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5 Channel Partner Updates: Thursday 07 March 2019

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Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Thursday, March 7, 2019.

Actually, there are 13 timely updates designed for managed services providers (MSPs), cloud services providers (CSPs), IT consulting firms, systems integrators, VARs, independent software vendors (ISVs), and telco agents to sip on.

13. Transforming U.S. Health Care?: Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase have named their joint health care venture. The new organization -- called Haven -- also has a website. Haven is an "advocate for the patient and an ally to anyone – clinicians, industry leaders, innovators, policymakers and others – who make patient care and cost better," the organization says. Fingers crossed, Haven will play a role in solving one of the most complex issues facing the United States...

12. Lawsuit - Huawei vs. United States: Huawei, as expected, has filed suit against the U.S. government. The China-based technology company says a law that blocks the sale of Huawei equipment to government agencies is unconstitutional. The U.S. government claims Huawei's equipment potentially empowers China's spies. Huawei denies the claim.

11. Project Service Automation: Microsoft plans to remove Dynamics 365 Project Service Automation from the business applications portfolio, and plans to offer it with other project management tools instead, according to MSDynamicsWorld.

10. Office 365 Management: MessageOps has launched an Office 365 management and reporting platform called Inscape365. The platform enables better monitoring for security, license management and cost control, MessageOps asserts.

9. Managed Apple Devices: Mosyle, an Apple-focused mobile device management (MDM) software company, has launched an MSP partner program.

8. Funding - Micro Data Centers: EdgeMicro, a Denver, Colorado-based edge colocation company, has raised $3 million in funding.

7. Private Equity Fund: Summit Partners, a private equity firm that sold Continuum to Thoma Bravo in 2017, has closed its latest flagship U.S. growth equity fund at $4.9 billion. Summit Partners has raised more than $27 billion since its inception in 1984,

6. M&A - Microsoft Cloud Partner: SADA Systems has sold its Microsoft Business Unit to Core BTS. Backed by private equity firm Tailwind Capital, Core BTS is an MSP focused on nationwide expansion across the U.S. Meanwhile, SADA will focus exclusively on its Google practice areas -- such as Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and G Suite.

5. M&A - Managed Print Services: LaserCycle USA has acquired Chess Inc., uniting two Denver-area managed print services (MPS) Companies. Mike Dudek and Rich Wisniewski of Zygoquest Group advised Chess on the sale.

4. Small Business - U.S. Government Funding: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is offering roughly $100 million in funding to small businesses.

3. Small Business Hiring Slowdown: Small business hiring slowed dramatically in February, a sign that company owners may be getting cautious about the economy, according to ADP's research.

2. Layoffs Accelerate: U.S. layoffs in February 2019 reached their highest mark in roughly 3.5 years, as U.S.-based employers announced plans to cut 76,835 positions from their payrolls. That's 45 percent higher than the 52,988 cuts announced in January 2019, according to employment consultant Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

1. RSA Conference 2019 Live Blog: Track complete conference news and analysis here on MSSP Alert, our sister site. Send me your RSA Conference news ([email protected]) for consideration. Thanks to those who met with MSSP Alert during the conference.

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.