Category: News

Amazon ditches data fees as it flees new EU law

AWS has scrapped its data fees for customers who want to jump ship to a rival cloud service.

The EU’s Data Act forced the company to make the U-turn, which came into force in January and bans cloud providers from ripping off customers who want to switch.

Amazon’s announcement barely mentions the EU law, only saying that its move “follows the direction set by the European Data Act.”

Most AWS customers – the company says “over 90 per cent” – already get a free ride to move data to a competitor, as they get 100GB of free egress per month, and 1TB out of Amazon CloudFront.

Air IT snaps up SCS

Air IT has gobbled up another rival firm.

The Nottingham-based outfit has invested in SCS Technologies, a Lincoln-based company that provides IT support to small and medium-sized businesses.

This is the 12th takeover by Air-IT since 2020, following its swoop on Yorkshire’s Vital Technology Group last year.

Air-IT boss James Steventon said the deal will boost his firm’s services and profits.

He said SCS was a great team that knew their stuff and shared Air IT’s passion for delivering top-notch service and Microsoft products.

HP works with Nvidia to boost partner AI programme.

HP has given its partner programme a major makeover with new perks and tracks for its top sellers and a new AI training course co-designed with Nvidia.

The tech giant has launched Synergy and Power, two new tracks that will give partners access to more products and services.

Power track is for the big guns, who can earn the titles of Power Elite and Global Power Elite. These partners will be rewarded for making big bucks and having the best skills.

Cybersecurity market hits $8 billion as firms go digital

According to a new Dell’Oro Group report, the SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) market has boomed as more firms switch to online and remote work.

The report reveals that the SASE market smashed the $8 billion mark in 2023, growing by a whopping 31 per cent to $8.4 billion. For those not in the know, SASE is a cutting-edge technology that combines network and security services in the cloud, making it easier and safer for businesses to operate online.

Dell’Oro Group top expert Mauricio Sanchez said: “SASE is the future of cybersecurity, as it offers a complete and flexible solution for the digital age. The market growth shows that businesses trust SASE to protect them from hackers and cyber threats.”

Tillo snaps up gift card rival Jigsaw in £3.6 million deal

Tillo has written a cheque for Jigsaw Business Solutions, a firm that runs gift card schemes for big-name brands like ASOS, Costa and Hotels.com.

The move will shake up the rewards and incentives scene as Tillo aims to boost its growth and innovation with digital gift cards.

The deal is a game-changer for Tillo, as it marks a new phase of expanding its skills and services to stay ahead of the global gift card game. It teams up Tillo’s cutting-edge tech and customer focus with Jigsaw’s wealth of know-how in managing full-on gift card programmes, making Tillo’s offer even more attractive for current and future customers.

CrowdStrike snaps up security start-up and boosts revenue as shares soar

Cybersecurity behemoth CrowdStrike has splashed the cash on a new security start-up and ramped up its revenue forecast after smashing its quarterly earnings.

The company’s shares rocketed by 25 per cent, to £291.56 a pop, in late Tuesday trading as investors cheered the stellar results and upbeat guidance.

CrowdStrike also revealed it has bagged Flow Security, a cutting-edge Israeli firm launched in 2021. The price tag of the deal was kept under wraps.

Organisations drowning in cloud data deluge need the channel

Technology leaders need channel partners to help them manage the complexity and data explosion of their multi-cloud and cloud-native environments, a new survey has found.

Security outfit Dynatrace announced the findings of an independent global survey of 1,300 CTOs, CIOs, and other technology leaders in large organisations. This shows a growing need for channel partners to help their customers tackle the complexity of modern cloud technology stacks.

Organisations are continuing to embrace multi-cloud environments and cloud-native architectures to achieve the speed, scalability, and agility needed to keep up with the rapid pace of digital innovation.

Barracuda splashes cash on partners and distributors.

Cloudy security outfit Barracuda Networks has announced a massive boost to its global partner programme.

The Barracuda Success Programme, launched last December, aims to increase partner profits and skills by offering them more discounts, rebates, training and tools.

The company claims the programme has three main benefits for partners and distributors:

  • More money in their pockets. Barracuda offers new and improved compensation models, including generous discounts and rebates for top-tier partners and more opportunities to sell their products and services.
  • More customers in their books. Barracuda is helping partners and distributors grow their businesses by giving them better support and incentives to recruit and retain new customers and secure their networks.
  • More knowledge. Barracuda provides access to four new partner technical certification courses and more technical resources, such as the Barracuda Email Threat Scanner, which helps partners identify and stop email attacks.

The rise of Workspace 365’s Wesley de Graaf

Wesley de Graaf has landed a top job at Workspace 365 after starting with the company at one of the lowest runs of the ladder.

The Dutch company, which has 60 staff and a UK base in Manchester, offers a one-stop shop for online needs, from apps to documents.

De Graaf started as a technical support intern in 2014, but he soon climbed the ladder to become head of product, leading a team of 27 whizzkids.

Now he’s been promoted to chief product officer, taking charge of the whole team and the future of Workspace 365. It’s his first time in the c-suite.

HPE in hot water as networking sales plummet

HPE boss Antonio Neri has admitted that the tech giant is struggling as customers are slow to buy their networking gear.

He said the sales slump was worse than expected and warned that the problem would continue until 2024.

The confession came after HPE reported disappointing results for the year’s first quarter, with revenues down to $6.8 billion – well below the $7.07 billion analysts had predicted.

HPE shares dived four per cent to $14.65 after the news.

Danish IT giant snaps up UK Cisco partner

Danish IT powerhouse Conscia has splashed out on buying ITGL, a British digital transformation expert and Cisco Gold Partner, in a deal that could shake up the UK and Ireland market.

The move will give  ITGL’s customers access to top-notch cyber security and managed service solutions, Conscia said.

ITGL, which has offices in Portsmouth and Oxford, employs 70 staff who offer collaboration, networking, and cyber security skills to clients across the UK and Ireland.

Conscia said it will use ITGL’s strong presence in the public sector and its know-how in the finance, law, and retail sectors to boost its efforts to help clients with complex network, data centre, cloud, IoT, and mobility needs.

Dell sales plummet across the board

US grey tin box shifter Dell’s annual sales slumped to £69.8 billion, down 14 per cent from the previous year and £10.7 billion less than its £80.5 billion record in 2022.

The outfit’s top-selling infrastructure category dropped 12 per cent to £26.7 billion as global customers tightened their belts despite the hype around generative AI.

Dell’s senior vice president and treasurer, Tyler Johnson, moaned that the outfit was waiting for the big corporate, global, multinational business to return. They’re cautious because of the economy, politics and interest rates.

Dell’s servers and networking business fell 14 per cent to £13.9 billion in sales. Storage did slightly better, down nine per cent.

Dell COO Jeff Clarke said FY24 didn’t go as planned.

“But we did our best. We adapted to the changing market, focused on what we can control, and expanded into the high-growth AI opportunity. Our operating margin rate improved as we delivered higher gross margins with disciplined cost management.”

Dell and Nokia join forces to conquer the telecom world

Dell and Nokia have signed a pact which they claim will revolutionise the telecom ecosystem and private 5G for businesses.

The dynamic duo will share their expertise and solutions, including Dell’s infrastructure offerings and Nokia’s private wireless connectivity capabilities.

Grey box shifter Dell will become Nokia’s preferred infrastructure partner for its AirFrame servers, with the former rubber boot maker Nokia offering Dell technology as part of its telecom cloud deployments.

The companies have announced plans to gradually transition existing AirFrame customers to Dell’s infrastructure portfolio, which includes the tech firm’s PowerEdge servers for modern telecom network workloads.

Axeman goes wild at Ingram Micro

Ingram Micro is mercilessly cutting left, right, and centre jobs to save money.

The firm in sunny California is closing a warehouse in Missouri and sending 60 workers to the job centre. Insiders suggest more redundancies, including some of the bosses, are in the pipeline.

Ingram Micro has declined to confirm rumours that it is about to make another round of redundancies, including some of its middle managers. But confirmed it will close an advanced logistics facility this summer.

Lenovo recycles PCs to save polar bears

Lenovo is trying to flog old PCs to customers who want to save a few quid and the environment.

Using Lenovo Certified Refurbished, punters can get a second-hand PC that still works and doesn’t pollute the planet too much.

The company’s TruScale Device as a Service (DaaS) customers will also have more choices to mix and match their tech according to their needs and budget. Only Lenovo and its partners will offer the Lenovo stamp of approval.

Lenovo Global Sustainability Services head Claudia Contreras said going green is a big deal for businesses of all shapes and sizes.