ICYMI: Our Channel News Roundup for the Week of March 4th

Sunday we “spring forward” with our clocks, costing us that hour we gained six months ago and have long ago wasted. Hark, the sounds of spring are near! Unfortunately, those sounds include killer tornados and avalanches and freezing temperatures. On top of that, the horror-show security stories of the RSA Conference gave the impression there’s nowhere safe to hide except in bed. But then we miss all these newsbits, including the batch from RSA. So let’s catch up.

RSA News. “Digital Transformation” is a hot buzzword that, like usual, hides plenty of details behind the buzz. RSA Archer, an integrated and now newly enhanced risk management platform, helps companies transform with far less digital trauma. One tool is RSA NetWitness Platform, an also enhanced SIEM tool featuring machine learning models based on deep endpoint observation.

The SentinelOne Active EDR security tool, powered by the vendor’s TrueContext technology, helps remediate threats and defend against advanced attacks. You might pair that up with the SentinelOne Ranger to identify and help control every IoT and connected device on your network. There was plenty of scaremongering about IoT security or lack thereof, so you know more security is needed. And for admins on the go, the new S1 Mobile Admin (pictured) allows, you guessed it, remote administration via a mobile device.

Zix Corp. pulled the curtain on ZixSuite, a cloud-based business communications security and compliance solution that combines advanced threat protection, business email continuity, email encryption, email DLP, and unified archiving, all managed from a centralized interface.

The ManageEngine Log360 SIEM product now includes UEBA, or user and entity behavior analytics for those falling behind the acronym train. Since a quarter of 2017 data breaches involved insiders, extra help could be useful.

Mashup alert: MobileIron’s unified endpoint management tools and NetMotion Software now work together. Result? More UEM and more mobile productivity.

Need to secure and detect anomalies in hybrid enterprises? Of course, because we all do sooner or later. So check out the new tool from FireMon, Lumeta CloudVisibility. Multi-cloud, multi-account, no problem.

We’re just getting warmed up:

• eSentire announced esINSIDER, a new cloud-based AI engine that hunts sophisticated adversaries and insider threats.

• Adaptiva debuted its newest product, Evolve EM. Detects and remediates thousands of compliance issues and security vulnerabilities as fast as possible.

• Tripwire expanded ExpertOps to include vulnerability management as a managed service. Also ask Tripwire about a Penetration Testing Assessment.

• Optiv’s Risk Transformation Service doesn’t mitigate the risks of transforming into a werewolf during the full moon, but does help develop strategies to drive cohesive cybersecurity programs.

• DFLabs IncMan SOAR platform has a version tailored to MSSPs in the security orchestration, automation, and response area.

• The Awake Security Platform now has Ava, a network traffic analysis solution, now includes a privacy-aware expert system called Ava that uses machine learning to amplify the abilities of existing security teams.

• FireEye Email Security now provides full secure email gateway functionality.

• CrowdStrike Falcon for Mobile provides EDR for mobile devices.

• Verizon added BlackBerry Cylance’s AI-driven security to its managed security services portfolio.

• NTT Security Corp. put the “Sold” tag on WhiteHat Security, which will operate as an independent, fully-owned subsidiary.

Wintel and Google news. Microsoft spent RSA Conference 2019 talking up Azure and Microsoft 365. Azure Security Center now leverages machine learning to reduce the attack surface on internet-facing virtual machines. Also check out Adaptive Application Control when you get a chance. Azure Firewall now has threat intelligence base filtering, as well as service tags filtering.

Intel contributed its Thunderbolt protocol specifications to the USB Promoter Group so others can build royalty-free compatible silicon.

Who wants faster data? Looks like all hands are up. Good news: Intel announced its first Stratix 10 TX FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array, pictured) with a 58 Gbps PAM4 transceiver supporting 400 Gb Ethernet.

Who wants cheaper data storage? Looks like all hands are up yet again. So you big, big, big data folks should talk to Google Cloud Storage about its Storage Growth Plan. Commit to a fixed dollar amount per month for a year, and up to 30 percent growth comes without extra data charges. Set the next year at the higher rate (and fee) and never pay those overage fees.

Also, the Google Cloud suite now partners with ADKLINK’s hardware and software solutions.

Other product news. Atera rolled it’s RMM and PSA tools into the Microsoft Azure Service Fabric. The new version also integrates with ScreenConnect, has improved patch management, and more.

D-Link’s Nuclias is a new cloud-managed network solution for MSPs and SMBs. The online portal and app will be available later this year.

Avaya revved up its “huddle room” video support to make quality video communications available to the 32 million huddle rooms (according to Frost & Sullivan) that could benefit from video.

Retrospect Backup 16 and Management Console for Remote Backup are the souped up new versions from Retrospect.

Non-product vendor news. Wave a welcoming paw at West McDonald (pictured), the new vice president of business development at Tigerpaw Software.

Scale Computing welcomed two new members to its executive team. Say howdy to Marlena Fernandez and Dan Pierce, vice president of marketing and vice president of strategic sales, respectively.

Axcient added Vice President, Worldwide Service and Support, Kent Sieckman.

SAP promoted Karl Fahrbach to the new position of chief partner officer.

Tim Mackie joined SentinelOne, and will lead the global channel program.

Nintex acquired robotic process automation provider EnableSoft. The acquired product, Foxtrot RPA, should fold neatly into the Nintex Process Cloud.

Salespeople need to get smarter, just like everybody else. But they may get a head start if they sign up for MyTrailhhead, a learning experience platform from Salesforce.

IT By Design, provider of engineering talent to IT service providers, will hold its inaugural Build IT event for IT business owners in Jersey City, N.J., on July 14.

Rackspace has rolled out a refreshed brand, logo, and color scheme (pictured) designed to better reflect its new identity as a provider of professional and managed services for applications, data, security, and infrastructure. You'll notice that the new lower-case “r” combines traditional Rackspace red with cloud blue and always sits behind a customer, as in behind the scenes, helping folks embrace digital transformation.

This week’s stats ticker:

According to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, the smartphone market has yet to peak, even though 2019 should be the third straight year of declining shipments. New 5G phones will be the goosing factor as shipments grow from an estimated 1.39 billion in 2019 to 1.54 billion in 2023. Foldable phone buzz may kick out the jams (NSFW) as well, starting the second half of 2019.

Spiceworks released the 2019 State of Servers report about on-premises server infrastructure. Clouds? Shmouds. Results show that 98 percent of businesses currently run on-premises servers, and 72 percent plan to buy new server hardware in the next three years. Enterprises with 1,000-plus employees will buy the most, as 68 percent will plop down some bucks for new servers in the next 12 months, as opposed to 30 percent of small businesses with 100 employees or fewer. Dell Technologies should be snatched up by 68 percent of orgs, while HPE will sell to 46 percent of organizations in the survey.

When the bridge gets tough, the tough start doping. Thought drug tests were just for the Olympics? Nope. The World Bridge Federation (WBF) just brought the hammer down on the world’s No. 1 bridge player, Geir Helgemo. He tested positive for synthetic testosterone and the female fertility drug clomifene at the World Bridge Series back in September.

Helgemo’s former team, the Norwegian Bridge Federation (he now plays for Monaco), said the drugs were “not performance enhancing.” But the ruling stands, and Helgomo had to reimburse the WBF for the costs of the hearing (3,659 euros).

Tech’s most famous bridge enthusiast, Bill Gates, was allegedly accused of doping by his regular opponent, Warren Buffett. “The only way Bill could beat me is by doping,” supposedly said the Oracle of Omaha.

Gates talked trash right back, in a non-verified quote. “I’m sure Warren’s juicing, but it’s probably prunes. I mean, look at him. More like the Geezer of Omaha. Gotta be prunes. Maybe Metamucil.”