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5 Channel Partner Updates: 21 March 2016

Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to sip on for Monday, March 21, 2016. Actually, there are 12 entries for VARs, managed services providers (MSPs), cloud services providers (CSPs) and independent software vendors (ISVs) to sip on. 12. LogicNow Mobile Moves: Keep an eye on LogicNow, which apparently has built a MAXfocus field service app for the company's service desk platform. The move comes only a few days after Salesforce.com announced major Field Service Lightning milestones... apple-watch-wrist
11. Apple Product Launch: For those who can't get enough of Tim Cook, Bloomberg is live blogging today's Apple product launches. Pundits expect a smaller iPhone, a new iPad and perhaps some Apple Watch updates -- starting at 10:00 a.m. PT (1:00 p.m. ET). Hmmm... Here's to hoping there's "one more thing" beyond those expected announcements. 10. Another iYogi Lawsuit: We spotted three major lawsuits against iYogi -- the online help desk provider -- on Friday, March 18. Turns out we didn't find all of them at the time. Our research uncovered another suit against iYogi over the weekend. Also, the help desk provider has until March 23 to reply to a lawsuit filed by Washington State. We'll share more details soon. 9. New Evernote Leadership Team: Evernote, the note taking platform, has recruited a lengthy list of Cisco, HP, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, VMware and Skype veterans to for a new executive leadership team. CEO Chris O'Neill joined the company in November to help lead the next generation of growth. 8. AWS Cloud Management: Turing Group, a provider of cloud management and custom software solutions for private and public sector organizations, is now an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Managed Service Partner in the AWS Partner Network (APN)... one of the fastest-growing MSP ecosystems we've seen. 7. Cloud ERP Reality Check: Roughly 57 percent of companies think their ERP systems will move to a hybrid cloud approach, 28 percent think ERP will become a complete cloud service, while 15 percent of companies say ERP will always remain on-premises, according to Panaya. Amid all those shifting workloads, IT consulting firms are buying up Oracle and Microsoft CRM and ERP specialists, especially those that know how to shift workloads to the cloud... 6. HIPAA Fine: Feinstein Institute for Medical Research will pay a $3.9 million settlement related to alleged HIPAA violations. The case, which started in 2012, involved protected health information (PHI) stored on a laptop, which was stolen from an employees' car. Roughly 30 organizations have now paid HIPAA fines, according to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which audits organizations for HIPAA compliance. 5. Office 365 Solutions Providers: CIO Review takes a look at the 20 most promising Office 365 Solutions Providers for 2016. Hmmm... We'll take a closer look soon. 4. MSP Pricing Variables: What variables impact managed services pricing? The simple answer involves cost of technologies/tools, cost of support staff and cost of selling services, according to a Continuum survey of MSPs. Take a closer look at Continuum's blog for details about those variables, plus other pricing considerations. 3. Google Shops for Cloud ISVs: How do you build a cloud services business? Hmmm... For Google, the answer could involve buying up ISVs that run atop Google Cloud Platform, re/code predicts. Perhaps some answers will emerge March 23-24, during a major Google Cloud conference... CompTIA 150x502. CompTIA AMM: Are you heading to this week's CompTIA Annual Member Meeting? ChannelE2E will be on hand as well. Email me ([email protected]) if you'd like to potentially meet at the conference. 1. Top Vertical Market MSPs: Did you build a well-performing MSP? Celebrate your success and earn some recognition. Participate in the ChannelE2E Top Vertical Market MSPs Survey. Results will surface in June 2016. More: Read all of our daily 5 Channel Partner UpdatesPlus: Subscribe to our daily enewsletter. Thanks to those who already have.
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.

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