Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Thursday, June 15, 2017.
Actually, there are 12 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…
12. Amazon Buying Slack?: Apparently, Amazon has some interest in Slack -- the fast-growing collaboration application. Slack could fit nicely into Amazon's growing SaaS business, which now includes cloud email and productivity services. But for now, Amazon buying Slack is just a rumor.
11. M&A - Networking: Expereo, which offers managed Internet network, SD-WAN services, and cloud connectivity solutions, has acquired Border 6, a performance-based routing specialist.
10. Partnership: Guidance Software's EnCase Endpoint Security technology will leverage Webroot's BrightCloud IP and File Reputation Services, the companies say. By embedding threat intelligence into its Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) products, Guidance customers can more rapidly detect hidden threats before they lead to a breach, the companies claim.
9. Pure Storage Growth: Pure Storage shared upbeat perspectives with analysts during the company's Accelerate conference yesterday. Chatter involved Pure Storage's growing relationship with Cisco, and the march toward $2 billion in revenues by 2021, Barron's reported.
8. SMB Cloud Servers: Tech Data has launched an SMB cloud server that bundles Office 365 with various backup and business continuity services. The system, designed for resellers, runs on Microsoft Azure. We'll share more details soon.
7. Full Stack Monitoring: Dynatrace has launched performance monitoring capabilities for Cloud Foundry. With the new Dynatrace BOSH add-on, organizations can now obtain full transaction visibility; from the end user, through Cloud Foundry (including all components of the platform), to the underlying IaaS, with zero-configuration, the company claims.
6. Partner Program: Strongarm has launched a security partner program for VARs and MSPs that support SMB customers. Joel Silberman, senior vice president of business development and strategy at Strongarm, is driving the effort. For MSPs that want to deploy Strongarm to their current customers, the company offers a one-year Jumpstart Package.
5. HIPAA Compliance: Compliancy Group's HIPAA compliance software, called The Guard, now includes HIPAA Risk Assessment software to help health care providers and vendors to comply with HIPAA regulations.
4. Authentic: ChannelE2E attended Ingram Micro's SMB Alliance summit yesterday in Buffalo.If we had to recap the gathering in one word, it would be "authentic." Darren Gottesmann (director of SMB sales at Ingram Micro) and Paul Hager (president and CEO of Information Technology Professionals, an MSP in Wisconsin) kept the conversations moving along in an educational way. Much of the chatter, predictably, involved marketing, sales and cloud strategies for partners. But that's not all. We'll post a recap soon. In the meantime, check out this podcast with Gottesmann and Hager, which captures the essence of the SMB Alliance.
3. MSP Gathering, Part 1: It's one of the best MSP gatherings of the year -- and I don't typically hand out that type of praise in our blog. The TruMethods team will rally MSP members starting today at Schnizzfest 2017 in Philadelphia. We'll be live blogging sales and business guidance from TruMethods CEO Gary Pica and CTO Bob Penland starting Friday. So what makes this conference different? First, Pica and Penland essentially run unscripted main stage business conversations most of Friday. Second, the TruMethods gets into the nitty gritty of MSP sales goals, business models, KPIs and more. Third, Pica has previously launched built and sold an MSP. Plus, Pica and Penland are now investment partners in an MSP. That hands-on experience has ensured TruMethods' guidance remains relevant to partners.
2. MSP Gathering, Part 2: We're set to attend the ConnectWise Automation Nation 2017 conference next week in Orlando. The gathering is designed for MSPs and service desk professionals that leverage ConnectWise Automate, the RMM (remote monitoring and management) platform formally called LabTech. Among the things to watch: Poke around to learn how ConnectWise Control (formerly ScreenConnect) continues to influence R&D for the rest of the ConnectWise suite.
1. Continuum Acquired: Surely you've read the news all over ChannelE2E's homepage. But just in case you missed the update and need a link, here's everything you need to know about Thoma Bravo acquiring Continuum, and where Continuum CEO Michael George is heading next with the company.
