Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to sip on for Friday, June 10, 2016.
Actually, there are 14 entries for VARs, managed services providers (MSPs), cloud services providers (CSPs) and independent software vendors (ISVs) to sip on. Take a look…
14. The App Boom Ends: We recently told you that venture capitalists don't want to hear about Apps anymore. If you've got a startup do NOT position yourself as an apps company. Now, here's the latest warning about that reality: Last month, the top 15 app publishers saw downloads drop an average of 20 percent in the U.S., according to recode.
13. Apple App Store Overhaul: Apple is making major changes to its iPhone/iPad App Store as soon as next week. The big challenge, according to Reuters: There are too many apps from too many developers, which means it's extra hard for new developers to generate mind share and market share in the App Store. Hmmm... Is that really a problem? That's like us complaining about too many bad blogs filling the blogosphere -- which makes it difficult for ChannelE2E to stand out. Only, it doesn't. Deliver quality. Target your audience. Execute.
12. Next Tech IPO?: IronSource, which makes tools for mobile app developers, sounds like it's in great shape to go public. But chatter close to the unicorn (i.e., valuation above $1 billion) suggests the company will wait until Wall Street conditions are more favorable for an IPO...
11. AWS Cloud Partner Competencies: The AWS partner push -- featuring new competencies -- continues. We'll share more details soon. In the meantime, here are the top 50 MSPs working in the AWS ecosystem.
10. Cloud Workloads: BASIS International will run its AddonSoftware ERP platform atop CloudJumper, a workspace as a service (WaaS) platform that works closely with MSPs.
9. Cloud Services and Banking: Some bank IT executives say they could go from zero use of an infrastructure-as-a-service model today to as much as 30% within three years, according to Deutsche Bank, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
8. Freshly Funded: Companies raising money include…
- Embotics (Ottawa, Canada), which specializes in multi-cloud management software, raised $12.1 million to drive growth.
- Evolve IP, which has received a majority investment from Great Hill Partners. Evolve IP will use the money to expand its distribution channels and partner ecosystem. The funding, announced last month, was officially delivered in recent days.
- Midokura (San Francisco, Calif.), which develops a software network virtualization platform, raised $20.4 million in Series B funding from multiple sources.
- Nuxeo, which develops an enterprise content management (ECM), has raised $10 million – including a major commitment from Kennet Partners. Nuxeo will use the money to expand its sales initiatives across North America, Europe and Asia.
7. Acquisitions: Acuant, which promotes identity management solutions, has acquired AssureTec Technologies, a provider of identity document authentication and data capture solutions. Amid the M&A deal, Acuant says it will continue to accelerate its channel partner program.
6. Channel, Product Talent: ExtraHop, focused on real-time wire data analytics has hired John Leon as VP of business development and Paul Sanford as senior director of product management. Leon is a Puppet Labs, VMware and Intel veteran. Sanford previously worked at Microsoft and Splunk.
5. MSP Solutions: TechSage Solutions, an MSP in San Antonio, Texas, is now a Vertiscale partner.
4. Freshly Branded: Zetta, which promotes cloud backup and disaster recovery solutions, has launched a brand overhaul – including a new website. While Zetta has had some major customer wins over the years, the company has tried several times to gain critical mass success with MSPs…
3. Data Center Sale?: Verizon's CFO said the company is making progress on the potential sale of its data centers, though a final decision on the potential sale could take another three months. Verizon has been seeking suitors for some or all of its 60 data centers since late 2015.
2. Good to Be Back: We didn't published our "5 Channel Partner Updates" yesterday amid planes, trains and automobiles. Our stops included Las Vegas (HP Enterprise Discover), Long Island for a change of clothes and family dinner, and now Philadelphia (TruMethods Schizzfest). We hope you 'missed us' amid yesterday's brief journey. And welcome back to the 5 updates... or more.
1. Top 100 Vertical Market MSPs: Yes, we'll unveil the research and list next week. Join us on the June 16 webcast.
More: Read all of our daily 5 Channel Partner Updates. Plus: Subscribe to our daily enewsletter. Thanks to those who already have.
