Software
FAST backs speedy passing of Digital Economy Bill
Posted: Fri, 19 Mar 2010As the Digital Economy Bill enters its final stages before being made law heading back to the House of Commons for its third reading those representing the software industry have...Read More »
Windows 7 adoption set to grow through 2010
Posted: Thu, 18 Mar 2010The sales figures since the October launch have already placed Windows 7 ahead of its predecessor Vista but the market for the OS looks set to expand further this year.According...Read More »
Five minute interview: Duane Jackson, KashFlow Software
Posted: Mon, 15 Mar 2010MicroScope puts its questions to Duane Jackson, CEO of London-based KashFlow SoftwareWhat is the best/worst advice you have received and from whom?Best: "Never assume." From various people. Worst: "Interest rates...Read More »
CA continues cloud spending spree with Nimsoft purchase
Posted: Thu, 11 Mar 2010CA continues to expand its cloud computing portfolio with its fourth acquisition in that space in a matter of months.The vendor has picked up Nimsoft, which provides monitoring and performance...Read More »
Services and software sector set for slow growth this decade
Posted: Mon, 08 Mar 2010The prospects for the next decade in terms of IT growth in the UK IT services and software market look limited with one of the gurus of the industry predicting...Read More »
ComputerLinks adds virtualisation support to reseller services
Posted: Mon, 08 Mar 2010ComputerLinks is expanding the depth of support it offers resellers taking the wraps off a series of virtualisation services that are designed to plug the gaps in dealer's knowledge.Using a...Read More »
Lords tone down Digital Bill but continue to generate controversy
Posted: Fri, 05 Mar 2010The progress of the Digital Economy Bill through parliament continues to spark concerns about the way the government intends to protect copyright.One of the main worries was around Clause 17,...Read More »
Trustmarque cuts ties with valueless volume licence resellers
Posted: Thu, 04 Mar 2010Trustmarque has moved to cut relationships with resellers that use the LAR for volume license agreements as it looks to serve customers with a higher value service package.The LAR sent...Read More »
Colleges caught using unlicensed software by BSA
Posted: Tue, 02 Mar 2010The spotlight on unlicensed software has been cast over the education sector with the Business Software Alliance (BSA) settling with a couple of institutions caught on the wrong side of...Read More »
Microsoft looks to C2000 to grow BPOS channel
Posted: Tue, 02 Mar 2010Microsoft has turned to Computer 2000 in its efforts to recruit resellers to push its Business Producivity Online Standard suite of hosted messaging tools.C2000 is being used Exchange Online, SharePoint...Read More »
FAST Ltd aims to guide firms through software audits
Posted: Mon, 01 Mar 2010The commercial operation advising customers how to deal with software compliance FAST Ltd has set out a guide to help those targeted by an audit.The number of audits has risen...Read More »
Mimecast uses discounts to protect reseller renewal business
Posted: Mon, 01 Mar 2010by Billy MacInnesCloud-based email management vendor Mimecast has hit on a novel way of preventing channel partners from stealing each other's renewal business - it slashes the discount available to...Read More »
How to keep your clients on cloud nine
Posted: Fri, 26 Feb 2010Resellers must offer quality user support to ensure ongoing success in the provision of cloud services, writes David Ellis, director of e-security, training and professional services at Computerlinks These days it...Read More »
Cloud popularity underpins Salesforce.com revenue growth
Posted: Thu, 25 Feb 2010The expansion of interest in cloud computing has been the main factor in bouying salesforce.com's full year results.Seen by many as the most established hosted player with its CRM products...Read More »
CA acquires 3Tera to expand cloud portfolio
Posted: Thu, 25 Feb 2010CA continues to expand its cloud portfolio after snapping up privately held 3Tera which specialises in developing hosted services.The acquisition marks the fourth recent purchase CA has made to bolster...Read More »
Comment: Why cloud computing and SaaS matter to marketers
Posted: Tue, 23 Feb 2010If marketers want to create great digital experiences for their customers, they simply cannot afford to ignore the benefits of cloud computing, writes Graeme Foux, CEO and founder of KnexusCloud...Read More »
Analysis: A turning point in software crime
Posted: Fri, 19 Feb 2010The past week might well be looked back on as the moment when something changed in the world of pirate software. The crime of selling or using illegal software has,...Read More »
Welsh burglar had been targeting resellers
Posted: Thu, 18 Feb 2010The involvement of organised crime in software piracy was a disturbing enough revelation but it has emerged that criminals were targeting resellers in a burglary campaign that ran last summer.Details...Read More »
SME software spending to focus on existing systems
Posted: Thu, 18 Feb 2010The majority of software budgets from SMEs will be spent on ongoing operations and maintenance of existing applications rather than buying fresh products.The consequence of the recession is that a...Read More »
Court case highlights organised crime links with software piracy
Posted: Wed, 17 Feb 2010The link between organised crime and illegal software has been laid bare in a case at Reading Crown Court which ended with a prison sentence.Nicholas Wright, a software pirate from...Read More »
Microsoft unveils reduced pricing on Office 2010
Posted: Wed, 17 Feb 2010Microsoft has unveiled its UK pricing for its Office 2010 application with the prices decreasing with a free taster on offer to entice users to choose the software.Mirroring announcements already...Read More »
HP holds onto top position in UK services and software market
Posted: Tue, 16 Feb 2010Hewlett-Packard has held onto the top position in the UK software and IT services rankings buoyed by a strong performance from its EDS subsidiary.The other members of the top three,...Read More »
Windows 7 is good for business
Posted: Mon, 15 Feb 2010Overcoming application compatibility issues with Windows 7 will create opportunities for the channel, says John TateThe opportunities for Windows 7 are being widely discussed in the IT channel. After the...Read More »
In depth: The desktop revolution
Posted: Mon, 15 Feb 2010Could 2010 be the year that virtualisation finally reaches the desktop? Billy MacInnes talks to the industry's expertsNow that virtualisation has proved itself at the server level and in the...Read More »
In-depth: A game-changing year
Posted: Thu, 11 Feb 2010The last year of the 'noughties' was a big one for the technology sector, and many of the developments will have repercussions throughout this year and beyond. David Binning reportsWe...Read More »
Web designers admit to using unlicensed software
Posted: Thu, 11 Feb 2010Those looking for places to carry out software audits might well want to take a closer look at the web design community.With the likes of the Business Software Alliance (BSA)...Read More »
Mid-sized software and services players optimistic
Posted: Thu, 11 Feb 2010Mid-market software and services specialists across Europe are confident that the future is looking up with most having survived the recession and taking advantage of improving economic conditions.According to a...Read More »
FAST views government IT cuts as chance to promote SAM
Posted: Wed, 10 Feb 2010The government plans to save billions of pounds through the more efficient use of IT have been seen as an opportunity to put software asset management into practice.The pledges made...Read More »
Pressure growing to give cloud attacks more legal penalities
Posted: Mon, 08 Feb 2010The pressure could be mounting to redraw the legal penalties for hacking into a cloud system with the current consequences for targeting hosted data not reflecting the potential damage caused...Read More »
NetSuite losses widen but CEO remains positive
Posted: Fri, 05 Feb 2010ERP cloud computing specialist NetSuite has seen its losses for the fourth quarter and the year widen despite meeting expectations on the revenue front.The company, which can boast of having...Read More »
Global IT spending recovery won't fully bounce back until 2011
Posted: Wed, 03 Feb 2010The lingering impact of the recession will peg back the recovery in global IT spending to just 3% as credit and demand remain limited commodities.According to IDC the recovery over...Read More »
Customers failing to use SAM to save money
Posted: Tue, 02 Feb 2010Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New...Read More »
Microscope Media Centre
Posted: Tue, 02 Feb 2010MicroScope.co.uk Media Information MicroScope is the longest established weekly newspaper for computer manufacturers, distributors and resellers who need to maintain a competitive edge in the channel. Hard-hitting opinionated editorial covers...Read More »
CA seeks backup and recovery resellers
Posted: Mon, 01 Feb 2010CA has kicked off a two month campaign to grow the number of resellers it has in its channel with recovery management skills.The 'CA Seeks' initiative starts today running until...Read More »
Veeam unites European management into single role
Posted: Fri, 29 Jan 2010Virtualisation specialist Veeam has shuffled its management pack uniting the control of Europe under a single head.Previously the vendor had used a system of Southern and Northern European management but...Read More »
CA unveils fresh CEO and on track Q3 numbers
Posted: Thu, 28 Jan 2010CA is looking forward to its recent investments in cloud computing to start feeding through to the remaining three months of its fiscal year after it announced reasonably stable numbers...Read More »
Analysis: Educators fear IT budget cuts
Posted: Thu, 28 Jan 2010Although the weather might have hit the numbers, more than 30,000 visitors were expected to walk the floors of London's Olympia at this year's BETT Show over its four-day span.One...Read More »
Government aims to save £3.2bn a year with new IT strategy
Posted: Wed, 27 Jan 2010The government has published its IT strategy for the public sector, pinpointing £3.2bn worth of savings to be made across the sector. The savings are the technology part of the...Read More »
SAP talks of recovery despite recession hit 2009
Posted: Wed, 27 Jan 2010The recession took its toll on enterprise software specialist SAP with the vendor releasing a set of full year results littered with minus signs. For its financial year...Read More »
In depth: Lessons from BETT 2010
Posted: Tue, 26 Jan 2010Heavy snow, icy pavements and frozen roads only heightened the buzz at last month's BETT show at London's Olympia. The world's largest annual technology in education show, the event had...Read More »
FAST IiS clarifies relationship with FAST Ltd to end confusion
Posted: Fri, 22 Jan 2010The Federation Against Software Theft (FAST IiS) has moved to clarify its standing with FAST Ltd in an attempt to dispel any confusion in the market. Although...Read More »
Don’t get sidelined in the cloud revolution
Posted: Thu, 21 Jan 2010As cloud computing moves towards the mainstream of IT, resellers are increasingly being challenged to rethink the traditional “box shifting” mindset and look at new delivery models such as software,...Read More »
Keep track of software assets
Posted: Thu, 21 Jan 2010Attendees at a recent roundtable discussed the uncertainty surrounding software licensing during mergers and acquisitionsAt the roundtableThe roundtable event, part of the CEO Series, was hosted by FAST Ltd and...Read More »
In-depth: Opportunities as BI vendors look to SMEs
Posted: Tue, 19 Jan 2010Research group Gartner says business intelligence (BI) is once again the top spending priority for large enterprises as they attempt to exploit corporate information more effectively to reduce costs, boost...Read More »
Workplace downloads put businesses at risk, says FAST
Posted: Fri, 15 Jan 2010Anti-piracy campaigners FAST IiS have spoken out over new research from security firm ScanSafe that purported to show a 55% rise in office workers attempting to download illegal software...Read More »
Teachers call for more technology investment in schools
Posted: Wed, 13 Jan 2010The majority of teachers across Europe have urged governments to free up more cash to drive greater adoption of technology in schools, according to a survey commissioned by Intel. The study,...Read More »
Microsoft issues patch to remove i4i custom tags
Posted: Fri, 08 Jan 2010Microsoft has released a 12.3Mbyte patch for Office 2007, to comply with a US court order banning the use of custom tagging after 10 January 2010. The move follows...Read More »
FAST to share knowledge of digital software law
Posted: Thu, 07 Jan 2010Bono is not alone in raising questions about copyright protection around digital files. The Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) is also looking to share its legal knowledge with resellers and...Read More »
Vendors increase audits and extend reasons for non-compliance
Posted: Thu, 07 Jan 2010Vendors are widening the reasons customers can fail a software audit making it even more important for users to step up internal efforts, with the aid of a reseller, to...Read More »
BSA nabs first unlicensed user of 2010
Posted: Thu, 07 Jan 2010The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has caught up with a West Midlands-based firm discovered allegedly using unlicensed Microsoft and Adobe software in its first settlement of the new year....Read More »
CDC license predictions point to enterprise software revival
Posted: Wed, 06 Jan 2010CDC Software is predicting a significant rise in the volume of licence revenue it can reap from its installed base in the fourth quarter as a result of resumed buying...Read More »
Inflexible ERP systems wasting millions
Posted: Tue, 15 Dec 2009The spectre of wasted money and failed implementations that used to haunt the ERP market has not been banished completely with users still experiencing frustration with their technology....Read More »
Tech trader: Autotask raises the bar with Taskfire system
Posted: Wed, 09 Dec 2009Using technology to track each and every minute a reseller spends working on behalf of a customer, billing for it and then chasing the invoice, makes a great deal of...Read More »
Packaged cloud apps overpriced and lack choice
Posted: Mon, 07 Dec 2009Software as a service (SaaS) might be being held back from wider adoption because of the price tag, with users put off by the costs of hosted applications.In a blog...Read More »
Windows 7 gives PC market a boost
Posted: Wed, 02 Dec 2009The release of Windows 7 appears to be working some magic in terms of PC sales, with both manufacturers and analysts reporting increased demand and sales as the crucial Christmas...Read More »
Private clouds set to dominate horizon for next few years
Posted: Tue, 01 Dec 2009It will come as little surprise to those resellers on the front line selling hosted services but more money is going to be spent on private rather than public...Read More »
Microsoft security update triggers black screen of death
Posted: Tue, 01 Dec 2009A security update sent round to Microsoft customers last week appears to have triggered a ‘black screen of death’ that is impacting Windows 7, Vista and XP users. ...Read More »
Accounting software market still to touch large chunk of SME sector
Posted: Mon, 30 Nov 2009Resellers specialising in selling accountancy software wondering what size of the market is still doing their accounts manually are looking at a significant number of untapped customers.According to research from...Read More »
Analysis: Can SAP rise to the SaaS challenge?
Posted: Thu, 26 Nov 2009SAP reported poor third quarter results last month as attendees of its TechEd summit in Vienna saw a company at pains to show how it plans to reinvent itself and...Read More »
BSA doubles rewards for London whistle blowers
Posted: Tue, 24 Nov 2009The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has doubled the reward to those staff that are prepared to blow the whistle on their employers using unlicensed software. According to research...Read More »
Ingram Micro unveils SAM strategy
Posted: Thu, 19 Nov 2009Ingram Micro has taken the covers off a Software Asset Management (SAM) strategy backed by Microsoft designed to place resellers in the position to certify user software licenses....Read More »
Microsoft calls on developers to add value to Windows 7
Posted: Thu, 19 Nov 2009Microsoft has continued to court developers at its annual shindig for the ISV community detailing opportunities for third parties to add functionality around Windows 7. The vendor...Read More »
TSG back on acquisition trail
Posted: Tue, 17 Nov 2009TSG is now back on the reseller acquisition trail, having called a halt to its expansion plans in March last year. The largest national accountancy reseller has grown to its...Read More »
In depth: Making software count
Posted: Mon, 16 Nov 2009Vendors and resellers in the accounting market say they have begun to see signs that the worst of the recession is over. Customers are buying reporting tools to give them...Read More »
In depth: Bright ideas in the cloud
Posted: Tue, 10 Nov 2009It has been a long time since a concept was hyped by the IT industry quite as much as cloud computing. Just about every vendor and many a channel partner...Read More »
In depth: Selling Windows 7
Posted: Thu, 05 Nov 2009It is the biggest release of the year and arguably the most important in Microsoft’s history, but will Windows 7 live up to expectations and erase the ill will caused...Read More »
Citrix license revenues dip in Q3
Posted: Thu, 22 Oct 2009As the ships steady in the wake of the recession the latest to provide an indication that the damage has been contained and the future prospects should be brighter...Read More »
Windows 7 needs to target XP users
Posted: Thu, 22 Oct 2009Expectations around Windows 7 remain high fuelled by the optimistic views of analysts but the latest high profile launch from Microsoft has its work cut out persuading existing users...Read More »
UK software industry ripe for investment
Posted: Wed, 21 Oct 2009The UK software industry is not the dead duck that gloom merchants might like to describe it as with it instead being an ideal sector for investment. According...Read More »
Citrix changes XenDesktop licensing after user pressure
Posted: Wed, 21 Oct 2009Citrix has reacted to customer criticisms of the user based licensing of its XenDesktop 4 product and introduced more flexibility into its payment options. The virtualised desktop product...Read More »
Five minute interview: Craig Whitney, Axway
Posted: Tue, 20 Oct 2009MicroScope puts its questions to Craig Whitney, vice-president and managing director of AxwayWhat is the best/worst advice you have received and from whom? Always have a ‘plan B’ – from...Read More »
Ballmer strident over Windows 7 prospects
Posted: Fri, 09 Oct 2009This month is going to be one of the busiest in Microsoft’s calendar for quite a while as the vendor counts the days down to the launch of Windows 7.To...Read More »
Storage Expo 2009: preview
Posted: Fri, 02 Oct 2009We highlight the product launches happening at the data storage and information management event next week.It is a measure of how far things have changed over the past year or...Read More »
Software-based deduplication brings new options to SME market
Posted: Tue, 08 Sep 2009Data deduplication has been a hot topic in the storage world for the past year or so, and with good reason. Any technology with the power to tame the relentless...Read More »
Microsoft hands users option to check Office legality
Posted: Tue, 25 Aug 2009Microsoft is stepping up efforts to encourage customers to check the legality of their Office software in a bid to cut the level of pirated versions in circulation....Read More »
Analysis: Microsoft battles it out for last Word
Posted: Mon, 24 Aug 2009Sorry - billy's analysis at last for MondayA tiny company in Toronto is threatening to bring a lucrative part of the Microsoft ecosystem to a grinding halt after winning a...Read More »
Microsoft attempts to block Word ban
Posted: Tue, 18 Aug 2009Microsoft has filed an emergency motion to block an order that would ban sales of Microsoft Word in the US within 60 days and force it to pay fines...Read More »
Microsoft acknowledges Linux as a desktop competitor
Posted: Wed, 05 Aug 2009Microsoft has acknowledged Linux as a competitor to its Windows desktop client business for the first time. Microsoft listed Linux distributors Canonical and Red Hat among competing commercial software suppliers...Read More »
Opinion: Putting e-mail disclaimers to good use
Posted: Mon, 03 Aug 2009Failure to sign off e‑mails properly can be costly. On 1 October 2008, new rules came into force concerning the trading disclosures that incorporated companies must make to demonstrate their...Read More »
Oracle to buy GoldenGate Software
Posted: Fri, 24 Jul 2009Oracle is to add yet another software company to its growing list of acquisitions building on the growing list of companies it has picked up in the last five years. ...Read More »
Microsoft unveils Azure pricing model
Posted: Tue, 14 Jul 2009Microsoft has unveiled the pricing structure for its Azure cloud platform as it encourages developers to engage with the platform and resellers to start to promote the vendor's offering.Users will...Read More »
Oracle calls for more vertical focus
Posted: Wed, 08 Jul 2009Oracle has kicked off its virtual partner conference with a call to arms from senior channel management keen to encourage the channel to engage with its demand generation...Read More »
SaaS not the panacea according to UK users
Posted: Wed, 08 Jul 2009In a report that will have echoes of the experience some customers with the ASP model back in the 1990s users are ‘underwhelmed’ after moving to SaaS. According...Read More »
Google to challenge Microsoft with Chrome OS
Posted: Wed, 08 Jul 2009Google is developing a fast, simple and secure computer operating system that is designed to work well on the web. The operating system, called Google Chrome OS, is an...Read More »
IBM warns mid-sized companies against neglecting data
Posted: Wed, 01 Jul 2009Mid-sized companies are taking a dangerously lax attitude to managing and mining their data leaving them unable to take fully informed decisions about future strategy. According to research...Read More »
Oracle results show software holding up
Posted: Wed, 24 Jun 2009Green shoot watchers received a fillip in the form of better than expected results from Oracle with the vendor commenting that there had not been a catastrophic drop in...Read More »
2e2 lands Kognitio hosted database deal
Posted: Mon, 22 Jun 2009As the market for cloud services expands the Database as a Service (DaaS) specialist Kognitio has signed up 2e2 as the provider of the hosting to underpin the offering....Read More »
HP puts emphasis on transparency at Software Universe
Posted: Thu, 18 Jun 2009Hewlett-Packard has emphasised the need for application transparency and ease of use at its Software Universe event. The vendor has reacted to the current economic climate with a...Read More »
Cloud packed with reseller opportunities
Posted: Wed, 17 Jun 2009Despite the “just a load of hype” rhetoric that cloud computing has experienced in recent times, acceptance of this new IT model is gathering pace. Gartner recently released its cloud...Read More »
Sage talks up position in enterprise space
Posted: Thu, 04 Jun 2009Nine months since establishing its enterprise division Sage is reporting back tough but healthy market conditions for its ERP and CRM products. The vendor set up an...Read More »
Centrix outlines wholesale move to channel
Posted: Thu, 04 Jun 2009The newly appointed channel team at virtualisation service specialists Centrix Software have set out their ambition to move its business from a direct model to indirect using a two-tier...Read More »
SAM driven by fear rather than strategy
Posted: Wed, 20 May 2009Although the interest in Software Asset Management (SAM) is higher than it has been in the past there are some concerns that it is being driven by fear of...Read More »
Analysis: Window of Opportunity
Posted: Mon, 18 May 2009Although the exact release date remains shrouded in secrecy the push in the channel to make sure Windows 7 has a better experience than Vista has already begun. The...Read More »
Fear of vendor audits and need to save cash driving SAM
Posted: Fri, 15 May 2009The threat of vendor software audits, which is increasing in the downturn, is leading to an increase in interest in Software Asset Management tools. Earlier this week the Software...Read More »
Recession piling pressure on software managers
Posted: Thu, 14 May 2009The recession is having an impact on the way companies handle their software licences as job cuts and increasing vendor audits squeeze firms. The findings of research carried...Read More »
Benefits of SAM getting through to customers
Posted: Tue, 12 May 2009The message about the benefits of using Software Asset Management (SAM) appears to be getting through to users with a strong attendance at the first industry event to promote the...Read More »
Cloud is a state of mind
Posted: Tue, 12 May 2009Let’s face facts: if the cloud can’t deliver plenty of useful, secure, speedy and easy-to-use business applications, then it’s never going to take off beyond a niche audience. No-one wants...Read More »
Oracle calls on channel to mount SME BI push
Posted: Thu, 07 May 2009Oracle is mounting a channel push to get more mid-sized and SMEs using business intelligence (BI) after discovering a decent portion of that market is not using the technology....Read More »
Microsoft lands demanding public sector deal
Posted: Wed, 06 May 2009Microsoft has signed off a deal with Buying Solutions that will allow the vendor to sell across the public sector and give the government the chance to trumpet £75m...Read More »
Micro Focus swoops for Borland and chunk of Compuware
Posted: Wed, 06 May 2009Micro Focus has acquired Borland in a $75m deal and also picked up the application testing and automated software quality business of Compuware in a move that will strengthen...Read More »