Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Thursday, April 27, 2017.
Actually, there are 17 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. Oracle NetSuite Counters WorkDay: NetSuite, an Oracle business unit, has unveiled SuitePeople -- a direct counter to WorkDay's HR-oriented SaaS platform. The move suggests Oracle has no plans to buy WorkDay... for now. Related: The NetSuite SuiteWorld 2017 conference wraps up today.
16. Interesting ShoreTel Move: ShoreTel channel partners who currently buy premises-based unified communications products directly from ShoreTel will transition to procuring those solutions from ScanSource, the two companies have confirmed. Hypothetically Speaking: Hmmm... ShoreTel has been seeking a potential buyer since August 2016 or so. The company is ramping up its cloud sales while traditional hardware sales, naturally, decline based on shifting customer consumption models. Generally speaking, I think the ShoreTel-ScanSource deal potentially positions ShoreTel as a more attractive buyout target.
15. Partner Program: During Riverbed's partner summit this week the company reinforced its focus on three core opportunities. They include (1) Cloud Networking and SD-WANs, (2) End-to-End Visibility and (3) a Service Delivery Platform. Recent partner program enhancements include Embedded & Managed Services opportunities; consulting & professional services guidance; and more Riverbed Reach channel marketing components. Roughly 95 percent of Riverbed's revenues flow through the channel. Related: Riverbed Partner Summit 2017 wraps up today.
14. IoT Security: D-Link continues to push back against a lawsuit alleging the company's networking gear leaves consumers open unnecessary security risks. The company claims the Federal Trade Commission relies on "illusory" factual disputes in its IoT security case against D-Link.
13. Ransomware Rates: Cyberattacks involving ransomware increased 50 percent in 2016, according to a report from Verizon Communications Inc.
12. Online Software Taxes: New York tax authorities have determined that sales tax applies to online file-sharing software used by corporate boards of directors in an advisory opinion released Tuesday, but allowed for proportional exclusions for out-of-state board members and exempt Internet access functions, Law360 reported. Our spin? Keep a close eye on the advisory opinion, because it could influence software-related tax strategies across the U.S...
11. Ouch: AT&T shot itself in the foot with misleading 5G strategy claims. And the industry continues to call them out on it.
But wait. There's more. Check out page 2 for items 10 to 1.
Here's page 2. Boy was that a fast page load. Here are items 10 to 1.
10. Net Neutrality: More than 800 startups have asked the FCC to not kill net neutrality. The Trump Administration is seeking to dump net neutrality, which could lead to new fees, charges and traffic prioritization challenges for customers as they navigate the Internet.
9. Dropbox Is Profitable: Well, sort of. The company is generating profits based on EBITDA -- though that's certainly not net income. Dropbox is still privately held. Rival Box is public.
8. ServiceNow Momentum: ServiceNow momentum continues to accelerate...
7. Small Business Optimism: Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of small business owners say there has never been a better time to own a small business, according to a new AllState Small Business Barometer survey. Hmmm... Are entrepreneurs optimistic about government policy changes -- or are they just super-confident in their own ability to build businesses? I'm guessing it's the latter.
6. H-1B Visa Executive Order: Not sure what President Trump's H-1B executive order potentially means? The detailed H-1B executive order Q&A from ComputerWorld offers some timely insights and perspectives.
5. IT Outsourcing Settlement: The state of Michigan has reached a $13 million settlement with Hewlett Packard Enterprise after suing over a failed $49 million computer system overhaul for the Secretary of State, The Detroit News reported. So who's going to pay the damages? Actually, the answer is DXC Technology -- which is the newly branded combination of the former CSC and HPE's IT services arm.
4. MSP Help Desks: Logicalis may move some UK help desk roles to South Africa. It's part of a broader global managed services revamp, according to ChannelWeb UK. Just about every major MSP help desk provider is closely exploring how to scale their services while keeping costs under control. Continuum, for instance, is expanding its help desk services to include support professionals in the Philippines. The company already has a U.S.-based help desk as well.
3. Meet ChanneE2E: We're set to attend VeeamOn 2017, DattoCon17, ConnectWise Automation Nation 2017, and several other events in the weeks ahead. Want to potentially meet? Email me ([email protected]).
2. Managed Security Expert: Atmosera, a premier Microsoft Azure solutions provider, has hired Ray Espinoza as VP of information security (InfoSec). He previously held key posts at Proofpoint, Cisco Systems, and eBay. Espinoza brings extensive experience in security risk management, security incident response, monitoring, and cyber threat, the company says. He will oversee the evolution of managed services targeting security and compliance needs.
1. Join Us Today: We'll reveal the Top 100 Vertical Market MSPs 2017 list and research during our webcast today. Register now and join us at 2:00 p.m. ET.
