Good week, bad week
We round up who is on cloud nine and who's got a face like thunder in the channel this week
Good week
Making sweet music
Whacking the apple of your eye on the bonce with a blunt implement has not been a societally acceptable way to begin a relationship since the Cro-Magnon man died out.
But it's working for HP and the Cabinet Office, who are loved up and feeling "harmonious". The vendor's UK boss Nick Wilson told CRN that initial discussions with spending tsar Francis Maude had felt like "a cudgel round our head" for big-name suppliers.
But, unlike the well-publicised spats with BT, Fujitsu, CSC and others, the Paleolithic marriage counselling has worked on HP, with the government operating "in a far more collaborative way" in the latest number-crunching meetings. The vendor is also making good on its promises to increase supply-chain spending with SMBs and provide more
tech graduates.
Sounds like it's time to pack the kids off to the in-laws and book that weekend in Rhyl.
Maxima
Since it first announced it might be open to offers almost 18 months ago, Maxima has carried the melancholy air of a lovelorn singleton at the end of a wedding disco, smoothing the creases in its party frock as it sways sadly on its own to 10cc and Bonnie Tyler.
But the VAR has finally found someone with whom to take the floor, after Redstone inked a £13.8m share-and-debt deal to acquire its core services, infrastructure and applications arm.
The buyout marks the end of the Maxima fire sale, after its ERP unit and its document management, accounting software and Microsoft divisions were sold to K3 and m-hance respectively last winter.
While it's fair to say that the channel (and some of the more curmudgeonly journalists who write about it) has not wholeheartedly embraced the social networking revolution, there is one site beloved by most in the industry.
The tweeny users of Facebox, Tweeter and YouChew may be more concerned with Justin Bieber and the Twilight books (we imagine), but LinkedIn members are business, strictly business. The social network for professional types passed 10 million UK users this week - more than one in four of the working-age population.
And in even better news for UK plc, roughly 9.99 million have "strong interpersonal skills" and "a proven track record in delivering against strategic goals".
Bad week
Apple partners
Apple was recently handed a "Rising Star" award by the Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC) for the pace at which it has increased sales through the US channel. So this makes Apple a channel-friendly, company, right?
Wrong! The fruity vendor has yet again incurred the wrath of its Apple Premium Reseller (APR) partners for forcing them to invest colossal sums in store refits (reportedly more than £100,000 a store) while continuing to reserve the right to open up its own bigger and snazzier outlets on their doorsteps. CRN understands many APR stores are loss-making, reinforcing the impression that Apple is tighter than a clam with lockjaw when it comes to rewarding its loyal channel.
The grey market
Grey market trader KX Network Solutions has issued a macabre warning to its peers after a legal set-to with Cisco forced it into voluntary liquidation: They're coming for you next.
The Hoddesdon-based firm is convinced other UK players that import goods from abroad for sale in the European Economic Area will be handed similar cease-and-desist orders from the networking giant's brand protection bods. Although creditors were angered by the manner of KX's demise, we can't blame it for refusing to lace up its gloves for a legal punch-up with a firm 5,000 times its size.
Discontinued products
2012 could set a new record for the frequency at which vendors have left their channels in the lurch by pulling popular products, with Postini, Webroot and HP among the recent offenders.
Last week, Microsoft earned the ire of partners by announcing it would discontinue some of its Forefront security products, while Cisco also admitted it was reducing investment in its application delivery controller line-up. While these may be snap decisions for the vendor, it is often the reseller that recommended these products to the end customer that is left with a red face. Grrrr!