5 things

5 Channel Partner Updates: 22 May 2017

Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Monday, May 22, 2017.

Actually, there are nine updates for VARs, managed services providers (MSPs), cloud services providers (CSPs), independent software vendors (ISVs), telco master agents and telco agents to sip on. Take a look…

9. Government Compliance: Okta, which specializes in identity and access management (IAM), has received FedRAMP certification. The FedRAMP-authorized service is available on the Amazon Web Services Partner Network (APN) Government Competency Program, Okta indicated.

8. Cloud Monitoring: SignalFx has launched new alerting capabilities that empower cloud operations teams to better monitor and manage cloud infrastructure, containers and applications, the company claims.

7. Managed Database Services: Instaclustr, which provides management, monitoring, and maintenance of Apache Cassandra databases, has expanded its platform to now offer Elassandra and Kibana as a managed service.

6. Ciber Assets Acquired: HTC Global Services has acquired Ciber Inc.'s North American and Indian assets for $93 million. HTC outbid Capgemini in an auction, according to details from U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del., Dow Jones reported.

5. IT Services Funding: Keep an eye on Super G Capital, which is providing various funding to IT services providers. A recent deal involved $1.6 million in 2nd lien financing to an IT and communications services provider. Super G Funding is an alternative lender with over $100 million in committed capital specializing in residual and cash flow loans, the company says. Super G lends up to $5 million per transaction in the form of a fully-amortizing cash flow term loan with a 6-36 month term (pricing contingent on credit profile).

4. M&A - IT Services: Evolve IP, a cloud services company, has acquired Azzaron Inc., a Workspace as a Service provider in Mesa, Arizona.This is Evolve IP's 10th acquisition, giving the company a stronger footprint in the the American Southwest and deeper penetration into the veterinary, construction and legal vertical markets.

3. Talent - Cybersecurity: Barracuda Networks Inc.plans to hire about 115 people in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company was founded by Dean Drako, a University of Michigan graduate.

Prakash Panjwani
Prakash Panjwani

2. WannaCry Drives MSSP Growth: More and more small businesses will embrace managed security services providers (MSSPs) amid WannaCry and other recent cyberthreats, according to WatchGuard CEO Prakash Panjwani in an interview with ComputerWeekly. We tend to agree. So tomorrow we're launching... Stay tuned.

1. 'All IT Jobs Are Now Security': The rise of cyberthreats means that the people once assigned to setting up computers and email servers must now treat security as top priority, The Wall Street Journal reports. ChannelE2E certainly agrees. And that's why tomorrow (Tuesday, May 23) we're launching... Stay tuned.

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.