Good morning, channel partners. Here are five technology news updates, insights, chatter, and plenty more to sip on for Tuesday, June 7, 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…
13. Salesforce Incubates Developers: Salesforce.com is investing $50 million in startups that use its new software-development service, seeking to encourage more entrepreneurs to build applications, Bloomberg noted. The platform to watch is Salesforce Lightning, which includes app development tools that can link more ISVs and end users to Salesforce's cloud services.
12. Cloud Channel Partnership: Portland Europe has agreed to offer Egenera's Xterity wholesale managed cloud services to its SME customers in the Benelux region. Egenera specializes in wholesale cloud services and cloud management software for the IT channel.
11. Cloud Cost Management: Cloudability, which develops cost management tools for public clouds, has raised $24 million in Series B funding. Total funding to date is roughly $40 million. Cloudability positions its tools for MSPs that want to help customers bring cloud costs under control.
10. Managed Network Services: ADTRAN has unveiled ProCloud Subscription Services for MSPs. The platform allows MSPs to offer managed services for wired and wireless networks. The effort is somewhat similar to Cisco's recent Meraki management tools initiatives.
9. Midmarket MSP Security Relationships: EiQ Networks, which develops hybrid SaaS security and continuous security intelligence services, has recruited nine new partners into its partner program this year. Recent additions include Baverianvine, HUB Technical Services Techordia and VITECH. The MSPs will offer EiQ’s SOCVue hybrid SaaS security services to midmarket customers across multiple verticals.
8. Big IBM Managed Services Win: IBM has signed a $300 million, 10-year technology services agreement with Dubai’s Emirates Airline. The managed services deal will help the airline to encrypt and manage data. The deal is critically important to IBM and the overall IT outsourcing market. Both Dell and HP Enterprise have essentially sold off their IT services divisions in recent weeks. Also, IT outsourcing deal sizes have been falling amid the shift from classic ERP and CRM systems toward cloud services. IBM's own quarterly revenues have fallen for four straight years as the company seeks to shift toward more cognitive computing, mobile, cloud and security revenues.
7. Bidding for Yahoo: Verizon is set to bid about $3 billion for Yahoo's web assets, The Wall Street Journal said. Before you dismiss the move as a potential waste of money consider this: Generally speaking, Verizon's 2015 buyout of AOL has gone pretty darn well...
Laura McCluer6. New Channel Chief: Software AG has hired Laura McCluer as VP, alliances and channels. Watch for McCluer to emphasize Software AG's Digital Business Platform to partners across North America, among other priorities. McCluer has previously held business development, alliance and channel positions at ANCILE, CA Technologies and Novell.
5. Big Tech IPO?: Japan’s Line Corp. is headed for what could be the biggest initial public offering for a technology company this year, including a major pitch to American investors, Bloomberg predicts. The company behind one of Asia’s most popular messaging apps plans to go public in Tokyo and New York in mid-to-late July, with a goal of raising between $1 billion and $2 billion at a valuation of $5 billion to $6 billion, Bloomberg said.
4. Intel Big Data Processors?: The new Intel Xeon processor E7 v4 family is specifically designed for businesses that want to more rapidly transform large, complex data sets into attain actionable insights. Intel claims the processors are 1.4 times higher performance, up to 10 times better performance for dollar and half the system power compared to IBM Power8-based solutions. We haven't asked IBM for a response because, frankly, processors always get faster...
3. Dell-EMC Shareholder Vote: EMC shareholders on July 19 will vote on Dell's proposed buyout of the company, according to an SEC filing on Monday. Michael Dell and EMC CEO Joe Tucci have repeatedly stated that the M&A deal will proceed as planned. Dell has been lining up funding for the deal in recent weeks.
2. ConnectWise vs. SolarWinds & LogicNow: Hmmm... Stay tuned...
1. Top 100 Vertical Market MSPs: Our webcast -- unveiling the research and complete list is next week. Our guest speakers -- representing All Covered and StoneHill Technical Solutions -- will answer attendee questions throughout the event. Attendees will receive a link to the complete research report, the list and more. Register now and join us Thursday, June 16 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
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