SMB

Networking

ZyXEL expands 10 GB SMB switch lineup

March 2, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on ZyXEL expands 10 GB SMB switch lineup
In addition to expanding its 10 GB roster, ZyXel also indicated they are planning a major push into the Canadian SMB market in the near future.

Cloud

Connected Data unveils smaller Transporter private business cloud devices

February 25, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Connected Data unveils smaller Transporter private business cloud devices
The company rolls out smaller and less expensive appliance alternatives to Dropbox, and emphasizes that it relies on partners to show SMBs that their upfront cost is cheaper over time.

Data Centre

Scale Computing enhances hyperconverged platform interface for SMBs in 6.0 release

February 24, 2015 Mark Cox 1
Scale is placing its bet on the SMB space, and the latest changes to its platform bring more of the simplicity that market wants.

Cloud

Amazon, IBM, Microsoft top Canadian cloud provider market

February 23, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Amazon, IBM, Microsoft top Canadian cloud provider market
IBM and Microsoft enter the Leaders category in cloud in Canada for the first time, while eight companies classified as Major Players are closely grouped.

Managed Services

MSP Unified Office adds analytics to managed hybrid cloud

January 28, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on MSP Unified Office adds analytics to managed hybrid cloud
A year out of the gate, Unified Office is going after the 10-100 space with a high-quality VoIP offering sold through channel partners, and has now added an optional analytics suite.

Mobility

Danish authenticator vendor SMS PASSCODE expands in North America

January 21, 2015 Mark Cox Comments Off on Danish authenticator vendor SMS PASSCODE expands in North America
The Danish multi-factor authentication vendor, which sells only through the channel, expanded into the U.S. last year, and is eyeing Canada for this year.

Networking

Cisco targets SMB, lower midmarket for collaboration with Cisco Business Edition 6000S

November 18, 2014 Mark Cox Comments Off on Cisco targets SMB, lower midmarket for collaboration with Cisco Business Edition 6000S
The BE6000S supports four virtual machines, is targeted at 25-150 user organizations, and costs 22 per cent less than the BE6000, which has the same software, at the lowest configuration.

Small Business

Fourth gen HP MSA Storage adds data tiering, SSD read caching

November 18, 2014 Mark Cox Comments Off on Fourth gen HP MSA Storage adds data tiering, SSD read caching
The enhanced horsepower in the Gen 4 MSA facilitates needed upgrades like Archive Tiering and Performance Tier options, a new SSD Read Cache feature to better utilize flash, and thin provisioning.

Mobility

Canadian SMBs bullish on economy, mobility

November 17, 2014 Mark Cox Comments Off on Canadian SMBs bullish on economy, mobility
An annual study from Sage finds Canadian SMBs are more bullish about the economy, and about how mobility can help their businesses, even though that comes at a cost of being contacted outside of traditional working hours.

Virtualization

ViewSonic, Userful roll out first joint VDI product for low-cost markets

November 10, 2014 Mark Cox Comments Off on ViewSonic, Userful roll out first joint VDI product for low-cost markets
ViewSonic and Calgary-based Userful announced last month that they would bundle Userful’s software and ViewSonic’s hardware into a VDI bundle, and now the first solution from this partnership has been announced.