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.
CDN Top 100 submissions close today; Channel Innovation Award nominations extended
Nominations for the 2023 Channel Innovation Awards are now open; deadline has been extended to Mar. 17. Here’s your opportunity to celebrate your company’s innovations in six categories, ranging from data analytics to remote work and collaborative workspaces.
It’s also time to make your submissions for the Channel Daily News 2023 Top 100 Solution Providers list, open to all Canadian solution providers registered and conducting business in Canada. Deadline for submissions was extended to Mar. 10, and results will be revealed during the Channel Innovation Awards gala on April 26.
Learn more and nominate/submit here.
ALTEN Group acquires software quality engineering firm QA Consultants
ALTEN Group has announced the acquisition of Toronto-based QA Consultants, an independent software quality engineering services company serving North America.
Alex Rodov, the firm’s founder and managing partner said, “the transaction marks the start of an exciting new chapter for QA Consultants where we become part of a much larger enterprise with aligned cultures, allowing us to bring further value and capabilities to our customers.”
This acquisition boosts the number of ALTEN employees in North America to almost 3,000; its global employee base is over 52,000.
Windows Server 2012/2012R2 end of support approaching
In just seven months, Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 will reach end of support. On Oct. 10, the two products will no longer receive security updates, non-security updates, bug fixes, technical support, or online technical content updates.
Microsoft offers three options for users:
- Migrate to Azure and receive three years of free Extended Security Updates (ESU)
- Upgrade to Windows Server 2022 on premises
- Purchase ESU for on premises deployments. These will continue for three years, renewable annually, for customers with Software Assurance or subscription licenses under an enterprise agreement.
Acronis launches new Cyber Cloud data centre in Toronto
Cyber protection vendor Acronis has launched a new Cyber Cloud data centre facility in Toronto, which it said will provide its 1,200+ Canadian partners with access to its full suite of cyber protection solutions and managed cloud solutions, empowering them to create new services and offerings to manage their clients’ data protection needs more efficiently and effectively.
The company’s network of data centres consists of upwards of 50 locations, in regions including the U.S., U.K., Switzerland, France, Germany, Japan, Australia and Singapore. The Toronto opening marks Acronis’ second data centre in Canada, following the launch of the Vancouver location in October 2020.
Rubrik launches its Transform Partner Program
Data security company Rubrik this week launched a new initiative, which it said will empower partners to become “trusted data security advisors, and help improve the cyber readiness, resilience and recovery for their customers.”
Entitled the Rubrik Transform Partner Program, the company said it “leverages a points-based scoring system and customizable incentive plan to reward top-performing partners, equipping them with important resources to win in the ongoing battle against modern cyber threats.”
The points system allows partners, regardless of their type, size or historical status, to unlock tiers, with the top tiers providing strategic financial benefits and investments from Rubrik, the company said.
HCLSoftware and SolarWinds expand partnership
HCLSoftware and SolarWinds are expanding their partnership, announced in October 2022, to build an end-to-end 5G network observability platform from cloud to RAN (Radio Access Network).
This joint AI-based offering combines HCLSoftware’s Augmented Network Automation (HCL ANA) platform, HCL DRYiCE iObserve powered by SolarWinds, and other HCLSoftware telecom products with the SolarWinds observability, monitoring, and service management platform to provide a cloud to RAN5G telecommunications observability platform for mobile network operators.
The companies say that the platform is designed to save mobile network operators millions of dollars a year, significantly reducing operating expenses.
“(It) provides deep integration between HCL iObserve (powered by SolarWinds Observability) and HCL ANA, and allows telecommunications customers to meet their observability needs across multi-cloud and 4G and 5G environments—all through a common platform,” said Sudhakar Ramakrishna, president and chief executive officer of SolarWinds.