping-unit or SKU. Then the last

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alpha numeric, Gx, indicates that this is an Intel Ice Lake processor. The number following the G depicts the level of graphics included in the chip. The higher the number the more powerful the graphics.

Naturally, Intel is progressing with 10th generation CPUs for the desktop market and it has announced that Comet Lake will follow at a date yet to be confirmed. These will be built on the 14nm process node.

However, OEMs are already producing laptops featuring the new Comet Lake CPU. Currently, Exertis is ranging the following from Dell with 10th gen CPU with others to follow.

XPS 13 7390 UK/BTS/XPS 13 7390/Intel Core i7-10510U/16GB/512GB SSD/13.3” UHD Touch/Intel UHD 620/FgrPr/Cam & Mic/WLAN + BT/Backlit Kb/4 Cell/ W10Pro/1Y ProSpt XPS 13 7390 UK/BTS/XPS 13 7390/Core i510210U/8GB/256GB SSD/13.3” FHD/Intel UHD/FgrPr/Cam & Mic/WLAN + BT/Backlit Kb/4 Cell/W10Pro/1Y ProSpt XPS 13 7390 2in1 UK/BTS/XPS 13 7390 2in1/Core i5-1035G1/8GB/256GB SSD/13.4” FHD+WLED Touch/Intel UHD/ Cam & Mic/WLAN + BT/Backlit Kb/4 Cell/ W10Pro/1Y ProSpt The new Dell XPS 7390 2in1 has been receiving excellent reviews from the leading media titles: PC MAG.COM EDITOR’S CHOICE With gorgeous exterior styling and the latest in mobile-grade CPU and graphics performance from Intel, the new Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 feels like the culmination of a long effort to design the perfect laptop.

It’s not quite five-star flawless, an honour we bestowed on its conventional clamshell sibling that launched nearly a year ago, but it’s the best 2-in-1 convertible laptop you can buy right now. If you’re looking for a go-anywhere, head-turning ultraportable that will chew through productivity tasks and even handle light gaming or multimedia editing, the XPS 13 2-in-1 should be at the top of your list.

DIGITAL TRENDS Dell’s XPS 13 2-in-1 is first to dive into Ice Lake, and its design is a real revolution.”

ENGADGET It’s not only a great convertible laptop but also one of the best ultraportables you can buy today.

LAPTOP MAG The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 boasts strong performance, a bright 16:10 display and excellent battery life, all wrapped in an ultraportable 2-in-1 design.

PC WORLD’S EDITOR’S CHOICE It’s also one of the first laptops to sport Intel’s new 10th-gen Ice Lake Core i71065G7, based on a new 10nm process technology. The XPS 13 2-in-1 also has a few features that are likely to steam up some fans. That potential drama aside, this laptop is just about perfect.

TOM’S GUIDE The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is one of the best convertible laptops around, sporting a gorgeous display, blazing Ice Lake

performance and long battery life in a stunningly slim design. The Dell XPS 13 isn’t just the best laptop you can buy; it’s now also one of the best convertibles out there.

The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 takes everything we love about Dell’s flagship notebook and packs that into a versatile, touch-friendly design. This machine’s got a jaw-dropping 13-inch InfinityEdge display, blazing Intel Ice Lake performance and a long 11-hour battery life that’ll get you through a long mobile workday.

CPU: 10th-gen Intel Core i3 / i5 / i7 RAM: 4GB / 8GB / 16GB / 32GB Display: 13.4-inch Infinity Edge touch display, 1920 x 1200 or 3840 x 2400 Storage: 256GB / 512GB / 1TB SSD Ports: USB-C Thunderbolt 3 (x2), microSD card, headphone jack Battery life: 16 hours (rated); 11 hours (tested, web surfing) Wireless: Wi-Fi 6/Bluetooth 5.0 Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.15 x 0.28-0.5 inches Weight: 2.9 pounds https://newsroom.intel.com/news/intel-launches-first-10th-genintel-core-processors-redefining-next-era-laptop-experiences/#gs.

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Transform how your customers work Dell 24 Monitor: P2419H Optimise your workspace with this efficient 23.8” monitor built with an ultrathin bezel design, a small footprint and comfortenhancing features.

Contact your Exertis account manager today for further information

CALL OUR TEAM AT: B ASINGSTOKE 01256 707 070 | BURNLEY 01282 776 776

GDPR COMPLACENCY THREATENS SMEs A number of recent surveys by analysts and security vendors are highlighting the fact that since the GDPR deadline has passed and despite the publicity around British Airways and Marriott (featured in issue 17 of Future Business) companies, particularly SMEs have taken their foot off the gas when it comes to security. It seems the gap between GDPR coming into force (May 2018) and the first high profile intervention and fine by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), may have lulled some companies into a false sense of security and a belief that the GDPR regulations amounted to a lot of talk but no real action. Moreover, it has perhaps compounded the myth that if you’re a small company, you aren’t likely to be a target for cybercriminals.

A recent survey report undertaken by Egress₁ clearly indicates that there is still much for companies to be doing in terms of data security. It revealed that 52 per cent

of businesses in their survey were not fully compliant with the regulation, more than eighteen months after it became law. Yet the survey also highlighted that as many as 37 per cent of respondents had reported an incident to the ICO in the past 12 months, with 17 per cent having done so more than once. Interestingly, only 23 per cent of companies identified as enterprise organisations had reported a breach in comparison to more than half, 53 per cent, of mid-size companies and 36 per cent of small companies. Perhaps more worryingly, as many as 35 per cent of companies said that GDPR had become less of a priority for their organisation in the last year, despite less than half, 48 per cent, reporting that their business was fully compliant.

The above findings aren’t dissimilar to those found by consultancy firm Capgemini₂. Their survey maintained that under one in three organisations are fully compliant with the GDPR, despite three

quarters of them having previously been confident about it. Now just 28 per cent of those surveyed believed they were compliant.

CYBERCRIMINALS DON’T DISCRIMINATE

BY SIZE OR SECTOR Of course, you would expect that the larger enterprises with greater budgets, and the potential for bigger losses, would be better placed to safeguard themselves from security issues. Cybercriminals are wise to that and simply turn their attention to small and midsize companies that provide them with an easier route, even to large enterprises that are in their supply chain.

In the third Hiscox Cyber Readiness 2019 Report₃, nearly two-thirds of respondents (65 per cent) said they had experienced one or more cyber attacks as a result of a weak link in their supply chain over the past year with more respondents reporting problems with outages from third-party

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cloud providers. The report maintains that the cost and frequency of attacks have increased markedly compared with a year ago and focus has moved to small and medium sized companies. “More businesses report being impacted by a cyber incident year-on-year, with the risk appearing to be indiscriminate when it comes to size of business or sector”. Their survey clearly indicated that smaller companies are being targeted with many suffering multiple attacks and on average the proportion of small and medium firms that have had an attack has increased 59 per cent. The frequency of attacks has also increased markedly.

between 1st January and 20th June 2019, 60 per cent were the result of human error.

Of those incidents, almost half (43 per cent) were the result of incorrect disclosure, with 20 per cent posting or faxing data to the incorrect recipient. Nearly a fifth (18 per cent) were attributed to emailing information to incorrect recipients or failing to use Bcc, and 5 per cent were caused by providing data in a response to a phishing attack. Clearly, as well as defending against cybersecurity threats, companies also need to invest in training to keep staff up to date with common types of cyberattacks and to help employees inadvertently causing a breach.

37 per cent of respondents had reported an incident to the ICO in the past 12 months, with 17 per cent having done so more than once.

Among firms that experienced cyberattacks, the proportion reporting four or more incidents was up from 20 per cent to 30 per cent according to the report. Hiscox calculates the average cost of a breach is more than £25,000 in direct costs, such as paid ransoms and replacement hardware but much more in terms of reputational damage and loss of customers. In some severe cases of disruption, the business may even be unable to continue.

HUMAN ERROR IS A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR Naturally, there are many reasons why breaches occur. In the Hiscox report, nearly a quarter of firms (24 per cent) reported a virus or worm infestation, 17 per cent a ransomware attack and 15 per cent a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack.

Yet breaches by no means just emanate from external sources. Figures released by Egress₄ under a Freedom of Information request in August of this year, highlight concerning statistics on human error remaining the main cause of personal data breaches (PDBs). The figures show that of the 4856 PDBs reported to the ICO

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MITIGATE THE RISKS In the Capgemini survey, businesses pointed to a number of obstacles to maintaining compliancy. One of the most common was legacy IT systems with 38 per cent suggesting that their current IT landscape wasn’t sufficiently aligned to the complexities of GDPR. A third of respondents maintained that the financial costs of achieving alignment with GDPR was too prohibitive. On the flip side, four out of five of those companies that were compliant with data protection regulation said it had helped improve IT systems and cybersecurity practice throughout the organisation.

Whilst no security strategy is 100 per cent perfect, the aim must be for SMEs to mitigate the risk as much as possible. The majority of attacks exploit basic weaknesses in IT systems and software. Therefore, installing firewalls, updating computer operating systems, providing end point protection and anti-virus software as well as regularly backing up data are basic requirements. Two factor authentication can also reduce the risks, setting up a

virtual private network for those people working remotely and ensuring that the same passwords aren’t used across different devices and apps are also recommended.

Every type and size of business is vulnerable to a breach. There is no shortcut to security and it will always require ongoing attention but this creates great opportunities for resellers to continually engage with customers. Working with Exertis, you can offer a full cybersecurity service that includes assessment, recommendation, deployment, integration and management of multi-vendor solutions.

Our portfolio of vendors provides solutions across all areas of security and we have experts waiting to help you. Ask your account manager for details. ₁https://www.egress.com/news/gdpr-compliance-survey-2019 ₂https://www.capgemini.com/news/data-protection-and-privacyreport/ ₃https://www.hiscox.co.uk/cyberreadiness ₄ https://www.egress.com/news/ico-data-breaches-foi-2019

Every device needs Office 1. Tell every customer that every device needs Office Office makes things easy. Selling Office should be easy too. Let every customer understand that every device needs Office to help them get their work done faster and easier.

2. Show your customer how Office 365 works great with OneDrive for Business Many people already pay for cloud storage to easily access their photos, videos, and important files, anywhere and on any device. Show them how Office 365 and OneDrive for Business offer so much more.

1 TB

Premium

Additional

for each user

Office apps

services

3. Demo Tell Me. Every time Office is easier to use now, but your customers may not know it. Show them how they no longer need to dig through menus or remember how to find that rarely used tool.

Formatting

Printing

Designing

OK, but what’s in it for you?

Not only will simply mentioning Office to every customer increase your sales, you’ll have fewer device returns and more opportunities to attach other items:

Remember to discuss Office attach opportunities when buying devices with your Exertis account manager

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MUST HAVE ACCESSORIES 1. Poly Blackwire C7725

2. Overland Tandberg RDX

Today’s workplace environments are usually noisy with frequent interruptions.

Tune out distractions and tune into conversations.

The RDX QuikStor media-based removable storage system offers rugged, reliable and convenient storage for backup, archive, data interchange and disaster recovery.

Part Code: S10254576

Part Code: TAN8782RDX

3. StarTech Thunderbolt™ 3 & USB-C™

4. Lockncharge Carrier 30 Cart

Whether you’re a Thunderbolt 3 or a USB-C user, this docking station intelligently adapts to deliver optimal performance for your device.

Charge, store, secure and transport up to 30 devices. The Carrier 30 is designed to make life easier for chromebook, tablet, laptop and iPad deployments.

Part Code: S10171047

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5. Zagg Tri-Fold Bluetooth Keyboard

6. Targus USB 3.0 Docking Station

Optimise your productivity when travelling – fully universal keyboard with Bluetooth connectivity.

“One Touch” USB connection from laptop to work space peripherals at USB 3.0 Superspeed. Delivering superb picture quality for up to two external screens without any picture distortion or delay.

Part Code: S10240435

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7. Belkin USB-C™ Multimedia Hub

8. Peerless wall mount solution

This USB-C multiport hub with up to 5Gbps of bandwidth is the perfect all-inone solution to connect your USB-C laptop to multiple devices.

Offering versatile installation features.

Horizontal and vertical adjustment abilities allow for post installation levelling and side-to-side positioning.

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9. Cherry MW8 ergo

10. PTZ Optics 20 x SDI Camera

Comfort, uncompromising quality, exquisite design, the very latest technology and the finest materials.

PTZOptics SDI camera has game changing optics and high-quality video outputs, video professionals can create PTZ camera systems that innovate on multiple levels.

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Part Code: S10260465

The first enterprise-class universal docking station to deliver 100W of power while supporting up to four 4K extended displays.

Boost productivity and performance with our most innovative universal docking station to date, meet our award winning DOCK570. Capable of delivering 100W of power while supporting up to four 4K extended displays across Windows, MAC and Linux OS. This dock is a worldfirst and will turn heads of large enterprise customers across all verticals looking to maximise workforce efficiency.

DOCK570 now available from Exertis

The laptop of tomorrow The remarkable ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo brings you dual-touchscreen productivity in one amazing laptop. Designed to give you the ultimate creative edge, the full-width 4K ScreenPad Plus works seamlessly with the main 15.6-inch 4K OLED HDR display for endless ways to personalise your workflow. The brilliant OLED display delivers ultra-vivid colours with deep blacks, and ZenBook Pro Duo is ultrapowerful too, with up to a 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9 eight-core processor and gaming-grade NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2060 graphics.

Intel® Core™ i9 Processor Learn more at: https://www.asus.com/Laptops/ZenBook-Pro-Duo-UX581GV/ Intel, the Intel Logo, Intel Inside, Intel Core, and Core Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries.