Good week/Bad week
We look at who's riding high and who's feeling low this week
Good Week
GSS
Security VAR Global Secure Systems (GSS) has been given the royal warrant by the Queen, as a reward for its efforts in tending to Her Majesty's data security needs.
In a statement, the firm - predictably - said it is excited, delighted and thrilled to have bagged the accolade, which lets it use the phrase "by royal appointment" on its company branding.
Meanwhile, Keith Clark, chief executive of integrator MTI (which acquired GSS last July), got with the regal theme with this "royal we"-inspired statement: "The MTI Group is very proud of the contribution GSS brings to MTI."
Webroot competitors
Mimecast, Websense, iCritical, Symantec, IntY and Spamina were handed a post-Christmas boost after making it onto a list of recommended migration options for stranded Webroot customers. After weeks of speculation, Webroot finally put its partners in the picture last week by confirming it will no longer accept new business or renewals for its email security offering.
The official communication also revealed that it is introducing a minimum order value of £2,500 for its Web Security Service. Top Webroot reseller Infosec Technologies immediately launched a helpline and is advising those affected to switch to one of the six firms mentioned above.
SMBs
SMBs were given a pick-me-up last week when HP announced its plans to throw some weight behind the sector and help it get more involved with public sector deals. Kerching!
The vendor is even set to appoint an SME champion - we hope they get a badge.
Obviously, it is a double-edged sword for the channel because the SMB space has traditionally been a reseller stomping ground. However, the vendors all want a piece of it now they have seen the real value it brings.
On the upside, HP is still looking to recruit more partners. So it can't be all bad. Can it?
Bad Week
Rickie Sehgal
Until this week, if you'd said "Rickie Sehgal" to certain members of the CRN team, they would have conjured up images of the square-jawed, arse-kicking star of such cinematic tours de force as Half Past Dead and Today You Die.
But Sehgal, who is actually the boss of £20m-turnover reseller Transputec and is also chairman of the British Asian Conservative Link, is still something of a heavyweight, at least in political terms.
Apparently, the VAR chief can set up meetings with senior politicos and even pass on David Cameron's mobile number for the princely sum of £10,000 a year.
Unfortunately, he made this offer to an undercover Mail journalist. Sehgal has since explained that he is "highly embarrassed" by his "completely wrong" actions.
Expand Networks
It's never nice to see a firm give up the ghost but, in many cases, there's hope its technology or personnel will be brought back under new ownership.
But for Expand Networks, it seems there is to be no disbelief-suspending Sherlock moment. Its intellectual property and certain assets were snapped up by rival Riverbed and Expand kit sales have been halted. From the end of this month, customers can use a limited support package for only the next year.
Riverbed claims it has a home for resellers and customers, but former Expand partners have been unimpressed by what they see as a piece of ruthlessness worthy of Moriarty himself.
Stop Online Piracy Act
The US government's plans to tackle online piracy by making it easier to close down websites peddling dodgy goods and pirated films were ridiculed this week.
Naysayers, including Microsoft, Kaspersky Labs and even the White House, argue that approving the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) would curtail internet openness and free speech.
Wikipedia was so upset it shut down its English-language site for 24 hours, much to the chagrin of students, pub quizzers and lazy journalists everywhere.