SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Quadient has supplied a new mail automation system to Send and Receive, expanding a partnership of more than 15 years.

The UK print and mail provider has installed Quadient’s DS-1200 G4iQ folder inserter, Impress software, AIMS automated insertion management system and inline envelope printing to remove production bottlenecks and support new customer growth.

Milton Keynes-based Send and Receive provides print, mailing, postage and digital delivery services. The new setup replaces fragmented processes that had slowed production and limited its ability to add clients.

Before the upgrade, legacy systems were operating at full capacity, restricting growth and making onboarding more difficult. The business also faced limitations with a rival folder inserter, while separate envelope printing and mail insertion workflows added manual handling and reduced efficiency.

The new installation brings those processes into a single workflow. According to the companies, it is designed to reduce manual intervention, increase output and provide closed-loop verification for document accuracy.

That verification is also intended to support GDPR compliance. Integrated checks can confirm that the right documents are inserted and addressed correctly, reducing the risk of errors in customer communications.

Capacity pressure

The investment reflects a broader issue in the print and mail sector, where providers are under pressure to handle rising volumes while meeting tighter compliance requirements. For operators still relying on separate legacy systems, capacity constraints can quickly become a barrier to winning new business.

For Send and Receive, the need for a more integrated production environment became more urgent as demand increased. The company turned to a supplier it had worked with for more than a decade to redesign part of its mail operation.

“As our business has grown, it became clear that our existing infrastructure was holding us back,” said Liam Crane, Director, Send and Receive. “With Quadient’s integrated solution, we have moved to a scalable, efficient production environment. We can now take on new clients with confidence, while maintaining high standards of accuracy and compliance.”

The project forms part of Quadient’s work with print service providers updating production processes to improve efficiency and respond to customer and regulatory demands. The company sells automation systems for business communications, including software and mail handling equipment.

Workflow changes

By combining insertion, software management and envelope printing in one line, the installation removes the need for some standalone systems. That can reduce the number of touchpoints in the production process and simplify job tracking across a mail run.

AIMS, Quadient’s automated insertion management system, monitors mailpiece creation and verification, while Impress manages communication workflows. Together with inline envelope printing, the tools connect stages that had previously been handled separately.

For print and mail providers, these workflow changes can have direct commercial effects. Greater throughput can create room for additional customer work, while fewer manual steps may lower the risk of mistakes that can trigger reprints, delays or compliance concerns.

Quadient described the deployment as an example of how mail operators are balancing output growth with tighter control over accuracy. In regulated communications and customer correspondence, document integrity has become a more visible operational issue as service providers seek to reassure clients on data handling.

Phil Hutchison, Senior VP MRS, UK & Ireland, Quadient, said the company is seeing demand from providers that want to expand without losing oversight of production quality.

“Print service providers need to scale efficiently while maintaining control and accuracy,” said Hutchison. “By combining high-performance hardware with intelligent automation, we help customers modernise production and support sustainable growth.”

BeStreamWise has published research on the use of work phones for illegal streaming in the UK. It found that 68% of people who stream content illegally use a company smartphone for that activity.

The findings highlight a workplace cybersecurity issue linked to unofficial streaming sites and apps. Among illegal streamers aged 18 to 24, 71% said they had used a work smartphone to access sport, films or television from unofficial sources, compared with 62% of those aged 45 to 54.

More than half of illegal streamers using work smartphones, 56%, said their device had been infected with malware in the past 12 months. That compares with a national average of 18%, according to the research.

Some respondents also reported repeated problems. More than a quarter, 27%, said they had experienced malware infections multiple times during the past year.

Phishing was another risk highlighted in the study. One in five illegal streamers who use work devices, 20%, said they had received phishing attempts involving requests for passwords and account login data, compared with 8% of illegal streamers overall.

The survey also suggested that awareness of those risks remains low among some workers. Only 34% of respondents who use work devices for illegal streaming said they knew illegal streaming sites can infect devices with malware, compared with 42% of the public overall.

BeStreamWise is backed by government bodies and media and sports organisations including the Premier League, BBC, ITV, Sky and FACT. It describes itself as a cross-industry initiative focused on raising awareness of the risks linked to illegal streaming.

Business exposure

The figures add to a broader picture of cyber threats facing employers. Government data cited alongside the study shows phishing attacks are the most common type of cyber breach reported by UK businesses, affecting 38% of companies.

The same official figures put the average cost of a significant cyber attack at £195,000 for each affected business. That gives fresh relevance to employee behaviour on corporate devices, particularly when those devices are used to access unauthorised services outside normal company controls.

Illegal streaming has often been treated as a consumer issue linked to broadcasting rights and lost subscription revenue. The new data reframes it by focusing on the risks to company systems, internal networks and commercial information when workers use employer-issued phones to visit unofficial services.

Younger workers appeared more likely than older groups to use work devices in this way, though the practice was not limited to one age bracket. The gap between respondents aged 18 to 24 and those aged 45 to 54 was narrower than might be expected, suggesting the behaviour is spread across the workforce rather than confined to the youngest employees.

That pattern may complicate any response from employers. Companies that rely on staff policies alone may struggle if workers do not associate illegal streaming with cyber risk, especially when the activity takes place on smartphones that move in and out of corporate environments more easily than office-based desktop systems.

Expert warning

The research was accompanied by comment from independent cybersecurity expert James Bore.

“These findings will be a huge concern for business leaders looking to keep their networks and data safe. Illegal streaming sites and apps sit outside the security checks that legitimate platforms go through, so the risk of encountering malware is much higher. Installing unauthorised software on work devices carries the same risks as on personal devices, particularly if companies do not have up-to-date antivirus software installed. Malware can be an entry point into company networks where sensitive commercial and financial information is stored,” said James Bore, Independent Cybersecurity Expert.

The research was based on a survey of 2,000 people in the UK. Its central finding is that a large share of people who already access pirated content are doing so on employer-provided smartphones, creating a route by which malware and phishing attacks can reach business systems.

For employers, the issue goes beyond viewing habits to basic cyber hygiene. The data suggests that personal choices made on work devices can expose wider company infrastructure to threats that begin with a film, match or television stream.

JOSEPH GABRIEL LAGONSIN

News Editor

Phoenix Software has announced that two employees have achieved Broadcom VCF Knight status, Broadcom’s highest recognition for partner professionals.

Infrastructure Practise Lead Richard Worth and Senior Technical Consultant Robert Dent both received the Broadcom VCF Knight – Storage certification, recognising expertise in VMware Cloud Foundation-related storage.

The achievement strengthens Phoenix’s position within Broadcom’s partner network, where it holds UK Pinnacle and Expert Advantage status. It also reflects continued investment by the York-based business in technical staff with specialist VMware expertise.

Broadcom’s Knight programme identifies partner specialists with experience in the architecture, design, implementation and support of Broadcom technologies. In this case, the focus was on VMware Cloud Foundation and related storage work.

The process involves several stages rather than a single exam. Candidates must pass multiple advanced technical tests, submit evidence of customer designs, deliver a live technical demonstration to a Broadcom sponsor, and then undergo nomination and review by a Broadcom panel.

The certification typically takes several months to complete and requires periodic renewal, making it a relatively rare qualification within the VMware and Broadcom partner ecosystem.

Worth has worked in IT for more than 25 years, including nine at Phoenix, where he leads the infrastructure practice. His background spans networking, storage and virtualisation, all closely tied to the technologies covered by VMware Cloud Foundation.

Dent has worked with VMware technologies for more than 20 years, beginning during an early IT apprenticeship and later implementing virtualisation environments at the University of Hull. His experience also includes servers, storage, NetApp and vSAN, and he gained his first VMware certification while working at the university.

Technical route

The certifications come as many customers reassess their VMware environments following Broadcom’s acquisition of the software business. That has increased scrutiny on partners able to demonstrate deep product knowledge and delivery experience.

Both men completed the same rigorous process to secure the designation, which Phoenix described as evidence of its ability to support organisations running complex virtualised infrastructure.

Worth said: “The difference with the Knight programme is that it recognises not just what you know, but what you’ve actually delivered. It reflects real-world experience – designing, implementing, and solving problems for customers. For me, VCF brings together everything we do across networking, storage, and virtualisation into one cohesive platform.”

Dent linked the certification to customer expectations around complex infrastructure projects.

Dent said: “This is one of the highest standards a consultant can achieve. It’s exactly the level of expertise customers expect when they’re investing in complex platforms like VMware Cloud Foundation. For me, it’s also about continuing to learn and building environments where the wider team can develop their skills.”

Phoenix operates across software licensing, hardware, software asset management and managed IT services, and has been in the market for more than 30 years. It works with public and private sector customers on IT strategy, infrastructure design, deployment and software management.

The latest certifications suggest the company is seeking to deepen specialist skills in core infrastructure areas as customers continue to assess how they manage virtualisation, storage and networking in consolidated cloud environments.