5 things

5 Channel Partner Updates: 30 Nov 2015

Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter and so much more to start your day for Monday, November 30, 2015.

Actually, today's update involves 15 items for VARs, managed services providers (MSPs) and cloud services providers (CSPs) to sip on.

15. Presidio Acquires Sequoia: The deal was just announced t0day. Here's ChannelE2E's updated coverage of Presidio acquiring Sequoia Worldwide for hybrid cloud & brokerage capabilities.

14. Datto Cyber Monday Sale: Datto, the business continuity company that works closely with MSPs, is offering special Datto discounts and free passes to its 2016 conference as part of a Cyber Monday promotion.

13. Another MSP Acquired: I'm nearly willing to bet the house that another well-known MSP -- this time, a regional player -- has been acquired. ChannelE2E expects to confirm details within 36 to 48 hours...

12. Virtual Reality Game Changer: The world has been waiting more than two decades (more?) for a virtual reality system that's ready for the masses. Now, it's apparently here. It's called Gear VR -- from Samsung and Facebook's Oculus business unit. And it costs only about $100. Check out this Gear VR review, which compares the new device/technology to the Atari 2600's arrival more than three decades ago.

11. A Sign of Things to Come: BlackBerry is pulling out of Pakistan after that government allegedly made unreasonable data monitoring demands. ChannelE2E suspects this is the first of many potential scenarios where technology companies leave a region because of privacy and security concerns.

10. Managing Cloud Subscriptions: Keep an eye on SixPivot's Cloud Ctrl Connect -- which allows partners and customers to manage any Microsoft Azure cloud subscription.

9. Forget IPOs, Think M&A: Amid the turbulent M&A market where some Unicorns (startups valued at $1 billion or more) are suffering setbacks, more and more companies are instead opting for mergers and acquisitions as a safer exit strategy, according to The Wall Street Journal and Dealogic.

8. Check It Out: ChannelE2E is impressed with this list of 50 enterprise technology startups to watch. Most of the companies on the list have earned ink from ChannelE2E. And quite a few are preparing channel partner programs... Stay tuned.

7. Google Glass 2: It sounds like Alphabet Inc. is preparing to launch  the successor to Google Glass -- the company's experiment in the mobile and wearable device world. Interesting. But I'll sit on the sideline as Google Glass 2 emerges with some early testers. Last time around, I felt rather foolish opening my wallet for such an early stage technology.

Jeff Leventhal
Jeff Leventhal

6. More Disruption: Former Work Market and OnForce CEO and Co-founder Jeff Leventhal is working on his next startup. Let's just say it will disrupt the on-demand market in a new way. Stay tuned.

5. The Next Social Media Platforms: You've likely heard of ComLinked, the social media platform for businesses rather than individuals. Next up: The rise of social networks for the financial world. Key brands to know include 1000 Angels (for angel investors and "individual" venture capitalists); along with Vetr (crowdsourced stock ratings), Investfeed, StockTwits and eToro in the US. And in India, keep an eye on Talkoot.

4. WiFi vs LiFi: You're familiar with WiFi. But have you heard about LiFi -- a light-based data delivery method? WiFi is nearly everywhere. LiFi is limited to R&D work at the present time... But stay tuned.

3. Help Wanted: Looking for a new channel-related job in the technology industry? Check out ChannelE2E's free job board.

2. HP Enterprise: CEO Meg Whitman is set to address roughly 10,000 customers and partners during Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Discover 2015 this week in London. After a less-than-stellar earnings report, Whitman must tell customers and partners how they can ride subscription-based services with HP Enterprise -- at a time when the company remains far too dependent on hardware sales.

1. Top 100 Tech Entrepreneurs: Don't forget to fill out the ChannelE2E 100 survey -- which identifies the top 100 entrepreneurs, startups and exits in the IT channel for 2015.

Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.