5 Channel Partner Updates: Monday 24 June 2019

Here are five (actually, far more…) technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Monday, June 24, 2019.

A. Our Daily Brew

B. Freshly Brewed News and Chatter

1. M&A - Mobile Solutions Provider: Mobile Communications America (MCA), one of the largest Motorola Solutions channel partners, has acquired Crosspoint Communications, a full-service wireless integrator in the southwestern United States, the companies confirmed this morning.

2. M&A - Data Centers: Next Tier Connect, an investment partnership between Next Tier HD and RedBird Capital Partners, has acquired a 505,000 square foot mission critical mixed-use campus in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. Financial terms were not disclosed.

3. M&A - CIOs Are Strategic: Companies without a playbook for integrating IT systems in the wake of an acquisition or merger risk spiraling IT costs and angry employees, The Wall Street Journal reports.

4. Funding - IT Services: Avatara, a private cloud services provider (CSP), has raised $10 million from Bank Street Capital Partners and Post Road Group.

5. Private Equity: Vanguard Group has had discussions with a handful of private-equity firms as the indexing giant weighs whether to push further into alternative investments, The Wall Street Journal reports. The firm held exploratory talks with Boston firm HarbourVest Partners, London-based Pantheon and at least one other firm, the report says.

6. Talent - Cloud Management Platform: CloudCheckr has named Sonian and Ektron veteran Tim McKinnon as CEO and as a member of the board of directors. Founder and former CEO, Aaron Newman, moves to executive chairman. The cloud platform includes cost management features.

7. Talent - SMB Hiring: Over half of SMBs surveyed made zero new hires in the past 12 months, citing labor costs as top impediment, according to the ScaleFactor State of SMB Finance Report.

8. Slack - Not Here: Microsoft has banned employees from using Slack...

9. Slack - Alternative Funded: Mattermost, an open source alternative to Slack, has raised $50 million in Series B funding...

10. Google Kills Tablet Business: Google will stop directly competing with Apple and Microsoft in the tablet market, and will instead focus on Chromebook laptops, according to Business Insider. The news spells the end of Google's Pixel Slate business, which received mixed reviews in recent months.

11. Oracle Strategy, Expansion and Layoffs: Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison explained the technology company's recent job cuts along with growth areas in this interview with Business Insider. The company last week delivered stronger-than-expected revenue growth.

12. Ransomware - IT By Design: The recent ransomware attacks involving Webroot apparently hit IT By Design, a master MSP, according to CRN.

C. Next Five Technology Conferences

Got news to share for our morning update? Email me: [email protected].