5 Channel Partner Updates: Tuesday 03 December 2019

Here are five (actually, far more…) technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Tuesday, December 3, 2019.

Our Daily Brew

A. What’s Hot Today

1. AWS Partner News: Track the latest AWS re:Invent 2019 conference news here.

2. M&A - Private Equity and MSP: Ridgewall Group has completed its fourth acquisition in 12 months, after taking on private equity investment, ChannelWeb reports.

3. M&A - Private Equity and SMB HR Platform: PrismHR has been acquired by Stone Point Capital, a private equity firm. Summit Partners also maintains a stake in PrismHR.

4. Funding - Data Centers: KALEAO has rebranded as Bamboo Systems, a provider of ARM server architecture for data centers. The company has a new management team and pre-Series A funding led by Seraphim Capital.

5. MSP Automation - RMM Software: SolarWinds MSP has introduced N-central 12.2, an RMM (remote monitoring and management) software upgrade that toutrs such features as Network Topology Mapping, Disk Encryption Manager, and enhanced automation and patch capabilities. We'll share more details soon.

6.  Cloud IPO - Down Round: OneConnect Financial Technology, which provides cloud services to SMB financial companies, is preparing a $500 million IPO today. The target figure represents a "down round" for such investors as Softbank, Reuters reports. OneConnect had been seeking a valuation of about $8 billion and an IPO of up to $1 billion, sources told Reuters in June.  The new target valuation is $4.5 billion to $5.5 billion, the report says.

7. Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS): SkySwitch has opened a new corporate headquarters in Tampa, Florida. The company in recent months has hired 16 employees and expects to continue expanding the team in Q1 of 2020. The company now has a global workforce of 79 people. Recent hires include Vice President of Business Development Harlan Hamlin; Chief Marketing Officer Andy Abramson, Ben Macalindong, Director of 3CX Channel, Erica Vasquez, Marketing Communications Specialist and Farid Ait Ahcene, VoIP Product Engineer.

8. Talent - Dell Technologies: The PC and data center hardware giant named Jeff Clarke as COO and vice chairman. He previously was vice chairman of products and operations. Clarke has been a "trusted advisor" to CEO Michael Dell for more than 30 years, the company's founder said.

9. Talent - Networking: Google veteran Raj Yavatkar is expected to join Juniper Networks as CTO this month, the networking company has disclosed.

10. Data Protection - Government: Acronis SCS, a data security focused on U.S. government agencies, introduced Acronis Cyber Backup 12.5 SCS Hardened Edition. It's designed to meet the operational assurance and security needs of government 'no Internet,' air gapped environments. These include Department of Defense weapons testing sites, development labs/centers, training simulators, deployed tactical elements and warfighters, public utility supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, and more, Acronis SCS asserts.

B. Partnerships and Strategic Alliances

1. Distribution: Synnex has agreed to distribute Vade Secure's email security solution for Office 365, which protects customers from targeted phishing, spear phishing, malware, and ransomware attacks. Vade Secure investors include former Datto CEO Austin McChord.

2. Talent - MSP Data Protection: PlanITDR has rebranded as Adept, and tapped Ted Roller from GetChanneled as its new channel chief. The company was founded by board members Paul Franks and Kevin Fuller, and CEO Chris Jones.  Adept promotes a managed continuity solution to MSPs.

3. Partnership - MSPs: T-Systems North America (TSNA) and Hitachi Vantara are developing managed services for healthcare and life sciences customers, particularly around enterprise imaging and other business operational systems.

4. Reseller - Certificate Authority: Impression is now a GlobalSign Certified Regional Partner (CPR) in Johannesburg, South Africa. Customers gain access to GlobalSign's Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) service.

5. Business Intelligence and Analytics: NTT Data has agreed to resell GoodData's business intelligence and analytics platform. Also, GoodData will power NTT Data's iQuattro industrial IoT platform -- which allows Japanese manufacturers to run smart factories and develop smart supply chains.

6. Microsoft Teams Security: LiveTiles and Nucleus Cyber have released a Secure Collaboration for Microsoft Teams.

7. All Partner Programs: Search the comprehensive ChannelE2E Partner Program Database here. Also, submit your company information here and your partner program can be listed in the database.

C. Next Five Technology Conferences

Got news to share for our morning update? Email me: [email protected].