Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to sip on for Tuesday, April 5, 2016.
Actually, there are 14 entries for VARs, managed services providers (MSPs), cloud services providers (CSPs) and independent software vendors (ISVs) to sip on.
14. Cloud Acquisition: Ingram Micro has acquired Ensim Corp., which develops technology that eases cloud application distribution. The deal is expected to close within 30 days. Financial terms were not disclosed. It's a safe bet Ingram will connect the dots between Ensim and Odin, a cloud automation platform that Ingram acquired from Parallels in 2015.
13. Major Hire: Digital Fortress has hired Karl Reeves as VP of operations. Previously, he held VP-level positions at cloud infrastructure service providers Datapipe and 2nd Watch. Digital Fortress has pushed beyond colocation services to offer hybrid cloud management services across Azure, Amazon Web Services and more.
12. Security Distribution: Cloud Harmonics has agreed to distribute Webroot's BrightCloud Threat Intelligence for Palo Alto Networks. Cloud Harmonics positions itself as "the leading full-service, next-generation distributor of cybersecurity and cloud solutions."
11. IoT Service Technicians?: The next five years will see the emergence of a new type of service technician, according to ServiceMax. The Internet of Things generation of service techs will be adept at sensor and radio detection technology. Moreover, tech support specialists will need more analytical skills, ServiceMax assets. Hmmm...
10. Panama Papers & eDiscovery: The so-called Panama Papers involve one of the biggest document leaks in history. They allegedly reveal shell companies and offshore accounts for rich, famous and powerful folks. And now, Nuix has donated its document analysis software to perform eDiscovery on the millions of leaked documents... Hmmm...
9. Will Broadband Labels Stick?: The FCC has unveiled a new labeling system to help consumers compare broadband prices, data allowances and network performance from multiple service providers. The labels -- which broadband providers aren't required to offer, by the way -- look a heck of a lot like nutrition labels found on food products in the U.S. Here's a sample.
8. Trump Security Breach: Trump Hotel Collection -- owned by a certain presidential candidate -- apparently have been hacked again. The breach allegedly involves credit card systems, though Trump Hotels said the organization is still investigating the claims. (Or as Trump might put it, "Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me... How should I know if your claim is true?") KrebsOnSecurity was first to report the alleged hack.
7. Blockchain Partnerships: Microsoft and R3, a consortium of 43 financial institutions, have inked a partnership to bolster blockchain technologies. The deal surfaced at Microsoft's Envision conference Monday. Amid all the blockchain hype, here's a primer to help you understand the distributed ledger technology's potential market impact.
6. Data Center Automation: Ericsson has acquired NodePrime, a San Francisco-based startup that specializes in data center automation. True believers include Blue Chip Tek, an integrator that leverages NodePrime for hyperscale capabilities.
5. Intel Executive Departures: Intel Senior VPs Kirk Skaugen (PC and mobile chip sales) and Doug Davis (IoT chip sales) are leaving the company, Intel confirmed. A third alleged departure, potentially involving VP Aicha Evans (smartphone chips), has yet to be confirmed. Some folks wonder if Venkata "Murthy" Renduchintala's arrival from Qualcomm in November 2015 has now triggered multiple Intel departures...
4. Road Trips: Microsoft and Toyota have extended and expanded their five-year-old partnership, which focuses on Internet-connected vehicle services for owners and dealers. Microsoft owns a 5 percent stake in Toyota Connected, a data science hub the automaker launched in Plano, Texas. Cars apparently remain the mobile living rooms of the future -- filled with captive audiences who won't even need to drive... Microsoft wants to connect all those cars back to services running in the Azure cloud.
3. A 3D Printer Reboot?: 3D Systems Corp., the 3D printer maker, hired former HP Inc. executive Vyomesh Joshi as its president and CEO. Joshi previously was executive VP of HP's imaging and printing group -- making him one of the best-known leaders in the peripheral market. Despite the hype around 3D printers and industrial applications, 3D Systems' stock has plummeted roughly 90 percent since around 2014 amid consumer adoption concerns.
2. IT Hiring Slides: Despite all the hype, cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) aren't creating many net new jobs in the IT market. U.S. employers added 3,800 new IT jobs in March, down from 9,300 in February, and 9,900 a year ago, the management consulting firm Janco Associates Inc. said, based on an analysis of a basket of IT-related jobs data released Friday by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. That analysis surfaced in The Wall Street Journal. We'll share more thoughts soon.
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