MicroScope articles from January 2004

MicroScope archives from January 2004

Risers and floaters.(information technology growth)(Industry Overview)
January 19, 2004... MicroScope asked the industry to predict which technology will come to the surface in 2004 and which kit will remain in the murky depths. The outlook was positive for the channel... IT users enter 2004 lean, scarred and wary, with a...

Dell adds partners to fill holes in printer portfolio.
January 19, 2004... paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Dell has unveiled plans to plug the gaps in its printer portfolio later this year by signing technology agreements with Fuji Xerox, Samsung and Kodak. The accord builds on the direct-selling giant's...

Acer brings in Northamber to boost Altos push.(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... As part of Acer's plans to grow its server business, Northamber has been confirmed as the third distributor to promote the Intel-based Altos brand. The Taiwanese vendor is also looking for a product marketing manager to drive the UK server...

Resellers turn from public sector to financial services.
January 19, 2004... With public sector super contracts dominating the enterprise space over the last year, resellers and service providers are looking to the private sector to keep pace, but it appears that only the financial services market comes close. According...

Avaya releases SME version of IP Office in small business push.(small to medium enterprise, internet protocol)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... Avaya's push for market share in the SME space has stepped up a gear with the launch of a remote office and small business version of its IP Office product. The communication system is designed for use by up to 28 people and offers users...

Data dealers to be wooed by Samsung pre-IP launch.(internet protocol)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... Samsung Telecoms is set to launch a charm offensive in the data channel in the run-up to the launch of an IP product in the second quarter. The vendor hopes to recruit data resellers, and sales and marketing director Ali Zartash-Lloyd said it...

Margin points tightened by hardware price dives.(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... Computacenter highlights Europe-wide problem of 'exceptional drift' Resellers across Europe already operating on razor-thin margins are facing an additional problem connected to a 20 per cent decline in IT hardware prices. The issue was...

Netilla adds Wick Hill to fold.(distribution)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... SSL VPN vendor Netilla has added Wick Hill to its UK distribution line-up to sit alongside Allasso and Risc Technologies. The deal sees Wick Hill pick up Netilla's full range of secure remote access and application access products, which it...

Demand for networked storage tipped to increase through 2004.(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... simon quicke simon.quicke@rbi.co.uk The convergence between storage and networking resellers looks set to increase over the next year as demand for external storage increases. Lowering hardware costs and the expansion of iSCSI as a...

Report highlights storage management as area of opportunity.(for resellers)
January 19, 2004... roanna avison roanna.avison@rbi.co.uk Resellers should cash in on the growing market for storage management as users look to consolidate their storage structures and ensure they meet new regulations. According to the Managing the storage...

Logcom revises ambitions amid concern over acquisition strategy.(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... Reseller stands firm over expansion plans despite concerns that its buy and build strategy is in danger of faltering As acquisitive Logcom closes in on three new purchases, the company's buy and build strategy targeting underperforming...

E-tailer tests water for UK sale.(Insight Enterprises)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... As the due diligence process over the sale of Micro Warehouse continues, rival e-tail giant Insight Enterprises is understood to be testing the water for the disposal of its UK operation. Although it has not taken the formal route adopted by...

Channel management key to success.
January 19, 2004... Gartner tells vendors their profitability will be directly linked to the way they handle resellers and distributors BYLINE: christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Vendors can either build revenues or "slide into fiscal...

Collapse of Multivision catches distributors out.(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... Shock failure of system builder and reseller adds to the growing list of 2004 insolvencies BYLINE: dominic hall dom.hall@rbi.co.uk Suppliers have been hit by another surprise company failure after system builder and reseller...

HDD vendors call for stock transparency.(hard disk drive)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... Simon quicke simon.quicke@rbi.co.uk Hard disk drive manufacturers are stepping up the fight against the grey market and aiming to crack down on price protection abusers by calling on distributors to be more transparent about their stocks....

C2000 reports profitable 2002.( Computer 2000 )(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... UK-specific results filed by Computer 2000 have shown the distributor made profits in the year to 12 January 2003, though less than the previous year. The results show that the distributor made a profit of [pounds sterling]2.3m, compared with...

InTechnology seeks growth through launch of enterprise software division.(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... InTechnology has invested [pounds sterling]500,000 in setting up an enterprise software division to address requirements for greater infrastructure management. The distributor carries Sun, IBM and Veritas, among others, and aims to grow...

Dividing responsibility.(Oracle chairman/CEO Larry Ellison)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... Oracle chairman and CEO Larry Ellison is to step down as chairman of the board after the vendor decided to split the responsibilities. Jeff Henley, Oracle's chief financial officer, has taken over as chairman from Ellison, who will retain...

Industry expects SuSE buy to bolster Novell profile.(Novell acquires SuSE Linux)
January 19, 2004... karen gomm karen.gomm@rbi.co.uk Revenue opportunities and a better profile within the industry are just some of the reasons the channel has welcomed Novell's now completed acquisition of SuSE Linux. Novell partners have praised the move...

ERP tipped for growth this year.(enterprise resource planning)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... A boom in business planning applications has led resellers to tip the new wave of mid-market enterprise resource planning (ERP) products as a hot sector this year. Changing perceptions of ERP, combined with alterations in the systems towards a...

Distributors still value training.
January 19, 2004... dominic hall dom.hall@rbi.co.uk Despite Azlan's recent decision to close one of its London training centres, some distributors still see long-term benefits in offering training as part of their added value. But while as little as five...

3Com follows market trend with SME and enterprise security-ready platform.(small to medium sized enterprise)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... 3Com has followed rivals into the integrated secure networks market through a strategy to allow SME and enterprise customers to create data networks with in-built security. The vendor's entry into the security space marks part of a growing...

KaVaDo extends UK profile.(Signsup diagnol security )(Information Service Review)(Brief Article)
January 26, 2004... Roanna Avison Web application firewall specialist KaVaDo has moved to extend its profile in the UK by signing Diagonal Security as a premier partner. Ofir Hatsor, vice-president for Emea sales at KaVaDo, said the partnership with Diagonal...

Technology for teaching.(Information Service Review)
January 26, 2004... Jane Dudman With budgets and interest in ICT rising across the education sector, opportunities are opening up for resellers, but not without some hard work Something of a sea change is taking place in the education market, and the...

Westcoast returns after Samsung mobile shuffle.
January 26, 2004... paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk A shuffling of Samsung's notebook distribution pack has seen Enta Technologies replaced by Westcoast as the vendor attempts to extend its presence in the SMB and independent retail sectors. In an exclusive...

Vendors defend channel programmes.
January 26, 2004... Manufacturers have moved to justify their practices following research by Gartner warning vendors they could slide into fiscal failure if they did not manage their channel effectively. The survey of best and worst practice in the channel,...

Revival excitement on hold.
January 26, 2004... Christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Is an enterprise revival on the way? A flurry of year end results from a host of enterprise giants might have the bean counters and the chief executives excited, but it remains to be seen if...

Continental drift from Yorkshire.
January 26, 2004... Paul Kunert meets InTechnology executive chairman Peter Wilkinson to talk about the Allasso buy and plans for Europe When companies make bold but often empty claims concerning their plans for world domination, the eyes start to glaze over...

BTIC taps into growing need for SDSL services.(BT Indirect Channels)(Brief Article)
January 26, 2004... dominic hall dom.hall@rbi.co.uk BT Indirect Channels is working with resellers to target corporates with advanced broadband symmetrical digital subscriber line (SDSL) services. The new business offering is targeted mainly at the SME...

Vendors pin hopes on HCI to drive broadband adoption.(Home Computer Initiatives)(Brief Article)
January 26, 2004... simon quicke simon.quicke@rbi.co.uk Those vendors involved with providing broadband are hoping the Home Computer Initiatives (HCI) will ramp up demand for fast Internet connections and services. Following the launch of the HCI by Trade and...

HP simplifies PartnerOne.(Hewlett-Packard is to simplify a number of key Ts&Cs for distributors and resellers and change the way it compensates partners)(Brief Article)
January 26, 2004... One year after the European launch of its PartnerOne channel programme, Hewlett-Packard is to simplify a number of key Ts&Cs for distributors and resellers and change the way it compensates partners. After processing feedback from partners, the...

Sun's grey police put 13 in the dock.(Sun Microsystems )(Brief Article)
January 26, 2004... Paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk The reporting measures Sun Microsystems put in place to identify the flow of grey product has seen 13 resellers and brokers placed under investigation. John Sanders, European business control manager at...

ISS snaps up spam fighter Cobion.(ISS has moved into the content security market through the acquisition of specialist player Cobion AG)(Brief Article)
January 26, 2004... dominic hall dom.hall@rbi.co.uk ISS has moved into the content security market through the acquisition of specialist player Cobion AG, in a deal worth $26m ([pounds sterling]14.6m). The acquisition broadens ISS's traditional reach into...

2004 super worm predicted.(Clearswift has predicted the birth of a 'super worm' after its analysis of 2003 revealed a malware network in operation)(Brief Article)
January 26, 2004... karen gomm karen.gomm@rbi.co.uk Clearswift has predicted the birth of a 'super worm' after its analysis of 2003 revealed a malware network in operation. The malware network, called Sinnit, infects each host computer through which...

In the three years since InTechnology unveiled VBak,.
January 26, 2004... In the three years since InTechnology unveiled VBak, the managed data service has had its fair share of detractors. But the distributor has claimed that by mid-summer, contract values will match the [pounds sterling]65m it ploughed into...

Sun embarks on strategic partner recruitment drive.
January 26, 2004... karen gomm karen.gomm@rbi.co.uk Overall reaction to Sun intellectual property drive is positive but some fear increased competition Resellers are cautiously optimistic about Sun Microsystems' partner recruitment strategy, which aims...

Resellers voice fears over Novell tactics.(Brief Article)
January 26, 2004... Novell's consolidated distribution strategy has provoked concern among its channel, which fears a complete distribution cut could be on the cards. Last year, the vendor decided to sell directly to its top-tier business expert resellers...

Government criticised for price fixation.(Brief Article)
January 26, 2004... simon quicke simon.quicke@rbi.co.uk The growing opposition to reverse auctions as a method of procuring technology in the public sector has received the backing of an e-business guru who has become the latest to warn buyers they are...

GOOD WEEK.(Brief Article)
January 26, 2004... BAD WEEK Avaya -- Former 3Com UK, Middle East, CIS and South Africa area sales director Buddie Ceronie joins the vendor as Emea vice-president of channel management Actebis -- UK managing director Roger Mather claims that pre-audit...

Pay-as-you-go notebook package targeted at SMEs.(Fujitsu Siemens has unveiled a pay-as-you-go notebook service that offers 60 per cent margin)(Brief Article)
January 26, 2004... Paul Kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Fujitsu Siemens acts to alleviate falling notebook prices and cost and complexity barriers To curtail declining notebook prices and lift the cost and complexity barriers to entry for SMEs wanting to...

Morse reports sales boost.(Brief Article)
January 26, 2004... christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Hopes of an enterprise-level infrastructure refresh have been sparked by Morse, which saw sales increase by approximately 25 per cent during the quarter to 31 December 2003. Sales for the...

Services market shrinks as providers fuse.(2escape2,Dynomic and consultancy Motifact)(Brief Article)
January 26, 2004... Consolidation amid small and medium-sized service providers continues unabated, led by ex-Sage director Graham Wylie and his recently formed Technology Service Group (TSG). TSG picked up fellow Teesside-based SME service specialist CPA Systems...

Telindus to spend wisely on acquisition mission.
January 26, 2004... dominic hall dom.hall@rbi.co.uk Pan-European networking integrator and services group Telindus is looking to break into a e60m ([pounds sterling]41.5m) war chest targeting acquisitions to sharpen its focus on solution sales and...

COMMENT.(IBM and Novell united over open source and one common goal)
January 26, 2004... IBM and Novell would have made unlikely bedfellows a year ago, but now, despite diverse objectives, the two are united over open source and one common goal -- to grow market share in the open source market. Despite fierce competition between...

Microsoft insists lack of UK MD is doing no harm.(managing director)(Brief Article)
January 26, 2004... karen gomm karen.gomm@rbi.co.uk Microsoft has stressed that business has not been affected by the absence of a UK managing director for the past ten months, but revealed it would keep up its search for a suitable candidate. The previous UK...

Hamilton puts faith in short-term Web hosting market.(Brief Article)
January 26, 2004... Hardware rental group Hamilton is looking to take a Web hosting service to UK resellers after tying up a deal with NTT-owned hosting giant Verio. The company, which has just completed its acquisition of the rental operations of rival group...

Be prepared.
January 26, 2004... Simon Quicke In the concluding part of our recycling debate, we hear from those who are going to be at the front line of processing and consulting on waste disposal The problems local authorities face as they struggle to upgrade...