Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to sip on for Tuesday, April 12, 2016.
Actually, there are 19 entries for VARs, managed services providers (MSPs), cloud services providers (CSPs) and independent software vendors (ISVs) to sip on.
19. CSP Acquisition: Six Degrees Group (6DG) is acquiring cloud service provider Carrenza to strengthen public and private cloud strategy. We'll share more details soon.
18. Canadian M&A: E.S. Williams & Associates (ESW), a Calgary-based consulting services solution provider is merging with ITnorth.ca of Fort St. John, B.C. The combination creates one of the largest channel players in Western Canada, according to CDN.
17. IoT Startups: TechStars, the well-known technology accelerator, has launched an Internet of Things startup accelerator in New York. Early details are here.
16. RMM Security Integration: Webroot and Greater Intell have partnered, integrating the company's endpoint protection software with Kaseya VSA. Webroot already integrates with a range of third-party RMM (remote monitoring and management) platforms designed for MSPs.
15. Free Monitoring: Monitis has launched a free entry-level monitoring plan. A free 15-day trial remains available. Thereafter, users can shift to a free basic monitoring plan (with no expiration date) or upgrade to a professional plan. We're checking to see what's included...
14. Free Storage Management: StorageCraft has launched ImageManager7, which allows MSPs and VARs to manage, organize and replicate backup images taken with StorageCraft ShadowProtect SPX and ShadowProtect 5 recovery solutions.
13. Google Apps for Work Distribution: AppDirect has launched Google Apps for Work in the AppDirect catalog. The move allows CSPs, VARs and MSPs to sell Google’s full suite of cloud-based productivity and collaboration software through the AppDirect platform. Agosto, a Google for Work Tier 1 Premier Partner, will be one of the first to offer Google Apps for Work licenses through the AppDirect platform to its customer, the companies confirmed.
12. PCs Go Bad to Worse: After a terrible 2015 for PC sales, this year is off to another bad start. PC shipments fell to 64.8 million units in Q1, down from 71.7 million units in Q1 2015, according to Gartner.
11. Windows 10 for Business: Microsoft has posted a roadmap for its Windows 10 strategy in business. Mary Jo Foley has the details (surprise, surprise).
10. Partner Programs: VMTurbo, an only application performance control platform, has launched the VMTurbo 360° Partner Program. It features a new partner portal, partner accreditation program, access to VMTurbo sales, technical and marketing resources and new incentives to ensure partner success.
9. EU-US Privacy Shield: Microsoft has endorsed the so-called EU-US Privacy Shield agreement, which replaces the old Safe Harbor regulations. The privacy shield, still subject to a range of international reviews, seeks to protect data from prying eyes.
8. Amazon MSPs: 2nd Watch, one of the first AWS Partner Network (APN) companies to be accepted into the AWS Managed Service Program last year, has successfully completed the third-party audit again this year. 2nd Watch has been an AWS Premier Consulting Partner in the APN since 2012, and has handled some of the largest Amazon Web Services (AWS) customer deployments, including Crate and Barrel, Conde Nast, Lenovo, SCOR and Yamaha, the company says.
7. Box International Storage: Building on the EU-US Privacy Shield news, Box Inc. unveiled a service that allows businesses in Europe and Asia to store data regionally -- a key move as customers and channel partners seek to comply with international data storage regulations. The twist: Box's efforts include close working relationships with Amazon and IBM.
6. Ingram Cloud Partners: Recipients of Ingram Micro's 2016 Cloud Partner Awards include:
- Marketplace Award (U.S.) -- InfiniIT Consulting
- Rainmaker (Top U.S. Sales) Award -- Adapture
- Best Sales Strategy Award (U.S.) -- Aqueduct Technologies
- Get It Done (Creative Strategy) (U.S.) -- Arterian
- Emerging Partner (U.S.) -- Altrion
- Marketplace Award (Europe) -- TechQuarters
- Marketplace Award (APAC) -- Interlinked
5. Qumulo Core 2.0: The scale-out NAS provider today launched three new QC-Series hybrid storage appliances – the QC40, QC104, and QC260. Near term, watch for ongoing software upgrades from Qumulo. At some point, watch for the company to decouple its software from the appliances, making Qumulo's code intellectual property available on clouds... and more...
4. Dell SecureWorks IPO: The company's managed security services business is valued at $1.42 billion -- marking the first tech IPO of 2016. Dell also is selling off its IT service business (i.e., Perot Systems) and may even sell some software assets ahead of its $67 billion takeover of EMC. Meanwhile, EMC may sell Documentum, according to industry speculation. The Dell-EMC business combination is expected to be official between May and October 2016.
3. Top Vertical Market MSPs Revealed (Soon): Register for our Q2 webcast to learn about the world's top vertical market MSPs. You can register here.
2. Special Thanks: To the team at Managed Sales Pros for this morning's iced latte. While I'm not taking kickbacks for positive media coverage, I do welcome the opportunity to throw back a few lattes in the morning.
1. And Later Today: Check the ChannelE2E home page regularly for a live blog from Ingram Micro Cloud Summit. We'll be tracking keynotes and private meetings with a range of sources throughout the day.
More: Read all of our daily 5 Channel Partner Updates. Plus: Subscribe to our daily enewsletter. Thanks to those who already have.
