SCC secures role in G-Cloud framework

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:48:20 GMT

Leading integrator SCC has announced the success of its application for a framework agreement for the provision of G-Cloud services.

Following a comprehensive public tender process the Government Procurement Service has granted SCC’s application to offer G-Cloud services in four categories, including Infrastructure (IaaS) Services, Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS) and Specialist Cloud Services.

Europe’s largest independent technology solutions provider believes that the success of its tender can be ascribed to a combination of its long-term investment in cloud technology and the strategic advantage of operating one of the UK’s most advanced data centres.

“We’re delighted to have been awarded a framework agreement covering all four of the categories that we applied for. SCC has been at the forefront of cloud computing for some time and we’ve established a track record of investing ahead of the curve, so this announcement serves as a vindication of that strategy,” said Tracy Westall, SCC’s UK Public Sector Director.

“G-Cloud is a concerted effort to enable the kind of technology initiatives that will help the government deliver services faster, better and cheaper, and we’re proud to be playing a role in that mission.”

SCC Chief Technology Officer Rhys Sharp added: “The strategic value of operating from a secure, environmentally friendly facility within the UK is not to be underestimated. We look forward to working with a range of companies from multinational corporations to SMEs to help public sector organisations select and implement the services they need to help make Britain better.”

ENDS

About SCC

SCC is Europe’s largest independent technology solutions provider around the infrastructure, and is part of Specialist Computer Holdings (SCH) plc. The Group has regional operations in seven different countries, employs over 7,000 professional staff and has delivered sustained, profitable growth for some 35 years, with annual turnover exceeding £2.5 billion.

SCC has an enviable track record of success in helping Business and Government organisations profit from technology, enhance service delivery and remove unnecessary cost. Established partnerships with the world’s leading technology brands combine with long term investment in design, delivery and services capability to help customers achieve a rapid return on their investment in IT.

http://www.scc.com

SCC leads the national conversation on consumerisation of IT

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:32:16 GMT

Technology integrator SCC has called upon the UK's leading companies to join the national conversation surrounding the consumerisation of IT or risk missing the benefits of one of the biggest challenges to face British business since the high-tech revolution began.

Responding to the growing trend for users to bring web enabled gadgets such as laptops, smart phones and iPads into the workplace, Europe's largest independent technology solutions provider is encouraging companies to accelerate their discussions around this issue as a matter of urgency. With instant messaging and social networking fast becoming a staple of 21st Century office culture, SCC believes that firms need to actively explore their options without delay, to avoid any potential pitfalls.

"We know UK businesses are ready to do more than just talk about this issue because it’s on the agenda of every CIO we speak to. The consumerisation of IT is already happening in the workplace and it's happening in every company right now. There are many fundamental questions that organisations have to consider. For example, do they know how many staff-owned smart phones, iPads and laptops are already on their networks and do they know what they're doing on them? These are big questions and there are compelling reasons as to why it is necessary to know the answers," said James Rigby, UK MD, SCC.

The consumerisation of IT, which is the process that brings personal productivity and social networking elements - both hardware and software - into the workplace environment, is a hot topic. The most recent available Gartner research says it is an issue that needs to be understood so business IT can cope with the demands placed on its networks today and in the future. As consumer technologies increasingly penetrate the workplace, organisations must have a strategy that copes with consumer email and communication services like instant messaging (IM) and voice over IP (VoIP); blogs, social networks and other web 2.0 services; unmanaged mobile devices; network management and remote connectivity.

The generation currently entering the workforce now regard such technologies as part of everyday life and as a result SCC is working with major brands to create an opportunity from this challenge. The company, which unveiled its cutting-edge Desktop as a Service offering in April - with the first UK demonstration of virtual desktop technology using the iPad, now reports that forward thinking companies are exploring ways to meet the issue head on by subsidising employee laptops - wrapping business and productivity benefits together with a desirable staff benefits package.

Meanwhile, the company points out that the major issues driving the IT industry today are part of a bigger consumerisation picture. Whether considering virtualisation, Desktop as a Service, cloud computing, VDI, Windows 7 or collaboration - each represents aspects of the consumerisation of IT and all need to be wrapped into an organisation’s vision for its business strategy.

"The consumerisation of IT is happening all around us, but it is a cultural movement that is still developing so nobody has all the answers. At SCC, we're confident we have mapped out the right path to take organisations confidently into the future, turning a challenge into a competitive differentiator. We've got 35 years’ experience of analysing new technologies, mastering their implementation and delivering commercial benefits, so our response to the evolving landscape is well underway.

“We’ve been running practical workshops with our customers in order to highlight the range of issues presented by consumerisation that need to be pulled together and considered. Of course this is not just about technology, it’s about considering the wider implications involving Human Resources and Finance amongst oth

SCC Predicts Competitive Pressures for Managed Services Sector

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:07:07 GMT

In a rapidly shifting marketplace, SCC, the leading technology integrator, says suppliers offering IT maintenance and support must compete not only in terms of upfront commercial benefits, but match their competition across an entire range of services including scale, workforce size, geographic reach, reliability and breadth of service.
Reflecting upon the increasingly commoditised nature of the IT support and maintenance market in the UK, Stuart Moore, who heads up Services’ Business Development at SCC, predicts companies will increasingly be forced to compete across the board.
"The managed services industry may have grown on the back of a cost reduction proposition, but today's customers need more than up front savings alone. The relationship between customer and maintenance contractor needs to evolve in tune with the customer’s business strategy and deliver end-to-end service capability with an on-demand, skilled workforce,” said Moore.
"The cost structure needs to deliver benefits throughout the contract and leverage vendor relationships to give the best possible value to customer warranties. Matching the requirements of today's retail and commercial industries is increasingly a challenge that few suppliers have the scale and scope to meet."
SCC reports that as customers become markedly more discriminating, greater effort is required to provide added value. Discerning customers frequently visit workshops to inspect every aspect of a supplier’s facilities, from engineering, through to repairs, recycling & secure disposal. Their aim is to ensure delivery - day or night, 365 days a year – will combine with the necessary scale and capability to support any UK business location.
Moore also stresses the importance of competitive pricing models. SCC adopts a flexible approach to its contracts, ensuring a client derives maximum benefit throughout, irrespective of the level of support required.
"You can’t sign a new deal and then sit on it. The most effective long term relationships that we have developed embrace flexible and transparent pricing to ensure a customer achieves value for money throughout, with visibility of what they are spending, where and when." said Moore.
"In the current climate, the managed services sector has to respond to budget constraints and deliver more for less. SCC’s breadth and scale of operations, end to end service capabilities, flexible cost structure and commitment to performance enhancing SLAs is a proposition that’s both compelling and more than meets today’s competitive pressures."

ENDS

For more information contact:
Judy Groves: judy.groves@sch-group.com / Tel 0121 766 2594
Louise Acton: louise.acton@btinternet.com / Mobile 07595 355 938
For further images contact:
Beatrice Mocci Revolver PR: Beatrice@revolver-pr.co.uk

Rackspace survey finds businesses would 'love to never have to buy another server again'

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:56:38 GMT

Rackspace Hosting, the world's leader in hosting and cloud computing, has announced the results of its latest survey, which highlights the growing problem of businesses struggling to cope with the demands of managing their own servers. More than half of the businesses surveyed responded that they would 'love to never have to buy another server again.'

The research underscores Rackspace's recent launch of No More Servers, a campaign and community dedicated to a new way of buying IT which includes managed hosting, cloud computing and email hosting. The new service has been created to help free businesses from the hassle of in-house server management and to enable them to instead shift their focus onto mission critical applications, core competencies and innovation. Rackspace is augmenting this initiative with Rackspace.co.uk/NoMoreServers, a location for companies to learn the benefits of hosting services.

The study, conducted by LoudHouse on behalf of Rackspace, investigated the views of more than 441 IT managers at mid-size enterprises and revealed that approximately one third of their IT staff's time is spent on server management, which is liable to limit their ability to focus on strategic initiatives that could benefit the business. Fifty eight percent of respondents cited the 'hassle of managing servers' as a challenge for their organization, while 61% of IT managers said 'time to drive innovation' was a challenge.

Additionally, on-site servers were seen to also cause 'server stress' for IT managers, who cited 'the need to be available 24x7', 'hardware issues and maintenance', and 'after-hours calls and issues' as the top three server management issues. The survey also found that 51% of respondents have made mistakes in their server capacity planning. Fifteen percent have bought too many servers and 36% have failed to buy enough. This leaves businesses exposed to the risks of financial waste and the inability to cope with user demand by not getting server spending right the first time.

The survey also revealed that 35% of companies identify themselves as ‘proactive and slightly ahead of the curve’ when it comes to describing their approach to new technologies, while 28% remain ‘cautious and reactive.’ When it comes to hosting and cloud computing, barriers to adoption include assurances of reliability (29%), evidence of cost savings (28%) and assurances of security (27%).

"IT should be an enabler," said Lanham Napier, president and chief executive officer of Rackspace Hosting. "The survey seems to reveal that a huge chunk of time and resources are spent keeping the lights on and preventing problems. Rackspace, with its world class Fanatical Support, can free organizations from the hassle of server management and enable their IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives that will positively impact the business."

About the Survey
Rackspace's online survey research was conducted in September 2009 and involved 441 US and UK-based IT decision-makers at companies with 100-500 employees.

About Rackspace Hosting
Rackspace Hosting is the world's leader in hosting, cloud computing and dedicated servers and has been ranked in the Financial Times Top 50 Great Place to Work in the United Kingdom for the past five years. Rackspace provides its customers with Fanatical Support by delivering a portfolio of hosted IT services, including Managed Hosting, hosting exchange and private cloud solutions, housed in our Lifestyles of the Tech Frustrated website. Gerard from Albuquerque – wrote a poem about home networking – and was considered one of the stand-out entries.

Entries ranged from fixing shared printer issues to rogue wireless networks with stories coming from all over America.

Cisco invited entrants to tell their stories that depict the challenges and advantages of home networking. Cisco wanted to hear about what customers use their home networks for and what they accomplish in their lives through technology. The competition also asked how customers' problems were solved through the use of the Network Magic software.

In response, Cisco customers' discussed Network Magic and how the home network software has helped them with their home networking nightmares. This feedback will help prove to be invaluable and go towards helping with the future development of Cisco home network management software.

About Network Magic Software products:
Cisco Network Magic is a home and home office network management software solution which provides software tools to help users set up a home network without the associated hassles of the task. The software programme helps enable users to connect up their devices such as routers, PCs, printers, media hubs, media adapters and internet cameras. Users can also control access to the internet and track online activity to ensure no users are abusing their privileges.

Network Magic also protects networks with enhanced WPA security capabilities and status alerts to block intruders and warn of any attempts from unauthorised sources. Network Magic can also help to repair network and Internet connections to keep everything running smoothly and optimize productivity.

About Cisco Systems:
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Cisco's vision for the consumer is to enable people to live a connected life that is more personal, more social, and more visual. More information about Cisco and its line of consumer products can be found at www.linksysbycisco.com and www.cisco.com/consumer

Fasthosts finds business owners want greater involvement in IT procurement

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:06:52 GMT

Fasthosts Internet Ltd, a leading web hosting provider, has released a study showing that 53 per cent of US business owners seek more involvement in the purchasing of their IT services, such as hosting, than ever before.

The survey of 132 US business* owners found that in the past year, over half (53 per cent) have purposefully sought a greater understanding of the IT services they use as a direct result of economic pressures, and intend to be more involved in selecting their IT service providers going forward.

From those businesses that use dedicated hosting services, 1 in 4 owners wish to renegotiate associated costs this year. As businesses worldwide scrutinize IT costs, Fasthosts is encouraging UK companies to review their hosting costs and seek out the best possible technology for their money. Fasthosts is also helping UK businesses to lower their server costs by reducing its dedicated server prices with discounts of up to £480 per annum for the life of the contract.

Steve Holford, CMO Fasthosts commented, "Every business owner understands the importance of procurement. One should review their web solutions periodically, and push through necessary changes. In a challenging operating environment, it is imperative that every business gets what it pays for and pays only for what it needs".

Fasthosts dedicated server solutions have been tailored to support business needs with high-speed performance and connectivity, no bandwidth charges and 24/7 UK-based support. All dedicated servers are housed within a state-of-the-art data centre in Gloucester and designed to provide demanding users with high specifications and excellent service levels. Business owners can contact advisors at Fasthosts to discuss their requirements and potential cost savings for their business.

- ends -

Notes to editors:
*132 US enterprises that pay for a dedicated server solution via electronic feedback form

About Fasthosts
Fasthosts is the UK's number one web hosting company. Based in the UK and operating 24x7 from their dedicated UK data centres, Fasthosts keeps over 1 million domains running smoothly and ensures over 6 million emails are delivered safely each day. All Fasthosts services can be self-managed through the award winning Fasthosts web-based control panel which provides customers with unparalleled online control, enabling them to manage hosted services including domain names, shared web hosting, business-class email, dedicated servers, software-as-a-service, internet merchant accounts and unlimited broadband. Fasthosts' highly successful reseller channel has recently been rated Number 1 for reseller hosting by industry portal Web Host Directory.

Fasthosts Survey Shows Fear Outweighs Cost Concerns With Business IT Needs

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:16:17 GMT

A new survey by IT specialists Fasthosts Internet has revealed that companies are being forced to re-evaluate their IT systems and question what they really need due to the unsettled economy. In these difficult times, one-third said they still hesitate to consider a replacement server even if it is necessary. At the same time, 53% of business owners are becoming more involved in decisions relating to their IT needs in light of the challenging economy.

When times get tough, a company’s budget spending strategy can seriously affect the quality and quantity of the company’s technology resources. The Fasthosts survey showed 29% of respondents have reviewed their budget for servers in the past six months. Nearly twice that number (54%) has analysed their finances during the last 12 months.

For many people the fear of what might happen when they replace their server looms over their decision. One in three survey participants (33%) said they would be fearful of switching to a new provider because of a potential disruption to their service. Perhaps bound by this fear, 22% have not updated or changed their server solution in at least three years even though at least 25% said they want to lower their external server costs.

Stephen Holford, chief marketing officer of Fasthosts Internet, says the company understands where its customers’ fears lay and hope they are able to clear up questions about servers.

He said: "Fasthosts products are offered by the leading provider for reseller web hosting in the UK, and one that is making a strong mark in the US. We try to emphasize that a background in IT isn’t necessary to use and profit from our servers and reseller solutions so that smaller businesses can better understand their IT needs. If given a closer look, they will see the top-of-the-line solutions that Fasthosts offers at very competitive prices."

Getting the most value for their money is a concern many have when deciding how much should be spent on their IT provider, especially regarding servers. Almost half (45%) of survey participants said they felt overcharged for costs including monitoring fees, server management, additional memory and IP addresses, back-up space, consultancy fees and server traffic. One third of the respondents, however, pay more than just their provider to upkeep their server.

Holford added: "Balancing a budget is difficult, especially when there is uncertainty concerning necessary versus peripheral costs. IT solutions, like servers and online services, are important to any company. It seems that people must realize that there are providers out there like Fasthosts that can alleviate concerns by offering solutions that exhibit both quality and value for a reasonable cost."

About Fasthosts Inc.
Fasthosts is a leading reseller web hosting provider and the UK's number one web hosting company. In the US the company is based in Chesterbrook, PA. Fasthosts provides its resellers with top-of-the-line web hosting services and 24/7 dedicated tech support based in the US. As a web hosting specialist and the #1 provider for web hosts in the UK, Fasthosts offers its customers an extensive range of solutions including domain name registration, email accounts, shared and reseller web hosting, and dedicated servers. All US customer websites are hosted within the company’s state-of-the-art data centre in Lenexa, KS and benefit from 30GBit high-speed connectivity.

Hays Information Technology reports IT leads organisational efficiency

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:57:28 GMT

Hays Information Technology, a leading specialist recruitment company, reports a number of specialist IT skill sets have come to the fore during the current climate, as organisations seek to maximise efficiencies.

Providing technical solutions in a structured and cost-effective manner remains a key priority, particularly for larger organisations and consequently this has led to sustained demand for architecture expertise in the current IT architect jobs market. "Enterprise architects can still command excellent salaries and remuneration levels reflect the substantial cost savings that these individuals can bring to their organisations," commented James Lloyd-Townshend, Managing Director at Hays Information Technology.

The focus on cost efficiency has also fuelled demand for business intelligence consultants, whose remit is to prepare management information reports, keep senior stakeholders informed on all aspects of company performance and highlight areas where resources need to be diverted in order to optimise financial outlays. "SharePoint experience is a particular skill set that employers are looking for, as this can make a real difference to the way businesses share information, which in turn has a dual knock-on effect on engagement and productivity," added Lloyd-Townshend.

Virtualisation is a central part of an organisation's IT strategy in achieving consolidating and standardising infrastructure. This results in server and device consolidation and these reductions mean less capital expenditure, lower power consumption and maintenance costs, fewer human resource support requirements and software licenses. Cloud computing and cloud-based applications are seen as a pivotal part of this economy drive. Other specialist skills that are currently in demand for IT jobs include VMware, C# and .Net.

Some of the larger organisations in particular will be looking to increase their expenditure on IT projects during the second half of the year, in preparation for the upturn. "Businesses will initially look to bring in senior interim professionals to manage these projects and we would then expect them to gradually increase their permanent headcount as and when the market starts to pick up," added Lloyd-Townshend. "Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) are also taking advantage of the current market conditions to attract talent and these organisations offer opportunities for individuals to make a real difference to their businesses."

While the nature of the current economic climate has altered the parameters for IT recruitment, many organisations are reassessing their requirements in preparation for delivering fundamental strategic projects, as this represents an opportunity to steal a march on the competition and subsequently gain market share. IT professionals can also bring their commercial skills to bear in the public sector, which is keen to hire individuals with a commercial background. "It is important that jobseekers research transferable skills and understand how these organisations operate," added Lloyd-Townshend as a note of caution.

Finding increasingly cost effective infrastructure solutions, enabling faster data access across organisations and sharing information to gain operational efficiencies have all led to a steady demand for specialist IT skill sets, which will help organisations through the downturn and provide a solid platform for the economic recovery.

-ends-

Notes to Editor:
About Hays Information Technology
Hays Information Technology is part of Hays plc, specialising in IT jobs including developer jobs and programmer jobs. It is market leader in the UK and Australia, and one of the market leaders