5 things

5 Channel Partner Updates: 29 April 2017

Credit: Getty Images

Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to sip on for Friday, April 29, 2016.

Actually, there are nine entries for VARs, managed services providers (MSPs), cloud services providers (CSPs) and independent software vendors (ISVs) to sip on.

9. AWS Momentum Accelerates: Amazon posted huge Q1 results yesterday, driven by accelerated Amazon Web Services momentum. AWS revenues rose 64 percent to $2.56 billion and operating income tripled to $604 million. Trying to figure out where the channel fits in Amazon's strategy? Check out the Top 50 MSPs for Amazon Web Services.

8. Facebook Privacy: Facebook says government requests for account data rose 13 percent in the second half of 2015. Total requests during the six-month period reached a painful 46,763, up from 41,214 in the first half of 2015. Which governments are seeking the most information? The United States and India. Moreover, 60 percent of the requests in the U.S. had a non-disclosure component, which prohibits the social media network from notifying the user of the government request, according to Reuters.

7. Office 365 Vulnerability Fixed: Microsoft fixed a major Office 365 vulnerability involving federal accounts earlier this year, but details about the serious security hole are only surfacing now. The attack surface involved Outlook Online, OneDrive, Skype for Business and OneNote, according to ThreatPost.

6. MSP Integrations: IT Glue has integrated its documentation platform with four RMM (remote monitoring and management) platforms: ConnectWise LabTech, Kaseya VSA, LogicNow MaxFocus and SolarWinds N-able N-central. IT Glue already integrates with PSA systems, and seems to be emerging as a de facto documentation system for MSPs.

5. IoT M&A: Cypress Semiconductor Corp.is buying Broadcom's Wireless Internet of Things (IoT) business for $550 million in cash. The deal includes Broadcom's Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Zigbee IoT product lines and intellectual property, along with its WICED brand and developer ecosystem. The deal was valued at 2.9X revenues; Broadcom's IoT business generated $189 million in revenue during the last 12 months.

4. Speaking of Privacy: The Supreme Court is taking steps to expand the FBI's hacking authority. Just sayin' ...

3. Dell-EMC Next Moves: Michael Dell is set to surface at EMC World 2016 on Monday, May 2. His appearance arrives as Dell strives to finalize its $67 billion buyout of EMC. Here's what to expect.

Todd Thibodeaux, CEO, CompTIA
Todd Thibodeaux
SAP’s Meaghan Sullivan
Author: Mike Cullen

2. Next Podcasts: We've got three podcast conversations lined up for the next few weeks. They include:

  • Tuesday, May 3 -- Episode 067: How MSPs successfully navigate multiple stages of a business journey. Guest: SolarWinds N-able Senior VP Mike Cullen.
  • Tuesday, May 10 -- Episode 068: Shifting to subscription-based services in small and midsize enterprises (SMEs). Guests: CompTIA CEO Todd Thibodeaux and SAP VP Meaghan Sullivan.
  • And Stay Tuned For: A surprise guest representing a top European MSP. He describes how a blended model -- involving software development and managed services -- is powering his business forward. Special thanks to Autotask for sponsoring this particular conversation.
  • All ChannelE2E Podcasts: Check out all of our podcasts here.

1. Top Vertical Market MSPs: The date is approaching. We're set to unveil our Top Vertical Market MSPs list and report during a webcast in June. Register now and be sure to join us.

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.