5 Companies That Came To Win This Week

For the week ending March 4 CRN takes a look at the companies that brought their ‘A’ game to the channel.

The Week Ending March 4

Topping this week’s Came to Win list are many of the IT industry’s biggest companies for taking steps in opposition to Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Many companies, including Accenture, SAP, Oracle, HPE and HP Inc., either suspended their operations inside Russia and/or halted product shipments to the company.

Also making this week’s list is chipmaker AMD for stepping up its rebate incentives for VARs who sell PCs and systems with AMD processors. Solution provider Converge Technology Solutions makes the list for continuing its aggressive growth-through-acquisitions strategy while solution provider RJ Young moved to expand geographically with its own acquisition.

And Google was a winner this week for its plans to have employees begin returning to their offices in April, providing a sign of post-COVID-19 normalcy while also granting workers the flexibility to adopt hybrid office/home work weeks.

Tech Giants Cut Ties With Russia In Wake Of Ukraine Invasion

The world has watched in horror as Russia continues with its brutal invasion of neighboring Ukraine. This week many of the biggest companies in the IT industry showed solidarity with Ukraine by taking such steps as refusing to do business in Russia and shutting down their operations in that country.

Global solutions provider Accenture said Thursday that it plans to discontinue its business operations in Russia in response to the attack on Ukraine, a move that will impact 2,300 employees in the country.

“Accenture stands with the people of Ukraine and the governments, companies and individuals around the world calling for the immediate end to the unlawful and horrific attack on the people of Ukraine and their freedom. Therefore, Accenture is discontinuing our business in Russia,” the company said.

On Wednesday German multinational software company SAP said it was halting all business in Russia and “pausing all sales of SAP services and products in Russia.” Software giant Oracle suspended its operations in Russia the same day.

Early in the week HP Inc. said it was suspending product shipments to Russia as part of U.S. sanctions. Dell announced Tuesday that it was similarly suspending product sales to Russia while Hewlett Packard Enterprise took similar steps on Wednesday.

Apple suspended Russian state news service RT News and Sputnik News from its App Store. Both traffic and live incidents capabilities in Apple Maps in Ukraine were disabled to prevent their use by the Russian military.

Microsoft, chipmakers Intel and AMD, and others also condemned Russia’s invasion and took steps in line with U.S. sanctions.

AMD Offering VARs ‘Aggressive’ CPU Rebates Under New Partner Program

AMD wins kudos this week for bringing CPU rebates to value-added resellers that partners describe as “aggressive” in a new invite-only partner program from the chipmaker.

The volume incentive rebate program is among several benefits in a new partner program for commercial systems that launched Jan. 1. The program covers PCs using Ryzen CPUs and servers using EPYC CPUs from OEMs such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Dell Technologies and Lenovo.

AMD is offering the rebates on a per-PC basis and partners make more money if they are in the program’s Elite or Executive tiers – determined by a partners’ annual system sales that use AMD processors. The rebates, which also have training requirements, scale up for processors higher in the stack – especially those with higher core counts.

The rebates, along with other benefits including training and sales and marketing support, are meant to incentivize partners who sell AMD-based systems and to educate partners on how AMD differentiates its products from rival Intel.

Converge Technology Continues M&A Tear With 1CRM Acquisition

Solution provider Converge Technology Solutions has been making regular appearances in this column as the company, with its eye on becoming one of the fastest-growing solution providers in North America and Europe, continues with its torrid pace of acquisitions.

This week Converge, based in Gatineau, Quebec, acquired 1CRM systems, a CRM software-as-a-service application company based in Victoria, B.C. It’s Converge’s 28th acquisition since 2017.

Converge CEO Shaun Maine recently told CRN that his company expects to acquire between eight and 12 solution providers in North America and Europe this year with a focus on solution providers that have strong bases of mid-market customers. Through acquisitions the company intends to buy $1 billion of revenue in the channel per year over the next three years, according to Maine.

RJ Young Expands With Ethos Technologies Buy

Staying on the topic of solution providers looking to grow through acquisitions, Nashville-based business technology solution provider RJ Young acquired Ethos Technologies this week in a move that expands RJ Young’s operations into Virginia.

The acquisition of Salem, Va.-based Ethos Technologies marks RJ Young’s ninth acquisition in the last five years. The acquisition also will expand RJ Young’s MSP expertise and enable it to deliver IT services on a larger scale.

RJ Young, which is among the Pioneer 250 on the CRN Managed Service Provider 500, offers business transformation, business process outsourcing and digital communications solutions and managed IT services. Ethos Technologies, headquartered in Roanoke, Va., provides cyber defense and co-managed IT services and office technology products.

Google To Begin Reopening U.S. Offices For Employee ‘Transition To The Hybrid Work Week’

Google wins applause this week for providing a sign that the U.S. economy – and the IT industry – are moving beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and returning to some form of normal operation.

This week Google told employees that they must return to their offices in the Bay Area and in several other U.S. locations starting April 4 with expectations they will work in the office three days a week. Employees can continue to work remotely two days a week.

Google’s plan is to adopt a “fully functional” hybrid working environment at the company.

The announcement ends Googles voluntary work-from-home policy that has been in effect during the pandemic. Employees in other offices in the U.S. and abroad will begin to return to their offices based on local conditions and requirements relating to the pandemic.