From AI and software robots to new security techniques such as isolation, which hot tech start-ups could break through this year? We asked execs at 10 resellers, from cyber-security and cloud specialists to big players such as Daisy and Softcat, for their tips
Spotinst
Founded: 2015
Total funds raised: $17.6m (Cruchbase)
HQ: San Francisco
Field: Cloud cost management
Cheerleader: Nathan Marke, Daisy Group
Founded in 2015 by a group of former Israeli defence programmers, Spotinst claims it can cut organisations' cloud computing costs by 80 per cent.
The San Francisco-based start-up gained backing from Intel Capital in a $15m funding round last July, and is also earning admirers in the UK channel, including Daisy Group chief digital officer Nathan Marke.
Marke (pictured) said that Spotinst can help businesses retain control over costs as they move to public cloud.
"Public cloud adoption will accelerate in 2018," he said. "One of the biggest benefits in moving to hyperscale is the consumption model, however without due care this benefit can quickly become a challenge, as businesses lose control of cost. For this reason, hybrid cloud cost optimisation will appear on the radar in 2018."
Marke added: "For me, Spotinst are in a sweet spot - enabling businesses to leverage spare capacity or spot instances in public cloud platforms where workloads can be run at a lower cost than in the premium marketplace. I can see this type of value-add becoming increasingly relevant to the channel as part of a cost-optimisation proposition."
