MicroScope articles from September 2004

MicroScope archives from September 2004

Adtran aims to take advantage of Cisco reseller dissatisfaction.
September 6, 2004... christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk US enterprise networking vendor Adtran is looking to capitalise on the current dissatisfaction in the Cisco channel and boost its channel recruitment numbers in the UK as a part of its global...

BT changes could lead to flood of data resellers in voice market.(Multi-service Internet protocol )
September 6, 2004... christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk BT's recently published timetable for the transformation of its UK network could lead to a massive influx of data resellers into the voice market, according to specialist voice and data...

CAE hopes to expand reach through acquisition or partnership.(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Roanna Avison roanna.avison@rbi.co.uk Six months after completing an MBO, the management of CAE has revealed intentions to acquire or partner in the services arena to expand its reach. Justin Harling, managing director of CAE, insisted the...

CRM makes a comeback.(Customer relationship management)
September 6, 2004... roanna avison roanna.avison@rbi.co.uk Like many areas of the IT industry, a lot of noise was made about customer relationship management (CRM) when it first appeared in 1999, but as the economy faded in subsequent years the software slipped...

Cisco OIP will reward resellers with increased margin.(Opportunity incentive programme)
September 6, 2004... christopher Walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Cisco is set to roll out its opportunity incentive programme (OIP) throughout EMEA following a trial of the SMB market incentive rebate scheme in the UK and four other European countries....

Connections+ director faces Court date.
September 6, 2004... The ex-financial director at Skipton and Burnley-based reseller Connections+ is set to appear in Bradford Crown Court later this month charged with six counts of theft. When Andrew John Slater attended Skipton Magistrates Court on 6 August for...

Dealers advised to persevere with VoIP sales.(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Roanna Avison roanna.avison@rbi.co.uk Resellers should continue to target their traditional markets with Internet protocol (IP) products, despite a reluctance to take on the technology, as well as looking to those areas that are taking...

Digital signage -- an IT solution.
September 6, 2004... Jon Sidwick, managing director of AV specialist Maverick, points out the user benefits of digital signage, as well as the massive sales and ongoing maintenance opportunities the technology presents to the channel Digital signage is a...

EMC to expand distribution roster and widen UK reach.(Distribution agreement )
September 6, 2004... paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Storage giant EMC is locked in discussions with Magirus in the UK to determine whether or not they should extend their newly penned distribution agreement which spans continental Europe. At present, Ideal...

Feeling the squeeze.(Shared contact centre service development)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Analysts warn large service providers are losing share to a growing number of service consortia Market analyst firm Datamonitor has warned that consortia of small service providers are...

FrontBridge outlines plans to expand European reseller base.
September 6, 2004... roanna avison roanna.avison@rbi.co.uk Secure messaging and e-mail specialist FrontBridge has outlined plans to expand its reseller base in northern Europe after the acquisition of MessageRite and a tie-up with Voltage Security. Craig...

HDS aims to shake off box-shifting image.(Hitachi Data Systems)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Enterprise storage systems giant Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) has restructured internally, creating a global channel sales and marketing division with representation on the board by new global...

HP shows grey market grit.(Hewlett-Packard)
September 6, 2004... paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Vendor demonstrates its dedication to addressing cases of fraud by filing a lawsuit in the US and issuing a writ in the UK Hewlett-Packard is baring its teeth and getting tough on resellers suspected...

LCD panel prices to drop ten per cent per month.(Liquid crystal displays)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk LCD component costs could slide by ten per cent a month for the rest of the year, but that might not translate into equivalent reductions in high street prices as manufacturers hold on to some margin....

Losses for acquisitive Morse.(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Morse can finally put the protracted saga of its purchase of Diagonal behind it after turning over [pounds sterling]390m for the year ended 30 June, but its acquisitive nature over the past 12 months resulted in pre-tax losses of [pounds...

Managed services gaining ground in enterprise market.(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Christopher Walton reports on the progress of IBM's Global Services division in a growing and fast changing market 2004 will possibly be remembered as the year managed services came to fruition, with numerous resellers pushing such contract...

Microsoft admits SP2 has issues.(Windows XP Service Pack 2)
September 6, 2004... Roanna avison roanna.avison@rbi.co.uk Resellers that supply Windows XP Service Pack 2 are warned to be aware of potential hardware compatibility problems Resellers have been warned to check hardware compatibility before upgrading...

Midwich plugs FSC gap with Maxdata contract.(Fujitsu Siemens Computers)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk After ending its relationship with Fujitsu Siemens Computers (FSC) at the start of the summer, Midwich has joined forces with Maxdata and is preparing to position the new and the old head-to-head. The FSC...

Net chat comes cheap.(Softphone software )
September 6, 2004... Tony Glover VoIP is poised to make telecoms a sub-sector of personal computing, stealing business from traditional telecoms operators and giving users cheaper calls The entire telecoms sector is now in grave danger of becoming an...

Poor user understanding of wireless security still a problem.(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Users are still failing to grasp the concept of security in the wireless space despite ongoing education programmes run by the channel. The issue around poor user understanding was raised by MicroScope earlier this year (see MicroScope, 8...

Three manage change.(3Com Corp., Interface Solutions International Ltd., LG Electronics U.S.A. Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... The management merry-go-round has taken another turn, with changes taking place at 3Com, LG and Interface. 3Com UK and Ireland country manager Rob Coyne has left the vendor in order to pursue other interests. In a statement, 3Com confirmed...

Three steps to service success.(International Business Machines Corp)
September 6, 2004... Christopher Walton reports on the progress of IBM's Global Services division in a growing and fast changing market With major rivals failing to hit the mark in the services channel, IBM has increased its activity over the past year to...

Users are confused by chip vendor's revised branding.
September 6, 2004... paul Kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Notebook vendors have called on Intel to heavily market the changes made to the way its mobile CPUs are branded after users complained the new method was confusing, particularly in regard to Celeron....

Veritas acquisition will give access to worldwide market.(KVS Information Systems Inc)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk The deal between Veritas and KVS signals further moves into the storage and security markets for both vendors Reading-based e-mail archiving software vendor KVS has been snapped up by US...

Appliances fuel EMEA surge in enterprise security sales.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... The EMEA enterprise security market bucked the seasonal second quarter dip this year to grow by 33 per cent, with appliance sales outperforming the more traditional software element. The pan-regional market grew 33 per cent this year to hit...

CA to make OEM storage leap after security success.(Computer Associates, Original Equipment Manufacturers)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Computer Associates is on the verge of expanding its OEM offerings to include storage on the back of strong uptake of its security element. Terry O'Loughlin, distribution and OEM sales manager for the UK and Ireland at CA, revealed the vendor...

CSG eyes up more acquisition targets.(Computer Software Group)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Computer Software Group, an IBM specialist reseller, has moved to acquire Liverpool-based Advatech Computer Systems and Watford-based Pinnacle Computer Systems for a total of [pounds sterling]3.5m. If the conditional bids go through, Advatech...

Channel presses HP to come down hard on Paradise.(Paradise Computers (UK) Ltd.)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Pressure is mounting on Hewlett-Packard to act decisively if Paradise Computers (UK) Ltd is found guilty of dealing in grey market products by stripping the reseller of its accreditation. At the same time, industry sources have claimed Euler...

Computacenter signs deals with Scottish Power and EDF.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Computacenter has signed two new contracts with Scottish Power and utility giant EDF Energy for [pounds sterling]5m worth of server refresh and a three-year managed services deal respectively. The EDF deal will see Computacenter manage an...

Datapoint insists it has become more than a safe pair of hands.
September 13, 2004... Channel companies backed by the UK's most ubiquitous venture capitalist Jon Moulton, managing partner at Alchemy, have a track record of quick turnarounds and being profitable businesses. The impact of Moulton's investment is now being felt in...

Dell to fuel printer price war.
September 13, 2004... The price war being waged in the colour laser market will intensify later this year when Dell launches into the UK with three network-ready products that will undercut most rivals' total cost of ownership by over a quarter, according to...

EMC and Westcoast spark up distribution relationship.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... To bolster its route to the entry-level storage array space EMC will sign a distribution agreement with Westcoast, which will kick off from the beginning of next month. But discussions between the US leviathan and Magirus, as exclusively...

Elcom subsidiary to focus on high-margin markets.(Elcom Inc. is launching its new subsidiary ESSANT)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Reflecting the growth in demand for IP telephony, storage and managed network services, Elcom has unveiled plans to launch a subsidiary aimed at these high-margin markets. The corporate reseller will use its ESSANT subsidiary to focus on...

Everybody's business.
September 13, 2004... Businesses and users can no longer afford to ignore security problems, and that means neither can resellers. Educating users about security risks is a good way to trigger new opportunities for sales and services Resellers face a fantastic...

GSEC1 completes line-up with OpenPSL signing.(Global Security One)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Internet security and network management specialist Global Security One (GSEC1) has completed its search for distributors after signing up OpenPSL last week. The Manchester-based distributor will line up alongside Northamber and Arc...

Getting into bed with your channel partners.(networking events)
September 13, 2004... For long-term partnerships and business generation, speed dating might just be the way to find the perfect match, as Tony Stirrup discovers "Young by-email ISV with attractive VP, into S&M, seeks VAR/VAD into CRM for mutual EU LG and...

IBM launches Why Wait.(International Business Machine Corp. introduced free payment deferral program of its products)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Finance initiative launched by Big Blue could boost product refresh numbers across Europe In a move that echoes similar initiatives launched by rival vendors, IBM is looking to boost refresh numbers on its hardware products throughout...

Juniper to provide SMEs with 'cost-effective' VPN.(NetScreen Remote Access 500 series)(Juniper Networks Inc., small and medium-sized enterprises, virtual private networks)
September 13, 2004... Juniper Networks is set to target the SME market for SSL VPN with its NetScreen Remote Access 500 series of products, which the networking giant believes will create new markets for its resellers. Based on its enterprise-level instant...

Magirus calls for value-add.(Magirus UK)
September 13, 2004... With the one per cent world a reality for some broadline distributors in some product areas, the capability of the value-added distributor (VAD) and its ability to increase margin has been thrown increasingly under the spotlight. In June,...

Morse steps into grid computing.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... With Oracle claiming its 10G platform made grid computing a viable offering for the channel, Morse has claimed its exclusive resell agreement with Egenera will give it the platforms it needs to sell grid computing. Paul McCarthy, commercial...

Oracle opens up mid-market to partners.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Oracle is to push its mid-market middleware offering through its channel and ISV partners after claiming that Dell had "validated" the product for SME users. Application Server Standard Edition One will now be available through the channel,...

Progress aims to continue growth of partner base.
September 13, 2004... The recently appointed UK and Ireland managing director at Progress Software has outlined plans to build on the company's existing partner base. Mark Gilliland revealed that Progress had been growing its application partner base by 15 per cent...

SMEs fail to grasp wireless opportunity.(small and medium-sized enterprises)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... The majority of SMEs have yet to seize wireless mobility with both hands, but the head of Intel UK believes access has become less complex and is cheaper for the SME community than for corporate users. Talking at the Be Mobile seminar last...

Syan acquires third company.
September 13, 2004... Outsourcing and infrastructure services specialist Syan has acquired fellow UK-based outsourcing provider NetSoft for an undisclosed fee as the High Wycombe-based company continues its push into the mid-market. The acquisition, the third by...

The big picture.(audiovisual equipment industry)
September 13, 2004... The AV market is growing rapidly and offers opportunities to sell into businesses and homes, if resellers could only look beyond the government millions earmarked for education For a reseller to have avoided the buzz around the...

Trend offers resellers buy-back scheme on unused software.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Trend Network Services, the specialist networking arm of Phoenix, is offering to buy back unused network management software from resellers in exchange for its own integrated network monitoring service package, after it claimed the software was...

US printer vendor faces E-series issues head-on.(Lexmark)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Lexmark recalls all E-series mono laser printers sold prior to 20 August this year after discovering electrical problems Lexmark has moved quickly to defend the quality of its products and conducted a voluntary recall of all E-series mono...

Unease as BP plans to deploy systems based on SSL technology and to use Internet as network.(British Petroleum)
September 13, 2004... Networking resellers have been urged to keep an eye on the latest move by BP to use the Internet as its corporate network and develop services for enterprises looking to make a similar move. According to reports in sister title Computer...

Vendors fight it out for ISV share.(Independent Software Vendor)
September 13, 2004... Christopher Walton reports from the Oracle ISV forum at the London ExCeL centre in Docklands last week The war for ISV hearts and minds continued to be waged at Oracle's OpenWorld event last week as the vendor launched the latest salvo...

What's the real cost?(Information technology services)
September 13, 2004... The search for low prices could push value out of the IT industry, with low-cost box-shifters replacing services businesses The UK IT industry has called on the Government to recognise the overall value of IT solutions rather than focusing...

Wick Hill given SME role by Check Point.(small and medium-based enterprises)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Check Point has sets its sights on the SME market after signing up small business specialist distributor Wick Hill and outlining plans to roll out a programme to support resellers operating in that arena. The vendor has attempted to grow its...

3Com arms dealers with 'full' enterprise offering.(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk 3Com has looked to plug the gaps in its WAN routing portfolio with the Router 6000 family it hopes will give its resellers the full capability to sell into all levels of the enterprise space....

An e-mail to Veritas, or should we say VERITAS.(VERITAS Software Corp.)
September 20, 2004... In an e-mail to one of "the top ten software companies in the world", Jean-Jacques Maleval, editor of StorageNewsletter, gets a few things off his chest and offers some free advice Research firm IDC estimates the volume of corporate e-mail...

Apple shortage over.(Apple Computer)(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Apple has claimed products will be in free supply from the start of next month after a summer in which the vendor has been dogged with shortages on iPods, portables and G5 machines. Distributors have...

C&W invests in the channel to address convergence growth.(Cable and Wireless)
September 20, 2004... roanna avison roanna.avison@rbi.co.uk Cable & Wireless is increasing its investment in the channel and in partner support as it looks to address the growing move towards converged voice and data solutions. The move comes on the back of the...

Cisco takes competitive lead.
September 20, 2004... Christopher Walton reports from Munich on the launch of networking vendor's integrated service routers Cisco has told the channel its new wave of integrated service routers, combining voice and video, security and wireless traffic over the...

Consolidation could impact chip market.(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... Simon Quicke simon.quicke@rbi.co.uk Expectations of consolidation in the IT industry have resounded across the channel in the last few months with the latest spotlight turning on the semiconductor industry. According to Gartner, there are...

Consolidation continues.
September 20, 2004... roanna avison roanna.avison@rbi.co.uk Consolidation in the reseller channel continued at pace last week with Civica's acquisition of Radius Computer Services and US-based Ciber's purchase of Novasoft. Public sector software reseller Civica...

Corporates will eventually be won over by interactive whiteboards.
September 20, 2004... Education may drive the whiteboard market, but Maverick managing director Jon Sidwick says businesses will adopt the technology as they catch on to its benefits We know that education is driving the interactive whiteboard (IWB) market, and...

Dealers urged to join the hunt.
September 20, 2004... paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk At its Partner Conference last week, Hewlett-Packard revealed plans to reward partners for seeking out new business Hewlett-Packard has come out fighting after claiming its corporate reseller channel...

Future uncertain for one Toshiba ; IS distributor.(Information Systems)(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Toshiba Information Systems (IS) has admitted discussions are in progress about whether to drop one distributor by the end of the month and maintain its strategy of focusing on four partners. There has...

Getronics looks for growth.(Getronics N.V.)(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... christopher walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk Amsterdam-based service provider continues reinvention with portfolio of seven solution sets In an unusual move, European service provider Getronics has unveiled its revised network and...

HP intends to eliminate grey marketing issue.(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... The UK channel acts as a hub for grey market products, according to Hewlett-Packard, and the senior vice-president of its solution partners organisation (SPO) has said it will aggressively pursue any partner involved in the practice to...

Intecpc purchases assets of PST International from receivers.(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... Paul Kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk The assets of PST International have been purchased from the receivers for [pounds sterling]40,000 by Cheshire-based PC and peripheral manufacturer Intecpc . A long-standing excess inventory broker, PST...

Integrated path welcomed.(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... Christopher Walton reports from Munich on the launch of networking vendor's integrated service routers At the unveiling of Cisco's integrated services routers in Munich last week, two of Cisco's largest gold partners in the UK threw their...

Margin pressure hits Capgemini.(Campgemini UK)
September 20, 2004... Christopher Walton christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk French systems integration giant Capgemini and analyst group Ovum have warned that the high cost of sales in major enterprise contracts is inhibiting cost structures in the integration space....

MicroScope campaign: sign on-line and stop CNP crime.(cardholder not present)
September 20, 2004... paul kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk The MicroScope campaign to raise awareness and stimulate debate on the growing problem of cardholder not present (CNP) fraud has reached the second phase, and the magazine has now created an on-line...

Red Squared links with Morse on IBM.(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... Having commenced flotation on AIM at the beginning of last week, IBM managed services partner Red Squared took the opportunity of the listing to reveal a strategic partnership with the Big Blue solutions division of Morse. Cheshire-based Red...

SP2 roll-out should create SME upsell opportunities.(Microsoft's Windows XP Service Pack 2, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise)
September 20, 2004... Paul Kunert paul.kunert@rbi.co.uk Small businesses may require some hand-holding as they encounter potential hardware and software compatibility issues with Microsoft's Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), according to security specialists....

WatchGuard extends Firebox X hardware platform.(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... roanna avison roanna.avison@rbi.co.uk The security market will become consolidated around three parts of the network as the industry matures. This is the view of Mark Stevens, chief strategy officer at WatchGuard, speaking as the vendor...