Unified Communications
Improved ease of deployment highlights Avaya IP Office Contact Center 10
The changes will save partners hours in deployment time, and by reducing time to value, should also please customers.
VMware
Channel Programs
Dell vet Tara Fine sees more impact in new role as VMware Canada channel chief
Fine also acknowledged some VMware partner concern over the company’s new relationship with Dell, which does much more of its business direct than VMware has historically, and indicated her commitment to standing behind the partner community.
Security
New Dell EMC data protection bundle tip of spear for more integrated solutions
Dell EMC has announced a new data protection bundle which at this point is basically an unintegrated sales bundle with multiple consoles. They are already working on plans to change that however, and bring more technically integrated solutions cutting across multiple brands to market.
Data Centre
Nutanix to lose out as expanded Dell EMC VxRail appliance line targets VMware users?
Dell EMC has announced upgrades to its hyper-converged VxRail and VxRack offerings, with hardware improvement stemming both from Intel Broadwell processors and optimization with PowerEdge servers. Many more configurations will be available, including a 3 node VxRail offering that drops the entry price by a quarter.
Channel Programs
Demand compels container management vendor Rancher to create partner program
The two year-old startup has created a partner program faster than planned, because of requests from channel members driven in turn by requests from their customers.
Computers
Dell Technologies pledges to lead next industrial revolution as new company gets underway
Dell promises massive innovation and change in technology, while pledging minimal disruptive changes to the old Dell and EMC product lines.
Data Centre
Independent but accelerated: Gelsinger, Dell discuss post-merger place for VMware
Michael Dell and Pat Gelsinger weigh in on the benefits of VMware as part of the post-merger Dell family, stress ecossytem scale and downplay conflicts.
Channel Programs
VMware sees momentum from deal reg, incentives changes
VMware says partners are more engaged, selling more and more often after changes to deal registration and a shift on partner incentives.
Mobility
VMware debuts AirWatch for SMB
VMware’s new AirWatch Express aims to make its enterprise mobility management more accessible to the long tail of SMB and the partners that serve them.
Partnerships
Next-gen VDI vendor Workspot sees new HPE partnership as match made in heaven
Workspot makes a native cloud-based VDI solution which is simple to install and use. Hyper-converged vendors are one of their routes to market, and this new agreement makes available a reference configuration for Workspot VDI on the HPE HyperConverged 380.
Mobility
PowWow looks to revolutionize mobile applications with new platform, CEO, channel focus
PowWow’s platform for turning legacy apps into native Mobile ones with relative ease has just been upgraded, and the company is looking to increase its channel business through a select partner channel.
Big Data
New Dell Validated System for SAP HANA Edge to bring HANA to SMBs
Other Dell SAP-related initiatives announced at SAPPHIRE NOW included ones around the Internet of Things, cloud blueprints to optimize SAP environments, and a new optimized architecture for SAP Foundation for Health.
Cloud
New Neutrino Nodes give VCE VxRack System 1000 Cloud Native capacity
The new nodes equip VxRack to support OpenStack, and by next year, will support Hadoop and the VMware Photon Platform as well. They also have the effect of being able to turn Pivotal Cloud Foundry into an end-to-end solution for developers.
Computers
Dell, EMC provide update on integration process
Many details still have not yet been determined, or cannot be made public, but at EMC World, Dell and EMC indicated some additional information about what the massive new organization would look like, and be called, once the merger is complete.
Cloud
Dell cloud strategy to be enhanced significantly when EMC comes aboard
Dell sees the imminent acquisition of EMC as significantly driving its cloud strategy, building on an advantage the company already claims as an early mover in the hybrid cloud, and bringing strong benefits to partners with a stake in the hybrid cloud.
Cloud
Customers still in early stages in digital business transformation: EMC-VMware study
A new report from EMC and VMware has data on enterprise digital transformation that, except in virtualization, shows customers are far, far short of where they want to be. The sunny side of the story is that many are taking moves to get there.
Cloud
VMware aims for thought leadership with new releases
The new VMware Workspace ONE suite, and enhanced VMware Horizon VDI and Horizon Air solutions and VMware vRealize Suite 7 cloud management suite offer channel partners enhanced opportunities and the ability to gain deeper relationships with customers.
Software
EMC-VMware VxRail appliance upgrades VSPEX Blue in VCE hyper-converged lineup
VxRail has the same concept as last year’s unsuccessful EMC first foray into hyperconverged, but is designed to be much more flexible and modular, and benefits greatly from an improved software stack. It will also be available through all EMC partners, not just ones certified on VCE.
Data Centre
Nutanix looks to move beyond hyperconverged with new software release
Nutanix’s 4.6 software release enables key features to its platform announced last summer, as part of their longer-run strategy to be an Amazon-like infrastructure for the enterprise cloud.
Software
AppSense looks to drive more business with revitalized Citrix
The Windows-focused virtualization management optimization vendor provides a detailed update, including their relationship with Citrix and other co-opetitors, their channel policies, and where they see their market going.