Good times, bad times
Who was ship shape and who was out of shape in the channel last week?
Good times
Exclusive Networks
The distributor confirmed last week that it has finally secured the new investor it has been seeking, in the shape of Belgian firm Cobepa.
The private equity shop will be working alongside existing investor Edmond de Rothschild Partners, which has taken a re-up on its investment. Exclusive has also inked a new finance facility with Intermediate Capital Group and claims that, one way or another, it now has access to €100m (£73m) with which to fund its growth plans.
NTT Com Security
Never assume, a wag once said, for it makes an ‘ass' of ‘u' and ‘me'.
Well, we at CRN may all turn out to be hooved fools after Europe's largest pure-play IT security VAR, NTT Com Security, gave us permission to "assume" it is in talks with UK outfit Nebulas Solutions Group as it steps up its M&A drive.
The comments came from NTT Com Security chief executive Simon Church as he laid out his growth ambitions for the firm at this year's Infosec show. Rumours linked NTT Com Security to Nebulas in February.
"I am looking at all the key leaders in the market [and] Nebulas is one of the leaders that one could assume we are talking to," Church told us. If that's not a hint, we don't know what is.
Bargain hunters
"Don't it always seem to go, you don't know what you've got till it's gone."
As the great Q-Tip informed us, Joni Mitchell never lies. The lyrics to the songstress' ditty Big Yellow Taxi are at least apt in the case of a woman who recently binned a rare Apple computer.
The Apple-1 machine, one of only 200 produced in 1976, was found in a tip in California and flogged for a cool $200,000 (£130,000).
All is not lost for the mystery lady, however, as the recycling firm that took receipt of the vintage box has launched a hunt to find her and hand her half the dosh, in line with their company policy. Until then, the woman - believed to be between 60 and 70 - will be in blissful ignorance. One might even label her an Apple fool.
Bad times
Interpol
Where data is stored has become an increasingly thorny issue for cloud providers, their customers, and criminal justice agencies alike.
Last week EU leadership body the European Council published a report citing the many questions and very few answers for law-enforcement types across the continent when it comes to obtaining evidence from the cloud.
Who holds jurisdiction over the data? How long should you have to wait for another country to hand over the data you've asked for? How do I remember the answer to my memorable question?
The short answer is that no one knows anything at all. Except that lawyers are likely to find a way to make a lot of money out of the situation.
Windows XP
This time a year ago, cheers rang through Whitehall as the government signed a deal with Microsoft to extend support for Windows XP for an extra year, letting government IT managers who had yet to make the change well and truly off the hook.
But a year later, the government announced the 12-month extended-support deal has come to an end and will not be renewed. The government said the transition over the past year has gone well, and for "many" authorities, XP has gone for good. Though exactly how many remains to be seen...
CVs
CVs are so last year. That's according to new company SelfieJobs which, as its name suggests, encourages businesses to judge candidates based on their selfies.
The Swedish start-up wants to capitalise on youngsters' love of new technology and hatred of writing long and detailed CVs and covering letters by getting them to record short video selfies outlining their key qualities as a job application. This, it claims, helps employers save time trawling through email attachments and, crucially, puts some fun back into recruitment.
Perhaps when applicants get offered a role, they seal the deal with a fist bump and head off to Five Guys.