Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Actually, there are 12 timely updates designed for managed services providers (MSPs), cloud services providers (CSPs), IT consulting firms, systems integrators, VARs, independent software vendors (ISVs), telco master agents, and telco agents to sip on. Take a look:
12. GE Digital Spin-Off: General Electric is spinning off its GE Digital business, which includes the Predix cloud platform for managing the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). In a separate move also disclosed today, GE is selling off the ServiceMax field service management platform to private equity firm Silver Lake.
11. IoT and Microsoft Azure Cloud: Crate.io, developer of CrateDB, a SQL data platform for real-time machine data and IoT applications, has earned Co-Sell Ready Status through the Microsoft One Commercial Partner (OCP) Program. The result: Crate.io gains access into Microsoft’s network of reseller and channel partners for amplified opportunities and integration with targeted customers worldwide, the company says.
10. Pentagon Cloud Contract: Oracle filed suit in federal court last week alleging yet again that the decade-long $10 billion Pentagon JEDI contract with its single-vendor award is unfair and illegal, TechCrunch reports. On a related note, IBM lost a challenge over the Pentagon’s cloud contract on Dec. 11 when the U.S. Government Accountability Office rejected the case, saying the matter is currently pending in court, Bloomberg Law reports. Hmmm... Both IBM and Oracle have growing cloud businesses, but they lack the overall revenue scale of public cloud services from AWS and Microsoft Azure...
9. GDPR Compliance: TrustArc has launched a privacy compliance validation package to help cloud companies meet and demonstrate ongoing compliance with GDPR (general data protection regulation).
8. Tech Data CEO & Mad Money: Tech Data CEO describes the state of the IT market during an appearance on CNBC here:
Video link7. Talent - More Xerox Layoffs?: Apparently, more Xerox staff cuts could arrive as soon as today, though we have not independently confirmed that rumor.
6. Talent - IT Consulting Services: AHEAD, a provider of IT consulting and enterprise cloud solutions, has hired ServiceNow veteran David Morgan as its new vice president of professional services.
5. Talent - Autotask Veteran: Former Autotask executive Pat Burns has joined ClickSoftware as senior VP of product management, according to the field service management software company's website. Former Autotask CEO Mark Cattini is ClickSoftware's CEO.
4. M&A – Vulnerability Assessments: Arctic Wolf Networks has acquired RootSecure, a provider of cybersecurity risk and vulnerability assessment tools. Multiple vulnerability and risk assessment companies have been acquired in recent months. Example deals include:
- ConnectWise recently acquired Sienna Group, an MSSP that educates MSPs and IT consulting firms about the NIST Cybersecurity Framework for risk management.
- Kaseya recently acquired RapidFire Tools, a popular MSP software provider focused on internal threat detection, network and security assessments, and compliance products.
3. M&A - Digital Consulting: Accenture has acquired Adaptly, a digital media services company. We'll share more details soon.
2. M&A - AWS Consulting Firm: ServerCentral, a managed IT infrastructure provider, has acquired Turing Group, an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Advanced Consulting Partner. The acquisition comes one year after ServerCentral made a minority investment in Turing Group, the companies say.
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