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5 Channel Partner and MSP Updates: Wednesday 02 September 2020

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Here are five (actually more) technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Wednesday, September 2, 2020. Sip up.

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A. What’s Happening Today

1. Lawsuit - Managed Software Services: Cox Communications is suing Micro Focus over more than $11 million in disputed fees, The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports. Cox alleges that Micro Focus is wrongly demanding $11 million for various IT management software and services. Micro Focus acquired the software from Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

2. For Sale - Broadband & Fiber Network: Private equity firm TPG is exploring a sale of Astound that could value the owner of a U.S. network of regional cable TV and Internet service providers at more than $8 billion, including debt, Reuters reports. TPG has hired Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase & Co to advise on the sale process, the report added.

3. Apple Device Management: Jamf, a provider of Apple enterprise management software, says revenue was $62.2 million for Q2 of 2020, up 29 percent year over year. The growth could indirectly indicate similar momentum for rival Addigy, another Apple device management platform provider that has generated some renewed buzz with MSPs in recent months.

4. HP Managed Print Services: HP Inc. says it now offers "the planet’s most comprehensive carbon neutral Managed Print Service offering for HP-branded devices, making it simple for customers to advance climate change goals and be more productive – without business disruption." Still, the carbon neutral pitch was a direct sales push, with no mention of partners.

5. School Video Conferencing: Cisco Collaboration is previewing Webex Classrooms, which adapts Cisco’s platform to meet the specific online learning needs for the hybrid classroom, the company says.

6. Talent - United Communications: Avaya has hired SAP veteran Stephen Spears as chief revenue officer.

7. Talent - Finance and Marketing Technology: Datto veteran Michelle McComb has joined marketing technology company Bluecore as CFO.

8. Talent: Chris Hylen will succeed Reltio founder Manish Sood as CEO. Sood shifts to CTO. Also, former Citrix CEO Mark Templeton and NewView Capital Operating Partner Larry Lenhard join the board of directors.

9. Layoffs - IT Services: Ascension Technologies, the IT services arm of a major hospital system, is laying off 223 IT works in Michigan, Crain's Detroit Business reports. The cuts include IT pros who support Ascension's network operations center and service desk functions. The hospital network plans to outsource various IT services to a third-party provider. The provider's name was not disclosed.

B. Channel Partner Programs and Strategic Alliances

1. Exit - Facebook Partnerships: Brian Boland, Facebook's VP of partnerships, product marketing, operations, partner engineers and analytics, has resigned from the social media giant, CNBC reports.

2. MSP Partnership - Cloud Storage: Peak UpTime, a cloud MSP, has joined the Wasabi partner network.

3. Partnership : Access One, an MSP, has agreed to leverage and offer Prodoscore's employee visibility and productivity software to customers.

4. Strategic Alliance - Hyper Converged Infrastructure (HCI): Nucleus Cyber, a provider of information protection solutions, has joined the Nutanix Elevate Technology Alliance Partner Program. The company’s NC Protect solution received Nutanix Ready AHV Validation to provide dynamic data discovery, classification and security for the real-time protection of sensitive information in Nutanix Files, the companies say.

5. PSA Integration - Workday:Zimit Configure Price Quote (CPQ) now integrates with Workday Professional Services Automation.

6. Distribution - MSPs and Network RMM: Bluechip Infotech of Australia has agreed to distribute Auvik Networks, a network RMM (remote monitoring and management) platform for MSPs and IT professionals.

7. Distribution - Unified Communications:  Telarus, a distributor of business cloud infrastructure and contact center services, is working more closely with the 8x8 Open Channel Program to expand partner opportunities from the United States to the United Kingdom.

C. Technology Conferences & Virtual Partner Events

  1. IT By Design: Build IT 2020 (September 1, Virtual Conference)
  2. SaaStr 2020 Home: Virtual Cloud Business Conference (September 2-3)
  3. Microsoft Ignite (September 21-25, Virtual Event)
  4. GlueX 2020 (September 27-29, Virtual Event)
  5. BonusChannelE2E’s complete event calendar
  6. Add Your Event To Our Calendar: Submit it here.
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.