Sharp Selects Continuum As Strategic Alliance Member

MAHWAH, N.J., April 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America (SIICA), a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation (SEC) today announces that Continuum^®, the industry's only channel-exclusive provider of fully integrated managed IT services solutions, has been selected as a Sharp Strategic Alliance Member. Sharp Authorized Dealers are now able to offer Continuum's managed IT services to customers, further diversifying their services offerings.

"We are excited about introducing Continuum to our dealer channel," said Mike Marusic, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Operations, Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America. "We have been working with Continuum for the past six months and have confidence in their ability to deliver their proven method to Sharp dealers. Dealers that have been skeptical about making the leap into Managed Network Services will now have a best-in-class organization that can deliver the necessary training, skills and best practices required to be successful in this new profit opportunity. We welcome Continuum as a Sharp Strategic Alliance Member."

Sharp dealers that engage with Continuum benefit from strategic pricing, on-going IT services training and proven processes that help to drive the Sharp dealers toward increased profitability and growth. Dealers that engage with Continuum have an opportunity to expand their offerings into a new services platform that brings added value to the relationship between dealer and customer.

"Sharp Authorized Dealers are perfectly suited to provide comprehensive support for all devices that reside on their customers' mission critical networks," said Michael George, CEO at Continuum. "Sharp selected us for our dedication to the dealer channel, vast technical resources and delivering a business model that optimizes profitability. We look forward to Sharp Authorized Dealers becoming a true one-stop shop for all of their customers' technology needs with Continuum's managed IT services."

Office equipment dealers across the country utilize Continuum's intelligent Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) platform that offers proactive problem resolution backed by the company's industry-leading Network Operations Center (NOC) and Help Desk, resolving thousands of alerts, 24/7/365. Continuum co-authored, "Managed IT Services Business Model Report," which outlines how office equipment dealers can achieve operational efficiencies and deliver best-in-class support with managed IT services. Dealers can find more information at: http://www.continuum.net/office-equipment.

Starting in May, Continuum will be a part of Sharp's continuing education to its dealers in a series of Tour de Force roadshows in Boston (May 7-8), New Orleans (May 12-13), San Diego (May 18-19), Seattle (May 20-21), St. Louis (June 9-10) and Orlando (June 15-16). For more information or to register for an upcoming event, contact your Sharp Territory Business Manager for details.

About Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America
Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America, a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation, markets the advanced, MX Series multifunction printers (MFP) systems that help companies manage workflow efficiently and increase productivity. Sharp^® MFPs feature the Sharp OSA^® development platform, which seamlessly integrates network applications to create a personalized MFP that can meet virtually any business need, and Scan² technology, which scans two-sided documents in a single pass to enhance scanning reliability and preserve document integrity. To keep documents safe from unauthorized users, Sharp is a leader in the MFP industry in security by offering the most secure suite of MFP applications.

Through U.S. B2B sales channels, Sharp is one of the top selling brands for Large Format Commercial Displays, has the #1 revenue share for 60"+ Commercial Displays, and is the #1 selling brand for 55"+ Commercial Integrated Touch Displays*. Sharp's professional and commercial displays are specially engineered for business applications and are offered in a wide range of sizes. From high-impact displays for digital signage, to our award-winning ultra-thin bezel video walls, to the innovative AQUOS BOARD™ interactive display systems, Sharp products help you communicate, collaborate and disseminate information brilliantly.

*According to Monthly Large Format Commercial Displays Report by DisplaySearch (now part of IHS), January 2015.

About Continuum Managed IT Services
Continuum is the technology industry's only channel-exclusive provider of fully integrated managed IT services, allowing its Managed Services Provider (MSP) partners to maintain both on premise and cloud-based servers, desktops, mobile devices and other endpoints for small-and-medium-sized businesses. Continuum's SaaS platform enables MSPs to efficiently backup, monitor, troubleshoot and maintain clients' IT infrastructure from a single pane of glass, all backed by an industry–leading network operations center (NOC) and Help Desk. MSPs leverage Continuum's pay-as-you-grow business model to scale IT services without committing to long-term contracts and to reserve in-house staff for strategic initiatives. The company employs over 1,000 professionals worldwide, supports over 3,500 partners and monitors over 600,000 endpoints. For more information, visit http://www.continuum.net/ or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @FollowContinuum.

For more information on Sharp's energy efficient products, contact Sharp Electronics Corporation, 1 Sharp Plaza, Suite 1, Mahwah, N.J., 07495-1163. For online product information, visit Sharp's web site at www.siica.sharpusa.com. 

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CONTACT: Sarah Sanzari
Peppercomm for Sharp
212.931.6175
[email protected]

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SOURCE Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America