Articles by Mark Cox

Security

Dell unveils next generation of its SonicWALL TZ Series firewalls

April 28, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Dell unveils next generation of its SonicWALL TZ Series firewalls
Dell is encouraging partners to take these souped up models to their customers, even if their existing firewalls are not that old, because both threats and Dell’s response have ramped up massively, and older machines may not be able to keep up.

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Channel Programs

Campaigner creates white label e-mail marketing program for channel partners

April 28, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Campaigner creates white label e-mail marketing program for channel partners
The email marketing provider has set up a channel program to provide its solution to partners, and are particularly interested in integrators who will build their email solution into a broader solution, to reach markets Campaigner would not otherwise be able to touch.

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Mitchell Martin, president of Synnex Canada.
Distribution

Value-added Solv programs bright spot in flat market: SYNNEX’s Martin

April 27, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Value-added Solv programs bright spot in flat market: SYNNEX’s Martin
The SYNNEX Canada president also indicated they want to expand the GovSolv practice area in Canada, and see considerable untapped potential for Solv solutions in the pure small business space.

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Bob Stegner, senior vice president of marketing for Synnex North America
Distribution

Varnex partners need to better brand the community to move the needle

April 27, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Varnex partners need to better brand the community to move the needle
SYNNEX and its Varnex Council President opened the distributor’s event by suggesting things the community needs to do to better build its brand and its collective business.

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Digital Signage

Lenovo unveils Chromebox version of Tiny

April 27, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Lenovo unveils Chromebox version of Tiny
Lenovo believes the Chromebook device may have several advantage over Windows-based Tiny devices, particularly in the digital signage and kiosk market.

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Networking

Citrix CloudBridge Virtual WAN to provide ‘always-on’ branch availability

April 27, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Citrix CloudBridge Virtual WAN to provide ‘always-on’ branch availability
Available as a physical or virtual appliance, the new offering is designed to provide reliability at reasonable cost to server-less remote locations which are about as helpless as Chromebooks if network access is lost.

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Small Business

Paragon Software unveils simpler unified host-based backup pricing model

April 24, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Paragon Software unveils simpler unified host-based backup pricing model
Paragon’s market is the sub-100 user market, and they believe this new model is priced and simplified to become disruptive in this space.

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Channel Programs

Salesforce consulting partner revamp finishing up

April 23, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Salesforce consulting partner revamp finishing up
The now-implemented changes to requirements for consulting partners within Salesforce’s partner program place more emphasis on customer satisfaction and training, and will allow smaller partners to advance more easily in the program.

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Mobility

BlackBerry to strengthen mobile security with WatchDox acquisition

April 23, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on BlackBerry to strengthen mobile security with WatchDox acquisition
BlackBerry continues its strong rebound from what was widely seen as a deathwatch not that long ago by acquiring WatchDox, which will also form the basis of a new security-focused BlackBerry R&D center in Israel.

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Security

Intel Security expands Data Exchange Layer to fill out white space between products

April 21, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Intel Security expands Data Exchange Layer to fill out white space between products
Intel Security is announcing multiple upgrades to and integrations with its DXL ecosystem, to improve defenses, particularly against tough and elusive targeted attacks.

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Mobility

Dell brings Vostro SMB notebooks back to North America

April 21, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Dell brings Vostro SMB notebooks back to North America
Dell reverses an earlier decision to make the Latitude its SMB notebook product in North America, and responds to customer demand with new 14 and 15 inch models.

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Big Data

Canadian channel needs to step up on hybrid cloud: EMC’s Kerr

April 17, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Canadian channel needs to step up on hybrid cloud: EMC’s Kerr
The rapid rise of mobility, and the user expectations it has created, plus the very real promise of integrated analytics, have changed the universe where solution providers operate, and they need to adjust or lose major opportunities.

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Mobility

Free Lenovo WRITEit app improves handwriting on Windows devices

April 16, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Free Lenovo WRITEit app improves handwriting on Windows devices
Today, the app supports four Windows 8 Lenovo devices, with more on the road map for this year. An Android version is in development.

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Cloud

Project Helios PaaS offering highlights new Kaseya initiatives

April 16, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Project Helios PaaS offering highlights new Kaseya initiatives
Project Helios, which is expected to be generally available sometime next year, will initially complement Kaseya’s core VSA solution, but is likely to be preferred by net-new customers and in the long run could well become Kaseya’s flagship solution.

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Cloud

Veeam to continue driving alliances, channel recruitment

April 16, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Veeam to continue driving alliances, channel recruitment
In addition to putting more investment into their alliances strategy and their channel, Veeam is encouraging traditional partners to take advantage of the Veeam Availability Suite’s new cloud capabilities.

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Security

GhanghorCloud emerges from stealth with new information security and compliance solutions

April 15, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on GhanghorCloud emerges from stealth with new information security and compliance solutions
GhangorCloud’s security solutions have a higher degree of policy automation, which helps reduce their cost, especially on the OPEX side. They also use real time identity management for more stringent access control by individuals to specific data.

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Distribution

NCP engineering moves to Tech Data for North American distribution

April 15, 2015 Mark Cox 1
A new distribution agreement will make NCP’s SMB VPN solutions available to Tech Data resellers in both the U.S. and Canada.

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Hardware

New HP mobile workstation, workstation storage and displays announced at NAB show

April 15, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on New HP mobile workstation, workstation storage and displays announced at NAB show
HP once again ratcheted up its workstation technology, hoping that organizations, if not all individual users, will see a clear technology and value premium over Mac products.

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Channel Programs

SanDisk creates new Enterprise partner program for Fusion-io focused channel

April 13, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on SanDisk creates new Enterprise partner program for Fusion-io focused channel
SanDisk has created a second program for its enterprise-focused products, which mainly came from Fusion-io, because their target markets, sales motions, and skill requirements are different from the SMB-focused Premier program.

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Data Centre

Why heresy is good business strategy: Dell’s Armughan Ahmad

April 10, 2015 Mark Cox 1
Digital disruption is intensifying IT democratization, and Dell is responding with a datacentre strategy which some competitors likely consider heresy, but which Dell believes is the wave of the future.

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