Managed Services

Cloud

Artisan Infrastructure gets new name (Neverfail) new WaaS acquisition (Vertiscale)

August 1, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on Artisan Infrastructure gets new name (Neverfail) new WaaS acquisition (Vertiscale)
Artisan Infrastucture’s broadening beyond its original wholesale infrastructure-as-a-service necessitated a new name change, particularly with more new offerings on the roadmap.

Managed Services

BlackStratus begins building out channel for SMB SIEM service with Autotask partners

July 21, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on BlackStratus begins building out channel for SMB SIEM service with Autotask partners
BlackStratus is close to signing up its first 100 MSP partners for its SIEM-as-a-service offering, and has a plan in place to acquire thousands of partners over the next few years.

Distribution

Cloud disti Pax8 to bring DataMAPt monitoring service to distribution

July 20, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on Cloud disti Pax8 to bring DataMAPt monitoring service to distribution
DataMAPt offers a cloud-based RMM solution aimed at SMBs which offers flexible coverage, extreme ease of use, and very low pricing for the industry.

Cloud

Zetta reworks cloud portal as part of MSP partner drive

July 18, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on Zetta reworks cloud portal as part of MSP partner drive
Unusually for the business cloud backup space, Zetta has sold mainly direct, with only a small MSP channel. The new portal is designed to appeal to MSPs, and is part of a campaign to significantly expand the percentage of business that goes through partners.

Cloud

ConnectWise expands Microsoft relationship with Azure support in Cloud Management Tool

July 13, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on ConnectWise expands Microsoft relationship with Azure support in Cloud Management Tool
ConnectWise has built its Microsoft practice up massively in a very short time, and the full support for Azure should continue that trend.

Managed Services

BitTitan, Dropbox see enormous opportunities in new go-to-market alliance

July 13, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on BitTitan, Dropbox see enormous opportunities in new go-to-market alliance
BitTitan and DropBox will collaborate on an integrated go-to-market strategy where the services of each will be bundled together and available to both channels.

Managed Services

Avast sees AVG acquisition as bolstering SMB, channel presence

July 7, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on Avast sees AVG acquisition as bolstering SMB, channel presence
For the channel, the key issue is what the acquisition will mean to the SMB businesses of both companies, particularly the MSP-focused RMM business AVG originally acquired from Level Platforms. Avast CEO Vince Steckler addresses the issue.

Cloud

Barracuda adds subscription firewall offering to Intronis MSP Solutions in North America

June 27, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on Barracuda adds subscription firewall offering to Intronis MSP Solutions in North America
Available previously to MSPs in Europe, this customization of Barracuda’s next-gen firewall for the MSP market is now being offered in North America as a best-in-class offering for Intronis’ SMB-focused MSPs.

Managed Services

Datto upgrades flagship platform, unveils all-flash backup appliance

June 21, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on Datto upgrades flagship platform, unveils all-flash backup appliance
The all-flash SIRIS 3 X1is available only with a TB drive, with the plan being to roll over further models if and when they meet customers’ price/performance needs.

Channel Programs

Aerohive looks to drive partner wireless-as-a-service business with new MSP program

June 17, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on Aerohive looks to drive partner wireless-as-a-service business with new MSP program
The program, which has two tiers, provides infrastructure enhancements related to managed services as well as business process changes desired by MSPs, like the separation of hardware purchases from software and pay-as-you-go billing.