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.
Nominate now for the CDN Women in the IT Channel awards
Nominations are open 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.
Nominations close on Jul. 14.
Darrell resigns from the top post at Logitech
Bracken Darrell, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Swiss-based Logitech, this week announced that he was leaving the company after 10 years in the job.
In a statement that appeared on LinkedIn, he wrote that during his time as CEO, the company grew its market value 10-fold, built a video conferencing business from scratch, expanded its gaming business from US$40 million to well over US$1 billion, and gained market share in almost all of its categories.
“In the spirit of friendship, I wish my good friend, fellow basketball-playing zealot, and successor (interim) Guy Gecht great luck and joy in the period ahead as he takes over Logitech. His humility and capability are a perfect fit for the amazing company and team he will lead,” he wrote. “I’ll soon be off on new adventures … but tonight I’m going to play basketball.”
Catapult ERP Services appoints Bacon as its new CEO
Catapult ERP Services Inc., a Vancouver services firm specializing in implementation and support of Microsoft Dynamics 365 business applications for midsize organizations, has appointed Jeff Bacon as its new chief executive officer (CEO), effective July 1.
According to a release, Bacon “brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success in the Microsoft business applications channel. With over 20 years of industry experience, and as a co-founder of Catapult in 2011, (he) has held key leadership roles in sales and operations, driving growth, innovation, and profitability.”
“Co-founding Catapult with (former CEO) Elliot Fishman in 2011, building our brand and team and refining our value proposition has been a wild ride at times, and I couldn’t be prouder of how far we’ve come. I am honored to have the opportunity to lead and excited about the opportunities that lie ahead,” Bacon said in the release.
“It’s been an incredible 12 years of riding shotgun with Elliot at the helm, and while his departure from Catapult is bittersweet, we are all excited for him as he moves on to new challenges.”
Blancco launches major new partner initiative
Blancco Technology Group, which specializes in data erasure and mobile lifecycle solutions, this week announced what it described as a “significant update to its global partner program – a critical route to meeting aggressive growth goals.”
“There’s a huge opportunity to educate and engage enterprises on the risks of poor data management practices and how to mitigate them,” said Jon Mellon, president, global sales, marketing, and field operations at Blancco. “We can only do this by leveraging our partners’ strengths and expertise.”
Blancco said it is committed to a channel-first strategy, and aims to generate more than 70 per cent of its enterprise deals through partners as it expands within the data lifecycle market, with a goal of doubling enterprise revenues by 2025. To meet this objective, Blancco is committed to a 200 per cent increase in its channel investment in the areas of team resourcing, product development and marketing.
Some of the new partner benefits include deal registration across all partner types, structured incremental discounts, priority partner initiatives and a new rewards program
The program also features a new single-tier structure that focuses on four sales motions – sell, service, build, distribute – to provide a quicker onramp for companies across the channel partner ecosystem, including MSPs, solution providers, global system integrators, distributors, resellers and OEMs, the firm said.
Waterloo-based Mappedin hires VP of global partnerships
Mappedin, which specializes in digital indoor map technology, has announced the hiring of Yuval Kossovsky, who joins the company from Apple Inc., as its new vice president of global partnerships.
“(Our) current growth mission entails scaling the team and bolstering its go-to-market efforts across a variety of new industries,” the Waterloo, Ont.-based firm said in a release. “Many of these industries Yuval has a deep understanding of. Most recently, he played a critical role in the creation and global adoption of the Indoor Mapping Data Format, also known as IMDF and part of Apple’s Indoor Maps program.”
Intel to rebrand client processors
When Intel’s upcoming Meteor Lake chips arrive later this year, the company has announced that the branding of its client processors will change. Intel Core Ultra will identify the most powerful processors, with the Intel Core brand reserved for mainstream offerings. In addition, the “i” is disappearing from the processor names; Intel Core i3/i5/i7/i9 designations will change to Intel Core 3/5/7/9. The company is also dropping the generation number from the name (no more “12th Generation Core i7,” for example), although the generation will be reflected in the processor number.
It is also making changes to its Evo branding, and will introduce Intel vPro Enterprise and Intel vPro Essentials branding for some commercial systems.
“The new branding structure is designed for Intel’s future client technology roadmap,” Intel said in a release. “These changes make it easier for customers to identify the right client solutions from Intel’s partner ecosystem for their compute needs. And it will do so while emphasizing the prominence of the Intel Core brand that has been a staple of the PC industry for nearly two decades.”
Google Drive for desktop support ending for multiple systems
Google has announced that it is ending support for Drive for desktop on Windows 8/8.1, Windows Server 2012, and all 32-bit versions of Windows in August. The company advises users to upgrade to a supported operating system, though it says users of unsupported versions of Windows will still be able to access Drive through a supported browser.
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.
