Ci Distribution Takes Industry by Storm with THREE New Partnerships

Ci Distribution announces THREE New Partnerships

Basingstoke-based IT distributor, Ci Distribution is thrilled to announce not one, but THREE fantastic new partnerships with key players in the IT industry; namely, Brother UK, iKey, Mad Catz.

Located in Greater Manchester since 1968, Brother UK offers a range of print, scan and video conferencing solutions designed to boost efficiency for businesses across the UK. Ci Distribution will supply a range of Brother UK products, focusing on Brother’s rugged mobile printers, including its PJ-700 and RJ series, along with a wide variety of mobile label printers. 

Ged Cairns - Head of CIV and Mobile Business Unit, VAR, SI & Mobile at Brother UK said:

“We’ve invested heavily in our mobile print solutions in recent years, launching one of the smallest thermal A4 mobile printers on the market as part of our PJ-700 series and growing our team of mobile specialists. Our approach is to work alongside customers, understand their needs and tailor our solutions to meet these. We look for innovative partners who are committed to operating in the same way, and Ci Distribution fits the bill perfectly.”

Based in Texas, iKey is an industry-renowned rugged peripherals manufacturer, renowned as the first choice for rugged computer peripherals – specifically, for the attachable FZG1-C1-V5 iKey keyboard designed exclusively for the Panasonic FZG1 tablet. Ci D will distribute their full product offering of keyboards, displays, mice and pointing devices. 

iKey CEO, Steve Meyer, stated:

​"We are pleased to announce this important relationship and partnership with Ci Distribution, one of the leaders and most respected companies in the global market for rugged computer peripherals. With the partnership, we will be able to reach more customers with the right products, unbeatable technical expertise and fast delivery.”

Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. is a global provider of innovative interactive entertainment products marketed under its gaming and audio brands, Mad Catz and Tritton, respectively. Mad Catz products cater to gamers across multiple platforms, including in-home gaming consoles, handheld gaming consoles, Windows PC and Mac computers, smart phones, tablets and other smart devices. Ci D will be supplying the tier-one gaming brand’s keyboards, mice and headsets.

Wayne George – UK Country Manager for Mad Catz said:

“Mad Catz are pleased to be partnering with CI Distribution and look forward to working together to promote and distribute both the Mad Catz and Tritton brands. We have recently released a range of PC and Audio products that we’re very excited about and are working hard to increase our presence in both these markets over the coming months so with the added focus and knowledge Ci bring to the table, we are delighted and confident of a successful alliance.”



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PCR Awards Shortlist!

Media Release 13/01/2017

Fantastic news! We have not one, not two, but three nominations for this year's PCR Awards! Centerprise has been shortlisted for the Corporate VAR Category, Ci Distribution for Hardware Distributor, and YoYoTech for System Builder. 

The Corporate VAR Award is open to any UK-based Value Added Reseller, selling into medium to enterprise-sized businesses; the Hardware Distributor Award is open to any distributor that has a large hardware offering – this includes components (graphics cards, processors, motherboards), full PCs (desktops, laptops), or peripherals (mice, keyboards and headsets); and the System Builder Award is for any national system builder that makes custom PCs/laptops, whether channel-focused or shipping direct to consumer. 

In addition to our nominations, two of our very own are sitting on this year's judges panel; namely, Centerprise's Group Commercial Director, Jon Atherton, and YoYoTech's Managing Director, CK Kohli. 

The 2017 PCR Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday 8th of March at the Brewery in London, and it promises to be an exciting event, with Ci Distribution selected as the official Entertainment Sponsor for the evening. 

Centerprise Group Commercial Director, Jon Atherton, stated: 

"It is fantastic to see Centerprise, Ci Distribution and YoYoTech all being shortlisted for the prestigious PCR Awards this year. I am proud to sit on the 2017 judges panel alongside CK, and although we cannot review our own submissions, it certainly won't stop us rooting for Ci. Here's to all three nominees – make us proud!"

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Quantum Physics Made Easier? Centerprise Joins Forces with CERN for a Second Round

Media Release 21/12/16


Centerprise is proud to announce its award of a £1.7m contract with the renowned European Research Facility for Nuclear Science, CERN.

This year CERN release a global tender for the procurement of two lots of 210,000 HEP-SPEC06³ energy-efficient, rack-mountable systems for the CERN Data Centre, located in Meyrin, Switzerland.

The tender required bidders from across the world to provide a solution for the delivery of the required CPU Servers for Physics Data Processing, Acquisition and Control Systems, all according to CERN's predefined specifications and strict delivery requirements.

Another prerequisite of the tender was for bidders to supply test log files for power, storage and system performance, with successful bidders also providing a sample system for evaluation, in order to ensure the results matched those stated on the tender response.

In partnership with E4 Computer Engineering, Centerprise worked and tested a number of relevant solutions in order to ascertain the best fit for CERN's vigorous requirements. Upon completion of testing and pricing, Centerprise presented two compliant solutions which met CERN's criteria and offered the best results from a performance-price perspective.

Centerprise's credentials were undisputed, given its reputation as an established systems integrator and a reseller of a wide array of manufacturers, possessing certifications from Intel, AMD, Microsoft, and other major vendors. This, in addition to the company's ability to demonstrate its robust Quality Management System, as evinced by its notable list of ISO certifications, led to Centerprise's being deemed an approved CERN supplier.

Consequently, Centerprise was awarded a contract by CERN to supply over 210,000 HEP-SPEC06³ which resulted in a total of 120 servers with a further order of 15 servers, all which had to be built, tested and shipped within 8 weeks of CERN's purchase order.

Centerprise is proud to declare its smooth completion of the delivery in advance of the required date, with an agreement to provide support for servers delivered to CERN over the next three years.

Centerprise HPC Systems Integrator Account Manager, Ramsey Razzak, said:

"This is a prestigious contract win for Centerprise that validates our ability to build, configure and deliver computational equipment to highly-educated customers with specific configurations and strict deadlines."

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LINK 2 Framework: Centerprise Lands Major Bidding Victory Second Time Running

Media Release 06/12/2016

Centerprise is proud to announce its successful award to the new Link:2 IT Hardware and Services Framework.

This Framework is to replace the previous Link-IT Framework Agreement, which expired on 16 December 2016, and consisted of 10 lots – 3 of which Centerprise tendered for and was appointed to in 2012.

Link:2 is available to be utilised by all NHS Trusts and Public Sector Authorities, as well as all NHS SBS Members and Associated Members. It covers PC/Client hardware, ranging from laptops and tablets, to Special Clinical IT Hardware and Deployment Services. The Framework provides quality assurance of supply for all IT hardware covered under the agreement and is fully OJEU compliant.

Bidding Link:2 began in September 2016, and like its predecessor, this agreement features a total of 10 lots. In order to be awarded a place on the Framework Agreement, companies had to be ranked in the top 8 bidders. Centerprise is proud to announce its competitive position in the top 8, and its award of a place on 6 different lots.

Centerprise's 6 awarded lots are as follows: Lot 1 Desktops, Lot 2 Laptops, Lot 3 Tablets, Lot 4 Healthcare IT, Lot 7 Printers/Scanners, and Lot 8 Deployment Services.

The Agreement works in conjunction with the Link Solutions Framework, which was awarded to Centerprise in April 2016, and which covers servers and related products and services, as well as storage, networking and third party software.

Centerprise Government and Healthcare Business Unit Manager, Darren Smith, said:

"The NHS SBS Link:2 Framework win is another step in our commitment and ambition to further expand our footprint within the Healthcare vertical."



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Centerprise Launches Distribution Assault with New Brand

ARTICLE published by CRN Online Magazine

Centerprise is pushing deeper into the distribution space with a new dedicated brand and sales office in Telford. The advent of 'Ci Distribution' will see Centerprise move beyond distributing just rugged devices and into the components and peripherals space.A new office in Telford dedicated to the brand has been established.

Jon Atherton, who joined Centerprise Group as commercial director in March, said the investment marks a big departure for the firm.

"Centerprise as a business has been trading for 33 years, predominantly, as everyone knows, focused on MoD and defence – obviously that has expanded over the years to different verticals, it has had a distribution team for in excess of 14 years but purely focused on rugged devices and peripherals, and they've been very successful selling those to the channel. But it was never separate as a business in terms of the branding. Since I've come on board I felt it was important to split that off, hence why Ci Distribution was born."

"It now has its own logo and focus within marketing and within the business." 

New hires in Telford include (pictured from left to right) Steven Parker, Iain Gillogaley, Ben Davies and Darren Perks, the latter of whom worked with Atherton at Entatech. 

Adding in the rugged device and peripherals team that works at Centerprise's Basingstoke HQ, Ci Distribution has a headcount of 12, up from five when Atherton joined. 

"We've got four people [in the Telford office] who have over 100 years' experience in IT distribution, who obviously know a lot of people at customers and suppliers," said Atherton.

"Our prime focus will be around components and peripherals and some unique products into the market. We are optimistic it will be a success."  Atherton added.

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RM3733 Technology Framework: Centerprise's Outstanding Bidding Victory

Media Release 01/11/2016

Centerprise is proud to announce its successful award to the new RM3733 Technology Products 2 Agreement.This Framework is to replace the RM1054 Agreement, which will expire on November 16, 2016, and consisted of 4 lots – 3 of which Centerprise tendered for and was appointed to in 2014. 

RM3733 is available to be utilised by any public sector body in the UK, and provides a fit-for-purpose and market-leading replacement solution for the RM1054 Agreement. 

Bidding for RM3733 began on May 20, 2016, and unlike its predecessor, this agreement features 6 rather than 4 lots. Centerprise is proud to announce its exclusive position, being the only company awarded a position across ALL lots. 

The Framework's 6 lots are: Hardware, Software, Combined Hardware and Software Requirements, Information Assured Products, Volume Hardware Requirements, and Catalogue. 

Centerprise Defence & Security Manager and RM3733 Pursuit Lead, Phil Boyes, said: 

"The successful award of RM3733 across all 6 lots further strengthens our position across Public Sector. The step change towards an increased evaluation of Quality and Technical opposed to price, strengthens the Government commitment towards SME's such as ourselves."

The RM3733 Framework highlights Centerprise's great standing as a provider of IT products, services and solutions. Moreover, that the Centerprise name appears across every single lot accentuates the company's unique, competitive position amongst other providers on that list. 

Centerprise Chairman, Rafi Razzak, stated: 

"We are delighted to be awarded all the lots in the new CCS Framework Agreement. This is testimony to our value add as an SME operating in the space of the public sector for over 25 years. Our philosophy has not changed; it is based on honesty, trust and respect. We listen to our customer and deliver value for money, coupled with unrivalled services." 

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Marketing Multiplies in Mere Months

 

 

Headed by experienced Group Commercial Director, Jon Atherton, the Centerprise Marketing Team has witnessed a 300% increase in manpower (or in this case, woman-power) since March – a month which has seen Karlee Gould (Creative Lead) join forces with new marketing executives, Harriett Walters and Julie Miah. Alongside this trio, an experienced copywriter, Nour Bahgat, has also recently joined the group. In addition, the Centerprise Marketing Department is looking forward to the recruitment of a second Designer in the near future. Well-known to the IT channel, and a seasoned veteran with over 25 years of experience, Atherton asserts:

“With this team, I am confident we will deliver on our promise to offer the Centerprise Group the truly well-rounded representation it deserves.”

 
Meet the Team!

Karlee Gould (Creative Lead): Armed with a degree in Fashion Design and Illustration, Karlee is in charge of all things design-and-art-related. She has been with Centerprise for 2 and a half years to-date. From crafting unique promotional material, to creating entire websites, Karlee is a one-of-a-kind artist with a keen eye for detail.

“We’re a Super-sonic Ci Machine #NoShame” – Karlee.

Harriett Walters (Marketing Executive): Upon obtaining a Business degree from Kingston Business School in 2014, Harriett lived for a year in Malta, before acquiring relevant experience working for an IT company. Highly-motivated and secretly witty, Harriett never fails to bring a degree of professionalism and friendliness to the table, delivering quality work which speaks for itself.

“Everyone in the team comes from varying backgrounds and experience and I look forward to the coming year and finding out what we are capable of together” – Harri.

Julie Miah (Marketing Executive): In 2014, Julie was awarded a 1st Class Honours Degree in Digital Media from Portsmouth University. After gaining significant expertise working in varying Marketing roles, Julie arrived at Centerprise ready to put her well-rounded experience, contagious enthusiasm, and helpfulness to excellent use.

“Being part of such an energetic team is inspiring; I am positive that our marketing team will excel greatly and I look forward to the future with the creative bunch here” – Julie.

Nour Bahgat (Researcher/Copywriter): Nour studied English Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Reading, after which she completed a Master’s Degree in Publishing at UCL. She acquired practical experience in digital marketing at a number of publishing companies, and is now utilising her combined passion for editorial and marketing to assist the team.

“I am privileged to have been offered a place on this fantastic team. From working on annual marketing plans, to organising wonderful charity events, our department is constantly buzzing with energy. I look forward to helping bring all our creative plans to life!” – Nour.

Aside from the significant growth in people on the ground, Centerprise has aligned its focus to incorporate the Marketing Team directly with Sales, in an effort to maximise future potential as well as increase awareness of all campaigns. Centerprise has also established new partnerships with vendors, and has solidified pre-existing relationships with others, including Dell, Panasonic and Fujitsu.

Moreover, for the future, Centerprise has plans to expand on its current customer focus, which at this point in time is predominantly public sector, and has been such since the company’s foundation in the 1980’s. In preparation to develop its profile in the private sector, Centerprise has initiated a B2B business unit and has expanded its Distribution Sales Business Unit.

Thus, with an increased focus on PR, and with a goal both to create new partnerships and strengthen established ones, the Centerprise Marketing Department is well-equipped to embark on the promising voyage ahead.

 

ENDS

 

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Editor’s Notes

 
Centerprise International

 

For over 30 years Centerprise has been acknowledged as one of the largest and most respected IT providers in the UK. A real British success story, Centerprise has developed a steadfast reputation for delivering large scale IT projects within the Business, Defence, Education, Government and Healthcare sectors.

 

For more information on Centerprise, visit: www.centerprise.co.uk/about.html

For more information, images or quotes please contact Harriett Walters at the press office on:

E:             harriett.walters@centerprise.co.uk

DD:         01256 378206

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Rise of the Rugged: Based on the True Ci Distribution Story

For over two decades now, Ci Distribution (Ci D) has been supplying its way to greatness. Established in 1990, Ci D was in the business of delivering a vast array of hardware devices, ranging from components and scanners, to pcs, laptops and mp3 players. In other words, it was in the business of providing the equipment which we have now come to accept as everyday-essentials.

Fast-forward to 2014, Ci D began to invest its efforts in what has now become its main vein of specialisation: distributing ruggedised devices through the reseller channel. These tenaciously resilient pieces of hardware have been afforded more than your average five minutes of fame, from helping formulate the game-changing decisions of the Wimbledon umpires, to providing life-changing solutions for emergency ambulance services.

Owing to its successes in the reseller channels, Ci D saw fit to undergo an expansion of its team, with this year welcoming six brilliant new members of staff. Moreover, in addition to being armed with what has now become a team of 11 sales people, Ci D have a dedicated marketing resource helping them increase brand awareness and further raise their status within the market. Specifically, they have been assigned a member of the marketing team who is capable of offering them a bespoke marketing service, aligned to suit their unique brand – a brand which has now been encompassed in a new logo.

Acquiring its own brand inevitably signifies a bespoke brand image and service, and consequently, a bespoke identity. For this reason, a delineation of Centerprise and Ci D as being two separate brand entities was voted a natural and progressive way forward. The positive aftermath of such a decision is embodied in Ci D’s being listed by the CRN awards as a Specialist Distributor of the Year finalist.

But don’t just take our and their word for it; here is what Ci D business unit manager, Emma Loveless, had to say about the promising future that awaits:

“I am delighted with the re-branding which we hope will now reassure the market that Ci Distribution operates with its own identity. We have a solid strategy in place for growth that will ensure our customers can have the right products for their verticals. It is going to be a challenging but exciting year ahead.”

ENDS

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Editor’s Notes

Centerprise International

For over 30 years Centerprise has been acknowledged as one of the largest and most respected IT providers in the UK. A real British success story, Centerprise has developed a steadfast reputation for delivering large scale IT projects within the Business, Defence, Education, Government and Healthcare sectors.

For more information on Ci, visit: www.centerprise.co.uk/about.html

For more information, images or quotes please contact Nour Bahgat at the press office on:

E:             nour.bahgat@centerprise.co.uk

DD:         01256 378230

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Centerprise Lands amongst the Stars as it Secures a Contract with CERN

Centerprise have secured a contract with CERN, the European Research facility for Nuclear Science, to provide 25 petabytes of storage units alongside a 3 year support contract after demonstrating a substantially successful history of delivering server and storage solutions across the UK public sector.

Physicists and Engineers at CERN are studying the structure of our universe, quite literally particle by particle, in pursuit of discovering the fundamental laws of being. The research is conducted with particle accelerators that are designed, built and operated within CERN with the aim to one day conclude the question; how did we come to be here?

CERN is an intergovernmental organisation with 21 member states and is located on both sides of the French/Swiss border. The existence of CERN provides a platform that enables the international collaboration in the field of high-end particle research in their pursuit to ‘accelerate science’.

Centerprise built, tested and delivered the storage units in excess of 25,000TB ahead of the 8 week schedule. The project was completed in compliance with all specifications which included above industry standard component functionality.

In procurement and completion of the released tender, Centerprise have delivered an extensive infrastructure that contributes significantly to the storage and support network CERN require to maintain the ongoing search beyond the office.

Centerprise will continue to support CERN over the next three years as a recognised and approved supplier of the research facility.

ENDS

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Editor’s Notes

Centerprise International

For over 30 years Centerprise has been acknowledged as one of the largest and most respected IT providers in the UK. A real British success story, Centerprise has developed a steadfast reputation for delivering large scale IT projects within the Business, Defence, Education, Government and Healthcare sectors.

For more information on Ci, visit: www.centerprise.co.uk/about.html

For more information, images or quotes please contact Harriett Walters at the press office on:

E:             harriett.walters@centerprise.co.uk

DD:         01256 378206

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