SMB

Cloud

Cloud software suite provider Zoho looks to add to differentiated value – and values

March 26, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Cloud software suite provider Zoho looks to add to differentiated value – and values
Zoho, which has expanded its CRM application into a suite of over 40 applications that sells for $30 per user per month, is proud of some elements of their business and product set that they acknowledge are somewhat offbeat.

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Backup

Datto Channel Ransomware Report for Canada has some warning signs for MSPs

March 14, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Datto Channel Ransomware Report for Canada has some warning signs for MSPs
Canada leads the countries surveyed in both the average ransom paid to ransomware creators and the amount of money lost to downtime from ransomware, which is hardly ideal, and something that Canadian MSPs need to work smarter to prevent.

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Printing and Imaging

Konica Minolta reboots Workplace Hub as workplace of future focus, with new dealer resources

March 8, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Konica Minolta reboots Workplace Hub as workplace of future focus, with new dealer resources
Konica Minolta’s Workplace Hub has been on the market for over a year, but the company thinks that what it sees as a ‘next-gen’ product is now ready for prime time with their dealer channel, and so they featured it heavily at their Dealer Conference.

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Distribution

Tech Data Canada looks to Ignite SMB sales

March 7, 2019 Robert Dutt Comments Off on Tech Data Canada looks to Ignite SMB sales
Ed Galasso of Tech Data Canada discusses Ignite, the distributor’s new program for getting closer to SMB-focused VARs and building solutions to better meet their customers’ needs.

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Partnerships

Hitachi Vantara, Cisco extend partnership around converged infrastructure

March 7, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Hitachi Vantara, Cisco extend partnership around converged infrastructure
The new Cisco and Hitachi Adaptive Solutions for Converged Infrastructure will go to market through a select number of channel partners, building on the channel focus of the recent VSP Pro solutions.

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Printing and Imaging

Strategic partnering, new technologies dominate blueprint on roadmap Konica Minolta lays out for dealers

March 6, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Strategic partnering, new technologies dominate blueprint on roadmap Konica Minolta lays out for dealers
Konica Minolta also provided an update on the state of the Canadian services business, where IT Weapons was acquired three years ago to serve as a bridgehead into the Canadian market.

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Security

Avast Business launches enterprise-class secure web gateway for SMBs

March 4, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Avast Business launches enterprise-class secure web gateway for SMBs
Avast adds a new capability to its CloudCare platform that provides turnkey and policy-based protection against malicious websites, downloads, and locations.

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Cloud

Intermedia adds free Envision analytics for partners to Unite platform

March 4, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Intermedia adds free Envision analytics for partners to Unite platform
Envision provides a Partner Dashboard showing all customers, and a QoS Dashboard that drills down into a single customer, with more analytics dashboards on the roadmap.

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Security

Proofpoint emphasizes usability, visibility enhancements in SMB-focused Essentials solution

February 27, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Proofpoint emphasizes usability, visibility enhancements in SMB-focused Essentials solution
Proofpoint’s historical focus has been higher upmarket, but Essentials, which came originally from a 2013 acquisition, and has been substantially rebuilt from the ground up with an SMB focus, is a key part of their strategy as well.

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Managed Services

IaaS provider OrionVM adds UTM provider WatchGuard to their cloud platform

February 26, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on IaaS provider OrionVM adds UTM provider WatchGuard to their cloud platform
OrionVM, which only sells through channel partners, continues to build out what they regard as a highly sophisticated platform, which can compete effectively against the large hyperscalers on margin because all the elements of their stack are built internally rather than licensed.

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Managed Services

Netsurion introduces EventTracker EDR and joint unified SIEM-EDR managed service for SMBs

February 20, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Netsurion introduces EventTracker EDR and joint unified SIEM-EDR managed service for SMBs
Netsurion thinks a good part of the SMB and SME market is ripe for EDR security protection, and that their offering, designed for SMBs, will make their MSP partners managed security experts in the eyes of their customers.

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Backup

New Axcient CEO David Bennett lays out his long-term vision to make Axcient a long-term leader

February 14, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on New Axcient CEO David Bennett lays out his long-term vision to make Axcient a long-term leader
Bennett, who had been the Chief Revenue Officer at Webroot, talks with ChannelBuzz about his coming to Axcient, the ideas that will guide his strategy, and how he plans to take the MSP-focused data protection vendor to new heights.

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Managed Services

Lenovo enters consumption-based IaaS market with partner-friendly TruScale Infrastructure Services

February 13, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Lenovo enters consumption-based IaaS market with partner-friendly TruScale Infrastructure Services
Lenovo is a relative newcomer to a market that rival OEMs Dell Technologies and HPE have been in for multiple years, but Lenovo thinks they have something to offer customers – and partners – that their competitors do not.

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Partnerships

Avast looks to Barracuda strategic partnership as first step in collaborations with RMM vendors

February 4, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Avast looks to Barracuda strategic partnership as first step in collaborations with RMM vendors
Barracuda will also resell Avast’s anti-virus solutions to their MSPs, which is a major extension of Avast’s go-to-market, and one they are looking to replicate with other RMMs. They are also planning a major solution announcement around RSA a month from now.

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Printing and Imaging

Lexmark unveils new entry level mono printers for channel to expand addressable market

January 29, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Lexmark unveils new entry level mono printers for channel to expand addressable market
Lexmark channel chief Sammy Kinlaw sees the new entry level machines as a ‘game-changer’ for Lexmark in the SMB space.

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Backup

Datto marks strong growth in Canada with ribbon-cutting at new Markham offices

January 25, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Datto marks strong growth in Canada with ribbon-cutting at new Markham offices
New Datto CEO Tim Weller attended the event, and talked with ChannelBuzz about Datto’s plans in Canada, and other items of interest.

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Unified Communications

Canada continues to be strong market for Avaya as company transforms itself

January 22, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Canada continues to be strong market for Avaya as company transforms itself
Avaya’s Canadian country manager Dave Robertson provides an update on Avaya’s business and channel in Canada, including why they are confident that legacy Nortel customers will modernize with them and not with competitors.

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Managed Services

RocketCyber unveils free live threat map for Managed Service Providers as security platform launches

January 14, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on RocketCyber unveils free live threat map for Managed Service Providers as security platform launches
RocketCyber is recruiting SMB-focused MSPs with a cybersecurity platform that offers 15 separate services that can be offered to customers, with more being developed. The new threat map provides SOC-like identification of threats that impact each MSP’s specific customers.

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Security

SonicWall stresses continuity despite announcement of Steve Pataky leaving the company

January 9, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on SonicWall stresses continuity despite announcement of Steve Pataky leaving the company
Bob VanKirk becomes CRO, which will strengthen SonicWall’s push to become a more significant enterprise player, but the company is emphasizing this won’t impact their commitment to the SMB market and their partners who serve that space.

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Networking

Netgear bolsters commercial portfolio with new IPV6 switch family, AP point, router, and Wi-Fi satellite

January 8, 2019 Mark Cox Comments Off on Netgear bolsters commercial portfolio with new IPV6 switch family, AP point, router, and Wi-Fi satellite
Netgear is highlighting the Orbi Pro Mesh Wi-Fi Ceiling satellite, which has received a CES Innovation Award nomination, but the announcement includes multiple products for the channel SMB space.

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