Year: 2015

Cloud

Mixed messages from Microsoft survey on Canadian business use of cloud

November 19, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Mixed messages from Microsoft survey on Canadian business use of cloud
The study found 85 per cent of Canadian businesses admit they aren’t fully using benefits of new technology, but on the other hand, their attitude towards adoption, particularly of cloud, is better than in last year’s survey.

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Avnet Technology Solutions' Gavin Miller
Distribution

Avnet unifies training and support

November 18, 2015 Robert Dutt Comments Off on Avnet unifies training and support
With the new Avnet Knowledge Network, the distributor is aiming to bring all of its support and training offerings under the same roof.

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Managed Services

The 7 components of a complete (& profitable) managed network service

November 18, 2015 Guest Poster Comments Off on The 7 components of a complete (& profitable) managed network service
Auvik Networks’ Alex Hoff on best practices for getting the most out of your networking business as a managed service provider.

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Distribution

Lenovo chooses SYNNEX for distribution of Motorola phone to channel in U.S.

November 17, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Lenovo chooses SYNNEX for distribution of Motorola phone to channel in U.S.
ChannelBuzz has learned that Lenovo, which has been assessing its distribution options for its commercial Motorola business, since it acquired the mobility vendor a year ago, has decided on SYNNEX for its U.S distribution. The […]
Channel Programs

Data protection vendor Druva adds MSP channel, launches MSP partner program

November 17, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Data protection vendor Druva adds MSP channel, launches MSP partner program
Druva is mainly focused on the enterprise space, and its new MSP channel will give them a stronger presence downmarket. They are especially looking to recruit new MSPs who have no data centre.

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Security

Dell partners with Cylance to add APT prevention technology to Dell Data Protection solution

November 17, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Dell partners with Cylance to add APT prevention technology to Dell Data Protection solution
Dell adds Cylance’s artificial intelligence-based technology, which has a very high success rate in stopping malware from executing, to its Dell Data Protection endpoint security solution.

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Data Centre

Scale Computing ramps up Canadian staff, resources for big 2016 push

November 17, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Scale Computing ramps up Canadian staff, resources for big 2016 push
Scale, which is distinct among the hyperconverged vendors with its SMB focus, is not new to Canada, but they have added new staff and resources here, and developed new relationships with key DMRs to take their Canadian business to the next level.

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Storage

HPE announces flurry of 3PAR announcements

November 16, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on HPE announces flurry of 3PAR announcements
Net-new offerings include 3PAR Flash Acceleration for Oracle and the 3PAR StoreServ 8200 Converged File and Block Starter Kit.

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Channel Programs

Avaya Canada team front and centre in development of new Midmarket program

November 16, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Avaya Canada team front and centre in development of new Midmarket program
The Avaya Midmarket Select Program is focused on a select number of partners, and lets them allow rock bottom pricing in packages designed to facilitate solution sales. Avaya Canada’s key role in the program’s development has resulted in six of the 40 partners in the global program being Canadian.

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Storage

Security, reporting, planning enhancements highlight Data Dynamics’ StorageX 7.7

November 16, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Security, reporting, planning enhancements highlight Data Dynamics’ StorageX 7.7
The 7.7 release’s emphasis is on a broad range of feature functionality enhancements.

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Cloud

Tech Data Canada sees Cisco Meraki deal appealing broadly to partners

November 13, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Tech Data Canada sees Cisco Meraki deal appealing broadly to partners
Tech Data also sees the agreement, which fills an admitted gap in their line card, as very likely to open up Cisco technology to a large class of smaller customers who have not been buying Cisco to date.

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Big Data

EMC’s shift in Data Lake strategy opens up new partner opportunities

November 13, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on EMC’s shift in Data Lake strategy opens up new partner opportunities
EMC’s Data Lake 2.0 significantly enhances the original core-focused Data Lake strategy by extending it to the edge and the cloud, as well as strengthening the core. This is also likely to expand partner opportunities somewhat beyond the very limited involvement thought likely when the original Data lake was announced.

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Cloud

SAP sheds more light on channel role in SAP Anywhere North America go-to-market

November 13, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on SAP sheds more light on channel role in SAP Anywhere North America go-to-market
SAP Anywhere is going to market in China through a strategic partner, China Telecom. The go-to-market strategy when it goes into general release in the U.S. and Canada in 2016 will be very different however, and the company filled in the details for ChannelBuzz.

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Servers

Lenovo: We want to be the top OEM for hyperconverged

November 12, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Lenovo: We want to be the top OEM for hyperconverged
Lenovo sees strong momentum in its server business, with its core server business showing signs of beginning to scale growth, and its roster of hyperconverged partners offering significant potential in that space.

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Channel Communities

Hewlett Packard Enterprise stresses SMB, channel commitment with new releases

November 12, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Hewlett Packard Enterprise stresses SMB, channel commitment with new releases
For partners, the most interesting thing here may be the Small Business Marketplace e-commerce platform, an explicitly channel-focused online site, rather than a direct-to-customer site that competes with partners. It’s in pilot now in the U.S., but when it will be in Canada is not yet clear.

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Hardware

HP Inc. brings thin client to workstation gunfight

November 12, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on HP Inc. brings thin client to workstation gunfight
The new HP T730 Thin Client is a performance machine can support four UHD/4k displays natively, and six displays with an optional AMD FirePro discrete graphics card, to deliver what for the moment is a unique product in the market.

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Hardware

HP Inc. announces desktop workstation storage, cooling breakthroughs

November 12, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on HP Inc. announces desktop workstation storage, cooling breakthroughs
While HP announced a new mobile workstation, and major enhancements throughout all their ZBook technology, they also announced some significant technology enhancements in both storage and cooling.

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Hardware

First quad core workstation Ultrabook highlights broad HP workstation refresh

November 11, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on First quad core workstation Ultrabook highlights broad HP workstation refresh
While HP highlighted its HP ZBook Studio, a brand new model in the ZBook family, the major enhancements to the whole family were arguably bigger news.

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Servers

Dell announces entry level 13th gen PowerEdge servers

November 11, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Dell announces entry level 13th gen PowerEdge servers
The enhancements to the four new 1U servers include their integration with Dell’s systems management portfolio, which provide tools that reduce deployment time by up to 40 per cent, and also provide streamlined management.

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Cloud

SAP stresses simplicity for smaller firms at SME Summit

November 11, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on SAP stresses simplicity for smaller firms at SME Summit
At last year’s SAP SME Summit, SAP emphasized how much it valued its SME customers, including small businesses. This year they added a wrinkle to that, emphasizing that SMEs want and need simplicity, and that those taking their time to decide need to make the move – with SAP solutions.

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