Articles by Mark Cox

Solution Provider News

Toronto’s Storage Guardian’s new data centre protects data, business operations

June 18, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Toronto’s Storage Guardian’s new data centre protects data, business operations
Toronto solution provider Storage Guardian has opened a new data centre, which also contains space and facilities to provide temporary office space to customers whose offices are closed by a disaster.

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Cloud

Asigra lays out strategy for prosperity in potentially tough cloud backup world

June 17, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Asigra lays out strategy for prosperity in potentially tough cloud backup world
At its partner event, Asigra discussed its continuing strategy for keeping itself and its partners competitive in a world of sinking backup margins, including new ways to cut partners’ hardware costs and create new revenue opportunities for them.

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Data Centre

Accelerite acquisition of Convirture gives partners end-to-end management solution

June 17, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Accelerite acquisition of Convirture gives partners end-to-end management solution

Adding Convirture’s day to day operations management capability to Accelerite’s disaster recovery focus provides a single pane of glass with a consolidated view of the management of the multiple clouds and internal virtualization technologies in modern hybrid data centres.

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Cloud

New Asigra appliance to hedge against coming flat zero backup prices

June 16, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on New Asigra appliance to hedge against coming flat zero backup prices
In a grim future of zero backup pricing, Asigra’s CEO told partners their future profitability – and survival – depends on their ability to build trust with the customer, and on their ability to sell additional services around it. An archiving capability, centred on Asigra’s new appliance, is a key part of this.

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Cloud

Cloud enhancements highlight five new Datto product enhancements

June 16, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Cloud enhancements highlight five new Datto product enhancements
These include a ‘born in the cloud’ router, a sync and share partnership with ownCloud, a new Backupify for Office 365 solution, a new Linux agent and an enhanced partner portal.

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Cloud

New Silver Peak virtual network overlay aims to displace MPLS networks – gradually

June 15, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on New Silver Peak virtual network overlay aims to displace MPLS networks – gradually
Unity EdgeConnect, which builds on the Unity fabric Silver Peak announced last year, is a virtual network overlay which leverages broadband to connect users to applications, while also letting them retain their existing routers and firewalls and move to a broadband WAN at their own speed.

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Hardware

Connected Data augments NAS with Transporter Network Storage Connector

June 15, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Connected Data augments NAS with Transporter Network Storage Connector
The free Connector front-ends a NAS device, allowing the Transporter appliance to sync important files and folders seamlessly to users’ laptops and mobile devices, to overcome NAS’s limitations with mobility.

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Hardware

Microsoft Surface Hub large-screen collaboration device available July 1

June 11, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Microsoft Surface Hub large-screen collaboration device available July 1
Partners who have been selling A/V gear should like the Surface Hub, which Microsoft is touting as a product that will make traditional high end conferencing systems and displays obsolete, as well as replace projectors, wireless receivers and digital whiteboards.

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Solution Provider News

ACCEO Solutions expands smaller retail footprint with Multipost acquisition

June 11, 2015 Mark Cox 2
The Québec-based solution provider continues its strategic acquisitions by buying Markham ON-based Multipost, which makes POS software for smaller retailers. ACCEO also indicated that more acquisitions are coming in the next few weeks.

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Managed Services

LogicNow introduces new per-device pricing for MAX Backup

June 10, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on LogicNow introduces new per-device pricing for MAX Backup
The company formerly known as GFI MAX is introducing a new DRaaS pricing option that charges by the device instead of data usage, something they believe will especially appeal to partners serving larger customers.

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Cloud

Veeam to add cloud-based VM replication to Veeam Availability Suite v9

June 10, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Veeam to add cloud-based VM replication to Veeam Availability Suite v9
The new functionality will also let service providers provide their customers with cloud-based disaster recovery-as-a-service (DRaaS) through the new Veeam Cloud Connect Replication for Service Providers offering.

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Storage

Dell expands Dell XC Series Nutanix offerings

June 9, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Dell expands Dell XC Series Nutanix offerings
Scheduled to roll out in Q3, the updates to the portfolio address specific use cases. They are: support for KVM, including Nutanix’s new KVM-based hypervisor; a storage-heavy Lite-Compute node; a new appliance that provides Nvidia GPU support; and a short-depth, 1U form factor appliance.

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Data Centre

Nutanix makes ‘biggest announcement ever’ with platform for simpler, cheaper virtualization

June 9, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Nutanix makes ‘biggest announcement ever’ with platform for simpler, cheaper virtualization
Acropolis combines Nutanix’s flagship Distributed Storage Fabric with their own hypervisor and a new app mobility fabric which will decouple apps from their hypervisor, let users use the Nutanix hypervisor, and massively cut their virtualization costs. Prism complements it with simple management. Acropolis and Prism make up the new Xtreme Computing Platform.

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Data Centre

Intel Security launches solution for east-west traffic in VMware datacentres

June 8, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Intel Security launches solution for east-west traffic in VMware datacentres
This solution, using the McAfee Network Security Platform, starts with market leader VMware, but will eventually cover the others in the space. And while this Intrusion Prevention solution is the first to be rolled out, the plan is to extend the platform to cover Intel Security’s other virtual infrastructure products.

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Sennheiser SD Office, a single-sided DECT wireless headset
Distribution

Sennheiser expands Canadian distribution with Tech Data, Run Distribution deals

June 8, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Sennheiser expands Canadian distribution with Tech Data, Run Distribution deals
Sennheiser, best known for its premium consumer products, already has a strong distribution network in Canada, but adds two more distributors to generate more opportunities and stimulate even greater awareness of its presence in the commercial space.

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Channel Programs

Dell reports solid channel growth in Q1

June 8, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Dell reports solid channel growth in Q1
Dell indicated good progress on their green fields discount initiative, overall commercial business, and partner education efforts. While the number of partners using Dell financing jumped considerably in Q1, the company wants more participation there. Plus, still no firm date on when Dell will team up with SYNNEX in Canada.

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Unified Communications

Plantronics rounds out noise cancelling office portfolio with first wireless stereo UC headset

June 8, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Plantronics rounds out noise cancelling office portfolio with first wireless stereo UC headset
The Voyager Focus UC becomes the top of the line model in Plantronics’ noise cancelling office products line. It also features Dynamic Mute Alert feature, which senses and alerts users when they are trying to talk when muted.

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Managed Services

AVG Business opens Ottawa Global Center of Excellence for Managed Workplace

June 5, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on AVG Business opens Ottawa Global Center of Excellence for Managed Workplace
AVG’s SMB-focused business unit has added so many new sales and support staff they outgrew their old offices, and they are still in aggressive growth mode, recruiting new partners to sell their managed services.

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Managed Services

Waterloo’s Auvik Networks entering RMM market with MSP Edition

June 4, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Waterloo’s Auvik Networks entering RMM market with MSP Edition
The Canadian cloud-based network management software provider has modified its software to produce a version for the MSP market that has some pluses it believes are missing from the market now. The plan is to sell it direct for a while to establish proof of concept while they work on building a proper channel program.

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Channel Programs

Pulse Secure partner program to test competency, abandon certifications

June 3, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Pulse Secure partner program to test competency, abandon certifications
The Juniper spinoff launches its first partner program, to which old Juniper partners have to apply, and says that it has some unique differentiating factors.

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