Credit & Finance
Lax security, complex payments leave SMBs open to fraud
Posted: Wed, 11 Aug 2010An increase in calls from members complaining about payment processing fraud has prompted the Forum of Private Business to warn that both insufficient security checks and complex payment systems are...Read More »
UK banks seek to deflect complaints over business loans
Posted: Mon, 09 Aug 2010By Billy MacInnes The UK's big six banks have established a taskforce to look at the issue of providing finance to businesses even though they continue to claim companies have...Read More »
Analysis: The new normal in the credit world
Posted: Fri, 02 Jul 2010When Cisco called together the main executives in its Capital business to talk about the current state of credit the resulting conversation showed the situation seems to have changed fundamentally...Read More »
Tech firms move closer to paying bills on time
Posted: Fri, 23 Apr 2010The time it takes for IT companies to cough up and settle invoices continues to improve as firms start to get closer to paying on time.The recession saw the number...Read More »
Microscope Media Centre
Posted: Tue, 02 Feb 2010MicroScope.co.uk Media Information MicroScope is the longest established weekly newspaper for computer manufacturers, distributors and resellers who need to maintain a competitive edge in the channel. Hard-hitting opinionated editorial covers...Read More »
Analysis: Educators fear IT budget cuts
Posted: Thu, 28 Jan 2010Although the weather might have hit the numbers, more than 30,000 visitors were expected to walk the floors of London's Olympia at this year's BETT Show over its four-day span.One...Read More »
IT sector shows improvement as financial strength returns
Posted: Mon, 23 Nov 2009The financial state of the IT sector continued to improve with a drop in insolvencies last month accompanied by signs that financial strength to ride out the remaining months of...Read More »
Services spending to remain tight in 2010
Posted: Fri, 13 Nov 2009The move out of recession will impact different parts of the outsourcing market at varying speeds as the constraints on user budgets continue with managed service providers the best positioned...Read More »
In depth: Getting the best deal from rent reviews
Posted: Thu, 05 Nov 2009Rent is usually one of the biggest costs for a business, and for a number of years landlords have had the upper hand as commercial rents have risen ever higher....Read More »
IT payment performance improving, says Experian
Posted: Thu, 29 Oct 2009Business payment performance trends look to be heading in the right direction at last, according to the number-crunchers at credit and information services specialist Experian. Analysts found that...Read More »
Small firms braced for business rate rise
Posted: Wed, 30 Sep 2009Small resellers could face a hike in business rates from next month as they are revaluated in line with the usual five year review. The fear raised by...Read More »
In depth: Tips for starting your own business
Posted: Mon, 07 Sep 2009There are three relatively easy ways to money: win it, marry it, or steal it. The passage of time should have taught you that there is almost no chance of...Read More »
CBI upbeat about recovery but calls for more credit
Posted: Mon, 15 Jun 2009A consensus is building that the recession is going to be less severe than had been feared and as a result hundreds of thousands of jobs could be saved.The latest...Read More »
RBS changes could hit SME channel customers
Posted: Thu, 11 Jun 2009Small businesses in the channel that bank with Royal Bank of Scotland could find things getting more difficult after the bank moved to set up a separate SME division. ...Read More »
Late payments continue to blight life for SMEs
Posted: Thu, 28 May 2009There are increasing calls of alarm at the growing number of SMEs being impacted by late payments. In the last couple of weeks research from a number of...Read More »
Cost of credit continues to rise
Posted: Fri, 15 May 2009The cost of credit has risen across Europe as a result of the downturn adding to the pressure on cash strapped channel firms looking for finance. There have been...Read More »
Tories to scrutinise IT spending as part of thrift economy
Posted: Mon, 27 Apr 2009Tory leader David Cameron has put IT savings at the heart of his attempts, if elected, to reduce government debt levels as part of his focus on "thrift".Some of the...Read More »
Insolvency Service to publish pre-pack figures
Posted: Fri, 24 Apr 2009Contact: The government is planning to publish annual reports on the extent of the use of pre-pack administrations to try and monitor the number of companies resorting to using...Read More »
Credit insurance scheme not necessarily magic bullet
Posted: Thu, 23 Apr 2009The channel has been warned that the government credit insurance top-up scheme is not necessarily going to be an answer for everyone. With funding of £5bn behind it, the...Read More »
Worst of recession over, says CBI
Posted: Mon, 20 Apr 2009The UK economy hit rock bottom during the first month of 2009 as the recession deepened beyond all expectations but according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) the...Read More »
Cisco adds third layer to channel finance scheme
Posted: Mon, 20 Apr 2009Cisco Capital is adding another weapon to its armoury with the launch of a 2% rebate scheme for deals valued at £50,000 to £500,000 that comprise over 50% Cisco...Read More »
Darling aims to save £15bn in Budget
Posted: Mon, 20 Apr 2009The chancellor Alistair Darling is expected to announce savings of £15bn as a result of improved efficiencies in government departments in the Budget later this week, chiming in with calls...Read More »
Capital drying up for tech companies
Posted: Thu, 16 Apr 2009The capital that greases the wheels of commerce in the channel has become harder to access and its absence is undermining the ability for some companies to operate. ...Read More »
Corporate credit availability shows signs of improving
Posted: Tue, 07 Apr 2009The availability of corporate credit appears to be easing slightly with financial directors reporting the first improvements for just under two years. According to the latest Deloitte CFO...Read More »
Get the facts on insolvency bargains
Posted: Fri, 27 Mar 2009One of the consequences of any recession is that an increasing number of companies get into trouble and end up going into liquidation.Whenever a company goes bust, its shareholders, creditors...Read More »
Chinese money could rescue handset market
Posted: Fri, 27 Mar 2009With the mobile handset market in freefall in recent months, Chinese telecommunications equipment and network solutions provider ZTE is offering to remedy the global economic slump after announcing a...Read More »
HP talks up need for upturn investment
Posted: Tue, 10 Mar 2009Hewlett-Packard has used a customer event promoting improvements in its product line as a call to users to invest in technology.Armed with research it has just completed the vendor found...Read More »
Putting a brave face on Britain’s economic freeze
Posted: Thu, 12 Feb 2009We have all grown accustomed over the last few months to gloomy economic conditions (isn’t it depressing how every day seems to bring even worse news than the day before?)...Read More »
Overland cuts salaries as sales and profits dive
Posted: Fri, 06 Feb 2009Overland has highlighted slowing sales in the data storage sector, in particular to its larger OEM customers, as it sunk to a net loss of $5.2m (£3.5m) for its...Read More »
Cisco may face lay offs as profits plunge
Posted: Thu, 05 Feb 2009Cisco boss John Chambers has been forced to backtrack on previous vows to avoid redundancies, raising the spectre of mass lay offs after announcing the networking bellwether’s second quarter...Read More »
Writedown masks Alcatel-Lucent recovery
Posted: Wed, 04 Feb 2009Ben Verwaayen’s recovery strategy at Alcatel-Lucent has faltered after a €3.9bn impairment charge against the value of its assets knocked otherwise solid Q4 numbers for six. The firm...Read More »
WAN gear still top priority, says Riverbed
Posted: Wed, 04 Feb 2009A swathe of networking numbers out this week continued today when WAN optimisation outfit Riverbed weighed in with fourth quarter and full year numbers pointing to solid levels of...Read More »
Cost of snow runs into billions
Posted: Tue, 03 Feb 2009The costs of the worst snowfalls for two decades is running into billions for small companies as workers stay at home and customers are kept away by the treacherous conditions.The...Read More »
Downturn starts to impact network numbers
Posted: Fri, 30 Jan 2009Stock in Juniper Networks has slipped after the company reported preliminary financial results for its Q4'08, warning its sales growth has come in below previous estimates, amid mounting evidence that...Read More »
Recession doesn’t faze UK tech firms
Posted: Thu, 29 Jan 2009British technology companies are more concerned with maintaining their sales rates, than the effects of the credit crunch, according to accountancy practice BDO Stoy Hayward. A survey of...Read More »
Help during taxing times
Posted: Wed, 21 Jan 2009Is your business suffering a cashflow problem? Are you having problems borrowing in order to pay bills, including your taxes such as VAT and corporation tax? If so, HM Revenue...Read More »
Asset protection scheme latest government move to restore lending
Posted: Mon, 19 Jan 2009The government has launched its latest attempt to try and get the banks lending again to small businesses. By offering insurance that the banks can take out...Read More »
Mid-market keeping tech acquisitions going
Posted: Mon, 19 Jan 2009The mid market continues to be the playground for those looking at making mergers and acquisitions as the mega deals between multinational IT players dries up. According to...Read More »
Planning for tough times ahead
Posted: Thu, 15 Jan 2009What’s the difference between a recession and a depression? For some people, I bet there’s no difference at all. If you end up losing your job or business, your house...Read More »
Will government’s £20bn be enough?
Posted: Thu, 15 Jan 2009One of the features of this global downturn has been the focus on credit, with the lack of it driving many SMEs to the brink. Even as people are losing...Read More »
Government on brink of £20bn SME loan scheme
Posted: Tue, 13 Jan 2009The government is expected to unveil plans to increase the loan fund available for SMEs from the current £2m to around £20bn to ease the flow of credit.The announcement, which...Read More »
SMEs finding credit harder to come by
Posted: Fri, 09 Jan 2009Despite interest rates being cut to the lowest they have been for 315 years resellers are still struggling to get their hands on credit. According to a survey of...Read More »
Vendors urged to plug SME credit gap
Posted: Tue, 06 Jan 2009Vendors will need to step in to provide finance for SMEs as credit becomes harder to get hold of for smaller companies. That assessment has come from...Read More »
Government planning credit insurance fund
Posted: Sat, 03 Jan 2009Resellers will be watching with interest if mooted government plans to step in and offer credit insurance to firms becomes a real policy later this month.Getting hold of credit insurance...Read More »
CMI issues gloomy forecast for ‘09
Posted: Tue, 16 Dec 2008The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) has compounded fears for businesses in the IT sector after publishing research today that showed managers and business leaders were very nervous about the...Read More »
eBuyer has credit limits halved
Posted: Thu, 04 Dec 2008eBuyer has downplayed the impact that a reduction in credit insurance will have on its business after both Euler Hermes and Atradius slashed limits on the company by 50%...Read More »
Atradius calls for more transparency
Posted: Wed, 03 Dec 2008Resellers have been advised to put their suspicions to one side when a credit insurer comes knocking for fresh financial information or management data according to Atradius, one of...Read More »
Euler issues profit warning on back of Woolies collapse
Posted: Tue, 02 Dec 2008Euler Hermes, the largest credit insurer in the channel has issued a profit warning after being hit by the bankruptcy of Woolworths and a steep rise in claims that...Read More »
Amlin pulls out of offering IT credit insurance
Posted: Fri, 28 Nov 2008Credit insurer Amlin has confirmed this morning that it will honour existing contracts with clients but will withdraw its credit insurance services to prospective clients, reducing the number of...Read More »
SME lobby group calls for more VAT help
Posted: Fri, 28 Nov 2008The Forum of Private Business (FPB) has called on an extension of payment terms next month to help SMEs get to grips with the changes in VAT. There...Read More »
VAT cut not likely to have channel impact
Posted: Wed, 26 Nov 2008The impact of the VAT cut on the channel is not likely to be anything major with expectations in the industry that the small drop in prices will make...Read More »
SME lobby groups back pre-budget report
Posted: Tue, 25 Nov 2008Small business groups have welcomed moves made by the Chancellor in yesterday’s pre-budget report to ease life for SMEs. Alistair Darling announced a £1bn small business loan fund...Read More »
Chancellor delivers £1bn SME finance fund
Posted: Mon, 24 Nov 2008The Chancellor, Alistair Darling has showed that he has the ability to listen to small business demands after unveiling a £1bn SME finance package. The Federation of Small...Read More »
Intel profit warning hammers tech stocks
Posted: Thu, 13 Nov 2008Intel stock hit a 12-year low yesterday as the chip vendor revealed fourth quarter numbers will come in below previously announced expectations. It cited weakening semiconductor demand and said...Read More »
BT readies 10,000 P45s
Posted: Thu, 13 Nov 2008BT’s recent channel shopping spree has come back to haunt it as the telecoms behemoth admitted that staff costs before leaver costs increased by 2% to £1.32bn in the...Read More »
NetApp Q2 figures show buoyancy in storage
Posted: Thu, 13 Nov 2008Those operating in the storage world have always known that with data growing and compliance regulations fuelling tighter backup strategies that the market looks relatively stable.The latest to confirm that...Read More »
Vodafone to shore up against recession
Posted: Wed, 12 Nov 2008Vodafone has vowed to head off the credit crunch at the pass after unveiling a pre-emptive restructuring programme in the wake of a 35% profit slump in the first...Read More »
Insolvencies rise amid warnings to focus on credit
Posted: Mon, 10 Nov 2008The number of IT companies falling into insolvency has risen by just shy of 5% adding to the growing evidence that companies are finding it harder to stay in...Read More »
Lenovo to respond ‘aggressively’ as profit slumps 77%
Posted: Fri, 07 Nov 2008Lenovo president and CEO William Amelio today pledged to “aggressively pursue growth opportunities” during the coming recession as the slowing PC market knocked back its Q2 2009 numbers. During...Read More »
Acer delivers Q3 profits and bullish outlook
Posted: Tue, 04 Nov 2008Acer delivered a profit in the third quarter and gave retailers reason to cheer if its bullish forecasts for the final trading period of 2008 are to be believed....Read More »
British SMEs to get £4bn in aid
Posted: Thu, 30 Oct 2008Chancellor Alastair Darling revealed today he has secured around £4bn of lending for UK businesses from the European Investment Bank (EIB) up to 2011. This comes a week after the...Read More »
Alcatel-Lucent sees green shoots of recovery
Posted: Thu, 30 Oct 2008CEO Ben Verwaayen accentuated the positive as he delivered his first set of quarterly results in charge of Alcatel-Lucent this morning, with evidence of a recovery in the firm’s...Read More »
Juniper boss sees potential despite crunch
Posted: Fri, 24 Oct 2008As another turbulent week on the stock markets draws to a close and politicians begin to openly talk about a recession, Juniper Networks has bucked the downward trend, posting Q3...Read More »
Ingram Micro still haunted by freight charging
Posted: Fri, 24 Oct 2008Ingram Micro’s EMEA operation posted a $4.7m loss in the third quarter as it admitted the decision this summer to increase freight charges and walk away from unprofitable business took...Read More »
Cautious Microsoft embarks on cost-cutting drive
Posted: Fri, 24 Oct 2008Microsoft plans to wring out a cost saving of $400m to $500m (£248m to £309.6m) this fiscal year and next by reviewing its hiring plans and the amount spent...Read More »
UK economy on the brink of recession
Posted: Fri, 24 Oct 2008The economy is on the brink of recession with the first slowdown for 16 years capping a week of falling exchange rates and panic following the use of the dreaded...Read More »
Investment tumbles as economic crisis bites
Posted: Thu, 23 Oct 2008Business investment in the channel is dropping according to Siemens Financial Services which has forecasted tough times for the second half of the year. The main findings indicate...Read More »
Tech executives optimistic about medium-term recovery
Posted: Tue, 21 Oct 2008Despite the avalanche of gloomy surveys and news reports there continues to be a degree of optimism in the senior levels of the IT industry.According to the DLA Piper 2008...Read More »
IT dealers bear brunt of slowdown, says report
Posted: Mon, 20 Oct 2008Business rescue and restructuring consultants Begbies Traynor have singled out the IT sector as one of the verticals most severely affected in Q3 by the gathering economic storm. ...Read More »
Logicalis delivers solid interim for first six months
Posted: Fri, 17 Oct 2008Logicalis has indicated that the UK market has remained sold for the six months ended 30 August as it reports its interim results. The contribution from Logicalis to...Read More »
Computacenter interm statement upbeat despite hit from banking collapse
Posted: Fri, 17 Oct 2008by Simon Quicke Computacenter has provided some cheer for those looking for signs of robustness in the IT sector with a fairly upbeat interim management statement despite revealing the impact...Read More »
IBM looks to emerging markets for growth
Posted: Fri, 17 Oct 2008After having revealed the main details of its quarterly figures last week, in a move to shore up its share price, IBM was again talking up its position on...Read More »
Forrester warns of longer downturn in IT spending
Posted: Thu, 16 Oct 2008The IT market is set for several quarters of declining revenue as a result of the global recession rather than just a sticky end to the year and the...Read More »
IT executives call for leadership in the face of meltdown
Posted: Mon, 13 Oct 2008Executives in the IT sector are calling for calm in the face of a growing sense of alarm and panic in the business community.According to a survey from the Chartered...Read More »
Phoenix warns of softening in half year figures
Posted: Thu, 09 Oct 2008Phoenix IT Services has unveiled a picture of the half year that show growth but contain the signs of continued softening in the market. The company has...Read More »
IBM moves to rally share price with early Q3 preview
Posted: Thu, 09 Oct 2008IBM provided some cheer for those looking for signs of resilience in the IT world with better than expected Q3 figures. The vendor revealed its profits were up...Read More »
SAP shares slide following gloomy prelim statement
Posted: Tue, 07 Oct 2008Warnings from SAP that its business took a hit in the third quarter sent the vendors shares plummeting and indicated that most of the confidence that had been...Read More »
SEC probes Jobs heart attack
Posted: Tue, 07 Oct 2008US financial regulators are said to be investigating the possibility that last week’s report that Steve Jobs had suffered a heart attack was an attempt to manipulate Apple’s stock...Read More »
British Chambers of Commerce calls for confidence
Posted: Tue, 07 Oct 2008The British Chambers of Commerce, which earlier this summer reported that things were looking tough, has issued its latest quarterly survey indicating that recession has arrived for its...Read More »
Corel warns of tougher times to come
Posted: Fri, 03 Oct 2008Corel has joined the lengthening list of vendors displaying caution about the rest of the year. The software vendor was able to announce higher profits for its third...Read More »
Energy costs growing at a worrying speed
Posted: Thu, 02 Oct 2008Businesses are fighting an uphill battle to contain and reduce power consumption in data centres.Figures from IDC reveal the amount of energy they require is "climbing at a worrying...Read More »
Financing still on the table for the channel
Posted: Thu, 02 Oct 2008Microsoft used its partner event yesterday to stress the importance of its financial offering with David Mitchell, senior vice president of IT research at Ovum, pointing out that deals...Read More »
Ballmer goes from upbeat to talk of non-immunity
Posted: Tue, 30 Sep 2008Steve Ballmer, chief executive of Microsoft, arrives in London tomorrow and will struggle to get the attention onto the software plus services message with most of the attention being...Read More »
Channel will feel the pinch
Posted: Mon, 29 Sep 2008The banking industry collapse which sent shockwaves through the global economy could have severe repercussions for all industries, and sadly the channel will be no different amid predictions that the...Read More »
Ballmer upbeat about IT industry prospects
Posted: Fri, 26 Sep 2008Those in the channel looking for some good cheer will have been cheered by comments made by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer about the state of the economy. In...Read More »
IBM put on short-selling protection list
Posted: Thu, 25 Sep 2008The move to ban short-selling, the practice of trading shares on the presumption that a company will drop in value, has been the focus of moves made by the...Read More »
Financial meltdown impacts channel order books
Posted: Fri, 19 Sep 2008The meltdown in the global financial market has created a tidal wave of uncertainty among IT buyers that were already twitchy about ripples in the global economy, dramatically altering...Read More »
Dell stocks collapse after trading update
Posted: Wed, 17 Sep 2008Shares in Dell have taken a battering; falling to their lowest level in years after the vendor reported it too was seeing softening demand in the current quarter. ...Read More »
Nortel to quit metro Ethernet biz as noose tightens
Posted: Wed, 17 Sep 2008Nortel Networks has become the latest tech company to cry foul over the worsening economic climate, after revising its full-year outlook downwards, and has admitted it is seeking to...Read More »
IT sector showing signs of credit crunch with as costs of borrowing rise
Posted: Mon, 15 Sep 2008Despite the apparent optimism and talk of certain sectors being immune from the pressures of the downturn the ICT market is being hit badly by the credit crunch. ...Read More »
Small dealers secure after Wall Street turmoil
Posted: Mon, 15 Sep 2008The message to resellers concerned about the liquidity of business banking facilities after the collapse of Lehman Brothers and today’s rescue of Merrill Lynch, is not to panic. ...Read More »
Credit crunch starts to show in contract delays
Posted: Tue, 09 Sep 2008A report by Forrester Research into IT services spending, overall services, strategies and priorities has confirmed the toll the economic downturn is taking on IT budgets. Even though European...Read More »
Economic think tank piles on the gloom
Posted: Tue, 02 Sep 2008Fresh from the gloom spread by a Panorama special on living with the credit crunch a global economic think tank has predicted the recession will start in the UK...Read More »
US economy suprises with growth
Posted: Thu, 28 Aug 2008Those industry analysts that wondered where the optimism expressed by Cisco CEO John Chambers in its most recent financial filing came from might understand more clearly after the US...Read More »
Late payment problem continues to worsen
Posted: Wed, 27 Aug 2008The issue of late payments has been ongoing this year, made more acute by the pressure of the credit crunch, and shows no signs of improving. According to the...Read More »
Fat order book best protection against downturn
Posted: Thu, 14 Aug 2008IT services providers have continued to report strong order books insulating them from the growing effects of the downturn, as Anglo-Dutch services outfit Logica and managed security services provider Integralis...Read More »
Credit crunch provides some with opportunity
Posted: Fri, 08 Aug 2008The credit crunch is proving to be a benefit to those that are pushing services and products that might face a tougher sales pitch if buyers were sticking with...Read More »
Ease targets, vendors urged
Posted: Mon, 28 Jul 2008The channel has called for vendors to start factoring the economic slowdown into their sales forecasts, as sales are on average five to 10 per cent below expectations, according to...Read More »
HP weighing up possibility of extending 0% financing
Posted: Thu, 01 Jan 197024 February 2008 Hewlett-Packard has indicated that it is in the process of evaluating the success of its zero financing on PCs, servers and storage before extending the offer...Read More »
Avaya extends 0% offer
Posted: Thu, 01 Jan 197016 July 2008 Avaya has introduced a 0% financing offer on its IP-communications products in a move that it hopes will encourage end-users to lease Avaya kit with no interest...Read More »