This week in the ICT Channel...

Comms Dealer's roundup of this week's news brings you the latest updates from the ICT channel. Stay informed and ahead of the curve by subscribing to our weekly insights and industry news!

Chess moves forwards with acquisition brace

Chess ICT has acquired?IT Consultancy Silversands ?to add 100 customers and 29 employees to its business. As a Microsoft Certified Partner, Silversands will also?enhance?Chess'?capability in Microsoft 365, Azure, Power Platform,?On-Premise?Solutions and Devices.

Alongside the acquisition of another, unnamed,?connectivity company,? this will deliver ￡1m to Chess' EBITDA.

Founder Chairman David Pollock said: "The acquisition of?Silversands?enhances our capability with?innovative products and services that will deliver value to our customers"

Daniel Brecker , Director at FRP Corporate Finance added:?“This is an exciting deal in the Microsoft IT consultancy space , an area where we expect there to be continued consolidation.

"In?Silversands, Chess ICT have acquired a complementary product set and a highly skilled team of consultants and developers."

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Palmer joins as STEM role model for Boldyn Networks

Boldyn Networks has appointed Nicola Palmer bold, joining the Board of Directors in December, to advise the company on DEI initiatives and serve as a role model for female colleagues.

Palmer has held several key leadership positions with Verizon over a three decade career and is described by the host provider as “a highly regarded leader in tech and telecom”.

The new Board Director served as Verizon’s Chief Engineering Officer as well as Chief Product Development Officer and Chief Technology Officer of Verizon Wireless where she led the 4G and 5G network deployments.

Palmer also serves as a Board Director for companies including nVent Electric plc, NextNav Inc, Zayo Group Holdings Inc, and Astound Broadband LLC.

In addition, Palmer has helped to promote education and careers in STEM, especially for women, and she serves on the board of directors for the National Academy Foundation and chairs its STEM Advisory Committee, helping high school students prepare for college.

Igor Leprince , Group Chief Executive Officer for Boldyn Networks said: “Nicki’s extensive experience in the telecommunications industry, coupled with her dedication to promoting women in STEM, makes her an invaluable addition.

“I am confident that she will play a crucial role in advising our DEI initiatives and serve as an inspiring role model for our female colleagues.”

Blabbermouth launches on-demand marketing portal

Blabbermouth Marketing has launched bfusion.co.uk , a subscription-based marketing portal designed to give businesses greater control over their marketing operations, using?a self-service support platform that is more accessible.

The marketing agency says its new self-managed platform is an “intuitive portal” that will give “a wide range of marketing expertise directly at users’ fingertips”, for businesses looking to bring marketing in-house.

Features of the platform include the ability to execute on-demand campaigns, adapt white-label collateral, design social media graphics, and create content, with an emphasis on ease and functionality.

The portal provides a range of essential marketing tools and resources that include white label collateral conversion - that simplifies the process of customising white-label materials - to social media and graphics services.

Bfusion is designed for both smaller businesses and start-ups, alongside marketing-ready businesses, hands-on marketing teams, and companies in vendor partner programmes.

Elizabeth Sparrow , Founder, said: “Our portal gives businesses a flexible marketing resource, with all the tools necessary to support in-house teams or add extra capacity without the usual overheads.”

Businesses can choose and manage their marketing activities directly through the portal, allowing customisation of collateral, production of digital ads, or crafting on-brand content.

“With Blabbermouth’s agency services, we remain focused on strategic partnerships with clients seeking a full-service approach,” Elizabeth Sparrow explained.

“Bfusion gives companies that already have marketing experience or internal teams the resources they need to execute their plans with flexibility and cost-effectiveness.”

PXC celebrates key distribution partner accolade

PXC has been awarded the 2024 EMEA Distribution Partner of the Year from Zoom Video Communications, Inc., at the recent Zoomtopia Partner Connect EMEA 2024, commending its achievements in innovation for the all-in-one Zoom ordering platform.

The Zoom partner-focused annual event held in London informs and inspires partners about Zoom’s vision, giving new programme updates and helps celebrate their successes.

The award programme recognises organisations that have developed impactful business strategies with Zoom, resulting in increased alignment, distinguished sales and marketing accomplishments.

Steve Rafferty , Head of EMEA at Zoom, said: “The commitment and support of our partner ecosystem are crucial to Zoom’s success which is why it’s an honour to recognise all of this year’s distribution partners, who are integral in delivering our AI-first solutions to global customers.”

Graham Kedzlie , PXC , commented: “Since announcing our partnership at the end of 2023 we’ve been working to onboard Zoom Contact Center and Zoom Phone and enable our partners to adopt these technologies as seamlessly as possible, using end-to-end automation.

“Following a trial with some of our partners, we’re now ready to make these products available to our wholesale base and carry on our partnership with Zoom and distribute more of their portfolio in future.”

Nimans becomes primary distributor for ATL Telecom

Nimans has agreed a Master Distribution Agreement with ATL Telecom Ltd , in a strategic partnership that it hopes will enhance product availability and ensure seamless customer experience.

Under the terms of the agreement, Nimans will become the primary distributor for ATL's portfolio of telephony solutions.

The agreement will guarantee improved stock levels, enabling Nimans to meet growing demand and provide easier access to ATL products.

Customers can also benefit from standard purchase prices they have been paying for ATL telephony products, which will remain unchanged, ensuring continuity and stability for both pricing and the purchasing process.

Robert Davies atl, MD at ATL Telecom commented: “This agreement allows us to expand our?reach and ensure our products are even more accessible to customers."

Wildix Partner Day highlights key company initiatives

Wildix ’s 2024 Partner Day, held at the Silverstone Museum on 24th and 25th October, brought together partners from across the UK and Ireland for two days of insightful sessions, networking, and celebration, alongside the launch of new sales initiatives.

This annual gathering was a chance for Wildix to announce growth milestones, promote recognition of partner achievements during an awards ceremony, and showcase new products incorporating AI tools.

During the first Partner Day, The Sales Elevate Lab initiative was launched, led by Alberto Carlos Benigno , CSO of Wildix, designed to enhance sales teams' skills and capabilities by providing training and resources to improve their strategies.

A presentation by Rob Loakes , Country Manager for Wildix UK & Ireland, also gave insight into the company’s growth, with a 33 percent rise in the UK market: “Wildix's overall global expansion has seen a 27 percent increase in licences and a 40 percent rise in HWaaS adoption compared to last year.”

He emphasised the value of Wildix's product offerings and announced an expanded team to better support strategic alignment and help partners close more deals as the year concludes.

Jason Uslan , VP of Sales, and Alberto Benigno, CSO at Wildix, also led presentations, sharing insights on the future of unified communications and Wildix’s vision.

In the evening, an awards ceremony recognised achievements among Platinum and Gold partners by presenting them with plaques.

The second day focused on Wildix’s solutions, with presentations for new products x-hoppers and x-bees, gaining insights into AI tools to drive business success.

Thanks for reading and we hope to see you back here next Friday for the latest news update. Be sure to subscribe at the top of this newsletter to get your copy.