Author: Nick Farrell

Microsoft security is a leaky lifeboat

Posted on October 13, 2022 by - News

CrowdStrike CEO appears to have got Microsoft all cross when he dubbed its security approach a “leaky lifeboat”.

George Kurtz told the gathered throngs at XChange Best of Breed conference in Atlanta attributed a majority of cyberbreaches to Microsoft products, compared the software behemoth’s total security offerings to a “leaky lifeboat” and its authentication architecture “a mess”.

“The Microsoft environment is the only environment that I know of that you can take a password and just reuse it. Right? And it’s a huge architectural issue. That was in 1999. You can do that today. … You can take those passwords out of memory and basically just do the same technique in 2022. And it’s even worse now because there‘s a hodgepodge of syncing and you know that you have SAML tickets and golden SAML tickets. I mean, it’s a real mess.”

Taxman wants to update his applications

Posted on October 13, 2022 by - News

The Crown Commercial Services (CCS) has published the contract notice for the Digital and Legacy Application Services (DALAS) framework to update the aged legacy applications used by the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

The contract’s value might reach £4.2 billion over four years.

The DALAS framework is to provide HMRC with a strategic gateway to support the delivery of future application services and to move it toward an application services support model that is less dependent upon legacy technologies.

The framework will provide a commercial vehicle to replace current contractual agreements that are set to expire between September 2023 and January 2025.

The framework will be accessible to Central Government departments and all other UK public sector bodies, including Local Authorities, Police, Fire and Rescue, Health, Education and Devolved Administrations.

IBM leans more on partners

Posted on October 12, 2022 by - News

A not so mobile X86 PCBiggish Blue does not have nearly as many direct clients and leans heavily on its channel these days, according to CEO Arvind Krishna.

Krishna told the gathered throngs at the Channel Company’s 2022 Xchange Best of Breed (BoB) conference  that the number of clients IBM serves directly has fallen from around 5,000 to 400 in two years.

IBM is growing above the four percent standard market growth rate (with Q1 and Q2 2022 revenues growing eight and nine percent, respectively), with the bulk coming from “the long tail”.

PC sales look a little sick

Posted on October 12, 2022 by - News

Beancounters at IDC say that PC sales have continued to slide with total global shipments shrank 15 percent to 74.3 million units.

IDC blamed the contraction on “cooling demand and uneven supply”, but stressed that shipment volumes remain “well above pre-pandemic levels”.

Market leader Lenovo’s share fell slightly from 23.1 to 22.7 percent as its shipments sagged from 20.1 million to 16.9 million.

HP and Dell, meanwhile, lost more than three and four percentage points of marketshare, respectively, as their shipments hit 12.7 million and 12 million.

Only the fruity cargo cult Apple saw its numbers rise 7.2 million to 10.1 million but it was a long way behind he main players. ASUS rounded out the top five with 5.5 million shipments.

IDC’s Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers research manager Jitesh Ubrani said consumer demand remained muted though promotional activity helped soften the fall and reduce channel inventory by a couple of weeks across the board.

 

Academia scores higher revenues

Posted on October 12, 2022 by - News

Academia has reported revenues of £114 million for its fiscal 2022, which was 34 percent higher than last year.

The company reported it added 40 new staff to the business, bringing its total to 180, to support the delivery of its growing service portfolio from its new headquarters in Hemel Hempstead.

Academia chief commercial officer Mark McCormack said: “Our growth in the last year has been fuelled by customers who need a trusted partner who ensures they have the best technology and support in place for their day-to-day operations.

Tech Data needs some more partners for Hitachi Vantara project

Posted on October 11, 2022 by - News

Tech Data wants more partners to take Hitachi Vantara’s EverFlex offering to market.

After completing what is thought to be the first deal for the hybrid cloud solution in Europe, Tech Data says it has another one in the pipeline and as the word spreads, more opportunities are expected to emerge.

Launched earlier this year, EverFlex is a portfolio of hybrid cloud offerings, with consumption-based pricing, that automates and simplifies management of IT resources.

Arrow aims high with Sophos distribution.

Posted on October 11, 2022 by - News

Global technology provider Arrow has expanded its activity with Sophos, a global leader in next-generation cybersecurity, across Europe.

Channel partners and managed service providers in the U.K., France and Austria can now access Sophos’ products and services via Arrow‘s cloud delivery and management platform, ArrowSphere.

Arrow has added a suite of API-ready products from Sophos’ business portfolio to ArrowSphere, giving the channel access to a powerful choice of cybersecurity tools that can be easily rolled out across customers. Channel partners can also manage Sophos products in the cloud-native Sophos Central platform, to navigate quickly between products and across multiple customers, or via Sophos MDR – a dedicated 24/7 threat hunting, detection, investigation, and response service.

ExtraHop partners with Axians

Posted on October 11, 2022 by - News

Cloud-native network intelligence outfit, ExtraHop announced today that security and solutions provider Axians is using ExtraHop for its core security product.

Dubbed the Circle of Visibility the security package helps organisations detect, investigate, and ultimately stop advanced attacks before they can do significant damage.

Boels Rental is an early adopter and its IT manager David Maes said that it was dealing with large and evolving attack surfaces, constant threats from cybercriminals, and regulation requirements.

11:11 Systems close to getting its paws on Sungard AS recovery services

Posted on October 10, 2022 by - News

11:11 Systems says it has entered into an asset purchase agreement to acquire the recovery services business from Sungard AS , claiming the parties anticipate receiving bankruptcy court approval of the sale by mid-October.

The transaction is expected to close later this Autumn alongside the managed infrastructure solution provider’s simultaneous acquisition of Sungard AS cloud and managed services business.

Once these deals are complete, it says the combined resources, experience, talent, solution offerings and customer and partner ecosystems will be brought together to “establish an in-depth, comprehensive and global cyber resiliency and disaster recovery practice”.

Allurity buys Danish CSIS

Posted on October 10, 2022 by - News

Allurity has acquired Danish service provider CSIS Security Group as part of its cunning plan to become Europe’s preferred provider of tech-enabled cybersecurity services.

Founded in 2003, CSIS supports some of the most recognised brands in multiple industries throughout the Nordics, the UK, and the US.

The purchase gives Allurity’s coverage in Northern Europe and furthers its ambition of becoming Europe’s preferred cybersecurity provider.

Allurity’s acquisition will accelerate and strengthen CSIS’s strategy execution across its key lines of business: Managed Detection & Response, Cyber Threat Intelligence, Brand Protection, Emergency Response and Consultancy Services.

Edison snaps up Alfa Energy

Posted on October 10, 2022 by - News

Edison Energy is to acquire the international energy and sustainability consultancy Alfa Energy.

The big idea is that the pair will help the world’s largest and middle-market corporate, industrial and institutional clients set and meet robust sustainability commitments and navigate the choices and opportunities as they head to net-zero future.

UK-based Alfa Energy has worked with some of the world’s largest organsations to procure and manage their energy as they seek ways to meet their energy, sustainability, and technology needs.

Agilico takes over Capital Document Solutions

Posted on October 7, 2022 by - News

UK’s independent managed print services business Agilico has closed the sale of Edinburgh-based Capital Document Solutions.

The deal means that the outfit will increase its machines in field to over 40,000 and expand its customer base to over 13,000.

The deal comes just five months after the death of Capital Document Solutions MD Tom Flockhart – who founded the company in 1979.

Agilico’s last filed annual accounts, covering the year to 31 March 2021, showed flat revenues of £41.6 million and 30,000 machines in field.

BT expands global e-waste programme

Posted on October 7, 2022 by - News

BT has expanded its global e-waste programme for business customers by teaming up with networking giant Cisco to offer a new circular economy service.

Companies upgrading their network and IT infrastructure to support new multi-cloud deployments will be provided with a takeback service that will see BT environmental specialists map their sustainability requirements.

Replaced or decommissioned electronic equipment from a customer’s network will be shipped back to Cisco to be responsibility reused or recycled through its takeback and reuse programme. Up to 99.9% of what is returned will be reused or recycled, BT said.

British companies gloomy about profit outlook

Posted on October 7, 2022 by - News

British companies are the most downbeat about the outlook for their profits since late 2020.

According to figures from the British Chambers of Commerce’s (BCC) quarterly survey, this is due to widespread plans to raise prices adding to signs of gloom about the economy.

Only one in three businesses are confident their profits will increase in the coming year, while 39 percent expect a decline.

The Americans are coming

Posted on October 6, 2022 by - News

The dark satanic rumour mill has unconfirmed reports of American channel names bringing their large chequebooks across the pond, hoping to take advantage of the UK’s weak pound.

For those not in the know, the pound has been dropping against the dollar like a team of free-falling elephants, thanks to the government’s oven-ready financial plan.  While this might make some resellers want to throw themselves off the top of a high building, one reseller told Channeleye that it was attracting deep-pocketed buyers from across the pond.

One CTO expected that more British companies would fall into US hands over the coming months. The fall in the pound provided an excellent way for American companies to get a foothold in the market and purchase a strong business.