5 Companies That Came To Win This Week

The Week Ending Feb. 23

Topping this week's roundup of companies that came to win is Dell EMC, which has made good on its promise to significantly reduce channel conflict through an improved deal registration process and other moves.

Also making the list this week are Macintosh management software developer Addigy for launching its first reseller program, Intel for rolling out firmware updates to deal with the Spectre vulnerability in the company's latest generations of Core processors, data center service provider OneNeck IT Solutions for inventing and patenting a rack cabinet robotic sensor for measuring heat and humidity, and security vendor Zscaler for filing for a $100 million IPO.

Not everyone in the IT industry was making smart moves this week, of course. For a rundown of companies that were unfortunate, unsuccessful or just didn't make good decisions, check out this week's 5 Companies That Had A Rough Week roundup.

Dell EMC Makes Big Gains In Reducing Channel Conflict

Making good on a promise to reduce channel conflict by revamping its deal registration process, Dell EMC this week said its efforts have resulted in an 80 percent decline in registration escalations.

Dell EMC instituted new processes around deal registration and began training its staff in new rules of engagement several months ago. Those steps resulted in an 80 percent reduction in the number of escalations across the board between the vendor's fiscal third and fourth quarters, channel chief Joyce Mullen said in an interview with CRN.

Dell EMC President and Chief Commercial Officer Marius Haas said reducing channel conflict is a key element of the company's efforts to gain the full trust of partners.

Mac Management Vendor Addigy Launches Reseller Program, Plans Inaugural Partner Summit

Apple Macintosh computers are gaining traction in the traditionally Windows-dominated business world. And that means IT needs better tools to manage those desktop systems.

Addigy develops cloud-based software for IT management of Mac computers. This week the company wins kudos for plans to launch its first reseller program as it aims to expand its channel presence.

Addigy already works with about 170 channel partners with a focus on MSPs. Next week the company will hold its first-ever partner summit in Miami and debut a reseller program that offers competitive margins, training and sales resources, a partner portal and a deal registration system, Addigy CEO Jason Dettbarn told CRN.

Intel Rolls Out Spectre Mitigations For Newer Processors To OEMs And Partners

Intel has had to scramble to deal with the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities this year. But the giant chip manufacturer wins applause this week as its response to the exploits moves into high gear.

Wednesday Intel released firmware updates for the company's latest three generations of Core processors to address the Spectre vulnerability. The production microcode updates, which have been released to Intel's OEM customers and partners, are for devices running the eighth generation (Coffee Lake), seventh generation (Kaby Lake) and sixth generation (Skylake) of the Intel Core processors.

The updates also cover Intel's most recent Core X-series chips, along with the latest Xeon Scalable and Xeon D data center processors.

Intel also wins applause for the high marks it received from solution providers for its Spectre/Meltdown response in a CRN survey. The survey results, out this week, had many respondents praising Intel for the information, support and patching services the company provided to its partners as the Spectre/Meltdown crisis developed.

Data Center Services Provider OneNeck Invents, Patents Robotic Heat And Humidity Sensor

In a demonstration of how solution providers can innovate, data center service provider OneNeck IT Solutions this week touted the capabilities of a newly patented rack cabinet robotic sensor that can measure heat and humidity on a per-"U" basis. The technology can help prevent heat and humidity from interrupting IT operations, especially in multi-tenant environments.

OneNeck invented the robotic sensor, which uses Bluetooth to communicate with a smartphone application, several years ago after a particularly complex system installation that was plagued with heat issues. OneNeck received a patent for the sensor device in December.

OneNeck sees the invention as providing the company with a competitive advantage in its data center services business. It's an example of how solution providers can develop their own intellectual property to win in the marketplace.

Cloud Security Provider Zscaler Files For $100 Million IPO

Cloud security developer and channel superstar Zscaler this week filed to raise up to $100 million in an initial public offering.

Zscaler, founded in 2008, previously raised $148 million in venture financing. In its 173-page S-1 filing, the company said it plans to use the net proceeds from its IPO for general corporate purposes and the company will be listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker symbol "ZS."

And in another reason for applause, Zscaler revealed that channel partners account for more than 90 percent of its revenue. The company works closely with systems integrators and regional telecom service providers, with sales through the top five channel partners accounting for 47 percent of overall revenue in the vendor's most recent fiscal year that ended July 31.