Content, 5 things

5 Channel Partner Updates: Tuesday 16 October 2018

Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Tuesday, October 16, 2018.

Actually, there are 12 timely updates designed for managed services providers (MSPs), cloud services providers (CSPs), IT consulting firms, systems integrators, VARs, independent software vendors (ISVs), telco master agents, and telco agents to sip on. Take a look:

12. Service Desk Automation: LogMeIn has launched two new offerings -- Prompt ai and RescueAssist -- to help service desks speed customer support, the company says. Prompt ai is designed to ease self-service support. RescueAssist is a Web-based remote control solution. LogMeIn is widely used by MSPs, and the company has a close working relationship with Continuum. We're checking to see if or how Continuum will offer those new LogMeIn solutions to its MSP base.

11. Partnership - IoT Chips: ARM and Intel have agreed to work together to manage networks of connected devices from both firms, clearing a major stumbling block to market growth of the so-called Internet of Things (IoT), Reuters notes.

10. Partner Program: Array Networks, a network functions platform company, has unveiled the ASAP partner program for VARs and MSPs. The goal: Help partners drive recurring revenues from virtual networking and security services.

9. M&A - Email Communications: Twilio is acquiring email technology firm SendGrid for about $2 billion, combining two firms that handle communications between apps and their users.

8. McAfee Integrations: McAfee's Security Innovation Alliance (SIA) has gained 17 new partners and 16 newly certified integrations, the company disclosed during its MPower conference in Las Vegas.

7. IBM Multicloud Manager: IBM has launched Multicloud Manager, an "open technology designed to make it easier to manage, move and integrate apps across different cloud computing infrastructures." The solution, IBM says, is "optimized on the IBM Cloud, but extends the ability of businesses to manage and integrate workloads on clouds from different providers such as Amazon, Red Hat and Microsoft." However, IBM did not mention whether the technology supports Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

6. Cloud System Management Software Market: VMware is leading the way, according to IDC's research.

5. Cloud Distribution: Sandler Partners, a distributor of connectivity and cloud services, says its Commissions Integrity Program has "proactively recovered more than $5 million in commissions for agent partners, and many times that in future commissions payments, since the program was introduced in January 2013."

4. PSA Upgrade: The FinancialForce Fall 2018 PSA release has arrived. The PSA platform, tightly integrated with Salesforce.com, features analytics that allow users to drill down into real-time performance metrics, including capacity, utilization, and backlog through multi-dimensional analysis, the company says.

3. Carbonite Plans MSP Rally: Carbonite is set to host a Service Provider Executive Forum on October 24-25 in Boston. The sessions will arm MSPs with "information and tools to better succeed within our Partner Program," the data protection company says. Meetings and face time with top Carbonite executives also will be offered. The MSP rally comes at a key time. CEO Mohamad Ali and the executive team have successfully grown Carbonite through organic R&D and acquisitions over the past two years or so. But heavy Carbonite marketing and advertising on Bloomberg Radio makes no mention of partners, and invites listeners to deal directly with the data protection company.

2. Venture Capital and Sexual Harassment: Roughly 22 percent of female business founders have experienced one or more inappropriate incidents by angel investors or venture capitalists, according to a Y Combinator survey. Based on the results, Y Combinator is calling upon the "entire investor community to redouble its efforts to change this dynamic and abuse of power in the VC/angel investment community." The organization has a zero-tolerance policy for inappropriate behavior, and investors who act inappropriately will be banned from the community, Y Combinator says.

1. Top 100 Cloud MSPs for AWS, Azure: See the list and get the research. Register now to attend this Thursday's webcast.

Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.