Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to sip on for Friday, June 17, 2016.
Actually, there are 12 entries for VARs, managed services providers (MSPs), cloud services providers (CSPs) and independent software vendors (ISVs) to sip on. Take a look…
12. Can't 'Contain' Docker Momentum: More than 4,000 people have registered to attend DockerCon 2016 starting Sunday in Seattle. That's an eight-fold increase in two years, according to GeekWire. Still not sure about the software container wave? Your midmarket and enterprise customers are surely investigating it -- or riding it... By the way: Roger Egan, a Red Hat veteran, leads Docker's channel sales strategy,,,
11. IoT Managed Services: The worldwide market for Internet of Things (IoT) managed services will reach $120 billion by 2022, according to Market Research Reports Inc. That's a compound annual growth rate of 15.3 percent from 2016 to 2022. IoT is hot but I don't believe the figures.
10. Obsessed with LinkedIn: Salesforce.com apparently bid to buy LinkedIn in recent months, but lost out to Microsoft in the bidding war. The clear takeaway: A new generation of CRM-driven data management is coming. Keep a close eye on the Microsoft Dynamics-LinkedIn combination vs Salesforce.com in the months and years to come. Bill Gates, by the way, says LinkedIn will become like Facebook for careers.
9. Cloud Computing Hits New High: Microsoft has partnered with Kind Financial to track pot -- marijuana -- from 'seed to sale.' The effort involves Kind's technology running on Microsoft's Azure Government cloud. And yes, we've heard about MSPs supporting marijuana businesses in Colorado.
8. Cloud Cost Management Analysis: CloudHealth Technologies and Datadog have integrated their platforms to help customers track cloud performance and cost issues. The result could be "rightsizing analysis" that helps customers to fine-tune their cloud deployments and associated spending. We've been tracking cloud cost management tools and platforms quite closely, including offerings like CloudMGR, CloudCheckr and CloudAbility.
7. M&A Concerns: When Cavium announced plans to buy QLogic for $1.3 billion yesterday, Wall Street analysts reacted with concern. Cavium shares fell to a 20-month low as analysts questioned the deal synergy and Cavium's strategic priorities. Admittedly, Wall Street is often wrong about M&A outcomes... But...
6. Cloud Distribution Services: Tech Data has unveiled a community of independent software vendors (ISVs) that work closely with Microsoft and the distributor's Tech Data Cloud business unit. Initial participants include Akumina, Cirrus Insight, RapidStartCRM and Spanning (an EMC company). Microsoft has been working closely with several distributors to build its cloud solutions provider (CSP) partner program. Microsoft GM of Worldwide Partner Programs Gavriella Schuster explains much of the strategy in ChannelE2E Podcast 071, co-hosted by CompTIA CEO Todd Thibodeaux.
5. Machine Learning Adoption: Roughly 62 percent of organizations expect to implement machine learning with big data applications by 2018, according to SoftServe. Frankly, I don't believe the statistic. But perhaps I'm underestimating how quickly businesses will adopt machine learning systems built into Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services and other public clouds. And a small piece of me worries a machine will contact me in 2018 to say I underestimated the rise of machine learning...
4. Network, Data Center Monitoring: Cisco Systems has unveiled Tetration Analytics, which allows customers to track servers, networking gear and data center infrastructure. We're checking to see if it's multi-tenant for service providers to monitor multiple customer installs. Some pundits think the offering competes with Gigamon. But Cisco has bigger ambitions, seeking to offer "Data Center Visibility on a Whole New Scale," according to CEO Chuck Robbins.
3. Separated At Birth?: Take a closer look at the photos of Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins (item 4 above) and Red Hat Channel Chief Roger Egan (item 12 above). Long lost relatives?
2. Next Week: We're heading to DattoCon16 and ConnectWise LabTech Automation Nation 2016. You can see previews of the events here and here. Check ChannelE2E daily for live blog coverage. And feel free to say hi if you're attending the event(s): [email protected].
1. Thank You: To those who participated in our Top 100 Vertical Market MSPs survey. And to those who tuned in yesterday's webcast unveiling of the research results and top 100 list. Congrats to the honorees. And thanks for giving me a place to share my views -- every business day.
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