We publish a lot of channel news each week through ourdaily e-newsletter, CDN Now (subscribe here). Sometimes though, there’s news thatcatches our eye that we just didn’t have the space to print. So, each week, we bring you our round-up of the week’s IT channel news that didn’t quite fit to print.
* Canadian heavy metal rock band Three Days Grace isthe most dangerous musical act on the Internet, according to MuchMusic andMcAfee Inc. McAfee researched today’s finest musical talents to reveal theriskiest 2010 MuchMusic Video Awards-Nominated Artists was at the top. Thelatest McAfee research found that searches for teen sensation, Justin Bieberpose less threats compared to others. Fans searching for “Three Days Grace” orThree Days Grace-related downloads, wallpaper, screen savers, photos and videoshave a higher chance of landing at a Web site that’s tested positive for onlinethreats, such as spyware, adware, spam, phishing, viruses and other malware.Searching for the latest music artist news and downloads can cause seriousdamage to one’s personal computer.
*When it comes to paying and getting paid, cash is no longer king for most Canadians, according to a new research study on thefuture of money. Leger Marketing on behalf of PayPal Canada, found thatCanadians are finding themselves frustrated with cash and cheques and areopting to reach for their digital wallet instead. Canadians are also adopting adigital currency, using a computer or mobile phone to conduct person-to-persontransactions like splitting a restaurant bill or sharing costs. The researchstudy also showed that a number of Canadians who have sent money electronicallynearly doubled in the last 12 months increasing from 28 to 50 per cent. Three-quartersof Canadians indicate that they always want their money at their fingertips andthe inconvenience of cash and cheques is leaving many of them frustrated.They’re starting to realize that using cash and cheques is not always free oreasy, according to the Future of Money study, as many have found themselvesincurring banking fees to withdraw money (80 per cent) or needing to write acheque but unable to find their cheque book (51 per cent).
*Hewlett Packard Co. brought in D-list celebrities Ivanka Trump andBill Rancic from the NBC show The Apprentice to highlight a new resellerpromotion called HP LaserJet Pays You Back. Both Trump and Rancic, the firstever winner of Donald Trump’s Apprentice show, were in New York’s MadisonSquare Park actually paying customers back with gifts and printer supplies as away to bring market awareness to the global channel promotion. In this promotion, HP actually wants to payback resellers with is “HP LaserJet Pays You Back” promotion. The promotion wasdesigned to illustrate the significant costs savings – up to $2,500 in lessthan one year in some cases – by using HP’s Color LaserJet MultifunctionPrinter products.
* Sébastien Brousseau of Synnex Canada, based inMontreal, won the $2,500 Grand Prize in American Express travel giftcertificates from Lenovo Canada. The prize was presented by Joyce Croitoru,Business Development Manager Distribution Channels, for Lenovo Canada andBrousseau hopes to use the certificates once the cold weather hits to travel tothe beaches of Antigua or Barbados. Brousseau thanked Lenovo for buildingcomputers that are great and reliable as well as creating unique promotions likethis one. The Promotion for MicrosoftOffice ran over the last quarter and required each sales representative to sellLenovo Branded Microsoft Licensing Keys to be eligible to enter into the drawfor the travel voucher. Over 30 representatives qualified for the contest.
*Westcon Group celebrates its 25th year in businessthis month. Westcon is one of the pioneers of specialty distribution. Thecompany started in a two-car garage 20 miles north of New York City repackagingLocal Area Networking or LAN equipment back in 1985. Today, the global companyhas since grown to be a $3 billion organization with more than 1,600 employeesand it represents more than 200 vendors. During its first two decades inbusiness, Westcon gained economies of scale by expanding its distributioncoverage across the U.S. and Canada, Europe and Australia and by focusing onthe networking trend which provided more margin opportunities for resellersthan straight new product fulfillment.
*SAP Canada announced that Terasen Gas, a B.C.-basedintegrated energy solutions provider, will implement the SAP CRM and Billingfor Utilities package. Terasen said the business environment has changedconsiderably as a result of new government energy policies around greenhousegas (GHG) emissions. By establishing a new customer care delivery model withSAP technology, Terasen intends to more effectively implement service offeringsto customers, such as expanded energy conservation programs, which includeknowledge and expertise related to energy conservation and the provincialenergy marketplace.
Product Roundup
*Toshiba of Canada is ready for back to school withthe launch of its new student-focused Satellite notebooks and NB305 netbooks. Theconsumer-focused lineup, available in a range of colours, includes a Blu-ray 3Dformat notebook and new features such as Toshiba Media Controller, an intuitiveapplication that simplifies home networking. The NB305 is a 10.1” netbookretailing for $429. There are also a host of new Satellite notebookconfigurations as well as the Qosmio X500, Toshiba’s gaming enthusiast laptopthat boasts an 18.4” HD display, an Intel Core i7 740QM processor, 6GB of RAMand a 1TB hard drive. It retails starting at $2,199.
*Dell Canada is targeting families with its new InspironR laptops, promising they’re designed to make it easier for families to accesspersonal files and securely share photos and videos wirelessly, as well as use thelaptops as a mobile personal entertainment hub. The Inspiron R models areavailable in four colours and in display sizes ranging from 14” to 17” models.Available as an option is the Intel Wireless Display feature, which projectswhat’s on the laptop display to a nearby HDTV without the need for cables. Buyerscan choose between Intel Core i3 and Core i5 processors and optional ATIgraphics, with pricing beginning at $499.
*Check Point Software Technologies has announced theSmartEvent Software Blade, a new unified security management solution forreal-time event visibility across multiple security systems including Firewall,Intrusion Prevention, Data Loss Prevention and endpoints. SmartEvent filtersthe mass of daily threat logs and events, highlights critical events as theyoccur and gives security administrators the ability to stop attacks straightfrom the management interface. “Security administrators can only act as quicklyand effectively as they can assess relevant data,” said Paul Comessotti, CheckPoint’s Canadian Country Manager. “With SmartEvent, administrators can viewsecurity incidents from a high-level business view to forensic details in justthree clicks of a mouse for fast-acting threat response.”
*CA Technologies has announced the generalavailability of CA ecoSoftware 2.0, the latest version of its energy, carbon andsustainability management solution designed to help organizations reduce carbonemissions, manage natural resource consumption, and cut energy costs. It’s enhanced reporting and forecastingcapabilities can help organizations manage increasingly complex sustainabilityprograms and meet stringent reporting requirements. CA ecoSoftware 2.0 includesenhancements to CA ecoGovernance, CA Technologies SaaS-based sustainability andcarbon management solution, and CA ecoMeter, its operational energy managementsolution.
