Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Wednesday, September 7, 2016.
Actually, there are 17 entries for VARs, managed services providers (MSPs), cloud services providers (CSPs) and independent software vendors (ISVs) and telco master agents and telco agents to sip on. Take a look…
17. New Channel Chief: FireMon has named Kurt Mills as its VP of worldwide channels. Mills will lead the company's global channel and distribution efforts. He joins the company from Blue Coat Systems, which Symantec acquired in June.
16. Security Alliance: SecureAuth has launched the Connected Security Alliance. The Alliance, initially comprised of SecureAuth and cybersecurity solution providers CyberArk, SailPoint and Exabeam, creates a reference architecture that will help organizations address every stage of the attack lifecycle, the companies claim.
15. Partner Program: Fresche has launched a global Power Partner Program. The program enables IBM i Business Partners, VARs, ISVs, SIs and consultants to help customers move from legacy applications to new web, mobile, open source and cloud solutions, Fresche claims.
14. Android 6 Malware: Trojan software aimed at the banking industry, called Gugi, has evolved to bypass Android 6 security, according to Kaspersky Lab. The Gugi Trojan mainly attacks users in Russia, the software company says. But watch out: In the first half of August 2016 there were ten times as many victims as in April 2016 -- and it's a safe bet the targets will extend beyond Russia...
13. FinTech Disruption: You know that cloud, mobile, social and big data computing have seriously disrupted traditional Wall Street powerhouses. But perhaps you don't realize just how dramatic the changes have been. A key example: Goldman Sachs has started giving away its most valuable software in a bid to win more business from clients, The Wall Street Journal reports.
12. Midmarket M&A Marketplace: What if there was a way for midmarket buyers, sellers and investors to more easily find each other? Perhaps the answer involves Finquest -- an emerging marketplace that connects institutional investors, midsized companies, and M&A advisors. The twist? The current focus is Asia...
11. U.S.-EU Data Privacy: Only 34 percent of multinational businesses intend to embrace Privacy Shield -- the U.S.-EU agreement that succeeds Safe Harbor, according to the International Association of Privacy Professionals and EY. Privacy Shield defines how businesses must safeguard data as it moves between the European Union and the United States. Roughly 100 companies have been certified for Privacy Shield -- a tiny fraction of the 4,000 firms that had Safe Harbor certification before that standard expired last year, according to the European Commission.
10. Data Center Acquisition: Eurofiber Group has acquired all shares in Dutch colocation provider Dataplace, gaining its second data center in the process, according to Datacenter Dynamics. Eurofiber will take ownership of the Tier III facility in Alblasserdam, in the western Netherlands, adding to its existing data center in the central-western Utrecht region, the report stated. Dozens of data centers worldwide could change ownership hands over the next few months. Both CenturyLink and Verizon, for instance, have been soliciting bids for their respective data center infrastructure.
9. Office 365 Meets Voice: Ntegrated Solutions, a provider of SMB voice, data, and cloud technology solutions, has added Microsoft Office 365 to the company’s product portfolio. Heather Graham, Ntegrated’s Director of Channel Sales, is leading Ntegrated's Office 365 channel partner push. The move comes as Microsoft itself expands Office 365's hosted voice and PBX capabilities.
8. Cisco Routing Rival?: Arista Networks will push beyond its networking switch business and make deeper investments in routing -- even as Cisco continues a "legal onslaught" against Arista, according to Barron's and Citrigroup.
7. Internet of Things: Verizon plans to pre-integrate its ThingSpace IoT platform within Qualcomm' MDM9206 Category M (Cat M1) LTE modem. The initiative also utilizes Verizon's 4G LTE network as the gateway for building, deploying and managing IoT applications...
6. Microsoft Countering Slack: Keep an eye on Skype Teams -- a potential Microsoft alternative to Slack, the wildly popular messaging app for teams.
5. IBM and Box: Together they are launching Box Relay, an enterprise-class document management platform that's designed to disrupt EMC Documentum and other classic offerings. Box Relay is expected to debut at today's BoxWorks 2016 conference in San Francisco, according to early chatter from CEO Aaron Levie. The big questions for channel partners: Will MSP-friendly offerings like Autotask Workplace, Datto Drive and eFolder Anchor need to pivot at all amid Box Relay's arrival. Also, how will Dropbox react? Hmmm...
4. After iPhone 7: Poor Apple. The company worked overtime to unveil the iPhone 7 today. But skeptics were already looking ahead to iPhone 8's potential debut next year. Most folks think today's release will involve minor enhancements, with the iPhone 8 to be a more radical redesign. Thanks, but I'll stick with my iPhone 6... P.S. Part 1: Apple Watch 2 may also surface today. P.S. Part 2: Thanks, but I'll stick with my iPhone 6 to tell me the time.
3. HP Enterprise Earnings: The latest HPE quarterly results are scheduled to be announced today. The big question: Will CEO Meg Whitman say anything about the rumored effort to sell off some or all of HPE's software assets? We'll be listening...
2. Dell and EMC Are One: Say hello to Dell Technologies, which officially launches today. Portions of the combined businesses are certainly growing. But it's safe to expect job cuts over the next few weeks and months. Overall, the Dell and EMC portfolios will need to work extra hard to get this business combination right for customers, partners... and demanding private equity investors. More Thoughts Soon: Both Dell and EMC are hosting calls today. We'll likely share some thoughts from those calls throughout the day...
1. Meet ChannelE2E: Catch up with us next week at GreatAmerica's Connection Point event and/or HTG IT Channel Summit. To potentially meet at either location just email me ([email protected]). Special thanks to GreatAmerica and HTG for the respective event invites.
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