Channel News Briefs: Week of Sept. 14

CompTIA Expands Online Learning Tool

CompTIA has expanded its online learning tool, CompTIA CertMaster, with the addition of the latest CompTIA Security+ Exam learning course. CompTIA Security+ is recognized globally in the IT industry as a certification that designates knowledgeable professionals in the cyber-security field.

The CompTIA Security+ (SY0-401) certification exam tests for skills required in the cyber-security environment, including mobile security and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) practices, risk mitigation, as well as authentication, authorization and access control. Users can access CertMaster from a variety of devices, including a desktop, laptop, tablet and smartphone.

Avnet Services Offers Linux Courses

Avnet Technology Solutions has announced that its Avnet Services business unit has formed a strategic agreement with the Linux Foundation to increase the availability of select Linux classes worldwide. The courses are available through Avnet Academy, Avnet Services’ education and training group, either online or via classrooms.

The new courses allow Avnet to expand its offerings in cross-platform solutions, the company said. The training group offers about 2,500 courses related to offerings from technology manufacturers, including Cisco, IBM and VMware.

Westcon Group Signs Critical Watch

Westcon Group has announced a North American distribution agreement with Critical Watch. The deal expands Westcon’s Security Solution Practice portfolio in risk mitigation.

Critical Watch has developed a product to mitigate the market’s top security threats and minimize costs associated with network breaches, opening up a new business opportunity for resellers to deliver solutions designed for these threats, said Westcon Group.

The IPS Optimizer connects directly to the HP TippingPoint Security Management System and automatically maps network vulnerabilities to the right IPS filters. The product offers full support for Qualys Qualysguard, McAfee Foundscan, Rapid7 Nexpose, Nessus and FusionVM. The Critical Watch product is available to Westcon global distributors immediately.

RGS Adds Object Storage to Handle Big Data

RGS, a business unit of Avnet. has released the RGS Object Storage for Active Data solution, in conjunction with Amplidata, a provider of software-defined object storage software. The offering, designed to handle zettabytes of data and trillions of stored objects under a single global namespace, will be available through RGS’s network of VARs, managed service providers and integrated software vendors in the Americas.

Powered by Amplidata’s Himalaya intelligent multi-threaded grid storage architecture platform, RGS’s VAR partners can offer users who have large-scale big data and high-throughput requirements an on-premise offering that can manage exponential data growth at a price point comparable to that of cloud storage, said RGS.

Good Technology Enhances Channel Partner Program

Good Technology has added a margin rewards benefit to its Channel Partner Program that is designed to meet the growing demand for secure enterprise mobility, particularly for midmarket customers.

The Margin Reward Program is expected to help partners drive demand and capitalize on new opportunities in their mobile practices, while rewarding performance. As an example, channel partners can earn advanced “reward” credit that can be used to drive new business and accelerate the use of mobile security in their own companies, said Good. The new program is in effect immediately and covers deals registered by eligible partners as of Sept. 1.

Paragon Software Unveils Toolkit for Windows 8 Deployment

Paragon Software Group, a provider of data protection, backup and disaster recovery (BDR) technology, has released a new Windows 8 migration and deployment bundle that targets the pain points of IT managers when migrating to the Windows 8 operating system.

The toolkit for imaging and deploying Windows 8 machines features single-push management to enable the execution of migration and deployment processes across multiple machines simultaneously. The bundle includes the Paragon Hard Disk Manager (HDM) 14 “Technician’s Edition,” combined with the company’s Deployment Manager 11 to provide a time-saving solution for IT managers and Paragon Pure Channel partners, said Paragon. It is available at a special promotion price through the end of September.