Microsoft

Cloud

DataStax makes major enhancements to Apache Cassandra with DataStax Enterprise 6

April 17, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on DataStax makes major enhancements to Apache Cassandra with DataStax Enterprise 6
DataStax, which was the driver in building Apache Cassandra, makes major changes to the platform for the first time in their commercial product, to make it more enterprise-friendly by dramatically upgrading performance and removing manual work.

Channel Programs

Security vendor Ziften reboots partner program to better leverage strategic Microsoft relationship

April 13, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on Security vendor Ziften reboots partner program to better leverage strategic Microsoft relationship
The program’s highlight is a fast track program to recruit high skill – not necessarily top tier – Microsoft partners by providing them with the Ziften program’s top tier benefits for a year.

Backup

Kaseya upgrades their Office 365 Backup capability with Spanning partnership

April 10, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on Kaseya upgrades their Office 365 Backup capability with Spanning partnership
The new offering is much stronger than what Kaseya had before for Office 365 Backup, and is something that Kaseya partners should be able to sell to their own customers at a good margin,

Cloud

Cloud distributor Pax8 adds bill-forward consumption billing option for ConnectWise MSPs

April 4, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on Cloud distributor Pax8 adds bill-forward consumption billing option for ConnectWise MSPs
Pax8 has converted its recommendations that MSPs practice bill-forward consumption-based billing into a console option for ConnectWise, and plans to offer the same for other RMM and PSA vendors.

Cloud

Strong channel opportunity in BlackBerry BRIDGE native integration of Microsoft apps within BlackBerry Dynamics

March 20, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on Strong channel opportunity in BlackBerry BRIDGE native integration of Microsoft apps within BlackBerry Dynamics
BlackBerry BRIDGE integrates Microsoft Office 365 apps with BlackBerry Dynamics, bridging the two separate containers and encryption models, to provide enterprise security for Office 365.

Cloud

New Citrix Replacement App highlights latest release of CloudJumper Workspace-as-a-Service platform

March 20, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on New Citrix Replacement App highlights latest release of CloudJumper Workspace-as-a-Service platform
Other enhancements to Cloudjumper Cloud Workspace Management Suite 5.2 include the ability to provision a full software-defined data centre in either Azure or Google with a single click.

Data Centre

Cloudistics formally launches Application Marketplace within Ignite Cloud Controller

March 2, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on Cloudistics formally launches Application Marketplace within Ignite Cloud Controller
Cloudistics is emphasizing its Application Marketplace to highlight its role in accelerating the deployment of complex applications, something that appeals greatly to partners and customers.

Cloud

ITaaS software maker Nerdio signs with SherWeb in their first global distribution deal

February 22, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on ITaaS software maker Nerdio signs with SherWeb in their first global distribution deal
Nerdio’s focus is on their Nerdio for Azure offering, which led them to work with cloud and Microsoft- focused SherWeb.

Backup

Zerto launches multi-cloud resilience platform with Zerto Virtual Replication 6.0

February 6, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on Zerto launches multi-cloud resilience platform with Zerto Virtual Replication 6.0
ZVR 6.0 extends bi-directional replication that Zerto had introduced in their previous release. Another highlight of 6.0 is a new management portal for Cloud Service Providers.

Virtualization

Dell announces major software update to Wyse virtualization portfolio

February 2, 2018 Mark Cox Comments Off on Dell announces major software update to Wyse virtualization portfolio
For the channel, the sexiest thing here is likely Wyse Converter for PCs, which turns existing PCs into VDIs, and will be useful in Windows 7 migrations.