November 2008 www.crn.co.za

InsideInside Tandberg opens office in SA P10>> HP cuts costs p22>> Will Microsoft Online Store Affect Distributors? P37 >>

Vendor helps resellers build robust revenue streams >>p18

PUBLISHER’S: NOTE

What a month!

ovember has been quite an eventful month to say the least. It almost feels as if it was a year squeezed into 30 days. N On the CRN side, we had a few internal changes that we have now gotten used to and like the saying goes: it is now business as usual. On a global scale, the economic downturn was cause for more than just concern, but also for confusion. Watching the local currency taking a nosedive had the channel doing more readjustments than a crooked accountant. After talking to a number of heads of companies in the space last month, I realised that the idea of business as usual will have to become business unusual for quite a while because a turn around is expected to take a minimum of 24 months. However, even at a time like this, there is a lot of business being done as companies strive to make the best of a bad situation.

I cannot speak about November 2008 without mentioning Barack Obama, the first ever black president of the United States of America. I am not only proud of Obama because, like him, I am a black man, but also because he is the first president I know of that maximised the potential of information and communication technology (ICT) to win an election.

It might be a long shot, but I believe that the fact that he has said on numerous occasions that ICT is an undeniable asset in an effective campaign, especially one that targets the large youth component, will bring back some confidence in the ICT space. So, if ICT can help win a very strongly contested election, I am sure it can also work wonders for business. In addition to this, one hopes that the policies that the Obama administration puts in place will speed up the recovery of the US economy and that they will soon have a ripple effect on the economies of developing nations. In the mean time, I guess we will have to work with the saying: When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.

Kaunda Chama – editor Contents

News & Analysis 4 – What’s News

6 – Comings and goings

10 – Hi Five

12 – Demand Generator takes a look at how Akura integrated Preserv8TM 06 16 – SAP world tour reaches SA. By Dudu Shaba

CRN Contacts: 18 – Cover story: Mimecast helps resellers build robust revenue Editor: streams. By Kaunda Chama Kaunda Chama 21 – SITA launches NOC. By Dudu Shaba [email protected] 22 – HP enhances virtual environments. By Dominic Khuzwayo Journalists: Features Portia Shaba 23 – Anti-Spam: In today’s rapidly developing malicious environment, [email protected] the one fifth of the globe’s population that is connected to the Internet 10 has to cope with approximately 2 000 new and mutated viruses a day, almost 50 000 phishing attempts a month Dominic Khuzwayo and more than one million hijacked computers that spread bots, rootkits, Trojans and other malware during one year. [email protected] By Dudu Shaba

Brand executive: 27 – Memory: With DDR3 technology prices expected to drop, DDR is still the way to go as it is not proprietary and Hellen Murahwa leads on price/performance and performance/power ratios. [email protected] By Dudu Shaba 16 30 – POS: When you decide to implement a point-of-sale Sub-editor: (POS) solution, you have essentially decided to change the Jenny Bastomsky way you do business. By Dudu Shaba [email protected] 34 – Servers: One of the major driving forces for growth in server sales is the need for more storage. In the past, servers Designer: had only a limited expansion for internal drives, which forced companies to upgrade more frequently due to the insufficient Spencer van Graan internal capacity of the servers. By Dudu Shaba [email protected] 37 – Will Microsoft Online Store affect distribution? Microsoft recently started selling some of its products to US cus- Database and subscriptions: tomers through an online storefront for the first time in its his- 18 Daisy Mulenga tory. While most channel partners don’t see this as a threat to their businesses, some speculate that distributors might view [email protected] things differently. By Kevin McLaughlin

copyright notice Product and Technology CRN Southern Africa is published monthly by Systems Publishers (Pty) Ltd. The copyright of all 38 – Logitech V 550 Nano cordless laser mouse material in this publication is reserved by the proprietors, except where expressly stated. The publisher, however, will consider reasonable requests for the use of material by others on condition that the source and author 39 – Logitech Pure-Fi Express Plus of the report are clearly attributed. Due to the nature of the newspaper print process, Systems Publishers cannot be held responsible for colour variations in printed advertising. Printed by Ultra Litho. Parting shots CRN Southern Africa is a licensee of CMP Media LLC. 40 – Snapshot: Deyan Stojcevski, Bytes Document Solutions Private Bag X12, Rivonia, 2128 Tel: (011) 234 7008 Fax: (011) 234 7025 Registered with the Audit 39 Bureau of Circulation 40 – Dilbert

2• CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008

WHAT’S NEWS

Spectrum brings Buffalo to market Lexmark’s launches new professional South African distributor Spectrum Multimedia launches the Buffalo AIO LinkTheatre HD Nfiniti wireless media player. Lexmark International has introduced a new addition to its Professional The device streams multimedia content from any network or connect- Series of inkjet all-in-ones (AIOs). ed DLNA, NAS, PC, USB device directly to a TV. The LinkTheatre is also The launch of the Lexmark X7675 is in response to an increasing suitable for high-definition video camera users and those wanting to need for small offices and home offices (SOHOs) to “cut the cord” and watch HD films or view high-resolution photos. implement Wi-Fi networks to improve productivity. Music and media files can be streamed through the device from a Paul A Rooke, Lexmark Executive Vice President and President of its number of sources, including a Buffalo LinkStation Live and TeraStation Consumer Printer Division, says that professionals are seeking versatile, Live storage devices. An intuitive TV-based interface lets consumers easily wireless AIO printers to help them multi task. browse media content on the connected devices through a remote con- “Our ongoing segment research reveals that SOHO professionals are trol. Users may also open network shares directly from the device to embracing wireless networks to improve efficiency and productivity, while facilitate easy file sharing. reducing operational costs,” he adds.

New Dell Vostro range Seagate takes a byte of the Apple This month sees Dell unveil a new range including a Vostro laptop and Ingram Micro announces the local availability of two desktops. Seagate’s new range of Mac compatible The new Vostro laptop is designed specifically for small businesses, FreeAgent drives. governments and educational institutions and is available through Tyrone Gruner, Seagate Product Manager, Ingram authorised channel partners as well as directly from Dell. Micro, says that the drives are preformatted for the Ben McDonald, Client Product Brand Manager, Dell SA says: Mac environment and ready for use with Time Machine, Apple’s built-in “Within the world’s emerging economies millions of new businesses backup solution for Leopard. are demanding the right kind of technology. Today we answer their “With the growing presence Apple has in the PC space worldwide, needs by introducing new products to complement our existing Vostro Seagate has seen a great opportunity for growth and so extended the product line.” FreeAgent brand into the Mac environment. By all indications Seagate’s decision has struck a chord with the Apple community,” he says.

Behold My Passport drive Drive Control Corporation (DCC) announced availability of Western Motorola boost enterprise mobility Digital’s My Passport Essential 500GB external drive. Motorola‘s Enterprise Mobility business recently launched two new It comes in three colours Real Red, Intense Blue and Midnight Black, mobility devices – the CA50 and MC75. and the drive has either 160GB, 250GB or 320GB capacity. The device Motorola say that the new products represent the union of easily fits in the palm of your hand and is perfect for those who need technologies and devices that deliver a complete package specially mobile storage on the go. designed for demanding mobility applications. The new CA50 is intend- The drive is USB powered through the USB cable and no external ed for ‘indoor’ use, while the rugged MC75 is ideal for field work, power supply is required. The WD Sync and encryption software offered incorporating a range of features that includes GPS. with My Passport makes it easy to transfer files and securely stores thou- Mark Kelly, Country Manager Motorola SA says: “This device illus- sands of songs, videos and photos. trates Motorola’s efforts to fuse legacy scanning technologies with new voice and wireless capabilities, to make all employees connected using the latest technology to better serve their customers and patients.” Esquire launches new printer Specialist IT distributor Esquire Technologies, has Microsoft unleashes LifeCams announced a new 24-needle, high speed dot matrix Microsoft unveils two new webcams, the LifeCam Show and LifeCam printer from the Seiko range. VX-5500. Mohomed Cassim, Sales and Marketing Director, According to Ralf Groene, Industrial Design Manager, Microsoft, the Esquire says: “The BP9000Plus offers proficiency, LifeCam Show is ultra sleek and one of the thinnest webcams on the speed and professionalism. market. While the LifeCam VX-5500 takes a more sassy approach with “The widespread adoption of these printers has switchable faceplates in three colours in an innovative, collapsible design. led to significant increases in efficiency and accuracy, “Our design team has been working hard to ensure that we could fit Mohomed Cassim but high quality printing is also essential in areas like best-in-class webcam technology into such a tiny footprint. We also governmental institutions, offices and banks,” he says. According to designed these LifeCams to attach to any type of PC with ease because Cassim the operation of the printer is very simple because of the two- we know that consumers move between notebooks and desktops and level menu system, which displays selections on a 16-digit LCD panel. back again, and they want a webcam that can move with them,” says The menu is available in five languages. Groene.

4• CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008

WHAT’S NEWS

COMINGS &GOINGS SAP appoints John Papandrea and revenue growth in the EMEA region; as SAP AG has appointed John Papandrea Senior well as extending its market leadership; driving Vice President of the Healthcare industry effective go-to-market activities; and delivering business unit. superior customer service. Papandrea joins SAP from Deloitte He will also oversee sales of HP’s Business Consulting where he advised large healthcare Technology Optimisation (BTO) software, organisations on information technology Information Management software, Business strategy, the effective use of technology and Intelligence solutions and Media solutions.

technology innovation. Previously Papandrea Steen Lomholt-Thomsen Lomholt-Thomsen joins HP from IBM where he John Papandrea worked with Capgemini and Ernst & Young spent the past 10 years in the software division. advising clients on the value of information technology in healthcare, particularly in the clinical arena. New LG MD Bob Stutz, Head of Industries Solutions and Corporate Officer LG Electronics SA has appointed the first non- for SAP says: “Mr Papandrea will be a tremendous asset to SAP Korean MD of an LG subsidiary in the world. and will add value to our customers in the healthcare sector.” Peet van Rooyen succeeds ST Tae and his appointment is inline with LG’s global strategy HP software boss takes reigns for local leadership with relevant market knowl- Steen Lomholt-Thomsen is the new Vice President and General edge in regions. Manager of HP Software for Europe, Middle East and Africa Peet van Rooyen According to van Rooyen there are opportu- (EMEA) region. nities for growth in exports into sub-Saharan Africa while the retail Lomholt-Thomsen is tasked with maximising HP Software’s profit market is under pressure globally and on a local level.

Motorola completes AirDefense acquisition designed to offer small offices and home users high-speed wireless con- Motorola has acquired AirDefense, a leading wireless LAN (WLAN) nectivity to withstand high demand on bandwidth-thirsty applications. security provider. Paul Luff, Country Manager, SMC Networks SA says: “We are very The definitive agreement to acquire privately-held AirDefense to make pleased to bring this latest offering which stems from a close, industry- a wholly owned subsidiary of Motorola integrated into Motorola’s driven alliance between SMC Networks and Panda Security.” Enterprise Mobility business. Kathy Paladino, President of Motorola’s Enterprise Mobility Business, says that the acquisition of AirDefense was the logical next step to a Duxbury boasts local HP very successful three-year OEM partnership. Procurve Masters “Together with AirDefense, Motorola will secure enterprise networks Duxbury Networking is the only distributor in with a common platform solution providing superior indoor and outdoor South Africa to boast three technical engineers in wireless protection for users operating in a variety of settings including its team that have achieved HP ProCurve Master corporate headquarters, manufacturing and distribution plants and Accredited Systems Engineer (MASE) status. remote branch offices,” she says. Armand Steffens, Andre Kannemeyer and Martin Mohr join an exclusive world-wide club of

Graham Duxbury specialists. They are able to design, implement Panda Internet security on and support HP ProCurve solutions for complex, market heterogeneous, enterprise environments, which include voice and SMC Networks, global providers of LAN hard- multimedia applications. ware and broadband connectivity devices, Graham Duxbury, Duxbury Networking CEO, says: announce the availability of the Panda Internet “ProCurve integration certifications follow the successful outcome Security bundle. of comprehensive, hands-on examinations. Our team’s success The bundle includes a Wireless N Router and clearly demonstrates the high skills levels inherent in the Duxbury a Wireless N USB 2.0 Adapter and the device is Paul Luff Networking organisation.”

6• CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008

ANALYSIS: DISTRIBUTION MOVES SOLUTION PROVIDERS

HP to buy lefthand HP has signed an agreement to acquire LeftHand Networks, providers of storage virtualisation and iSCSI storage area network (SAN) solutions for $360 million. With the addition of LeftHand Networks, HP will add midrange offerings to its suite of iSCSI solutions. “The acquisition of and any corporate environment that requires security delivering the LeftHand Networks significantly expands our storage portfolio, enabling convenience and quality that digital image, storage and retrieval offers,” HP to deliver customers an expanded suite of storage functionality,” says says, Jacques van Zijl Overland Storage product specialist, DCC. Dave Roberson, senior vice president and general manager, StorageWorks Division, HP. Altitude Software partners with Ocular Technologies Comztek awarded SA Microsoft’s rights Global independent contact centre solutions vendor, Altitude Software Technology distributor Comztek has been awarded the Microsoft distribu- has partnered with Ocular Technologies. This partnership will see both tion rights. The deal allows Comztek to distribute finished goods in companies provide the growing South African BPO industry with customer Southern African countries Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Namibia and interaction management software solutions. According to Pommie Zambia. David Caygill, Software Infrastructure Director, Comztek, says Lutchman, Ocular managing director, this will expand the company’s that the South African distribution rights remain unaffected and that the customer interaction management solutions and enable it to cater suffi- Comztek’s Microsoft distribution rights for finished goods and OEM in ciently for contact centres of all sizes. “We are confident that this partner- East Africa, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Ethiopia, Eritrea ship will contribute to both Ocular and Altitude gaining new successes in and Rwanda, have been renewed. Caygill says that Microsoft’s aim to this market.” Shlomo Harari, Altitude Software president – APAC says: successfully promote its products into the rest of Africa dovetails with “Ocular Technologies is a prominent player in the contact centre space Comztek’s strategy to build on its current African footprint. and we are thrilled about working with its team of contact centre experts.”

DiData buys SRC stake Fortinet partners with DiData Dimension Data, has acquired 51 % stake in Sistemas Redes e Fortinet, a provider of unified threat management (UTM) solutions, has Communicações (SRC), an Angolan based IT solutions company. The signed a global agreement with Dimension Data. The agreement will acquisition marks the launch of Dimension Data Angola with its offices allow Dimension Data to integrate, install and provide consultancy ser- based in Luanda. Bruno De Carvalho, MD, Dimension Data Angola says, vices for Fortinet’s network security solutions to enterprises worldwide. The “Dimension Data has an established track record of delivering world- new partnership is set to combine an innovative and proven security plat- class technology services and solutions that enable Africans to do great form with Dimension Data’s robust and trusted integration capabilities, things.” “By combining this with SRC’s strong client base and local which will decrease clients’ time- and cost-to-market in creating secure knowledge and skills, Dimension Data Angola is able to provide more infrastructures. This agreement with Dimension Data, operating in 47 comprehensive services and solutions ideally tailored to the local, countries across five continents, marks Fortinet’s deepest and broadest Angolan market,” adds De Carvalho. global systems integrator partnership.

HGH Business Consultancy taps SA Tarsus signs Linksys HGH Business Consultancy, a software developer and service provider in Tarsus Technologies has announced the extension of its distribution agree- the Netherlands has appointed Ability Solutions as its official South ment with Cisco to encompass Linksys. Risna Steenkamp, Cisco business African representative for its enterprise rental application DynaRent. development manager, Tarsus says that the company is particularly Developed by HGH, DynaRent is a vertical industry application that man- intrigued by its new access to the Linksys Small Business Pro range as a ages the rental life cycle of capital equipment. “DynaRent handles the full strategic fit exists between the products in this range and the needs of life cycle involved in renting capital equipment,” says John Olsson, sales Tarsus’ SMB resellers. “We originally took the Cisco brand into the Tarsus and marketing director, Ability Solutions. “Integrating it with AX means stable with the intention of growing its presence in the small- and medium- the rental agreement can be tracked from first enquiry to completion with sized business sector,” Steenkamp explains. “We now have access to a data automatically updated and linked to each client’s historical accounts really compelling range of products to service that market with,” she adds. and customer profiles,” adds Olsson. McAfee partners with CommVault Overland Storage partners with Mobotix McAfee, Inc. and CommVault has announced a strategic partnership to Overland Storage has announced a global partnership with Mobotix deliver an integrated data and security management solution. The part- Vision Systems, one of the leaders in high-resolution IP network cameras. nership will provide customers worldwide with easy access to jointly inte- This partnership will allow both companies to deliver video surveillance grated data and security management technology solutions from both and archiving solutions for the under 100-camera system market. Local McAfee and CommVault. “In coming together, CommVault and McAfee distributor of Overland Storage solutions, Drive Control Corporation can provide customers with award-winning data protection capabilities (DCC), will offer this bundled solution including Overland’s Snap Server that work hand in hand with industry-leading security applications for a network attached storage (NAS) appliance family with Mobotix’s line of complete, more easily deployable and cost effective data and security high-resolution digital, network-based video security solutions to its management solution,” says Lauren Whitehouse, analyst, Enterprise resellers. “This makes it ideal for markets such as entertainment (casinos) Strategy Group.

8• CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008 DEMAND GENERATOR:AKURA SOLUTION PROVIDERS Akura integrates Preserv8TM

Optimising e-mail communication

BY DOMINIC KHUZWAYO

kura Manufacturing Engineering Company, ‘freeware’ components that cannot be classi- a manufacturer of specialised machinery fied as best of breed or enterprise strength. Abased in Paarl Valley in the Western Cape, “The commoditised solutions are a com- has integrated Preserv8TM an email archiv- posite of disparate systems strung together ing software system and also offers services with an overlaid interface to expedite the ven- for the Microsoft globally certified solution. dor time to market. We believe that, based Akura was established in 1970 and builds on software product lifecycles, this approach and supplies specialised machinery and sacrifices quality and reduces longevity. operates sales and service branches on the “In comparison Preserv8 is the only system East Rand, Gauteng and in Pinetown, designed and built from the ground up as a KwaZulu-Natal. true UEM platform, using best-of-breed The company employs 75 staff that design Microsoft technologies that carry the requisite and supply equipment to blue chip clients in global support and are proven to include the the paper, plastic, recycling, waste manage- enterprise environment,” says du Toit. ment and mining sectors. Preserve8 is available to the local market However Akura recently faced problems and is developed by Integr8 IS, a Microsoft that included inadequate archiving and Gold Partner and providers of Software plus downtime resulting in frustration with email Services to the global market.

“Preserv8 is only product to carry the Microsoft S+S ISV certification, and is delivered via high capacity carrier

grade architecture in multiple top tier secure data centres Deon Robertson, Integr8 IS

around the globe.” – Deon Robertson, Integr8 IS. “Preserv8 resides on tier one internet backbone in secure data centres around the globe, and protects, captures, sanitises, brands and archives all your inbound and communications, so the company decided to Deon Robertson, CEO, Integr8 IS says outbound email while in transit,” he says. search for a new solution. that this solution meets all the necessary cri- “We are pleased to have in place an “We thoroughly investigated the various teria as laid down by Akura Engineering and extremely solid partnership with Akura offerings in the market and found that most they can now fully manage their entire email Engineering that are widely respected and products masquerading as Unified Email function via the unified messaging platform. acknowledged for their technical capability Management (UEM) platforms were either “Our clients are in the market for a solu- and acumen, as well as their ability to lever- built on open source technologies or were tion that does not represent a myriad of age off the most robust, reliable and proven simply commoditised solutions,” says Anton architectures and is engineered from the bot- systems,” says Robertson. du Toit, General Manager, Akura Engineering. tom up. Preserv8 is only product to carry the In addition Robertson says that Integr8 IS “We strongly believe that for a solution to Microsoft S+S ISV certification and is deliv- has a solid pipeline of potential customers in be effective, efficient, robust and scalable, it ered through high capacity carrier grade SA and the UK (the Nordicks countries) and needs to compact and simple in design. architecture in multiple top tier secure data they are currently investigating additional Simplicity without the loss of functionality centres across the globe,” says Robertson ‘cloud computing’ offerings. remains the hallmark of a well thought out Robertson adds that this solution provides solution,” adds du Toit. an innovative dimension to unified email If you have any demand generator stories According to Du Toit the open source management and gives companies opti- to share with us please email Dominic at offerings appear to contain large portions of mised services. [email protected].

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008 • 9 HIGH FIVE: TANDBERG SOLUTION PROVIDERS TANDBERG opens office in SA

BY DOMINIC KHUZWAYO

ANDBERG, one of the leading global providers of telepresence, high–definition videoconferencing and mobile video products and Tservices has recently opened an office in South Africa. The Norwegian-based TANDBERG previously operated locally but only offering technical support. According to Bryan Thompson, TANDBERG area manager, Sub-Sahara South Africa, the company’s focus is on providing videoconferencing solutions anywhere, anytime and any place. This enables users to participate in video communications in the office, home, hotel room, airport or in the boardroom, any time, he says. TANDBERG was recently awarded the 2008 Frost & Sullivan Market Leadership Award. The award recognizes TANDBERG’s leader- ship position in both the global video conferencing market and the global video conferencing infrastructure systems market. In this month High Five we take a closer look at TANDBERG’s expansion ‘territory’.

CRN: Why are you opening an office in SA? BT: Previously it was only a support office. Now it will incorporate sales, marketing and management. TANDBERG has identified South Africa and Africa as a large potential market.

CRN: How will your customers benefit from the new office? Bryan Thompson, TANDBERG BT: There will be a full TANDBERG presence in SA with the entire infrastructure as well. There is a full range of product that will be CRN: What challenges are facing in videoconferencing launched over the next few months. industry in SA? BT: Previously low bandwidth. That challenge is diminishing. Flexibility CRN: What do you want to achieve in SA? as well – previously VC was only available boardroom-to-boardroom. BT: TANDBERG currently has over 50 local customers, many blue With TANDBERG it is possible to communicate via video from a chip. The aim is to grow the customer base in SA and across Africa. boardroom to a branch office PC, home user and even to a user sitting at a coffee shop or airport via their notebook. Comms can now CRN: How is Tandberg doing in SA? also be to a cellphone or even from a digital camera to a boardroom BT: Over 50 customers. The sites are stable, customers happy. showing the progress on a construction site.

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ANALYSIS: SAP WORLD TOUR SOLUTION PROVIDERS

SAP world tour reaches SA Circulating to lift the morale of SMEs.

BY DUDU SHABA AP has embarked on its world tour aimed at Reward program introduced changing approaches, sharing experiences for SAP ecosystem Sand introducing new products to its small SAP announced the successful roll-out of the and medium enterprise partners. Hans-Peter SAP Referral Program to its ecosystem in SA Klaey, president, SME and corporate officer, at the world tour. SAP AG, said at the SAP World Tour held at Hildburg Hofer, SME channel director, SAP, the Gallagher Estate in Johannesburg is its explained that the SAP Referral Program is 30th stop this year. He highlighted that other designed as a unified, consistent referral pro- countries, including Russia, China and Brazil gram that will reward referrals from both SAP were also visited. partners and non-partners in the small busi- ness and midsize companies market segment. “The days of commodity solutions are over, our current She said the role of the program is to enable SAP to identify potential users of its focus is on meeting requirements by client and country, software solutions by offering transparent and to develop additional solutions specific to our and timely rewards to an expanded set of participants, including members of the SAP customers. Africa is ready for growth and profitability,” ecosystem and other constituencies, for – Pfungwa Serima, SAP, Africa leveraging their business relationships to refer prospects to SAP. According to her, the new sales program In his address at Gallagher Estate, Klaey is ideally suited to value-added resellers pointed out that SMEs are the driving force (VARs), solution resellers and independent of the economy, although it will still take time software vendors (ISVs) who may or may not for them to be credited for their contribution. currently be authorised SAP channel partners “SMEs are the backbone of the economy as well as alliance partners, technology and and employment, the secret that I will reveal business consultants, accountancy practices today is that we have 51 000 SME customers and ecosystems of companies working with globally, we also continue to gain 30 new SAP. For these companies the program can customers per working day. This shows that be the first step in a long-term partnership SAP is investing in its customers to ensure with SAP. growth in the SME world. She added that the SAP Referral Program “In saying that, SAP will continue to pro- was launched globally in April this year and vide best-in-class solutions to its partners in has been adopted by several key markets. SA as well as create a vibrant ecosystem that So far the program has been very successful, also creates employment,” he commented. with more than 922 companies worldwide in Although SMEs on the African continent are the IT and SAP environment having signed still faced with challenges in terms of running up to participate in it. their businesses effectively, Pfungwa Serima, “SAP’s idea to leverage the ecosystem for MD, SAP, Africa said that SAP has a defined a co-innovative business approach proves way of going to market country by country and that the company understands the dynamics that it will continue to share best practices. of buying behaviour in SA. Also, the easy “The days of commodity solutions are access to the program makes participation over, our current focus is on meeting require- even more beneficial to us,” she said. ments by client and country, and to develop Further explaining the procedure, Hofer additional solutions specific to our cus- said that Referral members are rewarded tomers. Africa is ready for growth and prof- when a deal is closed; in general, five per Pfungwa Serima, SAP, Africa itability,” he said. cent of the deal’s net software licence value

16 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008 ANALYSIS: SAP WORLD TOUR SOLUTION PROVIDERS

is paid as a closing reward. “The program is training and respective qualification tests he said. Two SMEs, NutriLida Healthcare easily accessible and only requires a one- successfully within three months of the date and Pilot Crushtec, won listings on the time online registration. Once registered, your organisation signs the collaboration JSE’s AltX Exchange in the 2008 members can securely enter the program agreement. Your organisation will be Go4Growth competition. through a dedicated referral member portal given limited access to the SAP Channel Seven additional companies, LPM where they can quickly access program infor- Partner Portal site only to be able to Reinforcing, Electrosense, Forge Business mation, register opportunities and access reg- complete the required training Web-based Online, (TBC), Renasa Insurance Company ular status updates on the referred lead. qualification tests. Limited, Bloodhound Technologies, Fraxion The SAP Referral Program portal provides “This has given us a good opportunity to and Umlimi Holdings, have won millions of exclusive sales material on the complete port- interact with our end-users and SAP is grow- rands worth of SAP business software, poten- folio of SAP solutions for small business and ing its business by one customer everyday,” tial venture capital funding from Hasso midsize companies, along with opportunity Vermaak said. Plattner Ventures and business advisory assis- qualification tools and e-learning sessions. A tance from Deloitte advisory services. clear set of eligibility rules form the basis of Success story Global SAP SME president and CEO, the SAP Referral Program in order to ensure David Borchart, SAP sales and consulting, BPS, Hans-Peter Klaey said SMEs are the growth transparency and compliance with legal a company providing a SAP All-In-One engines of the economy. “The Go4Growth requirements and business ethics,” she said. Solution for the engineering and construction competition is the only one of its kind world- industry, said the company’s attendance at the wide. It’s an innovative way to build optimism SAP Extended Business Program world tour has assisted it to get free advertising. and energy in a very exciting market,” he said. Another program introduced to SMEs was the “We are working directly with SAP and this The two AltX winning companies were SAP Extended Business Program that supports is a good platform for us to grow and to help judged the most growth-oriented SMEs the role of organisations in promoting and people understand what our company from a shortlist of 10 finalists, selected implementing SAP solutions in partnership offers,” he said. from a total of 320 entries in the with channel partners who are authorised Go4Growth competition. value-added resellers. Partnership Wessel van der Merwe, JSE-approved Paul Vermaak, head, SAP Business One, Michelle Beetar, MD, Novell, a vendor that is executive of Vunani Corporate Finance, an SAP, said under the Extended Business doing joint work with SAP in terms of active designated adviser to a number of Program, organisations can be granted the addressing the needs of SMEs, said SMEs are AltX-listed companies, says the top five com- appropriate access to SAP systems, resources still faced with a lot of challenges and their panies were all strong contenders in the com- and training to support their business rela- long-term relationship with SAP will lower petition and suitable for listing. “We selected tionship with their VARs. the barriers. two companies we felt were most likely to To become members of the program, “SMEs understand what they need in their sustain their growth and benefit from a list- Vermaak explains that organisations must businesses and the most important thing they ing,” he said. meet requirements such as the following: are looking for is support. Cash flow is also Derek Kudsee, SAP SME Director, Africa, SAP and VAR Sponsorship – local SAP chan- not easy for them to manage, but, as Novell, said LPM Reinforcing, ElectroSense and Forge nel and one value–added reseller must for- we believe that bringing our brands together Business Online won SAP’s Business One mally recommend the program member addresses the biggest challenges faced by software aimed specifically at small business- Signed Collaboration agreement – each SMEs today,” she said. “Our customers as es and Renasa Insurance Company Limited applicant must sign the SAP Extended well as SAP’s partners have also started work- won SAP’s Business All-in-One software for Business program collaboration agreement. ing together and this is really for the benefit medium-sized businesses. Business Cooperation agreement between of the customers,” she added. “Deciding on both small and medium-sized VAR and Program member – in addition to enterprises as the winners in the competition a signed collaboration agreement you must Go for Growth allowed SAP to offer software to more than provide written confirmation of existing coop- Recently, SAP held a Go for Growth competi- one category of winner. eration between your organisation and SAP. tion at the Johannesburg Securities Exchange “These companies will hopefully benefit Program membership – to become a mem- aimed at encouraging customers to use SAP from the competition in terms of value and ber of the program, your organisation must software to further grow their businesses. growth, which is after all what Go4Growth is have selected employees complete the Serima said that SMEs want to ensure that all about,” said Kudsee. required Web-based qualification test. their businesses are run effectively and one of Klaey said the response to the SAP world Business Plan – your organisation should the aims of this competition is to encourage tour was very good and SAP has succeeded establish a business plan with your VAR part- businesses to use SAP solutions for their in strengthening its relationship with SMEs. ner that outlines specific goals, including rev- best advantage. “SAP is looking forward to another world tour enue and staffing plans. “The competition is about SAP taking an next year and we want to continue creating Membership – selected members from your interest in the growth of businesses that we synergies between SAP and its partners,” organisation need to complete the required run and encouraging them to be better run,” he concluded.

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008 • 17 MIMECAST: COVER STORY SOLUTION PROVIDERS Mimeca

While other vendors are withdrawing renewal business from the channel, Mimecast has made it clear that channel partnerships will be maximised in this new model and remunerated over the customer lifetime.

Garth Wittles, Mimecast South Africa

18 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008 COVER STORY: MIMECAST SOLUTION PROVIDERS ast to the rescue Vendor helps resellers build robust revenue streams.

BY KAUNDA CHAMA

oftware as a service (SaaS) company cloud-provisioned model will grow from one Mimecast South Africa, together with its sister per cent in 2007 to 20 per cent by 2012. Soperations in North America, Europe, and “Gartner predicts that by 2010 up to 40 more recently the Middle East, continues to per cent of IT services will be acquired as a enjoy 400 per cent business growth year on service. This market has been moving very year and has decided to pass on some of its quickly in recent years and because it has good fortune to its partners. matured at a fast pace, people are no longer The company says it understands that a questioning its viability,” explains Wittles. huge part of its success is due to its channel and has decided to launch a channel programme to enhance its partners’ “Without a doubt, cloud-based services are going to experience when doing business with it. become a common option for customers given the The programme is currently being launched in the UK and will have a gradual current economic climate. We have seen a rapid uptake national launch locally very soon. by customers opting for Mimecast’s innovative SaaS The programme is centred on Mimecast’s SaaS email management service and is email management offering because it delivers more designed to build new business revenue and attract new partners for its offering. value for less and they can quickly connect their existing Garth Wittles, managing director, in-house email systems to the online service.” Mimecast South Africa explains that the company was formed in 2003 and opened operations locally a year later motivated by Mimecast’s email management service the fact that its CTO and CIO are both from SA. connects a customer’s existing email system “Mimecast was born out of the realisation to in-the-cloud email security, continuity and that companies were struggling with their archiving for an annual fee. The company e-mail systems and a good number of them claims that its service has the potential to considered outsourcing their management reduce costs by as much as 75 per cent and as a viable option because it was the only offers a bottomless email inbox for up to way they could get around the technical 10 years, always-on-outlook continuity, plus challenges of keeping them running around protection from email-borne viruses, malware the clock,” he says. and spam. Wittles mentions that to him SaaS is more “The advantage of our solution is that it is like the second generation of Application not designed to replace the likes of the Service Provision (ASP). Although the ASP Exchange environment, it is a perfect model did not prove too successful, he is complement for a company that works in an confident that the market has matured Exchange environment and gives a company enough for the SaaS model to succeed. round the clock availability,” he says. Meanwhile, the programme has been According to Richard Mowbray, Channel launched just as Gartner predicts that and Alliances manager at Mimecast South email will lead the charge into mainstream Africa, SaaS has often alienated the channel adoption of cloud computing and that the as it is used to a traditional software business percentage of commercial mailboxes using a model reliant on upfront transaction revenue.

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008 • 19 MIMECAST: COVER STORY SOLUTION PROVIDERS

He says that Mimecast’s software as a programme; with this programme, if is the right time for such an initiative. We service is an annual subscription where both Mimecast closes a direct deal, it will place have key references in every vertical; at the the partner and Mimecast are intrinsically the amount of money it would have paid to moment we see the biggest potential for bound to the customer for the lifetime of the the reseller into a dividend account, then at sales in the medium-sized business space. email archive. the end of a financial year, the money sitting The benefit for our resellers is also that the “As more people work from home and on in that account will be shared among the sales cycle for our solution is very short and weekends, e-mail continuity becomes more resellers according to their contribution to a sale can be concluded within 24 hours.” of a must have and our solution even the business in the respective period. He comments that where most technology provides security from malware and other Partners that join the programme and are companies are seeing gloomy days ahead issues as well as data leaks,” says Wittles. Microsoft certified will get a free Mimecast because of the global economic downturn, “Bottomless email” is another addition to account because it plugs seamlessly into any the state of the markets has actually created the Mimecast offering as it helps companies Microsoft solution. great scope for businesses such as Mimecast because its solution goes a long way in helping businesses save time and money by “We have spent a good number of years on key refer- going the SaaS route. Commenting specifically on why SaaS is ence accounts and we feel than now is the right time for the next big opportunity for the channel, such an initiative. We have key references in every verti- Mowbray explains that partners are by design involved in the company’s SaaS cal; at the moment we see the biggest potential for sales platform and throughout the customer lifecycle, not just the initial transaction. in the medium-sized business space.” “As a SaaS provider, we are looking for a lifetime relationship with the customer and partner. For example, partners are part of the that need to store large amounts of “I strongly believe that revenue on-boarding process of connecting their corporate data for legislative and corporate opportunities for our partners will be almost customer’s in-house email system to our governance reasons. instantaneous and, in addition, a typical cloud-based service,” he says. In addition to this, the solution has an mimecast customer stays for no less than five While other vendors are withdrawing E-Discovery high performance search tool. It years, and all of them have between 50 and renewal business from the channel, also includes corporate identity management 100 users. With this in mind, I think there is Mimecast has made it clear that channel capability. potential for immediate profit generation,” partnerships will be maximised in this The company’s partner programme has says Wittles. new model and remunerated over the two tiers, the first being the business partner Meanwhile, the company currently has customer lifetime. and the second the certified partner, both of 16 reseller partners and, through the Mowbray adds: “There are unique levels which are based on annuity margins. programme, is expecting to attract many of protection on renewals; quite simply, any The business partner will engage with more in SA and the rest of the continent. non-incumbent partner trying to poach Mimecast and its customers and will simply “We do no have a specific number that renewals will have their margin reduced dra- act as a reseller of the company’s service. we are expecting to get but with over matically. Our primary goal is to work with The certified partner will have a more 4 000 or so Microsoft certified resellers, partners to grow the market.” proactive role in that it will be a strategic there is huge potential for business in the Long-time channel partner Think IT business partner to both Mimecast and the region. We see even SA as being virtually Solutions director Louis Botha comments: end customer; it will have a more proactive untapped,” he says. “Without a doubt, cloud-based services sales team and will also have certain targets He adds that Mimecast intends making it are going to become a common option to meet. as easy as possible for resellers to fully for customers given the current economic Both partner tiers will have access to a understand and resell its solution. It will climate. number of tools that will help smooth their provide them with free training, onsite or We have seen a rapid uptake by cus- business practices; the first is presentation over the Internet, and they are free to repeat tomers opting for Mimecast’s innovative interactive marketing tools (PIMS), which the training as many times as they wish. SaaS email management offering because it enable resellers to send marketing information “We believe that investing in our partners delivers more value for less and they can to potential customers. will be mutually beneficial,” he notes. quickly connect their existing in-house email In addition, Mimecast will provide resellers When asked why his company chose to systems to the online service.” with a portal that can be used for both launch the programme now, Wittles says: With SaaS receiving so much hype, this marketing and order placements. “We have spent a good number of years on will be a space well worth watching, now Mimecast has also set up a dividend key reference accounts and we feel than now and in the next three to five-years.

20 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008 ANALYSIS: SITA SOLUTION PROVIDERS

SITA launches new Network Operations Centre

Implementing innovative IT solutions that compare with international trends.

BY DUDU SHABA he State Information Technology Agency “The primary focus of the NOC is on pro- in social services on social services payout (SITA) launched its Network Operations active monitoring, speedy incident resolution, day. This would have an extremely negative TCentre (NOC) last month, aimed at enabling SLA management, capacity management, impact on citizens. The situation would be converged communications to minimise change management and configuration exacerbated in areas where limited communi- network and security-related network down- management to ensure improved service cation infrastructure is available to report the time as well as protecting SITA customers’ delivery to clients. incident to SITA immediately. data traffic from manipulation. Through the NOC, SITA will have a one- The establishment of the NOC will result in According to Femke Pienaar, acting CEO, stop view of the entire NGN. This will ensure automatic detection of such a failure without SITA, the NOC is proof of SITA’s commitment better management and improved control of the client having to report it. The NOC is to using its ICT expertise as a strategic the facilities that house the NGN and switch- built on sound processes and procedures and resource to improve government’s service ing centres countrywide. Access to these cen- has been automated as far as possible delivery and to meet the challenges faced by a developmental state. He says the investment in the centre is set at R55 million of which R40 million was “The primary goal of the Network Operations Centre is spent on the network management software, adding that the additional R15 million was the business assurance for SITA and its clients, and also used to establish the actual centre, which to enable business processes and prevent disruptions.” – also incorporates a Security Operation Centre (SOC). Femke Pienaar- SITA. “In the SITA journey and evolution to improve service delivery we recently estab- lished the world-class Next Generation Network (NGN) carrier infrastructure which tres, for example, will only be obtained Pienaar also highlighted that the primary replaced the outdated Government Common through the NOC which will monitor and goal of the NOC is business assurance for Core Network (GCCN). control them,” he comments. SITA and its clients and also to enable busi- This NGN network offers one of the most Pienaar highlights that the biggest chal- ness processes and prevent disruptions. advanced multi-function suites with network lenge for SITA was the lack of a comprehen- “Our research has shown that this goal services that include different classes of VPNs, sive management service which emphasised cannot be achieved with network and security Voice over IP (VoIP) services and video proactive data monitoring. He explains that operations working in silos. Therefore SITA’s streaming,” he says. all security- or WAN-related incidents were unified NOC and Security Operations Centre Pienaar explains that the primary function handled separately and the previous system will determine the root cause of an incident. of the operations centre is to support the was largely reactive. It is also flexible enough to reclassify the newly established NGN and the products and Also, provincial government departments problem and resolve it by applying the solutions SITA sells such as VPN services, VoIP have different capacities and their ability to necessary security, system and network skills,” and other network products and solutions. detect problems with the network differs. he comments. He further states that the NOC will support With the NOC in operation, he says that all “We believe that the NOC is further Converged Communications (CONCOM) networks will be monitored centrally and evidence of SITA’s drive to find innovative services and products and is driven by a clients will be alerted pro-actively. IT solutions that compare with deep-seated belief in consistently improving “A hypothetical example is that a site international trends and developments,” SITA’s service delivery and products. could be down due to a data line failure he concludes.

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008 • 21 ANALYSIS: IBM SOLUTION PROVIDERS

HP cuts costs Enhancing virtual environments.

BY DOMINIC KHUZWAYO T giant HP recently launched a breakthrough 55 per cent on network equipment costs. Simple, cost-effective storage expansion networking, storage and server technology In addition, Virtual Connect Flex-10 can for HP BladeSystem customers Ithat reduces costs, the HP Virtual Connect save 240 watts of power per HP HP’s new direct connect storage bundle Flex-10 Ethernet module. BladeSystem enclosure – or 3 150 kilowatt for HP BladeSystem includes two HP It is also set to increase bandwidth flexibili- hours per year – compared to existing net- StorageWorks 3Gb serial attached SCSI ty and improve overall performance of virtual working technologies. (SAS) BL switches and an MSA2000sa stor- server environments. Rory Green, ISS product manager, HP age array. The HP Virtual Connect Flex-10 Ethernet TSG SA says, “These technologies break Traditionally, BladeSystem server adminis- module, a direct connect storage bundle for down the barriers of virtualised networks, trators have had limited direct-attach or HP BladeSystem, and the HP ProLiant DL385 giving customers the greatest return on their shared storage options and have had to rely G5p server are among HP’s offerings that investments. on personnel with specialised knowledge to are helping customers to deploy their virtu- “Customers looking to eliminate the com- build a storage area network (SAN) based alised infrastructures efficiently. mon obstacles of networking costs and band- solution. This new low-cost, reliable storage While a growing number of companies width flexibility should look no further than HP.” option allows server administrators to deploy scalable shared SAS storage without the “These technologies break down the barriers of virtu- costs and complexity SANs require. By simply purchasing additional MSA2000sa arrays, alised networks, giving customers the greatest return on customers can deploy up to 192 terabytes of their investments.” – Rory Green, HP TSG SA. external shared storage directly connected to an HP BladeSystem enclosure. The combination of the HP ProLiant deploy server virtualisation to gain opera- Industry-leading cost benefits and four-to- BL495c virtualisation blade server, Virtual tional savings from their technology infra- one network consolidation Connect Flex-10 modules and the shared structures, the cost of networking virtual HP Virtual Connect Flex-10 distributes the SAS storage bundle reduces the cost per vir- servers continues to climb. For example, a capacity of a 10Gb Ethernet port into four tual machine by more than 50 per cent typical server that hosts virtual machines connections enabling customers to assign dif- when compared to competitive solutions. requires six network connections. ferent bandwidth requirements to each con- HP has enhanced its Virtual Connect 4Gb To reap the benefits of their virtualised envi- nection. Optimising bandwidth based on Fibre Channel module to allocate storage ronment, companies are finding it necessary application workload requirements enables resources on a per virtual machine basis. to invest in additional networking equipment, customers to leverage their 10Gb investments This further simplifies storage and virtualisa- including network expansion cards, switches across multiple connections, and support vir- tion deployments for fibre channel storage and cables. As an example, customers must tual machine environments and other network customers. Customers can assign up to 128 purchase expensive network switches in either intensive applications. This reduces overall separate SAN volumes per server blade for one Gb or 10Gb increments to meet the network costs and power usage by provision- greater performance and flexibility. increased bandwidth required for additional ing network bandwidth more efficiently. Innovative server design removes bottle- virtual server workloads. The recently announced HP ProLiant necks to virtual server performance HP’s new Virtual Connect Flex-10 Ethernet BL495c virtualisation blade includes built-in The new HP ProLiant DL385 G5p is a module is one of the industry’s first intercon- Virtual Connect Flex-10 functionality that rack-based server optimised for virtualisation. nect technologies that can allocate the enables it to support up to 24 NIC connec- It offers up to 6 terabytes of internal storage bandwidth of a 10Gb Ethernet network port tions. With increased network bandwidth and as well as double the memory and 67-per across four network interface card (NIC) memory capacity, the BL495c can accommo- cent improvement in energy efficiency when connections. This increase in bandwidth flexi- date more virtual servers than other competi- compared to previous generations. bility eliminates the need for additional net- tive blade server offerings on the market. Based on the new AMD Opteron 2300 work hardware. As a result, customers Existing HP ProLiant c-Class blade customers Series Quad-Core processor, the DL385 deploying virtual machines and using Virtual can upgrade to Virtual Connect Flex-10 with G5p improves application performance and Connect Flex-10 can realise savings of up to the new HP NC532m Flex-10 expansion card. expands support.

22 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008 ANTI-SPAM / ANTI VIRUS SOLUTION PROVIDERS

Viruses, Piracy and Malware top the list

The reason behind is revolved around profit and financial gain.

BY DUDU SHABA n today’s rapidly developing malicious envi- “Many users who are getting addicted to these types of ronment, the one fifth of the globe’s popula- Ition that is connected to the Internet has to applications, such as Facebook, lower their suspicions cope with approximately 2 000 new and mutated viruses a day, almost 50 000 phish- with regard to possible malware infections and ing attempts a month and more than one phishing attacks as they feel comfortable in a familiar million hijacked computers that spread bots, rootkits, Trojans and other malware during environment.” – Riaan Otto, 10Net one year. This is according to Sally Strugnell, sales manager, Holton and Associates, she says selling medicines, replica watches, software, the reason behind most e-crime-related diplomas, requiring accounts details to empty activities in 2008 revolve around profit, online banking accounts or to get access to mainly financial. gaming accounts or appealing to the undy- “To ensure considerable gains, cybercrimi- ing wish of getting rich quickly through nals need a way to compromise a large Nigerian scams, gambling or lottery tickets,” Riaan Otto, number of systems to deploy as many bots as Strugnell adds. 10Net possible as well as adware and spyware with little or no cost at all. The most difficult prob- Latest attacks lem is not the malware’s and spam’s dissemi- According to Strugnell, nation, but the system’s infiltration and expo- BitDefender’s latest E-Threat sure to other threats. Chart reveals that in September, “This explains both the automation of the first 10 positions were spreading processes as well as e-threats’ occupied by Trojans, rogue, heavy mass production in past months. If we adware and spyware. glance at the current spam waves and classi- “It seems that Web-based fy them with regard to their impact, we can e-threats are the new mass determine at least two types of targets, the mailers in terms of preva- computers and the users,” she explains. lence and the infection “The spam messages that focus on attack- strategies that are used,” ing the computers are characterised by the she comments. fact that they carry an adware, malware or in Haydn Pinnel, MD, most cases a Trojan. The attackers use vari- Gallium, an EOH company ous motivational pitches to achieve their pur- and certified HP platinum pose, from pornographic content, various partner, says that unlike advertising offers, details regarding nonexis- certain worms and viruses tent accounts and e-cards to breaking news that exploit network security headlines. weaknesses, Web application “The unsolicited messages which address attacks go after flaws in the the user belong to different categories application itself. He comments depending on their final purpose such as that organisations must adopt a ANTI-SPAM / ANTI VIRUS SOLUTION PROVIDERS

proactive approach in protecting their critical cooperate to curb spam and phishing main concerns of computer users: Web applications and understand how attacks with international legislation enforced When respondents were asked about their important application security is in the to control the attacks and clamp down on biggest PC security concerns, the Global software development cycle. the criminals.” Security Survey findings indicated the following: Pinnell says that one way to achieve However, action must also be taken to sustainable Web application security is to start closing down botnets. This is the most Viruses>>>>>>>>>>>>>36% incorporate application vulnerability testing urgent issue since 65 per cent of spam is Privacy>>>>>>>>>>>>>20% into each phase of an application’s lifecycle, sent from botnets that spammers rent to use, Malware>>>>>>>>>>>>15% from development to quality assurance to according to research by the Multi-State Hackers>>>>>>>>>>>> 11% deployment and continually during operation. Information Sharing and Analysis Center in Cyber-criminals>>>>>>>>>8% “Since all Web applications need to meet the US. Phishing attacks>>>>>>>>>4% Have no concerns>>>>>>>>2% Other>>>>>>>>>>>>>>4%

“The reason behind most e-crime-related activities in Also, the survey found that in comparison 2008 revolves around profit, mainly financial.” – Sally to last year, respondents are apprehensive about the state of security especially with Strugnell, Holton and Associates. regard to online banking, shopping, Web search and personal e-mail. “The survey findings highlight an interest- functional and performance standards to be Instant messaging is also being targeted ing connection between how much people of business value, it makes good sense to by spammers and VXers to infiltrate users’ understand about IT security and their incorporate security and application vulnera- computers as its use has increased concern for the security of their PCs,” says bility testing as part of existing function and dramatically. Bogdan Dumitru, BitDefender CTO. performance testing. Unless you test for “Spam over Internet telephony (SPIT) is “With more understanding about the state security at every phase of each application’s also becoming a real nuisance; voicemail of IT security, the less worried users are lifecycle, your data is probably vulnerable,” boxes can be a potential denial-of-service about their PC and the more faith they have he says. hazard as disk space and networks are filled in their security solution. BitDefender strives Riaan Otto, GM, 10Net believes that the with thousands of calls from malicious to provide users with solutions offering current trend of emerging Web 2.0 applica- callers who have automated callouts,” he complete protection for their PCs,” he says. tions is continuing and will be increasingly comments. used to deliver malware to collect personal What’s hot in the security details for financial gain. IT security concerns software and hardware space? “Many users who are getting addicted to According to the BitDefender Global Andrea van der Westhuizen, McAfee these types of applications, such as Security Survey 2008, 68 per cent of product manager at Workgroup says Facebook, lower their suspicions with regard respondents are more knowledgeable Anti-Theft can safeguard users against to possible malware infections and phishing about IT security than last year, only identity and PC thieves, hackers and others attacks as they feel comfortable in a familiar 8 per cent say they are less knowledgeable by enabling them to lock their important environment. and 24 per cent are about the same. The files, such as bank statements, tax returns, Web-based software services, like Google report also states that this increase in business documents and even photos in a Apps, are becoming common targets and knowledge may also play a part in how digital vault. are attacked on a regular basis. much computer users plan on investing this “Consumers and small business owners More targeted spam and phishing attacks year, as 46 per cent plan to increase their IT have more digital information on their PCs are emerging that target specific personnel security spending. than ever before. McAfee research shows in organisations to gain access to IP or com- The BitDefender survey also found that that nine out of ten consumers now keep mercial espionage data,” he remarks. the less knowledgeable are more concerned personal information such as wills, financial Otto goes on to say that spammers are about IT security and consider their security documents, identity numbers and passwords unfortunately a problem that won’t simply go solutions to be less effective. On the other on their PCs, and more than 50 per cent away as they generate huge revenues from hand, the results also show that the more would not want other people to see certain their operations. knowledgeable the user, the less concerned documents and files. “There will be advances in blocking spam they are about IT security and these respon- “With two million laptops stolen every in the future, but there will also be advances dents found their security solutions more year and someone’s identity stolen every two in spamming technology. effective than last year. seconds, consumers and small businesses “The international community will have to BitDefender also reveals the following can now protect their sensitive information,”

24 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008

ANTI-SPAM / ANTI VIRUS SOLUTION PROVIDERS

he says. Van der Westhuizen says McAfee Application Security Centre software offers In addition to that, Pinnell mentions that Anti-Theft was designed to enable con- highly advanced common components and the BitDefender distributor in the local sumers and small businesses to use the assessment technology which gets to the core market, Holton & Associates, is continuously product regardless of what security software of service-to-customer applications, quality focusing on channel distribution through they already have installed. performance and security,” Pinnell says. training and special offers. “McAfee has combined ease of use with He goes on to say that the assessment “Recurrently Holton & Associates are data and information security to make it technology includes pre-built security poli- offering cross-grade pricing with the simple for everyone in the family or small cies for more than 20 laws, regulations and BitDefender solutions and offers for licensing business to secure personal and sensitive best practices and checks for vulnerabilities on a determined period,” he explains. information quickly,” he says. like log injection, cross-site request forgery, “Modifying malware to evade detection is session strength, secure socket layer certifi- Predictions easy when dealing with an antivirus product cate issues, spam gateway detection and Otto predicts that there will be more that relies exclusively on signatures. There brute force authentication attacks. complex blended attacks using e-mail, have been a great deal of cases where mal- “Companies invest significantly in develop- websites, instant messaging and call centres ware creators used automated tools to alter ing high-performance Web applications to fool users into revealing personal the code responsible for the virus’ signature. which enable their customers to do business information or to install compromising Bagle, Peed or Zbot are a few examples whenever and wherever they choose. While software on their computers. where the malware or one of its components convenient, this 24/7 access has a critical “Because the main reason behind suffered frequent alterations that allowed the drawback – it’s inherently insecure and easily e-threats is profit,” says Strugnell. There will Trojan or virus to dodge signature-based compromised. The only way to win the war probably be a proliferation of malware products. against attacks is to build safe and sustain- seeking to exploit systems’ vulnerabilities in “As a countermeasure, security companies able applications from the start,” Pinnell says. terms of data protection. She says predicts introduced heuristics and behaviour-based that Trojans, downloaders, key loggers as technologies that made malware writers’ Security training and certification well as other types of spyware are most likely job more difficult. Thus, a new or mutated Through its powerful regional customer sup- to dominate the threat landscape in the breed of malware can be detected and port network, Strugnell says BitDefender months to come. annihilated based on architectural or responds to various training needs from its “In terms of spam and phishing, in the behavioural pattern rather than using a list customers and is always available to offer current context of the world economic crisis, of known e-threats. This led to a drastic assistance. we expect to see a migration from targeting decrease in the time lapse between the “In addition, through its network of tech- customers of large banks towards those launching of malware and the issuing of an nology partners, the cost-effective working with smaller financial institutions as antimalware signature update, also known BitDefender scanning engines are easily inte- well as increased targeting of users of as window of exposure. BitDefender’s grated and deployed over numerous plat- e-commerce sites. Social networking B-HAVE heuristics, for instance, detect 63 per cent of e-threats without needing a sig- nature,” Strugnell says. Pinnell says the HP Application Security “It seems that Web-based e-threats are the new mass Centre delivers exceptional benefits in sup- mailers in terms of prevalence and the infection porting the entire Web application lifecycle from development to ongoing operations strategies that are used.” – Sally Strugnell, Holton management and auditing. and Associates. According to him, such security products identify vulnerabilities early in the software lifecycle and help prevent new vulnerabilities from being introduced throughout the life of forms and applications. Our experienced websites will also probably be heavily the application. The software includes Development and Integration team can exploited as reputation theft or attack advanced compliance reporting and testing assist and advise an organisation during the becomes a significant trend. tools which support major laws, regulations implementation process by offering: minimal As for the other types of spam, we believe and best practices. effort/resources for the integration through that in the near future we will see an “While traditional application security API, detailed documentation of the API and increase in number, and variation in scanners do well to find vulnerabilities in source code exemplification, the highest structure and approach of all types of spam: some of the more mature Web technologies level of technical expertise and assistance, selling medicines, replica watches, they lack the intelligence required to scan disinfection modules as well as an extensive diplomas, dating, software and many more,” emerging Web 2.0 technologies. The HP archive support,” he says. Strugnell concludes.

26 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008 MEMORY FEATURE SOLUTION PROVIDERS AMD and Intel leading in processor space

Introducing advanced processors that boost performance.

BY DUDU SHABA ith DDR3 technology prices expected to drop, DDR is still the way to go as it is not Wproprietary and leads on price/performance and performance/power ratios. The fully buffered DIMM (FB-DIMM), a proprietary memory technology, is still too expensive, generates too much heat and we expect it to remain this way due to its inherent architec- ture design. On the graphics side, GDDR is pushing the envelope in terms of processing and speed. This is according to Imi Mosaheb, AMD country general manager, South Africa. Mosaheb says AMD has launched 45nm in the server space and will soon be doing the same in client products. “AMD still leads in the processor space with the integrated memory controller and Direct Connect Architecture that allows us to have a single-die, multi-core processor for servers, desktops and notebooks,” he com- ments. He adds that virtualisation is driving high memory density “DIMM support with our integrated mem- ory controller. AMD also leads in this seg- ment in Rapid Virtual Indexing due to its inte- grated memory controller,” he says. Meanwhile, Intel has announced that it has introduced its most advanced desktop processor ever, the Intel Core i7 processor. The Core i7 processor is the first member of Imi Mosaheb, AMD a new family of Nehalem processor designs and is the most sophisticated ever built, with “AMD still leads in the processor space with the new technologies that boost performance on demand and maximise data throughput. The integrated memory controller and Direct Connect Core i7 processor speeds video editing, Architecture that allows us to have a single-die, immersive games and other popular Internet and computer activities by up to 40 per cent multi-core processor for servers, desktops and note- without increasing power consumption. books.” – Imi Mosaheb, AMD. Broadly heralded by the computing indus-

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008 • 27 MEMORY FEATURE SOLUTION PROVIDERS

try as a technical marvel, Patrick Gelsinger, performance of a processor. He says this is senior vice president and general manager the first time any single processor has of Intel’s Digital Enterprise Group, says the exceeded a score of 100 points. Intel Core i7 processor holds a new world “Intel has delivered the fastest desktop record of 117 for the SPECint_base_rate2006 processor on earth to the most demanding benchmark test that measures the users on earth, the ones who are using their

“Intel has delivered the fastest desktop processor on earth to the most demanding users on earth, the ones who are using their PCs for video, gaming and music. When you couple what is Intel’s biggest leap in chip design with other incredible innovations like Intel’s solid- state drives, the Core i7 processor has redefined the computer of tomorrow.” – Patrick Gelsinger, Intel.

PCs for video, gaming and music. When you couple what is Intel’s biggest leap in chip design with other incredible innovations like its solid-state drives, the Core i7 processor has redefined the computer of tomorrow,” he comments. The Core i7 processor more than doubles the memory bandwidth of previous Intel “Extreme” platforms, speeding the transfer of computer bits and bytes in and out of the processor with Intel Quickpath Technology. Designed with Intel’s Hyper-Threading Technology, the processor also allows multi- ple computing threads to run simultaneously, effectively enabling it to do two things at the same time. As a result, the Core i7 quad- core processor delivers eight-threaded per- formance. Gelsinger goes on to say that the Intel Core i7 processor also offers unrivalled per- formance for immersive 3-D games, over 40 per cent faster than previous Intel high-per- formance processors on both the 3DMark Vantage CPU physics and AI tests, popular industry computer benchmarks that measure gaming performance. “The Extreme Edition uses eight threads to run games with advanced artificial intelli- gence and physics to make games act and feel real,” he says. He adds that the Intel Core i7 processors and Intel X58 Express Chipset-based Intel Desktop Board DX58SO Extreme Series are MEMORY FEATURE SOLUTION PROVIDERS

for sale immediately from several computer New processor technologies manufacturers online and in retail stores, Mosaheb states that AMD is refining its and as a boxed retail product via channel roadmap to take better advantage of online sales. prevailing notebook market trends, allowing “We launched Phenom X3 and Phenom the company to penetrate more of the X4 processors during 2008 and we recently mobile PC market. announced a new line of faster Phenom II processors which will be launched in early 2009,” says Mosaheb. “Our 2011 client roadmap now features the first Bulldozer and Bobcat core-based platforms. Ontario is Windows Vista and Office 2007 Mosaheb comments that processor and a dual core APU based on our low power Bobcat core memory sales have improved as a result and is targeted at the ultraportable and mini notebook of the release of Windows Vista and Office 2007. categories. Orochi is an eight-core solution for “As these applications have a higher enthusiast desktop users based on our Bulldozer core,” demand for computational performance, it has driven replacement cycles and improved – Imi Mosaheb, AMD. overall sales. The fact that AMD64 technology was used to develop the core kernel of this operating “We are adjusting our initial Fusion system means that if end-users want to truly platform towards the growing market experience the performance of Vista, AMD64 opportunity for high-performance mobility. processors are the best fit,” The 2009 AMD client platform roadmap is he remarks. powered by significant enhancements to our 45nm generation of products and our focus Latest technology offering in on designing balanced platforms optimised the client and server space for popular usage scenarios,” he says. According to Mosaheb, these are the latest “The 2010 platform known as Shrike and technology offerings in the client and server accompanying processor Swift are no longer space from AMD in AMD’s plans. Instead, we are accelerating In the notebook space, AMD’s Turion the introduction of quad-core mobile proces- 64 Ultra processors deliver a balanced sors into the mainstream notebook market notebook platform that achieves superior 3D beginning in 2010, as well as the introduc- performance and HD image quality with tion of DDR3 memory platform capabilities increased energy efficiency. into the mainstream and ultra-portable note- In the notebook space, AMD’s Geode books during the same timeframe. processors provide high-performance, Additionally, AMD is planning to expand its low-power systems for x86 embedded planned BGA offerings as a result of the applications. AMD is also introducing its first recent product development efficiency and low-power sub 10W 64-bit Sempron mobile execution,” he adds. processor in Netbooks this month.November or December? 2011 plans On the desktop front, AMD has Moving into 2011, Mosaheb says AMD plans announced it will launch Phenom II in early to offer its first Accelerated Processing Unit 2009. (APU) processor, code-named Llano, targeted In the server and workstation space, at mainstream notebooks and desktops. AMD’s Quad-Core Opteron processor was “Our 2011 client roadmap now features announced in November 2008. It delivers the first Bulldozer and Bobcat core-based sweeping virtualisation performance platforms. Ontario is a dual core APU based leadership, with an increase of up to 40 on our low power Bobcat core and is targeted per cent in performance and live migration at the ultraportable and mini notebook capability. It also features enhanced 45nm categories. Orochi is an eight-core solution design and is the industry’s most stable x86 for enthusiast desktop users based on our server platform. Bulldozer core,” he concludes.

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008 • 29 POS FEATURE SOLUTION PROVIDERS POS an essential process

Changing the way you do business.

BY DUDU SHABA

hen you decide to implement a point-of-sale experience, improve sales associate produc- (POS) solution, you have essentially decided tivity and maximise supply chain efficiency. Wto change the way you do business. He points out that sales tools that com- This is according to Ashley Ellington, MD, bine scanning, signature capture, payment Softline Enterprise, he says that POS is not devices, mobile computers, customer kiosk, simply another piece of hardware or soft- customer self-scanning and wireless infra- ware, and it is not a system but a process. structure enable sales associates to manage “This process affects your transaction flow, on the go instead of from behind a desk. record keeping, employee management, “They can provide customers with on- ordering and receiving, and accounting, in demand access to product information as other words, every aspect of your business. they shop. In addition, they can track invento- So make sure you partner with the right ven- ry so shrinkage is reduced and enable check- dor, especially when it comes to mission-crit- out lanes to move quickly and efficiently. ical back up,” he says. Sometimes, the only interaction shoppers Ellington says that retailers cannot live have with your organisation is at the POS. without their POS, so if it goes down they Motorola’s POS solutions combine scan- need to ensure that their vendor will provide ning, signature capture and payment device the necessary assistance. technology, mobile computers and wireless infrastructure with partner applications to help ensure high standards of customer ser- “There is little doubt that SA’s leading retailers will adopt vice,” he says.

RFID technology, many of them are looking at it but at Effective management this stage price is still a consideration.” – Mark Kelly, Keith Fenner, VP, Strategic Sales, Softline Accpac, says that inventory management, MD, Motorola, SA timeliness of information and providing superior customer service are among the top challenges in retail today. He says that “A serious vendor who understands the inventory is a retailer’s most expensive asset, retailer’s business should offer serious sup- and the goal is to turn it over as often as port, especially when it comes to back up possible. However, he says that retailers and redundancy. The simplest interruption in operating without integrated front-of-store communications can cause a domino effect and back-office systems cannot achieve visi- and bring your entire POS system to a stand- bility into their inventory in real time and will still. Without access to the necessary data, find it challenging to manage it efficiently you lose profits and customers lose patience. and effectively. Your vendor is critical to the successful imple- Related to inventory management, is mentation of a POS system, so choose your reporting. “Many retailers lack the tools and partner with great care,” says Ellington. integrated systems to access accurate met- rics quickly, such as the average number of Motorola items per ticket and average revenue per Mark Kelly, MD, Motorola, SA, says that transaction. Motorola provides a range of retail solutions “Timeliness of information is another big designed to transform the consumer issue. How quickly a retailer receives infor-

30 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008 POS FEATURE SOLUTION PROVIDERS

mation determines how soon it can react. Having access to real-time retail information allows managers to make informed decisions that can affect the success of store opera- tions. Greater integration from the front of store to the back office brings benefits to the customer, a large part of the “customer expe- rience” is simply having the right inventory in stock,” he explains. “Understanding and streamlining of POS data improves your internal business efficien- cies. Companies can now access a single, integrated area of information and time is freed to actually analyse data rather than spend days gathering data and pulling together the same reports over and over. In addition, it makes companies smarter about their business. An integrated solution pro- vides them with faster, more accurate access to information,” Fenner says. He adds that companies striving to improve their retailer relationships and inter- nal business efficiencies are quickly seeing the benefit and realising the strategic value POS data has in improving the bottom line. “There has been a definite mind shift as more and more retailers understand the value of providing POS data to their vendors. In the past, they didn’t want to share this information. However, the more manufactur- ers and distributors know about their product movement, their customers’ actions, the effectiveness of promotions and overall sales, the more value they can bring to the retail- Ashley Ellington, Softline Enterprise ers,” he says. As many POS systems are still standalone, Fenner says there is currently a strong focus on integration as well as offline and online “Retailers cannot live without their POS, so if it goes systems, along with complete management of stock in multiple branches. down they need to ensure that their vendor will provide “Vendors, such as Softline Accpac, have extended ERP to the till, enabling the retailer the necessary assistance.” – Ashley Ellington, MD, to operate the way it wants to in terms of Softline Enterprise. promotions and discounts that typically fall outside of ERP. They are also providing full integration to CRM for loyalty and permis- sion-based e-marketing,” he comments. panies used their shipment or order informa- Fenner says that managing information tion to identify how products were selling, but effectively is becoming a key factor and tech- today it critical to know when products are nology the major differentiator, which is why selling, which products are selling and where integrating back-end and front-end operations they are selling,” he says. is the key to a successful business model. “While it was once considered a luxury, the RFID ability to evaluate POS data is vital in today’s Jane Thomson, MD, Softworx, says that com- business environment. In the past, many com- panies waiting to plan strategically for Radio

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008 • 31 POS FEATURE SOLUTION PROVIDERS

Frequency Identification (RFID) may think level tracking which should revolutionise they will capitalise on others’ research, but SCM practices, introducing another level of could instead find themselves struggling efficiencies never seen before. Through RFID through hurried implementations at top rate technology companies can improve efficien- because of time constraints and aggressive cy and visibility, cut costs, better use their competition. assets, produce higher quality goods, reduce She says that much of this predicted shrinkage or counterfeiting and increase growth has been allocated to the retail sec- sales by reducing out-of-stocks,” she says. tor, where RFID tags are replacing bar Thomson adds that RFID’s shortcomings codes. Thomson explains that RFID technol- are steadily being resolved as the industry’s ogy is based on a simple concept. vendors join together to make the technolo- “RFID chips are radio devices that emit a gy more attractive. She says that costs are unique ID when scanned at close range; gradually coming down as the technology these chips are inserted into tags that can be matures and frequency conflicts are also attached to almost anything. The appropri- becoming less of an issue as vendors and ate scanner then reads large numbers of government agencies work together to these tags simultaneously. Shopping smooth out global differences. becomes quicker and easier as entire trolleys “Although item-level use is currently can be scanned at once instead of individu- expensive, the tagging of returnable trans- ally scanning each product, bringing a port items, like pallets and crates, is now reduction in costs for the retailer and economically viable. Widespread use of increasing convenience for the consumer,” RFID thus only awaits the emergence of she says. common standards and readability,” she says. “Since RFID will have a great impact on the processes and IT systems of “Since RFID will have a great impact on the processes companies, it is necessary that they prepare and IT systems of companies, it is necessary that they themselves. Educating retailers about the benefits and potential of the technology is prepare themselves. Educating retailers about the bene- also important as well as ironing out issues like standardisation.” fits and potential of the technology is also important as Mark Kelly, MD, Motorola, SA, says that well as ironing out issues like standardisation.” while there is little doubt that SA’s leading retailers will adopt RFID technology, many of them are looking at it but at this stage price is still a consideration. There certainly are pros and cons at this “UHF frequencies were approved only in stage of the game though. Thomson out- July this year for SA, and it is still too early to lines some of these: see any adoption in the retail market. Also, RFID pros: there are still challenges around the costs of

No line-of-sight scanning. the tags and complexity of the technology,”

Reduction in labour. he says.

Enhanced visibility.

Improved inventory management. Opportunities RFID cons: As POS gets to the next level, Kelly, says

A costly solution which lacks standardi- that the shopping experience, sales sation. associate VOIP communication devices

A small number of suppliers are cur- for in-store and store to store communica- rently developing end-to-end solutions. tions, micro information kiosks for customer-

Adverse deployment issues. facing applications for price look ups,

Privacy concerns. product information and in store helpdesks, portable personal shopping for self- “Irrespective of these factors, the ultimate scanning, self-checkout and gift registry will aim of RFID in supply chain management result in solution providers offering a more (SCM) is to see the establishment of item- complete solution.

32 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008 SERVERS FEATURE SOLUTION PROVIDERS

Demand for more storage driver for server sales

Latest processors also driving interest.

BY DUDU SHABA

ne of the major forces behind the demand “Exchange server growth doubles each year as a result for drives for servers is the need for more Ostorage. In the past, servers had only a of increases in use of e-mail and e-commerce.” – limited expansion capacity for internal Kobus Kitshoff, Comztek drives, which forced companies to upgrade more frequently. Newer applications use a lot more space and generate larger documents, according to Kobus Kitshoff, channel manager at Comztek. He says the continuous demand for better GUI has resulted in servers with more processing power and memory. “Typically, exchange server growth doubles each year as a result of increases in use of e-mail and e-commerce,” he says. Greg Pothitos, GM, HP ESG, Tarsus Technologies says despite the serious economic slowdown SA is presently facing, the higher performing hardware technologies and dramatic price drops are generating a great deal of excitement. “It now makes more sense for an SME to invest in a fully fledged server rather than repurposing a high-end desktop for server- centric tasks,” he says. He adds that hardware developments such as Intel’s six-core Nehalem-based processor are also driving interest. “For starters, these processors are far more power efficient than their predecessors,” he says. “With electricity costs rising, companies realise there’s more to choosing a server technology than its upfront acquisition cost and accompanying performance. Furthermore, with virtualisation becoming such a hot-button for SMEs and larger customers alike, the demand for more processor cores is definitely on the increase. Kobus Kitshoff, Comztek

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008 • 33 SERVERS FEATURE SOLUTION PROVIDERS

The six-core Nehalem (or i7 processor) everything centralised and redundant. range delivers on this need for more cores “Most SMEs do not have in-house IT and power efficiency,” he says. departments or the capacity for full-time Another interesting trend Pothitos sees is support. This means they require a good the amount of pressure that international performance server that can handle all their server brands are placing on the local white- applications and backup requirements. box server market. Windows Small Business Server is still one of “The local OEMs are finding it impossible the best solutions to meet these special to compete with the economies of scale that needs, equipping SMEs with Exchange, SQL the internal brands have managed to create and financial management packages,” for themselves over the past couple of years. he comments. “Customers are increasingly drawn towards the reliability that an international What’s new brand alludes to, the superior build quality AMD has announced the availability of its that internationally branded servers tend to 45nm Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor, boast and, of course, the better pricing they delivering up to 35 per cent more perfor- offer. And I don’t see this changing in the mance and up to 35 per cent decrease in near future, the local OEMs are in for a power consumption at idle. With IT decision- rough ride,” he says. makers looking to do more with less, Imi Mosaheb, general country manager, AMD South Africa, says the newest Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor can help drive “We have chosen these processors since they perform data centre efficiencies and reduce well while using little energy. We’ll have no trouble complexities with innovations that offer superior virtualisation performance and switching to the new server generation. Energy intake as increased performance-per-watt. well as cooling requirements will remain more or less “Global OEMs are expected to offer enterprise and SME customers more than the same,” – Imi Mosaheb, AMD South Africa 27 systems between launch and the end of the year, based on the 45nm Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor, formerly code- named Shanghai,” he says. Another trend Pothitos sees in the local “Flawless execution in bringing the 45nm server market is increasing interest in 64-bit Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor to technologies, since more and more software market early results in a new performance is moving across to this realm of computing. leader for x86 servers. In concert with its OEM and solution provider partners, AMD SMEs is addressing the need for enterprises to Like all businesses, Kitshoff says that SMEs focus on their bottom line while giving them require Exchange, SQL and financial pack- the innovations they need to build for the ages to operate efficiently. However, future. This enhanced AMD Opteron because they don’t have the financial muscle processor represents the most dramatic of their larger counterparts they require solu- performance and performance-per-watt tions that are more conservatively priced. increases for AMD customers since the “The proliferation of solutions such as introduction of the world’s first x86 dual- Windows Small Business Server, which offer core processors by AMD nearly four years a very good ROI, have made it possible for ago. Simply put, the Quad-Core AMD SMEs to have the business packages they Opteron processor is the right technology at need. Hardware manufacturers have the right time,” says Mosaheb. designed midrange servers to handle more He goes on to say that Europe’s second disk capacity, bigger tape drives, and more largest Web host has successfully deployed powerful processors and memory expansion, highly efficient AMD Opteron processors in making server solutions more accessible to virtual and dedicated servers. SMEs,” he says. “We have chosen these processors since Kitshoff adds that a typical SME needs they perform well while using little energy.

34 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008

SERVERS FEATURE SOLUTION PROVIDERS

releases is that market sentiment has made a 180-degree turn. “We’re finding customers are becoming more accepting of AMD platforms and that they’re discovering the backwards compati- bility, power consciousness and price performance as compelling reasons to investigate them as an alternative,” he says. Gruner says although the coming together of AMD and ATI has delivered technologies like Crossfire and its ability for systems with more than one ATI graphics card to be bound together to create a single, more powerful graphics engine, the company’s future plans make these advances look tame. “It’s only taken two years for AMD and ATI to build a set of technologies that allow a vast array of customers –from price-con- scious home users to power-obsessed gamers – to get want they want from generic ‘computing building blocks,” Gruner says. “With more time, it’s clear that the combination of AMD’s platform and processor knowledge together with ATI’s graphics know-how will produce an even more dynamite set of solutions,” he adds. Gruner says that there are two technolog- Greg Pothitos, Tarsus Technologies ical reasons why the coming together of ATI and AMD is good news for the market. “Firstly, the graphics performance of a “Today it makes more sense for an SME to invest in a system is heavily dependent on the speed of the graphics processing unit it has at its dis- fully fledged server rather than repurposing a high-end posal and by pairing up with a processor desktop for server-centric tasks.” – Greg Pothitos, giant, such as AMD, the benefits are obvi- ous,” he says. Tarsus Technologies Secondly, Gruner says the isolated parts of a computer system are becoming far less important in the greater scheme of things. We’ll have no trouble switching to the new “How efficiently those parts interact with server generation. Energy intake as well as each other makes a huge difference, both to cooling requirements will remain more or the performance of the system and its ability less the same,” says Mosaheb. to conserve power. “By bringing together the three most AMD and ATI important aspects of a computer system, i.e. “The scepticism that surrounded AMD’s its platform architecture, its processor and its acquisition of ATI two years ago is starting to graphics subsystem, AMD will cover all subside,” says Tyrone Gruner, AMD and ATI bases and in doing so, strongly position itself product manager at Ingram Micro, SA. to overtake Intel in the overall performance With the release of new products that truly and power consumption stakes,” Gruner adds. begin to leverage intellectual property he “I believe that once AMD takes the says that the ‘new AMD’ is shaping up to be number one position, it will only increase a very strong competitor to Intel on the its lead. The next couple of years are platforms front. undoubtedly going to be interesting to “The net effect of these new product observe,” he concludes.

36 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008 ANALYSIS: MICROSOFT SOLUTION PROVIDERS

Will Microsoft Online store affect distribution?

BY KEVIN MCLAUGHLIN, CHANNELWEB icrosoft recently started selling some of its economy,” he says. Representatives from solution provider ITSynergy. “I have no doubt products to US customers through an online distributors D&H and Tech Data couldn’t be that companies like us add value to the Mstorefront for the first time in its history. While reached for comment. transaction by helping the customer to most channel partners don’t see this as a Windows Server 2008 and System Center navigate that maze.” threat to their businesses, some speculate that Essentials are the only products currently But despite Microsoft’s channel-friendly distributors might view things differently. listed in the Business section of Microsoft’s track record, some partners see the Microsoft The Microsoft Store lets customers buy and Online Store, but on the purchasing options Store as a definitive step on Microsoft’s part download products via Electronic Software Web page for Small Business Server, toward establishing a more direct relationship Distribution (ESD) and also get direct Microsoft indicates that Small Business Server with consumers. “Do you think that bankruptcy shipments. Microsoft says the store will help will be available for online purchase some- of Circuit City and CompUSA had anything customers save on shipping costs and time in the future. to do with the idea that Microsoft needs to go alleviate their fears of not having the software If the Microsoft Store is successful, “there’s at it alone to reach the end customer?” wrote on physical media to reinstall at a later time. Partners can now buy all server and related licences from Microsoft directly for customers that have an existing licence and need to “Going down this path, as companies like Dell and move to another SKU, says Mark Crall, president of Charlotte Tech Care Team, a Symantec have recently proven, is a potentially Microsoft partner. slippery slope that can cause an irreversible Crall doesn’t think Microsoft’s goal is to cut out distributors or partners, and says the backlash from channel partners.” – Mark Crall, Microsoft Store makes sense if it can simplify Charlotte Tech Care Team the process of choosing and acquiring the right licences for customers, and deliver them at a lower cost. “When Microsoft can provide the value- really no reason for Microsoft not to start Vlad Mazek, a Microsoft Exchange MVP and added service that a distributor – or even a offering the higher end products,” Rue says. CEO of Own Web Now, an Orlando, partner – uses to justify their margins, then Some VARs see the Microsoft store as wel- Florida-based solution provider, in a recent why wouldn’t they?” Crall asks. come relief from licensing complexity woes. blog post. Chris Rue, CEO of Black Warrior Jim Liska, sales manager at Orlantech, an “Microsoft has effectively shot the middle- Technology, a Northport, Ala-based solution Orlando, Florida-based solution provider and man that stood in the way of its direct provider and Microsoft partner, says any Microsoft Gold partner, says the Microsoft relationship with the user – if you are that conflict will likely be confined to the big-box Store will help him save time by eliminating middleman, your days are unfortunately retail channel and office supply stores. “All the need to navigate Microsoft’s Byzantine numbered,” Mazek wrote. the stuff available from the Microsoft Store licensing programs. If Microsoft does attempt to fill the shoes of right now is the same stuff you see in the “After a decade of selling Microsoft its channel partners, the company had better aisles of those types of stores,” Rue says. products, I still have trouble with licensing include potential collateral damage in its ROI However, Rue says there are “deep-rang- issues, and my customers would prefer to calculations, according to Crall. ing effects” associated with the Microsoft leave that to someone else,” Liska says. “Going down this path, as companies like Store, which could potentially reach down to “The number of different choices Dell and Symantec have recently proven, is a distributor level. “I’m not sure this is the type customers have when shopping for software potentially slippery slope that can cause an of news anyone selling Microsoft products in is mind-boggling,” agrees Michael irreversible backlash from channel partners,” any quantity wants to see in the current Cocanower, president of Phoenix-based Crall says.

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008 • 37 Reviews by: Stanley Chishala Highly Recommended Pre-Fi made simple

Some real plug and play.

As the number of iPods increases, so does the number of speaker Logitech’s reputation and track record when it comes to sound, but options available for the mobile digital music players. after the quick set up I quickly remembered why I like the brand Some speaker options tend to be a little complicated as if the so much. designers forgot the concept of plug and play, but speakers such as The Pure-Fi Express Plus omnidirectional speaker delivers great Logitech’s Pure-Fi Express Plus live up to that concept. sound that can fill a reasonably sized room and is compatible with Even with the simplicity with which it was designed, the speakers all iPods as well as the first-generation iPhone and new 3G iPhones. offer omnidirectional acoustics. The Pure-Fi Express Plus’ omnidirectional acoustics is a technolo- It is so portable that it can be taken almost anywhere even on a gy that was previously only found in expensive home-theatre sys- summer holiday or can simply be put on a nightstand. tems. Omnidirectional acoustics transmit sound evenly in all direc- This device is simple to use, because it only has speaker function- tions. ality, a clock and a very basic remote control that controls the This speaker dock is perfect for music lovers who charge and lis- decked device be it an iPod or iPhone (play, stop, forward, back ten to their iPod or iPhone when they are at home, at work, or even and volume). in their backyards. The Pure-Fi Express Plus allows users to enjoy The wireless remote control has a range of up to 10 metres and rich, articulate sound and minimal distortion indoors or outdoors. lets users instantly adjust volume, play, pause, fast forward, rewind, For ease of use, the Pure-Fi Express Plus can run on AC or bat- as well as offering Shuffle and Repeat buttons. tery power and includes an integrated handle, making it easy for At first I was deceived by the size and almost forgot about users to shift their listening from room to room.

38 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008 Reviews by: Stanley Chishala Highly Recommended Click, click, click The mouse just keeps getting better.

Many people argue that a mouse is a mouse and every- On the battery-life side, the V550 mouse thing that can be done to make them better has been offers up to 18 months of battery life and is the done, but products like the Logitech V550 Nano cordless only Logitech cordless laser mouse currently laser mouse are proof that the device is still evolving. offering this extended level of use. To tell the truth, at times I am forced to agree with the sceptics, To save even more power, the Nano automatically turns off when but when using this little device I realised that it was very simple in it is docked or when the receiver is stored inside it. nature, but the design and the way it fitted in my hand was great. Additional features include its scroll wheel which can spin freely to Despite the great design and feel, the V550 Nano cordless laser let users move quickly through long documents and Web pages; by mouse features a clip-and-go dock that allows the user to carry it pressing down on the wheel, one can also switch to click-to-click around while it’s clipped to the top of a notebook. scrolling mode and scroll precisely through lists, slides or photos. To date, this is the best answer for people who prefer a mouse to In addition, the button directly below the scroll wheel allows users a touchpad but find it cumbersome to carry the mouse with them to switch between applications after installing software available at while they are on the move. no additional charge from www.logitech.com/downloads. This is a perfect notebook accessory for those who have become Because most people use their notebooks in relatively busy wireless accustomed to moving from room to room or between offices, as environments, Logitech’s 2.4 GHz wireless technology provides a pow- they no longer have to handle clutter. erful, reliable signal that effectively eliminates delays and dropouts. The V550 Nano also features a Plug-and-Forget Nano receiver, The 2.4 GHz wireless technology dramatically reduces interference. which is a welcome change from conventional receivers because it The V550 Nano is offered in two colours – grey with silver is so small that once it is plugged into a computer, it stays nearly accents and silver with cool-blue accents. flush against the side of the computer (protruding just 8 mm), so it In terms of ease of use and convenience, the V550 nano is one does not have to be unplugged when the computer is stowed. of the best options on the market at the moment. PARTING: SHOTS

DILBERT www.dilbert.com by Scott Adams

Snapshot Lance Fanaroff

Company: Integr8 Group Position: CEO Age: 38 Best personal achivement: Building the Integr8 Group Management style: Lead from the front Most admired company: Integr8 IT, of course Most admired executives: Warren Buffet Best IT product: Dstv PVR Decoder Most pressing local business issues: Interest Rates, Exchange Rates. And of course the growing ‘local skills’ shortage. Key to success: Visioning success, continuous belief that nothing is impossible and never accept failure. Favourite car: Don’t have one Your car: C240 Merc Favourite authors: Jeffrey Archer Where do you live: Cape Town Birthplace: Johannesburg Hobbies/sports: Gym and poker Favourite periodicals: Sunday Times Pet hates: Negativity and pessimism

40 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • NOVEMBER 2008