Here are five (actually more) technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to start your day for Wednesday, July 14, 2021. Sip up.
What’s In Our Daily Brew?
- Who We Serve: Content for managed services providers (MSPs), IT service providers (ITSPs), technology solutions providers (TSPs), cloud services providers (CSPs), IT consulting firms, systems integrators, VARs, independent software vendors (ISVs), and any other partner acronym that further caffeinates our already stellar SEO.
- Frequency: Every business morning.
- Reaching the Barista: Send news, tips and rumors to [email protected].
A. What’s Brewing Today: Technology News
1. Software and IT Services Momentum: Infosys raised its annual revenue forecast and posted a jump in quarterly profit, as it won more contracts from global businesses expanding their digital offerings during the pandemic, Reuters reports.
2. IT Services Breakup: Lumen, formerly CenturyLink, apparently is looking to sell its consumer business. Potential suitors include private equity firm Apollo Global Management, according to Bloomberg.
3. Data Protection: Infrascale has introduced five new backup and disaster recovery (BDR) appliance models for MSPs and VARs servicing SMB and mid-market companies. IBDR is a Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) hybrid cloud solution.
4. Talent - MSP: Lunavi has named Sam E. Galeotos as CEO. He succeeds founder Shawn Mills, who shifts to president.
5. Talent - Data Protection: Rubrik has Anneka Gupta to chief product officer.
6. Talent - Outsourced IT Services: UPSTACK has hired Telarus and Lumen/CenturyLink veteran Meghan Wilkinson as SVP of customer experience.
7. Funding - Video Surveillance: Cloudastructure has raised $29.6 million in crowd-sourced commitments from more than 10,000 investors and over $22 million in exercisable warrants in its first RegA+ offering.
8. Funding - Chatbot Valuation: China-based AI chatbot developer Xiaoice increased its valuation to $1 billion in a funding round led by Hillhouse Capital Management, a boon for the provider of voice and text services used in digital assistants, consumer electronics and cars, Bloomberg reports.
B. Channel Chiefs, Partner Programs and Strategic Alliances
1. Beta Test - MSPs Invited: ScalePad has invited the MSP community to beta test its new API integration with Microsoft Endpoint Manager (MEM). ScalePad's platform "helps MSPs easily identify and prioritize their asset risks and revenue generating opportunities," the company says. Multiple MSP industry veterans are involved in ScalePad, including Chris Day, Anthony Day and Dan Wensley.
2. Partner Program - Business Communications: Mitel has launched the Amplify and Velocity partner programs.
3. Partner Program - Microsoft 365 Security: archTIS has launched a global Channel Partner Program to provide resellers, system integrators and MSSPs. The goal: Provide information security to customers using Microsoft 365 and Nutanix Files collaboration applications.
C. Channel Partner Summits, MSP Conferences and Virtual Events Calendar
- Microsoft Inspire 2021 (July 14-15, Virtual)
- CompTIA ChannelCon 2021 (August 3-4, Virtual)
- Build IT Live 2021 (August 30-September 1, New York)
- IT Nation Connect APAC 2021 (September 1-3, Australia)
- Salesforce Dreamforce 2021 (September 21-23, Multiple Cities and Virtual)
- ChannelE2E’s complete event calendar
- Add Your Annual Event To Our Calendar: Submit it here for consideration.
