MicroScope articles from June 2002

MicroScope archives from June 2002

Titanic price hikes leave vendors all at sea: announcement of 40 per cent price rise by sea freight carriers sours forecast of improvement in trading conditions.
June 4, 2002... The industry swallowed a bitter-sweet pill last week when it emerged sea freight carriers were raising prices by 35 to 40 per cent in anticipation of a fourth quarter boom. Although the channel will have been boosted by news that trading...

BDO Stoy Hayward leads hunt for Dan buyer.(Dan Technology)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... Dan Technology has brought in BDO Stoy Hayward to find a buyer for the company, only four months after it was saved from receivership by a [pounds sterling]2.5m cash injection. But there was scepticism last week over whether BDO would...

HP sales falling, say dealers.(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... Resellers are reporting falling sales of Hewlett-Packard products as users look to alternative vendors following enforced changes to product lines. One London-based reseller said more of his customers were using Dell because they resented...

Most users 'still confused' by changes to Microsoft licences. (News).(WStore's survey)
June 4, 2002... As the 31 July deadline for customers to upgrade their Microsoft licences looms, research has revealed that 61 per cent of users are still uncertain about what they need to do. Under the changes to Microsoft's licensing programme, users...

Demand grows for vertical market resellers. (News).
June 4, 2002... Dealers operating in vertical market sectors are increasingly in demand, with NEC becoming the latest manufacturer to place emphasis on working with partners that have specialist knowledge. The Japanese vendor follows hot on the heels of...

Unstable CPU market faces up to turbulent future. (News).(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... The volatile nature of CPU sales has prompted distributors to warn of a tough summer ahead for the system builder community. "The market for processors has gone seriously downhill," said Sukh Rayat, vice president and managing director for...

Integralis drops security scheme. (News).(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... Systems integrator and security specialist Integralis has abandoned a two-and-a-half-year-old scheme to sell managed security services though the channel via its Activis division. Integralis is one of the largest security suppliers in...

Sage and SquareSum attack Microsoft takeover of Navision. (News).(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... Microsoft's acquisition of Danish firm Navision has come under scrutiny after Sage reported the move to the European competition authorities citing fears it would dominate the SME market. Sage has informed the Competition Agency that the...

Red Hat missing from UnitedLinux initiative. (News).(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... Red Hat was a notable absentee from the line-up of Linux vendors teaming up to create a uniform version of the operating system. Caldera, Conectiva, SuSE and TurboLinux have launched UnitedLinux, designed to unify development and...

Kelido reports profit rise. (In Brief).(year ended Dec 31, 2001)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... Westcoast parent company Kelido reported a big rise in profitability in 2001, but at the expense of a 15 per cent fall in turnover. Pre-tax profits at Kelido for the year ending 31 December 2001 rose 134 per cent to nearly [pounds...

Peregrine axes KPMG. (In Brief).(Peregrine Systems)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... Peregrine Systems has axed KPMG as auditor claiming some of its $100m ([pounds sterling]71. .4m) restated results were linked to transactions with the accounting firm and its former consulting division. The vendor claimed about $35m of...

Kewill sells division to Exact. (In Brief).(Kewill Systems)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... Kewill Systems has signed an agreement to sell its ERP division to Dutch accountancy vendor Exact for [pounds sterling]13m. At the same time, Kewill reported a 29 per cent drop in revenues to [pounds sterling]48.1 m in the year to 31 March....

MS in talks to settle results. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... Microsoft is in talks with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to settle the allegation the software giant misrepresented its results, according to US sources. The SEC is investigating whether Microsoft set aside reserves so it could...

Business Object settles with Cognos. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... Business intelligence vendor Business Objects has received $24m following the resolution of its patent infringement lawsuit against rival Cognos. Business Objects had patented the relational database technology, which lets users more easily...

It was 20 years ago today. (News).
June 4, 2002... 29 May -- For the first time since 1531 and Henry Vlll's schism with the Catholic church, the Pope visits the UK; British troops win first land battle of the Falklands at Gorse Green; House of Fun by Madness is number one, Adam Ant is number...

Speech recognition cowers in the shadow of false hype. (Software).(Webster Buchannan analysis)
June 4, 2002... The speech recognition software market has declined dramatically over the last year, with 2001 high profile downfall of Lernout and Hauspie undoubtedly casting a shadow over the future of the speech and language technology sector. Packaged...

Embarcadero Europe names new vice president. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... Embarcadero Technologies, provider of application and database lifecycle management, has appointed Robert Oliphant as vice president of Embarcadero Europe with responsibilities in Emea, Australia and New Zealand. Prior to joining Embarcadero,...

RiverSoft wins DSLi contract. (In Brief).
June 4, 2002... RiverSoft has won a contract to provide network management software to DSLi, US provider of converged network services. DSLi has invested in version 3.1 cf RiverSoft's software.

Oracle releases CRM tool 'to improve' asset management. (In Brief).(Oracle Lease Management)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 4, 2002... Oracle has launched a customer relationship management (CRM) application within its e-business suite, aimed at enabling companies to track their assets more effectively. Oracle Lease Management is claimed to provide companies with the means to...

Sybase update: vendor continues vertical aim. (Software).
June 4, 2002... Last year, Sybase began to move away from its country organisation into units based on vertical specialisation in a bid to build communities of partners, writes Roanna Avison. While admitting the database vendor was well on the way to...

Level 3 to merge acquired resellers into distributor arm. (Software).(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... Corporate resellers Software Spectrum and Corporate Software face the prospect of becoming a merged electronic software distributor. Level 3 has acquired Corporate Software and is waiting for shareholder approval to complete its takeover of...

Ericsson set to cut ties with data channel. (Networking).
June 4, 2002... Ericsson is believed to be preparing an about-face in its networking channel strategy through the closure of its remote access and internetworking products unit in the US. The Santa Barbara-based division, formed through Ericsson's $285m...

D-Link reaffirms channel commitment. (Networking).
June 4, 2002... D -Link has pledged that an increase in its support and services capabilities will not infringe on reseller business. The company is to increase the size and operating hours of its inhouse technical support team in a move to boost its...

QLogic to increase routes to market for Cisco. (Software).(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... Warnings have been sounded to rivals in the storage networking market that an alliance with host adapter specialist QLogic will allow networking giant Cisco to increase its routes to market. The vendors recently formed an alliance involving...

Cisco announces flaws. (Security Update).(security flaws in its 7910, 7940 and 7960 IP phones)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... Cisco has announced security flaws in its 7910, 7940 and 7960 IP phones. One problem allows unauthorised modification of the phones' configuration, while others cause the phones to restart when certain network traffic is received. The company...

Worm affects Microsoft. (Security Update).(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... Internet Security Systems has identified a worm affecting Microsoft SQL servers. The worm adds a temporary account to the local group administrator's list and then executes a Java Script using a third party e-mail program which sends a password...

Microsoft issues alert. (Security Update).(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... Microsoft has issued an alert about an authentication flaw in a Windows debugging tool that could allow an attacker to gain control of a system.

Swivel signs with Sandford Technology. (Security Update).(Swivel Technologies )(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... US security vendor Swivel Technologies Ltd has signed a co-marketing agreement with Leeds-based Sandford Technology for its digital authentication systems.

Unified Networks adds Perebit and Extreme to roster.
June 4, 2002... Berkshire-based networking reseller Unified Networks has abandoned its dedicated Nortel focus to begin relationships with optimisation vendor Perebit and Extreme Networks. Technical director Johnny Rollett told MicroScope that the company...

Intel cuts Pentium price to curb desktop demand. (Hardware).
June 4, 2002... Industry figures have stressed Intel is seeking to curb the number of desktop processors used in notebooks by slashing the prices of Pentium 4 mobiles by as much as 53 per cent. There had been reluctance among the system builder community...

New HP tells resellers to bring it On in Birmingham. (Hardware).(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... The first channel storage event to be held by the recently merged Hewlett-Packard and Compaq will see 160 resellers attend Bring It On in Birmingham next week. Staged in conjunction with Ideal Enterprise Solutions, the day will allow the...

Dealers 'need education'. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... Storage resellers have a critical need for more education from manufacturers about the benefits of storage products and the roadmap for future technologies, according to attendees of a seminar held by StorCase Technology. Two-thirds of...

Tech Data gets European contract with HP. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... Tech Data Europe has signed a pan-European distribution agreement with HewlettPackard for the company's full range of large format media Tech Data claims the deal will enable it to use its centralised distribution operations to increase...

Corporate shift creates anger among Teco distributors.(Teco Electric and Machinery Co)
June 4, 2002... There was uproar among Teco distributors last week after the Taiwanese monitor manufacturer diluted its 100 per cent channel model with the formation of a direct sales unit to target the corporate sector. The vendor's products sit in the...

Comment: Healthy competition?(Hewlett-Packard decides to continue Compaq's relationship to buy mid-range tape automation products)
June 4, 2002... The boardroom at Overland Data must have cracked open the champagne following Hewlett-Packard's decision to continue Compaq's relationship to buy mid-range tape automation products. But the move led to confusion among various industry...

Xansa appoints male chief for first time in 40 years. (Services).(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... A former cement manufacturer executive has become the first male boss in Xansa's 40-year history. A spokeswoman said the fact that the last three executives had all been women was not intentional: "We've always picked the best person for...

Digital River strikes deal with Tucows. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... E-commerce site outsourcer Digital River has signed a deal to host and manage online operations for Tucows, which sells software and provides Internet services to ISPs and Web hosters. Digital River will manage product fulfilment, customer...

Ettling replaces Headland. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... The former director of the EDS central Europe BPO division, Michael Ettling, has been appointed as UK and Ireland managing director at Synstar. He replaces Keith Headland, who has been appointed managing director for strategic accounts.

Stairway2.com redesigns site. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... Manchester-based IT recruitment specialist Stairway2.com has redesigned its recruitment site to let employers search for the right employee and arrange interviews.

Parity launches hotline. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... Parity has launched an online and free hotline with information to consultants on training courses and up-to-the-minute reviews on markets.

Synstar and Fujitsu Services settle. (Services).(Brief Article)
June 4, 2002... Fujitsu Services and Synstar have kissed and made up after a long-running legal dispute, which Synstar admits threatened to drain both companies' financial resources. Synstar chief executive Steve Vaughan said the case against Fujitsu...

Resellers look for solution to technical support. (Analysis).
June 4, 2002... Ingram Micro's decision to close its technical support department last week raises some interesting issues. Following the closure, a token post-sales support service will be offered, but most of the department will be moved into solution...

Turbulent RM promises aggressive comeback. (Finance).
June 4, 2002... The last six months have been extremely turbulent for RM. Its share price took a tumble and it appointed a new chief executive who implemented changes and axed 99 staff. Tim Pearson joined KM in February and launched a strategic review of...

Appreciating the value of an all too common turn of phrase. (Comment: Billy's Banter).(Column)
June 4, 2002... With terms such as "value add" being bandied about so freely, have we come to the point where the word 'value" creates a Pavlovian response in us and, if so, should we scrutinise its meaning more closely? I don't know whether anyone else...

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse. (Editorial).(Far East suppliers' plans to increase sea freight charges)(Editorial)
June 4, 2002... THINGS ARE NEVER EASY IN the IT industry. Just when you think things can't get any worse, they invariably do. There's no doubt that the IT world has been going through a very rough patch indeed for quite some time and has been suffering the...

Who's a little clever Cog? Caroline Bassett is impressed with the robotic advances emerging from MIT. Unlike people, machines seem to be able to gain intelligence with each generation. (Editorial).(Editorial)
June 4, 2002... "There is no lower limit to what people will do," says Rodney Brooks, professor of computer science and engineering at MIT referring to the increasingly popular practice among humans of injecting a paralysing chemical into the forehead in the...

Stretching the tape. (Tape Storage).
June 4, 2002... Last month included a very special date for those in the tape industry. Not quite overshadowing the forthcoming gold-tinged celebrations, there were a few remembering 21 May 1952, when IBM launched the first tape drive offering 1.4Mb. Far...

Reaching fever pitch: everyone knows the old adage -- if you can't beat them -- join them -- and that's the attitude most employers appear to be adopting by making provisions for staff to down tools and watch the World Cup. (World Cup).
June 4, 2002... This Friday most of the nation will grind to a halt around midday as people head towards the nearest television to try to catch England's World Cup game against Argentina. No doubt there will be a number of stories about firms being mean...

On the up: it's been a tough time for resellers over the past year, so when Weald Computers announced a rather healthy increase in its business many were left wondering what the secret of its success was. (Meet the Reseller).
June 4, 2002... In a year when many resellers have been struggling to stay afloat, a 60 per cent increase in business may seem a little unusual. But this is exactly what Burgess Hill-based Weald Computers has achieved. And the reason, according to...

MicroScope World Cup challenge: in association with Allasso. (Fantasy Football).
June 4, 2002... Owen with your OJ? Beckham with your Bran-Flakes? Totti with your toast? Wake up to the World Cup this summer with MicroScope, Allasso and Fantasy League[R]. With the World Cup just around the corner, it's time to start...

The amp goes all the way to 11, man! Mike Starkings, managing director, SquareSum plc. (5 Minute Interview).(Interview)
June 4, 2002... What have you got in your pockets? A handkerchief, a [pounds sterling]10 note and a plectrum. Who would you most like to have a date with? If not my wife, then Joanna Lumley. What most annoys you? Unreliability. How...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
June 4, 2002... Navision takeover creates confusion Microsoft's takeover of Navision has created one of the biggest areas of confusion to hit the IT software industry for some while. This is an organisation that has predicated its business on...

Agenda.
June 4, 2002... JUNE 5-7 June Storage Networking World Eurostorage Noga Hilton Cannes France www.snweurope.com +33 497 06 36 67 10-11 June Application Integration Rome Italy www3.gartner.com/events ...

Soap.
June 4, 2002... You may not be aware of this but the Y latest furore over the air traffic control centre at Swanwick -- the numbers and letters are so small on the screen that air traffic controllers can't distinguish between a six and a nine or a zero and an...

At the Margins: the soap opera for the IT channel. (Sponsored by Hammer).
June 4, 2002... Grant Hacker-Pryke has been badly affected by his ordeal at the hands of aliens in Slough. Jeff Coulter and Dennis Doors are still on one of the wrong sides of the space/time continuum. Now read on... Grant Hacker-Pryke was not a happy man....

Hindsights: from MicroScope June 1996.
June 4, 2002... "Free means free... It's free -- truly free. [BUT] if you want to pay us we'll take your money" So, Microsoft's pretty clear on its Explorer pricing strategy then, Brad Silverberg? "Turnover was unable to cover costs" The simple...

US refused to support HP deal with ABK: Hewlett-Packard UK's pledge of up to [pounds sterling]20m funding for Education Rewards laptop scheme was overturned by parent.
June 11, 2002... Hewlett-Packard UK is being left to pick up the bill for a disastrous [pounds sterling]2.6m foray into education laptop leasing after failing to secure support for the venture from its US parent company. A member of HP's business...

Stop press.(Brief Article)
June 11, 2002... Time appeared to be running out an reseller Corporate IT's CVA last week after it appointed accountancy firm The Kelmanson Partnership. Insolvency practitioner Elias Paourou told MicroScope: "The directors can't see enough sales being...

Sphinx CST 'unaffected' by walkout.
June 11, 2002... SphinxCST's security distribution division has come under fire after regional sales manager Nigel Spencer and four telesales staff walked out last week. The move comes just a month after Sphinx lost its Check Point distribution rights to...

Worst of redundancies may be over for the time being. (News).(IT industry)
June 11, 2002... Redundancies in the IT sector appear to be stabilising, following a survey on redundancy workplace attitudes by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD). 'Best of A Bad Job' surveyed a cross-section of 563 organisations and...

Partnership aims to position Red Hat as enterprise industry leader for Linux OS. (News).(Brief Article)
June 11, 2002... Oracle, Red Hat and Dell have joined forces to offer their own uniform version of the Linux operating system to the burgeoning enterprise market. The move, following hot on the heels of the UnitedLinux launch last week by Caldera,...

Deals.(Brief Article)(Buyers Guide)
June 11, 2002... Deals Deal Vendor Price Free 32Mb memory card Kodak [pounds sterling]135 Home cinema Fujitsu/Pioneer [pounds sterling]3,090 Education bundles NEC [pounds...

HP launches massive SME campaign. (News).
June 11, 2002... The new Hewlett-Packard is embarking on the biggest ever lead, generation and brand awareness campaign targeted at the SME community in the UK this week. The push, which is to run until the end of the month, will see advertisements placed...

Dan directors 'paid over the odds' to settle debts. (News).(Dan Technology executives accused of financial mismanagement)
June 11, 2002... A director of Dan Technology -- which was finally placed into receivership last week -- has dismissed accusations that it has ring-fenced assets, including the assembler's North London headquarters. As reported in MicroScope last week,...

The time to act is now, warns Plimsoll. (News).
June 11, 2002... One in four hardware companies have been placed in the 'danger' financial rating by analyst firm Plimsoll Publishing, which has warned them to cut costs, consolidate, review franchises or risk going out of business within two years. The...

SAP looks again at smaller customers. (News).(Introduces SAP Business One enterprise resource planning application)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 11, 2002... SAP has again turned its attentions to the SME market with the launch of the SAP Business One ERP system. The German vendor has attempted to grab a chunk of the SME space before with a scaled down version of its ERP system and the creation...

CRT loses two senior directors. (News).(ORT management shakeup)(Brief Article)
June 11, 2002... The sales and managing directors of Basingstoke-based distributor ORT have left the company, amid suggestions that the departures herald a shake-up at the company. Andy Read, CRT marketing director, confirmed sales director Geoff Deness...

Watson takes on role as group director of enterprise services. (In Brief).(Microsoft)(Brief Article)
June 11, 2002... Microsoft has appointed Andy Watson as group director of enterprise services in the UK. At the same time, the vendor has extended its services offerings to boost its ability to cater for critical systems, security and developers.

Marimba strengthens push into French market. (In Brief).(Morse France to market Marimba's change and configuration management systems)(Brief Article)
June 11, 2002... Marimba has signed a deal with Morse France. Under the terms of the agreement, Morse will offer Marimba's portfolio of change and configuration management systems in northern Europe. The move is part of Marimba's push into the French market and...

Burns quits job at KMS. (In Brief).(Knowledge Management Software executive)(Brief Article)
June 11, 2002... David Burns, chief technical officer at Knowledge Management Software, has quit the company. In a statement, KMS said Burns was stepping down from the board to pursue other interests, one of which could include him making an offer for the...

KPNQwest staff jobless after failure to find buyer. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 11, 2002... Employees of bankrupt Internet firm KPNQwest occupied offices across Europe last week as it ran out of money. The business had until 4pm last Thursday to find a buyer, but failed to do so and had to ask staff to leave.

Dismal results for Merant. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 11, 2002... Merant reported a 15.5 per cent drop in revenues to [pounds sterling]30.3m in the fourth quarter to 30 April as pre-tax losses spiralled from [pounds sterling]9.8m to [pounds sterling]24.1m. For the full year, losses increased from [pounds...

It was 20 years ago today.(Brief Article)
June 11, 2002... 5 June -- Sophia Loren is released from prison 6 June -- Israel launches major invasion of Lebanon 8 June -- Reagan becomes the first US president to address a joint session of parliament 9 June -- 20p coin arrives 10 June --...

Progress partnership model will extend ISV reach: Simon Quicke reports on the latest developments at the Progress Software Exchange 2002 conference in Chicago. (Software).
June 11, 2002... The rules of a user conference seem simple -- praise the vendor hosting the event, talk endlessly about its products, and at every opportunity attack the competition. All of those requirements were on display at the Exchange 2002...

Top ten viruses for May.(Brief Article)
June 11, 2002... Top ten viruses for May 1 I-Worm.Klez 96.49% 2 Win95.CIH 0.84% 3 I-Worm.Badtransll 0.52% 4 I-Worm.Hybris 0.30% 5 Trojan.PSW.Delf 0.24% 6 I-Worm.Sircam 0.21% 7 Win32.Elkern.c 0.16%...

PS'SOFT inventory tool offers 'reliability and precision'. (In Brief).(Qualiparc Discovery inventory collection software)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 11, 2002... PS'SOFT, an IT infrastructure and service management provider, has launched Qualiparc Discovery, an inventory collection tool that gathers information about fl materials, software and workstations across an organisation's IT network. The...

Simon Turner heads up development team at Iris. (In Brief).(Iris Group)(Brief Article)
June 11, 2002... The Iris Group is supporting its rapid growth within the accountancy and the SME business software market with a new group development director. Simon Turner joins Datchet-based Iris Group to head up a 30-strong development team, which is...

Hammer to offer Veritas Software products. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 11, 2002... Data storage provider Hammer is offering the channel products from Veritas Software's backup clustering and replication, file and management, and application specific families. Commercial channel manager for Veritas Software UK, Helen Wood,...

Microsoft and Navision merger does not pose a threat, says EC. (Software).
June 11, 2002... Microsoft's purchase of Danish software firm Navision will not be examined under the EU merger regulation by the European Commission, but by the Danish competition agency. The software giant was reported to the EC's competition agency by...

Mixed feelings over UnitedLinux offering. (Analysis).
June 11, 2002... UnitedLinux, the uniform version of the Linux operating system launched by four big Linux leaders last week, has met with a mixed reaction. The impetus for the move by Caldera, Conectiva, SuSE and Turbolinux to unify development and...

Myratech MD chooses to be realistic in approach to VPN market and future. (Interview).
June 11, 2002... Birmingham-based Sage reseller Myratech.net got such a bruising from its aggressive push into the Internet services market that its principal growth strategies were left lame. Like much of the IT industry, it is hoping demand for virtual...

SAS targets ex-Landis BT Indirect Channel partners. (Networking).
June 11, 2002... Telecoms systems integrator and consultancy SAS Telecom is looking to sweep up ex-Landis BT Indirect Channel partners with an offer to cover outstanding commission payments. Although SAS admitted it would take a financial hit from the...

3Com and Atrica partner up to offer MAN products. (News in Brief).(Brief Article)
June 11, 2002... 3Com has formed a partnership with optical Ethernet specialist Atrica. The two companies will jointly market products designed for the metro area networking (MAN) market. The first product to come out of the relationship is the SuperStack 3...

Nortel shams plummet. (News in Brief).(Brief Article)
June 11, 2002... Shares in Nortel Networks fell 13.5 per cent to $1.80 ([pounds sterling]l.29) on the New York Stock Exchange last week following concerns that an $800m share offer will dilute the telecom equipment supplier's stock. Analysts estimate the...