Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to sip on for Monday, April 11, 2016.
Actually, there are 15 entries for VARs, managed services providers (MSPs), cloud services providers (CSPs) and independent software vendors (ISVs) to sip on.
15. About Those Intel Exits: When several Intel executives recently exited the chip giants, pundits wondered if Intel's decision to recruit a former Qualcomm executive played a role in the upheaval. Apparently, the answer is yes -- according to speculation from Bloomberg. The key lesson for business builders: Recruiting an outsider into the executive suite certainly can shake up your executive ranks. Just be sure it's the type of shakeup you're seeking.
14. Tablet Market Shrinkage: The tablet market is 100 million units smaller than Gartner's initial predictions. So what went wrong? Hmmm... Instead of pointing to one particular issue, here's a range of issues that have squeezed tablet sales.
13. Industrial IoT, Part I: General Electric is testing a 100 gigabit per second network in New York to better understand industrial Internet of Things (IoT) applications. The goal is to improve efficiencies across 400 manufacturing facilities, accord to a VP at GE. It sounds like Cisco Systems provided the hardware for the test bed.
12. Industrial IoT, Part II: Keep an eye on the Internet of Things North America conference, set for April in Illinois. We'll update the ChannelE2E Technology Event Calendar with that conference -- and more -- shortly.
11. Partner Program Updates:
- Gigamon Inc., which specializes in traffic visibility solutions, has launched a Professional Service Partner Program, which allows certified channel partners to design, implement, and service Gigamon solutions.
- Q4 Inc., a provider of SaaS investor relations solutions, has expanded its program agency partners. Karen Adams, who has been promoted to senior managing director, Strategic Partnerships, is driving the partner program.
- RES, which specializes in secure digital workspaces, bolstered its Global Partner Program with a particular emphasis on customer experience. Tom Flink, senior VP of Global Sales and Services, is driving the effort.
10. Sales Development KPIs: You know the typical sales KPIs. But what about some "soft" measurements that can identify your sales team's effectiveness? Here are a few to consider from QuotaFactory.com.
9. Apple Watch 2 Launch Date: Apple's next smartwatch -- the Apple Watch 2 -- apparently will arrive in June 2016. The device is expected to be 20 percent to 40 percent thinner than the current Apple Watch. Watch for a potential announcement at WWDC (Worldwide Developer Conference) in San Francisco the week of June 13, according to Drexel Hamilton. Most folks had been expecting an announcement later in the year -- perhaps in September to coincide with an iPhone 7 launch...
8. MSP Marketing Services: Ulistic now offers market research services to its top tier clients. The consulting firm can execute a market research campaign "into a vertical market, geography or any other client description and find out exactly what their pain points are and how a managed IT services company can assist," says CEO and Creative Director Stuart Crawford. "From there, we design a marketing campaign that is executed against the feedback we receive from our studies."
7. Telcos and Big Data: Roughly 50 percent of telcos lack a clear big data strategy, according to TeleResearch Labs. However, the smartest telcos are driving revenue growth of roughly 15 percent by specifically investing in big data initiatives and related applications, the market researcher found.
6. Duran Duran at EMC World 2016: Yup. Rio comes to Vegas.
5. Microsoft Cloud Billing Surprises?: Microsoft apparently is getting more aggressive in the cloud billing department, pushing partners to help police the market for potential software abusers. Curious to know if these reports are isolated or part of a larger strategy...
4. 10 Best Cloud SLA Practices: Here they are. We'll share more views a little later today...
3. Ingram Micro Cloud Summit: ChannelE2E will surface there later today. Stay tuned for ongoing coverage of the conference, including VP Renee Bergeron's keynote on Tuesday. Here's a preview of Ingram Micro Cloud Summit 2016.
2. Help Wanted: Check the ChannelE2E Job Board for newly listed positions from Spectralink, ChannelEyes, Wolf Consulting, CGI and more. Apply for a career opportunity, or post positions that are available within your company. All submissions are subject to ChannelE2E's review.
1. Top Vertical Market MSPs: Register to join our Q2 webcast and learn about the world's Top Vertical Market MSPs -- their strategies, best practices and more.
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