MicroScope articles from November 2004

MicroScope archives from November 2004

Airespace portfolio could boost use of VoIP.(Voice over Internet Protocol )
November 1, 2004... christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Wireless LAN vendor Airespace is looking to boost the take-up of not only enterprise wireless networks, but also the use of VoIP technologies on the platform. Guaranteeing bandwidth...

BTIC will support resellers.(BT Indirect Channels )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... simon quicke simon.quicke@rbi.co.uk Partnerships and solutions are the key to breaking open the digital communications market, according to the man coordinating British Telecom's attack on the market. Jon Lane, head of BTIC, said it had...

Belkin extends portfolio.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Privately held vendor Belkin will extend its wireless networking portfolio with the introduction of its 54g wireless ISB adaptor targeted at the SME, SoHo and home user markets. Belkin has pushed to transform itself from a pure-play...

COMMENT -- continuing demand.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Storage management has been a key business area so far this year and has lived up to predictions that it would be the growth area for the channel in 2004, writes Roanna Avison. In January, research group Macarthur Stroud said the storage...

Card readers could combat CNP.(cardholder not present)
November 1, 2004... simon quicke simon.quicke@rbi.co.uk Cardholder not present fraud has increased but an authentication device being trialled could lead to improved prevention Resellers looking for signs of an easing in the battle against cardholder not...

Cisco fights influx of fake kit.(Cisco Systems Inc.)
November 1, 2004... Paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Three-month surveillance operation in the Far East uncovers over $20m of counterfeit product and results in 20 arrests Resellers have seen an increase in counterfeit Cisco product believed to be from...

Compusys achieves Gold status in MPP.(Microsoft Partner Programme)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... karl Flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk Microsoft's latest partner programme has inspired Compusys to reach new heights through its focus on value, moving the reseller from Certified to Gold status. The Microsoft Partner Programme (MPP) was...

DMSL nets 500 data dealers.
November 1, 2004... KArl flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk Through a deal with DMSL and in line with plans for an IP network, BTIC has increased its number of data resellers Distributor DMSL has scooped 500 data-oriented dealers on behalf of BT through a...

Enterasys broadens channel with appointment of Sphinx.
November 1, 2004... christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Switch, routing and security vendor Enterasys has moved to expand its reach in the networking channel with the appointment of specialist distributor Sphinx. The Nottingham-based specialist...

Guilty of commercial fraud "on a grand scale".(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Five individuals have been sent to prison for a combined total of almost nine years for their role in a conspiracy to strip the assets of companies, including a reseller, before they were put into...

IBM expands Express offering.(International Business Machines Corp.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... IBM has expanded its SME and channel-focused Express portfolio, including packages on WebSphere, iSeries and xSeries servers, IP helpdesks, ThinkPad laptops and laser printers. The additions to the portfolio mean there are now more than 85...

IronPort embarks on SME partner recruitment drive.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Karl flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk E-mail security appliance maker IronPort has picked up almost [pounds sterling]25m in its latest round of funding, with its channel build set to prosper. This brings the total raised to [pounds...

McAfee and Network General move forward.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Christopher Walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Vendors outline their European channel strategies following rebranding and restructuring Following the rebranding of Network Associates to McAfee in tandem with the sale of its Sniffer...

Microsoft and Motorola to take on mobile rivals.
November 1, 2004... tony Glover microscope@rbi.co.uk Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer and Motorola's feisty new head Ed Zander are currently holding a series of one-to-one meetings to develop a battle plan aimed at capturing the high ground of mobile...

Microsoft unconvinced by licensing survey findings.
November 1, 2004... KArl flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk Microsoft is not planning to sell its software using a pay-as-you-go model despite the findings of the SoftSummit's Key Trends in Software Pricing and Licensing survey released last month, which...

Open source software gets the 'rubber stamp'.(Office of Government Commerce)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... karl flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk The Linux community has received a major boost after the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) declared open source software (OSS) a viable option for the public sector. In a report that was released last...

Quantum will extend into LTO space with acquisition.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... simon quicke simon.quicke@rbi.co.uk The ramifications for the channel of the move by Quantum to acquire Certance will not be clear until next year, with the tape vendors concentrating on getting the deal supported before working out the...

Resellers advised to target local government.
November 1, 2004... simon quicke simon.quicke@rbi.co.uk Resellers hoping to cash in on the emergence of national identity cards have been advised to target their energies at local government contacts, rather than aiming for the large central Government...

Resellers realise pitfalls of offering Becta discounts.
November 1, 2004... Paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk The Government's first wave of [pounds sterling]25m spending on AV in the education space is complete and resellers that discounted systems to win business have learnt lessons for the second round of...

Sun considers desktop hosting.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... paul Kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk The subscription model will be the cornerstone of Sun Microsystems' go-to-market strategy, and as part of the plan the vendor is evaluating desktop hosting to sit alongside other established pay-as- you-go...

Symantec gets personal with staff at its top partners.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Roanna Avison roanna.avison@rbi.co.uk Sales and technical staff at Symantec managed partners are getting personal attention from the vendor. Under its IN programme Symantec is working closely with the staff at its top partners to ensure...

Tough pricing forces closure of Hansol operation.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk The European president of Hansol has admitted that tough pricing in the TFT monitor market will force the vendor to close its Hounslow-based warehouse and sales and marketing operation before the year is...

Upholding installation standards.
November 1, 2004... As the number of budget AV installations grows, the subsequent drop in the standard of service could result in the technology not being used properly, warns Maverick VPH director Jon Sidwick Many people in the channel predicted problems...

Anker Systems and Allied Telesyn form global partnership agreement.(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... Retail-focused systems integrator Anker Systems has signed a global partnership agreement with Allied Telesyn as it looks to capitalise on the roll-out of Chip and PIN systems throughout the continent. With the UK at the forefront of the Chip...

BMS moves to retain ISL Biometrics software.(Business Management Services)(ISL Biometrics)(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... karl flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk Nottingham-based reseller Business Management Services (BMS) has acquired ISL Biometrics from administration, in a move to retain the vendor's products and enter master distribution. ISL Biometrics,...

BlackSpider revenues will receive boost with new partner Secon.(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... karl flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk Security managed services provider BlackSpider Technologies has added reseller Secon to its UK channel in a deal that will see the reseller benefit from recurring revenues through a managed service in a...

Building ; defences.
November 8, 2004... Davey Winder As businesses realise the vulnerability of their networks and data, we take a look at the opportunities available to resellers for selling security systems With an undisputed huge rise in attacks on Microsoft platforms,...

Channel skills key to Microsoft [pounds sterling]500m NPfIT win.(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... karl flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk Microsoft has won a [pounds sterling]500m NHS deal, with the channel the chosen route to market and a major selling point. Channel skills last week secured Microsoft a nine-year Enterprise Agreement...

Charteris seeks to expand reach with Cedalion acquisition.(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... karl Flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk IT services provider Charteris has paid [pounds sterling]3m to acquire fellow Microsoft consultancy and developer Cedalion in a bid to widen its market reach and product portfolio. Charteris is aiming...

Getronics acquisition shock.(will acquire PinkRoccade)
November 8, 2004... christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Deal between two Dutch services specialists gives united company "critical mass" in government and retail markets Services giant Getronics stunned the European IT services market after...

HP to take back consumables.(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... paul Kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Hewlett-Packard has temporarily opened up its recycling scheme for printer supplies to a number of re-manufacturers that it claimed were looking for an end-of-life solution for consumables. The Planet...

Harrier and Articon Integralis consider Plan B.(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... The management of Harrier and Articon Integralis are investigating plan B in their drawn-out attempt to merge their businesses after abandoning their first proposal following shareholder reticence. Harrier revealed last week that following...

InTechnology offers VoIP.(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Having piloted a VoIP network for several months, security and storage specialist distributor InTechnology will begin promoting voice and data services to resellers from January 2005. The...

Increase in direct PC sales a significant dealer threat.(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... Paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Indirect suppliers aping Dell route to market to reach out to UK corporate desktop users Nearly one in every four PCs sold in the UK last quarter came from direct selling force Dell, but corporate...

Ingram Micro under pressure.
November 8, 2004... Christopher Walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Strong performance in the third quarter with double-digit sales growth sets high expectations for fourth quarter Ingram Micro has admitted it is under pressure to deliver in Europe over...

Ingram Micro terminates relationship with Enterasys.(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... Christopher Walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk A week after Ingram Micro signed Sphinx as a new distributor, the security and networking vendor has parted company with Enterasys, leaving Sphinx as its sole specialist and Azlan as its sole...

It's official: alliances are hard work.
November 8, 2004... Tony Stirrup is excited about the launch of the Association of Alliance Managers and what its promotion of best practice means for channel partnerships "Where alliances are concerned, the ultimate constant is this: they are hard work"...

Laying down the law.
November 8, 2004... Jonathan Pickworth and Rakhi Talwar With the Government boosting efforts to crack down on VAT fraud, we consider the recent developments which impact UK taxpayers and large corporates Due to the actions of Customs & Excise and the...

Manufacturers offer ten gigabit switches.
November 8, 2004... christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk The pressure in the industry to boost bandwidth performance away from the core of the network with the introduction of ten gigabit switches has been increased, with two major manufacturers...

Omnetica first to gain Cisco VPN/security services specialisation.(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... As Cisco pushes through a raft of specialist accreditations in its partner base, including enterprise, storage and security specialisations, Omnetica has become the first reseller to achieve the VPN/security services specialisation. As part...

Oracle puts deadline on final bid for PeopleSoft.(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... Software giant Oracle has made what it described as its "best and final offer" for the acquisition of PeopleSoft and promised to pull out if rejected. Oracle originally made its move on PeopleSoft in June last year, but an end is finally in...

Price increases imminent.
November 8, 2004... Paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk HP's move to add Select Partners to its list of named accounts leads angry distributors to pass on costs to resellers Following Hewlett-Packard's decision to add Select Partners to its list of named...

Rating a change.
November 8, 2004... John Davies Recent notices of re-evaluation of business premises need to be read carefully and dealt with by resellers Resellers have enough to worry about in the constant drive for margins and the ever-present battle to try to...

Sage to migrate the low end.
November 8, 2004... karl Flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk Sage is hoping to upgrade thousands of its customers through a lead generation campaign which is set to benefit resellers as the firm recognises upgrades as its main growth opportunity. At its annual...

Security nightmare remains a real and growing danger.
November 8, 2004... tony Glover microscope@rbi.co.uk Enterprise networks are increasingly vulnerable to a new generation of 'drive-by' attacks that will make yesterday's hackers look like trick or treaters. When the New York Police Department (NYPD) arrested...

Solid half at InTechnology.
November 8, 2004... InTechnology has seen a boom in first half figures as a vindication of its business model, with evidence of cross-selling into old Allasso customers resulting in the Allasso brand disappearing from the channel. In addition, the perpetual weight...

Storage hardware: just a crackerjack surprise?
November 8, 2004... Jean-Jacques Maleval wonders whether the falling cost of storage hardware will reach a point where it is given away as a platform on which to sell the more profitable software and services required to manage it Will vendors soon start...

Tap into ; IP benefits.
November 8, 2004... Christopher Walton For remote and mobile applications, SMEs should consider upgrading to IP networks It goes against the natural order of things to find a business prepared to pay more money for technology, and most small and...

Toshiba to replace 'faulty' modules.(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... As part of a third party exchange programme, Toshiba will replace memory modules incorporated into particular Tecra, Satellite and Portege notebooks after identifying a malfunction in some, which causes data loss. In a statement, Toshiba said...

Trend Micro appoints C2000 to sell its SME off-the-shelf solution.
November 8, 2004... paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk In looking for breadth of reach into the SME market, Trend Micro has appointed Computer 2000 to exclusively sell its boxed product, freezing out existing specialist security distributors to segment its...

Voice services turnover looks set to double.
November 8, 2004... karl flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk Turnover derived from voice services are set to more than double over the next four years as businesses identify these offerings as important for managing customer relationships. Business in...

Apple overcomes PC shortages.(Brief Article)
November 15, 2004... The supply of Apple desktops and notebooks is freeing up after months of shortages, according to distributors, but the iPod MP3 player will remain scarce until early 2005. It was a summer of discontent for many in the Apple channel as they...

BSA ups limit on rewards paid to whistleblowers.(Brief Article)
November 15, 2004... Business Software Alliance hopes firms will become more aware of dangers of non-compliance The importance of software audits was emphasised again last week as the Business Software Alliance (BSA) doubled the maximum cash reward available...

BT boosts global presence with Infonet acquisition.(Brief Article)
November 15, 2004... BT has acquired US networking services provider Infonet for $965m ([pounds sterling]524m) in cash as the telecoms giant looks to boost its IT and networking services revenues around the world. The deal, which is awaiting shareholder approval,...

Brocade accused of sparking price war.(Brief Article)
November 15, 2004... Brocade has defended accusations that it will start a price war in the switching market having introduced its 4Gb SAN switch at the same price as its 2Gb rivals. The networking storage vendor believes its new SilkWorm 4100 family, launched last...

CommVault set to provide complete ILM solution.(Brief Article)
November 15, 2004... Storage management software specialist CommVault has vowed to take on high-profile competitors such as Computer Associates and Veritas following the launch of its second- generation QiNetix product. Speaking to MicroScope, Alasdair Kilgour, UK...

Contracting market for semiconductors.(Brief Article)
November 15, 2004... The global semiconductor market is expected to shrink next year as an over-supply of products and price cuts drive revenues down by two per cent, according to analysts. In May, IDC predicted sales to grow at 7.6 per cent in 2005, but the...

Convergence gives Chess opportunity for expansion.(Brief Article)
November 15, 2004... SME-focused telecoms provider Chess has made its sixth acquisition in eight months after launching a rescue bid for Leicester-based OCIS Lite. Chess CEO David Pollock said: "OCIS was a small telecoms reseller that was failing to meet its...

Damovo meets demand.(Brief Article)
November 15, 2004... Damovo is addressing a customer's need to provide information to an increasing number of customers through an Ericsson-based contact centre service, which bolts onto its converged network. With voice services in relation to customer...

Dell widens channel links.
November 15, 2004... Ingram Micro could lose out on third-party business as direct vendor plans to roll out fresh EDI system across Europe Dell is set to shake up its relationship with UK distributors as it moves to widen its EDI (electronic data interchange)...

Enterasys X-Series completes offering.(Brief Article)
November 15, 2004... Enterasys has launched the Matrix X-Series core router, which the vendor believes has finally completed its portfolio allowing its channel partners to sell a full environment on the vendor's platforms. The Matrix X-Series is the culmination of...

Flexible working on the up.(Brief Article)
November 15, 2004... More evidence has emerged that flexible working is on the rise, fuelled by advances in mobile technology and user awareness of the benefits to performance and profitability. According to research from Citrix, a quarter of the British workforce...

Hitachi Data Systems outlines virtualisation storage strategy.
November 15, 2004... Hitachi Data Systems believes there is a whole world of under-used storage systems in channel customers and it has the tools to boost utilisation. In an exclusive interview with MicroScope, Hu Yoshida, chief technology officer at Hitachi Data...

Initiative to boost IT security.
November 15, 2004... The Government's three-year Project Endurance aims to raise awareness of Internet security among small businesses The Government has teamed up with the IT industry and business leaders to address the problem of Internet crime in the small...

IronPort makes SME push.(Brief Article)
November 15, 2004... E-mail security appliance maker IronPort has added Vistorm to its list of corporate VARs, with at least one SME distributor for its low-end push to be announced soon. The firm has been building a reseller base for its UK expansion, but...

Morse wins deal to sell Tarantella products.
November 15, 2004... Morse has signed a master distribution agreement with application management software vendor Tarantella following the vendor's re-emergence from financial instability and the launch of a new product, the Secure Global Desktop. The deal sees...

Nebulus Security to sell Postini service.(Brief Article)
November 15, 2004... Nebulus Security has become the first European reseller of Postini's e-mail security managed service as the US vendor follows the competition into the channel. Postini has a customer base of more than 4,000, including some in Europe, where it...

Nortel enters rebranding and repositioning phase.(Brief Article)
November 15, 2004... Nortel has dropped the 'Networks' part of its name in a move that will see new product launches and co-marketing activities push through the channel at the start of next year. Becoming Nortel is the beginning of a rebranding and repositioning...

Phoenix IT floats on the London Stock Exchange.(Brief Article)
November 15, 2004... Shares in Northampton-based support and networking services company Phoenix IT will begin unconditional trading on the London Stock Exchange tomorrow. The float brings to a close a protracted saga for the company, which was originally rumoured...

VCOMM born from DCM UK.(Data Communications Management)(United Kingdom)
November 15, 2004... Following a failed MBO, executive team from Data Communications Management UK launches start-up distributor The management of distributor Data Communications Management (DCM) UK has split to launch a new company following a failed...

Vendor hopes to resolve rebates row at meeting.(Brief Article)
November 15, 2004... Distributors will meet with Hewlett-Packard later this week to thrash out any problems that have arisen from the vendor's decision to add Select reseller partners to its list of named accounts. The US giant has increased the number of named...

Vendors favour indirect route in changing market.
November 15, 2004... Worldwide software turnover will grow by almost seven per cent annually for the next four years, but double-digit increases are not set to return, according to the latest research from analyst firm IDC. Turnover in 2003 reached $178bn ([pounds...

Vickers resurfaces at Canon Business Centres.(Brief Article)
November 15, 2004... A month after claiming he was going to take a break from the IT industry, ex-Hewlett-Packard channel head Andy Vickers has taken up a role as a director at Canon Business Centres (CBCs). He spent two-and-a-half years at HP and most recently...

3Com boosts LAN switch portfolio.(Local Area Network)
November 22, 2004... 3Com's designs on the enterprise market have stepped up another gear with the launch of the 8800 core-switching platform to boost its LAN switch product portfolio for the largest customers. The networking giant believes the terabit switch...

Adoption grows as disk-based storage costs fall.(Brief Article)
November 22, 2004... Storage media manufacturer Overland has reported a boom in the adoption of disk-based back-up and recovery platforms as the traditionally more pricey option for long-term archiving reaches price points for mass-market adoption. The vendor's...

Channel players encouraged to practice what they preach.
November 22, 2004... Logicalis urges resellers to gain experience of compliance and legislation by putting themselves through the process With corporate compliance and governance on the lips of security specialist sales people in the channel, systems...

Channel top choice for mobility.
November 22, 2004... Against a backdrop of increasing notebook sales and calls for more remote working, those manufacturing and reselling laptops have reinstated the channel as the only viable suppliers of mobile solutions. The subject of where to buy laptops is...

Concept gains acceptance.(Europe, Middle East and Africa)
November 22, 2004... Market and channel acceptance of managed security have taken the IT service beyond the concept phase, according to MessageLabs, which has evolved into a mainly indirect selling player as a result. Following increased demand for its managed...

Cut down on bandwidth plea.
November 22, 2004... WAN optimisation specialist Riverbed has hit out at rival vendors for boosting bandwidth, claiming that more bandwidth is not what customers need -- they just need to use their bandwidth more effectively. The Silicon Valley start-up made the...

Dealers a target for thieves.
November 22, 2004... Following a spate of thefts in the West Country, IT companies in the region have been warned to be extra vigilant Channel players in the West Country have been warned by police to be vigilant and check their security arrangements after a...

Distributors question Maxtor's anti-grey tactics.(Brief Article)
November 22, 2004... The UK grey market represents a "special issue" for hard drive vendor Maxtor, and the company's vice-president for EMEA Didier Trassaert has vowed to find out why. In the past year, Maxtor has increased distributor warehouse spot checks,...

Ex-director of Connections+ to serve 15-month sentence.(Connections+)(financial irregularities )(Brief Article)
November 22, 2004... The ex-financial director of reseller Connections+ has pleaded guilty to six counts of theft and been sentenced to serve 15 months concurrently for each of the crimes. Andrew John Slater appeared at Bradford Crown Court on 9 November where he...

Financial results show positive trend.(HP logs)(DiData)
November 22, 2004... SCH continues growth phase Specialist Computer Holdings (SCH) reported an 8.3 per cent increase in turnover to [pounds sterling]1.88bn in the year to 31 March, with 56 per cent of sales coming from outside the UK and [pounds sterling]828m...

Harold renews ties with Elcom.(Brief Article)
November 22, 2004... Former IT Partnerships managing director Damien Harold will return to the industry and his former employer as sales director at Elcom as of 1 December. Harold worked at Elcom between 1994 and 1997, prior to the formation of Reading-based...