NEWS
Exertis Cloud goes green with Cloudist Partnership
Exertis, a major distributor, has partnered with Cloudist, a Swedish provider of green cloud services, to offer sustainable and predictable cloud solutions. Cloudist’s services are aimed at reducing CO2 emissions in the cloud services industry, which is contributing up to 3.7% of CO2 emissions. Cloudist delivers its services from one of the world’s most sustainable data centres, powered by green hydro energy, and is distinguished by its accessible and personalised 100% green sustainable cloud services, a white-label reseller portal with multi-tenancy functionality, and a pay-as-you-go model. The partnership between Exertis and Cloudist is a major step towards reducing the carbon footprint of the cloud services industry. Cloudist’s vision is to become the pioneer in green cloud services, with a motto of “Green Clouds Ahead.” The company’s offerings include
virtual servers, backup, S3 buckets, Microsoft 365 subscriptions, and disaster recovery as a service, all accessible through a unique portal. Daniel Söderström, General Manager, Exertis Enterprise Nordics, said, “Cloudist’s net positive, sustainable ethos supports our DCC-wide strategy and is an important element of future IT initiatives. We are proud to be the first distributor for Cloudist in mainland Europe and look forward to enabling them to expand into new regions. Exertis is Cloudist’s primary route to market and focuses on Sweden in the initial phase.” Jasenko Masic, CEO of Cloudist, said, “Joining forces with Exertis gives us the opportunity to continue full speed ahead to take Cloudist’s climate-positive cloud platform to a whole new level and new markets. Together, we will make the Nordic IT region the greenest in Europe. Our motto, ‘Green Clouds Ahead,’ is stronger than ever.”
Jasenko Masic CEO
cloudist.se/en
UK Businesses Face Imminent Disruption as PSTN Switch-Off Looms
A recent survey conducted by M247, a global cloud and connectivity provider, has revealed that a staggering 88% of UK businesses still heavily rely on the public switched telephone network (PSTN) for crucial services, including analogue phone lines, broadband, alarm systems, and CCTV cameras. This is despite the impending PSTN stop- sell scheduled for September 2023, which will immediately halt the sale of all new PSTN-related products, followed by a complete deactivation of the network by December 31, 2025. The PSTN, a network of copper wires that has kept the UK connected since the 1800s, is owned by Openreach. The decision to switch off the network in December 2025 stems from the mounting challenges associated with maintaining the ageing infrastructure and the changing communication patterns and preferences of modern times. The discontinuation will have a profound impact on UK businesses, rendering analogue phone lines, older broadband connections, lift lines, EPOS systems, and CCTV cameras unusable – news that may come as a surprise to business owners who are unaware that these services rely on PSTN lines. M247 commissioned a survey of 500 UK-
based IT decision-makers to gauge the current state of PSTN usage among businesses. The findings indicate that while 77% of respondents are aware of the impending switch-off by 2025, a stop-sell deadline in September this year has been largely overlooked. This means businesses will be unable to place new orders for PSTN services or make significant changes to existing services. Despite equal awareness of the PSTN stop-sell (76%), the majority of businesses have yet to take any action. Only 29% of respondents consider the PSTN switch- off a top priority, trailing behind concerns such as the escalating cybersecurity threats (50%) and investment in cloud migration (47%). Among the businesses reliant on the PSTN, 33% have more than 100 devices connected, with 51% indicating they would experience significant disruption if the network were to be switched off before they completed migration. An alarming 80% of respondents believe that transitioning from PSTN services would take up to six months to complete, and 23% fear that the disruption caused by the switch-off would result in business losses. These statistics underscore the urgency for businesses to take action promptly.
Liz Hawke Product Manager
m247.com
ucadvanced.com
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