Content, 5 things

5 Channel Partner Updates: Friday 13 October 2017

Credit: Getty Images

Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Friday, October 13, 2017.

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.

10. HP's Optimism: HP Inc. shared a bullish long-term forecast, saying the company has ben building "strong business momentum" that's expected to continue into fiscal 2018, according to CFO Cathie Lesjak. The upbeat statement comes as HP's PC sales rise -- even as the overall PC market sees shrinking sales. HP in 2018 could be strengthened by 3D printing and the Samsung printer acquisition.

9. Managed WordPress Services: GoDaddy has launched Pro Managed WordPress, a new hosting platform designed specifically for web professionals. The WordPress solution includes Pro Advanced Care, a new expert customer support service just for GoDaddy web pro members, the company says.

8. Box Milestones: Box, at the BoxWorks17 customer conference this week, unveiled several key moves that could give partners and ISVs a lift. They include:

  • Box Open With Element, which allows a user to access a Box file via third-party applications like Google G Suite. In other words, Box becomes a third-party file system for major applications...
  • Box CLI, which is a command line interface that allows developers and admins to manage and interact with the Box APIs without having to write code. The Box CLI will help Box Admins and developers script routine processes and perform bulk operations, like creating user accounts or folder structures, using a set of simple commands, the company claims.
  • Box Developer Training Program to help partners learn about the platform and associated APIs.
  • Plus, new analytics dashboards will surface in the next few months.

7. Samsung Leadership: Samsung CEO and Vice Chairman Kwon Oh-hyun plans to step down from management, deepening concerns over a leadership vacuum at the tech giant after group scion Jay Y. Lee was jailed for bribery, Reuters reports.

6. Follow The Assets: In a complex three-way deal, DXC Technology is spinning out its U.S. public sector business and combining it with Vencore and KeyPoint Government Solutions to create a new independent and publicly traded government contractor, Washington Technology reported.

5. Talent: Windstream has named Michael Brennan to lead the company's national and strategic programs, and Ron Beer as VP of channel sales for the South division. The moves come at a critical time. Windstream, after acquiring EarthLink, has seen its stock tank in recent months. The company shocked investors by eliminating its dividend and also had layoffs in recent weeks. Still, Windstream has several promising services for channel partners -- including the company's growing SD-WAN service.

4. HIPAA Compliance Checklist: Need a HIPAA compliance checklist for 2018? Compliancy Group stands ready to assist you.

3. PSA Market Forecast: The market for PSA (professional services automation) software will reach $1.24 billion by 2022, up from $716 million in 2017, according to MarketsandMarkets. That's an 11.7 percent compound annual growth rate. There are at least 20 PSA options for VARs and MSPs. Although ConnectWise and Autotask are the two best-known options in the IT channel, we continue to track additional players. For instance, keep an eye on Promys. We spoke with the company about two weeks ago. We'll share deeper details about Promys's growth curve in the next few days.

2. Channel Partner Conferences: Next week's partner-centric technology conferences include BitTitan Elevate, McAfee MPower Cybersecurity Summit and SMB TechFest Q4. Track those events -- and hundreds more -- via the ChannelE2E Technology Event Calendar. BONUS: Submit your conference to be considered for our Top 50 Channel Partner Summits of 2018. We'll unveil the list in December 2017.

1. Boo: It's Friday the 13th. Enjoy.

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.