Good day, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Wednesday, June 28, 2017.
Actually, there are 14 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…
14. Cybersecurity: Barracuda has launched Barracuda Sentinel, an AI solution for real-time spear phishing and cyber fraud defense. Barracuda Sentinel is delivered as a cloud service and utilizes artificial intelligence to protect people, businesses, and brands from spear phishing, impersonation attempts, business email compromise (BEC), and cyber fraud, the company asserts.
13. Cloud Services Partnership: 8x8 and Softchoice are partnering to promote integrated, enterprise-grade cloud communications, contact center and team collaboration solutions to midmarket and enterprise companies. Under terms of the relationship, Softchoice will now expand its cloud portfolio to sell 8x8’s industry-leading solutions and services in the United States and Canada.
12. Amazon and SMB Partners: Amazon this week hosted Boost with FBA, a first-ever summit in the U.S. for small business and entrepreneurs participating in the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) service. The inaugural event, held in New York City, attracted 1,000 entrepreneurs and small business owners to meet with Amazon leaders face-to-face and learn about the tools and services that can help them further grow their business on Amazon. Amazon's big challenge: Balancing those FBA partners with its own direct sales machine.
11. Microsoft Workloads on AWS: 2nd Watch has achieved Amazon Web Services (AWS) Microsoft Workloads Competency status, with specific focus on Microsoft SQL Server workloads. The firm, which has over 200,000 AWS instances under management, previously achieved several AWS Competencies, including: Migration, DevOps, Big Data, Marketing & Commerce, Life Sciences, Financial Services, and Microsoft SharePoint. 2nd Watch is also an AWS Premier Consulting Partner and an AWS Managed Service Partner in the AWS Partner Network (APN), the company says.
10. Box and Microsoft Azure: Box and Microsoft have agreed to promote Box cloud content management with Azure to enterprise customers. Box will use Azure as a strategic public cloud platform. Also, the companies will make shared go-to-market investments, including initiatives to co-sell Box with Azure. In addition, the partnership will enable future integration between Azure’s artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities with Box’s cloud content management platform, the companies say. Box has a somewhat similar relationship with IBM.
9. Microsoft Azure Managed Services: PlumChoice has expanded it cloud services portfolio to include Microsoft Azure services. David Hauser, VP of cloud services for PlumChoice, is driving the effort.
8. NetSuite Partner Program: The Oracle NetSuite Global Business Unit has attracted several new cloud ERP partners -- including Cherry Bekaert, Terillium, Revolution Group and Conexus SG. The announcement comes one week after FinancialForce promoted its cloud ERP and PSA momentum to partners.
7. 5G Fiber Investment: The U.S. requires an investment of $130 billion to $150 billion in fiber infrastructure over the next five to seven years to unlock the full power of fifth generation mobile network (5G) technology, Deloitte asserts. We'll share more details and analysis soon.
6. Partner Program: Mimosa Networks Inc., which develops fiber-fast, 5G Fixed Wireless solutions, has unveiled the Mimosa Premier Partner Program, a global program specifically designed to help partners discover new business opportunities and generate new revenue streams.
5. Application Performance Management: Arellius Enterprises has agreed to promote Correlsense's application performance management (APM) solutions into such vertical market industries as oil and gas, mining and exploration, automotive, electronics, aerospace, agriculture, utilities, manufacturing and chemical sectors.
4. IoT Education: Florida International University is launching one of the nation's first Internet of Things (IoT) degree program. Just like tech vendors, colleges have been quick to introduce revenue-generating degree programs for major technology waves -- from big data analytics to cybersecurity. But I think it's too soon to say if widespread IoT degree programs will emerge...
3. Funding: CloudHealth Technologies, a cloud service management company, has raised $46 million in Series D round of financing. Among the metrics to know: CloudHealth increased its revenue by more than 130 percent in 2016. So far, in 2017, the company has grown its list of direct and indirect customers worldwide to more than 1,300 and opened offices in Amsterdam, Singapore, Sydney, Tel Aviv, and Washington, D.C. Also, CloudHealth Technologies is planning to nearly double its global workforce to more than 250 in the 12 months ending December 31, 2017, the company says.
2. Cisco Empowering MSPs?: Cisco is testing a range of analytics technologies to help service providers introduce new managed services, according to CEO Chuck Robbins. We'll share more details soon. By the way, it's a safe bet Robbins was referring to big telcos and midmarket service providers -- rather than small MSPs that support SMB customers.
1. Petya Ransomware Cyberattacks: The latest Petya-related ransomware attacks continue to spread globally. For the latest coverage specifically focused on MSSPs and the channel, visit MSSP Alert's Petya News & Analysis Coverage.
