Author: Nick Farrell

Red Hat gets new CEO

Posted on April 7, 2020 by - News

Red Hat announced that it has named Paul Cormier as president and chief executive officer of Red Hat, effective now. Cormier, who previously served as Red Hat’s president of Products and Technologies, succeeds Jim Whitehurst, who is now president of IBM.

Cormier is credited with pioneering the subscription model that transformed Red Hat from an open source “disruptor” to an enterprise technology company, moving Red Hat Linux from a freely downloadable operating system to Red Hat Enterprise Linux, the industry’s leading enterprise Linux platform that today powers more than 90 percent  of Fortune 500 organisations.

Cormier has driven more than 25 acquisitions at Red Hat, moving the company beyond its Linux roots and helped create a modern IT stack based on open source.  

Crossword Cybersecurity partners with Satisnet

Posted on April 7, 2020 by - News

Cyber risk company Crossword Cybersecurity announced that it will be collaborating with security reseller and managed security services provider Satisnet providing third party assurance technology to its clients, as part of the expansion of Crossword’s partner programme.

Satisnet will help its customers take control of third party risks through Crossword’s Rizikon Assurance third party risk management platform.  This will help them automate supplier onboarding and gain full visibility of third party risk exposure, so it can be proactively managed. 

Kaspersky signs distribution deal with Infinigate

Posted on April 6, 2020 by - News

Russian security outfit Kaspersky has announced a new partnership with distributor Infinigate, as part of a cunning plan to increase the value-added services it offers to service providers, resellers and users.

Kaspersky said it wants to offer customers a “complete journey” rather than simply flogging cybersecurity solutions.

The deal means Infinigate can offer a complete cybersecurity portfolio to its partners that encompasses an extensive range of technologies and services, with the distributor’s emphasis on providing value-added services making it an ideal fit, the vendor said.

Channel stocks hammered by homework demands

Posted on April 6, 2020 by - News

The channel is racing to find stock due to a sudden spike in home working products.

While these sales levels look good on the balance sheet they are not so good for channel inventory levels.

Context, which gets its numbers directly from distributors across Western Europe, has set up a Covid-19 weekly report tracking the performance of some key product lines.

Extreme Networks modifies reseller channel

Posted on April 6, 2020 by - News

Extreme Networks has made changes to its channel programme to support its reseller community in navigating coronavirus challenges.

The updates are designed to offer maximum flexibility for partners to maintain their status, earn rebates and retain their certifications. The programme has further expanded its virtual training offering, including free remote cloud technical certification training, and provides  financial deferment options so that resellers can focus first and foremost on the needs of their customers.

The changes include:

HP spruces up channel programme to find coronavirus

Posted on April 3, 2020 by - News

Maker of expensive printer ink, HP, has made changes to its programme to provide relief to partners impacted by the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

The vendor said it is implementing a predictable, flat-rate incentive programme, relaxing its compensation models and extending its deadlines for submission of proof of performance and reporting.

The big idea is to “arm” partners and help them overcome the operational and financial challenges caused by the outbreak.

SonicWall hires BAE bloke as EMEA channel boss

Posted on April 3, 2020 by - News

Security outfit SonicWall has appointed Spencer Starkey as the new EMEA Head of Distribution and Inside Channel Account Manager. Starkey will be responsible for educating distributors, partners and resellers on the value of SonicWall’s threat intelligence, security services and Capture Cloud platform for customers.

SonicWall VP, EMEA Sales Terry Greer-King said that the company was growing and Starkey will help accelerate channel sales and streamline partner efficiencies across the region. He has years of experience, and in-depth knowledge and expertise in sales and channel strategy which will help build and strengthen our long-term partner relationships.

CloudBolt appoints Patrick Malaperiman new EMEA VP sales

Posted on April 3, 2020 by - Moving People

Cloudy CloudBolt Software has appointed Patrick Malaperiman as the new Vice President of Sales for EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa). Based out of London, he will be responsible for helping CloudBolt grow its presence and scale its customer base across the EMEA region.

With nearly 30 percent of CloudBolt’s customer base outside the US, the strategic hire of Malaperiman comes on the heels of the company’s successful 2019. This includes the opening of new locations in London and Boston, 50 percent year-over-year growth in customer orders, and being named to the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 list.

Malaperiman brings an extensive background of over 25 years in the software industry, including 15 years leading international sales, sales engineering, and channel teams. Malaperiman most recently served as Senior Vice President of Sales, EMEA at NetBrain Technologies, and Vice President of International Sales at Cherwell Software. Prior to Cherwell, Malaperiman served in senior EMEA sales roles during two successful IPOs at ServiceNow and Twilio.

Softcat cancels dividend after COVID-19 warning

Posted on April 2, 2020 by - News

Softcat has cancelled its interim dividend to shareholders after the government’s COVID-19 warning.

The reseller said that, while trading has been as expected since it published its H1 results last month, it has scrapped the payment due to “changes in government guidance” related to COVID-19.

The dividend was expected to be paid in May.

Home working tech expected to grow

Posted on April 2, 2020 by - News

Global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research, says it is a good time to be in business if you are flogging home networking gear with smart home controls.

The company said that  a global emphasis on working from home combined with advice to minimise COVID-19 transmission from shared surfaces even within a home, will help “cement” the benefits of smart home voice control for millions of consumers

Last year, 141 million voice control smart home device shipped worldwide and, despite the key China market being impacted during the first quarter of 2020, the value of voice control during the pandemic will ensure that this year, voice control device shipments will grow globally by close to 30 percent over 2019.

Vortex 6 offers complimentary monitoring to V6 Fusion clients

Posted on April 2, 2020 by - News

Vortex 6 is offering its V6 Fusion clients a complimentary Monitoring Service which will run until 30 September 2020.

The Monitoring Service will support clients in the management and optimisation of their Cisco Partner Program Compliance and VIP Rebates. Staying on top of the Cisco programs and the rewards offered is even more important now and Vortex 6 is urging customers to remain diligent.

Arrow and Puppet partner on EMEA distribution

Posted on April 1, 2020 by - News

Arrow Electronics has announced a new distribution deal with infrastructure automation provider Puppet as part of a cunning plan to widen its channel across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Arrow said the move would create new opportunities for customers to mix leading vendor products with other enterprise automation systems.

Puppet’s Enterprise offering allows companies to deliver and manage almost any infrastructure at scale in a single platform with or without agents It enables the continuous enforcement of security and compliance policies, the firm says.

Lexmark expands its cloud to resellers

Posted on April 1, 2020 by - News

Printer vendor Lexmark has expanded its cloud print management (CPM) product to resellers

The company claims that for channel partners, the product will be a good starting point are existing customers who are already using cloud platforms such as Office 365 or Google Drive, as they are already comfortable discussing the migration of processes to the cloud.

COVID-19 sinks Xerox’s HP plans

Posted on April 1, 2020 by - News

Xerox has given up on its plan to take over HP citing the “global health crisis and resulting macroeconomic and market turmoil caused by COVID-19”.

The company said that all this has created an environment that is not conducive to Xerox continuing to pursue an acquisition of HP.

“We are withdrawing our tender offer to acquire HP and will no longer seek to nominate our slate of highly qualified candidates to HP’s Board of Directors. While it is disappointing to take this step, we are prioritising the health, safety and well-being of our employees, customers, partners and other stakeholders, and our broader response to the pandemic, over and above all other considerations”, the company said.

Sony shuts Welsh factory until April 20

Posted on March 31, 2020 by - News

Sony has closed a significant portion of its offices in Europe and the US, with many employees now working from home, while also shutting down its Welsh manufacturing plant.

The outfit has said that its supply chain has been severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic, including its music business and electronics products arm. Other areas, such as gaming and financial services, however, have not felt the effects of the economic disruption as heavily.