SYNAXON UK: Helping Tech Businesses Take More Control Over Buying, Stock and Pricing

On this episode of Tech Talk, Phil Griffiths was joined by Mike Barron, Managing Director of SYNAXON UK, for a live discussion aimed at helping computer shops, MSPs, system builders and resellers understand how SYNAXON works and how it could help their business.

The original topic was around supply, cost and risk, but the live questions quickly turned the show into a very practical look at buying stock, checking prices, accessing distributors, handling returns and saving time when sourcing products.

For many smaller tech businesses, buying stock is not always simple. Prices move quickly, availability changes from one distributor to another, and not every business has accounts with every supplier. Some businesses also struggle to get good pricing or proper account support because they are not buying huge volumes every month.

This is where SYNAXON UK says it can help.

Who are SYNAXON UK?

Mike explained that SYNAXON UK is part of a larger German organisation and works with MSPs, resellers and system integrators. In the UK, the team works remotely, with support from the wider group in areas such as accounts, marketing, IT and customer service.

SYNAXON started as more of a dealer group, but since the pandemic it has changed and expanded. Today, it works with smaller IT businesses that may not always get the best support from larger broadline distributors.

Mike made it clear that smaller businesses are not too small for SYNAXON. In fact, he said that the smaller end of the market is a key part of what they do. These are the types of businesses that often need better account management, better pricing, better service and easier access to products.

Is SYNAXON a distributor or a reseller?

One of the main questions covered in the show was whether SYNAXON is a distributor or a reseller.

Mike explained that it is a bit of both. To vendors and suppliers, SYNAXON buys like a reseller. To its partners, it acts more like a distributor. The term they use is master reseller.

This means SYNAXON can use its buying power and vendor relationships to help smaller partners access better pricing and support. Mike gave examples around Lenovo, HP and Dell, where higher partner levels can require millions of pounds in spend. Most smaller businesses will never reach those levels on their own, but SYNAXON is working up those accreditation levels so it can pass some of those benefits down to its partners.

The SYNAXON Hub

The first route discussed was the SYNAXON Hub. This is the more direct side of the business. Partners can buy products from SYNAXON, with SYNAXON showing its own pricing and handling the transaction directly.

Mike said the Hub currently includes around 60,000 products, including components, peripherals and finished products. For businesses that want to buy through SYNAXON directly, this can give them another route for stock and pricing.

The Hub also has its own feed options, meaning businesses with their own website or back office system may be able to pull in product data from SYNAXON.

What is Egis?

The other major part of the discussion was Egis , SYNAXON’s procurement platform.

Egis is designed to bring pricing and availability from different distributors into one place. Mike compared it to Stock in the Channel, but with one major difference. It does not just show stock. It can also show your own pricing, based on the distributor accounts and feeds you connect.

This means a reseller can search for a product and compare availability and price across different suppliers, including their own distributor pricing where connected.

Mike said Egis holds around 2.5 million SKUs and includes feeds from a range of distributors. This can be useful for businesses that do not want to log into several different websites just to check who has stock, who is cheapest and who has the best delivery options.

Why this matters for smaller tech businesses

A common problem for independent shops and MSPs is that they often only use a few distributors. That may be because they do not have accounts elsewhere, or simply because it takes too long to check lots of sites.

The problem is that stock and pricing can vary a lot. One distributor may be cheaper on one product, while another may have better stock or cheaper carriage. Sometimes the cheapest product price is not the cheapest overall once delivery is added.

Egis includes a basket optimisation feature. Mike explained that you can add products into the basket and optimise for speed or price. The system can then look at whether it makes sense to buy from several suppliers or consolidate the order to reduce delivery costs.

For a small business, that can save both time and money.

Do you need distributor accounts?

One of the important questions from the audience was whether a reseller needs to already have accounts with the distributors shown in Egis.

The answer depends on how the order is being placed. If you are buying through SYNAXON Hub, you need to be registered with SYNAXON. If you want to buy from a distributor through Egis, you would normally need an account with that distributor. However, Mike explained that Egis can help start that process by sending a request to the distributor.

This means it can help open doors, but the distributor would still do its own checks if credit is required.

Do you have to be VAT registered?

Another useful point from the show was that you do not have to be VAT registered to speak to SYNAXON.

Mike said that as long as you are in the IT channel and want to order IT products, they can have a conversation with you. This makes it more accessible for smaller or newer businesses that may not yet be VAT registered.

Returns and DOA products

Returns are always a big concern for resellers, because a slow or messy return can cost time, money and customer trust.

Mike explained that returns work differently depending on whether you buy through Egis or through SYNAXON Hub.

With Aegis, the return follows the process of the distributor you purchased from. Each distributor has its own RMA process and timeframes. However, Egis lets you raise and track the RMA through the system.

With SYNAXON Hub, the product is purchased from SYNAXON directly. Mike said they offer a 14 day DOA period, where they will handle the issue without the usual back and forth that can sometimes happen with distributors.

That is a useful point for smaller tech businesses, because returns can be one of the most frustrating parts of buying stock.

Stock feeds and live pricing

The show also covered stock feeds, which are important for businesses that run their own website or internal product system.

Mike said SYNAXON can provide a Hub feed, either through XML details or a CSV file. He also explained that handling large amounts of product data can be heavy, especially when dealing with millions of products.

Egis also has a live button. This can check the distributor databases for current stock and pricing on a product, which is useful when availability is changing quickly.

Fraud and risk

Another important part of the discussion was fraud.

Mike said SYNAXON has to be careful when setting up accounts and processing orders because fraud attempts are common in the channel. He gave an example of a fraudulent order attempt for around £40,000, where someone had created an email address that looked very close to a real company domain.

SYNAXON spotted the issue before the transaction went through, which could have saved the reseller from a serious problem.

For tech businesses, this was a useful reminder that fraud is not just something that happens to big companies. Smaller businesses can be targeted too, and one bad order can cause a lot of damage.

What about MSPs?

The show also touched on SYNAXON’s Master MSP model.

Mike explained that the idea is similar to the master reseller model. Many MSP tools require a certain number of licences to reach better pricing. SYNAXON can use its buying power to help smaller MSPs access better pricing and manage tools in one platform.

He also mentioned areas such as patching and scripting, which can take up a lot of time for MSPs. The idea is that SYNAXON can help with some of that background work, allowing MSPs to focus more time on the profitable parts of their business.

The vendors mentioned for the Master MSP platform included Enable, ESET, Acronis and OpenText.

What is coming next?

Mike said SYNAXON is continuing to develop its marketplace. At the moment, it is very product focused, but the plan is to add more services and licensing options in the future.

He also said the Master MSP model is a key focus, with SYNAXON looking to see how well it fits the UK channel.

SYNAXON at TechMAX

SYNAXON will also be exhibiting at TechMAX, giving visitors a chance to speak to the team in person and see how the platform works.

TechMAX takes place on 3rd July at Magna, between Sheffield and Rotherham. During the show, Phil also mentioned that the event now has over 100 exhibitors expected, with around 800 techs and guests anticipated.

For anyone who found the show useful but wants to see the system in action, TechMAX will be a good chance to ask questions face to face. www.TFTMAX.com The live show can be watch here https://www.youtube.com/live/UNtcjOX51zM