MicroScope articles from August 2003

MicroScope archives from August 2003

Only the strongest will survive; HP PartnerOne blueprint outlines journey that could prove arduous for distributors.
August 5, 2003... Hewlett-Packard has outlined final details of its PartnerOne channel blueprint, but has stopped short of a radical overhaul of UK distribution partners. Instead of the expected large reduction in the number of direct stocking partners, HP...

Bell promises Q4 European profits.(Bell Microproducts)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... Losses at Ideal Hardware and Bell Microproducts' other European operations have contributed to the global broadliner reporting second quarter losses of $2.4m (1.5m [pounds sterling]) overall. In a statement accompanying the results for the...

Sun predicts channel losses.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... In a prediction that has ominous connotations for the channel, Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy suggested that the sale of IT kit would gradually reduce as businesses outsourced their IT facilities and their software became managed remotely....

From distributor to reseller in one easy move.(interview)
August 5, 2003... It is a rare career move in the channel to go from distributor to reseller, but Chris Wilson, former managing director of pan-European distributor Magirus, started work at Reading-based reseller ITP as commercial director this week. He spoke to...

Dealers warned of crooks in their midst.(News)
August 5, 2003... Reseller Equanet has warned fellow dealers to be on the lookout for serial fraudsters who have plagued the industry for the past few months, attempting to get laptops from channel suppliers. Jonathan Chapple, chairman of Equanet, said it...

Ingram Micro 'cautiously optimistic' as cuts pay off.(News)(reports 31% increase in second quarter net income)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... Ingram Micro's lengthy process of cost-cutting and "profit-enhancement programmes" appear to have paid off after the global broadliner reported a 31 per cent increase in second quarter net income. At the same time, Kent Foster, chairman...

Offering services for Dell kit puts resellers on road to ruin.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... Resellers have been warned they could be contributing to their own demise by selling services around Dell hardware. Dave Cullinane, UK and Ireland managing director at Fujitsu Siemens, said partners had been making Dell look good by...

Microtronica UK promises warehouse move will go unnoticed by resellers.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... Microtronica UK has moved to reassure resellers there will be no impact to their business as the company moves its stock and operations to a warehouse opposite its current premises in Bedford. The move comes a week after US parent Arrow...

Fraud mania.(News)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... Despite a KPMG survey revealing the level of fraud in the UK economy has reached an all-time high, consultants have warned the situation is set to deteriorate further before it improves, writes Paul Kunert. David Alexander, fraud...

SCH loses second director.(Martin Halliwell has left Specialist Computer Holdings)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... Specialist Computer Holdings European operations director Martin Halliwell has left the company. His departure follows that of European services operations director Craig Routledge in May. Both Halliwell and Routledge joined the company from...

Rombyte directors to pay up for counterfeit crimes.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... The directors of Newbury-based distributor Rombyte, who pleaded guilty to eight counts of selling counterfeit memory two months ago (see MicroScope, 27 May), were fined $2,000 per count at Reading Crown Court last week. Sentencing had been...

Magirus to distribute IBM software and hardware.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... IBM has signed Magirus as a UK distributor of its software solutions as part of its value-add programme, which is designed to drive it into new markets in the UK. Magirus previously addressed only the IBM hardware market, but will now be in...

Cook makes Logical move.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... Logical Group has appointed former Damavo executive vice-president of sales and marketing Ian Cook as European managing director and senior vice-president. Logical UK sales director Jeremy Keefe has been promoted to general manager and...

PeopleSoft optimistic after JD Edwards buy.(Software)
August 5, 2003... PeopleSoft has revealed it is optimistic about the future despite the prospect of a hostile takeover bid from rival Oracle. The vendor's second quarter results released last month revealed it was in a strong position, but there were mixed...

Adobe looks to enterprise sector to reposition as corporate supplier.(interview)
August 5, 2003... Despite the perception that it is solely aimed at the publishing sector, Adobe is repositioning itself as a corporate supplier. Mike Higgins, Adobe managing director for the UK, Benelux and CEEA argues that there is an opportunity for the...

Verio seeks Web hosting partners.(Networking)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... NTT-owned Web hosting specialist Verio is looking to drive up revenues from traditional IT resellers through the launch of a European partner programme. The Dutch company already sells through a number of resellers involved in the Web...

Data Tec ceases discussions.(Networking)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... Mystery surrounding strategy at South African networking hybrid Data Tec has increased after it released a statement saying acquisition/disposal talks, which began at the end of April, had been terminated. The company issued a series of...

Trend adds Cisco IP telephony specialisation to portfolio.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... Cisco gold partner Trend Network Services has added Cisco's IP telephony revised specialisation to its range of service and support certifications. "The market has been talking about VoIP for pretty well ten years, but it is only now that it is...

Fujitsu Siemens to rack up sales for dealers.(Hardware)(introduces configuration by phone for dealers)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... Fujitsu Siemens plans to reduce the time it takes resellers to configure and quote rack-mounted servers after admitting sales had been lost to faster acting rivals. To speed up the process and familiarise the channel with its rack range,...

Greener welcomed back.(Car Greener rehired at Ingrain Micro as business unit head)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... Carl Greener has returned to Ingrain Micro as head of category for the Hewlett-Packard business unit after a five-year absence. He rejoins the Milton Keynes-based distributor from SCH Distribution where he held a number of senior HP business...

Mobile manufacturers not thinking for themselves.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... Mobile device manufacturers still do not understand how to sell into the enterprise market, according to research carried out by Datamonitor. The report claimed manufacturers were leaning too heavily on individual users who purchase mobile...

Consortium proves big deal-clincher.(interview)(Interview)
August 5, 2003... Fujitsu Services has had a pretty choppy year in dealing with the channel--from the sale of distribution unit tplc to GE Access, to a management buyout U-turn with its Multivendor Computing Division--and has not had an easy time of it...

iRevolution calls time on Stock Exchange listing.(Services)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... Service management provider iRevolution has notified shareholders that it will cancel its listing on the London Stock Exchange as of 27 August. In a statement to shareholders, directors admitted the lack of an offer for the firm following...

IT fraud cases increase as market remains in difficulty.(Finance)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... There have been a record number of fraud cases in the UK in the first half of the year, according to a KPMG survey. The findings highlight the growing level of illegal activity in uncertain economic times. The consulting giant's...

Insight CEO confident despite Q2 drop.(Finance)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... Direct marketing giant Insight posted an indifferent set of results for the second quarter to 30 June, with pre-tax profits and sales down across the board and a decline in UK corporate customers. The company saw a two per cent decrease in...

Leaving the channel to sort the future out.(Editorial)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
August 5, 2003... WHEN HEWLETT-PACKARD first announced its distribution terms and conditions last November, the channel was expecting the worst. More specifically, it was expecting a radical Cisco-like overhaul which would see distributors crudely split between...

On the right path? Chris Bidmead takes us on a journey into the working of Microsoft Windows, in a desperate attempt to find the specified path.(Editorial)(Editorial)
August 5, 2003... 'The system cannot find the path specified.' Oh, can't it. And what has that got to do with me? I merely clicked a button saying I want to update my copy of Windows XP. Actually, I didn't even want to do that--I was simply obeying a directive...

Look, listen and learn: in the search for a sector that offers better margins than most in the currently shaky IT market, IT resellers are jumping on the audio-visual bandwagon in droves.(KaleidoScope)(Industry Overview)
August 5, 2003... In an industry notorious for shrinking margins, bandwagon jumping is seen by many as something of a necessity. Of course, any fool can jump on a bandwagon--lots of people do it--but the skill is in knowing when to jump on and when to jump off....

Dipping into the AV pot of gold.(Industry Leaders)(Industry Overview)
August 5, 2003... There has been much talk recently about the potential for growth in the audio visual market and how this will lead to a shift away from specialised AV distributors and vars. If you believed some industry sources, you could be forgiven for...

Xpert deal with Genesis boosts PBX skills.(Margin Makers--Convergence)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... Cisco Gold partner and IPT specialist Xpert Systems has broadened its reach into the traditional PBX market and picked up new skills in the top end Avaya space through the acquisition of telecoms reseller Genesis. The deal, which was...

Resellers must prove VoIP cost savings to allay buyer concerns.(Margin Makers--Convergence)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... Return on investment has once again been highlighted as the main concern of corporate buyers when considering the benefits of Voice over IP. A survey carded out by integrator Damovo showed 50 per cent of the senior executives interviewed...

Demand for total security systems on the rise.(Margin Makers--Security)
August 5, 2003... An increase in business mobility is driving a more holistic user approach to security software, and as more people work from home, businesses are forced to look for a complete solution. According to Michael Darlington, chief technical...

Detection to give way to prevention.(Margin Makers--Security)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... The move in the intrusion detection market to increase the emphasis on prevention continues to gather pace. Those vendors responsible for intrusion detection products have accepted the limitations of detection, and a raft of products is in...

Security ranks high in list of IT manager concerns.(Margin Makers--Security)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... Security remains one of the top five concerns for IT managers running servers, and interest in such devices as firewalls and VPNs remains stable, according to research carded out by IDC. The latest security server appliance tracker for the...

Fair or not, Western Digital sure of Read-Rite buy.(Margin Makers--Storage)
August 5, 2003... Western Digital (WD) has vowed to turn around the loss-making hard disk drive (HDD) head manufacturer Read-Rite within 14 months, after acquiring the company for $95.4m (59m [pounds sterling]). The promise comes after the bankruptcy court...

Soap.(meshed briefs)
August 5, 2003... A recent trip to Greenwich was disrupted by rain, giving our representative an excuse to dive into a cheap book shop to keep dry. All the books inside were the princely sum of 2 [pounds sterling]. Among unwanted cook books and guides to...

Hindsights: from MicroScope August 1984.(Soap)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... "We've taken time to get our PC right, putting $100m into R&D to produce a super product" Ericsson Information Systems marketing director Mike Bateson on the communications giant's foray into the IBM-alike market. "I'd hang them all"...

Problem postbag.(Soap)
August 5, 2003... This week, a couple of experts hand out some legal advice. Q, Do resellers need to spend time worrying about the law?. A1. As with any form of risk assessment, resellers need to look at the threats to their business--and the law is no...

What was happening this week in MicroScope ... and elsewhere.(Soap)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2003... 10 years ago Police express their despair as they end up returning stolen Macs to thieves because the rightful owners fail to come forward to claim them. The Police criticise Apple for failing to help trace serial numbers to tally...

IT fraudster ordered to pay back a stack; imprisoned for her involvement in a 20m [pounds sterling] VAT scam, Bernadette Devine has received a 1.5m [pounds sterling] confiscation order.
August 12, 2003... A judge at Middlesex Crown Court has ruled the imprisoned perpetrator of the largest VAT carousel fraud in history will have to pay nearly 1.5m [pounds sterling] of her ill-gotten gains in fines. If Bernadette Devine fails to pay, the judge...

Resellers are making Dell look good, warns Fujitsu Siemens.(Gary Butters)(Interview)
August 12, 2003... Last year, Fujitsu Siemens corporate sales director Gary Butters caused a bit of a stir with a talk he gave to resellers on how to combat the Dell menace. What made his presentation even more striking was that it was being delivered by a...

Sage asks dealers to have patience.(News)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... Incensed Sage accredited partners claim discounted direct sales, cheap on-line dealers and accreditation renewal every two years have undermined the programme and their investment But the vendor insisted it was in a "transitional period"...

SCH makes Hays purchase.(News)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... Specialist Computer Holdings (SCH) has dipped into its pocket again and acquired the payroll outsourcing division of business services group Hays. The deal, which was carried out for an undisclosed sum, will see the division folded into...

Magirus plans Binding vendor relationships.(News)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... When Andrew Binding takes up the reins at Magirus UK next month, he plans to work closely with the distributor's vendor partners. In a move from his role as international finance director at AltaVista, Binding will fill the post vacated by...

Consolidation trend on full throttle in printing market.(News)(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
August 12, 2003... Mergers and acquisitions have reached fever pitch in the imaging and printing market after venture capitalist firm Arsenal Capital Partners (ACP) bought Tally, and Konica joined forces with Minolta. Robin Edwardes, managing director at...

refresh4you from Fujitsu Siemens opens doors for resellers.(News)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... With technology advancements no longer a key sales driver, resellers have claimed Fujitsu Siemens' refresh4you warranty upgrade initiative has helped to open customer doors. The manufacturer launched the scheme--which extends on-site...

Microsoft in line for big fine.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... The European Union is planning to fine Microsoft for past antitrust abuses, no matter how the vendor changes its future business practices. The EU accused Microsoft of trying to monopolise new markets and has given the software giant until the...

IBM and Red Hat file counter claims against SCO.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... IBM and Red Hat have moved to defend themselves through the courts against SCO's claims of Linux infringement. IBM countersued SCO, alleging it had violated the general public licence under which it accepted Linux contributions and doesn't have...

Changing roles at C2000.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... Computer 2000 has appointed former Online Distribution managing director John Osbourne as general manager for PC components. At the same time, David Watt has moved from HP business manager at the distributor to become general manager for...

Micro-P profits up 17 per cent.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... Micro Peripherals reported a 17 per cent rise in pre-tax profits to 10.5m [pounds sterling] in the year to 31 March. Turnover rose eight per cent to 243.3m [pounds sterling].

AMD to make appliance chip business purchase.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... AMD has signed an agreement to buy National Semiconductor's information appliance chip business. Under the deal, AMD will gain intellectual property and assets of the Geode chip family and 132 employees. National Semiconductor will lay off 65...

Palm moves into B2B arena.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... Palm is to make a play for the B2B market and is seeking resellers to help promote the first in a series of mobile bundles--Mail and Messaging, aimed at SMEs that want to pick up e-mails on the go. The Palm Business Solution Alliance channel...

IBM software rivals play down Magirus entry.(analysis)
August 12, 2003... IBM's decision to extend Magirus' distribution role to include the vendor's software business has raised a mixed response from channel rivals. Some distributors anticipate a competitive boost to the industry as the vendor makes strides...

Perebit and Expand slug it out.(Networking)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... Network optimisation vendors Perebit and Expand have exchanged blows over funding and channel strategy as the growing market for bandwidth and network management begins to take off. Seeking to create unease within Perebit's route to market,...

Positive Cisco Q4 figures provide much needed confidence boost.(Networking)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... Cisco has added to the growing mood of optimism in the channel after reporting a 27 per cent fourth quarter rise in full year net income to $982m (613.7m [pounds sterling]). At the same time, CEO John Chambers revealed that "for the first...

PC market showing slight signs of recovery.(Hardware)
August 12, 2003... Sales in the PC market could be best described as "opportunistic", according to Gartner Dataquest, although the analyst giant believed second quarter results for Emea showed the sector was on the "road to recovery". The PC market for the...

Intel to help integrators stay one step ahead.(Intel Solution Services)(Interview)
August 12, 2003... Intel Solution Services (ISS) launched its One Generation Ahead strategy last month, with consultancy aimed directly at customers and channel partners alike. Speaking to MicroScope, Tony Martin, Emea key alliances business manager at ISS,...

Hewlett-Packard opts for evolutionary approach.(Analysis)
August 12, 2003... The fat lady may not have sung yet, but for a handful of Hewlett-Packard's UK distribution partners, the days of a direct stockholding relationship are all but over. Although HP channel and SMB director Andy Vickers is keeping the precise...

New technologies to keep the mobile bandwagon rolling: for users of mobile technology for either personal or business use, these are exciting times. Tim Bajarin describes the five new technologies which will transform the world of mobile computing and the mobile business lifestyle.(US News)
August 12, 2003... I was recently speaking at a major mobile computing conference and was asked to name the five key technologies that will have the biggest impact on the mobile enterprise over the next 24 months. This is a very important question and as a...

It's time to stop playing the losers game.(Dell UK)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
August 12, 2003... IF ANYONE SHOULD KNOW how Dell works it would be someone who previously worked there, and if anyone should know how it compares to working at a vendor that supports the channel route to market it should be Gary Butters. A lot has happened...

The Babel paradox: Phil Wainwright takes a close look at XML and finds that this supposedly simple form of a shared language system is not so simple after all.(Editorial)
August 12, 2003... The more I find out about XML--the standardised language on which Web services are based--the more I'm reminded of the biblical story of the Tower of Babel. According to the story, through speaking a common tongue, the peoples of the earth...

IP phone sales up but doubts still remain.(Convergence)(Internet protocol)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... Convergence market doubters have brushed off boasts from Cisco that there has been a surge of uptake in IP phones, countering that the technology cannot be used in conjunction with IP telephony systems. Cisco claimed to have shipped its two...

Travel problems mean videoconferencing sales opportunities for dealers.(Convergence)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... A combination of warnings from the Health & Safety Executive concerning stress and the RAC over commuting times appears to have handed an opportunity to resellers promoting videoconferencing systems. Employers are coming under pressure to...

Overcoming barriers to spending and growth.(interview)(Symantec Northern Europe)(Interview)
August 12, 2003... Security has been a key market driver recently following 11 September, war in Iraq and high-profile virus attacks, and has kept the market buoyant despite the tough economic conditions. Aled Miles, vice-president and managing director of...

SecureWave warns users.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... SecureWave is warning users that memory sticks pose security risks with the option to transport 2GB of data, giving users the chance to replace CDs and use flash memory keyring devices as the main means of data transportation.

Tripwire launches initiative.(File Signature Database)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... Tripwire has launched the File Signature Database--a partner-based initiative designed to bring to market a collection of known, good file data. The initiative plans to drive open standards and methods that deliver secure, reliable and...

ICM attains gold status.(ICM Computer Group)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... SurfControl, the Web and e-mail filtering specialist, has appointed ICM Computer Group as a Gold Security Partner giving the reseller access to leads, marketing funds and product discounts.

Dealers reluctant to push pay-as-you-go storage.(Storage)
August 12, 2003... Resellers believe there is a reluctance among users to adopt utility-based storage procurement because the model is seen as inflexible and more expensive to outsource than run in-house. The procurement method in the storage market is in its...

InTechnology uses Allasso acquisition as springboard to Europe.(Storage)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... The chief operating officer at InTechnology has laid bare its aspirations to become a pan-European specialist storage and security distributor, following the completion of its Allasso acquisition. Earlier in the year, Leeds-based...

Wise up to the ways of the web: is the e-business solutions market buoyant enough to provide a reseller result?(E-Business Solutions)(Industry Overview)
August 12, 2003... First there was the dot com bomb, this was followed by global terrorism and armed conflict, which in turn led to an economic downturn that hit the technology sector hardest of all. Not, you might think, the ideal time to be trying to sell into...

Tenders.
August 12, 2003... For further information on these tenders, call Tenders Direct on 01224 636999, visit www.tendersdirect.co.uk, or e-mail info@tendersdirect.co.uk 123979, Tender Invitation UK-Manchester: property management system A networked IT...

Agenda.(Calendar)
August 12, 2003... To list events on this page, send an e-mail to lindsey.macdonald-bull@rbi.co.uk SEPTEMBER 3-4 September LinuxWorld Conference and Expo Hall 7, NEC, Birmingham Web: www.linuxworld2003.co.uk Tel: 0121 767 2352 12...

Hindsights in association with Hammer: from MicroScope August 1993.(Soap)
August 12, 2003... "Drink up quickly" John Ross, publisher of What PC, after bailiffs arrived at the posh Mayfair eatery chosen to host the magazine's awards party. "It's more of a modern day lynching than commercial reality" A representative of Mike Brown,...

Soap.(Column)
August 12, 2003... After a gap of a few years, it was good to see Sir Clive Sinclair return to the headlines as he talked about his plans to follow up the ill-fated C5, a small travelling device that was sadly labelled a death trap by the Automobile Association...

Problem postbag.(Soap)(wireless technology)
August 12, 2003... This week, we get the first responses from experts to our technology query: Q. What is wireless technology all about? A1. we believe that Wi-Fi is here to stay--maybe not in its current form, but as an important part of an operator's...

What was happening this week in MicroScope ... and elsewhere.(Soap)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... 10 years ago Independent software developers threaten mass desertion from Apple to the Windows platform after it emerges that the vendor is planning to pull the plug on its specialist support operation. In an era before the sport...

HP powerless to stop Clarity border breach: despite lacking UK accreditation, Irish distributor has law on its side as it plans to punt high-end servers into channel.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2003... Hewlett-Packard has admitted it is helpless to do anything to stop Dublin-based distribution partner Clarity Distribution from selling high-end servers into the country, despite the company's lack of authorised UK status. Clarity, the...

Software giant insists Office deal will not bypass resellers.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2003... Microsoft has denied it is cutting resellers out of the loop with an OEM deal that encourages users to buy direct on-line or over the phone. Plans by the software giant to offer a 60-day trial version of Microsoft Office 2003 pre-loaded...

Customs tells channel how to avoid wrath of VAT fraud squad.(News)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2003... Customs & Excise has drawn up a list of checks the channel can make to avoid being caught up in VAT fraud. Following provisions set out in the last budget, which enable C&E to demand payment from distributors that have dealt with...

NHS hopefuls get shortlisted.(News)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2003... The race to win the rights for service provision to the NHS stepped up last week as the shortlist for contracts, worth a total of 2.3bn [pounds sterling] over the next three years, was unveiled. IBM will battle it out with BT and Lockheed...

Oracle fights on.(News)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2003... The latest in the long-running legal dispute between Oracle and PeopleSoft has seen Oracle extend its tender offer for all of PeopleSoft's common stock to 19 September, writes Karen Gomm. The tender offer was previously set to expire last...

Resellers must make choice about Dell.(News)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2003... Resellers have a choice to make--listen to the warnings about working with Dell, or become part of the direct vendor's clandestine channel strategy. Rival Fujitsu Siemens has suggested that by working with Dell, the channel makes the...

Check Point NG migration path hands rivals a chance.(News)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2003... Check Point has moved to reassure customers that it does not plan to leave users of version 4.1 and below of its security software high and dry, through withdrawing support in a bid to improve migration to new NG products. But distributors...

Announcements from HP World.(News)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2003... Hewlett-Packard's annual shindig for users and channel partners took place in Atlanta last week. The main announcements follow: * Hewlett-Packard has dropped its US distributor fee-for-service model under the HP Integrated Partner (HIP)...