Channel News Briefs: Week of June 1, 2014

Tech Data Delivers Integrated Data Protection for SMBs

The newly launched Tech Data Integrated Data Protection Solution targets small and midsize businesses (SMBs). The integrated product offering includes IBM’s PowerLinux, IBM’s V3700 Storwize products and the new IBM Tivoli Storage Manager Software Entry for midsize organizations.

Offered on a single stock-keeping unit (SKU), the data protection offering is designed to allow Tech Data’s solution providers to quickly deploy this product, while simplifying backup and recovery implementations. The offering does not require additional IBM certifications and is available through Tech Data’s Advanced Infrastructure Solutions division. The product is designed to reduce backup infrastructure costs by up to 38 percent and backup storage space requirements by up to 95 percent with built-in deduplication and incremental forever backup, reported the IT distributor.

AffinityLive, GFI Max Team Up on Cloud-Based Management Tools

A partnership between AffinityLive, a provider of cloud-based automation software for the professional services sector, and GFI MAX, a provider of integrated software solutions for IT support companies and managed service providers (MSPs), delivers cloud-based business management tools for IT service providers, helping IT businesses better manage their operations in the cloud with a single dashboard.

AffinityLive allows users to manage CRM, project management and retainers, with real-time insights into team performance and profitability. With the GFI MAX integration, AffinityLive users now are able to manage their clients’ security, RMM, backup and antivirus solutions in either platform, the company said. The GFI MAX integration is available free of charge with AffinityLive Service or AffinityLive PSA products.

Falcon Enhances Portfolio to Support Cloud Service Providers

FalconStor Software updated its migration, continuity and protection-recovery product offerings to expand support for cloud service providers. According to the company, enhancements include additional migration support for service providers and cloud-ready data centers, new encryption-at-rest technology, and 195 percent improved data recovery speed, compared with the previous version.

This update allows customers and service providers to deploy FalconStor solutions in a consolidated, optimized and cloud-ready data center, said the company. FalconStor Optimized Backup and Deduplication Solution 8.1 and FalconStor Migration, Continuity, Protection & Recovery 7.7 product updates can be purchased as software, as an integrated appliance, or as a gateway using existing storage. 

Vartopia Simplifies Vendor Deal Registration

Vartopia launched a new deal-registration platform for technology vendors using Salesforce.com CRM. The platform, called Vartopia Nova, provides an end-to-end solution for IT vendors to manage the entire deal-registration process directly from Salesforce.com CRM. The platform consists of three main components: Nova Partner Portal, a Web application that allows authorized partners to submit, manage and measure their deal registrations; Nova Salesforce Application, a Salesforce CRM module that allows vendor users to review, manage and measure deal registrations directly within Salesforce CRM; and Vartopia Galaxy Integration, a multi-vendor deal registration platform. The company enhanced its deal-registration platform for resellers last year.

Tech Data Website Targets SMB Solution Providers

Tech Data launched a new Website, SMB.techdata.com, designed to meet the needs of SMB solution providers. The Website includes enhanced resources and Tech Data’s exclusive new rewards program, TDLoyalty. Based on a four-pillar strategy of usability, content, commerce and community, the Website provides a customizable dashboard, and gives SMB solution providers access to new features such as live chat, order monitoring, account status, hot sellers and featured promotions.

It also provides enablement benefits—including on-boarding, education, sales and financial services—that meet the needs of SMB providers. The TDSMB sales division also has aligned its business module to meet the solution providers’ requirements through technology segmentation and market niches.