5 things

5 Channel Partner Updates: 8 Feb 2016

Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to sip on for Monday, February 8, 2016.

Actually, there are 11 items for VARs, managed services providers (MSPs), cloud services providers (CSPs) and independent software vendors (ISVs) to sip on…

11. IT Services Spending: We already warned you about slowing growth in the big data market. Now, there's a warning from Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. in the IT services market. Cognizant says its current quarterly revenue and profit will be below analysts estimates amid a global slowdown in IT services spending.

10. SolarWinds Buyout Completed: Silver Lake Partners and Thoma Bravo on Feb. 5 completed their $4.5 billion private equity buyout of SolarWinds, the IT management software company that also owns N-able. The new owners hope to grow SolarWinds revenue from $507 million in 2015 to $970 million by 2020, according to SEC filings. SolarWinds N-able GM JP Jauvin, meanwhile, says his business unit will diversify beyond MSPs to serve all sorts of channel partners.

9. Remote Control: Do you ever get the feeling that Autotask and Bomgar may do more and more together in the remote control market? Hmmm...

8. Cloud Revenues: Cloud Services now generate at least one-third of Microsoft's revenues. Can you say the same? Why not?

7. Docker Container Management: Keep an eye on WhiteSource, which has launched a Docker container analysis tool for both CentOS (.rpm) and Debian (.deb) containers, and the applications deployed within them. WhiteSource allows partners and developers to automate security vulnerability alerts, license risk, compliance analysis and more, the company claims.

6. Data Center Servers: Google may jump from Intel to Qualcomm for data center server chips, Bloomberg claims. That's a very big deal, considering Google is the No. 3 buyer of server processors in the world (trailing only Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Dell, according to IDC). It's unclear whether the jump would be for Google's own applications (like Search) or for the Google Cloud Platform and related IaaS services. An official announcement is expected as soon as this week...

5. Channel Partner Program: Spikes Security has launched the Transform Partner Program to promote the company's Isla Malware Isolation System.

4. NOCs vs Help Desks: What's the difference between a fully managed help desk and a network operations center (NOC)? My simple answer typically described how help desks were for individual users, and NOCs were for overall IT health. But Continuum offers a deeper dive on fully managed NOCs vs. help desks here.

3. Managed Services Guru: Carousel Industries, a well known network integrator, has hired Rich Montefusco as VP of managed services. Montefusco has helped Cisco Systems gold partners to achieve their cloud and managed services certifications. Now, he'll drive Carousel's design and launch of managed services for customers.

2. MSP Acquisitions: Multiple MSP mergers and acquisitions will unfold over the next 24 to 48 hours. Check ChannelE2E multiple times daily for the breaking details and our analysis.

1. Attention Top MSPs and Emerging MSPs: If you've built a well-performing MSP then earn some recognition. Participate in our Top Vertical Market MSP survey and your company could be honored as part of ChannelE2E's next major research project. Jump in now.

More: Read all of our daily 5 Channel Partner UpdatesPlus: Subscribe to our daily enewsletter. Thanks to those who already have.

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.