5 things

5 Channel Partner Updates: Friday 05 January 2018

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Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Friday, January 5, 2018.

Actually, there are 7 timely updates designed 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:

7. Talent: Collaborative data company Alation has hired Ken Hoang as VP of strategy and alliances. Hoang brings more than 25 years of technology expertise to the role, including experience as a CTO, CEO and founder of enterprise technology companies. Hoang is a five-time company founder who is perhaps best known for launching Siperian in the MDM (master data management) market. 

6. Partnership - Graphics Virtualization: IMSCAD Global and AMD are partnering to deliver "advanced solutions that simplify the transition to graphics virtualization for Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Design and Manufacturing firms." Sounds pretty slick. We'll keep an eye on the work...

5. Funding - Network Monitoring: Private equity firm Rubicon Technology Partners has invested AppNeta, a network and end-user experience performance monitoring specialist. Still, the value of the deal was not announced. We're wondering if it was a potential down round compared to previous investments, though that's speculation on our part.

4. M&A - Fibre Networks: Logix Communications has completed the Alpheus Communications buyout. Financial terms were not disclosed. The deal gives Logix deep reach into the Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Houston markets. Now known as Logix Fiber Networks, the company has 5,800 route miles of network, serves over 12,500 business and carrier customers and connects to 75 data centers in Texas, FierceTelecom notes.

3. M&A - SD-WANsMartello Technologies and Elfiq Networks have merged. Together, the companies will offer performance management solutions for real time communications, SD-WAN network management and business continuity services. Financial terms were not disclosed.

2. M&A - Data Centers: The total value of data center M&A deals in  2017 reached $20 billion, far surpassing the total for 2015 and 2016 combined, according to Synergy Research Group. Entering 2018, there are also four additional major deals that have been agreed but not yet closed, with a total value of over $2.6 billion. On average through 2017, there was almost one significant M&A deal closed every week. The largest transaction in the year was Digital Realty’s $7.6 billion acquisition of DuPont Fabros, but there were four other deals that were valued at a billion dollars or more, involving acquisitions by Equinix, Cyxtera, Peak 10 and Digital Bridge, the researcher says.

1. Teaser Alert: Major developments in the IT channel may surface around 12:30 p.m. ET today. Check ChannelE2E's homepage regularly for complete details...

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.