Maker of MDM Tool for Apple Devices Launches Channel Program

Bushel, a SaaS-based mobile device management (MDM) solution for Apple devices, on Wednesday launched an affiliate program that represents the first stage of a channel push.

Bushel grew out of Minneapolis-based JAMF Software LLC, maker of an on-premises Apple device management platform. While Bushel's primary market is Apple ecosystem partners, Bushel Product Manager Charles Edge told RCP that the product makes sense for Microsoft partners and managed service providers (MSPs) looking to manage the Apple devices that crop up around the edges of their customers' networks. More

Posted by Scott Bekker on May 27, 20150 comments


Sound Off! Take RCP's MPN Satisfaction Survey, Get Entered in a Drawing

Here at Redmond Channel Partner, we aim to provide an independent magazine and Web site (RCPmag.com) that serve the needs of the Microsoft partner community. As part of our editorial mission, we regularly check up with our readers on how well Microsoft is meeting your needs. Hence, this "RCP Microsoft Partner Satisfaction Survey."

The information you provide will only be used in aggregate and any verbatim quotes we use in articles based on these results will not include your name or company affiliation. None of your personally identifiable data will be shared with Microsoft or any other vendors. More

Posted by Scott Bekker on May 27, 20150 comments


Cireson Joins Microsoft NSP Ranks

In an era in which Microsoft is preaching intellectual property development to its partner choir, the technology giant has named Cireson to the Microsoft National Solution Provider (NSP) program.

San Diego-based Cireson bills itself as a company that enhances Microsoft Azure and Microsoft System Center with its own service and asset management offerings, including the recently unveiled Cireson Platform. More

Posted by Scott Bekker on May 20, 20150 comments


Computer Sciences Corporation To Split in Two

The venerable IT services and solutions provider Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC) is splitting in two.

The Falls Church, Va.-based company, which was founded in 1959, is walling off its U.S. public sector business from the rest of its operations in a move approved by its board of directors and unveiled this week. CSC is a major Microsoft partner, listing Microsoft among its 15 global technology alliances. More

Posted by Scott Bekker on May 20, 20150 comments


At Build Tour, Signs of a Less Controlling Microsoft

For years, Microsoft has used the phrase "better together" as shorthand for all the benefits and special features you get if you run an exclusively Microsoft stack.

At a Microsoft Build Tour event on Monday in New York, one of the customers in a testimonial video used the same phrase. But here's the thing: He was talking about the benefits inside his organization of new interoperability between Microsoft and Salesforce.com. The products that were better together were parts of the Microsoft stack and Salesforce.com's cloud CRM -- not, say, Windows Server, SharePoint and SQL Server with Office. More

Posted by Scott Bekker on May 18, 20150 comments


Carbonite's Wild Ride

It's been a wild ride for new Carbonite President and CEO Mohamad Ali. Named to the post on Dec. 4, Ali took charge of a cloud and hybrid backup and recovery solutions company that had received a buyout offer from J2 Global Inc. just two days earlier.

In the crucible of the back-and-forth between J2 and Carbonite, which quickly devolved from a friendly offer into a hostile bid, Ali and the Carbonite board of directors appear to have reaffirmed a vision for Carbonite's future that's different from what many investors see. As it happens, that vision is focused on SMB and is completely reliant on a channel strategy, as opposed to riding out the consumer legacy of the brand. More

Posted by Scott Bekker on May 14, 20150 comments


With Partners, Microsoft Taking the Cloud Underwater

Taking its public cloud infrastructure buildout beneath the sea, Microsoft this week unveiled investments in three trans-oceanic cable projects to improve the connections among its international datacenters.

"As we expand our cloud services and global infrastructure, we need a strong subsea strategy to ensure our customers experience high availability access to their data," David Crowley, managing director of network enablement for Microsoft, blogged earlier this week. "Over the past nine months, Microsoft has been significantly investing in subsea and terrestrial dark fiber capacity by engaging in fiber partnerships that span multiple oceans and continents. And today, our connections across the Atlantic and Pacific just got stronger." More

Posted by Scott Bekker on May 13, 20150 comments


Chambers To Step Down as Cisco CEO

After 20 years in the tech industry spotlight, John Chambers will ease into the shadows this summer.

Chambers will trade in his current titles of Cisco chairman and CEO for the role of executive chairman on July 26. His replacement as CEO is Chuck Robbins, a 17-year veteran at Cisco who is currently senior vice president of worldwide operations. More

Posted by Scott Bekker on May 04, 20150 comments


Which Unpatched Holes Most Appeal to Attackers?

There are few better ways to guarantee a system will be breached, compromised and exploited than failing to keep up with vendors' patches. Yet millions of public-facing systems run unpatched.

In an effort to document which previously reported security vulnerabilities are most popular with attackers, government public computer security awareness agencies from five countries on Wednesday released a Top 30 list of targeted high-risk vulnerabilities. More

Posted by Scott Bekker on April 29, 20150 comments


Forget the Red Flags, Nadella and Investors Optimistic on Microsoft Direction

Put Microsoft's latest quarterly earnings on a business dashboard of some of the company's traditional key performance indicators, and the screen would light up red.

  • Windows OEM revenues down 22 percent!
  • Office commercial products and services revenues down 2 percent!
  • Earnings per share (EPS) off 10 percent!

So why did Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella sound so sanguine in the earnings call Thursday? "Overall, I'm pleased with our business performance," Nadella said, according to a Seeking Alpha transcript. More

Posted by Scott Bekker on April 24, 20150 comments


New Signature Gets $35 Million VC Investment

New Signature, the Washington, D.C.-based Microsoft national solutions provider and 2014 Microsoft U.S. Partner of the Year, unveiled a $35 million initial investment from venture capital firm Columbia Capital on Thursday.

The relatively rare VC investment in a pure-play solution provider is intended to drive accelerated capacity, geographic growth and acquisitions at New Signature, a 100-percent Microsoft-focused systems integration company with a high-profile cloud practice and a focus in the business segment that Microsoft calls SMS&P. More

Posted by Scott Bekker on April 24, 20150 comments


Nintex Invests in Office 365 Workflow Capabilities

SharePoint-based workflow specialist Nintex this week revealed significant advances in its solutions for Office 365.

Nintex rolled out a number of usability and mobility functions to its Office 365-based workflow products and announced a partnership with Sharegate for migrating on-premise Nintex workflows between SharePoint versions and into the Office 365 cloud. More

Posted by Scott Bekker on April 23, 20150 comments