IPS2016 - What a day!

The Ignite Partner Symposium lived up to its billing at being one of the biggest partner events of 2016 and 21st April will be remembered as much for the buzz and conversations of the break-out sessions as it will be for the presentations themselves.

The setting was perfect and the steady stream of HPE partners and Westcoast clients entering the doors early set the tone for the day. Before registration was even complete exhibitors were busy discussing what was new in the world of HPE, Aruba

Zynstra Easy Connect and HPFS.

The event had over 100 registrations to begin with and as the first session was being delivered by Lee Hughes to a packed auditorium we had already seen an attendance rate of over 70% with a mix of established Business and Silver HPE partners mingling with some smaller resellers looking to climb the HPE ladder.

To see how the rest of the day played out take a look here

 

Westcoast acquistion of ArtSystems

We are pleased to announce today the acquisition of ArtSystems, the Nottingham-based specialist distributor.

ArtSystems, is recognised as one of Europe’s leading providers of value-add services and solutions to support high-end printing.

The firm provides technical consultancy, demonstration services, specialist logistics and pre and post sales engineering to the design, graphics, signage, display and 3D markets. Product portfolio focuses on large format and latex print and finishing hardware, software, media and supplies – and in the last 24 months the firm has seen significant success in 3D printing solutions.

Westcoast Managing Director Duncan Forsyth, said: "This acquisition represents a game-changing opportunity for Westcoast. ArtSystems has been a driving force in the development of the wide format sector and is a leader in next generation 3D printing. Both industries are growing hard and fast. Access to ArtSystems’ peerless technical expertise and range of distribution agreement with leading vendors like HP and Stratasys will give us a considerable competitive edge.”

 Steve Hawker, Managing Director of ArtSystems, added: “Over the years ArtSystems has built a reputation for creating new channels for manufacturer’s niche products. With investment from Westcoast we now have the opportunity to scale our solutions for suppliers and customers alike.”

For more information contact marketing@westcoast.co.uk.

Have you had a project held up due to a DOA printer?

If this sounds like a problem you found yourself faced with in the past, then fear no more..

 

Westcoast now offer Pre Delivery Inspection (PDI) service on all printers so you never have to worry about a project being held up again, receiving a brand new multi function printer that nobody knows how to set up, or even worse the wrong printer arriving.

Brand New Nebula Events – 3 Huge Reasons to Attend

So, Nebula is back in Reading, Manchester, Dublin and London! And what better way to get the information about it than a quick 2-minute deep dive into the most important points?

For those of you that want to skip to all of the full gritty details, you can find out more about the events and register here.

A look at Microsoft’s Enterprise Mobility Suite

It’s coming up to two years since Microsoft’s new mobile device management (MDM) software was announced by Satya Nadella. As it’s coming up to its two year anniversary this year, it’s safe to say that it’s been steadily growing in users. 

This is no doubt in part to the rising popularity of Office 365 in the work place, meaning that software and credentials are getting used on more than just the standard desktop PC. For organisations that support using multiple devices, MDM solutions are by far the best way to manage them. Well, it is called mobile device management software after all.

Thin, but not light – the new HP t730 caters for heavy content needs

As the cloud-based computing architecture has advanced, Thin Clients have played an increasing role in business tech. Carving a niche in high-performance sectors, such as financial services, oil/gas, digital media, and engineering, the Thin Client provides easy access and secure computing power through virtual desktop provision. While the benefits of this set up are patently clear – reduced costs, enhanced security, simple manageability, and optimal scalability – Thin Clients do have their drawbacks; image quality often suffers; add-ons and extra features are habitually required to maximise performance; they can be complicated to upgrade; and the pre-loaded software is frequently sub-par. The new HP t730 sets out to redress the balance.

Nebula – Journeying through the Cloud

By Rebecca Richards

Hello Partners!

 I’d like to thank all those that attended Stage 1 of the Nebula Program at the Cloud Partner Days. Covering London, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Dublin, over 200 attendees came together to discuss Westcoast’s and Microsoft’s commitment to support our partners and the opportunities in the cloud.

Westcoast appointed as distributor of HPE Aruba Networking Solutions

Westcoast has further strengthened its relationship with Hewlett Packard Enterprise after being newly appointed as a distributor for the recently acquired Aruba next generation networking solutions.

Westcoast has been unveiled as an Aruba exclusive distributor after finishing 2015 as HPE’s strongest distributor

Edinburgh Speakers Revealed for Nebula Program

By Phil Lamplugh

So, some of you may be aware that as part of our new Nebula Program (that’s our big campaign covering all things cloud), we’ve recently announced some Cloud Partner Days that will be at cities all over the UK. Five dates, five brilliant venues, five fantastic cities. This must be what it feels like to be a rock star… Almost.

Exploring CSP

By Phil Lamplugh 

There’s an unavoidable acronym that can be heard up and down the Westcoast office every day. CSP is making huge noise in the channel right now, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to be dying down.

I’ve heard ‘CSP’ said so much, that the actual meaning of the letters has been lost in the buzz of what’s usually associated with the phrase: monthly billing; wrap-around services; 24/7 support. So let’s take a step back. As a relative newcomer to the channel, I decided to investigate the perceived wonder that is CSP.