Ten resellers reveal which competitor they respect the most, and why
Like any highly competitive industry, the UK channel is packed with bitter rivalries. But that is not to say the UK's top resellers are above admitting a grudging respect for some of their peers, as we explore in this feature
Nominator: Neil Murphy, managing director, Bytes Technology Group
Nominee: Softcat
The competitor that I respect the most is Softcat because they have stuck to their guns, they play to their strength, they've had great leadership over the last 10 to 15 years and they have great financial controls as a business. We always try to compare ourselves to Softcat. They have set the bar high and we want to try to be as successful as they are. They're a good model for us to try to emulate.
They have done a good job in broadening out their portfolio, and their services portfolio as well, and they have expanded in a well-planned and well-thought-out way which has been hugely successful. You look at their figures and they're nothing but impressive. I'm dead jealous!
The channel has hundreds of players in it and they all have their own strengths and weaknesses. There is plenty of room for all shapes and sizes.
There is no one, successful model - but Softcat does have a successful model. It depends on the leadership, the quality of the staff and the culture of the organisation. They have a very strong culture and we like to think our culture is strong too.
Click onto the next page to find out who XMA's Andy Wright most respects...
Ten resellers reveal which competitor they respect the most, and why
Like any highly competitive industry, the UK channel is packed with bitter rivalries. But that is not to say the UK's top resellers are above admitting a grudging respect for some of their peers, as we explore in this feature
Nominator: Andy Wright, commercial director, XMA
Nominees: SCC and Computacenter
There are two players in the market that I really admire: SCC and CC [Computacenter].
They're two different businesses, but both have built something over 30-plus years that have really led the way in terms of how resellers can grow and develop.
Clearly SCC and its people are close to my heart after having spent nearly 20 years there. I love the way the business has changed over the years to not only grow and stay very relevant to its customer base with great service offerings, but also keep one eye on where it has come from and make sure it's still doing the basic things required by its customers and doing them well.
CC is interesting for a different reason as clearly over the years it has transitioned itself into a massive services business that competes with the global SIs - and can beat them. The stability of Mike Norris and Tony Conophy must also be mentioned. There can't be many CEO/CIO combinations on the stock market that have stood the test of time like these guys.
Click onto the next page to find out who Cloudreach's Chris Bunch most respects...
Ten resellers reveal which competitor they respect the most, and why
Like any highly competitive industry, the UK channel is packed with bitter rivalries. But that is not to say the UK's top resellers are above admitting a grudging respect for some of their peers, as we explore in this feature
Nominator: Chris Bunch, head of Europe, Cloudreach
Nominee: Accenture
This is perhaps a surprising nomination, given we mainly work in large enterprises and hence compete mainly with global system integrators in one form or another.
But if I'm picking one of the "big" guys, then I think Accenture have demonstrated the most thought leadership on new technologies, including public cloud.
They have made more of a successful effort compared with the others in terms of turning the oil tanker and being able to deliver services related to true public cloud computing - which isn't easy when one has other competing revenue streams such as datacentre support contracts.
Click onto the next page to find out who AAG's Michelle Walker most respects...
Ten resellers reveal which competitor they respect the most, and why
Like any highly competitive industry, the UK channel is packed with bitter rivalries. But that is not to say the UK's top resellers are above admitting a grudging respect for some of their peers, as we explore in this feature
Nominator: Michelle Walker, managing director, AAG IT Services
Nominees: Air-IT, Resolve and Central Technology
There are two or three we respect in some way, shape or form.
Air-IT is the first. They are quite professional and do the marketing quite well, and we don't hear them talking in a derogatory way about other MSPs.
The same goes for Resolve IT and Central Tech. They're the three with which we maintain a professional curtesy.
[Fellow AAG director] Alexa [Greaves] and I know a director or two at Central Tech. Our paths have crossed over the last five years or so when we were incredibly small and they were a lot smaller, and they were always very professional and willing to share, and it's not always like that in IT. With Resolve, it's due to what our guys hear about them from clients when they're out and about.
There's still far too much backbiting out there, but it tends to be led by, dare I say it, old-school salespeople, probably more so than owners and directors of businesses.
Click onto the next page to find out who QuantIQ's Stuart Fenton most respects...
Ten resellers reveal which competitor they respect the most, and why
Like any highly competitive industry, the UK channel is packed with bitter rivalries. But that is not to say the UK's top resellers are above admitting a grudging respect for some of their peers, as we explore in this feature
Nominator: Stuart Fenton, CEO, QuantIQ
Nominees: Technology Management and Edgewater Fullscope
I have always held a healthy respect for my competitors and have typically categorised them by their scale, integrity and threat level to our business. However, it's the leadership that creates the culture and upholds the standards, not the logo above the door.
There are two firms that I particularly hold in high regard for their integrity and ability: Technology Management and specifically their brilliant leader James Crowter. Their clients will always get a very good and innovative service. In reality, the landscape is changing quickly and some fall away very quickly, but the other one I am watching is the UK arm of Edgewater Fullscope - particularly while led by Adam Spurr. A good firm with high standards.
Click onto the next page to find out who New Signature UK's Dan Scarfe most respects...
Ten resellers reveal which competitor they respect the most, and why
Like any highly competitive industry, the UK channel is packed with bitter rivalries. But that is not to say the UK's top resellers are above admitting a grudging respect for some of their peers, as we explore in this feature
Nominator: Dan Scarfe, founder, New Signature UK
Nominee: Risual
I admire the work that Risual have done, certainly around their apprenticeship scheme.
They have done a lot of work on building this entire training, development and apprenticeship programme and getting more people into tech, and I think they've done a stellar job with that.
They're trying to get more people trained up and into the Microsoft channel, and have done a really good job with that. We meet them a lot on deals - they are almost the mirror image of us. They are based in the north, so tend to work in a different geographical footprint, but they are a very similar business to us. In fact, they won [Microsoft] Partner of the Year the year after us, which was quite amusing.
Click onto the next page to find out who Mirus IT's Paul Tomlinson most respects...
Ten resellers reveal which competitor they respect the most, and why
Like any highly competitive industry, the UK channel is packed with bitter rivalries. But that is not to say the UK's top resellers are above admitting a grudging respect for some of their peers, as we explore in this feature
Nominator: Paul Tomlinson, Mirus IT
Nominees: Managed 24-7 and Air-IT
Technically we are competitors with [fellow Milton Keynes-based MSP] Managed 24-7, but we get on fairly well with them.
Sometimes we'll run into each other with regards to an opportunity we are both working on, and sometimes a team member moves from us to them, or them to us, but we've got a lot of respect for what they are doing with the technology. The predictive approach they are undertaking with the RMM tool they are developing - if they get that working, it's going to be a real game-changer for the industry.
From a service delivery perspective, the guys from Air-IT in Nottingham are really on it. We work quite closely with them, and there are a lot of similarities between the two businesses around service delivery and employee engagement.
Click onto the next page to find out who Servium's Paul Barlow most respects...
Ten resellers reveal which competitor they respect the most, and why
Like any highly competitive industry, the UK channel is packed with bitter rivalries. But that is not to say the UK's top resellers are above admitting a grudging respect for some of their peers, as we explore in this feature
Nominator: Paul Barlow, managing director, Servium
Nominees: Trams, Tangible Benefit, Centerprise
You've got the likes of Softcat, who have grown and done a phenomenal role, which lots of people would say, but then the downside is sometimes these organisations become so big they start to become impersonal, and we've had a couple of customers say 'they're just too big for us'.
But then you've got someone like Centerprise or maybe Tangible Benefits or Trams on the other end of the scale who have just been around forever and just seem to weather the storm.
People keep saying 'if you don't change and evolve, then you're dead', but then you've got the bit that goes 'actually there are some names there that have been going for 20 to 30 years who are growing companies'. Are they the biggest in the industry? No. But they just seem to be able to move with the trends and what's going on.
Those three have been around for a fair while and we've come across them for quite a long time and one or two of them had their ups and downs, but Centerprise is probably one of the longest-going resellers in the country.
Click onto the next page to find out who Comparex's Richard Best most respects...
Ten resellers reveal which competitor they respect the most, and why
Like any highly competitive industry, the UK channel is packed with bitter rivalries. But that is not to say the UK's top resellers are above admitting a grudging respect for some of their peers, as we explore in this feature
Nominator: Richard Best, UK country manager, Comparex
Nominee: Softcat
I think Softcat are the pinnacle of culture. They have a really slick onboarding process. They have a massively expanding team and great business performance, without question.
Also, not annoyingly at all, they're a really nice bunch of guys. I think they're at the top of the tree for me.
Click onto the next page to find out who Stone's Simon Harbridge most respects...
Ten resellers reveal which competitor they respect the most, and why
Like any highly competitive industry, the UK channel is packed with bitter rivalries. But that is not to say the UK's top resellers are above admitting a grudging respect for some of their peers, as we explore in this feature
Nominator: Simon Harbridge, CEO, Stone Group
Nominee: Softcat, CCS Media, Total Computers
It's a vibrant channel, and there are a lot of excellent players in it, and I think most people compete in a friendly and positive way and we all spark off each other. But there is a bit of backbiting that goes on at times as well.
A couple of the big guys I'd shout out would be Softcat and CCS Media. Results speak volumes and they are both delivering consistent growth, but more importantly on a sustainable, profitable basis. And they put people at the forefront. They really work hard bringing people in and developing people from the bottom to the top, and that's something we focus on here at Stone. That leads them to gaining net new customers each year. They both operate what I'd call a very traditional but strong value added reseller model. They really support their customers on their journey and offer a broad range of hardware and associated services that supports all their needs.
I should also really give a shout out to Total Computers in Kettering as another Midlands-based business. It's great to see a couple of guys who set up on their own not so long ago driving things the right way. They are a small company growing strongly with a good focus on customers and an enriched offering of services, and I think they are heading in the right direction.