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5 Channel Partner Updates: Monday 27 November 2017

Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Monday, November 27, 2017.

Actually, there are 16 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:

16. Painful Predictions: When GDPR activates on May 25, 2018, the burden of compliance will weigh most heavily on small and midsized businesses (SMEs), predicts Information Age. Related: See the Top 100 Business and Technology Predictions for 2018 here.

15. Avaya Bankruptcy Plan Debate: Avaya's bankruptcy reorganization plan should not be approved until it is stripped of a two-year consulting deal worth up to $8.75 million for former CEO Kevin Kennedy, according the U.S. government’s bankruptcy watchdog. We'll be watching to see how this one plays out...

14. VMware vs. Microsoft Azure Debate: Microsoft says its Azure cloud will offer complete VMware workload support. But VMware is quick to say it won't offer customer support for those workloads. Instead, VMWare is pushing partners and customers to run their VMware workloads on AWS, IBM and OVH clouds.

13. Cloud Connections:  Zenlayer has launched Zenlink, a new way to connect cloud servers and data centers around the world. The SD-WAN solution can be deployed within minutes, the company claims.

12. Oracle Cloud Partner: Australian-born distributor Nextgen has launched a new service around key partner, Oracle, to support a “swathe” of new products the vendor is bringing to the Australian market, according to CRN Australia.

11. Amazon-Symantec Relationship: Amazon Web Services says Symantec has chosen its cloud-computing services to run "the vast majority" of its cloud workloads, an announcement that comes little more than a month after Microsoft's Azure touted its own slice of Symantec's cloud business, The Seattle Times notes.

10. Cloud Cost Management: Botmetric has launched a prototype cloud savings calculator with Amazon Alexa voice integration at this year’s Amazon re:invent conference. Re:invent attendees can stop by Botmetric’s booth No. 329 to sign up for the closed beta, the company says.

9. Amazon Australia?: There are lots of question marks involving Amazon Australia...

8. Funding - Africa Exit:  KKR has disbanded its Africa deal team because it could not find enough big companies to buy, according to Private Equity News.

7. Funding - IoT: Quantify Technology has raised $5 million to accelerate the roll out of its flagship smart home platform, Q Device, Stockhead says.

6. Funding - Data Centers: DataBank, a Dallas-based data center provider that’s been expanding aggressively since it was acquired by investor Digital Bridge last year, has refinanced with a new $410 million credit facility, according to DataCenter Knowledge.

5. Funding - Cloud MSP: Nuvepro, a managed cloud environment solutions provider, has raised seed funding of $400,000, led by crowd-sourcing platform 1Crowd and its investor community, for deepening the firm’s R&D efforts and expansion into the global market, according to The Hindu Business Line.

4. M&A - IT Services: Clarinet's recent acquisitions appear to be paying off -- helping to lift the company revenues 40 precent for the fiscal year ended in June. Computer Weekly describes how the M&A deals have been boosting the company.

3. M&A - More IT Services: Arrow Business Communications has acquired Siebert Telecom Solutions in Scotland. Siebert specializes in hosted, fixed and mobile telephone solutions. Collectively, Arrow Scotland now has roughly 850 customers, some 4,000 hosted seats and over 20 staff supported from the Glasgow and Aberdeen locations, making Arrow a key player in hosted telephony in Scotland, the company says. This is Arrow Business Communications' third acquisition of 2017.

2. Amazon re:Invent 2017 Conference: Here's what to expect at this week's conference. Plus, track all re:Invent news here.

1. Ingram Micro ONE: We land today at the Ingram Micro ONE conference in Dallas. Stay tuned for live updates from the conference on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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.