Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to sip on for Tuesday, March 29, 2016.
Actually, there are 12 entries for VARs, managed services providers (MSPs), cloud services providers (CSPs) and independent software vendors (ISVs) to sip on.
12. Amazon's Desktop as a Service Review: ChannelE2E recently described how the desktop as a service (DaaS) market is shifting to Workspace as a Service. And startups like Itopia claim developed a more profitable WaaS business model for partners. Now comes a full-blown Amazon WorkSpaces review from The Register. Note the math throughout the article. I'm not sure channel partners can make those numbers work...
11. Government Hacks iPhone: The U.S. Department of Justice has unlocked an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters, and dropped its legal case against Apple. Ironically, the questions involving encryption, user privacy rights and manufacturer rights remain unresolved...
10. Ransomware Pros Needed: The FBI is asking business leaders and security experts for help as it investigates a new type of ransomeware called MSIL/Samas, according to a memo obtained by Reuters. Some of the attacks apparently involve JexBoss tools that automate the discovery of vulnerable JBOSS systems, the news service reported.
9. Surface Hub Partners?: Microsoft has shipped its massive Surface Hub digital whiteboards to business customers. The Windows 10-powered displays cost $8,999 (55 inches) to $21,999 (84 inches). Yes, there are even some Surface Hub resellers, according to Microsoft's Website. But the site was hanging during our visit this morning, so we couldn't see a list of initial partners.
8. Microsoft Build Conference: Microsoft's Build 2016 developer conference kicks off Wednesday in San Francisco. Watch for major developments involving HoloLens, including a $3,000 HoloLens Development Edition. The virtual reality and augmented reality technology is Microsoft's answer to Facebook's Oculus Rift, which is winning positive reviews. The Build conference will attract more than 5,000 attendees, Microsoft says.
7. Office 365 Partner Tools: ServicePoint365, a provider of ISV applications for Microsoft's Office 365 and Azure cloud platform, says Office 365 partners can leverage ServicePoint365 to earn Microsoft's Office 365 FastTrack Adoption incentive. Between now and June 30, 2016, eligible Office 365 customers or their partners may receive up to $25 per seat of FastTrack Adoption funding for active seat usage of additional Office 365 workloads such as SharePoint Online, the company asserted.
6. Internet of Things Ranked By Countries: Which countries have the most IoT devices per person? The short answer involves Korea (37.9), followed by Demark, Switzerland and the United States, according for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and search engine Shodan. Still, it's unclear whether the research includes the industrial Internet of Things -- including sensors on factory floors and elsewhere.
5. VMWare Partners: Several hundred customers and roughly 45 partners are expected to attend the Southern Florida VMware User Group UserCon on April 14. VMware Principal Architect Rawlinson Rivera and Product Line Manager Alan Renouf are expected to keynote. Expect a heavy emphasis on APIs and the NSX platform. Stay tuned for more...
4. Industrial IoT Case Studies: Keep an eye on Bsquare, which is working with Amazon Web Services to deliver IoT solutions to business and industrial networks. The effort involves DataV -- an IoT software stack -- that connects remote devices and monitors data streams for ongoing system optimization.
3. Built to Last: How has Synoptek, one of the world's most successful MSPs, scaled its business organically and via M&A? CEO Tim Britt shares some answers in ChannelE2E Podcast 064.
2. Private Equity Fraud: Amid all the private equity fraud flowing into the the IT channel, here's a new warning about fraud. A former managing director for a key private equity firm has been charged with securities fraud and wire fraud, putting $95 million at risk. The firm fired the money manager and is cooperating with the SEC investigation.
1. ChannelE2E's First Webcast: Join our first Webcast this Thursday (March 31) and pose your questions live as we discuss MSP Merger and Acquisition strategies. We'll also unveil the ChannelE2E 100 -- tracking the top entrepreneurs, startups and exits across the IT channel. By registering, you can join us live plus you'll receive a link to the archived webcast (post event) just in case you missed any of the conversation.
More: Read all of our daily 5 Channel Partner Updates. Plus: Subscribe to our daily enewsletter. Thanks to those who already have.
