Articles by Mark Cox

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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Cloud

Microsoft to launch first local Canadian data centres

June 3, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Microsoft to launch first local Canadian data centres
Microsoft’s announcement that it will set up data centres in Toronto and Quebec City is big news for Microsoft, for the provinces and cities involved – and for Microsoft partners.

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Hardware

Dell launches Internet of Things initiative with new division, IoT gateway product

June 2, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Dell launches Internet of Things initiative with new division, IoT gateway product
Dell is looking to define itself as being able to work with the operational technology (OT) necessary for the Internet of Things as well as IT, with the new gateway product customized for the purpose to do both.

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Storage

Pure Storage moves into hardware with its next-gen FlashArray

June 2, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Pure Storage moves into hardware with its next-gen FlashArray
In a trio of announcements, Pure announces its next-gen array, which features its first custom built hardware, as well as Pure1, an integrated cloud-based management and support offering, and Evergreen Storage, which is both a vision and a new upgrade model.

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Mobility

Lookout brings its enterprise mobile security to market

June 2, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Lookout brings its enterprise mobile security to market
Lookout’s enterprise offering, which leverages the data set from its 70 million consumer customers, will be sold entirely through channel partners, and entirely through distribution, which in North America will be Ingram Micro.

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Networking

Dell extends proactive automated support to consumer PCs and tablets

June 2, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Dell extends proactive automated support to consumer PCs and tablets
Dell’s proactive support services have been a big hit in the channel, but this particular product is designed as a retail play, rather than for solution providers.

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Channel Communities

Customers moving beyond cost issues in considering managed services

June 1, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Customers moving beyond cost issues in considering managed services
CompTIA data indicate that customer knowledge of managed services is up significantly over last year, and that emphasis on cost saving is no longer their main concern. This should impact the way that MSPs sell their offerings.

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Data Centre

Moving beyond hyperscale: Dell DCS looks to embrace smaller customers

June 1, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Moving beyond hyperscale: Dell DCS looks to embrace smaller customers
Dell’s Data Center Solutions group was created to optimize Dell’s working relationship with its large hyperscale customers, but today, partly as a result of Dell going private, DCS is working with a broader range of customers to design customized solutions that meet their needs.

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Data Centre

SanDisk targets next-gen CloudSpeed Eco SSD at hyperscale market

June 1, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on SanDisk targets next-gen CloudSpeed Eco SSD at hyperscale market
The announcement at Computex Taipei 2015 is intended to be SanDisk’s coming out party for the large Taiwanese ODM market, with a product that will sell mainly through the ODMs, but will have some channel pockets.

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Hardware

Designing Dell: Dell’s Industrial Design team talks turkey with media

May 29, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Designing Dell: Dell’s Industrial Design team talks turkey with media
Dell’s hardware designers explain their original mandate, to turn Dell from a follower to a leader in product innovation, and discuss their design philosophy and principles that underlay the large degree of success they have in this area now compared to a decade ago.

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Cloud

Avaya buys Richmond Hill’s Esna to easily integrate multi-vendor communications into cloud apps

May 29, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Avaya buys Richmond Hill’s Esna to easily integrate multi-vendor communications into cloud apps
Esna will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Avaya, with Avaya ‘planning to adopt’ Esna’s over 200 active channel partners. Avaya also said the deal will provide existing Avaya partners with significant new opportunities.

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Cloud

Virtustream acquired by EMC, to become separate EMC Federation business

May 26, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Virtustream acquired by EMC, to become separate EMC Federation business
Virtustream will form the basis of EMC’s managed cloud services business, and will be sold both direct and through service provider and integrator partners.

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Channel Programs

Xirrus completely recrafts channel program with new Xirrus Xcellerate

May 26, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Xirrus completely recrafts channel program with new Xirrus Xcellerate
The changes reflect the wireless networking vendor’s transition in the last several years from a direct seller to a company that sells entirely through the channel, where the internal sales force now works to drum up business for partners.

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Virtualization

Dell continues VDI appliance push with VMware EVO:RAIL Horizon Edition appliance

May 22, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Dell continues VDI appliance push with VMware EVO:RAIL Horizon Edition appliance
Dell becomes the first vendor to offer a hyper-converged end-to-end VDI appliance for EVO:RAIL, which becomes its fifth different VDI appliance in five months, as the company intensifies its emphasis on the space

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Solution Provider News

Partnering leads to acquisition as Winnipeg’s Powerland buys FACT Computers

May 22, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Partnering leads to acquisition as Winnipeg’s Powerland buys FACT Computers
The deal takes a previous partnering relationship one step further, expands Powerland’s presence in Saskatchewan, and gives them complete control of FACT’s comparatively large pool of technical people, who complement Powerland’s previous shortage of feet on the street in Saskatchewan.

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