MicroScope articles from October 2008

MicroScope archives from October 2008

12 Soap.
October 6, 2008... What is the best/worst advice you have received? Worst - it's easy to juggle a family and a career in IT. It's so not. What is the best book you have read? The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett What temptation can you not...

15 Columns.(Column)
October 6, 2008... The UK press trip to Redmond prior to the launch of Windows 95 promised a three-day "technology workshop". But instead of hands-on involvement we got a PowerPoint parade delivered by marketing types who spent much of their time mocking the...

11 Letters.(Letter to the editor)
October 6, 2008... Oracle's U-turn moves away from its core vision SeA n Jackson VP of marketing, Kognitio The current economic turmoil is spreading uncertainty across most markets and organisations are making changes to ensure their future. But...

18 Interview.(relationship between the vendor and its partners )
October 6, 2008... The channel often gets a mention like a tick in the box in the topics that an executive needs to mention when talking about the strategy of a vendor that operates an indirect route to market. But of course there is a big gap between words...

10 Features.
October 6, 2008... The channel has suffered for years from skills shortages that reduce capacity for growth and undermine the shift towards emerging technologies. To complicate matters, the government's Migration Advisory Committee has reported on business...

09 Tech Traders.
October 6, 2008... The days when projectors were products that occasionally got switched on in boardrooms or found their way into clubs and classrooms has long gone. Part of the reason for the change has been the way the market has moved not just in price,...

12 Soap.
October 6, 2008... It's all so exciting for Ballmer Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer is one of the largest characters in the industry. With almost every other word shouted, he certainly catches the attention. Then there is clearly his sense of humour,...

05 Editorial.(Editorial)
October 6, 2008... There were a couple of things that stuck in the mind last week. The first was a snatched interview on Radio 4 and the other was something Steve Ballmer said to Microsoft partners. The interviewee on the radio said companies had already...

01 News.
October 6, 2008... Blue Solutions and Microsoft have changed their relationship, with the distributor opting to end its authorised OEM partner status (see Analysis, p7). The decision follows the impact of changing contracts that came into effect at the start...

01 News.
October 6, 2008... The end of this month will see a series of significant announcements from Microsoft about cloud computing (see Analysis, p6). Speaking to resellers at an event in London, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer indicated that a new operating system,...

01 News.(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Businesses are fighting an uphill battle to contain and reduce power consumption in datacentres. Figures from IDC reveal the amount of energy they require is "climbing at a worrying speed" and rose by more than 13% between 2006 and 2007....

01 News.
October 6, 2008... "We are a channel company and are getting it in place with a 2-tier model which will offer good margins," he said. http://www.microscope.co.uk/welcome/news/vendor-news/veeam-arrives-in-uk-looking-for-distribution/.

01 News.(briefs)
October 6, 2008... Enta Technologies has become an OEM distributor for Logitech, handling the range of peripherals including keyboard and mice. Jon Atherton, vice-president at Enta Technology, said that the addition of the range would complement its portfolio and...

05 Editorial.(Editorial)
October 6, 2008... In the world of cloud computing there is agreement on the fact that there is a shift towards adopting hosted services. But there continue to be differences on exactly how to provide applications in the future. The phrases software as a...

19 Analysis.
October 6, 2008... How important is hardware to a software sale? The question arises because Microsoft, easily the biggest software vendor in the PC market, appears to have decided that hardware is something that distributors - or at least those selling to OEMs -...

08 Storage.
October 6, 2008... Most companies now recognise that the long-term preservation of business data can have a major impact on their whole organisation. Data lifecycle management, resource optimisation, risk management, compliance and power consumption are all...

12 Soap.
October 13, 2008... What is the best/worst advice you have received and from whom? One of my first bosses told me not to ask people to do something that I would not do myself - it helps you make clear decisions for the right reasons. What is the best book...

12 Soap.
October 13, 2008... What is the best/worst advice you have received and from whom? "Honesty and integrity should be at the core of everything you do" - er, my mum. What is the best book you've ever read? I'm not a great book reader. Instead I love...

15 Columns.(Column)
October 13, 2008... Too many companies focus on reprimanding staff for security failures, though their failure is likely to be institutional Teach your staff to police themselves Given that we are bombarded with stories about violation of security...

15 Columns.
October 13, 2008... Intel inside mobile internet devices? Silicon Valley firms are pushing mobile internet devices, but smartphones could already have taken their place In 2001 I was commissioned to write what became the first industry report on what are...

12 Soap.(Underground_8)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... Shopping for stats How about this as a test of software that monitors where people go in shopping centres. According to Path Intelligence, people spend more the longer they stay in shops. Unless you have popped into a shopping centre to...

15 Columns.
October 13, 2008... Violation to education -two sides of the same coin David Stanley, proofpoint Everyday we make choices. From the time we get up in the morning until the point at which we get back into bed. Each choice takes us down a new path, not...

09 Tech Traders.
October 13, 2008... It's no wonder that, given access to a fast internet connection and several hours in front of a screen, workers often resort to wasting time on the web at work. Despite employer web usage policies, which state that the IT equipment should...

05 Editorial.(Editorial)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... Depending on who you speak to, the wolves are either at the door or inside chewing your leg off, with more now prepared to admit and share the pain of the latter experience. The impact of the current unprecedented times is that the usual...

01 News.(Report)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... The number of channel firms going to the wall is on the up according to the latest set of insolvency figures from Graydon UK but worse is yet to come the credit reference agency has warned. There were nearly 20% more insolvencies in first...

01 News.(Dell Inc. mergers with Silverback Technologies Inc)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... Dell's second specialisation for channel partners is being piloted in the capital, a month after the remote management service was trialled by the direct sales force with existing hardware customers. The managed service aimed at SMEs draws...

01 News.
October 13, 2008... Symantec continues to open its corporate wallet with the announcement of the acquisition of SaaS specialist MessageLabs. The security and storage specialist is paying $695 in cash for MessageLabs, which will be split into [pounds...

01 News.
October 13, 2008... With more small firms set to go bust in the last quarter, what are resellers doing to guard against the financial crisis? Channel braces itself for gloomy 2009 One quarter away from the end of an annus horribilis and the reseller...

01 News.
October 13, 2008... Time has come for videoconferencing In line with current cost-cutting trends, the focus at IP'08 was around network management and unified comms There was only one game in town at IP'07, the UK's annual IP and convergence event, and...

10 Features.(Conference news)
October 13, 2008... It is a scene from a Hollywood film or the opening chapter of a successful autobiography to describe the moment when a plan was drawn on the back of a napkin. Those snatched brainstorming sessions often lead to changes that might never...

10 Features.
October 13, 2008... Storage Expo 2008 This year's show will be at London Olympia on 15-16 October. We highlight the product launches taking place there Every year the great and the good of the storage world meet at Storage Expo to show off their wares and...

12 Soap.
October 20, 2008... Olly Carter Proofpoint MicroScope puts its questions to Olly Carter, EMEA channel manager at Proofpoint What is the best/worst advice you have received and from whom? "Honesty and integrity should be at the core of everything...

Buyere_SSRqs market encourages flurry of acquisitions.(01 News)
October 20, 2008... Cash is king, and those without it could be losers in the latest phase of industry consolidation This industry loves its cliches and the one that is doing the rounds at the moment has to be "cash is king". It gets used in connection...

Are businesses equipped to see out a looming recession?(15 Columns)
October 20, 2008... After 10 years of growth many businesses may be poorly placed to survive a recession Well there's no getting away from the fact, we now find ourselves living in interesting times. We have enjoyed a period of unbroken prosperity and...

10 Features.(financial crises)
October 20, 2008... A storage snapshot What next for the storage market, as the global economic situation worsens? Billy MacInnes talks to industry leaders to find out what their plans are for 2009 and how they see the sector shaping up during the course of...

18 Interview.
October 20, 2008... Making sense of security Pat Dunne, senior director for the UK and Ireland at Websense, talks to Simon Quicke about how the security landscape has changed to reflect the new style of workplace Within a matter of days after the BBC...

01 News.(business security)(Brief article)
October 20, 2008... The words "worry-free" have a particular power when connected with security and so it's not been a surprise that Trend Micro has kept those two words in its marketing for several years. The Worry-Free range is aimed at the SME market and as...

01 News.
October 20, 2008... The IT market is set for several quarters of declining revenue as a result of the global recession rather than just a sticky end to the year and the start of 2009. The warning that the impact of recession is going to be more long term on...

01 News.(Simms International )(financial management)(Brief article)
October 20, 2008... Alex Tatham's eleven-month love affair with memory distributor Simms International has come to an abrupt end due to a "change in strategy", the distributor confirmed this morning. The colourful distribution veteran was made UK managing...

01 News.
October 20, 2008... In one of the more unusual responses to the ongoing skills crisis in the UK IT industry Sage has launched a national campaign to find those with high levels of business nouse. The Newcastle-based software vendor has also stumped up the...

01 News.
October 20, 2008... Microsoft has signed an exclusive deal with PC World to bring its Equipt package to the UK after running the scheme in the US through retailer Circuit City. The vendor has reacted to the common misconception that a new computer comes with...

Talk up network upgrades for savings in a downturn.(01 News)
October 20, 2008... As customers tighten their purse strings, "spend to save" becomes a vital pitch Last autumn, when the first hints of economic trouble started to bubble to the surface in the shape of new buzzwords like "sub-prime mortgage" and "credit...

Energy costs climb IT buyerse_SSRq agenda.(01 News)
October 20, 2008... Power costs continue to rise, making the cost of maintaining datacentres and IT equipment a focus for IT customers In an atmosphere of cost cutting and belt tightening, and occasional panicking, it is natural that costs are being...

15 Columns.
October 20, 2008... Get that umbrella, the storage parade is going to be rained upon, thanks to the economic turmoil. There's not a lot you can do when a big customer goes bust but you could switch your business focus away from affected areas and present...

10 Features.
October 27, 2008... For years the x86 server market has been the reliable cash cow of the reseller business. Over a three-year cycle most resellers could bank on their clients replacing one set of working servers with a brand new set, driven by the need to run the...

10 Features.
October 27, 2008... There can be no doubt that customers sign up for technology that saves them money and allows them to consolidate technology but the extent to which they embrace the environmental message that is often behind those benefits is debatable. ...

05 Editorial.(WatchGuard Technologies Inc.)(Editorial)(Brief article)
October 27, 2008... One of the reasons for the smile on the Watchguard CEO's face was not just because he spent a lunchtime with MicroScope but also because he is running a private company. One of the benefits of being owned by a couple of venture capitalist...

01 News.
October 27, 2008... A mixed week on the stock markets saw a number of filings from vendors across the market that indicated there was belt tightening and expectations for tough times to continue. Fierce pricing pressure and a stronger yen led Sony to slash its...

01 News.(mergers between Linksys Group Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc.)(Brief article)
October 27, 2008... Having spent five years mulling over the future of its SOHO and consumer brand Linksys, Cisco quietly announced that the division - which saw its SMB channel merged into Cisco's registered partner programme last month - will now be formally...

01 News.
October 27, 2008... IBM has placed Jaqueline Davey in the hot seat to manage its UK business partner community and replace long standing incumbent Simon Pendlebury, who has moved to run the firm's systems business. As exclusively revealed last month,...

01 News.(Cisco Systems Inc.)(Days have signed technology partnership with McAfee )(Microsoft Corp.)
October 27, 2008... Cisco has unveiled a series of expansions to its expert level certification programme as it continues its crusade to enhance networking skills in the channel. The latest refinements, which will be rolled-out on a worldwide basis in the coming...

01 News.
October 27, 2008... There are a couple of things changing about the all-in-one security appliance arena and those that have been pitching inadequate systems at the enterprise market next year could see life starting to get very difficult. The unified threat...

01 News.
October 27, 2008... Following Apple's refresh of its MacBook notebook lines on 14 October, issues with technical specifications and premium price points have emerged that could leave the vendor and its reseller partners facing a lean few months. There was...

15 Columns.
October 27, 2008... As you probably know, since we began development of the next version of the Windows client operating system we have been referring to it by a codename: Windows 7. But now is a good time to announce that we've decided to officially call the next...

15 Columns.(use of mobile phone)(Column)
October 27, 2008... Business has become increasingly mobile with more employees keeping in touch with the office by checking emails on their mobile phones or remotely dialling into office servers from across the globe. This means more people in the UK can now...