Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to sip on for Tuesday, March 1, 2016.
Actually, there are 14 items for VARs, managed services providers (MSPs), cloud services providers (CSPs) and independent software vendors (ISVs) to sip on…
14. VMware Shakeup: This just in. COO resigns. Global channel chief in place. CEO Pat Gelsinger describes the executive updates.
13. Cisco Partner Summit Live Blog: Make sure you visit ChannelE2E regularly on Tuesday morning. We'll be live blogging from Cisco Partner Summit in San Diego, Calif. Our live blog(s) start around 8:30 a.m. PT/11:30 a.m. ET. Scheduled keynote speakers this morning include CEO Chuck Robbins, Channel Chief Wendy Bahr and CFO Kelly Kramer.
12. Partner Programs: New or enhanced partner programs launching this week include:
- CrowdStrike Elevate Partner Program, a cybersecurity partner strategy led by VP of Business and Corporate Development Upesh Patel;
- Datablink Channel Partner Program for authentication and transaction signing solutions;
- MetTel has hired Eric Harvey as senior director of strategic channels, reporting to Tim Hanley. It sounds like more channel team expansion is in the works.
- Tenable Network Security's Technology Integration Partner (TIP) program for multi-party security solutions.
11. Dell Financial Misses: Dell missed its fiscal year 2016 financial targets and had mixed results most of the year, according to a memo obtained by Re/code. But to keep morale high, Michael Dell and the company's financial backers still awarded bonuses, though they are three-quarters of the target value rather than the full bonus. That's one of the big perks of being privately held: Dell's leadership team can pull navigate financial bumps without Wall Street's objections or pushback.
10. Top Vertical Market MSPs: If you've built a successful MSP, then earn some free publicity. Participate in our ChannelE2E Top Vertical Market MSPs survey. We'll announce results and honorees in Q2 2016.
9. Windows 10 Security Service: Microsoft is rolling out a Windows 10 security service called Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection. Some customers have already tested the service. Pricing and an actual release date have not been disclosed.
8. Cloud Workspaces on the Rise: IndependenceIT says seat deployments for its Cloud Workspace Suite have grown 257 percent over the past 12 months. Impressive. But I don't know what the seat growth equates to in terms of revenue and potential profits. MSPs can leverage Cloud Workspace Suite to manage and monetize hosted desktops, policy-based management, application provisioning, access control and more.
7. Cloud PBX Plus CRM for MSPs: BVoIP, which offers a cloud PBX for MSPs, has inked a partnership with TenFold. The relationship allows BVoIP's partners to integrate more easily with CRM and ERP applications like Salesforce, Netsuite, Zoho, Microsoft Dynamics, and others.
6. Dell SonicWall's Latest Move: Dell at RSA launched the Dell SonicWALL Capture Advanced Threat Protection Service, which allows partners to protect customers from shape-shifting cyber threats, Dell assets.
5. IBM Buys Security Company: IBM is buying Resilient Systems, a 100-person incident response specialist. Financial terms were not disclosed. The big question: Can IBM keep tucking acquisitions into the business without stumbling along the way? Hmmm...
4. Pentagon Cybersecurity: The Pentagon is seeking $34.7 billion through 2021 for cybersecurity, in part to beef up offensive military capabilities such as those deployed in newly disclosed operations against Islamic State.
3. Dell-EMC Progress: Dell's pending buyout of EMC cleared another regulatory hurdle, as expected and gained European Union approval. The decision had been rumored for the past two weeks or so. U.S. regulators have already cleared the $67 billion deal. Dell is working with several banks to line up financing for the deal, which is expected to close between May and October 2016.
2. Join Us March 31: Want to build a high-value MSP or IT service provider — and perhaps even sell or buy a business down the road? Learn from the best. During ChannelE2E’s March 31 webcast (Register Now) you will hear from three leading MSPs and IT service providers that recently completed an M&A deal together. The lineup includes Patrick Wiley, president and COO of Aldridge, a leading IT service provider that has acquired 13 businesses to date. Plus, Jamison West and Scott Hamlin, the leaders of two Seattle-area MSPs (Arterian and PacketDrivers) that Aldridge acquired in February 2016.
1. Thank You: February was ChannelE2E's strongest month of web traffic and audience engagement since our launch in September 2015. Thank you for your daily readership. Also, we're open to constructive criticism. Just send it to [email protected].
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