MicroScope articles from March 2002

MicroScope archives from March 2002

Reseller disappears into Horizon: Irish technology group closes [pounds sterling]40m UK arm of Horizon Open Systems as difficult trading conditions exact their price.(Horizon Technology Group )(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Ireland-based IT conglomerate Horizon Technology Group has closed its UK reseller operation, leaving its Clarity distribution arm to supply Sun services to solution providers. The closure of the Horizon Open Systems office in Hounslow...

IBM disk drive arm for sale?(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Questions were mounting 4 about the future of IBM's disk drive business last week, with industry sources suggesting the operation could be sold off, possibly to rivals Seagate Technology or Hitachi. One industry source stressed that when...

Distributors warn dealers not to buy Cisco discount stock.(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Cisco and its distributors have warned resellers to exercise caution-over an offer of new and refurbished stock for sale at discounts of up to 8o per cent off list price. Hardware.com e-mailed 8,000 resellers last week offering $1m...

Auto-computing bypass. (Customer Focus).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... While enterprise vendors have been busy pitching automated computing as the next big thing for their customers, they do not seem to envisage any role for the channel. Take HP's Utility Data Centre (UDC) system. Designed to help enterprises...

Microsoft settlement debacle set to continue. (News).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... The soap opera involving Microsoft, the DoJ and the dissident US states continued unabated last week. The DoJ has offered mostly minor changes in the proposed settlement, including the possible deletion of a section allowing Microsoft to...

Deals. (News).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Deals Deal Vendor Price Dimage S404 Minolta [pounds sterling]356 New SDLT220 Tandberg Data Contact vendor Free CD-R media with purchase Acer ...

ICL job cut threat to tplc managers. (News).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... tplc is expected to lose the majority of its management team as part of parent ICL's plans to streamline in preparation for its name change to Fujitsu Services. Jobs will also go at ICL Multivendor Computing, including that of market...

Dual channel does not hurt UK distributors, says Taxan. (News).(Taxan (Europe) Ltd)(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Despite stepping up marketing activities to sell direct to resellers, Taxan (Europe) Ltd has refuted suggestions there is a conflict of interest with its distribution partners. Hugh Chappell, sales and marketing director at the...

Fenton to resign after C&E charge. (News).(Tradelink Global Systems Ltd. Managing Director John Fenton to resign after being arrested on Customs & Excise charges)(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Surrey-based components broker Tradelink Global Systems Limited has claimed managing director John Fenton is to resign after charges were brought against him by Customs & Excise. He is currently listed as company secretary and director of...

Lighter traffic on city roads will cost the channel dear. (News).(London Mayor Ken Livingstone's plans to tax travel to reduce congestion will hurt logistics business)(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... The channel will be counting the cost of maintaining customers in the City of London next year, after Ken Livingstone's plans to introduce a [pounds sterling]5 traffic congestion charge were given the go-ahead. The scheme, which is due to...

It was 20 years ago today. (News).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... 27 February -- The Lion Sleeps Tonight by Tight Fit surges to number two in the UK charts. France conducts nuclear test on Muruora Island 28 February -- AT&T loses a (then) record $7bn 4 March -- Barbican Centre opens in London....

Q1 profits down for Novell. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Novell saw profits fall 14 per cent to $1 60.3m ([pounds sterling]114.5m) in the first quarter to 31 January, while revenues fell 11.9 per cent to $271m. Looking forward, Novell predicted revenues would be between $255m and $265m for the second...

Westcon to acquire TLK. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Networking distributor Westcon has signed a letter of intent to acquire TLK (Services) AG, a Zurich-based value-added distributor with offices in Germany and Switzerland. TLK distributes P security and routing equipment.

ELSA under watchful eye. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... There were developments at ELSA last week after the district court in Aachen, Germany, installed preliminary insolvency administrator Monning & Georg as a security measure with regard to continuing the business. In a statement, the company...

Microsoft in court battle over sales of counterfeit software. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Microsoft has commenced legal proceedings against Birmingham-based reseller Software Consultants 2000 Limited. The vendor claimed the reseller had sold counterfeit software, including Office 97, Office 2000 and NT Server. In a filing at the...

Dell to expand into other areas through acquisition. (In Brief). (Dell Computer Corp.).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Dell CEO Michael Dell has admitted the direct vendor is considering making acquisitions in networking, storage and services, according to US reports. But he claimed it would continue to rely on organic growth.

Gem selected by Pinnacle. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Pinnacle Systems has appointed Gem as a UK distributor. Gem will sell all Pinnacle consumer products, including the Studio Range, DV500plus and Pro-ONE.

Another one bites the dust. (In Brief).(Brandes Investment Partner reportedly voted against merger of Hewlett-Packard with Compaq)(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Hewlett-Packard has lost the support of another large shareholder as it approaches the conclusion of its planned $22bn ([pounds sterling]15.47bn) merger with Compaq. Brandes Investment Partner, which owns 1.3 per cent of HP, is said to have...

Attenda to manage Terrarium eco challenge Web site. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Microsoft has outsourced the operation of its Terrarium Web site to Attenda. Terrarium is a Web-based competition open to 290,000 developers in the UK and is designed to provide an introduction to software development on the NET framework....

Nexsi to launch in Europe. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Nexsi Systems, the company created by Nazar Zaidi, the original architect of the Intel Pentium processor, and John Mcfarlane, creator of Sun Microsystems EVP, is set to expand into Europe. Launched in the US last year, Nexsi is developing a...

E-mail banking from Egg. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Some 10m of Microsoft's Hotmail customers will be able to e-mail money to each other as part of a new service from Egg, the Internet bank.

Tier two vendor concern over Intel mobile P4 price. (News).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Various corners of the industry have voiced concern over Intel's plans to price the Pentium 4 mobile chip at three times the price of the equivalent desktop product. Tier two manufacturers, which often incorporate desktop processors in...

Credit insurer wary of channel business. (News).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Credit insurer Euler Trade Indemnity has admitted the economic downturn has forced it to reassess levels of exposure to channel-related businesses. A spokeswoman for ETI, which is a major provider of credit insurance services to resellers...

It all comes down to cost. (Comment).(personal digital assistants)(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... A snapshot of the personal digital assistant (PDA) market in December 2000 would have revealed a high-flying sector. But as is the case for much of the industry, just over a year later the market has had its wings clipped and become more...

Morse defends major vendor relationships. (News).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Services and product group Morse has denied it has dangerously over-reliant relationships with Sun Microsystems and Hewlett-Packard, after releasing interim results showing a significant drop in product sales. Although Morse reported a 23...

Tarantella offers Windows licensing alternative. (Software).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... "In a current market that -- let's face it -- is crap, Tarantella is managing to provide resellers with a ray of hope." So said group-marketing manager for Clarity, Simon Welch last week. As distributor for the Internet infrastructure...

Resellers should widen their horizons to include security. (Software).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Security distributor Peapod and vendor Borderware are encouraging resellers to look beyond their usual sales targets in customer organisations to open up their sales horizons. Managing director of West London-based Peapod, Stuart Morrice,...

InTechnology and Computer Associates sign deal. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Secure offsite data backup, protection and recovery services provider InTechnology has signed a partnership deal with, Computer Associates to bring its BrightStor enterprise level storage management into the UK.

Microsoft to deliver .NET CRM later this year. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Microsoft has declared it will deliver CRM, the first Microsoft business system built on NET, later this year. Accessible from Microsoft Outlook and the Web the vendor said that CRM will "enable SMEs to build more profitable customer...

Sunbelt to distribute Red Earth's Policy Patrol. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Red Earth Software has signed a distribution agreement with Sunbelt Software Distribution. Sunbelt Software will market and sell Policy Patrol, an Exchange server add-on that adds disclaimers and signatures to outgoing email. The product will...

New UK sales director appointed for DataMirror. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... DataMirror, provider of enterprise application integration software, has appointed John Dorling as director of UK sales. Dorling will lead the UK sales team in developing and implementing effective sales and marketing strategies.

Windows XP 'helps boost' sales in PC industry. (Interview).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Microsoft has often been accused of being as much a marketing company as a software developer, so it should come as no surprise when the head of UK marketing brazenly boasts that Windows XP helped revive the global PC industry. "Thanks to...

Cisco heralds collaboration as the key to VoIP success. (Interview).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... The old adage of no one ever being fired for buying IBM is also commonly applied to Cisco. While the strength of Cisco's financial position may have been under fire in recent months, many resellers still see the group as a safe bet. After...

C2000 defends security credentials. (Networking).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Computer 2000 has defended its broadline position against attacks from specialist distributors that claim its approach is unsuitable for emerging technology areas, including security. Andy Shepperd, general manager of networking at C2000,...

BT to cut price of broadband. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... BT has finally bowed to market pressure and revealed it is to cut the price of wholesale broadband Internet access services. The group will cut wholesale line rental for consumer connections from [pounds sterling]25 to [pounds sterling]14.75 a...

Cable & Wireless wins UK and Ireland Glanbia contract. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Cable & Wireless has won a three-year contract to manage an IP data network for international food company Glanbia. The telecoms group will manage the 100-site network across the UK and Republic of Ireland, including sites in Reading, Lockerbie...

3Com and Polycom to release IP conference phone. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... 3Com and convergence specialist Polycom are to jointly deliver an IP-based conference phone that integrates fully with the 3Com NBX platform. The SoundStationIP 3000 is the first result of Polycom's participation in the 3Com solution providers...

Canon and Telindus pick up Cisco LAN accreditation. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Resellers Canon Voice & Data and Telindus have been awarded Cisco's wireless LAN specialisation. The accreditation recognises their ability to plan, design, implement and support Cisco wireless LAN.

Change of name and scenery for ATL Networks. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... ATL Networks has changed its name to I-Sentral Security and launched a programme to recruit additional partners. The company has also relocated to offices in Egham, Surrey. Previously, the company was operating from Wokingham, Berkshire, but...

ArrayNetworks updates IP services platform. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... ArrayNetworks has launched version 3 of its Array Web Traffic Manager, an all-in-one P services platform that incorporates embedded network processing technology and Array Webwall security framework. The product is designed to address the...

Fujitsu signed by Datacore. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... DataCore has signed a partnership deal with Fujitsu Softek enabling the group to licence DataCore's storage virtualisation engine. The agreement sits alongside similar deals with Hewlett-Packard, IBM and others.

Creative releases its 'most powerful' Sound Blaster. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Creative has launched the Sound Blaster Audigy Surround 5.1 that features the Sound Blaster Audigy Player sound card claimed to be four times more powerful than previous products in its portfolio. The system also includes the Creative Inspire...

Samsung launches high resolution 19in monitor. (In Brief).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
March 5, 2002... Samsung has introduced the 19in TFT-LCD display composed of 1,280 pixels across 1024 rows, offering the same resolution as its high-end 17in models. The vendor has also applied its proprietary patterned vertical alignment technology to achieve...

Genisys Enterprise gains Fujitsu Siemens partnership. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Fujitsu Siemens has appointed corporate reseller Genisys Enterprise as one of its enterprise partners to promote the Solaris/Unix-based PRIMEPOWER servers into the financial, legal and insurance sectors as well as other commercial...

LSI Logic and Seagate to release ATA interface. (In Brief). (Seagate Technology).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... LSI Logic and Seagate Technology will introduce the Serial ATA interface in Seagate's next-generation desktop PC hard disk drives. LSI Logic's chip technology joins Seagate's drive-level Serial ATA developments to enable the first full-speed...

Latest HP notebook is the 'lightest in Europe'. (In Brief). (Hewlett-Packard Co.'s Omnibook 510 PC).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
March 5, 2002... Hewlett-Packard last week claimed to have launched the slimmest and lightest notebook in Europe. The Omnibook 510 PC series is aimed at SME and value enterprise users. The product weighs around 1.7kg, measures 2.5cm and features Intel 830MG...

Ingram Micro to co-host seminar with Compaq. (In Brief).
March 5, 2002... Ingram Micro is to stage two reseller seminars focusing on Compaq's server portfolio. Co-hosted by representatives from the vendor and the distributor, the half-day events will take place on 4 March at the Technical Solutions Training Centre...

Lexmark pushes ahead into SME sector despite break with C2000. (Hardware). (Lexmark International Inc., Computer 2000).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Industry sources have queried Lexmark's ability to successfully penetrate the SME market after it emerged last week the vendor had parted company with Computer 2000. The revelation came to light as the US manufacturer revealed plans to...

Auspex targets storage gap. (Hardware).(launches network storage controller)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
March 5, 2002... Auspex claimed to be addressing the lack of interoperable systems, which has become a pressing concern for many in the storage industry, with the launch of its network storage controller last week. Garry Elliot, UK country manager at the...

Separate retail event to run alongside CTS. (Hardware).
March 5, 2002... The organiser of the Computer Trade Show is looking to separate the retail and trade elements of the event next year to offer more focus. Justin Opie, portfolio communications director at Imark Communication, argued there was a need to...

Sony prepares assault on corporate desktops. (Hardware).
March 5, 2002... Less than a year after Sony hunched a high-end retail desktop in the UK, the manufacturer is preparing to open a European build-to-order facility to prepare the way for an assault on the corporate sector. The plant is expected to open in...

Centerprise aims to increase distribution. (Hardware).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Large system builder Centerprise has outlinedits intention to more than double volume distribution business by the end of the year. Having traditionally provided a build-to-order service, the company dabbled in product distribution when it...

Vector Networks outsources all the way to Russia. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... PC management specialist Vector Networks has bucked the trend of outsourcing software development projects to India and has turned to a largely untapped source in Russia instead. It has signed up a small Russian company to speed up the product...

SunSystems unveils global training programme. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... SunSystems has launched a global training programme, SunSystems Academy. The academy will run alongside the current training programme, but apparently introduces a new worldwide, Web-based option.

CMG makes massive losses after good will write-downs. (In Brief).
March 5, 2002... CMG has reported net losses of [pounds sterling]596.1m after writing down good will on acquisitions for the year ending 2001, compared to net profits of [pounds sterling]45m. But the company has gained market share in Europe and sales rose 20...

Global Continuity manager to focus on partners. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Newly appointed channel sales manager at Global Continuity, Stephen Stobo, is to focus on creating new routes to market. He has been charged with appointing new distributors and channel partners to supply and support a range of products and...

Outsourcing is 'not a quick fix'. (Interview).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... The break-fix maintenance market may have gone down the outsourcing route, but it is not an option without problems, according to outgoing managing director of Datalect, Alfie Karmal. "The large outsourcers and manufacturers are focusing on...

Synstar sells Swiss miss. (Services).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 5, 2002... Following the disposal of its Italian business, Synstar has sold its Swiss operations to cut losses of around [pounds sterling]1.5m. The contracts and stock held by Synstar Computer Services AG will be acquired by Itris Maintenance AG on 1...

Must all good things come to an end? (Analysis).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... It is fair to say that the use and abuse of marketing funds is a topic which has only occasionally occupied the minds of vendors over the years. Invariably, during the good times, when people are too busy making money and selling kit to...

Landis prepares for the big change: Unfazed by Westcon's imminent takeover of Landis distribution, UK managing director Mike Watkins is focused on tackling product crossover and the effects of a possible move to Slough. (Interview).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 5, 2002... Mike Watkins seems quite relaxed for a man living in a time of great uncertainty. Especially when you consider that, as UK managing director of Landis UK, he could find himself without a job in a few weeks. His future employment status...

A period of cold Turkey for the IT industry. (Comment).
March 5, 2002... At a recent lunch, Billy Maclnnes found himself swapping yarns from the old days with a very personable reseller. And when the subject of drugs came up in the conversation, it provided the ideal platform for a wild analogy I found myself...

Where next for BSG after difficult six months? (Finance).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 5, 2002... The fortunes of reseller turned e-business consultancy Business Systems Group (BSG) have mirrored the general downturn in the market over the past six months and specifically the fall in corporate spending. While movements in share prices...

The streets of London? That's [pounds sterling]5 to you, sir. (Editorial).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 5, 2002... THE PLAN To INTRODUCE A [pounds sterling]5 congestion charge being put forward by Ken Livingstone, the shy and retiring mayor of London, is fairly radical -- by UK standards at any rate. Transport, of course, is the area where 'Red Ken' (as he...

Only fools and horses: Phil Wainewright's ears are ringing from recent telecoms myths, because the telcos much feared Trojan Horse is as much threat to the IT industry as Red Rum.(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Every so often in the computing business, you hear people saying that the telecoms industry does things so much better than we do. Frequently, this is phrased as a warning. In this version of the refrain, the telecoms industry is about to...

Investing in young minds: The education market has never been seen as a particularly lucrative sector for IT resellers, but it is changing and opportunities are opening up. (Vertical Market Focus: Education).
March 5, 2002... Making money in the education market is a joke, right? Wrong. Even though margins are pared down and vendors' list prices are a reasonable return. slashed to the bone, many resellers still regard education as a sector that can provide a...

Proceed with caution: There is little doubt that we have entered a new economic climate since 11 September, but has it affected the strategic processes for integrating on and offline business? (Bricks to Clicks).(Statistical Data Included)
March 5, 2002... With the events of 11 September still affecting the world economy, which is teetering on the edge of the deepest recession since the end of the Second World War, companies thinking about online business are finally starting to focus on bottom...

Protect and detect: In the second part of our examination into biometric technology, we look at the applications most likely to drive the market. (Biometrics).
March 5, 2002... From iris and fingerprint scanning to voice and face recognition, biometric technology is poised to step out of the pages of science fiction and take over the world. The International Biometric Industry Association (IBIA) has recently...

It doesn't have to be like this. (It's the Business/Retention).
March 5, 2002... DESPITE THE SKILLS SHORTAGE, EMPLOYERS DON'T HAVE TO RESORT TO DESPERATE MEASURES TO KEEP TREASURED STAFF FROM LEAVING. Recruiting and retaining staff has always been a major challenge for the channel, so the current economic climate may at...

Turn down the volume. (Meet the Reseller).
March 5, 2002... MEKON IS A PUBLISHING SOFTWARE RESELLER RUN BY TWO BROTHERS WHO CLAIM IT BEGAN TO FOCUS ON SERVICES BY ACCIDENT. NOW ONE OF ADOBE'S LEADING DEALERS, IT DOESN'T FEEL SORRY FOR STRUGGLING BOX SHIFTERS PUMPING PRODUCT. Given the unflattering...

In a fever about Banks, Bonetti and Beckham. (5 Minute Interview).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... What have you got in your pockets? An almost empty wallet which my children have developed a knack of keeping that way. Who would you most like to have a date with? Carrie from Channel 4's Sex and the City. What did you want...

Letters.(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... The importance of keeping data safe How refreshing to read that IT spending is forecast to increase this year (MicroScope, 8 January 2002). Merrill Lynch's prediction that European corporate IT spending is set to rise four per cent in 2002...

Soap.(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Inspired by last week's item on the record Hula Hoop eating exploits of Watford Electronics' managing director Shiraz Jessa -- or rather fired by the belief he could easily beat Jessa's time of eating a packet in 16 seconds -- one of our people...

Hindsights.(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... From MicroScope March 1987 Osiris managing director Hugh Gwynne-Jones gets all gnomic about pricing. "I'm not exactly denying that price, but if we do discount in the future, I'd prefer not to say by how much" "We have about 15...

The soap opera for the IT channel. (At the Margins).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Dennis Doors and Jeff Coulter have booked their passage back across the space/time continuum in the nick of time. Now read on... It wasn't until they were halfway to crossing the space/time continuum that Dennis Doors suddenly realised what...

Broadliners trade blows over pricing: War of words erupts as Ingram Micro UK managing director slams rivals for "selling at prices close to cost or below".(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 12, 2002... An attack by Ingram Micro's UK boss on broadline rivals for "sailing close to the wind" on prices last week threatened to rebound amid accusations his own organisation was doing the same. UK managing director Meinie Oldersma revealed prices...

IT market 'in recovery'.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 12, 2002... In the middle of what is a key month for the industry, IDC has offered encouragement with predictions of a further increase in European IT spending. The research group claimed last year's fall in spending had bottomed out and a gradual...

CMS strips to bare essentials.
March 12, 2002... In light of the economic downturn, the channel is continually being told to strip costs out of the business, but CMS Peripherals seems to have taken the advice a little too literally. Some 20 employees at the distributor have had their...

Stop press.(Brief Article)
March 12, 2002... Sun Microsystems has filed a private anti-trust lawsuit against Microsoft accusing the software giant of abusing its monopoly position. The claim asks for $1bn ([pounds]700m) damages and calls for the harm done to Sun's Java platform by...

Why do IT projects fail? (Customer Focus).(Brief Article)
March 12, 2002... At a time when IT projects are scarce, it is all the more important to deliver on them successfully -- but according to research, most are undermined by issues outside IT and technology. According to a survey of 800 IT professionals,...

Microsoft claims removing middleware could 'destroy' Windows.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 12, 2002... Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has threatened to withdraw Windows OS from the market if a federal court approves sanctions being sought by nine states in the anti-trust case, writes Boyd Webb If made law, the states' proposal would force...

Deals.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 12, 2002... Deals Deal Vendor Free printer trial Brother Price drop on C1200 colour laser printer Lexmark Free 16Mb memory card Minolta Microsoft bundle deal ...

Ingram strengthens services model. (News).(Brief Article)
March 12, 2002... Ingram Micro is attempting to shift its business further up the value chain through a move to build more formal boundaries between high-end services and volume business. The distributor is using its Maidenhead-based enterprise solutions...

Channel praises Compaq. (News).(Brief Article)
March 12, 2002... The channel has welcomed Compaq's moves to increase partner involvement in its services business. Director of Compaq Global Services, Jim Kent, said its new services focus could see partners account for around eight to ten per cent of its...

Strategix offers anti-fraud measures to help distributors baffle 'cowboy' resellers. (News).(Brief Article)
March 12, 2002... Distributor stock control system provider Strategix has built a function into its offering to allow distributors to combat the problem of fraudulent returns. The company, which provides systems for the likes of Azlan, Avnet, Eurodis and...