MicroScope articles from July 2007

MicroScope archives from July 2007

President, consultant, but ultimately a father.(05 Editorial)(GapAid charity set up by Ian French)(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... The name Ian French might conjure up all sorts of associations in your mind, ranging from European president in distribution to his current role as a consultant. But he is also a father and it is in that role that he has recently and painfully...

12 Soap.(Editorial)
July 2, 2007... www.weirdworld this week discovers that a mobile phone is a lethal weapon, wonders what Gordon Brown can do and is grateful (well, possibly) that channel personalities have some staying power Browned off Poor old Gordon Brown. He waits...

Great minds think alike.(Editorial)
July 2, 2007... There appears to be a mutual appreciation between computer pioneers Sir Clive Sinclair and Steve Wozniak Chris Bidmead Opinion What do Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and our own Sir Clive Sinclair have in common? Sinclair has been...

The IT matrix.(10 Features)
July 2, 2007... Virtualisation is here, and it is larger than life. Danny Bradbury examines its effect on channel partners Ever since accounting software for the PC emerged in the late 1980s the market for this type of software has seemed an attractive one...

01 News.(sales management of EMC Corp.)(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... EMC channel to benefit from commercial team additions EMC has introduced two more commercial sales teams that will be paid on partners' results, supporting resellers that may lack deep storage skills and helping to generate leads that will...

Tape still preferred back-up method for many.(01 News)(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... Despite the repetitive claims from some sectors of the industry that it is dying, the tape market continues to innovate to attract SME customers. The latest twist on the backaup theme is to reduce the human element of the archiving process...

01 News.
July 2, 2007... Briefs Firms want to go green, but are stopped by cost Thin client specialist Neoware has produced research that lists cost as one of the main hurdles stopping companies from going green with their IT infrastructure. The results show...

Debt timebomb ticking.(01 News)(business debts )
July 2, 2007... The fear of interest rate rises on growing debt could stall channel consolidation The looming spectre of interest rate rises could cause serious issues for resellers and integrators that are over-geared with a level of debt they cannot...

Microsoft distributors to stay put.(01 News)
July 2, 2007... Microsoft has refused to drop one volume distributor despite asking its three partners to jump through hoops for the past six months to determine which should hold on to the franchise. Keeping Computer 2000, Bell Micro and Ingram Micro in...

03 Networking.
July 2, 2007... Research highlights VoIP vulnerabilities Just when you thought it was safe to make calls using voice over IP, research from Sipera Systems has shown how vulnerable the service is to call hijacking, crashing and other attacks. The...

03 Networking.(MITEL Communication Solutions)(Interoute Telecommunications chosses Application Server from Digitalk Inc.)(Sony Ericsson expands market in India)
July 2, 2007... Mitel showcases changes to channel programme Unified communications specialist Mitel has unveiled product enhancements and showcased its revamped channel programme at its first Mitel Forum event. With close to 1,000 customers and partners...

Evesham sale negotiations drawing to a conclusion.(04 Hardware)(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... The chairman at Evesham Technology expects the sale of the business to be concluded at the end of the month by one of three potential acquirers currently locked in negotiations with the system builder. This will surprise few in the local...

Gartner report flags up sales opportunity in IM security market.(07 Security)
July 2, 2007... The adoption of instant messaging (IM) as part of the corporate communications infrastructure provides an opportunity for resellers to help customers sidestep some of the email woes they are experiencing, but they need to be aware of the...

07 Security.(Oracle Corp. learns significance of identity management)(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... Oracle raises identity management game A name that might not be too familiar to security resellers is Oracle, but the vendor is stepping up its attempts to become a well-known provider of identity management tools. Building on its...

TV first, furniture second.(09 Tech Traders)
July 2, 2007... Flat screen televisions are not only all the rage but, with the digital crossover coming, will become ever more popular as users that had not thought about it accept an upgrade is inevitable. The beauty of a flat screen is that the extra...

Here's the cavalry to fight wireless threats.(09 Tech Traders)(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... Keeping data safe is not a 'one-size-fits all' problem. Depending on your size of business, there might be a need to choose something tailor-made rather than hoping a large application will cover it. As a result, a product like the Check...

WStore protects customers from lax WEEE policies.(01 News)
July 2, 2007... Reseller refuses to trade with vendors unclear about recycling policy Online reseller WStore is taking a tough stance to ensure its customers will not be exposed to potential problems associated with the WEEE directive. The recycling...

Google sparks up distribution partnership with Ingram Micro.(01 News)
July 2, 2007... In what is the first such tie-up in industry history, internet search giant Google has recruited Ingram Micro to distribute its enterprise-focused Google Mini and Google Search Appliance across the broadliner's global network of over 165,000...

01 News.
July 2, 2007... The infrastructure and number of activities offered by NetPartnering, Hewlett-Packard's third party marketing services agency (MSA), has improved but some resellers report it remains less than perfect. Earlier this year, there was a mini...

Prosumers - uncharted territory ripe for resellers.(09 Tech Traders)
July 2, 2007... The channel understandably has a right to be cynical about the growth and development of the prosumer market because it is not a customer base they traditionally deal with. If they ever are going to then vendors will have to make a great...

GapAid sets out to help young travellers in trouble.(01 News)
July 2, 2007... From a personal tragedy comes a chance to help thousands of others exploring the globe On 24 March this year, life changed forever for Ian French, former European president of Bell Microproducts, when his daughter died in a coach crash in...

Esprinet announces plans to boost sales.(01 News)(international marketing of Esprinet SA )(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... Esprinet has its eyes on expanding in the western European market Detailed plans to acquire up to [euro]2.5bn ([pounds sterling]1.7bn) of sales in western Europe by 2009, outlined by Italian distributor Esprinet in a recent strategic...

Bell Micro added to Websense line-up.(01 News)
July 2, 2007... Filtering specialist Websense has appointed a third distributor in Bell Micro to support its push into the SME arena after identifying demand from smaller customers for productivity tools. On the back of its Express product launch, the...

01 News.
July 2, 2007... Microtronica to centralise Considerably later than arch-rival Avnet, Microtronica is centralising its European warehouse functions and will close the UK, German and Italian logistics centres, with redundancies expected. The...

A blast from the past.(01 News)
July 2, 2007... Twenty years ago Most of the hot air being generated over the Atlantic was around the non-existent operating system OS/2. A press conference in New York attended by Compaq, Microsoft and Ashton-Tate told an audience that whatever IBM did...

Resellers face potential trouble with SaaS model.(02 Software)
July 2, 2007... Resellers are in danger of being bypassed in the software as a service (SaaS) sales channel unless they can find a formula to make money in the new software model. The stark warning was issued by John Paterson, managing director of Really...

FSC aims for 20 in partner programme.(02 Software)
July 2, 2007... Fujitsu Siemens Computers (FSC) has launched a partner programme for independent software vendors (ISVs) to build a stack of vertical applications on its workstation and server platforms. FSC's aim is to recruit 20 partners by the end of...

Home data storage on a massive scale.(05 Editorial)
July 2, 2007... With the growing amount of data in the home, it is no wonder that storage specialists are looking at creating solutions for that market. There is a misnomer that CDs and DVDs are able to cope with it all. The reality is that some users are...

The argument is solid but will anyone listen?(05 Editorial)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... The track record of the industry in getting the Government to change its mind over potentially harmful legislation is not good. No matter how loud the moans were over the cutting of the HCI scheme, it was never reinstated, and so there is a...

12 Soap.
July 9, 2007... www.weirdworld this week watches the excitement caused by the launch of the iPhone with horror, wonders why old electrical waste starts to smell at night and goes searching for a ghost writer Crazy caller It has been a week dominated...

The greener picture.(10 Features)
July 9, 2007... Despite a raft of legislation governing the production and disposal of technology, Danny Bradbury discovers the industry is not in clover when it comes to adopting measures to take care of the environment You've got your high-density blade...

01 News.
July 9, 2007... Briefs Qurius completes Cedilla acquisition Acquisitive Netherlands-based Microsoft Dynamics consultancy Qurius, which picked up Dynamics AX integrator Watermark last year, has finalised the acquisition of Bury-based Dynamics NAV ISV...

Illustrating the benefits of CRM.(09 Tech Traders)
July 9, 2007... One of the simplest ways of showing someone what a CRM application is like is to send them something similar that they might understand. As a result of some creative thinking by someone in PR, a copy of the family tree making PC program Who...

Mapping out sales opportunities.(09 Tech Traders)
July 9, 2007... The idea of using a device that takes advantage of satellite tracking and mapping technology to guide you to your destination is accepted as one of the most desirable ways to get travel information. But in the vast majority of cases the...

Sit back and enjoy the main act.(09 Tech Traders)
July 9, 2007... With the rise of high-definition broadcasting and the explosion of LCD and plasma TV sales, many people have forgotten the product that used to be the mainstay of the big screen enthusiast - the home cinema projector. The XEED range of...

The bigger picture.(09 Tech Traders)
July 9, 2007... With the increase in quality of digital cameras and the inexorable rise of the megapixel count, more and more users are able to reproduce their photos in increasingly large sizes. The Epson R1800 is a photo-quality printer capable of...

Beating user expectations.(09 Tech Traders)
July 9, 2007... The onward march of laptop technology continues to bring ever increasing power and performance to mobile computing - combine this with a very competitive market and there's never been a better time to buy a notebook. The Toshiba Satellite...

Solid state history in the making?(09 Tech Traders)
July 9, 2007... In 1956, IBM created the world's first hard disk - a huge contraption with a storage capacity of 5MB - and although hard drives didn't enter general use in desktop computers until Seagate released the first 5.25in model in 1980 the hard drive...

Kyocera complains to ASA over HP adverts.(01 News)
July 9, 2007... Colour printer advertising campaign under fire for being misleading Kyocera has moved quickly to take Hewlett-Packard to task for making what it claims are misleading statements in the vendor's latest advertising campaign for its colour...

The fight goes on.(01 News)(Independent Trade Association of Computing Specialists meet Department of Trade and Industry)
July 9, 2007... ITACS meets with the DTI to request changes to structure of WEEE disposal costs There are some encouraging signs that campaigns in the channel aiming to redress the unfair charges associated with handling recycled products under the WEEE...

01 News.
July 9, 2007... Bell bids farewell to loyal manager Alex Tatham Bell Micro has shaken up its management team dramatically after announcing that UK commercial director Alex Tatham is to leave the distributor next month. Joining the firm as European...

Quad-core battle stations.(04 Hardware)
July 9, 2007... AMD has begun the process of trying to claw back market share for its Opteron CPU family with the announcement that quad-core processors, codenamed Barcelona, will begin shipping next month. But while the announcement was widely viewed as...

Panda shifts focus to enterprise arena.(07 Security)
July 9, 2007... Security software specialist Panda Software is on the hunt for large systems integrators and corporate resellers as it prepares to mount a concerted attack on the enterprise market. The vendor has unveiled plans to increase its global...

07 Security.(Double-Take Software)(Yosemite Software)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... Double-Take and Yosemite team up to fill portfolio gaps In a move that indicates there is still an appetite in the channel for partnership as well as acquisition, Double-Take Software has formed an alliance with Yosemite Software. The...

08 Storage.(computer storage devices market)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... Further fuel for the fire in tape versus storage debate The continuing war of words between disk and tape vendors has been fuelled by evidence of user habits in the financial services market. Vendors selling both technologies find it...

Doubts surround the virtues of virtualisation.(04 Hardware)(Acopia Networks Inc.)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... There have been mixed signals around virtualisation in the channel, with some doubting the levels of customer uptake and others boasting of expanding markets. Armed with the opinions of IDC, Acopia Networks is the latest to encourage the...

Microsoft to replicate Irish dealer development programme in UK.(01 News)
July 9, 2007... A two-year partner sales and development programme developed by Microsoft Ireland which has been enthusiastically received by Irish resellers is to be launched in the UK. The scheme, introduced by Microsoft Ireland in November following...

2e2 sets ambitious new target.(01 News)(Compel Group PLC)(2e2 Group PLC)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... Despite hoovering up 13 businesses in five years, acquisitive integrator 2e2 has spotted holes in its portfolio and plans to buy up skills in the application development and data centre hosting arenas. The Newbury-based company surpassed...

Mobile working benefits must be communicated.(01 News)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... Resellers have a role to play in educating SMEs about home working The chances of the teleworking market becoming a significant revenue stream for the channel appear to be under threat as SMEs continue to distrust the concept and the...

SCH signs UK distribution deal with Vizioncore.(01 News)(SCH Technologies)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... Virtualisation and business continuity software specialist Vizioncore has appointed SCH as its UK distribution partner as it reacts to growth in the market. Phil King, enterprise development manager at SCH, said the growth was primarily...

01 News.
July 9, 2007... Briefs Dell stock gets stay of execution Dell has revealed that its conditional listing on NASDAQ has been extended to 16 July to allow the company extra time to file its delinquent periodic reports. The direct-selling giant is...

Code row highlights intense competition.(01 News)
July 9, 2007... SAP admits that its subsidiary downloaded code from rival Oracle The level of competition in the business intelligence market has been revealed after SAP was forced to admit that one of its subsidiaries downloaded code from Oracle. The...

C2000 takes on Samsung notebooks.(01 News)
July 9, 2007... Computer 2000 will distribute Samsung's full range of notebooks as the Korean vendor tries to build its SME business. This appointment is in line with Samsung's strategy to work with the same distributors across its three product divisions,...

UK is gateway to Europe for US software firms.(02 Software)
July 9, 2007... The UK remains the most popular destination for US software firms seeking to invest in European operations, with more than half of all software investment into the country coming from across the Atlantic. The software sector also received...

Bell deal arms Netgear with enterprise clout.(03 Networking)
July 9, 2007... Networking vendor Netgear has signed Bell Micro to its list of British distributors to try to aid its ambitions for growth in the enterprise arena. Bell networking boss Ed Callacher revealed that for now the agreement only covered the UK,...

03 Networking.
July 9, 2007... Channel has suspicions about timing of Mitel lawsuit against ShoreTel Canadian unified IP communications vendor Mitel is to sue rival ShoreTel over alleged infringement of four US patents, the company has revealed. But Mitel's motives...

03 Networking.
July 9, 2007... Motorola builds open source consortium Communications giant Motorola has announced the formation of an industry-wide consortium to manage development of its OpenSAF open source project, designed to create a high-availability operating...

France says non to BlackBerry.(05 Editorial)
July 9, 2007... The French government's decision to ban its officials from using the PDA might seem like paranoia, but it may just have a point Steve Shipside Opinion C'est la guerre." Whenever Frenchmen issue those immortal words, they draw...

A motherboard that shows some real class.(09 Tech Traders)(XFX)
July 16, 2007... It is always interesting when you get the chance to see more than one product from a manufacturer's range because it provides a chance to see if those claims of a wide portfolio are really true. Most vendors have a flagship product that...

A product without the right channel strategy.(05 Editorial)(Editorial)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... When Dell first indicated its intention to become more channel friendly the entire market sat forward and eagerly awaited evidence of that starting to happen. But those hoping the vendor would come out shouting about its involvement with...

12 Soap.
July 16, 2007... www.weirdworld this week can't work out what the thinking behind the Klingon keyboard was, cheers on the Tour de France riders and wonders what the contents of channel diaries might be Kling on to the joke It must be madness but Cherry...

Anyone smell a rat?(05 Editorial)
July 16, 2007... Six months ago, three Microsoft distributors began the fight to keep their accreditation. Now they're all winners Billy MacInnes Opinion Okay. Let me get this straight. Microsoft told its three volume distributors in the UK last year...

Changing dynamics.(10 Features)
July 16, 2007... With SMEs now fully aware of the cost benefits of VoIP and the time-saving potential of converged communications, and vendors tailoring their approach to this lucrative sector, resellers are well placed to step in and offer their services....

Jumping through MDF hoops.(01 News)(marketing development funds)
July 16, 2007... Time-consuming administration of marketing development funds could provoke a backlash Resellers are faced with complex and inconsistent processes for approving and claiming a shrinking pot of marketing development funds (MDF) as vendors...

Oracle delivers fused message to partners.(02 Software)
July 16, 2007... Oracle has shared details of its project Fusion to highlight the steps it has taken to ensure the numerous products it has picked up through acquisition work together. The vendor has launched Fusion middleware and made sure that its...

Channel role fudged.(01 News)(Dell Inc. launches Vostro)
July 16, 2007... Dell misses Vostro launch opportunity to promote partnerships with UK resellers With all eyes on Dell as it starts to put together its channel strategy the global launch of its Vostro SME desktop and laptop range has been seen by many as a...

01 News.
July 16, 2007... Microsoft calls to voice resellers Microsoft used its partner conference in Denver as a platform to outline its channel expansion plans to raise its profile in the voice market. With keynotes from CEO Steve Ballmer outlining the...

01 News.(Evesham technology concluding its future)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... Evesham technology is on the brink of concluding its future with an announcement expected in the next couple of days. Chairman Richard Austin said he was unable to reveal any sale details because non-disclosure agreements had been signed,...

Brother drops OEM engines from its colour laser lines.(04 Hardware)(original equipment manufacturers)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... Brother has ended its policy of using OEM engines in its colour laser printers to improve the performance and quality in products aimed at the corporate market. Phil Jones, head of UK marketing at Brother, said the company had designed its...

04 Hardware.(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... Hardware sales grow but dropping prices check value The first half of the year has seen significant growth in hardware unit sales, but with average sale prices (ASPs) continuing to drop there is more pressure on resellers to keep running to...

Data breach directive forces security issues.(07 Security)
July 16, 2007... Momentum is gathering around a European directive to force companies to reveal data breaches providing the channel with an opportunity to exploit fears of brand damage among customers. The EU is expected to agree on a directive later this...

07 Security.(Magirus UK signed with AEP Networks and Yoggie Security Systems)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... Magirus adds to portfolio Magirus has revealed it has a target of around 100 resellers for its fledgling security division as it added two more vendors to the roster and said it was negotiating with several more. The security division,...

08 Storage.(Lenovo Group Ltd. offers helping hand in quest for secure data disposal)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... Lenovo offers helping hand in quest for secure data disposal With all of the current focus on identity theft and data leakage Lenovo has announced plans to help users wipe the data from old PCs. The recent experience of one London...

EMC makes Headway in software delivery.(08 Storage)
July 16, 2007... EMC's ambitions to strengthen the software side of its business have led it to expand its distribution agreement with document management specialist Headway Technology to cover the vendor's complete content management suite. Although it is...

Interest rate increase sees resellers folding.(01 News)
July 16, 2007... Creditors' meetings convened as Bank of England precipitates crisis The latest interest rate increase is likely to claim channel victims already stretched to the limits with their finances. The most recent interest rate rise, taking...

Councils get WEEE assistance as costs start to become clear.(01 News)(waste electronic and electrical equipment)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... The Government has made moves to compensate councils that lose out on handling WEEE equipment but there are no signs so far that similar moves might be made to compensate other players in the process including resellers. Real Time...

Distributor lands second Samsung deal.(01 News)
July 16, 2007... Barely a week after Computer 2000 revealed it was inking a deal with Samsung to distribute its notebooks in the UK, the company has signed up to handle Samsung's UK printer operation. Samsung has made no secret of the fact that it wants to...

Big name boost for security market.(01 News)
July 16, 2007... Google aims to boost email security with $625m purchase of Postini The continuing expansion of Google has seen the internet giant move into the security market through its acquisition of Postini, with "business as usual" the message to the...

01 News.
July 16, 2007... Changes and profits announced across the channel A mixed week on the financial front included provisions for charges as well as some indications that the market was continuing to prove a struggle for those at the top end of the reseller...

01 News.(briefs)(Pegasus Inc.)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... VoiceSage channel gains UK manager Interactive messaging services provider VoiceSage has appointed ex-Digital Express man and former sales manager at Ideal Hardware, Martin Williams, as UK channel manager. He will take responsibility for...

Vista success in doubt as moves are made to drop it.(02 Software)
July 16, 2007... Dell's highly publicised move away from Vista has raised some concerns that the progress of the Microsoft software is stalling. Earlier this year, distributors sent back some of their Vista product allowance amid disappointing sales...

01 News.(briefs)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... Akamai logs success of LiveEarth gigs Web content acceleration services provider Akamai fired up its global computing platform of over 25,000 servers, providing a massive onaCedemand net infrastructure to support booming traffic to the...

Nortel LAN plans considered a threat to Trapeze business.(03 Networking)
July 16, 2007... Amid the excitement surrounding Nortel's recent announcement of its vision for the 'Unwired Enterprise' and revelations that the Canadian networking giant intends to start producing its own portfolio of wireless LAN products in line with the...

03 Networking.
July 16, 2007... UC doing well in the popularity stakes When it comes to adding value around unified communications (UC) it appears resellers should concentrate on making sure they can deliver a quick response to any problems. A poll of UK business...