Staying informed is a constant challenge. There’s so much to do, and so little time. But we have you covered. Grab a coffee and take five while you nibble on these tidbits.
Last day to nominate for the CDN Women in the IT Channel awards
Today is the final day send in your nominations for the Women in the IT Channel awards, to be presented at the Women in the IT Channel recognition luncheon at the Aga Khan Museum on Aug. 24. Celebrate the accomplishments of the women in your organizations by nominating them for one of two awards.
The Rising Star award will be presented to an outstanding young woman working in the solution provider community for less than six years who is making a significant difference to an individual company, or the industry as a whole. The Mentor of the Year award will go to an outstanding role model who exemplifies the ideal image of a mentor. The award will be given to an individual who has established a record of consistent outreach to individuals in the channel over a number of years.
Microsoft rebrands Azure AD
This week, Microsoft announced that it is rebranding Azure Active Directory to Microsoft Entra ID as part of its initiative to “make it easier to use and navigate the unified and expanded Microsoft Entra product family.” The company says that all features and capabilities will remain the same, as will licensing, terms, service level agreements, product certifications, support, and pricing.
“To make the transition seamless, all existing login URLs, APIs, PowerShell cmdlets, and Microsoft Authentication Libraries (MSAL) stay the same, as do developer experiences and tooling,” the announcement states.
However, it notes, “service plan display names will change on Oct. 1, 2023. Microsoft Entra ID Free, Microsoft Entra ID P1, and Microsoft Entra ID P2 will be the new names of standalone offers, and all capabilities included in the current Azure AD plans remain the same. Microsoft Entra ID – currently known as Azure AD – will continue to be included in Microsoft 365 licensing plans, including Microsoft 365 E3 and Microsoft 365 E5.
Details on pricing and what is included are available on the pricing and free trials page.”
D&H becomes second ESET distributor in Canada
Cybersecurity company ESET and D&H Distributing, a provider of SMB and mid-market technologies to the North American channel, announced a new partnership Thursday, expanding ESET’s service to the VAR and reseller community segments. D&H Canada has been selected to provide Canadian channel partners with ESET’s suite of business offerings.
“Taking on new distribution partnerships is something that we’ve been conservative with, but we are extremely excited to be adding D&H Canada,” said Bob Bonneau, ESET Canada’s country manager.
”We expect this new partnership to contribute nicely to our growth expectations while adding support to ESET’s growth in the Canadian landscape. A priority for ESET is increasing flexibility for our partners with the overall goal of making these partnerships broader and deeper.”
Intel discontinues NUC product line
Intel revealed to partners this week that it is discontinuing its Next Unit of Compute (NUC) mini PC product line and passing service and support to partners. In an email first reported on by technology website Serve the Home, it said, “we have decided to stop direct investment in the Next Unit of Compute (NUC) Business and pivot our strategy to enable our ecosystem partners to continue NUC innovation and growth.
“This decision will not impact the remainder of Intel’s Client Computing Group (CCG) or Network and Edge Computing (NEX) businesses. Furthermore, we are working with our partners and customers to ensure a smooth transition and fulfillment of all our current commitments – including ongoing support for NUC products currently in market.”
Dell global channel chief receives Order of Canada
Rola Dagher, global channel chief at Dell Technologies, has received the Order of Canada for “her contributions as an inspiring and impactful leader in the technology sector, and as a champion of diversity and inclusion.”
“I’m beyond honoured to receive the Order of Canada, a testament to how Canada has embraced my journey as an immigrant,” Dagher said in a LinkedIn post “This land of opportunity ignited my professional growth, and I’m still in awe of what it has offered me.
“My mantra? Pay it forward. Had someone not done so for me, my success story would have been very different.
“Regardless of how big or small your contributions are, the IMPACT is what matters most.
“Let’s unite to ensure Canada remains the land of dreams it was for me and many others.”
Cisco announces intent to acquire Oort
Cisco has announced its intent to acquire identity threat detection and response company Oort. Raj Chopra, senior vice president (SVP) and chief product officer for Cisco Security, made the announcement in a blog post this week.
“With Oort’s API-driven, cloud-native, and agentless platform, they eliminate identity visibility gaps across disparate data sources, show misconfigurations, check for security vulnerabilities, and offer predictive identity analytics to proactively stop attacks. It also cuts down on remediation time by giving enterprises a clear understanding of the blast radius of an identity-related incident,” the post said.
“Leveraging Oort’s identity-centric technology, we will enhance Cisco’s Security Cloud’s user context telemetry and incorporate their capabilities across our portfolio, including our Duo Identity Access Management (IAM) technology and Extended Detection and Response (XDR) portfolios. In addition to strengthening Cisco’s native telemetry, Oort’s integrations with other third-party vendors – including Google, Microsoft, Okta, and Auth0 – supports our commitment to increase interoperability and deliver consistent outcomes regardless of vendor or technology.”
The Oort team will join Cisco’s Security Business Group. Cisco expects to close the acquisition in the first quarter of its FY24, which begins Aug. 1.
Mako Networks partners with SI X10 Technologies
Chicago-based Mako Networks, which specializes in cloud-managed networks for distributed enterprises, announced this week that it is partnering with X10 Technologies, a Vancouver-based systems integrator (SI) specializing in end-to-end advanced network infrastructure, network security and application delivery solutions.
Through the partnership, X10 Technologies will deliver the Mako System to Canadian business clients, including grocery stores, petrol stations and brick-and-mortar retailers.
The firm’s offering is a PCI-certified, cloud-managed and carrier-independent secure networking platform that allows distributed enterprises to create secure, high-performance business networks.
According to a release, it allows organizations to “manage thousands of sites via a highly secure, reliable, scalable and cost-effective cloud-based central management system (CMS) that supports a range of critical services, including SD-WAN, next-gen firewall, VPN connections and cellular failover.”
Time to sign up for the 39th edition of the CCCGC
The Canadian Computer Charity Golf Classic (CCCGC) taking place Sept. 7 is a premier golf tournament that brings the computer industry together to help raise funds for two worthy causes: Easter Seals Ontario and Princess Margaret Hospital.
Celebrating its 39th anniversary this year, the event is a perennial sellout, hosting an estimated 300 golfers who represent more than 100 corporations from the Canadian and the U.S. technology sectors.
It is taking place at Lionhead Golf and Conference Centre, and sponsorships and foursomes are still available. Move quickly to get your place before they sell out. Further information is available at computergolf.ca.
