Good morning, channel partners. We're here to save you from the latest mass media blizzard alert. Instead, here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Friday, January 22, 2016.
Actually, there are 14 items for VARs, managed services providers (MSPs), cloud services providers (CSPs) and independent software vendors (ISVs) to sip on.
14. Cheaper M&A?: Cloud-oriented tech companies like Box, Hortonworks and Workday could be acquisition targets amid falling stock prices, The Wall Street Journal speculates. The potential buyers are familiar names: Cisco, HP Enterprise and IBM, the paper adds. My spin? This story sounds like a fishing trip to me... pure speculation based on market jitters. Still, startups that get strapped for cash could go looking for rich uncles soon...
13. Docker Makes Acquisition: The software container company has acquired Unikernel Systems, The potential upside: "Unikernels compile your source code into a custom operating system that includes only the functionality required by the application logic," Docker says. In other words, Unikernel could help service providers to build and launch streamlined applications that only include code that's absolutely required -- ensuring there's no fluff that hogs system resources.
12. Google Apps for the Midmarket: Onix Networking Corp., a Google Apps for Work partner, is taking aim at the midmarket. The company is seeking to work with companies that have 250 to 3,000 employees. Core to the company's pitch: How customers can potentially save 70 percent when migrating to Google Apps for Work... Keep an eye on Onix and expect the company to share more details around February 10...
11. IBM Buys Video Streaming: Speaking of acquisitions, IBM has acquired Ustream -- a video streaming service -- for $130 million. The platform, designed for enterprise and consumer applications, supports everything from corporate keynotes to concert streaming...
10. Our IBM Forecast: The headline for IBM's next four quarters will read as follows -- "Top-line revenues fall, cloud revenues rise." Alas, it's becoming an old story and it will continue throughout 2016. The twist? At some point IBM needs cloud revenues to rise faster than top-line revenues fall. Now that would be quite an achievement.
9. Enterprise Public Cloud Spending: Surprise, surprise. IDC says enterprises are starting to more rapidly shift IT workloads to public clouds. The worldwide public cloud market will reach $141 billion in 2019, a 19.4% compound annual growth rate from $70 billion in 2015, IDC says. Hmmm... Corporate IT seems to be waking up from a serious case of cloud denial.
8. Data Center Threats: Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are the fastest-growing cause of data center outages. according to Emerson Network Power. Hmmm... Tell us about it. When is the U.S. government going to get ahead of this issue, and organize a policy that brings the DDoS attackers to justice?
7. Partner Program: iTrinegy, which specializes in Virtual Test Networks, Application Performance Measurement and Application Risk Management specialists, has expanded its channel partner program.
6. SAP Serious Cloud Momentum: Amid all the economic gloom and doom, SAP is raising its 2017 revenue target because demand for its cloud applications continues to accelerate.
5. Intel's Database Investment: Intel and several other investors have pumped $9 million into MariaDB, an open-source offshoot of MySQL. Hmmm... Some pundits think MySQL has languished under Oracle's ownership, hence the rise of the MariaDB alternative...
4. IoT Security Startup: ForeScout Technologies Inc. just raised $76 million in late-stage funding, and the Internet of Things security company now has a $1 billion valuation. Now, about that partner program...
3. iPhone Sales Decline?: You know that iPhone sales growth rates can vary. But what if iPhone sales actually drop during a particular quarter? That's the huge concern on Wall Street, as some of Apple's main Asia suppliers expect revenues and orders to fall this quarter, Reuters suggests.
2. Top 50 Cloud Monitoring & Management Tools: Trying to figure out how to monitor and manage workloads in Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform or another cloud? Check out or list of the Top 50 Cloud Monitoring and Management Tools. Did we overlook any key names and options? Let me know: [email protected].
1. Top Vertical Market MSPs: If you run an MSP be sure to complete our Top Vertical Market MSPs survey. We'll use the submissions to honor the world's top MSPs searching healthcare, financial services, government, retail and many other verticals. But you've got to complete the survey for the potential honor.
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