Opinion

Opinion

• Can you explain bare metal Big Switch Networks to the British public?

  There are opportunities out there as Nick Booth finds for those in the channel that have a grasp on their technology  Continue Reading

• So that's what Android is doing for Google

  Billy MacInnes pores over recent details of the contribution that the Android OS is making to Google  Continue Reading

• Is the golden age of disruptive technology coming to an end?

  Nick Booth casts an eye over some of the claims that are made by marketing types and wonders if things will change with technology supporting consensual data collection  Continue Reading

• The security hole in health tracking plans

  Most people will resolve to get fitter this year but they could be using technology that exposes them to security risks as Billy MacInnes finds out  Continue Reading

• 2016: a year of stark choices

  Working out just which way the winds will blow in the public sector this year is a topic that Paul Bradbury, group business development director at Civica mulls over  Continue Reading

• Five technology trends that will define 2016

  Just what should resellers look out for in the year ahead? Brian Buggy, co-founder and vp products at Zynstra, has some suggestions  Continue Reading

• Data, data everywhere but not the chance to think

  The data is stacking up but Billy MacInnes is worried that some firms are facing a mounting challenge to use it to shape the destiny of the business  Continue Reading

• Trust is so crucial to the CIO relationship

  A lot of CIOs still use gut instinct but also rely on the advice of their channel partner, which Billy MacInnes believes is good news  Continue Reading

• Office 365 – a sheep in wolf’s clothing

  The channel might have feared Office 365 but it could be an opportunity claims Aidan Simister, regional director at Lepide Software  Continue Reading

• Government fumbles around, unable to find the spot on the G-Cloud

  Nick Booth canvasses some opinion about just what is happening with G-Cloud  Continue Reading

• Why the PC?

  Apple's CEO might have mused on the reasons for a PC in the age of the iPad Pro and he has got Billy MacInnes thinking about the humble desktop and its role  Continue Reading

• Nadella the agent for change

  The Microsoft CEO is already changing the company and Nick Booth thinks even more is on the way  Continue Reading

• How to avoid a streaming own goal

  More events are being streamed online from sporting contests to Microsoft's WPC keynotes. Ed Martin from Kemp Technologies explores how to avoid embarrassing and costly ‘black outs’  Continue Reading

• Reducing staff turnover in IT and telecommunications

  Kim Lewin, VP sales and operations EMEA, WorkForce Software, provides some advice for keeping staff happy  Continue Reading

• Acer still has a way to go

  Acer's CEO has talked of the firm getting back to the top of the PC market but as Billy MacInnes goes through the latest results it is clear work still needs to be done  Continue Reading

• IT is not always to blame for a failed tech project

  IT projects failing to be delivered is a problem we have all grown used to but as Billy MacInnes discovers the reasons things go wrong are not always obvious  Continue Reading

• One SIEM does not fit all

  Despite all the fanfare and hullabaloo SIEM isn’t always the right answer for the channel, says Aidan Simister, regional director at Lepide Software  Continue Reading

• Does spending $67bn guarantee success?

  Dell might have made history with its offer for EMC but as Billy MacInnes ponders over the deal it is far from clear that means it will be a success  Continue Reading

• Dell resellers get to say 'I told you so'

  Those resellers that embraced Dell when it returned to the channel almost eight years ago have even more reasons to think they made a wise decision  Continue Reading

• If generation z wants change they better start voting for it

  Generation z has expressed high expectations about what they want from the workplace but Billy MacInnes argues that those ambitions should inspire more action  Continue Reading

• iOS on a Mac? Not happening anytime soon

  Microsoft is going for a one OS to rule them all strategy but as Billy MacInnes discovers Apple seems quite happy having a desktop and mobile OS  Continue Reading

• Rise of anti-forensics techniques requires response from digital investigators

  The rise of cyber threats is putting a strain on those trying to combat the problem but as Nick Booth finds out if you have the right skills these could be lucrative times  Continue Reading

• Can you speak business?

  Simon Cuthbert, sales and marketing director of mobile data security company ExactTrak, advises resellers to sell on business issues  Continue Reading

• The big data project challenge

  On discovering that many big data projects fail Billy MacInnes wonders how the industry can ensure more of them are successful  Continue Reading

• Channel opportunities in a time of change

  Customer transition could be a positive for the channel says Philippe Fossé, vice president of EMEA Channels, EMC  Continue Reading

• Syscap boss pedalling to Paris

  Syscap managing director Philip White is donning the Lycra and cycling 230 miles from London to Paris later this week to raise money for Help for Heroes  Continue Reading

• Settling the anti-poaching quarrel

  It has taken more than three years but finally arguments about poaching staff between Apple, Google, Intel, and Adobe have been settled  Continue Reading

• Learning innovation – driving revenue growth in the IT world

  Staff are already working as hard as possible so how can they be supported to work smarter? Ian Helps is a director of Consalia, and looks at the benefits of innovative thinking  Continue Reading

• New big data movement threatens to expose the time wasters

  Alteryx, Volumetrix and Culture Amp are all, in their own way, cutting through the big data nonsense and could get rid of the jargon that litters this part of the industry  Continue Reading

• Salesforce.com strikes the right balance

  The balance between the subscription and support sides of the business seems to be well balanced at Salesforce.com argues Billy MacInnes  Continue Reading

• Could Siri be a life saver?

  Siri might have more uses than just interrupting music and answering silly questions muses Billy MacInnes  Continue Reading

• The need for a trade show to land a big Wale

  Getting people to give up their time is getting more of a challenge but as Simon Quicke observes the keynote slot could provide some of the answer  Continue Reading

• Flash – what the channel needs to know

  In the first of a series of articles Philippe Fossé, vice president of EMEA Channels, EMC, shares some thoughts about flash  Continue Reading

• Volta, Verboss and NuoDB – creating a new channel

  Nick Booth is slightly concerned about the rise of automation and what it could mean for the channel  Continue Reading

• The right mixture of sun and breeze

  Having just got back from Italy Billy MacInnes muses on how the channel is a bit like perfect summer weather  Continue Reading

• The Lux against Britain’s data centre industry

  A strong Pound and the EC are conspiring against UK hosts finds Nick Booth  Continue Reading

• The BI managed service opportunity

  Peter Baxter, managing director EMEA, Yellowfin, looks at just what the BI market can offer those delivering managed services  Continue Reading

• Tempting the DIYers back to using the experts

  With the news that many SME owner managers try to fix their IT problems themselves Billy MacInnes wonders how they can be tempted to use the channel  Continue Reading

• Is BYOD DOA? Not for MSPs

  The bring your own device trend is far from over, particularly for MSPs, argues Ashley Leonard, president and CEO of Verismic  Continue Reading

• Time saving is the biggest driver of the storage market

  Nick Booth applauds some recent efforts in the storage market to cut down on time wasting  Continue Reading

• Wearables – fad or function?

  Dr Peter Chadha, CEO of DrPete Technology Experts, argues that wearable technology is here to stay  Continue Reading

• Data that comes after a promise of responsibility

  Some of the firms that harvest user data and exploit it can give the recruitment industry a bad name but Nick Booth thinks he has found an exception that could change things  Continue Reading

• Striking the balance between useful and burdensome

  You could make a cool phone people use a lot that then drains its battery or one with lots of power that is a pain to drag around. It's a problem Billy MacInnes has been thinking about  Continue Reading

• Cloud services vs. on-premise

  Paul Lipman, CEO at iSheriff, looks at what’s behind the migration to the cloud for security services  Continue Reading

• Why network monitoring should be fundamental to everything partners do

  Network monitoring offers an open platform for partners to deliver value says Rupert Collier, senior channel manager at Paessler,  Continue Reading

• Cyberia is no place for old men

  The cloud is full of massively insecure vulnerable men and street wise young women, says a survey. Or does it? Wonders Nick Booth  Continue Reading

• The future of managed print services is all about the service

  Vendors, distributors and resellers alike need to accept the world has changed says Giles Thorpe, managing director, CCE  Continue Reading

• Press 5 if you want to speak to a human

  With the spotlight on customer service Billy MacInnes bemoans the delays that customers can face navigating through automated phone systems  Continue Reading

• WS2003 end of life – Is your business ready?

  Mark Scaife, head of technical development, Phoenix IT, looks at what the forthcoming support switch off for WS2003 means for the channel's customers  Continue Reading

• Time to get the lowdown on the cyber crime scene

  With InfoSec kicking off this week Nick Booth looks at the event through the eyes of a slightly different audience  Continue Reading

• The mis-alignment between customers and service providers

  Recent findings from LogicNow revealed that many customers were not on the same page as their service providers and Billy MacInnes has some thoughts on why  Continue Reading

• In the election the candidates for social media sentiment failed

  Given the way the polls failed to predict the recent election result Nick Booth wonders why bookmakers still call everything better than sentiment analysts  Continue Reading

• If anyone can make the smartwatch fly Apple can

  History has proven that when Apple gets involved with a market it tends to have a significant impact and Billy MacInnes thinks the same could happen with the smartwatch  Continue Reading

• Managers need to get home working

  There are several theories why home working has not yet taken off more widely but Billy MacInnes thinks some of the answer might be to do with the management  Continue Reading

• Lessons from Zenium and Equinix on how to host

  People don’t do enough research when buying cloud space – but after two data center trips in a week Nick Booth can see why  Continue Reading

• Happy to talk to a website

  The days when customers were keen to talk to people are being replaced by users clicking through websites  Continue Reading

• Both parties make fluffy broadband promises

  The manifestos are out, the gloves are on and the broadband remains off... for non-city dwellers  Continue Reading

• How to be the perfect host

  Are you looking to put your customer’s data up at the Hotel Colo? Nick Booth has some tips for finding the perfect host  Continue Reading

• Did you miss IoT day?

  It might not have been marked in the diary or circled on the calendar but there is an Internet of Things Day, which Billy MacInnes finds out has been around for a while  Continue Reading

• Vendors waste millions on the NetNots of the channel

  The problem with IT is it’s a people business – with rewards for those who are good at networking and notworking  Continue Reading

• Why the BI market is ripe for change

  Things in the business intelligence market are changing and the channel needs to know its options says Peter Baxter, Managing Director EMEA at Yellowfin  Continue Reading

• The freedom to use the competition?

  It is all well and good to have links to particular brands but surely it is a problem asks Billy MacInnes when it reduces personal freedom?  Continue Reading

• Time to take the Survey Monkey

  Nick Booth got the chance to talk to the new managing director at Survey Monkey and presented him with an interview format he would be all too familiar with  Continue Reading

• Planning for growth: The importance of a birds-eye view in service delivery

  How can IT services ensure they are ready for what lies ahead? Jim Shulkin, VP of marketing at Changepoint, has some answers  Continue Reading

• IBM apps could divorce hardware forever

  The relationship between IBM and Apple has got Billy MacInnes pondering what the future holds for Big Blue  Continue Reading

• Trends in business continuity

  Just what do customers expect resellers to deliver when it comes to business continuity? Austin McChord, founder and CEO, Datto has the answers  Continue Reading

• The danger of rising prices

  HP's CEO admitted that as a result of exchange rates it will have to adjust prices but what if its competitors decide against it is a question on the mind of Billy MacInnes  Continue Reading

• Minding your own business

  When channel relationships change Billy MacInnes wonders if sometimes there is an urge from those distributors involved just to concentrate on their own activities  Continue Reading

• The latest intelligence on Big Data is all too confusing

  Nick Booth is finding the latest facts and figures about big data far from clear and infographics are not helping  Continue Reading

• Is it time to close the file?

  Tristan Rogers, CEO of Concrete, asks how the growth of the web has changed the world of the humble electronic file  Continue Reading

• The problem with meetings

  Beware filling staff diaries with meetings as very few will thank you for it says Nick Booth  Continue Reading

• Apple's billions and the questions it raises over tax

  Apple's recent financial results once again put the issue of corporation tax back in the spotlight and provoked some thoughts from Billy MacInnes  Continue Reading

• Bett 2015 – time to make a play for managed IT services

  David Fearne, technical director at Arrow ECS UK & Ireland, gives his reaction to the BETT show  Continue Reading

• The unexpected benefits – and subsequent opportunities - of wireless

  Jonathan Hallatt, regional director UK, Ireland & South Africa, at Netgear, looks at just what wireless could be delivering for the channel  Continue Reading

• ICT matters but don't forget the three R's

  Billy MacInnes is not too happy about the idea that somehow ICT now ranks above other subjects, including English and Maths  Continue Reading

• Does your marketing machine need lubrication?

  Nick Booth wonders if M2M mobile marketing could drive the channel 2 drink?  Continue Reading

• Time for a different approach to Honours

  Billy MacInnes probably scuppers his own chances of a knighthood as he calls for a fresh approach to rewarding good deeds  Continue Reading

• BBC was wrong to single out Apple in Panorama investigation

  The Panorama special accused Apple of not doing enough to look after workers in the supply chain. Sean McGrath argues that the investigation was flawed  Continue Reading

• The seven C words that capture the spirit of IT disruption

  Nick Booth expects plenty of C-words will be heard during a period of IT inspired disruption next year  Continue Reading

• The Microsoft cloud case that could have far reaching consequences

  The ongoing legal battle between Microsoft and the US government over just what can be shared in the cloud is one that Billy MacInnes thinks could have a far reaching impact  Continue Reading

• How to Influence the Influencers

  One of the key components of the marketing mix is to get onto the radar of the leading industry analysts – a task that is not always easy  Continue Reading

• Living within the means despite the credit on offer

  More firms are viewing the economy as improving but not that many are leaping to take on more debt  Continue Reading

• Resellers represent a potential cyber security risk

  Stuart Poole-Robb, chief executive of KCS Group, warns that resellers could be an increasing target for cyber criminals  Continue Reading

• How to make people get IT

  Nick Booth picks up on a couple of recent industry launches to illustrate the struggle to spread the word on innovation  Continue Reading

• The role of segmentation

  Jon-Marc Wilkinson from WatchGuard Technologies explains why it is important to segment your networks to reduce the risk of successful attacks  Continue Reading

• Mind the gap and find the right skills

  Billy MacInnes looks back over some recent market coverage and exposes skills gaps at different ends of the market  Continue Reading

• Value your relationships and you’ll go far

  Christian Putz, Violin Memory vice president, EMEA channel sales, shares his views on just what makes a decent channel relationship  Continue Reading

• Moving to the cloud: why resellers need a helping hand

  Moving to the cloud can be a challenge and the advice from David Ellis, director of strategy at Arrow ECS, UK and Ireland, is to find the right partner to help  Continue Reading

• Myth conceptions about IT

  There are many myths and legendary figures in IT and as Nick Booth finds some are still around trying to pull their own sword out of the stone  Continue Reading

• When ten miles is just too far

  We are all being encouraged to work flexibly but as Billy MacInnes discovers a short move proved simply too much for Reddit's CEO  Continue Reading

• Onward and upward at Innovate UK

  Britain’s technology strategy board (now rebranded as Innovate UK) held an exhibition of the inventions that can make Britain’s industries leaner and greener  Continue Reading

• The rise of the millennial heralds a golden age of IT

  Todd Thibodeaux, CEO at CompTIA argues that, far from representing a threat, the rise of ‘Generation Y’ offers a golden opportunity for the channel to put IT at the heart of the HR function  Continue Reading

• Insuring the smartphone user survives

  It might not just be the damaged smartphone that sparks an insurance claim Billy MacInnes discovers  Continue Reading

• Could MozFest 2014 help create a more open web in the future?

  The Internet has created a big revolution, creating a world that favours big data, big government and big corporations, but there’s still scope for the channel to sweat the small stuff.  Continue Reading

• It's time to split

  Billy Macinnes wonders just what it must feel like for those staff at HP and Symantec facing a future working for a split business  Continue Reading

• Finding some virtual problems

  Nick Booth walked the stands at the recent VMworld 2014 event to find out if anyone in the land of virtualisation had any problems to declare  Continue Reading

• Cyber security's "Doomsday Warning"

  Warnings of a Doomsday cyber security attack are not just the stuff of James Bond warns KCS Group chief executive and founder Stuart Poole-Robb  Continue Reading

• Messages of bravery and comfort from VMware

  Billy MacInnes finds a contradiction in the messages coming out of senior management at VMworld 2014  Continue Reading

• What does Microsoft have against the number 9?

  Billy MacInnes wonders just what reasoning lies behind Microsoft's decision to jump from Windows 8 to 10  Continue Reading

• Served from the cloud

  Graham Harris, product director for cloud at Daisy Wholesale, discusses cloud and why the channel shouldn’t be intimidated  Continue Reading