Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Wednesday, August 1, 2018.
Actually, there are 10 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:
11. Microsoft Raising Office 365 Prices: Details are here...
10. Apple Boom, Mac Bust: Apple announced robust quarterly financial results yesterday, pointing to strong demand for high-end iPhones and various subscription services. However, Mac sales are plummeting, and Huawei has overtaken Apple as the world's No. 2 provider of smartphones. Instead of chasing market share, Apple continues to lean harder on higher-end smartphone devices to drive profit margins.
9. Application Performance Management: New Relic has launched distributed tracing -- which allows service providers and customers to better understand the performance of applications running in complex architectures. The capability is available now to all APM Pro customers. To learn how to get started today, please visit New Relic Documentation. For more information, please visit the New Relic Blog.
8. Distribution: D&H has launched an initiative focusing on the Pro AV/digital signage space, incorporating solutions such as large format digital signage, collaboration and videoconferencing solutions, projectors, video walls, screens, audio solutions, media players, mounts, and accessories, the company says.
7. Talent: Intelisys, a ScanSource company, has has hired MegaPath veteran Aram Bolduc as senior manager, strategic partner development, New England South Region.
6. Layoffs: Atlassian is cutting about 101 employees in Austin, Texas.
5. Workspace as a Service: CloudJumper and Continuum have inked a partnership to cross-market their MSP solutions. The agreement involves Continuum's IT Management Platform (Remote Monitoring & Management, Backup & Disaster Recovery, and Security) and CloudJumper’s Cloud Workspace platform. It's the latest sign that workspace as a service -- and CloudJumper in particular -- apparently is gaining traction with MSPs.
4. M&A - Unified Communications as a Service: Hosted voice and UC service provider Broadvoice has acquired YipTel, a provider of cloud communications services based in Sandy, Utah. We'll share ore details soon.
3. M&A - Office Equipment Dealers Part One: Doceo Office Solutions has acquired Saxe & Associates Inc. We're poking around for more details.
2. M&A - Office Equipment Dealers Part Two: In a $500 million deal, HP Inc. is acquiring channel partner Apogee to push deeper into SMB and managed print services. Good move or potential channel conflict?
1. CompTIA ChannelCon 2018: We’re attending this week’s CompTIA ChannelCon 2018 conference in Washington, D.C. Track news and analysis from the conference here.