MicroScope articles from February 2005

MicroScope archives from February 2005

Adaptec aims to reposition and rebrand to attract VADs.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk As part of an ongoing transformation of its business, SCSI and RAID manufacturer Adaptec has promised to "streamline" its European broadline distribution business and focus on its value-add...

Avaya offers SIP certification.(Session Initiation Protocol)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... CHRISTOPHER WALTON christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Avaya has unveiled a new business partner certification around the latest buzzword in the networking channel -- Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) -- to ensure it does not become the latest...

BTIC plans more reseller support.(BT Indirect Channels)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... SIMON QUICKE simon.quicke@rbi.co.uk BT Indirect Channels is vowing to hand more opportunities to resellers by increasing the number of exclusive initiatives it offers to partners. Last year, the vendor launched a number of channel...

Basel II earning potential for financial software providers.
February 7, 2005... Tony Glover microscope@rbi.co.uk The major banks are about to write a blank cheque to the business software industry. In a move that will cost the country's leading financial institutions hundreds of millions of pounds in IT services, the...

Big Blue acquires Equitant.(IBM Global Services )(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Christopher Walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk IBM Global Services has boosted its consulting business in Europe with the acquisition of Dublin-based financial services specialist Equitant for an undisclosed fee. The buy is part of IBM's...

Changing sales model leads to Micro-P cuts.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Micro-P has made 42 staff redundant after integrating smaller divisions into a generalist sales team and closing the Romsey-based office which became part of the business through its acquisition of AGP. At...

Channel opportunities at BETT.
February 7, 2005... According to Maverick VPH director Jon Sidwick, the message at the BETT Show was one of technology investment and usage, mirroring the upsurge in technology use in education This year's BETT Show again drew in the crowds, with nearly...

Cisco developer buys rival.(Cisco Systems Inc. acquired Mettoni group )(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Independent Cisco applications developer IDL, part of the privately owned Mettoni group of companies, has acquired rival Arc Solutions for an undisclosed amount. IDL develops operator consoles, call management and directory solutions...

Clearswift admits its mistakes and commits to indirect sales.
February 7, 2005... karl flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk Filtering vendor Clearswift has relaunched its channel programme in a bid to remedy problems in its existing channel strategy caused by mistakes in the past. Last week, following channel concerns, the...

Dealers seek more vendors.
February 7, 2005... Christopher Walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Channel Insights 2005 reveals reseller ambitions for growth and confusion about technology and customer types A picture of reseller ambitions for growth coupled with confusion over...

HP plugs gaps in mid-range.(Hewlett-Packard Co. introduces a range of mobile products)
February 7, 2005... Paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Vendor launches its most comprehensive range of mobile products to date, but connectivity remains an unsolved issue Hewlett-Packard has launched a raft of mobile hardware, filling the gaps in its...

IBM considers entering retail with Lenovo portfolio.(International Business Machines Corp.)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... When Lenovo's acquisition of IBM's PC division finally clears, Big Blue may use the Chinese giant's consumer portfolio to enter the retail market in the UK. The move is still under evaluation, but Gartner has advised IBM to use the...

ITAC issues libel proceedings against Microsoft.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Roanna Avison roanna.avison@rbi.co.uk Two weeks after Microsoft launched legal action against ITAC, the Manchester-based reseller and distribution outfit has issued libel proceedings against the software giant. Microsoft began the action...

Over half of European businesses will not buy SANs.(Storage area networks)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Manufacturers and resellers will have to articulate the benefits of SANs more clearly if they want to further drive adoption, according to analysts in light of research stating that over half of European...

Perfect match.
February 7, 2005... Simon Quicke As interest grows in areas such as convergence and customer relationship management, resellers need to align themselves with technology suppliers. But what should they look for in a partner? When choosing a supplier there...

Physical defences need to be included in network security.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... SIMON QUICKE simon.quicke@rbi.co.uk Resellers offering network security have been urged to consider the provision of both physical and digital protection. The siting of a server room and awareness of cabling infrastructure are often...

PinkRoccade and Getronics confirm final offer of [pounds sterling]241m.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... The continuing saga of Getronics' stalled acquisition of PinkRoccade appeared to have reached closure last week, after both parties confirmed the intended offer of e350m ([pounds sterling]241m). After months of stalling, PinkRoccade fell under...

PowerDsine offers discount after endorsement by Cisco.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Power over Ethernet (PoE) vendor PowerDsine is endeavouring to make hay out of a recent endorsement by Cisco of the use of its hubs with the networking giant's wireless hubs, with a resulting cross-sell from Cisco distributors. While the...

Q4 growth fuelled by price cuts and replacement cycles.
February 7, 2005... Paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Dell continued to dominate the UK PC market in the fourth quarter of 2004 and accounted for nearly one in four products sold during the period while arch rival Hewlett-Packard lost ground. The UK PC...

Recruitment activity points to recovery.
February 7, 2005... karl Flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk As channel players seek to boost staff numbers, the challenge is in finding the right people In a clear signal of recovery in the channel there has been a marked increase in recruitment activity so...

Slow start hits dealers.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... simon quicke simon.quicke@rbi.co.uk Low sales make the start of the year a tough time for resellers hoping for healthier sales A combination of extended Christmas holidays, illness and horrendous weather are all being blamed for a...

Sony to move into large-format space with Midwich deal.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Sony has extended its relationship with distributor Midwich to cover large-format displays in preparation for the launch of the vendor's first commercial LCD products next month. Talking to MicroScope,...

[pounds sterling]500m deals boost for Energis.
February 7, 2005... christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Voice and data specialist service provider Energis has revealed a flurry of contract wins signed in the past six months worth in excess of [pounds sterling]500m. The deals are a serious boost...

Accountancy firms move to extend reach across the UK.
February 14, 2005... karl Flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk The UK accountancy software sector is going through major changes as big players extend their portfolios and geographic presence while the low end customer base looks set to grow. This year got off to a...

Acer gives Westcoast access to full range after retail trial.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... Without making a fanfare, Acer has handed Westcoast its full range of products, after testing the water with the distributor in the retail space since June last year. At the same time, Lynx Technology's distribution arm, previously known as...

BT works towards equal access in response to Ofcom demands.
February 14, 2005... christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk BT has outlined proposals to ensure equal access to its network in an attempt to appease telecoms regulator Ofcom in a move that sees the creation of an Access Services division of the UK...

Bell restructures divisions and cuts back jobs.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... A divisional restructure at Bell Microproducts Europe has resulted in redundancies at the distributor after the integration of the front office with Open PSL and development of enterprise and commercial technology units across the region....

Channel acknowledges IPT.(IP telephony)
February 14, 2005... roanna avison roanna.avison@rbi.co.uk The channel should look to speak to business decision-makers about IP telephony (IPT) to tap into the growing recognition that the technology can improve customer relationships. Research by Mitel shows...

Check Point to be Wick Hill's choice for SME advance.
February 14, 2005... Karl flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk Wick Hill kick-started its Check Point lead generation programme last month with a view to signing 20 resellers to support its drive to take the vendor further into the SME market. The distributor...

Convergence stakes rising.(Compagnie Financiere Alcatel)
February 14, 2005... Christopher Walton reports from the Alcatel Forum in Paris where the vendor outlined its sales strategy for 2005 French networking giant Alcatel outlined its sales strategy for the coming year with a heavy emphasis on discussing the future...

EU legislation forces PC vendors to think green.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... With a raft of European legislation bearing down on the IT industry, more vendors are working on environmentally friendly desktops, with Dell the latest to launch a virtually lead-free PC. The OptiPlex GX280 is based on a 'green' design that...

FSB claims size matters.(Federation of Small Business)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Research has shown that larger companies are more likely to win contracts in the public sector The Federation of Small Business (FSB) has called on the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to...

Fiorina leaves HP after troubled tenure as CEO.(Carly Fiorina)
February 14, 2005... paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk In the week that Hewlett-Packard was preparing to outline the top UK enterprise accounts that will be taken direct, Carly Fiorina, CEO at the vendor and an advocate of the Dell model was eased out. The end...

Global IT services revenues boosted by decline of US dollar.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... The inexorable decline of the US dollar boosted global IT services revenues, according to the latest research from Gartner, as the worldwide market grew by 2.2 per cent in real terms. IBM Global Services continues to dominate a fractured market...

Hosting services expansion depends on US success.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... PAUL kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk For the first time, IBM Global Services (IGS) is piloting a programme to direct hardware-focused resellers towards promoting Big Blue hosting services to SMEs. The E-Business Hosting Services Sales...

Linux demand stalls in face of skills shortage.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... The latest channel research from Advanced Alchemy identified a lack of demand for Linux, as well as a shortage of skills in the open source operating system. In its Channel Insights 2005 research, the analyst firm found that 62 per cent of UK...

Matrix finalises EquIP deal.(Matrix Communications Group)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... KARL FLINDERS karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk Latest acquisition of security distributor opens up more vendor relationships to ambitious expansive channel group The Matrix Communications Group has finalised its acquisition of distributor EquIP...

Movers and shakers.(appointments, resignations)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... The channel merry-go-round was at full speed last week with positions changing across the sector. With Novell announcing a new person in a new role, channel stalwart Tariq Ahmed being tasked to lead Network Intelligence and Richard Hales...

Orange signs Ingram Micro deal in plan to bundle mobile offerings.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... Encroachment on the UK data channel by mobile phone service providers continued apace last week after Orange signed a channel distribution agreement with Ingram Micro for smart phones and cards. Orange's intention is to target SME resellers to...

SME sector faces bloodbath.(small and medium sized companies)
February 14, 2005... karl Flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk Computacenter CEO predicts many low-end commodity suppliers will be forced to move out of the SME market Resellers selling commodity PC products into the SME sector face a bloodbath as economies...

Sun to invest heavily in blade technology.
February 14, 2005... paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Sun Microsystems is working on a blade platform to be launched next year after calling time on the existing family which failed to compete effectively against rival offerings. Details of the new products...

Two year Stretch ends with Norris-Grey.(appointment of Trudy Norris-Grey to replace Leslie Stretch)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk There have been several board level changes in the UK at Sun Microsystems with managing director Leslie Stretch replaced by former Oracle channel head Trudy Norris-Grey. At the same time, Paul Gullett,...

3Com pushes solutions sales.
February 21, 2005... christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk 3Com threw down the gauntlet to bitter rivals Cisco and Hewlett-Packard's Procurve division last week, outlining its strategy to encourage cross-platform sales and incentivise solution...

BT refutes Energis' suggestions of a break-up xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... BT has called a break-up of the company "a nonsense" after Energis asked Ofcom to come to the conclusion, in its strategic review of telecommunications, that BT should split due to a conflict of interest. The statement came from BT chief...

C&E criticised for approach to carousel fraud.(Customs & Excise)(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... roanna avison roanna.avison@rbi.co.uk In a blow to Customs & Excise plans to tackle VAT carousel fraud, but a ray of hope to those innocently caught up in it, the European Advocate General has criticised C&E tactics. In 2003 provisions in...

C&W sets ambitious targets.(Cable & Wireless )(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... christopher Walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Cable & Wireless outlined ambitious plans for channel recruitment last week which, if realised, would see three or four distributors appointed and a boom in its reseller base over their next...

Channel the 100 per cent route to market for Novell.(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... karl flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk Partner sales director outlines plans to increase Linux promotion using SuSE products Hot on the heels of naming a new channel head, Novell has formalised its distribution roster following its...

Channel urged to get smart.
February 21, 2005... christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Bringing together mobile devices and IT infrastructure will meet business demand for applications on the move Against a backdrop of the 3GSM event in Cannes, and the continuing movement...

Cisco stands by charges despite reseller anger.(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... Cisco has moved to clarify the position of its controversial shared support programme after resellers raised concerns over its legality. While bitter feeling in the Cisco channel has persisted after resellers were warned that conditions of the...

Company identity thefts the latest fraudster scam.
February 21, 2005... The channel has been warned to be on its guard against fraudsters after details of two more scams aimed at duping unwitting companies emerged. Early Warning, which runs an on-line scheme to help UK retailers prevent cardholder-not-present...

HP allays partner fears after departure of Fiorina.(Hewlett-Packard , Carly Fiorina )(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... simon quicke simon.quicke@rbi.co.uk Hewlett-Packard has moved to reassure channel partners they are still crucial to its future strategy in the immediate aftermath of its CEO Carly Fiorina leaving the company after a disagreement with the...

IBM's Unix server challenge fails to concern Sun backers.(International Business Machines Corp.)
February 21, 2005... IBM is bidding to wrest a share of Hewlett-Packard and Sun's low-end Unix customer base by launching a low-cost Power5 Risc-based server. IBM pSeries brand manager Steve Atkins said the new eServer p5-510 offered strong price and performance....

ISV opens US office in bid for 'seven figure' IBM business.(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... Guilford-based ISV Digital Union is set to court the IBM channel in North America after the company opened its US office in New York last week. Digital Union has appointed Chris Mancuso as vice-president of sales and marketing to head up the US...

Latest Azzurri acquisition makes it a dozen.(Azzurri Communications acquires Chisholms Computers )(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... Christopher Walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Acquisitive convergence giant Azzurri Communications has snapped up Hull-based Chisholms Computers for [pounds sterling]5.5m -- the twelfth buy for the 3i-backed systems integrator. Following...

Managed market is criticised.(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... simon quicke simon.quicke@rbi.co.uk The rush to get involved with managed services has led to mistakes and flawed approaches to customers, according to resellers serving the security market. The subject of managed services sparked off a...

Matrix leaves empty shell.(Matrix Communications)
February 21, 2005... christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Merger talks close but 'non-binding heads of term' deal expected to leave Matrix in control of major Harrier assets Harrier Group has terminated merger talks with Matrix Communications,...

Microsoft sets sights on carving CRM slice.
February 21, 2005... karl Flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk Microsoft is stepping up its activity in the CRM space having identified a gap in the mid-market -- as well as having a call for increased margins from its partners. The software giant has 3,500...

Network General resizes channel.(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... roanna avison roanna.avison@rbi.co.uk Network General has vowed to cut reseller numbers in the UK in a bid to create more value in the channel. The vendor, which was spun off from McAfee last year and rebranded as Network General (see...

Resignation played down.(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... Ingram Micro has brushed off the departure of its sales manager Simon Smith pointing to its last three quarters as evidence that the distributor is on track in the UK. Smith resigned from the distributor ten days ago adding to other recent...

Revenue-seeking telcos target wealthy corporate customers.
February 21, 2005... tony glover microscope@rbi.co.uk The message coming from this year's 3GSM mobile telecoms show in Cannes is that the corporate customer is king. Ever since Europe's mobile phone operators spent E100m ([pounds sterling]68.8m) on the...

Sarbanes impact warning.(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... roanna avison roanna.avison@rbi.co.uk The industry has been warned to consider the IT implications of Sarbanes Oxley and the impact that could have on remote working and outsourcing. Chris Jordan, head of operations at Xceedium, suggested...

Schools chalk up growth for IWBs.(Interactive WhiteBoards)(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... billy macinnes miscroscope@rbi.co.uk The market for interactive whiteboards in education is expected to hold steady despite the Government's delay in announcing ring-fenced Becta funding for IWBs for 2005-2006. Education has been a huge...

Seagate aims to put profits back into the HDD channel.
February 21, 2005... simon quicke simon.quicke@rbi.co.uk One of the biggest challenges facing any vendor producing commoditised product is to keep the value in the channel and fight price erosion. Hard disc drives sell in their millions and meet the classic...

e92plus to distribute Patchlink.(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... KARL flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk Security patch maker Patchlink is strengthening its UK focus with the addition of e92plus to its distribution line-up. The firm's subscription-based software products are currently available through...

Apple faces US class-action.(Apple Computer Inc.)
February 28, 2005... paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Computer giant will be hit hard by accusation of selling old equipment as new and scamming customers on warranties Three US law firms have launched a nationwide class-action suit against Apple...

Articon switches attention to German investors.(Articon-Integralis AG)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... Karl flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk Articon Integralis will focus on the German investors following its abandoned merger talks with Harrier and the departure of its CEO. Mark Silver, CEO for over four years, said he resigned to allow the...

Building flexibility.(UK government's investments in IT)
February 28, 2005... Jane Dudman While stories of government IT project failures abound, the public sector should not be overlooked -- it is a changing and growing area which can provide valuable opportunities for those suppliers willing to tackle its...

Business and IT managers finally bury the hatchet.(surveys)
February 28, 2005... Tony Glover microscope@rbi.co.uk There is dramatic evidence that company board members in the UK and Ireland have finally forgiven their IT managers for the dot com crash and Y2K -- both of which failed to deliver on the massive investments...

ChannelAdvisor opens up Web to channel.(software provider part-owned by eBay)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... karl Flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk The arrival of ChannelAdvisor to the UK could stir up the channel melting pot as vendors and resellers are offered access to eBay. The software provider, which is part-owned by eBay, enables suppliers...

Cisco rebate scheme to improve margins.(Cisco Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... karl Flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk Networking giant Cisco has introduced its first rebate scheme for sales of storage area network (SAN) products to ensure channel interest. The vendor has launched its Clear Advantage programme with...

Clearswift research flags up e-mail abuse.(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... The use of corporate e-mail systems for personal correspondence is causing a loss in productivity and opening networks up to attack, according to research from filtering vendor Clearswift. The Email Use at Work survey of more than 4,500...

Companies House counters CNP threat with Proof on-line service.(card holder not present)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... Businesses that fear fraudsters could hijack their registration addresses and use card holder not present (CNP) fraud to run up huge debts without their knowledge have been directed to two electronic services from Companies House, which seeks...

Desktop support for Linux.(International Business Machines Corp.)
February 28, 2005... karl Flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk Following its withdrawal from the PC market, IBM is planning to spend $100m ([pounds sterling]52.4m) on extending support for Linux on the desktop through its Workplace collaboration software products....

Discounted training.(MasterClass)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... simon quicke simon.quicke@rbi.co.uk Vendors have always been happy to provide product training but have traditionally failed to address resellers' demands for help with improving general sales skills. But following feedback from the...

Free on-line tool for resellers.(IronPort Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... KARL flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk E-mail security appliance maker IronPort is offering resellers a view of global e-mail activity through access to its e-mail monitoring Web site. The free on-line tool will help resellers keep their...

Growing smartphone business up for grabs.(value added resellers)(industry forecasts)
February 28, 2005... christopher Walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk VARs and systems integrators which have skilled up in IP telephony and convergence offerings over the past two years are perfectly placed to tap into the evolution of the smartphone business...

Hard drive adoption to increase in consumer market.(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... simon quicke simon.quicke@rbi.co.uk A home populated by devices fitted with hard disk drives is a vision of the future shared across the HDD industry, in contrast to the idea of a single hub connecting to a series of other devices....

IT suppliers set to benefit from BT network update.
February 28, 2005... tony glover microscope@rbi.co.uk UK telecoms giant BT is about to open the purse strings on a project that will generate [pounds sterling]10bn of lucrative contracts and is set to boost the revenues not only of the big players, but also of...

InTechnology appoints Nortel for networking.(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... Christopher Walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk New division of Yorkshire-based distributor takes Canadian vendor's products to market InTechnology has stepped into the traditional networking market, appointing Nortel whose products...

No rush for ILM adoption.(information lifecycle management)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... Roanna Avison roanna.avison@rbi.co.uk Information lifecycle management (ILM) is a phrase that has been around for a number of years, but has not yet been a real hit with the industry. Last year, research carried out by the Computing...

Race is on for market share.
February 28, 2005... The ghost of Carly Fiorina's acrimonious exit from Hewlett-Packard continues to haunt every division of the industry giant, even as the Procurve networking unit outlined its strategy for the future. Procurve continues to beat its "adaptive...

Systemax to restate results after errors.(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... Trouble keeps mounting for system builder giant Systemax after it admitted that results for 2003 and much of 2004 will have to be restated having discovered discrepancies in accounting for UK inventory. The revelation comes after a UK...

UK arm boasts 'strong performance' in Q1 2005.(Hewlett-Packard Co.)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... Hewlett-Packard's Procurve UK arm saw year-on-year sales jump by some 46 per cent during the vendor's first quarter of 2005, compared with the same period the year before. Jon Weatherall, HP Procurve UK country manager, would not break down any...

Waiting for direct answers.(Hewlett-Packard Co.)
February 28, 2005... Paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Channel will finally get to share Hewlett-Packard strategy over selling directly into selected enterprise accounts Hewlett-Packard is preparing to outline its direct strategy for corporate and...