5 things

5 Channel Partner Updates: 1 March 2017

Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Wednesday, March 1, 2017. Actually, there are 17 finely crafted 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… 17. AWS Targets Call Centers: What if Amazon Alexa moved into the enterprise market and targeted call centers with artificial intelligence? That might be the plan. Indeed, Amazon Web Services is preparing to sell software to help companies manage their call centers, based on software Amazon developed for its retail call centers, according to The Information. 16. AWS Policy Management: Amazon has launched AWS Organizations, which offers policy-based management for multiple AWS accounts. With Organizations, IT service providers and customers can create groups of accounts and then apply policies to those groups. It sounds like a potential win for AWS's MSPs, since Organizations enables partners to "centrally manage policies across multiple accounts, without requiring custom scripts and manual processes." 15. Cloud Services Partnership: TBI, a provider of third-party technology solutions, now offers Evolve IP’s complete suite of cloud services, which range from disaster recovery to IP phone systems and business collaboration tools. Evolve IP has acquired multiple MSPs and CSPs over the past couple of years as part of an aggressive expansion plan. 14. Multi-Cloud Management: CenturyLink has launched Cloud Application Manager, an orchestration platform designed to "simplify deployment of enterprise workloads, managed services and third-party cloud resources." The cloud-agnostic management platform enables companies to better manage applications and workloads across hybrid hosting environments – in customer private clouds, colocation centers and public cloud environments, CenturyLink says. Ironically, the launch comes after CenturyLink largely abandoned its own plans to compete head-on against Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. 13. Workplace as a Service: IndependenceIT has launched Cloud Workspace Suite version 5.1, which facilitates the "management and delivery of software defined data centers (SDDCs), workspaces, applications, and data to users anywhere, anytime, and on any device." 12. Cybersecurity Regulations. March 1, 2017 marks the effective date of the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) Cybersecurity Requirements for Financial Services Companies (the Rules), notes White & Case. Will additional states follow suit? Hmmm... 11. DDoS MitigationNTT Communications Corp. has expanded its Distributed Denial of Service Protection Services (DPS). The expanded suite of services will enable its Global IP Network customers around the world to customize the level of service and assistance that best fits their needs, NTT claims. But wait. More content awaits you on page 2. Proceed to page two now and sip up the remaining items... Welcome to page two. Enjoy a second serving of channel content -- items 10 to 1 -- here. 10. New MSSP Service: FourV Systems has launched GreySpark Central, which allows MSSPs to centrally manage deployments and view risk and performance indicators within and across organizations, the company asserts.

9. MSSP Partnership: Netsurion is now a Fortinet MSSP Platinum Partner. Platinum MSSPs are Fortinet experts with demonstrated proficiency, having completed stringent Platinum-level certification, training, and audit requirements to achieve Fortinet’s premier MSSP status, the companies say.

8. Data Center Expansion: Lightower Fiber Networks has expanded into a 30,000 square foot colocation facility in Philadelphia. The company already has 50,000 square feet of colocation space in an adjacent facility. 7. Data Center Acquisition, Part I: Interxion Holding has acquired a data center business from Vancis Holding BV for an undisclosed sum. The acquired data center serves The Netherlands and Western Europe, and that the Amsterdam-based location adds access to more than 100 carriers and ISPs. 6. Data Center Acquisition, Part II: Equinix is acquiring ICT-Center AG, Zurich's data center operating business in Zurich, Switzerland. The facility is adjacent to Equinix's existing Zurich International Business Exchange data centers. 5. All Data Center Acquisitions: Track all data center, VAR, MSP and CSP mergers and acquisitions here. 4. Cloudera IPO: The next tech IPO may involve Cloudera, a Hadoop and big data specialist that competes against Hortonworks and MapR... 3. Channel Talent, Part 1: Peak 10 has hired Dave Sroka as vice president of channel sales. Before joining Peak 10, Sroka held leadership positions at Coresite, Cologix and Level 3. Also, Steve Renda has joined Peak 10 as vice president of product. Renda previously held key posts at NTT/Verio, Spring, Macmillan Science and Education, and MX Logic.
Nancy Williams and Jan Spring
Nancy Williams and Jan Spring
2. Channel talent, Part II: eFolder channel veterans Jan Spring and Nancy Williams have joined Carvir, an anti-malware & anti-ransomware startup focused on MSPs. Williams confirmed the details in an email to ChannelE2E. 1. M&A - IT Consulting Services: Avanade has acquired Infusion, a global software engineering, design and digital strategy firm that delivers digital business transformation for the enterprise with strong Microsoft technology expertise, the companies said. We'll share more details soon. More: Read all of our daily 5 Channel Partner UpdatesPlusSubscribe 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.