Our regular update from the UK
Even after 20 years in the IT reseller business, I was amazed recently at the response from Novatech (www.novatech.co.uk), the long-standing web-based PC reseller, with whom I’ve been buying PCs from for more than a decade.
Novatech has teamed up with V12 Finance, a retail finance firm, to offer customers a 12 month interest-free deal on PC purchases. If the customer does not pay within 12 months, however, they are locked into a three year loan plan with a relatively high interest rate (29.9 per cent).
But what happens if the PC the customer ordered is out of stock and the chassis is on a two-week backlog, as happened to yours truly? Simple, I thought - switch to buying another system.
With the finance deal, however, you can’t do this, unless you cancel the deal and re-apply. In the process, the customer loses their 10 per cent deposit.
Sharp practice? Even the Novatech customer helpline agrees. But it’s all there in the agreement. And yes, I’m a sucker for having agreed to these terms. Will Novatech get my repeat business? I doubt it …..
Actinic gives awards to regional resellers
Actinic, the e-commerce software specialist, has given three of its regional resellers awards to recognise their sales efforts. The resellers - ITQ Solutions, KC3 and Greater Vision - have been named as the first Actinic Regional Partners of the Year for the North, Midlands and South respectively. According to the company, the awards, which were voted for by Actinic users, received a huge response, with closely fought battles in each of the regions.
Chris Barling, Actinic’s CEO, said that the awards were voted for by actual users, so they show the quality of work and level of customer satisfaction achieved by the winners. ‘These resellers have supported our focus on providing customer service. With the ever increasing popularity of e-commerce, there is more pressure all round to deliver on rising customer expectations,’ he said.
Barling went on to say that the awards, which were presented at Birmingham City Football Club, were designed to recognise the continued level of commitment and support received from Actinic’s channel partners. The short list of finalists for each category was initially developed internally, based on a combination of sales and customer feedback. The winners were then voted for by Actinic users and members of the Actinic Community Forum.
ISS gives BIOS its highest award
Another security vendor busy giving its resellers awards is Internet Security Systems (ISS), which has given BIOS a award, in recognition of excellent sales achieved in its Northern European region.
According to ISS, BIOS has demonstrated its expertise and knowledge having attended the required training courses offered by the ISS SecurePartner University. The course, which consists of 26 examinations, includes an integrated security appliance, network intrusion prevention and a desktop protection examination. The accreditation is a feather in the cap for BIOS, which has offices across the UK, as well as an operation in the Middle East.
ISS says that the Platinum Partner accreditation gives BIOS access to its direct touch sales force and allows the company to receive maximum benefit of ISS resources to support their existing and future projects. Howard Freeman, ISS’ channel manager, said that the accreditation is proof of BIOS’ security expertise and provides the assurance to its customers that it can provide a total security system.’BIOS have consistently demonstrated the highest of technical standards and continue to show their ability in deploying ISS systems in order that their clients get both the very best service from the company and performance from the technology.’
PCA tackles channel fraud
The Professional Computing Association (PCA) has launched a campaign to reduce the level of fraud in the indirect sales channel. The idea behind the campaign is to stem the rise in fraud attacks against companies in the IT sector. Central to the campaign is the launch of the Fraud Prevention Network (FPN), which is being organised in partnership with P&A Receivables Services PLC.
According to the PCA, the Fraud Prevention Network will provide IT resellers, distributors and vendors with a swift and efficient way of protecting their businesses from the growing number of fraudulent practices, such as value added tax carousels, that are increasingly being used to target hi-tech companies.
Derek Jones, the chairman of the PCA, said that, over the past year fraud has become the scourge of the industry with losses to UK businesses now approaching a billion pounds. ‘We felt that it was time someone provided some kind of protection that our members could use to guard against losses from would-be fraudsters. We’ve previously operated a Fraud Alert system for our members, but that was reactive. The FPN is a scheme that puts the initiative back in the hands of the trader.’
According to Jones, the PCA, which represents over 400 of the leading IT companies in the UK, has teamed up with P&A to provide a simple and affordable service that its members and companies right across the industry can use to protect their business against underhand practices.
The PCA says that the FPN is cross-industry, sharing best practice with other businesses as well as benefiting from advice from experts in the field of fraud prevention and investigation.
Plans call for the FPN to introduce new methods of fighting crime and will address the needs of fraud prevention personnel across the sectors. Members will receive an assessment of the effectiveness of their current fraud prevention processes, which includes a written report with detailed recommendations, together with assessment of current in-house anti-fraud awareness and skill levels. Other member benefits include workshops and seminars, a help desk and support line, and access to a web-based resource detailing the latest fraud prevention information, and a bulletin board for intra-member communication.
Sunbelt Software achieves Microsoft Gold status
Sunbelt System Software, a specialist distributor of business continuity and security systems, has been awarded Microsoft Gold Partner status in two areas of expertise. The distributor says it achieved Gold with a ‘Networking Infrastructure Solutions’ competency and an ‘Advanced Infrastructure Solutions competency. Within the latter, it also qualified for the Exchange Migration and Deployment specialisation and the Storage Solutions specialisation. Ian Masters, Sunbelt’s sales director, said that being awarded Gold Partner status rewards all the hard work that everybody at the firm produces in order to meet Microsoft’s high standards.’Customers will now have even more confidence that we provide a complete quality package, right through from the products to the service and support,’ he said.
Webroot launches channel partner portal
Webroot Software, the anti-spyware firm, has opened a channel partner portal, which it claims is the ultimate online resource for dealers wanting to increase their anti-spyware profit levels. The company says that the Channel Edge portal has been designed to act as a single resource hub for resellers, and include online sales tools, training materials and marketing support.
Marketing collateral on the site seeks to educate customers on the dangers of spyware and, says the company, differentiates the Webroot offering from the competition.
Professional sales tools on the site, meanwhile, have been designed to help partners position and sell Webroot’s Spy Sweeper Enterprise software, seeking to accelerate the sales cycle to turn prospects into real revenue.
Announcing the new portal, Vinay Goel, Webroot’s vp of marketing, said that the company is committed to seeing each channel partner increase profitability in the anti-spyware market and exceed their sales goals. ‘Fulfilling that commitment means pledging to support our partners in every sense of the word. We believe we are delivering on that pledge by providing our partners with a single, comprehensive resource that instantly links them to valuable tools that can truly impact their revenue stream,’ he explained.
Actinic, www.actinic.co.uk;
PCA, www.pcassoc.org;
ISS, www.iss.net;
Sunbelt System Software, www.sunbelt.co.uk;
Webroot Software, www.webroot.com/partners .
Steve Gold (sg@mail.com)