Managing your business
Credit & Finance
Government called to think again about protecting creditors
Posted: Fri, 27 Jan 2012The government's decision to abandon plans to make pre-pack administrations harder to enter into have been criticised for failing to protect creditors and vulnerable suppliers.The dreaded phoenix arrangement, where a...
Government credit easing fund could reach £40bn
Posted: Mon, 28 Nov 2011With just a day to go before the Chancellor stands up and delivers the Autumn Statement it's already becoming clear that there should be billions of more pounds worth of...
Small business lending drops
Posted: Mon, 14 Nov 2011The level of credit that banks are providing to SMEs has declined despite the best efforts of the government to force them to increase the flow of cash to smaller...
Bank profits grow but calls for SME lending continue
Posted: Mon, 31 Oct 2011The banks are being urged to do more to lend to small businesses with signs that where possible the finance sector is giving finance to those larger firms it deems...
Kyocera Mita hopes to spark spending with finance package
Posted: Thu, 20 Oct 2011Kyocera Mita has launched a finance programme to give resellers more of a chance getting customers to splash out on hardware and document management solutions.The vendor is working with CF...
Banks still not doing enough for SMEs
Posted: Thu, 20 Oct 2011The banks have long been criticised by resellers, customers and politicians alike for failing to provide enough credit and support for cash-strapped firms and the situation shows little sign of...
Future of the channel
Value added distribution is key, says Citrix
Posted: Wed, 26 Oct 2011Citrix has stressed the importance of maintaining a value added distribution channel in the face of increasing pressure from larger distributor rivals. EMEA vice president of channel strategy Carsten Thomsen said...
Cost still an issue for desktop virtualisation customers
Posted: Tue, 25 Oct 2011The cost of additional infrastructure, licensing issues and complexity of virtualisation technologies are top of the list when it comes to customer concerns about desktop virtualisation.According to the latest Citrix...
Recruitment trend likely to flounder as confidence dips
Posted: Mon, 15 Aug 2011Cisco isn't going to be the only firm looking to protect the bottom line by taking the axe to staff numbers with warnings that plenty of other UK businesses are...
UK government should open up IT contracts to SMEs, say MPs
Posted: Thu, 28 Jul 2011The UK government needs to beef up its inhouse IT skills, widen its supplier base and reduce its reliance on outsourcing after wasting "an obscene amount of public money" on IT projects. But criticism...
CA partners adapt to deliver cloud-based services
Posted: Tue, 26 Jul 2011Large numbers of CA partners are set to adapt their business models to provide cloud-based services for data protection and managed services for backup and data management - and nearly...
Five minute interviews
Posted: Wed, 22 Jun 2011Find out a little more about what makes some of your favourite channel folk tick with our probing interviews. Where else can you find out what little temptations managing directors...
Laws & Regulations
FAST opens up SAM, compliance training programme
Posted: Mon, 07 Nov 2011Software Asset Management (SAM) and compliance specialist FAST Ltd has opened up a number of its courses to non-customers in an attempt to boost awareness of SAM standards and best...
Compliance costs rising for SMEs
Posted: Wed, 31 Aug 2011Keeping on the right side of the law and ticking all the compliance boxes is costing small firms a fortune as they seek out legal advice to ensure they are...
Red tape costs UK small businesses £16.8bn, survey claims
Posted: Mon, 25 Jul 2011UK small businesses have claimed red tape is costing them up to £16.8bn a year and they are missing out on nearly £30bn of business opportunities because of the time...
Sony insurer claims policy does not cover data breach claims
Posted: Fri, 22 Jul 2011The difficulties of insuring against cyber-attacks have been thrown into sharp relief with the news that one of Sony's insurers has gone to court to escape having to indemnify the...
Adobe purchase of Echosign hit by patent lawsuit from rival RPost
Posted: Tue, 19 Jul 2011Barely hours after Adobe's acquisition of web-based provider of electronic signature and signature automation, Echosign, the companies have been hit by a lawsuit filed by US-based rival RPost alleging infringement of...
In-depth: The rights and wrongs of packaging
Posted: Fri, 21 Jan 2011Legislation has been in force for several years that is intended to restrict the amount of packaging used by companies, writes Elizabeth Hyde. However, many businesses remain unaware that even...
Managing your sales force
Business groups call for greater investment in skills
Posted: Wed, 30 Nov 2011There has been a call for more focus on developing skills, particularly at the SME end of the market, following the Autumn Statement.The Chancellor George Osborne delivered his Autumn Statement...
In-depth: The benefits and pitfalls of social media
Posted: Mon, 07 Nov 2011Amro Gebreel outlines how you can make social media tools work for your business - as well as some cautionary tales on how not to do networking The channel is brilliant...
UK IT consultants in demand from US firms
Posted: Thu, 15 Sep 2011US firms are hiring UK IT consultants in the digital sector with an 275% increase in the number of American firms hiring Brits over the last year.The figures, from PeoplePerHour,...
IT recruitment remains steady
Posted: Mon, 12 Sep 2011McGregor Boyall, specialist financial services recruiter, has published its latest IT recruitment report showing that hiring requirements are still significantly down on 2010, writes Linda Endersby.However hiring for both contract...
Meeting etiquette disrupted by technology
Posted: Thu, 04 Aug 2011Technology might well have helped us become better connected and able to work more flexibly but it has also led to an increase in workplace rudeness with the humble business...
In-depth: Holiday questions and answers
Posted: Tue, 02 Aug 2011After a long hard winter the holiday season is finally upon us. Paid time off from work may mean a dream vacation for some, for others, the opportunity to catch...
Marketing
In-depth: Selling services for social success
Posted: Mon, 07 Nov 2011Nobody can now dispute that social networking is well-established in the workplace; at Salesforce.com's Cloudforce conference in September, a survey of 150 CEOs revealed 73% said social networks were important...
In-depth: The benefits and pitfalls of social media
Posted: Mon, 07 Nov 2011Amro Gebreel outlines how you can make social media tools work for your business - as well as some cautionary tales on how not to do networking The channel is brilliant...
Cost still an issue for desktop virtualisation customers
Posted: Tue, 25 Oct 2011The cost of additional infrastructure, licensing issues and complexity of virtualisation technologies are top of the list when it comes to customer concerns about desktop virtualisation.According to the latest Citrix...
Akamai extends channel with NetAlliance partner programme
Posted: Mon, 18 Jul 2011Cloud optimisation services specialist Akamai Technologies has announced plans to expand its channel with a partner programme designed to help global IT solution providers integrate the company's services into their...
In-depth: The value of events
Posted: Thu, 05 May 2011Bringing customers to your door has to be a very efficient way of turning them into clients. The person who has seen how you operate and met the team is...
Bridging the skills gap
Posted: Mon, 07 Jun 2010A sustained economic recovery might be on the horizon but persistent doubt about the immediate future has precipitated a crunch in the skills market as personnel in senior management positions...
Selling to end users
In-depth: The benefits and pitfalls of social media
Posted: Mon, 07 Nov 2011Amro Gebreel outlines how you can make social media tools work for your business - as well as some cautionary tales on how not to do networking The channel is brilliant...
Value added distribution is key, says Citrix
Posted: Wed, 26 Oct 2011Citrix has stressed the importance of maintaining a value added distribution channel in the face of increasing pressure from larger distributor rivals. EMEA vice president of channel strategy Carsten Thomsen said...
Cost still an issue for desktop virtualisation customers
Posted: Tue, 25 Oct 2011The cost of additional infrastructure, licensing issues and complexity of virtualisation technologies are top of the list when it comes to customer concerns about desktop virtualisation.According to the latest Citrix...
Government faces complaints over public sector contracts
Posted: Mon, 05 Sep 2011The revelations over increased complaints come against a background of more determination by the government to get more SME suppliers selling into the public sector to encourage competitiveness and better...
UK government should open up IT contracts to SMEs, say MPs
Posted: Thu, 28 Jul 2011The UK government needs to beef up its inhouse IT skills, widen its supplier base and reduce its reliance on outsourcing after wasting "an obscene amount of public money" on IT projects. But criticism...
Paying by credit card online? Use your webcam says Jumio
Posted: Tue, 26 Jul 2011US payment company Jumio has released technology which it claims turns any webcam into a secure credit card reader making it easier for merchants to accept online payments.The technology, known...
Supplier relationships
Riverbed open to talks with Expand channel
Posted: Mon, 16 Jan 2012Following its acquisition of the defunct Expand Networks's IP last week, Riverbed has said it will be putting in place options for partners and is open to discussions with resellers...
Value added distribution is key, says Citrix
Posted: Wed, 26 Oct 2011Citrix has stressed the importance of maintaining a value added distribution channel in the face of increasing pressure from larger distributor rivals. EMEA vice president of channel strategy Carsten Thomsen said...
UK government should open up IT contracts to SMEs, say MPs
Posted: Thu, 28 Jul 2011The UK government needs to beef up its inhouse IT skills, widen its supplier base and reduce its reliance on outsourcing after wasting "an obscene amount of public money" on IT projects. But criticism...
In-depth: Steps to effective business in the public sector
Posted: Wed, 29 Jun 2011What do government CIOs expect from their suppliers, and what does the channel need to do better when it comes to dealing with key technology buyers? These were some of...
Five minute interviews
Posted: Wed, 22 Jun 2011Find out a little more about what makes some of your favourite channel folk tick with our probing interviews. Where else can you find out what little temptations managing directors...
Analysis: Time for the supply chain to improve for workers
Posted: Fri, 11 Jun 2010The question of how people are treated throughout the supply chain is one that is edging closer to being a significant issue as the developments with Foxconn's Shenzhen factory illustrate.The...
