MicroScope articles from July 2003

MicroScope archives from July 2003

Channel takes Ostrich stance on PCW threat: resellers appear to be burying their heads in the sand as they lose market share to an expanding PC World.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The PC World Business (PCWB) juggernaut is continuing to roll into the SME channel after reporting an 11 percent increase in sales, while its parent unveiled plans to open 16 new stores throughout the UK over the next 12 months. The SME...

[pounds sterling]9m of grey and second-hand stock to hit European market.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... A $50m ([pounds sterling]31.2m) US second-hand and grey market Cisco broker has established European offices in Amsterdam and intends to drive $15m ([pounds sterling]9.1m) worth of sales from the region--including the UK--over the next 12...

IT focus shifts from price to competitive advantage. (News).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Price has been a dominant feature of many customer discussions with the channel over the last few years, but manufacturers believe promotion of technical innovation and the use of IT as a competitive tool is becoming prevalent. The...

Improving existing equipment is top priority. (News).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... IT sales to the manufacturing sector have stabilised at 1998 levels amid predictions the market will grow this year. According to findings from Benchmark Research, IT spending was above the trend line between 1993 and 1998, before the...

PeopleSoft and Oracle reach stalemate. (News).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The battle between ERP giants PeopleSoft and Oracle over the latter's hostile bid for JD Edwards has reached stalemate as PeopleSoft's International Customer Advisory Board (ICAB) came out in support of the board of directors' rejection of the...

Becta dream tarnished by Dell threat. (News).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Reseller and system builder celebrations at being awarded three-year contracts to take part in the government's laptops for teachers initiative have been dampened by fears of a Dell-led price war. At the start of last summer, Becta handed...

Oracle hands olive branch to dealers. (News).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Oracle has held its hands up to poor partner relations in the past but has renewed its focus on the channel. With its Open Partner Network (OPN), Open Market Mode (OMM) and increased online training, Oracle is taking great pains to win back...

Bell quashes spin-off plan after probe. (News).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... After a review of its UK operations, Bell Microproducts has discarded a plan to spin off its software licensing business, though rivals believe it could be only a matter of time before the scheme is implemented. The company's vice...

ComputerLand run of fortune goes on. (News).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Reseller and service provider ComputerLand continued its remarkable run of results last week with a 46 per cent boom in turnover to [pounds sterling]54.8m. For the year to 30 April, pre-tax profits were also up by 147 per cent to [pounds...

GE Access hires Mangham. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... GE Access has appointed Mike Mangham as UK general manager. Former managing director of Syscap Computer Rentals, Mangham will work closely with Sun Microsystems to develop programmes and initiatives.

InTechnology buy gets the thumbs up. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Articon-Integralis AG shareholders have approved InTechnology's acquisition of Allasso. The deal will provide InTechnology with a platform of 7,000 resellers through which to sell storage, security and managed services into key European...

Dell says US economy could improve soon. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Dell chairman Michael Dell has claimed the US economy appeared to be stabilising and might even show some signs of improvement The comment could provide light at the end of the tunnel for the UK market, which traditionally lags six months...

Court delivers mixed outcome in Microsoft Java case. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... A US appeals court has overturned an injunction that would have required Microsoft to carry Sun Microsystems' Java software on its Windows operating system. But the court also said the software mammoth had infringed Sun's copyright and barred...

MoD chooses big names for big contract. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The Ministry of Defence has revealed the shortlist for a [pounds sterling]4bn, ten-year IT infrastructure project. Familiar names include Computacenter, EDS, Fujitsu, IBM and Hewlett-Packard, all in line to take a slice of one of Europe's...

Novell and IBM team up for Linux offering. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Novell has signed an agreement with IBM that will see Big Blue deliver Novell's line of Linux offerings, including its newly released Nterprise Linux Services, to its enterprise customers. Novell Nterprise Linux Services will initially be...

Corel cuts staff numbers to improve finances. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Corel has reduced its global workforce by 66 employees -- nine per cent -- in order to manage expenses relative to its revenue performance. The move came as the company reported a four per cent increase in revenues to $32.2m for the second...

Linux thrown at mid-market to break Windows: Karen Gomm reports on the major announcements and developments at Oracle AppsWorld in London. (Software).
July 1, 2003... Linux and the mid-market were at the heart of the strategy outlined by Oracle at last week's AppsWorld event in London. Recent legal wranglings with PeopleSoft were swept to one side as the vendor placed all its focus on new strategies. ...

SuSE Linux plans marketing campaign to distance itself from UnitedLinux. (Software).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... SuSE Linux is to embark on an awareness campaign to raise its profile in a bid to expand its distribution and reseller base. In a move designed to differentiate itself from the blanket term UnitedLinux, which is a standard for the open...

Extreme Networks aims to expand reseller base. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Extreme Networks is sticking with Westcon and Mayflex as distributors but seeking to recruit more resellers. "We'll look to bring a handful of resellers on this year--medium-sized systems integration companies. Were also working with Avaya to...

Belkin partner programme rolls into the UK. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Belkin is looking to roll out a formalised channel partner programme this year by extending a scheme currently running in Europe to the UK. "We plan on having a really good reseller programme," said Belkin channel manager Neill Hammond.

Launch pad for NetConnect SLA Monitoring service. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Trend Communications Network Services used the Networks for Business exhibition to launch its NetConnect SLA monitoring service. As users seek to upgrade their networks to voice and data services, the remote monitoring service will enable Trend...

HP lays claim to 3Com customers: Dominic Hall reports from last week's Networks for Business event in Birmingham. (Networking).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... HP Procurve believes its attempts to win market share from number two rival 3Com though a reseller-assisted trade-in scheme are paying off, with 70 per cent of the programme's replacements coming from 3Com kit Speaking to MicroScope at...

Walkabout. (Networking).
July 1, 2003... Once the 'must attend' annual event for the networking channel, the Networks for Business show--previously Networks Telecom--has been reducing in importance and size for the past few years. And judging by the first day of the 2003 show, the...

On a mission to win back channel confidence. (Interview).
July 1, 2003... Given the current level of dissent among Sun Microsystems resellers, the company's new head of channels could be forgiven for cowering in the corner at the next dealer conference. But Gary Nugent, iForce partner and mid-market sales...

64-bit PC processor launched. (In Brief).
July 1, 2003... Apple and IBM have jointly claimed to have introduced the worlds first 64-bit desktop processor, the PowerPC G5. Based on IBM's POWER architecture, the G5 processor has been optimised for personal computers and is at the heart of Apple's newly...

Intel updates Pentium 4. (In Brief).
July 1, 2003... Intel has unveiled the latest version of the Intel Pentium 4 processor with Hyper-Threading (HT) technology at 3.2GHz. Pentium 4 processor-based PCs and Intel Xeon-based servers with HT technology are to be made available across a range of...

Fujitsu Siemens unveils latest mobile computer. (In Brief).
July 1, 2003... Fujitsu Siemens is taking another step into the mobile world with the Pocket Loox 600 product, timed to coincide with the launch of Windows Mobile Software 2003 for the Pocket PC. The PC manufacturer has guaranteed that customers which buy the...

Channel 'struggles' to find and keep skilled staff. (Services).
July 1, 2003... The lack of specialist skills, poor quality applicants and inflexible pay are causing staff recruitment and retention problems in the channel. A survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) indicated the crisis...

Computacenter teams up with Sysao. (Services).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Computacenter has partnered with specialist Oracle consultancy Sysao to increase its services around the vendor's applications. The pair cemented their partnership at Oracle Apps World in London last week, with Computacenter revealing it...

Genesys stresses need for 'positive call centre experience. (Services).
July 1, 2003... Flexibility of service is king in the corporate call centre, according to Genesys Telecommunications, the software subsidiary of French telecoms giant Alcatel. Research commissioned by the company stressed the importance of a "positive...

Need for grey market not exclusive to villains. (Finance).
July 1, 2003... Judging by the vilification heaped on the grey market by vendors and their allies, you might be forgiven for viewing it as the villainous half-brother of the legitimate IT industry. Certainly, it appears to be blamed for all manner of ills...

The superhighway ahead is paved with choice. (The Knowledge: Broadband).(Industry Overview)
July 1, 2003... Next January marks the tenth anniversary of former US Vice President Al Gore's famous 'information superhighway' speech, in which he set out his vision of a world of seamlessly connected high-speed networks that would deliver information,...

VAT changes will hit easily caught innocent parties. (Comment).
July 1, 2003... I was delighted to learn that Customs & Excise has clamped down on the VAT-free credit card surcharge scam operated by major retailers. But I am less than happy with elements of the new law that enables C&E to collect unpaid VAT from almost...

The growth has to come from somewhere. (Editorial).(Industry Overview)
July 1, 2003... THE GROWTH HAS TO BE coming from somewhere. The home computer market remains downbeat and the corporate market is tough, so when a retailer claims to be experiencing growth it has to be at the expense of someone because there is quite simply no...

Freedom fighter. (Editorial).(Editorial)
July 1, 2003... Steve Shipside recounts Unisys' baffle to gain ownership of GIF and the subsequent and ultimately pointless efforts to create a successful alternative I originally joined the Lempel-Ziv-Welch (Dagenham South Brigade) under the illusion...

Message to resellers is 'keep IPT simple'. (Margin Makers--Convergence).(IP telephony products)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Despite growing sales of IP telephony products aimed at SME users, resellers have been warned to keep sales messages simple and avoid the temptation to sell an exhaustive list of features. Resellers specialising in IP telephony have...

'Soft solutions' the way ahead in telecoms. (Margin Makers--Convergence).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Visitors to the Oracle Apps World event in London last week might have expected to see a sea of software specialists, but there were also representatives of the convergence channel waving the flag for telephony servers. Speaking to...

Convergys completes Avaya employee services buy. (News in Brief).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Convergys Corporation has completed its acquisition of Avaya's global employee service operations providing expanded human resources support services to Avaya's 17,000 employees throughout North and South America, Europe, the Middle East,...

192 switch-off date. (News in Brief).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Following a wave of publicity about the change in the number for directory enquiries with the 118 numbers that have become available, Oftel has announced plans to end the 192 service on 24 August.

3G UMTS tests completed. (News in Brief).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... IPWireless has completed interoperability and co-existence testing between UMTS TDD (TD-CDMA) and UMTS FDD (WCDMA) networks at Nortel Networks wireless headquarters in Chateaufort, France. The test, completed during a trial of the IPWireless...

Avaya gets sporty. (News in Brief).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Avaya has provided the cabling infrastructure that unites 7,000 athletes, 30,000 volunteers and 1,500 media persons across 52 sites and 160 towns for the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games held in Ireland, which was opened by Nelson...

Fortinet adds Fresh Egg for white label service. (Margin Makers--Security).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Firewall vendor Fortinet is to launch a managed security service in tandem with distributor Fresh Egg NT to allow resellers to boost the scope of their services. The joint offering, which resellers can re-badge and sell as their own, is...

GFI updates e-mail filter to scan hidden threats. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... GFI has released GFI MailSecurity for Exchange/SMTP 8, an e-mail content security product that uses multiple anti-virus engines and content and attachment checking to scan incoming and outgoing e-mails for exploitation and attacks. Version 8...

IBM aims to increase safety of mobile working. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... IBM is offering new software and services for secure and seamless roaming across multiple types of wireless and wired networks. The software and solutions are designed to provide mobile workers with the highest level of secure access to...

WatchGuard reveals vision for intrusion prevention future. (Margin Makers--Security).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Intrusion prevention is a growing market that will be a key part of the future of protecting users from security breaches, according to Mark Stevens, senior vice president of network security and chief technology officer at WatchGuard. But...

3ware wins Ideal Hardware deal for SATA. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... 3ware has signed a distribution deal with Ideal Hardware covering its Escalade line of Serial ATA (SATA) and Parallel ATA RAID controllers throughout the UK, France, Belgium, Italy and Sweden.

Semiconductor market tipped for surge. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The worldwide storage connect semiconductor market is expected to grow nine per cent this year to reach $490m ([pounds sterling]306.2m) and post a 15 per cent compound annual growth rate to reach $906m by 2007, according to DC. Growth...

Acal FCS partners Nishan Systems to enter connectivity space. (Margin Makers--Storage).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Historically a components distributor, Acal FCS has quietly slipped into the storage space to become a major player in the connectivity market. After signing with US-based connectivity entrepreneur Nishan Systems (see MicroScope, 20 May),...

StorageTek to whittle down direct team. (Margin Makers--Storage).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... StorageTek has outlined plans to migrate 1,700 directly traded accounts to resellers within 18 months, after admitting its internal sales team did not offer the level of individual focus required. Around half of the vendor's sales are...

Driving the licence.(Industry Overview)
July 1, 2003... VENDORS ARE TRYING NEW AND INNOVATIVE LICENSING SCHEMES TO GENERATE MORE COMMITMENT FROM CHANNEL PARTNERS AND CUSTOMERS ALIKE. THE QUESTION IS, DO THEY BENEFIT RESELLERS? In a world where an increasing amount of value lies in intellectual...

Ideas factory.
July 1, 2003... WITH A DEDICATED CONSULTING ARM, DEALER TECTONIC HAS LAUNCHED A TWO-PRONGED ATRACK, USING ONE FIRM TO FIND SOLUTIONS AND THE OTHER TO FULFIL THEM. It is 12 years since John Hudson, managing director of Tectonic, walked out of his sales job...

From MicroScope July 1992. (Hindsights).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... "Whenever I see a high-profile ad campaign, I think the company must be up for sale" Ad agency SMI's Sarah de Heaume on Olivetti's [pounds sterling]500,000 ad campaign in the FT. The PC arm was later sold off. "Chinese walls or no...

Soap.
July 1, 2003... Speaking to a certain Etonian distribution contact last week, we discovered his links with nobility had reached new heights when he announced that he had attended Royal Ascot and seen the Queen. Assuming he meant as he sashayed past the...

Make a racket with SMC Networks: win a high-tech HEAD tennis racket and 802.11g wireless networking equipment.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... 54Mbps wireless networking is the latest and greatest in wireless communications technologies and is already creating a lot of noise. The IEEE 802.11g wireless standard achieves a performance five times superior than the 11Mbps 802.11b...

10 years ago.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Apple appears to be planning to sell direct to the education market in the face of falling margins. The market represents 30 per cent of UK turnover, but to keep it financially attractive the vendor starts to debate the cost of supporting the...

15 years ago.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Amstrad plans the launch of two new ranges--its first Micro Channel Architecture machines--as part of a restructure of its micro range. There are also plans to introduce a games PC under the brand 'Spectrum', which Amstrad had acquired a couple...

20 years ago.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Torch Computers launches its new range of machines while being engulfed in a cash crisis as its main backer, venture capital firm Newmarket, refuses to put more cash in if the present management remain. John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova...

Cisco facing grey market crisis: Exasperated partners call on vendor to take action as anger mounts over spiralling unauthorised product sales.
July 8, 2003... Distributors and resellers have called on Cisco to address the growing grey market for its products after a number of channel partners claimed the situation was getting out of control. The calls come as Sun Microsystems steps up its...

Bell CEO accuses broadliners of price game.(Don Bell of Bell Microproducts)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... Don Bell, president and CEO of Bell Microproducts, has accused broadline rivals Computer 2000 and Ingram Micro of prolonging a climate of aggressive price competition. Talking exclusively to MicroScope at Ideal's Think event last week,...

Computacenter team 'at risk'.(sales team restructuring)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... Computacenter has placed 26 senior systems engineers "at risk" while it restructures its internal sales teams. The move comes in the same week that chief executive Mike Norris told the City that weak spending had affected product sales and...

Businesses pin hopes on 2004 as year of recovery. (News).
July 8, 2003... The green shoots of recovery are beginning to emerge in the IT sector, with many in the industry predicting growth in 2004. The mood of renewed confidence backs up IDC's prediction that IT spending in Western Europe will pick up in most...

PeopleSoft and Oracle debate ongoing. (News).(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... The US Department of Justice has asked for more information on Oracle's tender for PeopleSoft as it considers whether the hostile takeover bid infringes antitrust regulations. The inquiry could mean PeopleSoft's acquisition of JD Edwards...

Sun raises reward for solution sales. (News).(Sun Microsystems)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... Sun Microsystems has reduced the level of marketing development funds (MDF) handed to resellers focusing on run-rate business, claiming it will better reward solution selling partners instead. The revelation might come as a blow to the...

Printer vendors accused of consumables skulduggery. (News).(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... Printer manufacturers have been criticised by research which claims they encourage premature consumable purchasing and obscure the lifetime costs of enterprise devices. Vendors operating in both the consumer and corporate spaces were...

Wstore creates W4tech division to focus on high-end services market. (News).(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... On-line corporate reseller Wstore is widening its focus to take in higher-end services sales leads through a newly formed division called W4tech. Headed up by group business development manager and French distribution industry veteran Eric...

Goal achieved. (News).(OpenPSL introduces high-end servers and storage)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... Following its appointment as an IBM distributor, OpenPSL has revealed another arrow in its pSeries server bow and will offer high-end servers and storage in the e-server range, writes Christopher Walton. The accreditation steps up...

HP adds peripheral and printer cover to Top Config. (News).(Hewlett-Packard marketing strategy)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... Hewlett-Packard is to extend its Top Config build-to-order programme to cover printers and peripherals. A spokesman at the vendor said the move would extend customer choice, but would not impede the standard distribution model. The...

Microsoft yet to comply with US DoJ provisions. (In Brief).(US Department of Justice antitrust provisions)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... The US Department of Justice has revealed that Microsoft has not yet fully complied with key provisions of the antitrust settlement with the US Government. The DoJ remained concerned about the price Microsoft planned to charge competitors to...

Siebel Systems expects Q2 revenues to exceed [pounds sterling]200m. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... Siebel Systems has predicted revenues for the second quarter to 30 June of between $330m ([pounds sterling]206m) and $334m, and licence revenues of about $110m.

Local authorities falling short of government IEG targets. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... A significant number of local authorities are not confident they will meet the government's 2005 targets for 100 per cent e-enablement of local services, according to Datamonitor. The survey revealed that 36 per cent of local authorities did...

European Parliament agrees to higher packaging targets. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... The European Parliament has voted in favour of changes to the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, which increases the collection and recycling targets. Recovery must now be between 50 and 60 per cent and recycling between 25 and 40 per...

IBM augments mid-market drive with double whammy. (Software).
July 8, 2003... IBM has outlined its aim to pursue an aggressive mid-market strategy with a product and partner programme double whammy. Following the recent surge of interest in this growth market, IBM has reasserted its commitment to the sector through...

Tech Ed Europe 2003 announcements. (Software).(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... Celebrating the tenth anniversary of the event, Microsoft made the following announcements at Tech Ed Europe 2003 in Barcelona: * A record number of products and specialised sessions adorned this year's event, while the focus was on...

Top ten most widespread malicious programs.(Illustration)
July 8, 2003... Top ten most widespread malicious programs in June 2003 I-Worm.Lentin 32.48% I-Worm.Klez 17.69% I-Worm.Tanatos 16.91% Others 16.88% I-Worm.Sobig 12.01% Macro.Word97.Saver 1.17%...

Omnetica in Manchester for 24/7 support. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... Omnetica has opened a Network Operation Centre in Manchester in response to increased demand from customers for managed services. Omnetica said it planned to use the centre to provide 24/7 network support, fault, performance and managed IPT and...

Extreme 'lowers' TCO with switching platform. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... Extreme Networks has launched a new switching platform which it claimed can lower total cost of ownership by offering ExtremeWare-based intelligent services at a lower price per port than rivals. The Summit 200 fixed configuration switch...

Easynet wins [pounds sterling]1m Web deal for schools. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... Broadband provider Easynet has won a [pounds sterling]1m contract with the Northern Grid for Learning to provide Internet services to 200 schools and colleges in the North-East of England. Easynet said it was awarded the contract because of the...

Trend and 3net team up for Nortel support. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... Trend Communications Network Services and 3net are partnering to support business-critical networks containing Nortel Networks' Alteon Content Networking Solutions. The partnership will provide the first UK-wide support service geared towards...

Planex denies distribution U-turn. (Networking).(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... Six months after its UK launch and insistence that it would build a reseller channel without the use of distribution, Japanese networking vendor Planex has inked a deal with Birmingham-based distributor Interface Solutions International (ISI)....

Questions raised over Networks show format. (Networking).(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... After three days of poor attendance figures and increasingly unhappy exhibitors, the organiser of the Networks for Business show admitted the event was unlikely to take place "in the same format" next year. A spokeswoman for event...

3Com to promote OfficeConnect through channel. (Networking).(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... Following the recent ratification of the 802.11g wireless standard by the IEEE, 3Com has promised to back up the launch of a range of OfficeConnect hot spot devices with a strong promotional channel push. Among the first fully compliant...

Top IGS partners keep lips sealed over guidelines. (Services).(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... IBM Global Services (IGS) unveiled the latest principles of engagement for its business partners to the glaring silence of the channel last week. Big Blue triumphed the guidelines for services partners--concerning demand generation,...

OpenPSL offer Assure 24 to beat off downtime costs. (Services).(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... Following the acquisition of service management specialist Clearwater-IT by distributor OpenPSL, both parties have wasted no time in bringing a managed services offering to their resellers. Speaking to a gathering of dealers, including...

BEA ups the partner services stakes. (Services).(Brief Article)
July 8, 2003... Application server software vendor BEA Systems continued to place its faith in partner services as the best route to market when it unveiled a flurry of new offerings in London last week. Despite BEA's insistence it would remain a software...