Channel Insider - RSS Feed

Finding Myself My Own New Adventure

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:56:27 -0500

So this is my last column with Channel Insider. After selling my MSP, Ive taken a new role as the Director of Partner Community with Level Platforms, and the leap to the vendor side of the channel changes things for me. - So this is my last column with Channel Insider. After selling my MSP, Ive taken a new role as the Director of Partner Community with Level Platforms, and the leap to the vendor side of the channel changes things for me. In my last article, I talked a bit about the solution provider itself, a...

Smartphone Owners Concerned About Mobile Security but Lack Education: Survey

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:31:53 -0500

Almost all phone users (95 percent) said they believe that at least one entity can track their location while their phone is on. - A survey of smartphone-owning consumers conducted in December 2011 by NQ Mobile, a provider of consumer-centric mobile security and productivity applications, and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), a nonprofit public-private partnership focused on cyber-security awareness and education...

Level Platforms Offers Mobile Device Management for MSPs

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Managed Workplace allows MSPs to collect asset information, remotely configure devices, track location and restrict user access. - Remote monitoring and management (RMM) solutions provider Level Platforms, which markets its products toward managed service providers, introduced Mobile Device Management (MDM) as a new feature in the imminent release of Managed Workplace 2012. With MDM, service providers can manage and monitor...

Level Platforms to Offer Mobile Device Management

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:53:30 -0500

Answering the call of so many MSPs, Level Platforms is expanding its Managed Workplace 2012 to include the management and monitoring of mobile devices, including Apple iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7 and RIM. - Level Platforms has introduced Mobile Device Management as a key new feature in its Managed Workplace 2012, enabling IT service providers to manage and monitor smartphones and tablets. The company will roll out MDM during its road show this month. The offering delivers on what so many MSPs ha...

10 Key Ingredients That Have Made Apple So Successful

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:15:35 -0500

Apple is one profitable company. The firm announced recently that during the fourth quarter (its fiscal first quarter), it generated a whopping $46.33 billion in revenue and a profit of $13.06 billion. The companys revenue figure nearly doubled the sales it posted in the same period back in 2010, and its profit was more than double the figure in the prior year. All that has helped Apple grow its cash coffers to nearly $100 billion. Apples success is a far cry from its sad state of affairs back in the 1990s. At that time, co-founder Steve Jobs had to step in to fix things, and there was a point when industry observers werent sure if Apples doors would be padlocked or not. But through hard work, tough choices, and some really neat ideas, Steve Jobs was able to turn things around at Apple. Now, the company is the worlds largest, and its profitability is soaring. How has Apple achieved such profitability? Heres a look. - ...

ChannelEyes: Will It Transform the Channel?

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:27:05 -0500

If the 2000 decade was about automation for the IT services channel, the current decade could well be about social media. At least that's what former Autotask CEO and industry visionary Bob Godgart believes. Here's why - If the 2000 decade was about automation for the IT services channel, the current decade could well be about social media. For many out there, the jury is still out on the effectiveness of social media in a business context. But now that the channel is about to get a dedicated social networki...

Sidepath Gets Mazda America Rolling Again

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:12:04 -0500

CASE STUDY: Mazda North American Operations terabytes of data had become a roadblock for the organization's progress. Here's how IT solution provider Sidepath got Mazda rolling again with some help from Dell Compellent. - Mazda North American Operations was spinning its wheels. The auto-makers finance and account department stored terabytes of data, none of which could be archived, and each time neared capacity on its NetApp system, Mazda had to spend a lot of money to upgrade, CIO Jim DiMarzio told Channel In...

School District Solves Outdated PCs, Budget Cut Problems with Desktop Virtualization

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:04:19 -0500

CASE STUDY: Everybody is tasked with doing more with less these days, but for a school district with 2,500 out-of-date PCs and budget cuts looming, IT solution provider Presidio had to get creative with the solution. Here's how they did it. - Doing more with less is a challenge for every IT department, but for the organization facing a huge budget cut while being forced to continue operating with 2,500 out-of-date PCs, theres an even greater challenge to overcome. This scenario was put in front of Presidio, a Greenbelt, Maryland-b...

ShoreTel Acquires Hosted Unified Communications Specialist M5 Networks

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:05:47 -0500

Following the close of the acquisition, M5 will be operated as a ShoreTel business unit and will be led by M5 CEO Dan Hoffman. - ShoreTel, a provider of IP phone systems with integrated unified communications (UC), announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire M5 Networks, a specialist in UC. Under the terms of the agreement, M5 shareholders will receive approximately $84 million in cash and 9.5 million shares...

HTC Security Flaw Found on Multiple Android Phones

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

HTC's Help page advised users of the issue, which can be resolved through an automatic software upgrade, though some users will have to update manually. - Smartphone manufacturer HTC admitted several of its phones running Google's Android operating system have a security flaw that allows hackers or an application to view and access WiFi security information. The affected phones include the Desire HD, the Glacier, the Droid Incredible, the ThunderB...

Facebook Files for IPO, Reveals Business Details

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

When the stock is issued at some point in the near future, Facebook--with an expected post-IPO valuation about $100 billion--would represent the largest stock market debut for a U.S. company in nearly four years. - Facebook, which is barely eight years old but will record its 1 billionth registered user sometime this spring, filed an application Feb. 1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering of stock potentially worth $10 billion or more. When the stock is issued at some...

Why Windows 8 Will Be a Hit for Microsoft

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system is scheduled to launch later this year. And when it does, consumers and even enterprise users can expect to adopt it fairly quickly, without the significant holdouts such as Microsoft faced with Vista. - The anticipation surrounding Microsoft's upcoming launch of Windows 8 is running high. The company's operating system is easily the biggest departure from earlier versions Microsoft has ever launched, and it could very well be the answer to Apple's iPad and Android-based tablets in the mobile ma...

IBM Expands Mobility Management, Security

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:15:47 -0500

IBM has unveiled a solution to mitigate the risk that comes with a bring your own device (BYOD) mobility strategy, offering end-point protection that secures and can wipe most mobile devices including Apple iOS and Android. - IBM has unveiled software designed to help organizations secure and manage mobile devices, and give solution providers an opportunity to extend their reach and mobile business. In addition to this new software, IBM announced its acquisition of Worklight, a privately held Israeli-based pro...

Xerox Expands Cloud Services, Data Recovery for SMBs

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:04:44 -0500

The cloud backup and data recovery services are designed to provide the recovery of data, applications and operating systems. - Digital print solutions specialist Xerox released a suite of cloud services aimed at small to medium-size businesses (SMBs), including Xerox Cloud IaaS for Midrange and Intel systems and a cloud backup and data recovery service. The services will be sold through Xeroxs value-added resellers (VARs). ...

Microsoft's Office 15 Now in Technical Preview

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Microsoft's Office 15, the next version of its popular Office software, has entered the technical preview stage. - Microsoft s next version of Office has reached its technical preview stage. Codenamed Office 15, the platform is being distributed to a select group of testers; a public beta will reportedly arrive this summer. Office 15 is apparently an ambitious project. "For the first time ever, we will simulta...