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.
Register now: Women in the IT Channel Luncheon is Aug. 24
Join us on Thursday, Aug. 24 at the Aga Khan Museum for the CDN Women in the IT Channel Recognition Luncheon, where we will shine a spotlight on the remarkable achievements of women in Canada’s IT channel. We will be honouring outstanding women with two prestigious awards: the Rising Star, acknowledging a trailblazer whose recent accomplishments promise an even brighter future, and 2023’s Mentor of the Year, a woman who has dedicated herself to guiding others in their personal and professional growth. We will also pay special tribute to Fawn Annan, who led IT World Canada from 2010 until her passing in May of this year.
This year’s keynote speaker is best-selling author and gender equity, inclusion and human rights advocate Samra Zafar.
AI infrastructure investments will lift data centre capex to over US$500 billion by 2027: Dell'Oro
AI infrastructure spending will propel data centre capex to over a half trillion U.S. dollars by 2027, according to a recently published report from Dell’Oro Group. However, it anticipates near-term cloud and enterprise capex growth to decelerate as the market undergoes digestion.
The report also notes that worldwide data centre capex is forecast to grow 15 per cent by 2027, and over 20 per cent of the global server deployments in 2027 may be accelerated. In addition, its edge computing forecast was trimmed as the ecosystem and compelling use cases have been slow to materialize.
“Despite near-term data centre capex growth headwinds as the major cloud service providers and enterprises optimize their infrastructure, forthcoming technology transitions will stimulate long-term growth,” said Baron Fung, senior research director at Dell’Oro Group.
“Most notably, the hyperscale cloud service providers will prioritize their investments toward accelerated systems for AI applications for both their public cloud platform and SaaS offerings. We will see continuous optimization across the entire data centre stack, with the deployment of next-generation servers featuring high-core counts and deeper memory that are attached to next-generation networks.
“Meanwhile, the rest of the market will invest in accelerated systems more selectively, with most enterprises adopting a hybrid cloud strategy.”
Importing updates into WSUS is changing
Administrators using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) to update devices must now use a new process to get those updates into its database. Microsoft says that this is because the old method used ActiveX, which is now deprecated.
The new method involves running a Powershell script, which will be offered, along with documentation on the process, when users access their usual Import Updates function in the WSUS server admin UI. You’ll find full details of the change on the WSUS and the Microsoft Update Catalog page.
Worldwide smartphone shipments decline for eighth consecutive quarter
Worldwide smartphone shipments declined 7.8 per cent year over year to 265.3 million units in the second quarter of 2023 (2Q23), according to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.
While this marks the eighth consecutive quarter of contraction as the market struggles with soft demand, inflation, macroeconomic uncertainties, and excess inventory, the rate of decline is slowing compared to previous quarters.
The top three companies – Samsung, Apple, and Xiaomi – retained their relative positions, though each experienced a drop in shipments year over year.
“The good news is that inventory levels are improving and the latest market chatter suggests that, by Q3, excess inventory in finished devices and components should clear up,” said Nabila Popal, research director with IDC’s Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers.
“As inventory levels normalize, we are finally hearing optimism from key OEMs and supply chains and expect the market to return to growth by the end of the year and into 2024. As the market ramps back up, it is also an opportunity for vendors to gain share. IDC expects a shift in the vendor rankings at the bottom of the stack, as we already see happening this quarter with Transsion entering the Top 5 for the first time.”
Snow’s new partner program makes its debut
Technology intelligence vendor Snow Software on Thursday launched a new partner program it said is designed to address the “ever increasing challenge its customer base faces, such as swelling costs, impending risk and proof of value – as well as capitalizing on new market opportunities.”
“The partner ecosystem at Snow is one with a diverse array of resellers, managed service providers, global systems integrators, independent software vendors and more,” wrote Vinod Chumber, the firm’s vice president of ecosystems and digital sales, in a blog.
“They are an essential line to the needs of customers and the market, helping influence our product roadmap and strategy. As such, they are a true extension of our team.”
According to Chumber’s blog, the new program “offers a level playing field for all partners, providing further support and opportunities to ensure value is delivered to joint customers. We are invested in empowering our partners by offering access to new discount structures, training, certifications, sales shadowing opportunities and more.”
Intel, Ericsson expand collaboration ties
Intel this week announced a strategic collaboration agreement with Ericsson to use Intel’s 18A process and manufacturing technology for Ericsson’s future next-generation optimized 5G infrastructure.
As part of the agreement, Intel will manufacture custom 5G SoCs (system-on-chip) for Ericsson. Additionally, the companies said they “will expand their collaboration to optimize 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors with Intel vRAN Boost for Ericsson’s Cloud RAN (radio access network) offerings to help communications service providers increase network capacity and energy efficiency while gaining greater flexibility and scalability.”
“As our work together evolves, this is a significant milestone with Ericsson to partner broadly on their next-generation optimized 5G infrastructure,” said Sachin Katti, senior vice president and general manager of the network and edge group at Intel.
“This agreement exemplifies our shared vision to innovate and transform network connectivity, and it reinforces the growing customer confidence in our process and manufacturing technology.”
OpenText launches Cloud Editions 23.3
OpenText this week announced the release of OpenText Cloud Editions (CE) 23.3, which it said is built to harness technologies and innovations that seamlessly integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics capabilities across the portfolio.
CE 23.3, the company added in a release, marks the next phase in its two-year roadmap to deliver AI-led, security-enabled, and sustainability-focused innovations every 90 days.
Company chief executive officer (CEO) and chief technology officer Mark J. Barrenechea, said, “AI is the next technology era. It will reshape the future of our world in unimaginable ways. If the internet changed everything, with AI, everything must change.
“The latest innovations in CE 23.3 combine the power of end-to-end integrations and AI automation to help customers seamlessly interconnect and exchange insights across clouds to learn, innovate and grow faster than ever before.”
Additional information about CE 23.3 can be found here.
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.
