Here we go again! As I do each week, I am really enjoying bringing our readers a quick round-up of the blog coverage I didn’t manage to get to during the week prior. We have been pretty busy around here at SMB Nation in gearing up for our SMB 150 Awards Gala Dinner, and our Spring Conference, which will be held May 3-5, 2013, at the Microsoft Redmond Campus. For more information, and to register, go to: http://spring.smbnation.com/.
Regarding live events, Harrybbb will be visiting Seattle computer shops on Wednesday and Thursday; Portland on Friday. It’s part of his “photo essay” on documenting the IT Pro!
Please take some time to peruse a few snippets of information that we didn’t get a chance to bring you last week….let us also know if there was something we might have missed, which is not mentioned in this entry…because as you know…we love news!
1.) CompTIA Study: Sweeping Changes Required to Capture Full Benefits of Mobility: Organizations seeking to maximize the economic and productivity benefits made possible by mobile technologies must look beyond simply which devices are used and re-examine business processes and workforce needs, new research released today by CompTIA concludes.
At this point, most companies are not taking these steps, according to CompTIA’s Second Annual Trends in Enterprise Mobility study. Most of the current activity revolves around devices – provisioning, securing and allowing access to existing systems.
The majority of companies in the CompTIA study allow their employees to bring their own mobile devices to work. The most popular option is to have a mix of corporate-liable and individual-liable devices (58 percent). A full third of companies still strictly mandate which devices can be used for work purposes and do not allow any type of employee-provided device.
2.) Weston Tech Solutions Acquires Business Information Technology Solutions: Weston Technology Solutions announced an asset-based acquisition of Business Information Technology Solutions, Inc. (BITS), a Bend-based provider of computer and information technology services.
This acquisition allows BITS clients access to new service offerings and solutions that will further enhance their businesses. BITS owner Dave Arnold and Network Consultant Michael Waxman will be joining the Weston team in their Bend office, allowing clients of both companies to continue working with their same trusted team members.
Both Weston and BITS believe in supporting the local Bend community. Both companies have worked with local non-profits and helped them in their efforts in the past. This support will continue and is a core component of Weston.
3.) Dot Hill Systems Storage to Complement Acer Business Products Portfolio: Dot Hill Systems Corp. announced that its storage products have been selected by Acer Europe SA, a manufacturer and vendor of servers and storage, notebook and desktop PCs, LCD monitors, projectors, and smart phones and tablets. Storage solutions based on Dot Hill's entire AssuredSAN series will complement Acer's Altos range of enterprise server solutions for corporate and SMB customers.
Dot Hill AssuredSAN series storage arrays can be easily customized by partners and customers to meet varying performance, capacity, and other specific business requirements. Dot Hill storage arrays are equipped with a number of energy-saving features including Dot Hill's patented EcoStor "green" battery-free alternative for cache memory, drive spin-down and DC power options. Dot Hill storage solutions scale to support up to 192 SAS, near-line SAS and SSD disk drives, totalling up to 384 terabytes of capacity based on today's 4 TB disk drive capacities, and feature a compact 12 or 24-drive rack-mount footprint.
4.) SYNNEX Develops Channel Mobility Strategy via MOBILITYSolv: The Global Mobility Solutions business unit of SYNNEX Corporation has launched the company’s comprehensive channel mobility strategy, MOBILITYSolv. Providing the roadmap for an entire mobility solution, MOBILITYSolv encompasses all angles needed to enable resellers to capture the complete sales opportunity in an increasingly mobile world.
MOBILITYSolv’s “Connect, Move and Control” strategy provides end-to-end mobility and connectivity solutions, leveraging best-of-breed vendors to keep workforces connected and productive. SYNNEX resellers are able to deploy robust, scalable and secure mobility solutions, simplifying the management of remote devices, reducing costs and offering availability of mission critical applications.
MOBILITYSolv bridges across the other technology solutions SYNNEX offers to the channel and encompasses Machine-2-Machine, productivity solutions, security and optimization, as well as support services. Through a series of MOBILITYSolv educational road shows, resellers can learn how collaborating with SYNNEX enables them to have a strong mobility practice.
5.) Catalyst Telecom Intros FastQuote Tool for Avaya Videoconferencing: Catalyst Telecom has created a comprehensive tool for quoting Scopia video conferencing solutions from Radvision, an Avaya company. Catalyst created the FastQuote tool for Avaya Scopia solutions as part of its commitment to enabling resellers to be more efficient and successful in their video practice.
The easy-to-use, web-based FastQuote tool is designed to assist Avaya Radvision resellers in creating and managing customer quotes and bill of materials, as well as automatically calculating the maintenance pricing. Avaya has approved the output of the FastQuote tool to be accepted in place of the Avaya Radvision Price Configurator tool (RPC), as FastQuote reduces quoting time and accelerates order processing time.
FastQuote also produces an executive brief for the customer, detailing the configured solution based on the bill of materials; the brief is customizable to include a pre-defined company message and tailored customer communication. The tool securely stores quotes and revisions and provides a single source for product information.
