IT RESELLER – APRIL/MAY 2009
Triumphing over adversity
One
thing’s for sure; the recent So far so good, but what of fuel price
Budget can hardly be rises? Surely they can only pile on extra
described as upbeat or woe to transport operators, with fuel duty
generally well-received – to put it mildly. With rising by 2p per litre from September, not
economic projections suggesting that the to mention the recent 1p rise and further
economy will shrink by 3.5 per cent this year increases of 1p each year up to 2013. The
and that any improvement only stands a chance chancellor even made the prediction that
of emerging towards the end of 2009, this is oil prices would rise by another 2 per cent
hardly inspiring stuff at face value. However, this year. However, vehicle-based telematics
some observers maintain that, can prove to be an effective means of
in terms of increased available reducing the cost of these rises. For
credit, the chancellor has example, operators that use telematics
delivered the lifeline that from Cybit are reporting cost savings of
businesses have been calling around 10 per cent by monitoring vehicle
for as part of numerous moves performance, optimising route management
made to try and help companies and planning pick-up schedules to maximise
weather the recession. For the time that trailers are full. Fleet telematics
example, Andy Horn, head of can also monitor the emissions that a
Colt SME in the UK, has said vehicle produces, which was a notable
that the credit lifeline is important feature in the Budget.
in helping British businesses
to continue to invest in their Road Transport accounts for 20 per cent of
ICT infrastructure. carbon emissions in the UK and, according
to the chancellor, the transport industry will
And, indeed, according to a now be looked at “to provide the right
recent study by the Cranfield signals to encourage efficiency”. But what
School of Management, does this mean for the reseller? As telematics
some 84 per cent of British SMEs think that can help organisations to support strategic
better communications and an updated IT initiatives around carbon footprinting, while
infrastructure will help give them competitive enhancing a company’s business and
advantage in the current tough economic operational good practice, it seems that
climate. Easier access to credit could help there could be increasingly strong marketing
small businesses to weather the economic and business opportunities for channel
storm and become more secure, and here lies activity within this technology sphere.
a potentially attractive marketing and business
opportunity for VARs. Through convincing The business landscape has altered
more SMEs of the value considerably in recent times, but with
of improving their IT greater opportunities for companies to
infrastructure in order to invest in improving their systems/IT
improve customer relations infrastructure, and cogent arguments for
and reduce operating costs, state-of-the-art technology such as fleet
The magazine for resellers, distributors,
system integrators and OEMs
APRIL/MAY 2009
this could also prove to be telematics, companies would do well to
VAR Analysis: a major channel revenue make the leap of faith in invest; not only for
Auto ID part 2
generator; both in terms of their immediate business needs but also to
ADC:
initial hardware and software make sure that they are fit and ready to hit
Myths and realities of RFID ealities of RFID
provision, and also ongoing the ground running when the market upturn
Print:
Tough times call for a new approach h
service and support contracts. arrives. Resellers: enter stage right.
Document management:
Keeping lean Keeping lean
Telecoms:
Scoring success
Ed Holden
Network technology:
Editor »
Lowering total cost of ownership
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IT RESELLER – APRIL/MAY 2009 3
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