News

News

• June 27, 2016 27 Jun'16

  AWS security construct still hampers RDS

  Cross-region replication is now available for all RDS engines, but an AWS security construct in KMS means the service still has backup limitations for some users.

• June 27, 2016 27 Jun'16

  RingCentral leans on Google to up UCaaS value

  RingCentral has integrated its UCaaS products with Google Apps Unlimited, adding features that could appeal to larger companies.

• June 24, 2016 24 Jun'16

  Big data market: MapR formalizes Converge Partner program

  MapR Technologies is looking to build partnerships around its Converged Data Platform technology; more IT channel news from the week.

• June 24, 2016 24 Jun'16

  Datera execs say storage must be 'easy to consume'

  Startup Datera enlists the former Pure vice president to spur the growth of its Amazon Elastic Block Storage-like system geared for use with OpenStack, containers and DevOps.

• June 24, 2016 24 Jun'16

  Nation-state cyberattacks put focus on identity security

  At the 2016 Cloud Identity Summit, security experts discussed how fears of nation-state attackers and APT groups are spurring a renewed focus on identity and access management.

• June 24, 2016 24 Jun'16

  Software sale 'clears the deck' for Dell

  Handing off most of its software business to private equity firms is one more step toward Dell's mega-purchase of EMC, and it gives users both clarity and concerns.

• June 24, 2016 24 Jun'16

  Human intelligence may be the key to cyber attribution

  Experts said human intelligence was the key to the cyber attribution effort for the Democratic National Committee attack, which confirmed Russian agents were to blame.

• June 24, 2016 24 Jun'16

  HPE, WD's VSAN flash node targets SQL Server storage

  Western Digital is bringing out flash storage products based on SanDisk technology. It partnered with HPE and VMware on a VSAN-based node, adding Flash Virtualization System.

• June 23, 2016 23 Jun'16

  Dell channel chief: As EMC buyout approaches, momentum builds

  As the future of Dell Technologies' business takes shape, Cheryl Cook reported that Dell's channel initiatives and share-gain aspirations are gaining momentum.

• June 23, 2016 23 Jun'16

  IT security alert for MSPs: Beware of stupid

  MSP companies must keep an eye on the role of human error and mistakes -- as well as targeted attacks -- as they formulate their security strategies.

• June 23, 2016 23 Jun'16

  Apstra's network OS troubleshoots multivendor devices

  Startup Apstra has launched a distributed network operating system that manages an IP fabric in a multivendor network.

• June 23, 2016 23 Jun'16

  Dell divests software business to free up funds for EMC deal

  It has been less than three months since Dell sold off its services arm. Now its software business is being offloaded. We look at the implications.

• June 22, 2016 22 Jun'16

  Automation Nation: MSP tools focus on ease of use, integration, cloud

  LabTech and ConnectWise set forth a product strategy that places an emphasis on ease of use and tighter integration of MSP tools, such as RMM software.

• June 22, 2016 22 Jun'16

  Samsung looks to mobile and Joyent looks to scale in deal

  Samsung seeks to beef up its mobile apps with cloud provider Joyent, which can now refocus and scale up its standing in the cloud services market -- but the impact to customers is unclear.

• June 22, 2016 22 Jun'16

  HDS adds new converged, hyper-converged products

  Hitachi Data Systems expanded its Unified Compute Platform with a new hyper-converged system and an updated converged model to address midmarket, departmental and ROBO environments.

• June 22, 2016 22 Jun'16

  After a year, Nutanix hypervisor has 15% adoption rate

  Nutanix customers like the idea of the Acropolis Hypervisor, but only 15% have switched. Some are waiting for broader support from third-party products.

• June 21, 2016 21 Jun'16

  Datto partners see new backup and disaster recovery offerings

  Datto partners will see a refreshed backup and disaster recovery product line from the vendor, which has updated its flagship SIRIS offering and added an all-flash BDR appliance.

• June 21, 2016 21 Jun'16

  Acer breach exposes customer data -- for almost a year

  Computer maker Acer was hit by a customer data breach of its ecommerce website, leaving approximately 34,500 customers' contact and payment information exposed for about a year.

• June 21, 2016 21 Jun'16

  Pica8 OS ups throughput support to 25/50/100 GbE

  Pica8 introduces open switching OS for 25/50/100 GbE. The use of higher throughput switching is growing in mega data centers.

• June 21, 2016 21 Jun'16

  Microsoft streaming video services boosted by LinkedIn deal

  The LinkedIn acquisition should help Microsoft's analytics and streaming video initiatives, according to industry experts. But questions remain over the privacy of LinkedIn users.

• June 21, 2016 21 Jun'16

  Tegile Systems, Pure Storage add flash upgrade programs

  Tegile Systems and Pure Storage are pushing more cost-effective flash upgrade programs that are customized for the IT utility model for all-flash arrays.

• June 21, 2016 21 Jun'16

  Nutanix aims for enterprise cloud .NEXT

  At its .NEXT user conference in Las Vegas, hyper-convergence leader Nutanix adds storage for bare metal databases and persistent storage for containers.

• June 21, 2016 21 Jun'16

  Docker users make case for bare metal vs. VMs

  Enterprise IT pros debate the best way to deploy containers on virtual machines or bare metal, while Docker itself stays neutral.

• June 20, 2016 20 Jun'16

  Docker adds container orchestration, fuels debate

  Adding container orchestration to the latest version of Docker Engine fuels debate about what enterprise IT shops want from the still-nascent technology -- and from whom.

• June 20, 2016 20 Jun'16

  CIA chief says foreign encryption is 'theoretical'

  The director of the CIA denied that a government mandated encryption backdoor would have an effect on US business but experts said the statement ignores the global market.

• June 17, 2016 17 Jun'16

  Microsoft-LinkedIn deal bodes well for channel partners

  Microsoft's buyout of LinkedIn signals more opportunities for IT service providers; meanwhile, Xerox continues its split into two companies; more channel news from the week.

• June 17, 2016 17 Jun'16

  Pivot3 mixes hyper-converged vStac with NexGen flash

  Pivot 3's hyper-converged platform expanded with the vStac SLX targeted at VMware environments. The new system incorporates NexGen Storage PCIe flash and quality of service.

• June 15, 2016 15 Jun'16

  Cisco channel partners see multiple uses for vendor's analytics tool

  Channel companies cited application dependency mapping and IT security among the top applications for a new data center analytics tool from Cisco.

• June 15, 2016 15 Jun'16

  VMware buyout could deliver 'eye of the tiger' for SDDC

  Seeing the physical and virtual layers across the data center has been a herculean task that one company has spent the last two years tackling -- and now, it will be part of VMware.

• June 15, 2016 15 Jun'16

  SAP patches Java vulnerability reported in 2010

  SAP vulnerability patched, finally: the Java flaw was originally patched in 2010 but became the subject of an unprecedented US-CERT alert in May.

• June 14, 2016 14 Jun'16

  Menlo Security taps distributor to extend channel reach

  Menlo Security, a startup cybersecurity vendor, has inked a partnership with Cloud Harmonics, a distributor of cloud and security technologies.

• June 10, 2016 10 Jun'16

  BitTitan investing in MSPComplete platform

  Cloud service enablement provider BitTitan said it will aggressively develop its MSPComplete platform and bolster its international sales team; more IT channel news from the week.

• June 10, 2016 10 Jun'16

  Ready or not, here comes enterprise IoT

  Enterprise IoT is set to become a reality, but amid the success stories at LiveWorx 2016, proof emerged that not everyone is there yet.

• June 09, 2016 09 Jun'16

  TeamViewer security questioned

  A rash of TeamViewer hacks has led to confusion concerning what the issues are and who is responsible for user security in this case.

• June 09, 2016 09 Jun'16

  Petraeus criticizes FBI "going dark," Edward Snowden leaks

  Speaking at the Cloud Identity Summit, Gen. David H. Petraeus blasted the FBI's recent efforts to compel Apple to break the company's own encryption protection.

• June 08, 2016 08 Jun'16

  Data Dynamics automates file replication

  Data Dynamics has released the latest version of its StorageX platform with a data protection module and DR capabilities that bring the software beyond file management.

• June 08, 2016 08 Jun'16

  Angler exploit kit seen bypassing Microsoft EMET

  FireEye researchers spotted the Angler exploit kit bypassing the current Microsoft EMET version 5.5 security tool running on Windows 7 to subvert Flash and Silverlight.

• June 03, 2016 03 Jun'16

  Tech acquisitions: June kicks off with M&A frenzy

  SolarWinds, ServiceNow, Salesforce, Vista Capital Partners and eFolder bolstered their offerings in an M&A rush; other IT channel news from the week.

• June 03, 2016 03 Jun'16

  Private equity group may outbid Mitel's $1.96 billion for Polycom

  Tech buyers face benefits and drawbacks if a New York-based private equity group outbids Mitel for the video conferencing company Polycom.

• June 03, 2016 03 Jun'16

  Going lower could take VMware NSX higher

  VMware looks to finally establish a foothold in corporate accounts with two low-end versions of NSX. But will the enterprise take the bait?

• June 02, 2016 02 Jun'16

  SolarWinds buys LOGICnow to create MSP solutions powerhouse

  IT management solution provider SolarWinds grabs a big chunk of the MSP market with the acquisition of Scottish ITSM player LOGICnow.

• June 02, 2016 02 Jun'16

  Salesforce buys e-commerce software company Demandware

  Demandware's technology opens a new avenue for Salesforce, yet leaves gap in back-office capabilities.

• June 02, 2016 02 Jun'16

  IBM adds compute software to IBM Spectrum Storage line

  The new Spectrum Computing platform highlights IBM's strategy to bring together compute and storage management for file and object scale-out environments.

• June 02, 2016 02 Jun'16

  NetApp's SolidFire adds new Element OS, flash array

  In its first product launch since becoming part of NetApp, SolidFire adds a new all-flash appliance, upgrades its Element OS and adds a software-only pricing model around Element X.

• June 02, 2016 02 Jun'16

  Arista completes revamp of leaf-spine architecture

  Arista's latest leaf switch adds the missing piece of a leaf-and-spine architecture suitable for IP storage, edge routing, general computing and digital media.

• June 01, 2016 01 Jun'16

  Kaminario CEO: Storage market about all-flash now

  Kaminario was among the all-flash pioneers, and now it finds itself battling against storage giants who have pushed aggressively into selling arrays without hard disk drives.

• May 31, 2016 31 May'16

  $1.79B sale of marketing automation vendor Marketo could help channel

  The pending sale of Marketo to a private equity firm, the latest in a series of marketing automation deals, could generate more services business for partners.

• May 31, 2016 31 May'16

  What AWS lacks in API, DevOps functionality

  Cloud customers seek better connectivity between services and components. One cloud consultant discusses how businesses approach an AWS deployment project for hybrid cloud.

• May 27, 2016 27 May'16

  LightCyber pursues interoperability, publishes APIs

  LightCyber said its push toward interoperability with a broad ecosystem of security technologies will benefit partners; more IT channel news from the week.

• May 27, 2016 27 May'16

  Analysts: HPE service spin off will have minimal channel impact

  HPE will shed its Enterprise Services division, but the move is expected to have little effect on the vendor's channel partners.

• May 27, 2016 27 May'16

  DevOps security tools boom indicates market growth

  A plethora of new security tools aimed at DevOps shops suggests IT pros are getting their sea legs with DevOps and security in 2016.

• May 27, 2016 27 May'16

  Rare memory deduplication and Rowhammer attacks combined

  Researchers demonstrated an exploit that combines rare attacks on memory deduplication and Rowhammer in order to allow an adversary access to read or write system memory.

• May 27, 2016 27 May'16

  Zerto adds Azure support for Virtual Manager

  Zerto's cloud-based Virtual Manager hypervisor replication tool copies applications and data to the public cloud and does failback for disaster recovery.

• May 27, 2016 27 May'16

  What the UC buyer can expect from the Mitel-Polycom deal

  The UC buyer could see new products and services emerge after Mitel's Polycom acquisition. Analysts envision cloud video services and mobile UC offerings.

• May 26, 2016 26 May'16

  AVG Business executes distribution strategy

  AVG Business has put its distribution strategy into motion, creating alliances with broad-line and niche technology distributors.

• May 26, 2016 26 May'16

  Juniper takes Unite fabric to small, midsize enterprises

  Juniper Networks has introduced a couple of access switches that bring the company's Unite network fabric to small and midsize enterprises.

• May 25, 2016 25 May'16

  Is IT really buying into workspace suites?

  Workspace delivery and management suites have started cropping up, but IT customers don't see the benefits of locking into one vendor for their entire desktop and app delivery just yet.

• May 25, 2016 25 May'16

  XenDesktop 7.9 boosts efficiency, adds Microsoft integrations

  Microsoft is finally letting up on its desktop as a service rules. Plus, Citrix XenDesktop and XenApp 7.9 come with new features around desktop image management, Microsoft integrations and more.

• May 24, 2016 24 May'16

  Channel partner programs: Quiz yourself on new developments

  This installment of the channel news quiz covers developments in partner programs, recent conferences, data center technology and robotic process automation.

• May 24, 2016 24 May'16

  Experts question Android N security updates

  Google unveiled the next version of its mobile OS, and Android N security will be improved in a few ways, although Google still can't fix OS updates.

• May 24, 2016 24 May'16

  Panasonic releases phone system with embedded UC

  Panasonic released a beefed-up desk phone that includes messaging and video conferencing, indicating the vendor is preparing for SMBs to adopt more UC features over the next few years.

• May 24, 2016 24 May'16

  Cisco Meraki switches, APs aimed at larger enterprises

  Cisco has introduced a cloud-based multigigabit switch that's the first of its kind in the market. Other additions to the Meraki wireless portfolio include APs and a desk phone.

• May 24, 2016 24 May'16

  Permabit aims dedupe at Linux storage hybrid clouds

  Permabit optimizes backup and chases enterprises that are building Linux storage clouds with its latest Virtual Data Optimizer deduplication software release.

• May 23, 2016 23 May'16

  Citrix XenMobile 10.3.5 rides the MAM-only wave

  Standalone mobile app management gives IT advantages around app wrapping, app-level encryption and controlling content of employees' devices not enrolled in MDM. Plus, it gives users more privacy.

• May 23, 2016 23 May'16

  Violin's CEO DeNuccio dishes on turnaround plan

  CEO Kevin DeNuccio said sales of the Violin Memory FSP are on pace to generate 25%-35% year-on-year revenue growth in 2016. Violin is pinning its hopes on FSP after failing to find a buyer.

• May 23, 2016 23 May'16

  Out with the old: IBM grabs axe and resumes 'rebalancing' act

  Big Blue quietly lays off more employees as it attempts to physically drag itself into the 21st century.

• May 20, 2016 20 May'16

  StrataCloud helps VARs with converged infrastructure installation

  StrataCloud launched SDI Install for VARs to speed up deployment processes for converged infrastructure technology; more IT channel news from the week.

• May 20, 2016 20 May'16

  Cisco switching sales down in mixed earnings report

  Cisco sales last quarter revealed weakness in its switching and router business, as revenue from software subscriptions and cloud-based services increased.

• May 19, 2016 19 May'16

  An inside look at IoT World's themes

  At IoT World, it was a flurry of Internet of Things' potential and platforms paired with an overwhelming sense of confusion and questions with few answers.

• May 19, 2016 19 May'16

  IBM promotes new TLC phase-change technology

  IBM Research claims memory milestone with new three-bits-per-cell phase-change technology, seeks to collaborate with memory maker to bring TLC PCM to market for servers, storage.

• May 19, 2016 19 May'16

  Responsible disclosure for ImageMagick flaw

  The ImageTragick bug raises questions over responsible disclosure, as the flaw in the ImageMagick image-processing library exposes millions of websites to remote code execution.

• May 19, 2016 19 May'16

  Dell launches new SC operating system featuring dedupe

  Dell launches operating system update for SC Series (formerly Compellent) storage arrays featuring dedupe, QoS, Live Migrate, VVOLs support and new management capabilities.

• May 19, 2016 19 May'16

  AppSense DataNow automates Windows 10 migrations

  Companies conducting a large Windows 10 migration could use a tool that automates much of the heavy lifting when transferring users' content.

• May 19, 2016 19 May'16

  Panzura CEO Harr: Now is time for cloud storage

  Nirvanix founder and new Panzura CEO Harr says his company is in the sweet spot for expanding the use of cloud storage and seeks to double business over the next year.

• May 18, 2016 18 May'16

  Android clickjacking attack danger hard to judge

  New research claims more than 95% of Android devices are vulnerable to clickjacking attacks, but the true danger may not be that severe.

• May 18, 2016 18 May'16

  Adding communications to customer-facing apps fuels CPaaS

  The CPaaS market is expected to boom over the next four years, with more businesses looking for communications capabilities inside the apps their customers use.

• May 18, 2016 18 May'16

  Cisco updates its CCNA certification requirements

  Cisco announces a CCNA update for routing and switching designed to embrace virtualization and SDN in training and testing.

• May 17, 2016 17 May'16

  Symantec vulnerability is as bad as it gets

  Google Project Zero disclosed a Symantec vulnerability that can be exploited with zero interaction and was described being as bad as it can possibly get.

• May 17, 2016 17 May'16

  Tintri arrays receive 3D NAND, capacity jolt

  Tintri storage upgrade includes VM Scale-out software to manage pooled storage on clustered VMstore arrays. Customers can opt in for SaaS-based Tintri Analytics.

• May 16, 2016 16 May'16

  Lenovo's data center strategy: Channel implications

  Lenovo, perhaps best known as a PC and smartphone company, is embarking on a data center strategy, which could open channel opportunities.

• May 16, 2016 16 May'16

  Is serverless computing the next step in public cloud?

  Serverless computing is all the rage with cloud providers, and tools such as AWS Lambda may change the way resources are utilized -- though it's still early days.

• May 13, 2016 13 May'16

  SD-WAN market: Silver Peak reports a milestone

  SD-WAN and hybrid WAN vendor Silver Peak said it has made strides in its initiative to capture the young SD-WAN market; more IT channel news from the week.

• May 13, 2016 13 May'16

  FBI asked to responsibly disclose Tor vulnerability

  A court filing is asking the FBI for responsible disclosure of the Tor vulnerability used to exploit the Tor browser and de-anonymize users during a criminal investigation.

• May 13, 2016 13 May'16

  Analysts want S/4HANA details at Sapphire Now

  Industry analysts expect to get detailed information about the viability of the S/4HANA platform and SAP's cloud strategies at the Sapphire Now user conference.

• May 13, 2016 13 May'16

  Bevy of built-in SQL Server 2016 features to come

  SQL Server 2016 is on the launch pad for a June 1 release with a number of notable built-in features along with improvements to some long-neglected capabilities.

• May 13, 2016 13 May'16

  Cisco loses ground to cloud, software providers

  Cisco has fallen behind Microsoft and Amazon Web Services as a critical supplier of infrastructure to enterprises.

• May 12, 2016 12 May'16

  Trying to deliver OpenStack-in-a-box for the big guys

  VCE's hyper-converged in size large had forced you to build a private cloud using VMware -- until now.

• May 12, 2016 12 May'16

  Avnet launches Industrial IoT starter kit

  It's not very often you hear distributor and Internet of Things in the same sentence; but Avnet is looking to change that with the launch of a new IoT starter kit.

• May 12, 2016 12 May'16

  Making the strategic Skype for Business voice decision

  With Microsoft's Skype for Business voice posed as a serious option for the enterprise, businesses have to weigh the pros and cons of unplugging their traditional voice systems.

• May 11, 2016 11 May'16

  ID management, SSO critical for mobile access

  Okta and Box expand their partnership to include mobile identity management and single sign-on capabilities. EMM vendors, such as MobileIron and VMware AirWatch, also get in on the game.

• May 11, 2016 11 May'16

  Analysts say 'meh' to SAP and Apple partnership

  A new partnership between SAP and Apple for an SDK that enables developers to build iOS apps that link with SAP HANA Cloud Platform underwhelms some observers.

• May 10, 2016 10 May'16

  Lenovo partner program boosts incentives on services

  At Lenovo Accelerate 2016, Lenovo revealed a new emphasis on services, spurring its channel partners to sell more by increasing back-end points.

• May 10, 2016 10 May'16

  Lenovo channel to see focus on PCs, services, data center

  Lenovo's North American channel chief points to premium PCs, hyper-converged technology and services as some of the key opportunities for the company's channel partners.

• May 10, 2016 10 May'16

  Comparing Cisco, Microsoft UCC cloud platforms

  Microsoft wins on price, but enterprises that have complex telephone systems will find benefits in Cisco's options for cloud communications.

• May 09, 2016 09 May'16

  Sophos partner program gets new MSP addition

  Sophos has unveiled its MSP Connect Program, which enables managed service providers to access a cloud-based partner dashboard and integrate with third-party software tools.

• May 09, 2016 09 May'16

  Microsoft gives SharePoint biggest update in 15 years

  Microsoft announced several SharePoint updates, including a mobile app for iOS and Android, making the product more modern and compatible with the cloud-based Office 365.

• May 09, 2016 09 May'16

  Get ready to use Cisco and VMware SDN technologies

  Many companies won't be able to avoid using both Cisco and VMware SDN software to manage physical and virtual networks in the data center, an expert says.

• May 09, 2016 09 May'16

  IT ops pros add consultative value under DevOps

  As companies increasingly seek full-stack developers, IT operations specialists must find new ways to add value and remain relevant.

• May 06, 2016 06 May'16

  Unify partner program reduces certification demands

  In an effort to simplify its channel partner program, UC vendor Unify has cut back certification requirements across its portfolio; more IT channel news from the week.

• May 06, 2016 06 May'16

  Apple, SAP team up on enterprise apps

  Apple and SAP agree to a deal similar to that of Apple and IBM's, where SAP will use its technologies to better enable iOS apps. The two companies will also help businesses build their own.