Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Monday, September 19, 2016.
Actually, there are 11 entries for VARs, managed services providers (MSPs), cloud services providers (CSPs), independent software vendors (ISVs), telco master agents and telco agents to sip on. Take a look…
11. Surprise Avnet, Tech Data Deal: Avnet this morning confirmed plans to sell its Avnet Technology Solutions unit to Tech Data for $2.6 billion. ChannelE2E has breaking details here.
10. Webroot Buys CyberFlow Analytics: Webroot has acquired the assets of CyberFlow Analytics, which applies data science to network anomaly detection. This acquisition enhances Webroot’s ability to address the explosion of internet-connected devices and an increasingly complex threat landscape, the company said. I don't believe financial details were disclosed. Track Webroot's FlowScape for ongoing updates in this technology area.
9. Microsoft Skype Layoffs: The company is shutting its Skype office in London and will cut about 220 jobs, though some reports suggested up to 400 layoffs. The company is consolidating its London offices and moving workers to a new site in Paddington, BBC reported.
8. Salesforce Counters IBM Watson: Say hello to Einstein -- Salesforce.com's artificial intelligence alternative to Microsoft Cortana, Apple Siri and IBM Watson. Salesforce is making noise about Einstein just as Oracle OpenWorld 2016 kicks off in San Francisco.
7. Oracle IaaS Counters Amazon AWS: Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison, as ChannelE2E expected, spent yesterday evangelizing the company's improved IaaS services -- claiming the platform leaped Amazon Web Services (AWS) in terms of performance and pricing benefits.
6. Oracle Acquires Cloud Security Firm: Oracle has acquired Palerra, a cloud access security broker. Watch for potential synergies with Oracle Identity Cloud Service. Financial terms were not disclosed.
5. Google for Work Rebranding?: Alphabet apparently will dump the Google for Work brand and replace it with Google Cloud, according to The Information.
4. SMB Help Desks: ZupportDesk, a Swedish CRM startup, has rebranded an SMB help desk platform that includes live chat, ticket management and Knowledge Base capabilities. The platform, originally launched as BizChatbox in May 2015, has more than 6,000 customers worldwide, the company says.
3. HIPAA Business Associate Audits: The Department of Health and Human Services is gearing up to kick off in October its first-ever round of HIPAA compliance audits of business associates, according to GovInfo Security. That means MSPs and VARs working in the healthcare industry could be audit targets. We'll share more perspectives soon.
2. Millennial Media In Cuba: Here it comes.
1. Meet ChannelE2E: We're attending Autotask Community Live 2016 and Continuum Navigate 2016 next week. Want to potentially meet at either conference? Send me an email ([email protected]). Need a calendar of IT channel events and partner summits? Check out the ChannelE2E Technology Event Calendar.
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