News

Cloud Platforms

November 15, 2011 15 Nov'11
Ingram partners with Rise to give resellers cloud portfolio

Ingram Micro has teamed up with cloud provider Rise to offer resellers a portfolio of hosted solutions. The partnership is part of the ongoing move by Ingram to promote the cloud to resellers as part of its involvement in the Channel Transformation ...
November 08, 2011 08 Nov'11
Hybrid cloud is the current channel proposition

Resellers should start selling hybrid cloud solutions, combining on-premise with hosted applications, now as the market and the technology is ready to support that sales pitch.
November 04, 2011 04 Nov'11
Enterprise cloud demand swells NetSuite numbers

Channel watchers looking for concrete signs that cloud demand is having a real impact need only look at the latest numbers coming out of NetSuite to get a sense of the increased interest in web based applications.
November 02, 2011 02 Nov'11
Tech Data brings cloud channel programme to Europe

C2000 and Azlan parent Tech Data is importing its US cloud channel programme, TDCloud, to Europe in a bid to help resellers take advantage of the opportunities in the sector.

November 01, 2011 01 Nov'11
ThinkGrid sets aside funds for channel MDF programme

Cloud specialist ThinkGrid is earmarking some of the venture capital funds it has secured to provide marketing development funds to resellers to help them encourage customers to move to a hosted environment.
November 01, 2011 01 Nov'11
VMworld Europe 2011: All the news from the VMware show

Read all the news from VMworld Europe 2011 and find out what took place at the Copenhagen-based VMware show. VMworld Europe 2011 saw over 7,200 delegates spill through its doors at the Bella centre in Copenhagen this month.
October 28, 2011 28 Oct'11
DiData picks up key Microsoft cloud badge

Following the launch of a dedicated cloud business unit during the summer, along with the acquisition of sector specialist OpSource, Dimension Data has picked up Microsoft's Cloud Accelerate Partner badge, held by under 1% of Microsoft resellers ...
October 27, 2011 27 Oct'11
Citrix aims for SMBs with VDI-in-a-Box, posts Q3 results

Citrix is making a concerted effort to boost its presence in the SMB market with the launch of VDI-in-a-Box 5, an all-in-one virtual desktop aimed at smaller businesses, allied to a new channel partner SMB Specialist accreditation.
October 27, 2011 27 Oct'11
Nebulas fires up simple security strategy with Zscaler signing

Network security and virtualisation reseller Nebulas has added cloud security specialist Zscaler to its Technology Incubator programme as part of a newly-launched Security Simplified strategy.
October 26, 2011 26 Oct'11
Value added distribution is key, says Citrix

Citrix has stressed the importance of maintaining a value added distribution channel in the face of increasing pressure from larger distributor rivals. EMEA vice president of channel strategy Carsten Thomsen said it was one of Citrix's priorities to...

October 26, 2011 26 Oct'11
Big rise in costs dents Amazon Q3 results

Investment in the Kindle Fire and further expansion has dented Amazon's third quarter profits which declined 73% to $63m on an increase in the company's costs of almost 50%.
October 25, 2011 25 Oct'11
SMB clouds worth £660m to UK channel

A report into cloud services by hosting and services provider Parallels has today suggested that the UK SMB cloud services market opportunity could now be worth up to £660m, with up to 62% of businesses planning to switch to hosted servers.
October 25, 2011 25 Oct'11
Cloud Distribution partners get app iViz-ibility

Cloud Distribution has added application penetration testing specialist iViZ Security to its stable as it seeks to build out a portfolio of disruptive, cost-effective cloud technologies.
October 24, 2011 24 Oct'11
Oracle swallows up cloud CRM firm

Oracle has bulked up its cloud-based CRM offering after swallowing up cloud customer service specialist Right Now Technologies for $43.00 per share, or $1.5bn net of cash and debt. Right Now specialises in linking up customer service activities ...
October 24, 2011 24 Oct'11
Citrix Elite tier win bigger deals and more of them

Citrix's Elite partner programme is bringing increased market share to the 300 EMEA resellers in the scheme with bigger deals and higher win rates than the vendor's other partners.
October 19, 2011 19 Oct'11
VMware partners well-placed to exploit SMB cloud shift

Channel partners stand to make "significant money" by helping SMB customers make the move towards cloud computing with VMware technology.
October 18, 2011 18 Oct'11
VMware challenges VARs to think about app virtualisation

VMware has told partners to put virtualisation of business software applications front and centre as a means to move from a basic virtualised environment to a true cloud infrastructure at its 2011 VMworld summit in Copenhagen.
October 18, 2011 18 Oct'11
Cloud business booms for IBM

IBM has already more than doubled the cloud revenue it generated last year in the first three quarters of 2011 underlining that the hosted side of the business is growing faster than almost any other.
October 17, 2011 17 Oct'11
Lanway bolsters managed services business

Public sector cuts have prompted a change of direction at AV education specialist Lanway over the last year and a half with the reseller moving into the managed services arena and now making a major appointment to beef up that side of its business.
October 14, 2011 14 Oct'11
Distribution still has a role in a cloud world

Distribution will continue to play a critical role in a cloud market delivering services and support to resellers on behalf of vendors, according to IBM.
October 13, 2011 13 Oct'11
Citrix snaps up ShareFile to bolster cloud capabilities

Citrix has extended its cloud capabilities with the acquisition of ShareFile, which provides hosted storage services, as it gears up to exploit the predicted growth in the market.
October 12, 2011 12 Oct'11
Tablet not viable PC replacement yet, says CompTIA

Ahead of its upcoming EMEA conference, channel association CompTIA has suggested that a "three device system" will become the norm in most businesses in the near future, with tablets and smartphones unlikely to replace PCs altogether in the SME ...
October 12, 2011 12 Oct'11
IBM takes wraps off SmartCloud

IBM has taken the wraps off a set of cloud offerings targeted at enterprise customers announcing its ambition to support 200m users by the end of next year as it encourages a shift to hosted services.
October 10, 2011 10 Oct'11
Cloud services outfit Six Degrees bags £60m injection

Newly-minted managed data services house Six Degrees has bagged a £60m round of funding from private equity firm Penta Capital as it launches itself to the market.
October 10, 2011 10 Oct'11
Insight welcomed into Cloud Industry Forum

Insight UK has become the latest channel player to throw in its lot with the Cloud Industry Forum, the industry body that works to advocate cloud services and establish codes of practice around the accountability, transparency and capability of ...
October 04, 2011 04 Oct'11
App store model to transform channel by 2015

Analyst firm Canalys has used its Channels Forum in Barcelona to urge resellers to look beyond cloud computing, saying the growth of enterprise app stores represents "the true transformational force within the enterprise software market".
October 04, 2011 04 Oct'11
Cloud to become a business conversation in 2012

Cloud computing is to become "more of a business and not just a technology conversation" during the next 12 months, according to a global study carried out by auditors KPMG.
September 30, 2011 30 Sep'11
Ingram Micro takes practical approach to the cloud

Selling the cloud is something that the channel knows it needs to start thinking about but getting from a situation where it is just an idea to a solid business plan requires a fair bit of work.
September 28, 2011 28 Sep'11
Cloud offering won't compete with channel, says Virgin Media

Virgin Media Business (VMB) has teamed up with cloud computing specialist Savvies to launch its first true cloud product, the Virtual Private Data Centre (VPDC), but has moved to reassure its service provider channel that it does not plan to compete...
September 23, 2011 23 Sep'11
UK cloud market set for continued growth

The UK is leading the way with cloud services adoption and those channel players that fail to 'cloudify' their offerings in the managed services space face increasing pressure.
September 21, 2011 21 Sep'11
Interoute buys into app services market with Quantix acquisition

Cloud infrastructure services provider Interoute has spent an undisclosed sum to buy Midlands-based Oracle platinum partner Quantix in an attempt to get into managed application services as well.
September 20, 2011 20 Sep'11
IBM extends cloud helping hand to resellers

IBM has held out its hand to resellers wanting to move into the cloud providing a step by step route to hosted services as well as reducing the financial risk involved with moving to a more flexible business model.
September 19, 2011 19 Sep'11
Ingram takes wraps off Channel Transformation Alliance

Ingram Micro has taken the wraps off an alliance that is tasked with promoting and furthering the spread of cloud computing and managed services in the channel.
September 16, 2011 16 Sep'11
Government told "go cloud or die" by Salesforce.com boss

The UK government has been urged to embrace the cloud by one of the leading proponents of hosted services, writes Nick Booth. The call was made by Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff at the company's annual rally, Cloud force 2011, which was held in ...
September 09, 2011 09 Sep'11
Microsoft scrambles to restore Office 365 services

More questions will be being asked today over the reliability of Microsoft's cloud service Office 365 after the vendor's hosted software suffered an outage last night.
September 06, 2011 06 Sep'11
Computacenter finds infrastructure holds back user cloud ambitions

The virtualisation opportunity remains a large one for the channel with a sizeable number of customers yet to make any moves in the area.
September 06, 2011 06 Sep'11
Peer 1 looks for channel growth

IT hosting provider PEER 1 has reached the milestone of gaining 100 partners across EMEA, with 70 of them in the UK, as it looks to secure more business through the channel.
August 25, 2011 25 Aug'11
HP partners to run DIY cloud seminars

HP VARs will be able to resell the firm's Cloud Discovery Workshops as a definable product within the next six months, the firm has said.
August 24, 2011 24 Aug'11
Resellers must embrace cloud or risk being frozen out

Resellers have to do more to establish their cloud credentials with customers or face themselves being squeezed out of the conversation with customers.
August 18, 2011 18 Aug'11
Redstone scores UK exclusive VMware cloud badge

Redstone has claimed a UK channel first after being revealed as the first - and so far only - British partner to receive VMware's new vCloud Powered services badge.
August 18, 2011 18 Aug'11
NetApp looks to the cloud for growth

Storage specialist NetApp is positioning itself as a source of strategic cloud support for both resellers and customers as it formulates partnerships with the likes of Microsoft and Cisco to enhance its virtualisation and data centre offerings.
August 15, 2011 15 Aug'11
In-depth: SLAs key to ensuring reliable cost-efficient cloud services

With our dependence on the internet - as well as other utilities and services - comes a need to assure a continuity of supply. However, issues do arise and there will be times when service or supply is interrupted, writes Dai Davis.
August 12, 2011 12 Aug'11
Bring your own device drives VDI sales interest

The Bring your own Device (BYOD) trend is having a real impact on the demand for desktop virtualisation as users scramble to offer a greater degree of flexibility for staff wanting to connect on a range of their own products.
August 12, 2011 12 Aug'11
Equanet hires cloud specialist to ramp up hosted business

Equanet has brought a cloud specialist on board to help develop the offerings the reseller can bring to market in the virtualisation and hosted arena.
August 10, 2011 10 Aug'11
Trustmarque launches Office 365 education campaign

Microsoft partner Trust marque Solutions has launched a campaign to address confusion among end-users around fundamental aspects of Microsoft's cloud-based Office 365 software suite.
August 10, 2011 10 Aug'11
In-depth: Storage added to list of cloud benefits

Various studies have indicated that although there remain disagreements between analysts over exact numbers the direction a large part of the software market is heading in is towards the cloud.
August 05, 2011 05 Aug'11
SAP still holding door open for cloud hungry VARs

Sticking to its road-map SAP has issued the second annual update of its cloud Business ByDesign service and reiterated that the door is open for further resellers to get involved with selling the product and developing additional services.
August 01, 2011 01 Aug'11
Cloud firms unite to nurture sector start-ups

Cloud accountancy software specialist Liquid Accounts has teamed up with @UK PLC, an online green marketplace and company formation agent, to launch a business start-up package designed to get potential cloud computing entrepreneurs up and running.
July 29, 2011 29 Jul'11
Cloud transition pays off for Citrix

Citrix Systems today reported financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2011 ended June 30, 2011, writes Linda Endersby. The firm, which announced the acquisition of Cloud.com earlier this month, achieved revenue of $531m, compared to $458m...
July 29, 2011 29 Jul'11
NetSuite Q2 revenues rise but losses deepen

Cloud-based financial and ERP software provider NetSuite has reported record Q2 revenue up 23% to $57.8m and the largest number of new customer wins in two years, but they could not prevent losses at the company from growing to $9.8m.
July 28, 2011 28 Jul'11
Cloud is as fast as physical servers, report claims

The "myth" that cloud computing is inherently slower than conventional hosting environments has been dispelled, a new study claims.
July 27, 2011 27 Jul'11
Computacenter picks nlyte for C3 cloud initiative

Computacenter has extended the use of nlyte Software's Data Centre Infrastructure Management (DCIM) suite to support its new C3 cloud initiative, which offers ability to adopt the cloud using an optimal blend of on- and offsite IT delivery models, ...
July 27, 2011 27 Jul'11
Amazon international cloud growth dwarfed by American performance

Growth at Amazon's web services division internationally is falling further behind the company's performance in the North American market where AWS reported a massive revenue growth rate of 85% for its latest quarter.
July 26, 2011 26 Jul'11
Arrow ECS adds Isilon cloud storage kit to portfolio

Arrow ECS is to add Isilon scale-out NAS products to its line card after signing a distribution deal with the EMC-owned firm. Isilon has made a strong play in the growing scale-out NAS sector.
July 26, 2011 26 Jul'11
InTechnology commits to multi-million cloud investment

Yorkshire-based InTechnology has today announced a multi-million pound investment in its 4th Generation Cloud infrastructure, writes Linda Endersby.
July 26, 2011 26 Jul'11
CA partners adapt to deliver cloud-based services

Large numbers of CA partners are set to adapt their business models to provide cloud-based services for data protection and managed services for backup and data management - and nearly a third have already moved to a cloud model.
July 26, 2011 26 Jul'11
Outsourcery rebrand to consolidate cloud focus

Following the sale of its mobile services unit to Daisy in March, cloud services provider and Microsoft partner Outsourcer has moved to consolidate its focus on cloud computing with a "strategic realignment" of its brand and strapline.
July 26, 2011 26 Jul'11
Centrix Software looks for big increase in UK partner numbers

The company develops analytics and reporting software to assess IT landscapes and monitor, meter and manage internal and external service delivery in a mixed environment that helps customers with virtualisation and transforming their desktops or to ...
July 26, 2011 26 Jul'11
MS cloud boss Muglia pops up at Juniper

Former Microsoft cloud supremo Bob Muglia, who left the firm at the start of the year, has joined networking vendor Juniper Networks in the newly created role of executive vice president of its new Software Solutions Division.
July 21, 2011 21 Jul'11
DiData names Aussie boss Nola as head of cloud

Dimension Data has named the CEO of its Australian business, Steve Nola, as CEO of its Cloud Solutions business unit. Nola's appointment follows DiData's acquisition of US-based cloud provider OpSource earlier this month, to form the core of the new...
July 21, 2011 21 Jul'11
Onyx first to deliver SAP Business One services

Teesside-based SAP partner Onyx Group has been selected to become the first UK partner to provide SAP's Business One hosted ERP software solution as a service.
July 20, 2011 20 Jul'11
Riverbed acquires to boost partner cloud proposition

Network performance specialist Riverbed has splashed out $110m (£68m) to acquire Cambridge-based Zeus Technology to boost its reseller-facing cloud proposition.
July 20, 2011 20 Jul'11
EMC raises outlook after strong Q2 results

EMC has raised its financial outlook for the year after reporting second quarter revenue of $4.5bn and a 28% increase in net income to $546m.
July 18, 2011 18 Jul'11
Akamai extends channel with NetAlliance partner programme

Cloud optimisation services specialist Akamai Technologies has announced plans to expand its channel with a partner programme designed to help global IT solution providers integrate the company's services into their offerings.
July 18, 2011 18 Jul'11
Long-term forecast for NAND Flash demand looks cloudy if Apple's iCloud takes off

Apple has been instrumental in fuelling the growth of the NAND flash market but the forthcoming launch of Apple's iCloud storage service could have "significant implications" for the market going forward and potentially weaken demand, according to ...
July 14, 2011 14 Jul'11
ANS first off blocks with Cisco cloud badge

Manchester-based Cisco partner ANS Group has become the first European partner to receive Cisco's cloud infrastructure certification.
July 14, 2011 14 Jul'11
Microsoft unveils cloud, virtualisation incentives

Microsoft is improving the incentives it offers partners to encourage more to sell cloud and virtualisation. Using its worldwide partner conference as the platform to announce the changes the vendor unveiled enhanced incentives for those selling ...
July 13, 2011 13 Jul'11
Hybrid cloud model set to be the norm

Microsoft has told partners that a hybrid cloud model, with customers taking a mixture of hosted and on-premise solutions, is going to be a reality for years to come as the market makes its transition to the brave new world.
July 11, 2011 11 Jul'11
Micro-P looks to Outsourcery for hosted options

Micro-P has given its backing to cloud service provider Outsourcery signing up to allow the connectivity specialist to provide its resellers with hosted services.
July 07, 2011 07 Jul'11
VMware appoints cloud technology chief

Virtualisation giant VMware has appointed a chief cloud technologist based in the UK offering guidance to resellers across Europe.
July 06, 2011 06 Jul'11
ThinkGrid urges partners to develop vertical approach

Hosted virtual desktop specialist ThinkGrid is encouraging its reseller partners to target vertical markets with bundles designed to meet the needs of specific customers.
July 05, 2011 05 Jul'11
Cloud Alliance slammed by standards group

The Cloud Industry Forum (CIF) has slammed moves by Star Internet to establish a Cloud Alliance warning that the development will not be a positive one for the channel.
July 01, 2011 01 Jul'11
DiData buys enterprise cloud outfit OpSource

System and network integrator Dimension Data has bought California-based enterprise cloud specialist OpSource for an undisclosed sum and opened a new centralised Cloud Solutions Business Unit.
June 23, 2011 23 Jun'11
Magirus close to finalising VCE programme

Magirus is close to finalising the details of the VCE partner programme as the scheme is rolled out across Europe for resellers selling the products from the technology consortium of Cisco, VMware and EMC.
June 23, 2011 23 Jun'11
Red Hat sees 'fundamental shift' towards cloud spending

Red Hat president and CEO Jim Whitehurst has pointed to a "fundamental shift" towards cloud and virtualisation spending among business ICT buyers which is starting to benefit the open source solutions specialist.
June 21, 2011 21 Jun'11
intY appoints Baskerville to build out channel

SaaS, cloud and UC specialist intY has appointed former Vizioncore EMEA boss Roger Baskerville to run its sales and marketing ops as well as naming comms industry veterans Phil Male and Mike Read to its board.
June 20, 2011 20 Jun'11
Laissez-faire cloud policy could store up trouble

Organisations rushing to adopt cloud solutions without a clear plan for ensuring their business needs are met could be storing up trouble for later on, according to new research from Easynet Global Services.
June 01, 2011 01 Jun'11
Acronis programme targets SMB cloud environments

Disaster recovery and data protection specialist Acronis has fired up a new worldwide partner programme designed specifically to take account of growth in virtualised and cloud environments in the SMB sector.
May 05, 2011 05 May'11
Logicalis turns to Inca for IBM cloud services

Logicalis is to switch on a new IBM Cognos business analytics cloud platform and has also announced the launch of its first IBM Infrastructure-as-a-Service offering through recently-acquired Inca Software.
April 26, 2011 26 Apr'11
Cloud spend set for explosive growth

The global cloud market is set for explosive growth over the rest of the decade as it more than quadruples current revenues. According to research from Forrester the cloud market will hit $241bn by 2020 up from its current projected level by the end...
April 06, 2011 06 Apr'11
VMware hires Gov G Cloud man to set public sector strategy

VMware has hired the government's G Cloud Deputy Director Andy Tait as head of UK public services strategy. At the Cabinet Office, Tait worked under former Government CIO John Suffolk developing the Apps Store, G Cloud programme and driving data ...
March 30, 2011 30 Mar'11
NetSuite launches 100% margin cloud programme in UK

In an effort to get its channel to move quickly towards the cloud NetSuite has confirmed that its 100% margin SP100 programme is being launched in the UK.
March 28, 2011 28 Mar'11
CentraStage plans international expansion after funding

Cloud-based remote monitoring specialist CentraStage, which targets resellers with managed services tools, has completed a round of funding that will be used to extend its services as well as bolstering its management team.
March 23, 2011 23 Mar'11
EU leads calls for cloud standardisation

The European Union has called for an open and standardised approach to cloud computing technology at the opening of a new Microsoft cloud centre in Brussels.
March 16, 2011 16 Mar'11
IDC forecasts cloud growth to equal on-premise in 2011

The cloud will generate half of the anticipated growth in the European software market this year, according to research by IDC. The market watcher estimates that on-premise software will rise by just 2% or $1.7bn to $84.9bn but applications sold as ...
March 11, 2011 11 Mar'11
Cloud growth will shake-up the UK software channel

Resellers dragging their heels on moving to the cloud have been given another warning that the market is fundamentally changing and they face being left behind if they stick with traditional product delivery models.
March 01, 2011 01 Mar'11
Magirus to slash public sector vBundle costs

Data centre and network distributor Magirus is making plans to capitalise on the end of the public sector financial year on 5 April by offering 50% discounts on its preconfigured vBundle virtualised data centre packages.
March 01, 2011 01 Mar'11
Rackspace streamlines cloud partner experience

Hosting and cloud provider Rackspace has combined four disparate partner programmes into a single global model in a move it claims will streamline the overall partner experience and enable its dealer network to add additional services to their sales...
February 25, 2011 25 Feb'11
In-depth: Distributors find a role in the cloud

When the cloud hype kicked off in earnest a couple of years ago it sounded as if there were going to be few angles for distributors to get involved.
February 23, 2011 23 Feb'11
Cloud forecast still hazy outside technology sector, says CA

Cloud computing sales are gaining traction within the technology sector but still lagging in other verticals, according to a new study of channel partners by IT management solutions vendor CA Technologies.
February 22, 2011 22 Feb'11
Demand for cloud experts outstrips supply

Salesforce.com ecosystem recruitment agency Resource in Demand has warned that cloud computing resellers are facing a battle to fill a glut of vacancies in the sector. Job openings for cloud experts among partners and ISVs are thought to have risen ...
February 11, 2011 11 Feb'11
Ingram Micro reveals progress in the cloud

Ingram Micro is "actively" assembling a cloud portfolio in EMEA to stake its claim early in the development of the market.
February 09, 2011 09 Feb'11
SCC urges G-Cloud rethink

SCC has urged the government to view cloud computing as a strategic initiative rather than a tool to cut procurement costs, saying the coalition was missing a trick.
February 04, 2011 04 Feb'11
NetSuite grows revenues but losses remain

Cloud player NetSuite was unable to cut its losses in the last quarter but saw revenues rise as more users started to turn towards hosted applications. Net loss for the fourth quarter, ended 31 December, was $6.4m not much improved on the $6.5m it ...
February 03, 2011 03 Feb'11
Distributors define role in the cloud economy

The traditional role of IT distributors will be just as relevant in the new cloud-computing era as it has been for the past three decades, according to established players in the market - though some admit challenges lie ahead.
January 27, 2011 27 Jan'11
Citrix buoyed by cloud and desktop virtualisation demand

The shift towards the cloud, consumerisation of IT and the customer demand for greater consolidation has benefited virtual infrastructure specialist Citrix.
January 24, 2011 24 Jan'11
Education needed to get more resellers selling the cloud

The gap between the cloud message from vendors and the ability of the channel to service the demand that is being stoked up is one causing some concern.
January 20, 2011 20 Jan'11
Computacenter takes on giants of cloud

Computacenter is making a defensive play against the likes of Atos Origin, Unisys and Fujitsu Services by launching into the cloud market with hosted mail, soon to be followed by collaboration and virtual desktop services.
January 18, 2011 18 Jan'11
Aerohive acquires cloud networking outfit

WLAN architecture specialist Aerohive has handed over an undisclosed sum for privately-held cloud-based networking firm Pareto Networks, which released the world's first cloud-based routing and VPN solution last year.
January 17, 2011 17 Jan'11
Resellers lack coherent cloud plan

The vast majority of resellers have stilled not yet developed a cloud offering for customers. According to a survey from security distributor Computerlinks around 64% of resellers are still not selling cloud services.