Supplier News: 12/19/2015
Tis the season to reflect and embrace friends and close relations. IBM is no different, celebrating a long-time relationship (AT&T) and a relatively new one (Apple).
While IBM shows the strengths of their partnerships, EMC and Dell are struggling in their new family unit. Funding continues to be an issue as Dell looks to sell Perot systems and IPO SecureWorks now that VMWare is definitely out of the VirtuStream deal.
It is a cold time of year, and Oracle is feeling the chill. Oracle’s cloud business is growing, but their core business is flat and declining (slightly). Last year Oracle rallied during the holidays, but analysts are not expecting another Christmas miracle.
IBM
- Why IBM is betting on cognitive computing to win big on IoT
“Right now, 90% of all the data at the edge is not being used. Imagine what is possible when you unleash all the capabilities. We are only scratching what we can reach with the IoT.”
As a result, IBM is investing in cognitive systems that learn at scale, reason with purpose and interact with humans naturally.
- AT&T, IBM expand cloud, networking and hosting partnership
AT&T’s managed application and managed hosting services will be integrated into the IBM Cloud portfolio. IBM will buy equipment and floor space access in AT&T data centres supporting the business.
- IBM Spearheads Open Ledger Project, Which Uses Blockchain Technology
While the Open Ledger Project will be the along the lines of the best-known blockchain technology supporting bitcoins, it would be developed as a solution for businesses. The idea here is to create tools that cater to businesses, which further can use the distributed ledger technology according to customized needs. In order to provide for the customized needs and maintain business privacy at the same time, the project will work on the technology with the aim to limit the participants within that particular network.
- Apple and IBM Partnership Reach First Milestone Of 100 Apps
The apps created by International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) alliance was meant to be beyond the mobilizing task from a PC. Lopez believes that a mobile device along with the apps could transform the working culture of the people. He said that such alliance support creation of apps, which were better than the earlier PC-centric one. That was primarily because the new apps enable the users to use a lot of available functions of the device such as location, messaging, voice, and camera. On top of these, it was portable.
- Box Inc, International Business Machines Corp Amplify Their Partnership
The highlight, however, was the launch of two new integrated products –- the IBM Case Manager and IBM Datacap. The Case Manager unites content and processes to provide 360-degree view of the content and optimal case outcomes. It aids decision makers by gathering data and its analysis, and provides better business results. IBM Datacap is a software that extracts information from document images to be used in ECM and other systems. Previously, IBM launched Content Navigator and the IBM StoredIQ.
EMC/Dell
- Michael Dell will IPO SecureWorks trying to raise cash for his $67 billion EMC deal
In 2011, Dell bought a company called SecureWorks for $612 million and now it’s officially spinning it off in an IPO.
Dell hasn’t revealed in the SEC paperwork how much it hopes to earn from the IPO. Sources told the Wall Street Journal in October that Dell was hoping to raise $1 billion and would start its roadshow in December.
Dell CEO Michael Dell (and his family trust) essentially own SecureWorks himself, gaining it when he took Dell private in 2013. He controls 71%, the paperwork says. It didn’t reveal whether he would be selling any of his stake as part of this IPO. Sources told the WSJ that he wasn’t planning on it.
- Dell is looking to IPO SecureWorks because…
VMware (VMW) Cancels Virtustream Joint Venture with EMCAlong with their earnings release this October, VMware and EMC had announced plans to spin out Virtustream following the acquisition. The new company was expected to be owned jointly by EMC and VMWare with each having a 50% stake.
However, this news added to investors’ concerns as Virtustream was still not profitable. A 50% stake would have required VMware to invest a huge amount for the development of hybrid-cloud solutions of Virtustream, which would weigh on VMware’s financials.
All these concerns had together resulted in dwindling investor confidence in VMware, as can be seen from the fall in share prices. In the last three-month period, the company lost nearly 30% of its market cap in contrast to the S&P 500 index’s gain of over 2%.
- Will Dell look to raise cash for EMC by selling Perot Systems?
Dell is reportedly looking to sell its professional services arm Perot Systems to help fund its takeover of EMC. Since the deal between Dell and EMC was announced, VMWare’s shares have dropped 27%. It provides IT services to government agencies and health care providers, including handling media claims, and was founded by billionaire businessman Ross Perot. The company is in the process to search for potential buyers, some of which include Indian Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), French IT outsourcing firm Atos, Genpact-a former General Electric company, and Canadian IT company CGI. However, the negotiations came to a close when both parties could not settle on a price.
http://theindianrepublic.com/will-dell-look-to-raise-cash-for-emc-by-selling-perot-30588.html
HP Inc/Hewlett Packard Enterprise
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise increases hybrid Cloud and IoT play
“From a channel perspective, this will be geared towards large enterprises or mid-market customers that are typically sitting between what to run themselves and what to put on the Cloud. We have a lot of channel partners that operate within that space and they can offer it as a next generation solution for the datacentre or offer it as a managed service themselves.”
The solution will be available from June next year and Hewlett Packard Enterprise has already started enabling channel partners in terms of technical and sales training to take it to market.
- HPE grows enterprise data center hardware business and extends lead over Dell and Cisco
It appeared to be a good quarter for HPE, especially. According to Synergy’s report, HPE grew its lead over Dell and Cisco, the second and third place enterprise data center infrastructure vendors, respectively. It also grew its market share to 24 percent. Not bad for a company that was in the midst of splitting itself into two.
The enterprise side accounts for more than half of the data center infrastructure market. In comparison, the service provider market is small. But in the service provider space, the leading hardware vendors are having a much tighter race, led by – in descending order – Cisco, HPE and Dell.
Oracle
- Oracle: A Chimera Or The Real Deal
Is Oracle likely at some point in the foreseeable future to return to some reasonable level of growth-organic or inorganic perhaps defined as high single digits?
I really don’t think that that is possible. Oracle essentially sells two major product families – databases and enterprise applications. Neither of these have a particularly high growth rate; indeed the growth rate for database seats is probably zero these days. Oracle already has a commanding market share in the database market. It is approaching a monopoly in some categories. And while relational databases will be around for a long, long time, at the margin specialized data stores such as those built around Hadoop and other technologies are starting to limit the market potential for relational technology.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/3763596-oracle-a-chimera-or-the-real-deal
- Oracle Corporation: After Such An Outlook, Where Can It Go?
While cloud revenues impressed the stockholders, guidance for the upcoming quarters was disappointing. Oracle expects 3Q EPS within $0.60–0.63 as compared to a consensus of $0.65. For 3Q, SaaS and PaaS revenue is expected to grow in the range of 49–53% YoY in constant currency terms. IaaS revenue growth is calculated to fall within 3–7%YoY.
http://www.businessfinancenews.com/26847-oracle-corporation-after-such-an-outlook-where-can-it-go/
SourceCast: Episode 08: Blue Light Special
Supplier Report: 12/12/2015
This was a big week for IBM due to the acquisition of Clearleap (this is the 12th company in 2015). Clearleap focuses on scaling video, allowing greater numbers to access/stream video.
Not all news was good. IBM’s #HackAHairDryer campaign blew up on social media with backlash from female scientists questioning why IBM would focus on a superficial item to promote girls in science instead of… rocket ships (direct quote).
The other suppliers were quiet this week… just more details on some of the topics we have been covering over the last two weeks.
IBM
- IBM Acquires Clearleap To Bolster Its Cloud Portfolio
IBM’s push in cloud computing continues with the acquisition of Clearleap, a video services company, for an undisclosed amount. Clearleap will be integrated into the IBM Cloud platform to manage, monetize and grow user video experiences, and deliver them securely over the Internet and mobile devices.
Clearleap is a video platform that enables massive scalability of videos, thus helping its clients to ramp up and support millions of concurrent users within seconds to support special events. Within a short time, it has marquee clients such as HBO, A+E Networks, the NFL, BBC America, Sony Movie Channel, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon Communications, among others.
- IBM On An Acquisition Spree
Another big focus area of IBM’s recent acquisitions is the cloud. Earlier in the year, it picked up Blue Box to accelerate open hybrid cloud and Compose to expand cloud data services. In October, IBM announced its plans to acquire hybrid storage specialist Cleversafe for an undisclosed sum. IDC estimates that 80% of new cloud applications will be “big data intensive” and that the object storage market will reach $28 billion by 2018.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/3750436-ibm-on-an-acquisition-spree
- Novo Nordisk and IBM create Watson Health, a virtual doctor for people with diabetes
The virtual doctor is a supercomputer known as Watson Health. It uses a broad range of health data to generate precisetreatment advice for people with diabetes, such as insulin dosecalculations. Initially, the researchers plan to input data fromcontinuous glucose monitors for the computer to use, but the potential scope is much wider: food intake, insulin injection information and exercise data could also inform the advice given out by Watson Health.
- IBM in sexism row over #hackahairdryer
The initiative focussed on getting women into STEM subjects by encouraging them to “hack a hairdryer”. Many women argued that by playing up to the gender stereotype of women caring more about their looks, the campaign had lost sight of the gender stereotype it was trying to lambaste.
http://felixonline.co.uk/news/5812/ibm-in-sexism-row-over-hackahairdryer/
- Former IBM employee arrested for source code theft
Prosecutors said a former software engineer for IBM in China has been arrested by U.S. authorities for allegedly stealing proprietary source code, Reuters reported.
http://www.ciodive.com/news/former-ibm-employee-arrested-for-source-code-theft/410485/
Hewlett Packard Enterprise | HP Inc
- Why It’s Time to Get Out of HP Inc. (HPQ)
For the full year of 2016 — when I expected synergies to be reversed and some cutting-edge technology like 3D printers to potentially provide a tailwind — the company actually slashed its guidance. Management said it expects to earn $1.59 to $1.69 a share excluding items, vs. the aforementioned consensus of $1.70. The lower end of the range was 7% lower than the consensus, while the value of HPQ’s stock had gained more than 7% since I was originally bullish and snagged some shares.
- HP the only big firm to grow in storage market in Q3
EMC saw its sales in the market slump eight per cent, but it managed to hang on to the top spot even though its share fell from 20.5 per cent to 18.4 per cent. In third place, Dell – which is in the process of closing a $67bn takeover of EMC – saw its sales fall 1.6 per cent, prompting its market share to fall marginally from 10.3 per cent to 9.9 per cent.
http://www.channelweb.co.uk/crn-uk/news/2438055/hp-the-only-big-firm-to-grow-in-storage-market-in-q3
EMC
- EMC insists its enterprise-only days are behind it
The storage giant hosted a mid-market-focused media event yesterday in which it talked up its role in the space along with some of its partners. During the gathering, partners called on the vendor to better reward its mid-market partners, some of which feel locked out of its new Business Partner Program.
http://www.channelweb.co.uk/crn-uk/news/2438760/emc-insists-its-enterprise-only-days-are-behind-it
- Why Huawei Thinks It Can Enter Storage Market Top 3 by 2018
Like its counterparts Verizon, AT&T, Orange and others, Huawei built its own data centers years ago, and, with the advent of data center converged servers, networking and storage, found out that it now has lots of data center real estate it could put to work. It intends to use that capacity for cloud storage — competing directly with Amazon, Microsoft, Google and others — as well as start producing storage hardware and software for enterprises
http://www.eweek.com/storage/why-huawei-thinks-it-can-enter-storage-market-top-3-by-2018.html
Other
- How Red Hat saved Cox Auto nearly $5M
“We analyzed the numbers to see what resources we deployed and how much time it took, and we realized that with the Red Hat solution, we saved almost 10 years of time spent waiting for resources to be delivered and almost $5 million in soft savings since 2014,” Cornell continued
http://www.autoremarketing.com/technology/how-red-hat-saved-cox-auto-nearly-5-million
Photo: Ryan McGuire