MicroScope articles from October 2005

MicroScope archives from October 2005

Bandwidth and performance present margin opportunity.(Brief Article)
October 3, 2005... Simon Quicke simon.quicke@rbi.co.uk Problems with network bandwidth and performance are leading a large number of companies to purchase fatter pipes to address the issue. This demand for extra capacity could present a margin opportunity for...

CapGemini pledges support for Linux.
October 3, 2005... This week's LinuxWorld sees consultancy giant CapGemini add its weight in support of the open source software. With support through vendor- backed studies taken with a pinch of salt amid Microsoft counter-claims, the presentations -- taking...

Cisco turns focus on advance technology.
October 3, 2005... Christopher Walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Cisco is set for a massive recruitment drive in its advanced technology division, comprising communications, security and storage lines, as it looks to dominate those markets in the UK as it...

Complacency in the channel not on the cards for Pegasus.
October 3, 2005... KARL FLINDERS karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk The increasingly congested financial software market is seeing more commitment from vendors eager to make ground in the SME sector. With Sage a strong player, boasting a well-established channel, new...

Craddock: 'Time for a new challenge'.
October 3, 2005... Eighteen months after taking charge of the server and more recently the commercial PC business at Acer UK, Paul Craddock (pictured) has left the company, but may resurface in the industry over the next few months. He became the unit manager for...

Fortinet business not harmed by legal issues.
October 3, 2005... Security vendor dismisses accusations by Trend Micro and says customers have remained loyal karl Flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk Fortinet has rubbished a further legal challenge from Trend Micro and said it is retaining strong channel...

HP Procurve opens doors.
October 3, 2005... Roanna Avison roanna.avison@rbi.co.uk Hewlett-Packard's Procurve networking division is encouraging resellers to tackle consultancy issues on the back of a series of product launches. Last week, the vendor unveiled the InterConnect Fabric...

HP clarifies special bid pricing under Top Value.
October 3, 2005... Paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Those resellers using Hewlett-Packard's Top Value programme can request special bid pricing on a range of mid- market desktop PCs, but the vendor has poorly communicated these changes to its channel. Last...

ICM's Wainwright takes over as CEO.(Leeds-based reseller )(Brief Article)
October 3, 2005... Christopher Walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Barry Roberts is set to step down as chief executive of Leeds-based reseller ICM, 19 years after founding the company. Current finance and commercial director Steve Wainwright will take over...

Introducing Storage Expo 2005.
October 3, 2005... We preview what is on offer at this year's event and help you find your way around the vast National Hall at London's Olympia Imminent legislation and consolidation were reasons for increased reseller and business interest on the show floor...

LG aims to gain wider appeal.
October 3, 2005... LG Electronics is preparing to launch its first ever channel programme to develop a more formal working structure with resellers and plans to recruit 4,000 UK partners to the scheme. The Korean giant works directly with preferred partners --...

Mobile operators compete for enterprise market share.
October 3, 2005... Tony Glover microscope@rbi.co.uk The computing and communications industries have been predicting a boom in mobile enterprise computing for years. But corporate IT managers have been reluctant to sign off on a new IT budget just so staff...

Multi-million pound deal to bring Tiny name back to life.
October 3, 2005... Watford Electronics has bought the assets and trading name of Tiny and Tiny.com in what the managing director claimed was a multi-million pound deal, with the expectation that honouring user warranties will improve the brand's perception....

Progress plans awareness campaign for channel.
October 3, 2005... Roanna Avison roanna.avison@rbi.co.uk Progress Software plans to raise its brand profile in the user community to help ISVs sell more applications into existing sites. Frank McIlroy, EMEA vice-president at Progress, commented: "Partners are...

Reseller partnering could put an end to ineffective targeting of the mid-market.(Brief Article)
October 3, 2005... Paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Only a minority of resellers take full advantage of the mid-market, which more often than not falls below the radar of direct selling vendors, according to Gartner, which has advised the channel to partner...

Resellers doubtful that Linksys trade up deal will work.
October 3, 2005... Linksys resellers face the prospect of turning their installed base into the kit of parent company Cisco under a new partner programme to be revealed this month, leading to disquiet among resellers that would have to sell what they believe to...

Vickers to take over as Canon MD.(Andy Vickers )(Brief Article)
October 3, 2005... Canon will promote director of Canon Business Centres Andy Vickers (pictured) to managing director when current incumbent Lars-Erik Kennbert leaves the company at the end of the year, writes Paul Kunert. Vickers left his role as Hewlett-Packard...

Bell sounds out plans for ; MCE purchase.
October 10, 2005... Bell Microproducts is believed to be undertaking due diligence on MCE with a view to acquiring the low-end storage components distributor. Industry sources believed a deal was likely before the year is out, and privately held MCE, which has...

Concerns over lack of Linux skills are eased.
October 10, 2005... Exhibitors at LinuxWorld rose to the occasion and demonstrated their grasp of the Linux market Channel concerns that Linux is being held back by a perceived lack of skills were eased at LinuxWorld in London. Kensington Olympia was host to...

EMC calls a halt to reseller recruitment.
October 10, 2005... EMC has stopped recruiting for its Velocity channel programme and will re-double efforts with its 59 existing resellers, moving staff that had looked for new partners to field sales with the aim of generating leads and doing more joint...

FSC creates enterprise channel.(Fujitsu Siemens Computers hires distributor Partner Support Services )
October 10, 2005... Fujitsu Siemens Computers (FSC) will not cut direct sales to existing Primepower customers but has appointed a newly formed distributor, Partner Support Services (PSS), which will develop a reseller channel and generate leads for the vendor....

Market predominantly Cisco.
October 10, 2005... In a robust market for traditional networking equipment, Cisco continued to dominate the routing and switching markets in Europe during the second quarter of this year, according to the latest figures from research group Canalys. Despite slips...

Nortel hopes to play a winning hand after reshuffle.
October 10, 2005... Nortel has restructured internally, splitting its convergence and enterprise markets in two in a move that also sees a shuffling of the executive management pack and the departure of former enterprise networks group president Malcolm Collins....

PC World Business tailors SAM for SMEs.
October 10, 2005... Channel giant PC World Business (PCWB) is planning to offer software asset management (SAM) to its SME customers as licensing complexities are identified as a major hurdle in the sector. As revealed by this magazine back in April, the channel,...

Phoenix to work with Vistorm.(Phoenix IT Services)(Brief Article)
October 10, 2005... Phoenix IT Services is to enter a two-way agreement with security specialist reseller Vistorm, which will see Phoenix provide networking support services through its Trend Network Services division as well as reselling Vistorm's security...

Rocket fuel drives TSG.(conversation with Technology Services Group's Nigel Hudson)(Interview)
October 10, 2005... Almost a year on from Graham Wylie's promise of more acquisitions for the Technology Services Group (TSG), his right-hand man Nigel Hudson talks to MicroScope about the past 12 months. In an exclusive interview with this magazine last year,...

Semiconductor sales achieve growth.
October 10, 2005... Sales in the semiconductor market grew to $18.6bn ([pounds sterling]10.6bn) in August and are on course to break the record established in 2004, with units shipped to the PC market running ahead of earlier forecasts. Semiconductor Industry...

Sony expands notebook focus to business users.
October 10, 2005... Although late in the day, Sony has finally engineered business notebooks and overhauled its warranty structure for the commercial space, but the family of products aimed at SMEs may be too expensive to achieve large volumes, according to...

TSG heads south on the acquisition trail.(Technology Services Group)(Brief Article)
October 10, 2005... After a year of speculation, the Technology Services Group (TSG) acknowledged that it would now acquire resellers in the south of England. Almost a year ago, the firm's founder Graham Wylie told MicroScope he planned to continue to grow the...

Telecoms players target business IT.
October 10, 2005... The drive by UK telecoms operators to take a growing share of the enterprise IT market is set to accelerate. Factors such as BT's push to win non-voice revenues from business customers, the emergence of wireless Internet, the growing need for...

A new spin; on technology.
October 10, 2005... A highly complex set of technologies has evolved within the storage space, and the challenge for vendors and integrators is to simplify it Storage used to be a relatively easy market to play in. When all storage was direct attached, some of...

Trading Standards clears Microtec 99 suspicions.
October 10, 2005... Following on from a raid carried out by Rochdale Trading Standards last month, the government body has moved to clarify that the target of suspicion was not Heywood-based distributor Microtec 99 Limited. A raid was carried out in Heywood at the...

UTM is security's success story.(sales forecast of unified threat management systems)
October 10, 2005... Sales revenues of UTM appliances will soon rival or exceed those of firewalls and VPNs, creating further opportunities for resellers When a new wave of technology is conceived, the gestation period tends to be brief. Infancy is quickly...

pSeries open distribution riles accredited partners.
October 10, 2005... Partners accuse Big Blue of taking the value out of its entry-level servers and turning them into commodity products IBM's decision to open up entry-level pSeries servers to an open distribution model has led to a backlash from accredited...

Ability Software picks the wrong fight.
October 17, 2005... Ability Software has used the findings of a survey to attack Microsoft by suggesting that users of the software giant's Office products were unhappy with value for money, but some in the channel claim the vendor has made a mistake in comparing...

All aboard the 'broadbandwagon'.
October 17, 2005... There is no denying the impact that broadband Internet connectivity has had on the UK market, especially in the past 18 months, but what are the opportunities for the reseller looking to jump on the 'broadbandwagon' at this relatively late...

Banks facing CNP challenge.
October 17, 2005... Judge's ruling offers hope of escape from potentially damaging charge-backs for victims of cardholder not present fraud Channel victims of cardholder not present (CNP) fraud should pressure their banks to investigate the cases, following a...

Dealing with distributed data.
October 17, 2005... A focus at this year's Storage Expo was remote working and information management outside the office environment Along with the old chestnuts of compliance and ILM products and services, the themes at this year's Storage Expo were remote...

Ex-HCI director pursues Evesham over claim.
October 17, 2005... The head of HCI at Evesham Technology, who resigned from the UK system builder in June, is pursuing industrial tribunal proceedings claiming he is still owed money by the company and was unfairly treated. Talking to MicroScope, Curtis McLean,...

Government recognises customer needs.(Brief Article)
October 17, 2005... The Government is hoping that putting customer needs at the heart of its IT delivery can avoid mistakes and cut out waste. A move to promote 'customer-centric' IT deployment echoes some of the themes about choice that Prime Minister Tony Blair...

HP buys into blade technology.
October 17, 2005... The mass market may not be ready for utility computing on blade servers and the major vendors do not have the technology to realise the vision, but Hewlett-Packard has stepped closer to that goal by agreeing to acquire RLX Technologies....

Infoblox set to recruit UK resellers as demand for DNS product increases.
October 17, 2005... Infoblox is looking to recruit resellers in the UK as it attempts to raise both its brand profile and that of its DNS appliance. The denial of service appliance sits within a corporate network and Cricket Liu, vice-president of architecture at...

Linux injects new life into industry.
October 17, 2005... The Linux sector has become a rallying point for the channel and has given a new lease of life to the industry as adoption and support of the open source software increases, according to industry players. Debate over Linux versus Microsoft has...

Matrix to resume acquisitions.
October 17, 2005... Growth plans loom large in the coming financial year as telco resellers and integrators that add value are targeted Matrix Communications will recommence its buying spree in its next financial year, with suggestions that Avaya dealers are...

NetStore to acquire Intercea.
October 17, 2005... NetStore is continuing its acquisition spree with the proposed takeover of IT services provider Intercea for up to [pounds sterling]12.1m. The acquisition of the specialist in Web-based services, which has its own data centre in Reading, sees...

Price war expected as HP pressures distributors.
October 17, 2005... Hewlett-Packard has made no secret of plans to rationalise its distribution channels by May 2006, basing the decision on volumes, which means that resellers may get keen prices in the meantime as distributors fight for market share. As...

Questions over Intel chip.
October 17, 2005... Channel players were left scratching their heads at the release of Intel's first dual-core Xeon server chip, which will not ship in volume until the beginning of next year and lacks supporting platform components. The launch of the multi-core...

SAP to empower SMEs with financing package.
October 17, 2005... SAP Financing is the latest offering aimed at resellers to provide them with a total solution SAP is targeting a financing package at SMEs to equip resellers with additional artillery to help them sell into this emerging market for the...

Storage space holds promise for resellers.
October 17, 2005... Although networked storage technology has been around for some time, until recently it was mainly seen as the preserve of large enterprises with big budgets. However, that perception is starting to change as the volume of data being processed...

Support for users essential as VoIP awareness grows.
October 17, 2005... When eBay announced it was buying Skype for what would total $4bn ([pounds sterling]2.3bn) if certain performance targets were hit, the subject of Internet telephony gained a higher profile. Skype boasts around 54 million users worldwide, with...

Widening the search means business IT transformation.
October 17, 2005... Enterprise computing is facing a new revolution in the form of search. Search engines have the potential to transform business IT as radically as desktop computing did 20 years ago. Despite the stock market hype surrounding Google, whose share...

Xerox alters distribution roster in strategy rethink.
October 17, 2005... Xerox has notified Midwich and Direktek Distribution that it is terminating their contracts for "commercial reasons", igniting fears that the move is a precursor to further changes in the vendor's distribution channel over the next six months....

Competition hots up in managed print services.
October 24, 2005... The drive towards managed print services has gained momentum after Oki unveiled its version to the channel and Hewlett-Packard detailed plans to open up a pilot scheme to its wider partner community by December. The Japanese vendor hinted...

D-Link locks onto switch targets.
October 24, 2005... Since launching an ambitious market share stab at the beginning of last month, D-Link has set the LAN switch shares of Cisco, Hewlett-Packard's ProCurve division and 3Com firmly in its sights and is prepared to fight them on both price and...

Fayrewood mystery bid talks still at early stages.(merger plans)(Brief Article)
October 24, 2005... Fayrewood, parent company to distributors Unipalm and Interface, has said it remains in early-stage discussions over a potential bid for all or part of the group, but gave no clues as to whom the bidder was. Paul Griffiths, chief executive at...

Government infrastructure in need of upgrade.(Brief Article)
October 24, 2005... Resellers supplying local government infrastructure products and services can take heart from the latest announcement by the Society of IT Management (Socitm). According to the local government consultancy, which represents 95 per cent of...

Granville Technology Group administrator reveals [pounds sterling]8m black hole.
October 24, 2005... The administrator handling Granville Technology Group has unearthed an [pounds sterling]8m shortfall in accounts amid suggestions that the owners of the UK system builder will be litigiously pursued by creditors. The owner of the Tiny and...

Home goal.
October 24, 2005... Response to the relaunched Home Computing Initiative has been largely positive over the past year but, before jumping in head first, resellers should be aware of the complexities involved The Home Computing Initiative (HCI) is one of the...

Hydra rebuts claims of finance trouble.(Hydra Solutions dismissed rumours, public relations)(Brief Article)
October 24, 2005... Amid legal challenges from former employees, City-based networking and security reseller Hydra Solutions has rubbished claims that it is in financial trouble after it put its holding company into administration. The firm insisted it was not in...

InTechnology CEO rubbishes sale predictions.
October 24, 2005... InTechnology has rubbished strong channel indications that the distributor wants to sell its European operations and is receiving suitors for that part of its business. According to industry sources, the combination of the failure to transfer...

Intel plans for third-party chipsets concern channel.
October 24, 2005... For the first time in its history Intel will use third-party chipsets to support desktop CPUs to compensate for a lack of product in the market as it shifts production to dual-core platforms and prioritises supply to higher-value server and...

Microsoft puts finishing touches to CRM offering.
October 24, 2005... As the CRM market experiences increasing vendor commitment amid strong competition, Microsoft has previewed to the channel its latest offering as it bids to take the mid-market by storm. So eager was Microsoft to win share in this market, it...

Mixed bag of Q3 results for troubled sector.
October 24, 2005... It was mixed results this week as some vendors unveiled positive figures for the third quarter, while sales fell for some, due to outside influences. IBM saw revenues drop eight per cent to $21.5bn ([pounds sterling]12.3bn) in the third quarter...

NextiraOne purchases GFI Informatics for cash.(Brief Article)
October 24, 2005... The spectre of consolidation in the Cisco gold partner community came to the fore last week after NextiraOne snapped up the UK division of fellow French-owned rival GFI Informatics for an undisclosed cash sum. Simon Gibbs, managing director of...

SAP builds reseller confidence.
October 24, 2005... Vendor moves to boost its channel partner numbers by another 50 as it continues to focus on mid-market arena SAP told 70 UK SME partners to be ready for the business opportunities it would offer them during its first major partner event...

Uncle Sam losing PC grip.
October 24, 2005... Analysts expect PC sales in EMEA to overtake US sales next year as the balance of power shifts Almost as many PCs were shipped in EMEA during the third quarter as in the US, prompting analysts to predict that sales would be higher on this...

Vendors accelerate into WAN.
October 24, 2005... A week after Cisco created its application delivery business unit to focus on WAN optimisation technologies, rival Juniper Networks created a specialist channel programme for its partners focusing on application acceleration. Both strategies...

WEEE enforcement could spark price hike.
October 24, 2005... Hewlett-Packard is offering free recycling for users in advance of the forthcoming European Waste Electrical and Electronic (WEEE) directive but, like some of its rivals, has refused to rule out PC price rises covering the cost of the service...

Workers long to be remote.(workers opts for teleworking, research)
October 24, 2005... Research shows more staff are opting for teleworking but there is resistance and some may face a psychological barrier The trust barrier that has traditionally held back the wider adoption of teleworking could be swept away as millions...

Against the clock.
October 31, 2005... Jane Dudman With the deadline for getting local government 100 per cent e-enabled looming, there are still doubts about whether all local authorities will meet the Government target on time and further doubts about ongoing development...

BSA arms resellers with misuse facts and figures.
October 31, 2005... The Business Software Alliance (BSA) warned UK firms last week that they must take strides to legitimise software as one new case of misuse is opened every day. But the issue is wider than merely pirates copying software and selling it; it is...

Extreme updates service portfolio.
October 31, 2005... Christopher Walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Extreme Networks has updated its service portfolio in a bid to increase reseller recruitment numbers and plug the "gaping holes" in user requirements for networking service. The eight-point...

Juniper blocks remote threats from users to internal networks.(Juniper Networks Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 31, 2005... Less than a week after posting numbers which hark back to the heyday of the IT industry, with pre-tax profits up by 72 per cent in the third quarter, routing and security vendor Juniper is looking to create a fresh market for internal network...

Lenovo targets lower end.
October 31, 2005... Roanna Avison roanna.avison@rbi.co.uk Lenovo has unveiled plans to launch a concerted push into the SME market, and possibly the consumer space, next year. The move comes on the back of the launch of an SME-focused PC under the IBM Think...

Managed mobile solutions could calm customer fears.
October 31, 2005... The channel has long been encouraged to help users with mobile technology, but often runs into problems understanding exactly what customers are trying to achieve. According to research from analyst group IDC, IT managers recognise that they...

Maturing VMware adjusts partnering model.
October 31, 2005... Virtualisation software vendor VMware is pushing renewals and support through resellers in a major shift away from its traditional policy. The server virtualisation software maker's yearly renewal and support contracts are to be sold by...

Q3 financial results boost confidence.
October 31, 2005... The third quarter appeared to be favourable for vendors across the board, writes Roanna Avison. Websense reported a 32 per cent increase in revenues to $38.3m ([pounds sterling]21.5m) in the third quarter ended 30 September, with net...

Sage introduces SMEs to CRM with hosted version.
October 31, 2005... KARL FLINDERS karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk Last week, Sage launched a hosted CRM product targeted at UK SMEs and revealed plans to drive a customer acquisition strategy by offering a smooth transition from hosted to on-site CRM. Sage CRM.com,...

South Africa beckons for SAM Partners.
October 31, 2005... karl Flinders karl.flinders@rbi.co.uk UK software asset management (SAM) specialist SAM Partners has signed a deal with a South African large account reseller (LAR) and will open an operation in the sub-Saharan state to provide consultancy....

Tiny collapse has severe consequences for Kotech.(Tiny Computers)(Brief Article)
October 31, 2005... Following news that there will not be a meeting of creditors of Granville Technologies, the significance of its fall has become clear after computer systems supplier Kotech Limited entered administration following the demise of its largest...

Wily to expand channel skills.(Wily Technology Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 31, 2005... With increasing pressure being placed on the network by way of voice, video and data, application management vendor Wily Technology is hoping to ride the wave of need for greater network administration by widening its partner programme in the...