Cloud
AWS unveils potentially disruptive Alexa for Business
AWS brings its Alexa technology to the office. The one negative for Canadian users is that out of the gate, it’s only available in the U.S East region.
Cisco
Channel Communities
Varnex celebrates 10 years
As its Varnex reseller community turns ten, Synnex looks back at its history and forward to what comes next for partner members.
Channel Programs
Simpler is better: Cisco pares programs
Cisco announces a reduction in the complexity of its partner programs, while pivoting profitability towards software and recurring revenues.
Networking
Cisco eyes lower enterprise agreement limit
Cisco will soon lower limits on its Enterprise Agreement software sales as it “looks to move more enterprise and commercial business to the new structure.
Unified Communications
Cisco adding AI assistant to Spark collaboration tools
Cisco previews Spark Assistant, which aims to bring voice control to its collaboration tools, and ultimately create a AI-based meeting moderator.
Channel Programs
Editor’s Notebook: Random tidbits from the Cisco braintrust
Short hits from Chuck Robbins et al on how Cisco thinks about change, SMB, new partner types, cloud agnosticism, acquisitions, and more.
Channel Programs
Robbins to partners: Software equals differentiation
Kicking off Cisco Partner Summit 2017, CEO Chuck Robbins tells partners building their own development capabilities is key to meeting customer needs.
Backup
Commvault looks to set data protection gold standard through ScaleProtect with Cisco UCS
With ScaleProtect, Commvault looks to create a branding that has been as successful as the FlexPod brand has been for Cisco and NetApp.
Security
McAfee, Cisco partnership opens up cross-partnering opportunities
McAfee channel chief says data-sharing and automation partnership with Cisco will lead to Cisco partners coming to it for non-network security components.
Security
McAfee CEO: Security skills shortage is an efficiency opportunity
McAfee CEO Chris Young says the lack of IT security talent can be somewhat alleviated if tools just make today’s security professionals more efficient.
Networking
Cisco CEO: We’ll partner in ways we hadn’t thought of before
CEO Chuck Robbins outlines how the networking giant will innovate in partnership, offers kind assessment of Canada at Toronto Cisco Connect event.
Channel Programs
Cisco Canada head looking for “next big disruptor” as partner
Cisco Canada president Rola Dagher says the next great disruptor may be the next great partner. And there’s an growing chance that partner may be homegrown.
Backup
NetApp, Veeam extend partnership with first resell agreement
The deal is aimed at strengthening Veeam in the enterprise, and NetApp in the midmarket and SMB, and follows up several other recent Veeam resale partnerships.
Channel Programs
Cisco innovation chiefs stress ecosystems
From augmented reality to IOT, there are no digital transformation without ecosystems, say leaders of four of Cisco’s nine global innovation centres.
Backup
Cisco to resell Commvault for first time in extension of long-term partnership
For the first time, Commvault solutions specific to Cisco will be part of Cisco’s Global Price List, making it easier for the two companies’ mutual resellers to deliver joint solutions.
Networking
EXCLUSIVE: Canada rises as Extreme Networks priority as part of new strategic initiative
While Extreme has always had a significant enterprise business to go along with their mid-market presence, their flurry of recent acquisitions, complemented by internal changes to optimize them, has created a much stronger enterprise focus.
Distribution
D&H Canada appoints Rivers to head new advanced solutions focus
Roy Rivers joins D&H Canada to head up advanced solutions, a unit that will cover the distributor’s relationship with Cisco, HP, and Lenovo.
Servers
Cisco sees powerful channel opportunities in fifth generation UCS
In addition to the performance boost from the new Intel processors, Cisco is also touting its new Cisco Workload Optimization Manager software, which comes through an OEM deal with Turbonomic.
Cloud
Cisco seeks partner help on security, cloud strategy, software
Cisco’s head of growth initiatives on where she sees opportunities to aid themselves (and Cisco) take their business in new directions.
Mobility
Cisco, Apple press security message, eye expanded partnership
Cisco and Apple say their joint network/mobile security story is so solid, mutual customers should get insurance discounts.