5 Channel Partner Updates: Wednesday 09 January 2018

Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Wednesday, January 9, 2019. Actually, there are 22 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. 22. Patents: IBM earned a record 9,100 patents in 2018, according to reports. The big question remains unchanged: Can IBM actually monetize all of those patents? 21. VCs and AI Bubble: Venture Capitalists plowed a record $9.3 billion into artificial intelligence startups in 2018, Bloomberg reports. Um, can you say AI Bubble? 20. Distribution: Tech Data has agreed to distribute StratoZen's cloud-based managed security services to partners in the U.S. The Fortinet-based services include network device management and security information and event management (SIEM), Tech Data says. 19. Distribution - Encryption: Tech Data partners can now offer Encryptics’ encrypt and encode technology. 18. Printer Security: Xerox has enhanced its AltaLink Workplace Assistants technology. The move comes as the company strives to evolve beyond the legacy copier and printer markets, where revenues remain under intense pressure. 17. APM: Pepperdata has introduced a free version of its Application Performance Management (APM) software... 16. Amazon Concerns - Seattle Warns New York: Seattle's city council members have visited New York to warn city officials about Amazon sprawl and more. Amazon, based in Seattle, recently announced plans to build a second headquarters in New York... 15. IT Services Suite: Wavex Technology has partnered with Microsoft, Qualys, Citrix and ServiceNow to offer a managed IT services platform called Uniti. We'll share more details soon. 14. Talent - AT&T Layoffs: Sounds like they're coming... 13. Talent - Boardrooms: Symantec has named HP Enterprise veteran Sue Barsamian to its board of directors. She joins as Symantec seeks to get past a 2018 audit committee review that triggered shareholder distractions for much of the past year. The audit review uncovered some minor issues but nothing that materially impacted Symantec's overall business. 12. Talent - Cloud Networking: GTT Communications has promoted Robert Westervelt to SVP for channel sales for the Americas division. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Westervelt was vice president for channel sales for the East region. 11. Talent - Oracle to VMware: Oracle Channel Veteran Bill Swales has jumped to VMware. Continue to page two of two for items 10 to 1 in today's spectacular morning update. Welcome to page two of two. The list below is real, and it's spectacular. 10. Talent - SAP: Channel Chief Rodolpho Cardenuto has exited the company, according to CRN. 9. Talent - VMware to Check Point: Channel veteran Frank Rauch has jumped from VMware to CheckPoint, CRN reports. 8. Talent - IT Glue to Cytracom: IT Glue veteran Dave Goldie has joined Cytracom as VP of channel.  He essentially is the company's North American channel chief. Goldie's career move comes after Kaseya recently disclosed that it owns IT Glue. 7. M&A - IT Services: Accenture is acquiring Orbium, a management consultancy and technology services provider to the financial services industry. We'll share more details soon. 6. M&A - Telcos and MSPs: Lingo has completed its buyout of Impact Telecom. The combined telecom and MSP companies had about $128 million  and adjusted EBITDA of about $26 million in 2018. 5. M&A - IT Solutions Provider: ConvergeOne has completed its buyout of Cisco partner Venture Technologies. 4. M&A - Public Policy: The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) has merged with the Public Technology Institute (PTI). The goal: Drive collaboration between local government executives and elected officials and private industry to solve society's most critical challenges, CompTIA says. PTI's corporate vendor members will integrate into the CompTIA State & Local Government and Education Public Sector Council (SLED), the organizations say. 3. Ingram Micro Still for Sale?: Ingram Micro parent HNA Group met with bankers on Tuesday to discuss various assets it hopes to potentially sell off, according to Reuters. Rumors have swirled in recent weeks that Apollo Global Management may acquire Ingram Micro, but the chatter has quieted down in recent days. Ingram has performed strongly and essentially operated independently of HNA, but the Chinese conglomerate faces its own cash crunch and may therefore want to sell the distributor, pundits suggest... 2. Top 100 Vertical Market MSPs: Participate in our survey here and your company could be honored among the world’s Top 100 Vertical Market MSPs. 1. How Much Is Your Business Worth?: Find out during our next ChannelE2E webcast…