As you like it - Channel Expo

CRN Channel Expo: A theatre for innovative channel players

The Bard famously said: “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players.” At CRN Channel Expo, they will have their entrances and their exits, while some will play many parts.

However, none of the Channel Expo players is insignificant. Every one of the 65 firms that have been confirmed as taking a stand so far has something innovative or intriguing to offer the UK’s resellers, integrators or solution providers.

Each has a great deal to bring to the event, with their particular speciality or contribution being the unique combination of products and services they offer.

Across the water
A-server from Antwerp, Belgium, will display its cloud offerings for solution providers, while IASO Backup Technology from Emmeloord in The Netherlands is showcasing its own online solutions.

One stand has been booked by Global Online Tracing or GOT-IT,
a startup from County Donegal.

Joe Hunter, director of GOT-IT, said it will be promoting a new online security application.

“Until now we have been playing our cards close to our chest. However, CRN is the first publication to which we have issued a formal description,” said Hunter.

“GOT-IT is an online application that allows you to register your PC or laptop on to a secure online database through a registered GOT-IT Centre using the unique manufacturer’s serial number.”

High hopes
Hunter hopes to sign up companies from all over the UK to maximise the service’s effectiveness.

“The hope we have is that eventually there will be a sufficiently extensive network of centres and public knowledge of the system that it will help reduce theft,” he said.

John Fannon, national sales manager for independent partners at Gold co-sponsor T-Mobile, said the firm sees Expo as an excellent opportunity to showcase market-leading T-Mobile products and services to an audience keen to provide managed business solutions.

“Partner Redstone Mobile is one of only two authorised T-Mobile post-pay distributors in the UK and can provide a first-class service,” said Fannon.

Hugh Furness, sales director at Wasp Barcode Technologies, said the company’s stand will aim to introduce the value-adding ability of its solutions to more resellers.

“This is the first time for us, and we see huge value for us with VARs,” said Furness. “We will also display new training, programmes and extended warranties.”

Eben Owen, channel manager at Emerson Network Power, said it will exhibit products now essential at the physical networking layer.

“The range extends from energy-efficient uninterruptible power supply (UPS) protection, through versatile server racks and adaptive precision cooling modules to powerful monitoring and control facilities,” said Owen.

Properly integrated networking will be more efficient ­ a popular theme in a year when the drive to go green is expected to tempt companies to open their wallets.

“Resellers will appreciate the opportunity to specify and bundle together different elements,” added Owen.

Taking a stand
Andrew Hall, marketing manager at Oki Printing Solutions, said its stand will launch a new channel offering to resellers.

“Oki will showcase the affordable A4 and A3 colour MFD, the new MC860,” said Hall. “And we will also be showing the C9850 MFD running with Microsoft SharePoint, and the cost-effective penPresenter and penDocuments solutions for digital information capture from Anoto.”

Keith Warburton, chief executive of the PC Association (PCA), said it will provide hospitality.

“The PCA team, including most directors, will be on hand to cover key issues, and we’ll have outcomes from the Channel Finance Summit to discuss,” he said.

“I believe we’re the only exhibitor to have attended every Channel Expo. The event ticks all the boxes.”

CRN Channel Expo
>> www.channelexpo.co.uk