Welcome to May, when most of the country needs to dig shorts and t-shirts out of the bottom of the drawers and get ready for a warmer than normal month. Or you can focus on getting all the outside work done in time for the NBA’s first ever “”Play-In Tournament”” starting May 18, and finishing fast, by May 21.
News from the big shots. How long did it take your customers to realize remote workers can’t stroll to the supply cabinet for a new printer cartridge? HP announced the expansion of HP+, the printing system designed for consumers and very small businesses with employees working from home. Check it out with the new HP LaserJet M200 Series.
Microsoft and Intel are working together to thwart cryptojacking. How? Microsoft Defender for Endpoint expands its use of Intel Threat Detection Technology to detect cryptomining at the CPU level.
On the cloud side, Microsoft acquired Kinvolk GmbH, big in open-source cloud-native distributed computing, including Kubernetes. Kinvolk also created Flatcar Container Linux.
Dell and Secureworks teamed up to offer Dell Technologies Managed Detection and Response powered by Secureworks Taegis XDR via subscription. Cloud-native SaaS solution.
Samsung pulled the curtain on a new 2021 Galaxy Book laptop series, including the Galaxy Book, Galaxy Book Pro, and the Galaxy Book Pro 360 (pictured). Brighter, lighter, and they combine the power of PC with the mobile DNA of the Galaxy smartphone. 11th Gen Intel Core processors and Intel Iris Xe graphics.
News involving hats. Now on the virtual shelf? WhiteHat Security’s Attack Surface Management using Bit Discovery’s huge database of exposed assets.
Paving a smoother road for cloud-native applications, Red Hat expanded its hybrid cloud technology portfolio with new managed cloud services: Red Hat OpenShift Streams for Apache Kafka, Red Hat OpenShift Data Science, and Red Hat OpenShift API Management.
Security news. What’s better than version 5? Version 6, of course, as in the new OpenText Webroot Business Management Console 6.0 for MSPs (pictured). Wrangle more security issues for more clients with fewer headaches.
TeamViewer enabled two-factor authentication for incoming Windows clients. Linux and macOS clients are in development. These optional security features are enabled via push notifications.
AWS clients might like the new pairing of Alert Logic’s security platform with Mission MDR for managed threat detection and response built for AWS.
Ah, the memories of mom yelling, “”Stop slumping!”” Now SASE folks Perimeter 81 have launched their Device Posture Check. More for personal devices used for work than shoulders.
Other product news. N-able’s N-central RMM solution is now integrated with Microsoft Intune, weaving the former SolarWinds MSP’s policy and configuration dashboard with Intune’s workstation and application management chops.
Now available, ManageEngine’s new RMM Central offers MSPs unified remote monitoring and management. Discover, monitor, fix faults, deploy patches, and more.
When Apple’s iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, macOS 11.3, and tvOS 14.5 operating systems become available, so will Jamf’s same-day support. Jamf School, Jamf Pro, and other products will be ready.
Welcome to the Lexmark Cloud Bridge connectivity suite, which expands access to advanced managed print services for complex environments. Also in the box are remote fleet management capabilities via cloud services.
Voice, video, messaging, and collaboration player CoreDial released CoreNexa 7.0. Built-in softphone, HD video, “”always-on”” virtual rooms, and calendar and single-sign-on integration just begin the feature list.
The new Crestron Flex Phone with Microsoft Teams certification (pictured) equips desk phones with enterprise-grade security, high-end audio and videoconferencing tools, and other goodies.
Need some new virtual machines that setup fast and scale? Spin up the new collaboration between Parallels Remote Application Server 18 and Scale Computing HC3.
Formerly Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise, Parallels Desktop for Chrome OS now supports both AMD and Intel processors, including 12 new Chromebook and Chromebox devices from a range of vendors.
The new PanaCast cameras from Jabra smarten up meeting room video, audio, and system intelligence. Look and listen to the Jabra PanaCast 50 and PanaCast 20 to see for yourself.
Need help speeding up a client’s digital transformation? Check out the free pre-built configurable process maps, workflow and form automation, and robotic process automation templates from the Nintex Workflow Cloud folks. Up to 290 available.
Now that “”remote branch office”” means “”employee home”” for many companies, it may help that the At-Home SD-WAN by NetFortris is available.
Videotel Digital now has a Hands-Free Screen Control that works with it VP90 Digital Signage media player. Snap a QR code and configure via your smartphone.
Non-product vendor news. The red carpet in front of Infrascale is for Sarah Hamilton (pictured), senior vice president, marketing.
Logicalis welcomes Markus Erb to the new position of group VP for services.
Cybersecurity and compliance player Proofpoint will be acquired by private equity firm Thoma Bravo. The all-cash deal is valued at approximately $12.3 billion, making it the largest PE cloud deal ever.
Cradlepoint and AT&T are combining the former’s adapters, routers, and NetCloud Service with the latter’s wireless broadband network and data plans to go deep on 5G. Includes a new management option for Cradlepoint devices too.
Global technology and telecom consulting firm Cloudnexion was acquired by UPSTACK to accelerate its strategy of combining advisory services with advanced technology and support resources. No terms were disclosed.
The global Check Point Partner Growth Program added four new initiatives for partners, including extra discount options, a new services certification program, pre-packaged lead gen tools, and enhanced ways to identify sales opportunities within accounts.
This week’s stats ticker:
Kaspersky’s report, “”Redefining Channel Relationships: An analysis of working with channel partners amid the COVID-19 pandemic,”” found partner challenges include  making fast purchasing decisions, cited by 42% of survey participants, and adapting to the fast-changing landscape, cited by 40%. In the U.S., 62% of organizations report downsizing was their biggest hurdle, while 69% of Canadians said their biggest issue was shifting to remote work. Even as the 252 IT channel partner respondents hope to get back to normal in 2021, 63% say they plan fewer in-person meetings, 73% expect more video calls, and 33% will lean on more telephone contact. 55% hope to see more virtual platforms, 54% more financing flexibility, and 49% hope for more training opportunities in 2021.
Zerto sponsored an IDC white paper titled, “”The State of Data Protection and Disaster Recovery Readiness: 2021.”” Big number? 94.7% of surveyed business and IT leaders saw an impact to their work-from-home data protection thanks to COVID, when asked during Q1 2021. Almost 91% said ound that modernizing data protection and DR has become a top IT priority crucial to digital transformation. Since 80% of new applications are deployed in the cloud or at the edge, organizations are modernizing their infrastructure to support the changes. Top three IT priorities? Cloud-first deployment, IT transformation, and implementing cloud-based DR.
Blockbuster felony. Remember that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when you found a Blockbuster cassette hiding under something two months after it was due back? It seems the statue of limitations for Blockbuster items is longer many realize.
Just ask Caron McBride, now living in Texas, who recently found out the hard way when she discovered that the penalty for not returning a copy of “”Sabrina the Teenage Witch”” rented 22 years earlier had escalated from a late fee to felony embezzlement of rental property. Yes, a forgotten Blockbuster VHS tape from 22 years ago became a felony.
McBride believes her boyfriend all those years ago, when she lived in Oklahoma, rented the tape in her name for his two daughters. She learned of her outstanding felony warrant when she married and moved to Texas and tried to get her new state driver’s license. You think you had a bad time at the DMV?
