Computer Reseller News April 09

April 2009

Inside 

VoIP trends to watch in 2009 p14>>



Sun Shines On IBM; Dell’s Genius Bar p18>>



Security under the spotlight p20>>

Cream of the crop In this edition, CRN profiles the top 20 channel execs as voted by SA resellers p23>>

EDITOR’S: NOTE

The IBM Sun dims I

t was with much excitement that a possible IBM-Sun deal was announced to the IT world and we as the media, especially in the channel space, watched with great interest. However, as reported by CRN.com at the time of going to press, it seems the Sun won’t be shining on IBM after all. The technology giant reportedly withdrew its bid for Sun Microsystems after Sun’s board of directors rejected IBM’s formal offer. This announcement was also covered in the Wall Street Journal. One wonders for whom this is good news and for whom it is bad news as the deal would have created a major force to be reckoned with on a global scale. Anyway, Sun’s board reportedly believed IBM’s offer of about US $9.40 per share was too low, according to reports. The Journal had earlier reported that IBM and Sun had discussed lowering the offer in exchange for sticking with the deal through expected regulatory scrutiny. The media has been abuzz ever since the initial reports of a deal between the two technology giants surfaced last month. At that point, IBM had actually put an offer on the table that was significantly higher than the price at which Sun’s shares had been trading. (On March 18, Sun’s shares closed at $8.89, a 79 per cent increase, with about 10 times the volume typically sold on a trading day.) With all the talk of consolidation in the IT space, I was even of the opinion that this was a done deal. Clearly, I was a little ahead of myself and forgot the cardinal rule that there is no such thing as a smooth merger or acquisition nowadays. Anyway, not long after the excitement built up, IBM decided differently. Its move comes amid a period when Sun is reorganising its channels and not too long after the company laid off about 1 500 people. If the deal ever goes through it will increase IBM’s server market with Hewlett-Packard (HP) and strengthen its software and storage portfolio.

Kaunda Chama – editor

Contents News & Analysis 4 – What’s News 5 – Demand Generator takes a look at Square One Solutions signing a R5 million contract with giant food retailer, Shoprite Group.

6 – Hi Five

06

Comztek recently announced the appointment of new channel manager, El-Marie Kruger. CRN Contacts: Editor:

9 – CommVault launches global partner programme.

Kaunda Chama

By Dominic Khuzwayo

[email protected]

Associate editor: Michelle Sturman

10 – Cisco unleashes unified computing system By CRN Staff Reporter

09

[email protected]

14 – VOIP trends to watch in in 2009 Journalist:

By CRN Staff Reporter

Dominic Khuzwayo [email protected]

Brand executive: Hellen Murahwa [email protected]

Sub-editor: Jenny Bastomsky [email protected]

17 – Moving to The new model. By Steven Burke

18 – Sun shines on IBM; Dell’s genius bar By Robert C. DeMarzo

15

Feature 20 – Security: As the global economic recession continues to empty our pockets, businesses and budget hackers, on the other hand, are ‘cleaning’ our computers. With many

Designer:

businesses tightening their budgets to stay in good shape during

Spencer van Graan

the financial drought, IT security seems to remain the ‘thing’ or

[email protected]

rather a must-have for many organisations. By Dominic Khuzwayo

19

Database & subscriptions: Bernice Tlouoe [email protected]

copyright notice CRN Southern Africa is published monthly by Systems Publishers (Pty) Ltd. The copyright of all material in this publication is reserved by the proprietors, except where expressly stated. The publisher, however, will consider reasonable requests for the use of material by others on condition that the source and author of the report are clearly attributed. Due to the nature of the newspaper print process, Systems Publishers cannot be held responsible for colour variations in printed advertising. Printed by Ultra Litho. CRN Southern Africa is a licensee of CMP Media LLC.

Private Bag X12, Rivonia, 2128 Tel: (011) 234 7008 Fax: (011) 234 7025 Registered with the Audit Bureau of Circulation

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23 – Channel executives profiles

Product and technology 38 – Netgear ReadyNAS review 39 – BlackBerry Curve 8900 review

Parting shots 40 – Snapshot: Sam Sibeko, Mthombo Managed Services. 40 – Dilbert

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009

39

WHAT’S

NEWS

Citrix extends relationship with Microsoft Citrix Systems has announced “Project Encore”, extending its collaboration with Microsoft into the adjacent server virtualisation market. As part of this strategic alliance, Citrix has announced the availability of a new solution called Citrix Essentials for Microsoft Hyper-V. The new solution will extend the enterprise management capabilities of Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and System Center in the areas of storage management, provisioning services and lab automation. To accelerate broad availability to Microsoft Hyper-V customers, Citrix will make Essentials for Microsoft Hyper-V available to both Citrix and Microsoft resellers worldwide and collaborate with Microsoft on marketing and training.

New Intel Atom processor Intel Corporation has announced four new versions of processors and two new system controller hub additions which will be available in the second quarter of this year. The new products for the Intel Atom processor Z5xx series include industrial-temperature options as well as different package-size choices better suited for in-car infotainment devices, media phones, eco technologies and other industrial-strength applications. “With the addition of these new products, we can bring the benefits of Intel processors to new applications, devices and customers who develop products used in unconstrained thermal environments with low-power in mind,” says Doug Davis, VP, Digital Enterprise Group and GM, Embedded and Communications Group, Intel.

AMD launches graphics processors AMD has announced new graphics processors, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4860 and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830. These graphics processors redefine mobile PC entertainment with advanced capabilities. “People now prefer mobile PCs and innovations like this 40nm mobile GPU

COMINGS

show AMD is uniquely positioned to make the entertainment experiences from desktop PCs possible in a notebook,” says Imi Mosaheb, general country manager, AMD SA. ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4860 graphics will be featured in the forthcoming Asus K notebook.

Polycom tops in 2008 Polycom, suppliers of telepresence, video and voice communications solutions, has achieved the highest reported market growth of revenue in ‘Group Videoconferencing’ in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region in 2008. Ploycom scooped a staggering 32% and grew above market average for revenue and units sold compared to 2007. “For Polycom in EMEA 2008 was a comeback year,” says Andrew W Davis, partner at Wainhouse Research, an independent analyst firm that has been tracking the videoconferencing industry for over a decade. “During this period, Polycom not only outgrew the overall market, but also gained market share both in EMEA and worldwide for videoconferencing endpoint revenues and units,” adds Davies.

OKI expands into sub-Saharan Africa OKI Printing Solutions has announced its expansion into Botswana, Swaziland, Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mauritius. Martin Venter, Printacom business development manager says: “The first steps for us will be to begin engaging with partners, ensuring they have sufficient training to speak about our solutions authoritatively, understand which solutions to recommend in which situation and that sufficiently streamlined supply chains exist to ensure stock is available timeously.” Venter adds that the company will be seeking out warranty fulfillment and support partners in each country, so that any repairs, swap-outs or similar support-related issues can be dealt with professionally and quickly.

&

GOINGS

Jooste joins Lexmark SA

EOH appoints Godlonton

Lexmark South Africa has appointed Jerome Jooste in the

EOH, business and technology solution provider, recently appointed Rob Godlonton to head the company’s newly formed strategic businesses division. Asher Bohbot CEO of EOH explains that the formation of the division is in line with the rapid growth of the company. “It has become necessary to adjust the structure to ensure effective support and control in the organisation,” he says.

key position of service delivery and supply chain manager. The international printing and imaging company along with its customers will gain from Jooste’s 14 years’ in-depth service experience. Jooste’s experience ranges from managing technical repair centre workshops and new installation teams nationally and cross border, special projects, and logistics and warehouse activities to ensure high-level

Lekoto jumps to Cell C

operational service.

Cell C appoints Melody Lekota as chief human resource officer to its executive team. Lekota joins Cell C from Primedia Limited where she was appointed group human resources executive in 2003 and a board member in 2006. Lekota’s analytical yet action-oriented approach to developing HR solutions for the business coupled with her passion for performance excellence makes her an invaluable team member. She holds an MBA from De Montfort University in Leicester and is currently studying for her MA in human resources through the same institution. In addition, Lekota has extensive experience in all aspects of executive-level human resources gained from a range of sectors, including financial services, food retail and media.

NEW tech boss for Cell C Cell C has announced the appointment of Bob Wiggins as chief technical officer. Wiggins brings an impressive track record built on 30 years of international experience in the telecommunications industry to Cell C. This applied know-how includes technology management, mobile and transmission network planning, construction and operations. Wiggins joins Cell C from Globe Telecoms in the Philippines and holds an Honours Degree in Engineering from the NSW Institute of Technology in Australia.

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CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009

DEMAND SOLUTION

GENERATOR:

PROVIDERS

SIS powers Shoprite stores UPS keeps business rolling.

S

BY DOMINIC KHUZWAYO tructured Infrastructure Solutions (SIS), a company in the JSE-listed technology group, Square One Solutions has recently singed a R5 million contract with giant food retailer, Shoprite Group. In terms of the contract, SIS will implement an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) solutions and also offer full service and support. Belinda Baggott, account manager, SIS says that the contract was awarded on a phase basis, the phase two of which included a service/maintenance contract for three years. The implementation started in June last year and phase two started on January ‘09 with fifty stores ranging from Shoprite Checkers to Usave Liquor Stores in South Africa and other parts of Africa, says Baggott. “The UPSes ensure ongoing operations of all IT equipment in a store in the event of a power failure, allowing continuous trade.” Baggott adds that the UPSes supplied have a small foot print as they hold internal batteries. “The locally manufactured UPS units are designed for South African conditions and cover a range of capacities up to 40kVA, depending on the size and requirements of individual stores.” According to SIS, customers can therefore continue their shopping and receive uninterrupted service from the tills. The standard battery back-up on the units at Checkers stores picks up the power load for 25 minutes whenever a mains power failure occurs. In addition this provides the stores with an ample safety margin as standby generator power kicks in within a minute or two. Once utility mains power is restored the standby generator set shuts down and the UPS resumes feeding clean, corrected mains power to the store systems. SIS says that different requirements apply for the U-Save stores where the UPS units have extended battery pack support that will

keep the operations online for up to six hours when mains power fails. A most important function of the UPS units is the cleaning up of power supplied from both the mains and the standby generator, ensuring that it is consistently surge and sag-free to prevent damage to the store’s IT systems. The UPS systems are upgradeable to cater for growth at the stores and the Shoprite Checkers IT department has remote access via computer network in order to monitor aspects of the power support systems such as UPS usage, standard of power supply and environmental conditions, among others. Belinda Baggott, SIS

“The locally manufactured UPS units are designed for South African conditions and cover a range of capacities up to 40kVA, depending upon the size and requirements of individual stores.” – Belinda Baggott, SIS

And in terms of safety on the UPS, Baggott says all power electronic components are enclosed within the UPS. Baggott comments that there are no major interruptions in electricity supply from Eskom as was experienced previous years ago. However, no business should exist without some form on backup system. “The UPS market offers business an investment in keeping their trade constant,” Baggott says. According to a research by Frost & Sullivan, the sales of back-up power systems are inevitably linked to fluctuations in power supply. Power crises, therefore, spell good news for uninterruptible power supply (UPS)

companies. With South Africa prone to power outages, suppliers to this market can expect a surge in volume sales, but only as long as foreign investor’s perceptions of economic growth in this area remain positive. A perceived economic uncertainty can very easily dissuade investors from sinking funds into energy-intensive sectors. And going forward this year, Baggott says that SIS will be offering new upgradeability, user friendly front panel, as well as upgradeable internal components. Do you any demand generator stories to share with us. Please e-mail Dominic Khuzwayo at [email protected]

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009 •

5

SIS

HIGH FIVE: COMZTEK SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

Comztek appoints new channel manager El-Marie on the hot seat. BY DOMINIC KHUZWAYO

C

omztek recently announced the appointment of a new channel manager, El-Marie Kruger. With more than 10 years experience in the IT industry, Kruger will lead Comztek’s Netshield channel drive and bolster the company’s strong channel presence. She will be responsible for the management and promotion of the Netshield brand within Comztek. Kruger, who previously worked for Pinnacle Micro as Canon brand manager, is expected to further grow Comztek’s market penetration and bring added value to its existing customers. CRN got a chance to interview El-Marie Kruger, the new channel manager for Comztek about her role in the company. CRN: How does it feel to lead in a male dominated industry? EK: Having been in the IT industry for more than 10 years, I get the same level of respect from my male colleagues as I do from my female colleagues. The industry is seeing an increasing number of women in leading roles, and to a large degree, this has gone a long way in changing the perception that IT is a ‘boys-only’ zone. CRN: Tell us about your role? EK: As the channel manager, I oversee the management and promotion activities around the Netshield account within Comztek. My responsibilities include maintaining vendor and reseller relations, inventory management and brand planning. I’m also involved in a lot of training, either as a trainer or a trainee accumulating and imparting knowledge. I believe my knowledge of the industry and the contacts I have made over the years is what puts me a cut above the rest. CRN: What are you planning to achieve with the Netshield brand? EK: To leverage the extensive Comztek network to grow the Netshield brand in the market and put it top of mind with our customer base. There is a concerted effort throughout Comztek to grow existing markets and reach into new ones, and this will also be applied in our Netshield marketing activities. CRN: What can you promise your partners? EK: Our customers can expect the same dedicated service they have become accustomed to receiving from us. We are committed to delivering innovative services to meet our customers’ requirements.

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CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009

“I believe my knowledge of the industry and the contacts I have made over the years is what puts me a cut above the rest.” – El-Marie Kruger, Comztek

CRN: What’s your view on the IT channel this year? EK: Companies are becoming leaner and meaner, and it is becoming more difficult for everyone to make the same margins as they did last year. The successful companies will be those that offer more than just products to their customers, but also offer value-added services.

WHAT’S SOLUTION

NEWS

PROVIDERS

Citrix simplifies partner programme Citrix Systems has introduced CSA Authorised, an important enhancement to the Citrix Solution Advisor (CSA) programme. The change enables Citrix Solution Advisors at any level the opportunity to sell Citrix Delivery Center products while working toward certification requirements. “Now, I can generate revenue as soon as a new product is released.” says Kennith Rindt, director of strategic alliances, for AEC Group, a Platinum Citrix Solution Advisor. “With these programme enhancements Citrix has once again demonstrated that it understands the challenges partners face in managing vendor programmes and product authorisation requirements.”

HP launches new BI services HP has announced new business intelligence services to help customers manage information complexity, and reduce operating costs. HP’s new business intelligence services help companies establish an integrated view of information across their organisations. They also improve the quality of data and establish governance models to manage the information as a shared asset. The resulting improvements in decision-making, operational efficiency and risk mitigation allow companies to use their information to make better decisions to meet business needs. “The services that HP has announced are targeted at addressing key issues that enable organisations to advance their efforts,” says Sandra Rogers, programme director, IDC.

Sun deploys computing solution Sun Microsystems has initiated the roll-out of a computing solution at the Centre for High Performance Computing (CHPC) in Cape Town, with local partners Eclipse Networks and Breakpoint Solutions. This follows on from the awarding of the CHPC second-phase tender to Sun Microsystems and its partners to provide the infrastructure for Phase II of this world-class highperformance computing facility in SA. “The deployment of the infrastructure for Phase II at the CHPC, forms part of fulfilling the government’s goal of positioning SA as a beacon of research on the continent and meeting CHPC’s mission to enable the country to become globally competitive through the effective use of high-end IS infrastructure,” says Stefan Jacobs, South and Eastern Europe (SEE) systems practice solution architect for Sun.

Neotel awarded by Cisco Neotel recently became one of the first telecommunication providers in SA to be awarded a Cisco-Powered designated Metro Ethernet offering. This is based on the Cisco Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) architecture. Neotel’s Metro Ethernet service, which was launched last year, is used by a substantial number of enterprise customers. These services will eventually be extended to incorporate IPTV, video on demand, gaming, digital media, broadcast capability and services which directly address the specialised needs of consumers and business customers such as e-learning and tele-health consulting. “We strongly believe that collaborating with Neotel will help to maximise its ability to grow its business, improve productivity, create cost savings and support a positive return on investment,” says Steve Midgley, MD, Cisco in SA.

ANALYSIS: SOFTWORX SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

New eye for supply chain Infor’s concept-to-customer approach. BY DOMINIC KHUZWAYO

I

nfor has developed a new way for companies to view their supply chains the company calls it the ‘concept-to-customer’ approach. Jane Thomson, MD of Softworx, an EOH company and distributor of Infor in subSaharan Africa, says that businesses are being impacted by a new set of factors from the far reaches of their supply chains. Thomson says the concept-to-customer approach to supply chain management can be defined as taking the broadest possible view of the variables impacting a business. Internal dimension includes manufacturing, distribution, and the time and costs that go into sourcing, producing and distributing products. External factors, like government regulations and environmental requirements, drive complexity into the supply chain and dictate where and how a product is produced, how it is stored, which trading partners it is shipped to and how information about it is communicated. The customer dimension is generally a combination of business characteristics over

1. Dynamically adjust your network Often, companies don’t sit down and design networks; they inherit them as a result of acquisitions or they evolve them over time as they expand their operations. 2. Take a global view of demand By taking a global view, your company can create an environment that delivers the most complete picture of customer demand on your business and intelligently detects trends and changes at the regional, product, channel and customer levels. 3. Work the supply network Effectively working your supply network necessitates making a number of strategic decisions. Today, supply chain leaders can take advantage of optimisation technologies to make these decisions based on a holistic picture of demand mix and supply capacity factors. 4. Boost asset productivity Advanced planning solutions take manufacturers, logistics providers and retailers beyond the confines of traditional

“We believe companies are best served by viewing their supply chains in terms of three dimensions: internal, external and customer.” – Jane Thomson, MD, Softworx which a company has influence, but not total control. While companies have no direct control over the purchase of their products they do have ways to influence purchase decisions through leveraging product lifecycle management processes and promotional strategies, for example. To foster concept-to-customer thinking, Infor has identified eight supply chain strategies that enable organisations to take the actions necessary to build anticipation and resilience into their supply chains:

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CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009

planning into fast, responsive problemsolving engines that are cognisant of constraints from the internal dimension. 5. Expand your visibility Technologies such as RFID can facilitate realtime visibility of inventory, regardless of where it is and improve your ability to predict and plan for product arrival. 6. Know what happens, when it happens To minimise the effect of an external event or maximise the opportunity of a new customer demand, you need to know about it as early as possible.

Jane Thomson, MD, Softworx 7. Design to deliver Because supply chain leaders know that up to 70 per cent of new product introductions fail, product lifecycle management is increasingly being incorporated into supply chain thinking in two ways. What are they 8. Track performance for continuous improvement To sustain the concept-to-customer supply chain approach, it is necessary to measure and track how well your company is addressing challenges from all three dimensions across your business and against your key performance indicators. “By implementing these strategies, companies can derive tangible business benefits from the concept-to-customer approach. “In addition, this type of thinking improves visibility and your ability to anticipate and respond to both risk and opportunity in the management of your supply chain,” concludes Thomson.

ANALYSIS: COMMVAULT SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

CommVault launches global partner programme Equipping channel partners. BY DOMINIC KHUZWAYO

C

ommVault Systems, an independent software and service company focused exclusively on data management, recently announced a new global reseller and OEM partner programme named CommValue. CommValue is designed to enhance CommVault’s Simpana software delivery skills, fuel adoption of CommVault software in the market and accelerate customer ROI. The CommValue portal features a unique methodology expressly developed for certified CommVault partners authorised to deploy the Simpana suite of backup, archive, replication, resource management and search software. According to CommVault, with this programme, partners can knowledgeably engage with customers throughout the

service and deliver Simpana software to new customers.” Brower adds that partners now have at their disposal a complete and repeatable programme of professional services, education and customer-service capabilities that are tried and tested. CommValue arms partners with the tools to more easily extend to customers the operational efficiency and economic benefits of Simpana software. Following the launch of CommVault Simpana 8 software, the CommValue programme was born and the subscriptionbased programme was rolled out to partners at the beginning of April 2009. Nick Wonfor, GM of CommVault Systems, Africa says: “With this programme, partners can engage with customers throughout the

“It is our objective is to help our partners scale their businesses, provide them with the right tools and align their goals with our own.” – Nick Wonfor, GM, CommVault Systems, Africa. deployment of Simpana software from initial design conversations focused on identifying which features and functionality should be deployed to later project implementation or support discussions. “Channel partners continue to be an integral part of our team and help us to reach out to new customers around the world. Our objective is to help our partners to seamlessly scale their businesses in line with our growth goals,” says Robert Brower, VP, Services and Technical Support, CommVault. “With the CommValue programme, we are breaking new ground in how we collaborate with our partners to implement,

lifecycle of the Simpana software deployment, from initial design conversations focused on identifying which Simpana software features and functionality should be deployed, to later project implementation or support discussions.” Wonfor says that the goal behind the CommValue programme is to simplify and streamline processes, communication channels and share information between CommVault and its respective partners, thus enabling its partners to more effectively prospect, sell, deploy and support its data management solution. He adds that this programme will expand CommVault’s reach

Nick Wonfor, GM, CommVault Systems in the local market. According to Wonfor, the South African channel is still in a growth phase and programmes like this aid it in providing partners with the tools to more easily extend to customers the operational efficiency and economic benefits of its software. “It is our objective is to help our partners scale their businesses, provide them with the right tools and align their goals with our own.” CommValue is the latest programme showcasing CommVault’s commitment to continuously improving customer service and support for both its partners and customers. In addition, CommVault is joining a number of vendors who are bringing out new partner programmes and giving old programmes a new look. However, most solution providers now know what they want out of partner programmes. They want good knowledge and quality training, especially during these tough times not just a certificate to hang on the wall.

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009 •

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ANALYSIS: CISCO SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

Another stride for

Unified comms

Cisco unleashes its first unified computing system. BY CRN STAFF REPORTER

C

isco last month unveiled an evolutionary new data centre architecture, innovative services and an open ecosystem of partners to help customers develop next-generation data centres that unleash the full power of virtualisation. With the announcement, Cisco delivered on its promise of virtualisation through unified computing – an architecture that bridges the silos in the data centre into one unified architecture using industry-standard technologies. Key to Cisco’s approach is its unified computing system which unites compute, network, storage access and virtualisation resources in a single, energy-efficient system that can reduce IT infrastructure costs and complexity, help extend capital assets and improve business agility well into the future. This move extends Cisco’s data centre portfolio and is a critical step in the company’s Data Centre 3.0 strategy.

Rouhotas, consulting systems engineer for Data Centre Technologies at Cisco. “Our evolutionary new data centre architecture will provide customers in SA with an energy-and cost-efficient system, while the reduction in cabling and active components as well as the embedded system management will simplify the operational aspect of the data centre. The unified computing solution leverages Nexus technology and is designed with unified fabric capabilities and also supports rapid provisioning of services for compute, storage, virtualisation and networking. It makes the data centre more efficient while enabling service elasticity,” he says. According to the vendor, apart from the competitive pricing of the solution, further cost reductions can be realised through savings in power consumption, the use of less cabling and easier management.

“The Cisco unified computing system offers a clean-sheet approach to solving data centre challenges by offering a single holistic solution with integrated management and the critical support necessary for scaling virtualisation,” – Vernon Turner, senior VP, IDC To help customers accelerate their transition to the unified computing architecture, Cisco is paving the way with a comprehensive suite of new unified computing services. In addition, the company also announced collaborations with industry leaders on the unified computing system and architecture. “In SA there is growing concern around the impact of virtualisation on the data centre where the cost of operations relative to power, efficiency, cooling and management has begun overtaking the capital expenditure required to build the data centre,” says Nic

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CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009

Based on industry standards, the system is a new computing model that uses integrated management and combines a “wire once” unified fabric with an industry-standard computing platform to optimise virtualisation, reduce data centre overall costs and provide dynamic resource provisioning for increased business agility. Cisco claims that the system reduces total cost of ownership through up to 20 per cent reduction in capital expenditure (capex) and up to 30 per cent reduction in operational expenditure (opex).

It also apparently improves IT productivity and improves business agility through provisioning applications in minutes instead of days. It also increases scalability without added complexity because it is managed as a single system, whether it has one or 320 servers with thousands of virtual machines. This can also lead to improvements in energy efficiency by significantly reducing power and cooling costs, and on top of that providing interoperability and investment protection through industry standards-based infrastructure.

Innovative design Taking a clean-slate architectural approach to data centre infrastructure, Cisco designed an entirely new class of computing system which incorporates the new Cisco UCS B-Series blades based on the future Intel Nehalem processor families (the next-generation Intel Xeon processor). The Cisco blades offer patented, enhanced memory technology to support applications with large data sets and allows significantly more virtual machines per server. The system also provides support for a unified fabric over a low latency, lossless, 10 gigabit-per-second Ethernet foundation. This network foundation consolidates what today are three separate networks: local area networks (LANs), storage area networks (SANs) and high-performance computing networks. According to Cisco, this lowers costs by reducing the number of network adapters, switches, cables and decreasing power/ cooling requirements. It also enhances the scalability, performance and operational control of virtual environments. Cisco security, policy enforcement and diagnostics features are now extended into dynamic virtualised environments to better support changing business and IT requirements. Support for a unified fabric means that the

ANALYSIS: CISCO SOLUTION

unified computing system can access storage over Ethernet, fibre channel, fibre channel over Ethernet or iSCSI, providing customers with choices and investment protection. In addition, IT staff can pre-assign storage access policies for system connectivity to storage resources, simplifying storage connectivity and management, and helping to increase IT productivity. Management is integrated into all the components of the system, enabling the entire solution to be managed as a single entity through the Cisco UCS Manager. The Cisco UCS Manager provides an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI), a command line interface (CLI) and a robust application programming interface (API) to manage all system configuration and operations. Its service profiles help to automate provisioning and increase business agility. IT managers can achieve more energyefficient data centres with the new Cisco system as it uses one third of the components, and requires less cabling and power/cooling than legacy server installations.

The industry’s view “The virtual machine has become the new atomic building block of the data centre, creating new challenges and opportunities with the potential to transform the computing environment and deliver significant benefits,” says Mario Mazzola, Cisco senior VP Server Access and Virtualisation Business Unit. “Taking advantage of this architectural shift in the data centre, we developed a unique new computing model that transforms the data

centre into a dynamic IT environment with the power to increase productivity, improve business agility and drive the benefits of virtualisation to an entirely new level.” “We are excited to be one of the first service providers to test the Cisco unified computing system and we see an opportunity for increased value to customers directly attributable to this new architectural model,” says Bryan Doerr, Savvis CTO. “For us to

PROVIDERS

solution with integrated management and the critical support necessary for scaling virtualisation,” says Vernon Turner, senior VP of Enterprise Infrastructure, Consumer and telecom research at IDC. “By increasing the performance and scale of virtualised environments while at the same time improving the ability to control and manage virtual workloads, this solution has the potential to deliver the full benefits of virtualisation across

“In today’s economy, IT organisations are mandated to increase productivity and cut costs while maintaining the IT excellence that provides their companies with a competitive edge.” – John Enck, senior VP, Gartner. operate virtualised and cloud environments reliably, affordably and at large scale is paramount to being able to offer compelling value to our customers worldwide.” “In today’s economy, IT organisations are mandated to increase productivity and cut costs while maintaining the IT excellence that provides their companies with a competitive edge,” says John Enck, research VP, Enterprise Network Services and Infrastructure at Gartner. “CIOs will invest in innovative technology if it increases productivity, protects their existing IT investments and demonstrates real benefits that will extend the life of the data centre.” “The Cisco unified computing system offers a clean-sheet approach to solving data centre challenges by offering a single holistic

the data centre to increase productivity and agility, and reduce IT costs.” On the solution, the vendor has partnered with the likes of Microsoft, Novell, VMWare, BMC Software, EMC, Dimension Data, Long View, CSC and Accenture. According to Cisco, distributors and resellers will soon have the ability to get a piece of the $100 million data centre computing market. Meanwhile, the company is in the process of qualifying local partners and has identified potential sign-ups based on their focus on relevant areas of expertise (database, virtualisation and storage). In addition, Cisco says it will set up an ATP programme for its channel partners that will focus on its new unified computing system.

ANALYSIS: VOIP SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

The option of

HD voice

It might be a long shot but it has a business case. BY KAUNDA CHAMA

N

ow that basic VoIP technology has received mass acceptance, a natural progression seems to be a move in the direction of highdefinition voice, but will companies accept a technology that for most will be a nice to have as opposed to a must-have. CRN spoke to Chris Wortt, VoIP sales manager at Polycom about the technology and how the company hopes to see the technology’s adoption both on a local and global scale. According to the company, the fact that global economic downturn is forcing companies to curb spending yet increase revenues to survive is resulting in a knee-jerk response to cut technology spend down to the ‘bare bones’ – a move which is likely to result in higher long-term costs and impact negatively months or even years down the line. Meanwhile, this is impacting resellers and their ability to remain profitable. Polycom believes that the alternative, selectively using advanced technology to enhance key processes and boost productivity, needs to be considered and this is where resellers can differentiate themselves when selling IP telephony solutions. According to Wortt, enterprise and call centre telephony systems are a case in point. “What companies don’t realise is that their

“Another example is a conference call. Many of us are so focused on what the person is saying, leaning over to the conference call device, that we do not give the necessary attention to understanding the issue at hand,” adds Wortt. He comments that at the moment, people live their lives in high definition when in comes to television and video, but they seem to be leaving voice out of this equation. Wortt goes on to say that now that codecs and end points are widely available as communications companies push this technology, HD voice telephony over Internet Protocol should become part of companies’ communication strategies. “HD voice has significant business benefits, especially in companies that depend on good levels of voice quality in their service delivery, and those that do a lot of conference calls,” he says. He comments that often during conference calls, participants find themselves leaning into the end-point devices to have their voices clearly heard, adding that HD voice solutions eliminate this because of the quality of the mics and speaker units. “With HD voice, the participants can sit back, relax and speak naturally as if the person was in the same room as them because the

“HD voice has significant business benefits, especially in companies that depend on good levels of voice quality in their service delivery, and those that do a lot of conference calls,” – Chris Wortt, VoIP sales manager, Polycom existing solutions, be they analogue or Voice over IP, are impacting customer service. In contact centre communication, for example, certain sounds become indistinguishable (such as ‘th’ and ‘s’), making it difficult to understand or grasp what the person is saying,” he comments.

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technology becomes invisible and they concentrate on the matter at hand,” says Wortt. He, however, admits that although HD voice is not exactly mission critical at the moment, it can greatly improve communications by eliminating problems that arise with different accents and languages.

Chris Wortt, VoIP sales manager Polycom High-definition voice or wide-band voice also gives corporates the advantage of higher frequency and range capability – with the current compression technologies available on the market it can be done at a 64K streaming rate. With the right components at end points (speakers and mics), Wortt says that users can experience greatly improved acoustics. “On the matter of costs, we all know that technology is continuing to get cheaper. Even though the Polycom IP600 is still comparatively more expensive than our standard sound station, this situation is due to change in the near future,” he says. Apparently, HD voice is enjoying increased penetration in the US, UK and Europe as more and more companies are starting to consider it as a tool for improved business communications. Locally, although not too notable, it has started gaining a lot of ground. Wortt comments that as the telecommunications space becomes more deregulated, interest will increase. Wortt admits that under the current economic conditions, the business case for HD voice has not become very compelling for corporates. The fact that it is suitable for both network providers and companies looking to improve their inter-branch communication will see it gaining a lot of interest from the public and private sectors very soon.

ANALYSIS: VOIP SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

VOIP trends to watch in 2009 Looking ahead with one of the leading distributors. BY CRN

STAFF WRITER

W

hile the global recession, weak consumer spending and the credit crisis may be at the top of everyone’s list of concerns, Even Flow, a specialist Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) hardware distributor, believes that most VoIP industry players are keenly identifying areas of opportunity and aggressively pursuing them. “Due to its cost-saving abilities, VoIP is one of the hottest technologies to watch,” says Adrian Bush, MD of Even Flow. “Large, medium and small enterprises are all looking for cost-cutting solutions that provide faster return on investment (ROI) and many CEOs are targeting voice communications as a way of reducing costs.” He goes on to say that the introduction of open source VoIP solutions, the growing diversity in offerings available through local resellers as well as the availability of solutions that offer true resilience/failover are all factors that will aid adoption among local businesses. Trend one: Strong move towards open source solutions. Aside from being costly, older telephony solutions (PBX, voice, etc.)

higher flexibility benefits from open source platforms such as Asterisk. Businesses are now being offered an advanced feature set at a fraction of the price of older, more proprietary systems. We view this market move as a great opportunity for local resellers of open source solutions as demand is set to increase in the wake of global economic concerns.” Trend two: Improved offering from local VoIP providers With interconnecting rates dropping all the time, local VoIP providers (whose numbers are also growing) are finally able to offer a more competitive service to the local market. Furthermore, a recent court ruling has empowered VAN licence holders with the ability to self-provide, which will result in a more competitive market and better offerings to consumers. Many consumers view VoIP and the convergence required to get it right as risky business. This is no longer an issue, says Bush. “With experienced, trained professionals available to get things rolling, to assess and tweak the data network and to set them up

“Due to its cost-saving abilities, VoIP is one of the hottest technologies to watch.” – Adrian Bush, MD, Even Flow

were proprietary and closed. Each vendor proffered its own technology and competing systems were not compatible with one another. This meant vendors retained complete control and customers were totally reliant on them for fixes, developments and improvements. Deployment costs were high, support was expensive and feature sets were fixed. “Open source has gained considerable acceptance in all markets over the past few years and IP telephony is no exception,” says Bush. “The appeal here is lower cost and

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with the right service for voice transmission, businesses no longer have to concern themselves with dodgy installations through fly-by-night providers.” As more businesses adopt VoIP, the expectation for performance, response times and versatility will increase and it is the new blood in VoIP which is currently preparing for the influx. Trend three: Continued popularity of solutions that offer true resilience/failover features. The development and introduction

Adrian Bush, MD, Even Flow of IP telephony solutions with support for PSTN has negated previous concerns around resilience and failover in VoIP environments. With bandwidth issues experienced generally equating to queries around the reliability and quality of VoIP applications, the introduction of products that offer the benefits of VoIP coupled with the reliability and quality of PSTN failover are meeting these demands. “Larger organisations that are wary of the costs associated with what looks like the complete replacement of current systems can rest easy as well,” says Bush. “New technology development means that businesses of all sizes can avoid the all-atonce capital expenditure by transitioning an existing PBX to VoIP with smart gateway appliances allowing businesses to use VoIP for least-cost routing.” The way the industry’s evolving, and the pace at which it is doing so, is proving that it’ll soon be affordable for any business to venture into VoIP. In fact, Bush concludes, the day is coming when they can’t afford not to.

CRN, in conjunction with the Institute for Partner Education and Development is taking part in a global study on the state of the IT markets in various countries. Don’t miss this chance to contribute your opinion to the research process by taking part in the study. To be a participant in the research process, visit the CRN website and click on the survey link and fill in the questionnaire, making you an official contributor to the research process. All contributors will automatically get a copy of the final results of the study, free of charge. Extracts from the study’s findings will also be published in the July edition of CRN as well as appear on the CRN website for the whole of July.

ANALYSIS: SAP SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

Local guys

get global recognition

First South African global-certified SAP All-in-One partners announced. BY CRN STAFF REPORTER

S

AP Africa this month announced the qualification of the first seven South African partners and their nine customised business management solutions as part of its global SAP All-in-One partner solutions programme. The vendor’s Business All-in-One solutions are comprehensive and extensible on-premise business solutions with industry best practices built in. These solutions are highly optimised to meet the business and IT resource challenges of midsize companies in their respective industries. Essentially, this means that the partners who have been awarded this worldwide certification are authorised to provide their verticalised and customised solutions to

and confirmed that the correct and approved processes and guidelines have been adhered to at all of the steps involved in developing and providing a complete solution to the customer,” Kudsee adds. “Certified solutions are also reviewed annually to ensure partners are able to continue delivering the solution in question for new customers, while adhering to the same prescribed guidelines and processes,” he says. Kudsee says that the process of getting a solution certified on a worldwide basis is rigorous and thorough for good reason. “We need to pass assurance onto our customers that the partner in question is capable of following the SAP guidelines for developing a solution, able to demonstrate

“Certified solutions are also reviewed annually to ensure partners are able to continue delivering the solution in question for new customers, while adhering to the same prescribed guidelines and processes.” – Derek Kudsee, director SME, SAP Africa companies throughout the world with SAP’s full backing and support. “This is a huge step both for SAP and its South African partners,” explains Derek Kudsee, director SME, SAP Africa. “It not only speaks volumes about the great work being done locally by our partners, but also presents local partners with the potential for expanding their reach into international markets with SAP’s support. “By selecting a certified solution from one of these seven partners, customers gain the assurance that their SAP All-in-One solution has been developed and delivered by an SAP partner who has extensive expertise in a particular industry,” he explains. “It also means that SAP has thoroughly vetted the solution on offer from the partner

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the ability to implement it rapidly and provide several reference customers from the vertical industry in question as proof of its expertise. “These strict regulations help to ensure that qualified SAP All-in-One partner solutions are delivered by competent partners,” he says. The first seven partners certified as part of the global SAP All-in-One partner solutions programme and their solutions are: Deloitte Consulting, for its solution aimed at smaller mining operations Faranani Sapremo, which has also developed a solution aimed at the mining industry GijimaAST, for its two local government solutions – one aimed at local municipalities, while the second addresses district municipalities.

Derek Kudsee, director SME, SAP Africa SCT Services, for its solution aimed at consumer goods and fast-moving consumer goods companies Swicon has developed a cross-industry human capital management solution T-Systems South Africa, for its turnkey health care solution as well as a broad spectrum baseline system; UCS Solutions, for its retail industry solution. “We are extremely proud of the effort, hard work and determination these partners have shown throughout the development of their solutions and their qualification on the global SAP All-in-One partner solutions programme,” Kudsee adds. “Over the coming year they will gain the ability to use ‘Qualified SAP All-in-One Partner Solution’ on all of the marketing related to their solution, SAP’s marketing support, listing as a provider of a qualified SAP All-in-One Partner Solution on our international website and sales leads from SAP whenever an opportunity to provide a solution in their chosen area of expertise comes to light,” he explains. “These partners have shown a great deal of commitment to SAP and we will reciprocate with our full support and backing,” he concludes.

INTERNATIONAL: NEWS SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

Moving to the new model BY STEVEN BURKE

P

at Walsh, the owner of Computer Station of Orlando, is one of those solution providers that has survived by constantly climbing the technology ladder and moving to new business models. These days, Walsh is moving aggressively into hosted or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions that his company can brand itself and sell as a monthly service.Whether you call it hosted, SaaS or managed services, the trend is inexorable. Solution providers moving squarely to a recurring revenue model are driving higher profits and sales than those stuck in the old sell-the-next-IT-project paradigm. Walsh recently partnered with eFolder, a SaaS remote backup vendor based in Atlanta, and is keen on Reflexion, a hosted e-mail threat protection, archiving discovery and recovery vendor. “This industry is moving to an all-hosted solutions model,” Walsh says. “That’s where I’m going. I don’t have the risk. I push it out to my clients and charge them monthly.” And Computer Station of Orlando is the brand, and it sets the price. For years, we here at Everything Channel have talked about the solution provider as the defining brand. And no matter how often

we hammer it home, there are a lot of big vendors that have not changed their models or mind-sets to capitalise on the new channel dynamics. That failure of some of the big vendors to move quickly is allowing vendors like eFolder and Reflexion to capture critical solution provider share in what is one of the hottest market segments. Take eFolder. Jan Spring, vice president of Sales, said at Everything Channel’s recent XChange event that she took 18 of her partners to dinner, up from only three a year ago. It’s striking anecdotal data about just how fast the hosted recurring revenue model is taking hold. One of the policies that separates companies like eFolder and Reflexion from the pack is they do not publish pricing on the Internet. What’s more, both those vendors have a 100 per cent channel model that allows solution providers to brand the services as their own. In an age when vendors insist on setting margin and pricing, eFolder and Reflexion are a breath of fresh air. A lot of vendors have forgotten one of the basic maxims of this business: Where there is mystery, there is margin.They understand solution providers need to make a living.

Pat Walsh, owner, Computer Station

“I was a system integrator,” Spring says. “I ran my own company for 12 years. I was part of the channel.” So what’s driving eFolder’s success? “We’re getting a snowball effect,” Spring says. “We’re seeing increasing adoption of managed services, increasing awareness of SaaS and eFolder’s superior technology and infrastructure.” Spring said one of the ingredients that makes eFolder successful is a corporate culture that puts solution provider success at the heart of the company. “Our corporate motto is, ‘Your success is our success,’” she says.Ω

Everthing you need to know • Strange Bedfellows? Dell has done what was once the unthinkable: taken its heralded direct model to two-tier distribution in a bid to capture solution provider share. Dell recently inked a landmark distribution deal, paving the way for powerhouses Ingram Micro and Tech Data to provide US VARs with fixed-configuration Vostro desktops and notebooks within a 24 to 48-hour period. The agreement will soon be extended to Canada and eventually to other areas, and will include more product lines. The big question is whether Ingram Micro and Tech Data will be able to provide pricing below what Dell offers direct to customers. “If I end up paying the same price or more for what I can get from Dell direct, then providing a distribution channel isn’t going to be an advantage for anyone,” says Tyler Dikman, CEO of CoolTronics, a solution provider.

• Will They Or Won’t They? That’s the question that IBM and Sun partners are asking after a report surfaced that IBM was in talks to acquire struggling Sun for US $6.5 billion in cash. Neither company would comment on the reports. “It’s inevitable that someone would buy Sun. It’s indicative of IBM, HP and Cisco fighting for the data centre,” says Michael Kirven, President of Edge Solutions, an HP reseller. “HP has made huge headway in servers, and IBM is losing to them.” An IBM acquisition of Sun could ultimately work to HP’s benefit, Kirven says, and presumably its channel partners. Deals this size inevitably introduce a certain amount of disruption that can send customers to safer harbors. “You don’t swallow Sun overnight and retain people and products,” Kirven says. That would be particularly true given the two vendors’ very different cultures that he described as “West Coast with flip-flops and East Coast with suits and ties.”

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INTERNATIONAL: NEWS SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

Sun shines on IBM; Dell’s Genius Bar BY ROBERT C. DEMARZO

D

espite the hardship befallen many high-tech companies during this recession, IBM executives have maintained a swagger. That’s not to say that Sam Palmisano’s troops aren’t running scared, but their consistent message is they have the cash ($12.9 billion) along with a diverse enough business model to weather the storm and, with a little luck, will come out of the downturn stronger. IBM, of course, does face challenges. Strengthening its sales into the midmarket and focusing on sales less than $100,000 are two areas the company needs to address quickly – mostly from a partner perspective. I am not sure if purchasing Sun can help IBM on those fronts, but it certainly took advantage of the downturn to pick off a competitor – albeit one that is a shell of its former self. Neither IBM nor Sun are commenting on reports the two are talking to consolidate their Java efforts or server platforms, but comments from Intel CEO Paul Otellini disclosed in an SEC filing

From a channel perspective, there remain a few loyal Sun VARs along with the dedicated sales organizations within two distributors. But Sun never really cracked the channel code and remains an also-ran in the big leagues of partner programs. If IBM does decide to absorb Sun, its first order of business should be to find a way to expand the channel reach for Sun’s hardware and software. The irony here is that just a few weeks ago headhunters were scouring the channel looking for candidates interested in managing Sun’s worldwide partner organisation. No one was biting. Many privately confessed they did not want the Sun job on their resume.You can admire Scott McNealy for many things, but, ultimately, Sun’s downfall rests on his shoulders because he fundamentally never understood the power of the channel. It is interesting that we are writing about Sun’s last chapter while Dell is trying to

The irony here is that just a few weeks ago headhunters were scouring the channel looking for candidates interested in managing Sun’s worldwide partner organisation.

confirmed Sun has been seeking suitors lately, with IBM as the lead candidate. Face it, with a market cap of about $6 billion compared with IBM’s $131 billion, and Sun churning out around $13 billion in sales annually with $2.6 billion in cash, the company looks attractive. Now the lawyers and bean counters get to crunch the numbers.

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re-create itself as a channel-friendly – I won’t say “centric” – company. Its I-cannot-believethis happened deals with Tech Data and Ingram Micro are a defining moment with broad implications for its competitors. Worldwide channel chief Greg Davis’ progress is to be admired, yet there are still many VARs who see direct-sales conflict. Make no mistake – the deal is intended to

Robert C. DeMarzo

save Dell millions as it essentially outsources channel sales and support to those distributors. There is certainly no better reason to do it than that. But in partnering with the Big Two, Dell effectively puts the squeeze on a wide range of competitors that have for many years relied heavily on distribution, experts say. Let’s take the likes of HP and Lenovo out of the conversation and focus instead on Acer. Acer has gained share and momentum the past few years by relying on distributors to build its brand in the market, and it has had an arm’s-length relationship with VARs. Without strong relationships with partners or an intimate understanding of its sales channel, it could be the victim of Dell’s distribution moves. Unless, of course, companies like Acer,Toshiba and a bevy of peripheral companies respond with direct channel programs. HP or Lenovo partners say they will be hardpressed to sell a Dell product because the goods are available through distribution. But the same is not true for many other brands, and that is the genius behind the Dell move.

INTERNATIONAL: NEWS SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

Printing: less is more BY MICHELE MASTERSON

W

hile many small and midsize businesses focus on printer hardware and consumable costs, they often have no clue as to how much they are actually spending. Enter managed print services. By managing all of a customer’s fleet of printing-related devices, resellers can give their customers a true picture of their bottom line. ‘Invisible’ expenses, such as the efficiency of machines and network costs, can play behind the scenes. Providing managed print services (MPS) is an opportunity for resellers to lift the veil, offer suggestions and make money. Managed print services, however, is still considered by many in the industry as the new kid on the block in a town where the streets are paved with physical machines and toners. “The imaging industry printers, MFPs, copiers and supplies has long been hardware-centric,” says Ed Crowley, founding partner and CEO of research firm Photizo Group. “Services have often been perceived as a necessary evil... a byproduct of selling profitable hardware and even more profitable supplies.”

For example, many organisations don’t know that their ratio of employees to printers is skewed. “Often, companies don’t know how much they’re over- or underutilising devices,” Crowley says. “As it turns out, many times companies have way too many devices.” Another piece of the managed print services equation is looking at how printing is trafficked. By determining what kinds of printers are in use, a reseller can suggest a workgroup printer over individual desktops, for quite significant savings. Vendors such as HP, Xerox and Ricoh are all giving resellers the tools they need for a managed print services world. HP has what many solution providers consider to be robust offerings. For example, HP’s Web Jetadmin is a Web-based management software tool that centrally manages print devices and is now being upgraded.The company is in the midst of discontinuing version 8.1 and all previous versions of the Web Jetadmin software; version 10.1 of the software is now available.

‘Invisible’ expenses, such as the efficiency of machines and network costs, can play behind the scenes. Providing managed print services (MPS) is an opportunity for resellers to lift the veil, offer suggestions and make money. – Michele Masterson

As with all reselling opportunities, managed print services starts with an assessment of a customer’s business, and it’s not about convincing them to trade up from a Honda to a Lamborghini. “I try to show customers the benefits of MPS and how they can do more with less,” says Mike Mooney, founder of Encompass, a Hewlett-Packard Co. partner. “Our goal is to help companies leverage what they have, not sell them more equipment.”

In October 2008, Ricoh Professional Services launched its MPS program to make it easier to outsource all or part of print management. Users only pay for actual output and work with one point of contact to streamline the process. In addition to consolidating output with fewer and faster centralised print systems, Ricoh uses software via remote monitoring and management tools to ensure a print environment runs smoothly and documents

remain confidential. Xerox’s PagePak is an inclusive service-and-supplies contract. Specifically, PagePak offers a single contract that covers pages printed, maintenance, services and all consumables for networked printers and multifunction systems. It also includes a fixed-cost-per-page, black-andwhite and color, and contracts for up to five years are tailored to customers’ usage. “PagePak gets rid of the administration issues and lets us focus on other things. The margins are very attractive,” says Mark Szalkiewicz, a senior account manager at San Diego-based Horizon Computers, a Xerox partner. Szalkiewicz says he likes the fact that Horizon Computers is able to co-brand its logo with Xerox’s PagePak. In the same way that a bank issues a Visa credit card, for example, the institution’s name appears on the card but Visa takes care of the billing and other back-office headaches, he said.

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SECURITY

FEATURE

SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

Safety first,

always

IT security in demand. BY DOMINIC KHUWAYO

A

s the global economic recession continues to empty our pockets, businesses and budget hackers, on the other hand, are ‘cleaning’ out our computers. With many businesses tightening their budgets to stay in good shape during the financial drought, IT security seems to remain the ‘thing’ or rather a must-have for many organisations. CRN.com did research in which it asked vendors whether security is more resilient in a down economy. Not surprising, almost all the vendors said security issues are here to stay no matter what. “During economic turmoil, data remains the most valuable asset and consequently, it needs to be protected,” says Bogdan Dumitru, CTO at BitDefender “It is worth mentioning that SA ranks among the top 30 most-infected countries and scored a significant growth rate of 196.30 per cent between March, 08 and 15, compared to the first week of the same month.

“In 2008 we noticed an upswing in threat activity related to social networking sites. These threats involved phishing for username accounts and using social context as a way to increase the success rate of an online threat.” – Chad Cleevely, business manager, Symantec Africa. “We expect that consumers both business and home to become more aware of this necessity and therefore to better evaluate their needs in terms of system and information defence.” Dumitru adds that the price element will definitely influence users’ decisions to buy one security suite as opposed to another. “We expect in the months to come to see several migrations from expensive solutions

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towards the less costly ones that provide similar or even supplemental quality and features.” Jeremy Matthews, head of Panda Security, sub-Saharan region says IT security is impacted by pressure to reduce costs and company headcounts which results in overstretch of IT admin which can lead to lapses in the maintenance of adequate protection. “This is dangerous because the recession has sparked a surge in malware as more and more people resort to illegitimate means to make money, tapping into people’s desperation to make money in an economic downturn.” According to Matthews, the cyber threatscape is more dangerous than ever before and IT security has never been more important. John Thompson, CA products manager, Security at Workgroup says: “You’d think that an economic recession would equate to less spending on security. If you guessed that, in many cases, you’d be incorrect.” Thompson adds that as the economy worsens, companies are noticing there are more attacks on their systems. Some recent trends show that as more of the world’s economies are struggling, more people are looking at illegal ways of making money and for many that means hacking, creating malware or stealing personal, financial information.

Threats to look for Software security firm, Kaspersky Labs Security predicts that phishing and scams are another type of cybercrime influenced by the economic crisis and will continue to gain intensity. Firstly, the economic situation will cause users to be more sensitive about anything related to e-payments and online banking systems. This does not necessarily mean they

SECURITY SOLUTION

will be more alert to potential scams. Secondly, the technical sophistication needed to develop and spread new malicious programs will force many cybercriminals to search for simpler and cheaper ways of making money. It is well known and documented that identity theft through phishing, pharming and hacking will be on the rise and the insider threats will top the list of threat vectors, says Harish Chib, VP New Business Development, Cyberoam. “Similarly, by way of threat types, blended threats will continue to rise innovating on the technology and social engineering aspect. The threats will further proliferate as vectors like blogs, social networking sites and IM gain increasing popularity and interactivity of Web 2.0 technology,” adds Chib. Chad Cleevely, small business manager for Africa at Symantec says: “In 2008, we noticed an upswing in activity in threats related to social networking sites. These threats have involved phishing for username accounts and using social context as a way to increase the success rate of an online threat.” Cleevely adds that spammers in select EMEA regions have been promoting social networking sites – one instance reached more than two million Symantec customers. These threats will become increasingly important for enterprise IT organisations since the new entering workforce often accesses these tools using corporate resources. Andrea van der Westhuizen, McAfee product manager at Workgroup says that McAfee Avert Labs had identified more malware threat introductions in the first three months of 2008 than in the whole of 2007, and 2009 isn’t looking much healthier. “Malware has become a business and a thriving one, gone are the days of virus writing for notoriety with over 90 per cent of today’s malware consisting of passwordstealing Trojans and downloaders – all of which having one goal in mind,” says Van der Westhuizen. A report by BitDefender at the end of 2008 claims Internet users had to cope with approximately 2 000 new and mutated viruses per day, almost 50 000 phishing attempts per month and more than one

FEATURE

PROVIDERS

Jeremy Matthews, head, Panda Security million hijacked computers that spread bots, rootkits, Trojans and other malware. In 2009, malware production will most likely hold an ascending trend, exploiting the same Web-based capabilities as Trojans, spyware and rootkits.

SECURITY TRENDS According to Cleevely, current trends show heightened levels of spam as well as

As the economic recession starts to affect customers’ IT budgets they will favour ‘integrated’ technologies that give them value and unparalleled protection from a single vendor, says Cleevely. “Symantec’s ‘integrated’ security portfolio, through technologies like End Point and MultiTier Protection, continues to highlight the importance of combined security applications such as anti-Virus, anti-spyware,

”One of the major problems of much of malware being silent or hidden on users’ computers is that people have no idea that they’re infected and therefore are unaware of the dangers of malware.” – Jeremy Matthews, head, Panda Security. Web-based attacks through phishing emails and social networks that continue to pose a major security risk. “With the emergence of wireless networks and IP telephony systems, CEOs and IT managers of SMEs are prioritising IT budgets towards security policies and solutions that protect all endpoints.”

antispam, personal firewall, intrusion prevention and device control into one unified security product,” explains Cleevely. Hilbert Long, channel manager at Comztek says: “Mobility and portability are still the strongest trends in IT and this is what drives innovation in the security space. “With workers becoming increasingly

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SECURITY

FEATURE FEATURE

SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

mobile and using data outside the secure company confines, the risk of security breaches is compounded. As workers become mobile, the solutions we see aim to ensure that mobility does not compromise security.” In wireless and virtual fields, unprotected WiFi networks can be easily hacked with confidential information and passwords being stolen. Although relatively new, the wireless local area network (WLAN) security technologies market has been experiencing tremendous growth as wireless technology becomes more widespread. Matthews claims that the Panda WiFi protection solution is the answer to all these

preferred brand would be the market leader, in many cases, you’d be incorrect. As resellers are looking to stay afloat or hopefully make money this year, they are looking at the challengers to the market.” According to Thompson, the market leaders have the market share and aren’t willing to lose or even reduce income (especially in an economic downturn) because they still have the same costs to recover. “Challengers, on the other hand, have to find ways of gaining market share and, in many cases, that means paying resellers more. It’s a win-win solution. Resellers prefer selling something other than the market leader (the expensive solution), which gives the customer a lower cost product that in

“With workers becoming increasingly mobile and using data outside the secure company confines, the risk of security breaches is compounded.” – Hilbert Long, manager, Comztek. threats. “With network mobilisation, many corporate users run the risk of having outdated antivirus protection.” And looking at which brands are the most preferred, Thompson says: “If you think the

many cases could be superior to the marketleading product.” Thompson adds: “There are no best products, there are many product lines and in each of them there are several excellent or very good vendor products. Each and every product is designed and built by people. People have flaws and those flaws show up in either the design or construction of a product.” He says some of the leading products have the greatest risks to exposure because they also offer the greatest opportunity for monetary gain. Also, what is perfect for one company may not fulfil the requirements of another, each company must look at its requirements and determine which product best fits its overall needs.

Skills Issues

Kobus de Beer, Dell South Africa

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Awareness is sorely lacking among IT users generally. In the corporate sector there is the mistaken perception that antivirus has been commoditised, says Matthews. “The reality is that not all antiviruses are created equal and the difference in performance, detection and disinfection varies hugely from brand to brand and

product to product. ”One of the major problems of much of malware being silent or hidden on users’ computers is that people have no idea that they’re infected, and therefore are unaware of the dangers malware (especially variants that steal passwords etc) pose,” he says. ”To avoid the most common attacks, each user should work on awareness of security matters. Basic things like checking the URL of visited websites and scanning the downloaded files before execution could prevent infection and identity theft in many cases,” explains Dumitru. Cleevely comments: “Overall, including ‘general’ corporate security awareness is a major requirement within enterprise businesses today. Companies cannot only enforce security policies inside the IT environment as this also needs to happen through education and knowledge enhancement of employees.” Today, companies must be able to determine the value of their information and data. Once this is done, creating and enforcing security policies across the various parts of their networks becomes a ‘business’ decision rather than an IT strategy. Data protection technologies should be equally loaded and managed on assets such as mobile devices, PDAs, smart-phones, laptops, Netbooks, servers and into the data centres, says Cleevely. Apart from raising awareness, Chib says that it makes good business sense for resellers to choose and sell solutions which integrate user education as one of the basic parameters of security. “Users, being the weakest link in the security chain, cannot be ignored and any solution in the security industry that falls short of it will ultimately lose the race.” According to IDC, as organisations shift to conservative spending modes and reduce overall IT spending, security services exhibit a more optimistic forecast over the next four years, given their critical impact on organisations. And, as security vulnerabilities and threats increase during a downturn in the economy, and compliance regulations become more stringent and organisations look to cut cost, the security services market will show strong customer demand.

2009 Top 20 channel executives Once again, the reseller channel has spoken and selected who it feels are the top channel executives for this year. Although a good number of executives received nominations from their partners we narrowed it down to 20. In previous years, CRN singled out an individual as the top executive, but this year we have decided to recognise all the executives that made it into top 20 equally. This is because all of them have been recognised for their dedication to duty and commitment to listening to their channel partners’ needs. Their names were gathered through responses to a call on the CRN Flash newsletter as well as polling through www.crn.co.za. All of the executives that made it onto this list represent some of the top vendors and distributors in the local IT industry and have been seen as top achievers. The executives have, even in the prevailing economic environment, managed to go out of their way to assist partners in closing deals, embracing new technologies and business models, and growing their own as well as their partners’ businesses. The individuals who are employed in middle to senior management positions were judged using the following criteria: • Availability • Proactiveness and dedication to addressing channel challenges • Commitment to helping partners win business deals • Influence on how partners explore new business ventures • Relationship/team-building style • Openness. The editorial team checked through the votes, eliminating any nominations that were invalid. In addition, the results were audited by an actuary. The CRN team congratulates all the executives that made it to the list of top 20 channel executives this year.

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Graham Duxbury

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

Delivering quality service G

raham Duxbury, MD of networking specialist distributor Duxbury Networking attributes his nomination as one of the top 20 channel executives to his company’s focus over the past 12 months. “Our focus for the past year – if not beyond that – has been on improving our internal processes with a view to streamlining service delivery. We’ve been looking at all our departments from ‘order entry’ to ‘technical support’ to find ways in which we can better meet our dealers’ requirements,” he says. With resellers needing all the help they can get from distributors in the current market conditions, Duxbury says his company’s focus has been mainly on new products. He comments that there has been some excellent business done in the networking space. “We obviously try to secure a large slice of this business for ourselves in partnership with our resellers. We have been successful although we sometimes get it wrong. This motivates us to try harder in the future,” says Duxbury. He says that over the past 12 months Duxbury Networking has emphasised its loyalty programme. “We’ve strengthened the reach of our ‘DuxBux’ initiative into the market and added a

Mohomed Cassim

raft of new products which qualify for reward status.” According to him, there has always been potential in the networking space since the demise of the mainframe computer, but adds that the spotlight is shifting from the corporate environment to the home and home office. In these environments networking is relatively new and fresh, and there are many new product offerings available targeting this space. He attributes his nomination to the fact that his company tries hard to meet the needs of its resellers. “We’re small enough to be flexible – and attentive enough to change direction quickly, if need be. “Personally, I have no interest in the consolidation issue – apart from that of a mildly interested spectator. I am confident that Duxbury Networking will continue to be successful well into the future – enough to be a strong ‘standalone’ player in this very competitive marketplace,” states Duxbury. Looking ahead, he says that the company’s programme will focus on the introduction of new products to its already comprehensive portfolio and, more significantly, the addition of two new technology sectors. “Unfortunately, as our plans are crystallising as we speak, I can’t say too much now. But, as they say, ‘watch this space,” he concludes. 

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

The power of moving units

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Doug Woolley

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

Giving partners what they need

Ron Keschner

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

Helping to finance

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • CHANNEL EXECUTIVE • APRIL 2009 •

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Carl Kleynhans

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

“Moving forward, the reseller channel will see a concerted focus on the efficient enterprise, both in terms of the continued education of partners and the development of tools within this space. APC by Schneider Electric will also launch a revamped channel program later this year,” – Karl Kleynhans, APC

The right product at the right time C

arl Kleynhans, regional director of APC by Schneider Electric, is no stranger to the channel and it is no surprise that his company’s channel partners gave him a deserved spot on CRN’s top 20 channel executives list. He comments: “The local region for APC by Schneider Electric enjoyed a very good 2008, due in part to the South African power crisis and the related unprecedented demand for uninterruptible power supplies (UPSes). This meant that we needed to revise our forecast and balance our stock on hand to meet the sudden change in demand. It was also necessary to realign resources to support channel education and ensure second-level support as our partners received a higher than normal volume of calls from end-users.” He adds that APC by Schneider Electric achieved good results in 2008 despite the negative influence of the global economic crisis late in the year. The local focus on power issues and enterprise efficiency had a positive impact on its business for the full year and allowed it to enable partners to capitalise on these opportunities. Initiatives he was involved in over the past year include education around data centre efficiency and introducing partners to the broader Schneider offering, particularly in terms of larger deals. “With energy demand set to double by 2050 and an attempt to reduce carbon emissions by half, we are strongly focused on assisting businesses to do more with the available energy,” says Kleynhans. “The power situation last year served to highlight power protection measures to both the channel and customers. Data centre power consumption is also rapidly becoming a global issue – as both an environmental concern and a business issue. As energy costs skyrocket, IT departments are facing increased demands to bring the escalating power and cooling expenses of today’s high-density deployments under control.” He adds that APC presents a compelling argument within this market which means that its partners are very well positioned to assist local businesses in improving electrical efficiency to meet these requirements. “I have been with APC for more than 10 years and have built solid relationships with local channel partners. The company

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has remained consistent in its route to market and channel structure, and has become a trusted adviser in terms of data centre design and implementation. I have the backing of APC’s extensive R&D spend, supported by exciting new technologies developed to meet customer requirements,” explains Kleynhans. According to him, many industries are experiencing tough times with the current economic crisis affecting companies across the board. Kleynhans adds that APC will support its partners as best it can during this period, but does not want to speculate on where consolidations will take place within the local distribution space. “Moving forward, the reseller channel will see a concerted focus on the efficient enterprise, both in terms of the continued education of partners and the development of tools within this space. APC by Schneider Electric will also launch a revamped channel programme later this year,” he states. Kleynhans, who has several years’ sound business experience in service-driven industries and formal tertiary studies in business management under his belt, joined APC in 1998. “As a gadget fanatic, I have always been interested in technology and made a conscious effort to pursue an IT career more than 10 years ago. I have always been particularly interested in seeing how new technologies can make our lives simpler and more efficient,” he says. He adds that when he joined APC, the company focused strongly on selling UPSes to protect the PC, server and small data centre environments. Over the past decade, the company has made big strides in enabling the channel to sell larger solutions, to the point that its partners are now proficient in selling at this level. They’ve also become more capable in deploying more complex solutions in the data centre. He considers the most pressing channel issue in SA at the moment is survival. “There are tough days ahead of us and it is critical to be alive tomorrow in order to keep going into the future. Channel players must focus on becoming more streamlined, cutting waste and creating a leaner, more adaptable business. It is imperative that we focus on the right opportunities and I believe there are still a number of prospects to be found in Africa,” he concludes. 

Craig Brunsden

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

Power of right balance

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE By Kaunda Chama

Still committed

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Anton Herbst

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE By George Maseko

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • CHANNEL EXECUTIVE • APRIL 2009 •

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2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE By George Maseko

a

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE By George Maseko

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Tobie van Schalkwyk

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

Helping partners to sell more T

obie van Schalkwyk, D-Link country manager says the past 12 months have been about driving greater market penetration and increased sales for the company’s channel partners, which garnered a lot of partner confidence in him. “D-Link offers several programmes like Think D-Link Think Rewards through PlusPoints, an online partner portal dubbed D-Partner, a demonstration and evaluation programme called Test Drive, and training workshops and road shows. All of these tools are in place to assist our channel partners,” he says. “Above all, I am a firm believer that one size does not fit all. I have been working one-on-one with partners to ensure success.” With the global economy in the state it is in, he says D-Link has been helping its resellers to identify and then focus on solutions that can assist end-users to cut costs. Areas like VoIP, smart switching and IP surveillance are all solutions that can help to reduce costs. “Efforts have been focused on assisting the resellers to identify and pursue these opportunities.”

Arnold Fourie

Over the past 12 months he spearheaded the D-Link Test Drive campaign. “A need existed with resellers to test and demonstrate more complex switching solutions to their customers. Through the Test Drive campaign, we afford our resellers this opportunity – and rewarded them for it with PlusPoints,” he explains. According to him, one of the reasons he made it into the top 20 is trust from channel partners. “You must make sure to the absolute best of your ability that you honour the direction you have communicated, the commitments you have made in your partner programme and that actions match your words. He adds that D-Link has just completed a very successful road show with partners Logitech, Proline and Symantec. By doing it this way it got to present to other market players and keep costs down. He believes that consolidation and closer partnerships between vendors is very important, especially in the current economic climate. Looking ahead, he comments: “Our channel partners can look forward to continuous direct contact and communication from D-Link. We will keep them up to date on our solutions and give them the necessary tools and skills to enable them to better sell our solutions.” 

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By Kaunda Chama

The spoils of commitment P

innacle Micro head Arnold Fourie attributes his place on this year’s top 20 channel executives list to his company’s focus over the past 12 months on increasing its product offering into the channel and on Tier 1 products like Lenovo, HP, Dell and IBM that enable: Pinnacle Micro to play in the larger corporate and enterprise space. Fourie says the company has received very positive responses from its channel partners. “We can see that in the growth the company has shown over the past couple of years. We invested some of this growth in our technical department, Pinteq, to increase the after-sales service our channel partners receive,” he says. Pinnacle Micro with help from its vendors has a channel partner programme that rewards channel partners with rebates and incentives. With the help of its partner programme, it has also been able to allocate large tenders and business to its partners to assist them with their business growth. On being voted one of the best, he says: “Pinnacle Micro has a highly qualified and skilled team of employees to make sure it

provides the right product at the right time hence our motto: People, Product, Passion. Without internal support Pinnacle Micro would not be a recognised player in the channel market.” He adds that Pinnacle Micro is extremely fortunate to be in a position despite the current economic environment not to have to retrench any of its staff. “In a global economic crunch like the one we are experiencing there are always casualties, but all players need to adapt to the changes and, unfortunately, consolidation is part of that,” he explains. Fourie states that resellers can expect exceptional products and competitive prices with fantastic after sales and technical experiences in the near future. He says what fascinates him most about the IT industry is the exceptional speed at which it changes which means Pinnacle Micro needs to adapt to these rapid changes in order for the company to maintain a competitive edge. According to him, the most pressing channel business issue in SA is the balance between multi-national products and locally manufactured products. 

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31

Quinton Tivers

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By Kaunda Chama

“

“No matter how big or small the potential order is, I ensure that I have a clear understanding of my clients’ requirements, and I like to keep my clients as informed as possible in everything I do, – Quinton Tivers, Microsoft business development manager, Comztek KZN

“

Offering resellers the best service uinton Tivers, Microsoft business development manager for Comztek KZN, has made it onto the top 20 in this year’s CRN outstanding channel executives list. Commenting on his selection, he says his focus has always been on offering the best service he can to resellers, no matter how big or small they are. “No matter how big or small the potential order is, I ensure that I have a clear understanding of my clients’ requirements, and I like to keep my clients as informed as possible in everything I do,” he says. Regarding doing business in the current global economy and its effect on global and local IT spending, he says: “I have am trying to help my clients to be as ‘creative’ as possible with their businesses. I also assist them to structure their orders in the best way possible to encourage good cash flow for both parties.” He adds that resellers have confidence in Comztek as a company – that it manages resources effectively, and that it is not out to make a “quick buck” but rather looking to cement long-term relationships and ensure that it survives as a distributor. “Our resellers are also aware that we assist our customers to manage their businesses in a positive manner so that they will be here for the long run,” notes Tivers. He comments that the main reason the channel is seeing a lot of potential in companies such as Comztek is that although business is tight, there is huge opportunity for resellers to secure good business, provided they are creative, think out of the box and maintain customer relationships. Regarding what contributed to his receiving a nod from the reseller channel, he says keeping one’s clients informed on all levels of dealings – whether it is on quotes, providing solutions, and following up on orders and queries – gives them confidence. “I also strive and take pride in working ethically. I hope that my clients feel confident in dealing with me, and that I have relationships built on good service and trust. I insist on

Q

managing my clients’ business from top to bottom, so I make sure that I’m not only there when the orders come rolling in, but also find myself helping resellers on all levels of their company; from the person at reception, to the people in logistics, to top management,” explains Tivers. Commenting on the state of the market, he says in today’s turbulent economy, business is tight, companies are holding onto the surplus cash they have and IT is less of a priority. “In my opinion, consolidation for distributors in terms of their operations makes sense. It helps with cash flow. When times are good and business is flowing, there is a need for more resources and infrastructure; however, if the business dries up and there is an excess of infrastructure, businesses look at consolidation. Most of the time this unfortunately results in job losses, but consolidation is better for the channel in the long term,” he says. Tivers boasts a 13-years stint in the IT space and says he started as a sales person at Incredible Connection in 1996, and then moved into distribution for LanDesign and joined Comztek in 2001. “I have always had a passion for electronics and gadgets, which resulted in an interest in IT. After completing matric, I enrolled at varsity to become an accountant, and two days before I was due to start, got cold feet and changed to sales and marketing. This led to my sales career at Incredible Connection,” he comments. “I love working with people and helping them to complete solutions, make good money, and seeing their aspirations and dreams come true. I also enjoy the dynamic nature of our industry, it keeps me motivated, on my toes and satisfies my thirst for information,” he says. According to him one of the most pressing channel business issues in SA at the moment is margins as companies are under-cutting each other to win business. “In my opinion, this is neither necessary nor professional,” he concludes. 

Jeremy Waterman

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

Providing relevant solutions J

eremy Waterman, MD of Softline Accpac, is one of the top 20 channel executives as chosen by local resellers. He comments that a large contributor to his nomination was helping the company to introduce Sage ERP X3 to its channel partners. It is an ERP product from Sage France that Sage has identified as its tier-two ERP product of choice for the international market. “We have worked very hard on assisting our dealers through our ‘strategic sales’ team run by Keith Fenner. The team works with dealers on marketing and also assists in closing sales,” says Waterman. He adds that Softline Accpac works with its resellers on an ongoing basis. “We do not deal with the IT channel at large,” he notes. “We are not really ‘a distribution house’ in the typical sense – I guess we are more an ISV that

Hans Dummer

operates through select business partners – as such we have increased our strategic sales involvement and, of course, we now offer an additional product,” says Waterman. He adds that in tough times the clever companies take time to become more efficient – to save money in the short term and to give themselves a competitive edge in the long term. Regarding his nomination, Waterman comments: “I guess if you hang in there long enough someone will notice – more seriously, we have consistently performed well in a tough competitive market.” Regarding the consolidation in the IT industry, he comments that the fortunate part for companies playing in the same space as Softline Accpac is that it is not that relevant to their space. “We have a small number of global players that are unlikely to consolidate.” He says that looking ahead resellers can expect continued commitment to the channel and to its users. 

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

Selling document management F

ocus and dedication to servicing the company’s second-tier resellers has once again helped Epson’s Hans Dummer to become one of the top channel executives for the past 12 months. Although he recently relocated to the company’s UK division, he comments that during the past 12 months at the local branch he managed to firmly put the value of the second-tier reseller at the forefront of Epson’s strategy in SA. “Our second-tier resellers are the livelihood of Epson’s success over the last few years,” he notes. He adds that with all the support that Epson has enjoyed over the past few years it is time that it gives back to its second-tier partners and so it has been working with those that have been Epson-loyal to strengthen partnerships in winning some of the most important tenders and corporate deals. “Our profile has risen in the local market space and thanks to our

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retail and channel partners our consumer market share has also grown in the past 12 months. It was my job to maintain and grow our channel partner programme; we now have over 400 partners,” he says. Regarding his nomination, he comments: “It has been a huge surprise to me and a very humbling one as I was transferred by Epson to head the Middle East and Africa. I would say that being consistent over the past 11 years is the reason for my nomination. I hope that my successor, Albert Fayard, will be in the same position soon.” On the topic of consolidation in the IT industry, particularly given the rate at which solution providers are cutting jobs and some even closing down, he says consolidation is welcome as long as it brings benefits and value adds for the channel and the end-user. Looking ahead, he says resellers can expect increased focus on Epson’s second-tier channel and closer corporate relationships to further enhance its position in SA. “We welcome any resellers that will work with us in this still growing economy,” he concludes. 

Neil Rom

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

Improving comms works P

rintacom MD, Neil Rom, is one of this years channel executives and attributes his nomination by the reseller channel to making sure that his company improves communication with its channel. “Better access to our channel with the launch of the OKI Connected Partner Network, and improving company efficiencies to lower costs and thereby giving better value to our channel has helped us,” he says. His hope is to make Mybyte (his company’s sponsored website) the online home for technology people and companies. “On the site you can create your personal profile or corporate group and stay in touch with others who share your interests. You can create content, look for a job, read tech blogs, network with colleagues and stay up to date with corporate news. This service is free,” Rom says. He adds that in its 12-year existence Printacom has always conducted business in a fair and professional manner. “We have a very clear route to market and have always supported our channel. We don’t deviate from this policy when the going gets tough. We have been through tough times before and have come

Sacha O’Reilly

out on top. This policy has stood us in good stead. Our resellers and channel trust us, and so do our suppliers, something which is lacking in this industry these days,” explains Rom. Looking at the current economic climate, he adds that in times of turmoil customers look for reassurance and stability, Printacom offers this and so do the brands it distributes. “We focus on our core business – printers.” “In certain respects the current economic state is a good thing, it’s almost like the bush that needs a veld fire to revitalise it and generate new growth. Companies will go through pain, and to survive will make changes, adapt and be stronger when this is all over. There will be casualties but it is natural selection. Distribution companies will definitely consolidate and concentrate on their core business, this is a time to batten down the hatches and weather the storm, and cut products and services that are not profitable and deviate or distract from their core business,” he explains. Looking ahead, Rom says the channel can expect Printacom to be around in the future. “We drive efficiencies and productivity making sure that we will be around to support our customers in the years to come,” he concludes. 

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

Communication works S

acha O’Reilly, channel manager at McAfee South Africa, has made it onto CRN’s list of top 20 channel executives as voted for by the channel. She comments that this is as a result of her commitment to supporting her company’s channel partners. “My focus is on open communication and strong partnerships as well as working with the channel to support it with initiatives, which creates a win-win scenario for all parties,” she says. She ads that over the past 12 months she has focused on educating the channel on McAfee’s specific security technologies that ensure the economic downturn does not impact companies’ security. “Now more than ever, companies are very serious about protecting their data and IP security, these are the lifeblood of organisations, so my time has been

spent ensuring that partners are aware of our offerings,” explains O’Reilly. She adds that partners are enjoying the attention they receive from distribution, adding that competition in the distribution space is tough, so standards and work ethics have been heightened. “I have been working on ensuring training and education on the McAfee solutions is provided to the channel and customers. Companies, now, more than ever value their data, and security is essential to all organisations. Our channel partners have the potential to earn fantastic revenue on our solutions,” explains O’Reilly. She comments that her recognition could come from the fact that she has been with McAfee for 10 years. “I feel that I have a deep understanding of McAfee, its distributors and partners, and the security market in SA. And, as you can see, it pays off,” O’Reilly notes. Looking ahead, she states that the channel can expect greater innovation in security solutions and higher revenues for partners. 

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • CHANNEL EXECUTIVE • APRIL 2009 •

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Rentia Booysen

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

Focus on growing business R

entia Booysen, sales executive at distribution house Drive Control Corporation (DCC), has been nominated one of this year’s top channel executives by the reseller channel She says that as a sales executive for DCC, she has been focused on growing the business in general as her portfolio encompasses most of its product offerings. “My sales figures have been growing on a month-to-month basis which is allowing me to achieve my goal of reaching targets and ultimately growing the business,” she says. Regarding the current state of the economy and its effect on IT spending locally and globally, she comments: “Times are tough; however, we are assisting resellers to tap into their existing client base where they enjoy established relationships and encouraging them to cross-sell or upsell in addition to finding new business.” However, there has been some good business done in the distribution space recently, to which she says: “We recently took on HP’s PSG product range and last year were awarded distribution rights to Dell’s SMB product offering. This has been very well received in the market and resellers are now regarding DCC as a one-stop shop.”

Prabashni Pillay

In her opinion, the channel is seeing a lot of potential in the hardware distribution space because companies like DCC not only provide product to resellers that sell onto the end-user customer, but they also have resources that assist resellers with pre-sales, configuration, implementation and support. This allows resellers to offer an end-to-end service. Looking ahead, she comments that DCC is gearing itself to continually support resellers with pre-sales and technical support, continuing the company’s move out of a box-dropping environment into one that offers more of a consultative approach. Booysen joined the IT space in 2000 at Pinnacle Micro and moved to DCC last year. Regarding what fascinates her about the local IT industry, particularly the channel and the space DCC plays in, she says it is an incredibly fast paced, dynamic industry and she never gets bored. When she is not being an executive, Booysen says she actually does not have a lot of spare time because she is a wife and mother. However, every spare minute she has is spent with her family. In her opinion, one of the most pressing channel business issues is weathering the economic downturn and still being in business when the economy makes an upturn. 

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

Focus on growing business O

ne of the spots on this year’s top 20 channel executives went to Cisco’s channel manager Prabashni Pillay, who is no stranger to channel recognition. She says: “At Cisco, we continued to innovate and optimise to create new commercial market opportunities that enable our channel partners to accelerate revenue growths. “During this particular recessionary period the focus has remained on investing in partners from both a resource and skill perspective. Through our partners we have continued supporting customers who want to transform their business by implementing technology that integrates network resources, services and applications while at the same time reducing complexity, leveraging investments, decreasing cost, and improving business agility to be more competitive.” Pillay believes that Cisco’s partners have gained enormous value as a result of the global Cisco vision and its execution by the local office.

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In addition, as a way of helping to address the skills gap its partners are facing in SA, Cisco, in conjunction with the Cisco Global Talent Acceleration Program (GTAP) and the Cisco Networking Academy, has hosted a number of Partner Career Days. In addition, Cisco provides partners with access to the Cisco Joint Marketing Fund (JMF) which is designed to provide them with the tools and resources needed to market their companies and the Cisco product lines they carry effectively, get funding for pre-approved activities, such as events, training, direct mail pieces, e-mail blasts and advertising. On the matter of her selection she comments that it was based on the manner in which she engages partners to create a win-win scenario as well on the amount of assistance and support her team renders to partners. Looking ahead, she comments that as a networking leader, Cisco’s goal remains to deliver innovative technology and services combined with optimised commercial channel tools, training and incentive programmes and promotions to accelerate partner revenue growth through competitive differentiation, improved productivity and the creation of new opportunities. 

Highly Recommended

Reviews by: Stanley Chishala

Netgear ReadyNAS Just what your home or small office needs. Today, most people need an effective storage solution for all the multimedia content they have and Netgear’s ReadyNas is the perfect answer to their storage needs. With 500GB of available capacity in this unit you get the impression that you are receiving enterprise-class storage for home and small business usage. Home networks are becoming common place – I am testimony to that – so having access to this enterprise-level, network attached storage device for home and small to medium sized business (SMB) users is a great experience. I have always had good experiences with Netgear products so I expected nothing less from the ReadyNas and I soon got to experience first hand that it has been designed to provide a reliable, highly available large data storage solution. Thank goodness Netgear acquired Infrant Technologies because this has indeed helped in expanding its product portfolio with new and powerful network storage devices. The ReadyNAS range of products brings technologies, such as X-RAID, which was previously only feasible at the enterprise level, to home users and SMBs. ReadyNas offers affordable centralised storage with high reliability and robust security. It is a single, safe and effective data storage solution packed with technology, usually reserved for enterprise-level servers.

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CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009

I would recommend the ReadyNAS to home users with large collections of digital media or SMBs requiring secure, high-speed network storage. On the size side, I must admit that I found it to be quite a bit bigger than some of the competitor solutions on the market. But the truth be told, it’s not something you will be carrying around with you so it will sit in some corner, but the next version has to be relatively smaller. Just look at Iomega’s ix2. But that aside, my increasingly large collection of photographs, videos, music and other digital data is now well taken care of in a secure environment, and available to anyone with access to my home network. If I had a small business I am sure that the ReadyNas would also help with storage demands as well as with keeping up with legal compliance and other requirements. Without a doubt, the ReadyNAS is one of the best answers to growing data storage demands on the market today because of the large capacity, security and data integrity. Thanks to gigabit Ethernet technology, the ReadyNAS is also capable of rapid data transfer speeds over its network connection. The product also uses RAID technology to provide full data access and redundancy with built-in protection even when hard drives fail or need to be swapped. So even if one hard drive fails, the ReadyNAS preserves data, preventing loss. Likewise, if storage capacity needs to be upgraded a larger hard drive can be inserted into the redundant array via one of the hard drive bays seamlessly and without threatening the data already saved on the device. The device works with Windows, Mac and Linux making it a powerful solution for any computing environment. On capacity, the ReadyNAS is capable of maintaining arrays of up to three terabytes. The device has USB ports that can be used for printers, wireless adapters and other devices, and ships with powerful software for automated data backups. ReadyNAS products also have a built-in iTunes server so that music stored on the device can be streamed to computers on the network. At the end of the day, the ReadyNAS is a great solution for meeting the growing challenges of data storage being expressed by home users and SMBs.

Reviews by: Kaunda Chama

Highly Recommended

BlackBerry Curve 8900 A brilliant smartphone. I don’t think that I can use a phone that is not smart ever again and, after having used a number of smartphones, I am glad that the new BlackBerry Curve 8900 came my way. I had a few problems with the previous model but just looking at the new Curve, I could tell that I would like this handset; the combination of silver and black in the design gives it a very elegant look. Granted that devices are mostly judged on their functionality rather than on looks alone, I must stress that this was only the first impression. At the time of this review, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 was the thinnest BlackBerry smartphone on the market and even appears to be slimmer that it really is because of its elegant black finish with chrome frame. The handset’s design makes it feel very comfortable in one’s hand. It is also big or small enough for anyone to use whether with one hand or two. Good looks and feel aside, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone comes packed with a host of impressive features that allow users to connect easily with their office, friends and family. As a phone, this device is exceptional, even in the area where I live where most phones struggle with reception, it outperforms any competition and the clarity of the mic and speaker is outstanding, to say the least. Its other features are typical of a BlackBerry like e-mail, messaging, organiser, Web browser and multimedia applications. The new Curve 8900 also features built-in Wi-Fi, a GPS, a next-generation processor (512Mhz) and a splendid high-resolution screen. I must admit that the only let down was when I found out that it did not have 3G connectivity but I managed with EDGE. The Curve 8900 comes with a full-QWERTY keyboard and intuitive trackball that allows for smooth navigation. Its 3.2 megapixel camera, which comes with auto focus, image stabiliser, digital zoom and flash, is not too shabby either. Its media player supports media streaming and can play a lot of the

popular video and audio formats available on the market today. Although the onboard memory is not much to write to your friends and family about, its microSD/SDHC expandable memory card slot supports up to 16GB per card, giving you plenty of storage that is easily interchangeable. Weighing in at approximately 110 grams and 109 x 60 x 13.5 mm, the Curve 8900 is more than comfortable to carry around either in your pocket or handbag. The device’s 2.4 inch HVGA+ display (480x360 resolution) projects vivid colour making images and text easy to view. Did I mention that it also comes standard with today’s muchneeded killer application – navigation with nifty GPS capabilities. This quad-band smartphone also provides global connectivity for fast data access and Web browsing. You can get Internet connectivity through either the BlackBerry Internet Service or BlackBerry Enterprise Server. For those who might not already know, BlackBerry Internet Service is designed for small businesses and individuals. It allows you to access POP accounts like Yahoo! Mail, Gmail and Hotmail from a single interface on the device. The Enterprise Server software, on the other hand, integrates with IBM Lotus Domino, Microsoft Exchange and Novell GroupWise, and uses advanced encryption and IT policy controls to enable secure, push-based wireless access to email and other corporate data. To say this is a great device would be an understatement because as far as smartphones are concerned, this is up there with the best of them. I would recommend it to anyone whether they are a corporate or home user, especially if they always want to stay connected.

PARTING: SHOTS

DILBERT

www.dilbert.com

by Scott Adams

Company: Mthombo Managed Services Position: Operations director Age: 41 Best personal achivement: Winning customer service awards while working for Eskom between 1990 and 2000 Management style: I easily adapt to the management style of the organisation I am working for Most admired company: Currently, M-IT Most admired executives: Kiruben Pillay, CEO of arivia.kom Best IT product: HP Tablet PC Most pressing local business issues: The current economic situation where clients’ businesses are closing down or scaling down Key to success: There is no substitute for hard work. I also believe that when doing something “Do it right or don’t do it at all” Favourite car: Discovery 3 Your car: Discovery 3 Favourite authors: Ngugi wa Thiog’o Where do you live: In the East, Germiston Birthplace: Baragwanath Hospital (Soweto), but I grew up in Vrede in the Free State Hobbies/sports: Mind-challenging games and a little bit of golf Favourite periodicals: Finweek Pet hates: Lazy people and forwarded e-mails

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CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009