MicroScope articles from November 2003

MicroScope archives from November 2003

NHS direct deal injures channel: resellers left reeling after being cut out of massive health service desktop contract in favour of low-cost rivals.
November 3, 2003... The indirect channel has received a slap in the face after one of the country's largest public sector IT purchasing agencies split an estimated 33m [pounds sterling] contract to supply 55,000 desktops between Dell, Elonex and Centerprise. ...

Gamma Global to offer Sun kit to unauthorised dealers: as an outlet for unauthorised Sun product is established, the vendor fights back by stepping up its campaign against grey.(News)
November 3, 2003... Gamma Global has set its sights on the Sun Microsystems market and has launched its presence in the sector with a telemarketing campaign which utilises ex-staff from distributor tplc. The broker, which has recently opened offices in the US...

Grey education continues.(News)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... Sun Microsystems is stepping up its campaign against grey with a series of seminars to educate resellers on the benefits of authorisation. Gary Nugent, iForce partner and mid-market sales director at the vendor, outlined its strategy to...

Ovum offers familiar message: research group tells delegates at its annual presentation that last year's picture of meagre growth still holds true.(News)
November 3, 2003... During a presentation last year, Richard Holway infamously emerged on stage to the tune of the Rolling Stones' It's All Over Now--but it appears the needle has become stuck on the record. "All of the things we said last year are the same...

Spun-off PalmSource targets PDA dominance.(News)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... In an effort to eliminate a possible conflict of interest and attract more PDA manufacturers to use the Palm operating system, the software side of the business has been spun off. At the same time, Palm shareholders have approved the...

Some rise, some fall: keep an eye on what's been happening each week with our at-a-glance guide to channel ups and downs.(News)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... GOOD WEEK Graham Wylie--The man who founded Sage has returned to the industry five months after quitting the accountancy software vendor to get married. Wylie has bought Gateshead-based services company Joynson which he plans to use as the...

Hewlett-Packard fails to meet high server demand: resellers struggling to fulfil customer orders for vendor's servers blame supply chain woes.(News)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... Resellers have accused Hewlett-Packard of leaving them high and dry after a shortage of servers meant there was no stock to supply customers. Phil McLean, product marketing manager at HP's industry standard server group, told MicroScope...

Epcot plans major training expansion.(News)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... Epcot Solutions has vowed to "radically" overhaul the user training market and plans to replicate the fast food industry by opening 183 franchise centres in the UK within a year. But the Heathrow-based reseller's claims that now is a good...

Upselling revival led by Ingram Micro.(News)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... Amid the perception that upselling and cross-selling is a dying art among some resellers, Ingram Micro Europe has launched a pan-regional mobility programme that will look to address declining average unit sales prices. The Speed Up Your...

Channel advised to canvass credit options.(News)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... On the back of changes in the credit supplier channel after Royal Sun Alliance sold its credit insurance arm, other suppliers have stepped forward to promote alternatives to the channel. Gerling NCM outlined its case at an industry forum,...

Directors do more with less.(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... IT directors across Europe are being forced to do more with less according to a survey by Synstar. Seventy-one per cent said their IT budgets for the next 12 months had either been slashed or would remain static. Twenty-five per cent were...

Fujitsu revenue boost for Q2.(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... Fujitsu reported a three per cent increase in revenues to [yen] 1.2trn (6.5bn [pounds sterling]) in its second quarter. Losses decreased from [yen] 91trn last year to [yen] 18.8trn. The vendor said sales of hardware recovered but price...

SME feature.(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... The second part of our in-depth examination into the SME market will appear later this month, not in this issue as incorrectly printed last week.

IBM tackles misconceptions of software asset management.(Software)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... Software assets are an increasing cost for businesses, but many still view software asset management (SAM) as an unnecessary cost rather than an investment. A call has gone out from IBM to highlight the cost savings and compliancy benefits...

IT to become the fabric of everyday life.(Software)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... IT will become part of the fabric of society in the same way as the telephone, according to Tony Martin, UK country manager at Computer Associates. He believes computing will reach the level of sufficiency that telecoms has. "There will...

Enterasys cuts 116 jobs in pursuit of indirect model.(Networking)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... Enterasys has made 116 staff redundant across Emea, including regional vice-president for Northern Europe Paul Taylor and French general manager Pierre Goyeneix. The lay-offs come as the networking vendor looks to sell a greater proportion...

3Com pledges to improve SME and enterprise focus.(Networking)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... 3Com's new UK general manager Rob Coyne has promised to put the channel on the top of his agenda and do a better job of overseeing and unifying the networking vendor's SME and enterprise strategies. Three weeks after jumping ship from his...

Samsung and Sony team up to address flat panel shortfall.(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... With the supply of flat panels not able to meet massive demand, Samsung and Sony have signed a memorandum of understanding with the intention to form a joint venture for the production of the seventh-generation amorphous TFT LCD panel.

ISI to distribute IBM eServers.(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... IBM has handed full distribution rights for its exact product range to Interface Solutions International (ISI). This means the distributor will be able to sell Big Blue's full range of eServers, including the x445 and the x450. The move comes...

NEC launches notebook.(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... NEC Computers has unveiled the Versa C160 notebook, which features an AMD Athion XP-M processor, 15in TFT XGA panel, integrated DVD-ROM or Combo DVD/CD-RW and an eight-cell Li-ton battery providing up to two-and-a-half hours of life. The...

Memory is a money-saver.(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... A recent report commissioned by memory manufacturer Kingston Technology has revealed large cost savings for businesses boosting server performance by adding memory. It suggests upgrading server memory proved most effective in preventing slow...

HP sharpens blade skills.(Hardware)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... Hewlett-Packard is to hold a series of training events on blade architectures in the coming months as the vendor looks to shore up skills in the channel and take market share from rivals. Phil McLean, product marketing manager for the...

Intel hopes to accelerate upgrade cycles.(Hardware)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... Intel is seeking to cut a greater swathe in the SME sector and spur refreshment cycles by deploying a channel scheme that highlights the benefits of upgrading mobile and desktop technology. The Accelerate Your Business scheme will offer...

Northamber offers resellers a leg-up in enterprise business.(Enterprise)
November 3, 2003... Resellers losing out on enterprise business because of a lack of skills are being offered a helping hand up the technological value chain by Northamber. The distributor is increasing its focus on enterprise business, stepping in to plug...

Big blue to work with 'multiple partners' on Project Symphony.(Enterprise)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... IBM's push for a future based on utility computing is to be cajoled through enterprise resellers under the guise of Project Symphony, Big Blue's latest corporate services offering. Focusing on data centre management for enterprise...

Ramesys reorganization deemed financial success.(Enterprise)
November 3, 2003... Enterprise VAR Ramesys has insisted it has reaped the benefits of a two-year business reorganisation programme, posting a 53 per cent rise in operating profits to 6.1m [pounds sterling]. In its results for the year ended 31 May, the...

Industry remains divided on the consolidation epidemic.(Analysis)
November 3, 2003... In the three years since the collapse of the dot corn bubble and the start of the downturn in the IT sector, the C-word has become common currency in the industry--although it's fair to say it probably isn't as popular as the F-word among those...

Health tender hopes suffer major fracture.(Editorial)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... One question must be going through the heads of those dealers hoping to sell desktops into the lucrative NHS: what's the point? Following a big fanfare from the government that it will try to open up the tender process to smaller players,...

The credit they deserve: with credit insurance operators pulling away from IT, the onus is being placed on distributors to provide cover to struggling resellers, but do vendors appreciate the risks they are taking?(Opinion)(Editorial)
November 3, 2003... I see that credit--or to be more accurate, the lack of it--is in the news again. The decision by Royal Sun Alliance to pull out of the credit insurance sector and sell its business to rival Amlin Credit was big news last week. Personally, I'm...

Avaya sells cabling division to concentrate on IP business units.(Margin Markers--Convergence)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... Avaya has sold off its Connectivity Solutions cabling infrastructure business in a move the company says will allow it to sharpen its focus on its IP telephony and services divisions. The cash and stock deal, which has netted Avaya $263m...

Firms 'still in the dark' about convergence benefits.(Margin Makers--Convergence)
November 3, 2003... The cost argument is being won in the minds of enterprise customers considering making the switch to IP telephony, but many are still in the dark when it comes to the business benefits the technology can bring. According to Gartner, nearly...

Dealers told to push patches.(Margin Makers--Security)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... Resellers in the security space are being urged to consider technology related to automatic security patch management as a way of winning new business and opening doors with prospective customers. The technology, provided by the likes of US...

ISPD to take on extra niche security resellers.(Margin Makers--Security)
November 3, 2003... Niche European distributor International Software Partner Distribution (ISPD) has set its sights on growing a UK reseller base in the lucrative niche security market. The distributor is aiming to expand on its 30 existing resellers in the...

Brocade hires Jacques.(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... Brocade has appointed former Veritas regional sales director Andy Jacques as Northern Europe sales director. Jacques will be responsible for Brocade sales, marketing and support functions across the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, the Nordic...

Hitachi and ApplQ join forces for joint offering.(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... Hitachi Data Systems and ApplQ have formed a global partnership and on the back of the tie-up have launched a co-branded storage management software application based on the ApplQ StorageAuthority Suite. The products add standards-based SAN...

Dealers sceptical over HP claims of utility take-off.(Margin Makers--Storage)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... The pay-per-use storage model is sprouting legs after a period of hype, according to Hewlett-Packard, but some resellers have claimed users are intimidated by upfront investments and are unsure the concept will ever take off. Talking...

Veritas boosts Linux status with SuSE partnership.(Margin Makers--Storage)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... Storage software giant Veritas significantly enhanced its Linux credentials last week when it unveiled a partnership with SuSE Linux on a number of its products. The storage specialist already has a similar deal with Red Hat which has been...

Listen and learn: communication is a barrier in the channel--what resellers want and what vendors offer tend not to marry up. We offer some guidance on how to make that relationship work.(Marketing)(Industry Overview)
November 3, 2003... "If you don't know your customers as individuals, it's like trying to play the piano in boxing gloves--you make a lot of noise, but it's not always pretty." So says Terry Hunt, the direct marketing specialist who launched the Tesco...

Automation--a step too far?(Letter of the week)(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
November 3, 2003... Automated business processes have been touted as the holy grail of improving customer service while reducing costs. But has automation gone too far in the quest for efficiency and cost-effectiveness to the point that customer service has not...

Positive office move.(Feedback)(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
November 3, 2003... As with all upgrades, there will undoubtedly be some scepticism about the value of Office 2003. However, as a partner of Microsoft involved in some pilot roll-outs, our experience has shown that when potential customers see Office 2003 in...

Slowly does it.(Feedback)(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
November 3, 2003... Deadlines are set to be met, but e-government initiatives could be jeopardised by predominantly focusing on timescales instead of the quality of e-services to be offered. If government organisations jump on the bandwagon for e-enablement...

Trust biometrics.(Feedback)(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
November 3, 2003... The negative public reaction to reports that the Home Secretary has agreed to work with the G8 group to develop a global biometric identification system to replace the traditional passport did not surprise me. Experts and officials the...

Server consolidation.(Feedback)(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
November 3, 2003... Businesses are continually looking for ways to upgrade their systems without increasing the budget. Server consolidation is often overlooked yet it can typically yield ten to 20 per cent additional budget by remarketing redundant servers. This...

Poor Dell service.(Feedback)(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
November 3, 2003... It used to be the case that the Dell story of high value and good service made sense, even if it was uncomfortable for the channel. It seems to me that it is struggling to keep this going, not only from my own experience, but also according to...

SME back-up.(Feedback)(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
November 3, 2003... Companies are still not taking disaster recovery seriously. However, it is not just down to lack of responsibility or foresight that is resulting in a lack of planning--it is largely down to cost. According to the DTI, 99 per cent of UK...

Tenders.(Invitations at a glance)
November 3, 2003... 180533, Tender Invitation UK-Chichester: records management system Provision of electronic document and records management 180534, Tender Invitation UK-Hackney: building management services A computerised building management system (BMS)...

Agenda.(Invitations at a glance)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
November 3, 2003... NOVEMBER 11-13 November Computers In Manufacturing Hall 3a, NEC, Birmingham Web: www.cimshow.co.uk Tel: 020 8232 1600 12 November Bloor Research: Business Continuity Infrastructure London Web:...

Hindsights in association with Hammer: from MicroScope November 1995.(Soap)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... "Those who dominate one phase of computing are not necessarily those who dominate the next" IBM's Lou Gerstner may have had a valid point, but no one appears to have told Bill Gates. "Whatever it takes, Ingram wants to be number one in...

Focus on the finer points.(Soap)
November 3, 2003... It's that time of year when the nation gets ready to be shocked by art and is duly given all the outrage it needs by the Turner Prize. This year includes blow-up dolls making love, a wall full of daises that will die as the exhibition...

Problem postbag.(Soap)
November 3, 2003... Q. One reseller asks how it should sell vital products such as back-up without users' eyes glazing over? A.1 The key to educating users about areas such as back-up is to highlight how it affects them. For instance, with a back-up issue,...

Distributors squeeze out non-profitable business: low-margin, high-volume resellers could lose out as channel suppliers increase scrutiny of their bottom lines.
November 10, 2003... Resellers which place low-margin, high-volume orders may find themselves out in the cold as distributors continue to scrutinise their bottom lines and refuse to sell to non-profitable customers. The trend has been highlighted by action...

Reverse auctions to become standard practice.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... Channel players targeting the public sector are to be increasingly pitched into the damaging and costly process of bidding for contracts through reverse electronic auctions, resellers and purchasers have warned. Last week, MicroScope...

25m [pounds sterling] up for grabs in school AV project: tender process starts for provision of audio-visual kit to education sector.(News)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... The government has made 25m [pounds sterling] available to furnish London schools with audiovisual equipment, and an estimated 32 suppliers have passed the first round of the tendering process which will be completed by the end of the year. ...

Seller contacts potential Micro Warehouse buyers.(News)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... Potential purchasers contacted by the US bank handling the sale of Micro Warehouse Europe include US and UK channel players as well as corporate resellers and distributors. According to information obtained by MicroScope, frontrunners such...

Pryor-Jones takes over as Bertram exits Azlan.(News)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... Tech Data's European operation is to undergo further senior management changes after Azlan CEO Peter Bertram announced his retirement. Bertram, who has occupied the top spot at Azlan since 1998, had been driving the integration process...

SME market growth appeals to IBM: Big Blue uses London conference to unveil ambition to become leading provider to the small business sector.(News)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... IBM has planted a Big Blue flag in the SME heartlands as the vendor stakes its claim to become the premier provider to a market it believes remains fractured. The "Sell to SMEs through the channel" mantra has been chanted all year and the...

Veritas warns industry at mercy of cost issues.(News)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... Cost and the changing perceptions of IT are two of the biggest issues facing the industry, according to Veritas chairman and CEO Gary Bloom. Speaking to delegates in London, Bloom outlined the factors driving the industry, with cost at the...

Avaya and Extreme tie-up unlikely to cause conflict: strategic partnership between vendors expected to work due to differing target markets.(News)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... Avaya is seeking to mount a stronger attack on the convergence market through a strategic relationship with Extreme Networks in a deal which will also see the telecoms giant resell Extreme kit. Although not a formal takeover, the deal gives...

Resellers promised revenue opportunity.(News)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... Resellers wondering how Novell's acquisition of SuSE Linux will affect the channel are being assured by the vendors involved in the deal that the future includes extra opportunities. Novell opted to strengthen its product portfolio through...

Ingram reports four quarters of growth.(News)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... Ingram Micro's combined European operations turned in another sequential quarter of sales growth during the third quarter of the year, contributing to an overall net income of $81.2m (48.5m [pounds sterling]), compared with net losses of $8.3m...

Channel expects strong Q4.(News)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... Three of the channel's largest listed VARs told investors last week they were expecting strong performances from the last quarter of the year, with the prospect of a better year to come. Morse, ComputerLand and Compel each admitted they...

SCC delays accounts filing.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... SCC has been granted an extension to its results filing period by Companies House. The reseller, services and distribution giant was due to file full-year accounts last week, but now has until the end of January 2004. An SCC spokeswoman...

Magirus signs agreement to distribute VMware products.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... VMware has signed Magirus as a European distribution partner. The agreement covers sales and distribution of VMware's complete product offering and will be a phased approach, with France, Italy, Spain, the Middle East and Poland being the first...

PC market experiences growth not seen since Q3 2000.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... The UK PC market has experienced its highest rate of growth since the third quarter of 20(X), according to IDC. Expanding by 17.4 per cent year on year, the key drivers of growth remain consumer spending and the increased preference for...

3PAR sets up in London.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... On the back of the launch of its InServ storage servers in the UK, utility storage specialist 3PAR has opened a London office, signed solutions providers CSF and Source Consulting, and hired Paul Liggett as sales director to oversee its UK...

Genicom and Tally brands to be marketed only through Tally AG.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... Printer vendor TallyGenicom's European subsidiary Tally AG is to have sole marketing rights to the Genicom and Tally brands in Europe, Africa, Asia and the South Pacific. Tally AG combined operations with Genicom in August, but initially did...

Sun repackages software offering for higher education.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... Sun Microsystems has unveiled the Java Enterprise System, which offers a shift in the way software is engineered, delivered, serviced, licensed and priced for the higher education market.

Upside releases version 4.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... Enterprise contract management software specialist Upside Software has released UpsideContract version 4 which provides full lifecycle contract management functionality, including collaborative contract creation and negotiation, performance,...

Plumtree and Cognos team up.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... Plumtree Software and Cognos have formed an alliance to deliver comprehensive dashboard and scorecarding applications for Web-based applications. The Cognos-Plumtree products are designed to help organisations actively monitor performance,...

Red Hat to pull support for free Linux line.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... Linux vendor Red Hat is phasing out support for its free Linux line in an attempt to move customers to its fee-based Enterprise Linux product. The vendor said it would end support for Linux versions 7.1 through to 8 at the end of the year and...

SAP launches Enterprise Portal product.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... SAP has shipped Enterprise Portal which it claims offers enhanced functionality, improved multi-platform support, and localisation features that will help customers drive more value from their technology investments.

Pegasus revamp paves way for channel refocus.(Software)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... Pegasus has undergone a dramatic revamp by launching a partner-centric strategy and hiring a new managing director with the belief that its presence in the industry will force future consolidation among accountancy vendors. New managing...

IBM puts partners at heart of on-demand strategy.(Software)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... IBM has stepped up its SME offensive with an update to its on- demand computing initiative which places the channel at the centre of its strategy. The vendor has expanded its Express product portfolio for SMEs. The WebSphere Business...

Network Appliance buys Spinnaker for 179m [pounds sterling].(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... Storage specialist Network Appliance has acquired Spinnaker Networks for $300m (179.1m [pounds sterling])in an all-stock transaction. Spinnaker is focused on scalable system architectures, distributed file systems, clustering technologies and...

Partnership for integrated wireless platform.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... Dassault Systemes, Intel and IBM have formed a partnership to deliver an integrated wireless computing platform. The offering equips CATIA VS certified IBM T40p ThinkPads with Intel Centrino mobile technology to give manufacturers the benefits...

3Com signs OEM deal with Crossbeam.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... 3Com has signed an OEM agreement with security specialist Crossbeam Systems. Under the terms of the deal, 3Com will market, sell and support Crossbeam's security services switches to enterprise customers under the 3Com brand name. In line with...

Cisco awards NextiraOne.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... NextiraOne--formerly Alcatel's integration and services arm--has been named as Cisco's unified channel and alliances partner for the last quarter of 2003. Cisco says it chose the company for the award because of its 7.5m [pounds sterling]...

Datatec blames losses on tough markets.(Networking)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... South African networking giant Datatec has blamed a $6.2m (3.7m [pounds sterling]) year-on-year widening of pre-tax losses on a decline in margins and tough trading conditions. The company, which owns distributors Westcon and Comstor, as...

Symbol hires Comstor to boost Emea presence.(Networking)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... Mobile, WLAN and data capture specialist Symbol Technologies is looking to expand the reach of its UK and Emea channel through a distribution deal with Cisco specialist Comstor. The vendor, which is hoping to create a niche for itself as a...

C2000 hails 'significant' Linksys SoHo deal.(Networking)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... Cisco's recently acquired SoHo networking and wireless business Linksys has signed a pan-European distribution agreement with Computer 2000 and its Tech Data parent. The deal will see C2000's Azlan networking division handle the vendor's...

Document management benefits failing to be seen in low-end arena.(Hardware)
November 10, 2003... The message is not fresh but Lexmark's new SMB director believes dealers have yet to get to grips with promoting document management solutions to small businesses. However, resellers focused purely on printers do not feel demand for the...

Clarke joins Steljes.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... Liz Clarke has joined Steljes, distributor of display technologies, as corporate business development manager. With more than 25 years' B2B experience, she will develop corporate opportunities for SMART Board kit and software, working closely...

NEC releases M400.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... NEC Computers has made an addition to its Versa notebook range with the M400, designed as a desktop replacement. The product offers Eve-hour battery life, a Mobile Intel Pentium 4 processor, integrated Combo DVD/CD-RW and a four-in-one card...

Getronics no longer in the red.(Enterprise)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... Over the past year, Dutch service provider and reseller Getronics has never been far from the headlines as it attempted to shake off the shackles of excessive debt accrued through mergers during the dot com boom. Now the company believes...