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What a month!
N
ovember has been quite an eventful month to say the least. It almost feels
as if it was a year squeezed into 30 days.
On the CRN side, we had a few internal changes that we have now
gotten used to and like the saying goes: it is now business as usual.
On a global scale, the economic downturn was cause for more
than just concern, but also for confusion. Watching the local currency
taking a nosedive had the channel doing more readjustments than a
crooked accountant.
After talking to a number of heads of companies in the space last
month, I realised that the idea of business as usual will have to become
business unusual for quite a while because a turn around is expected to
take a minimum of 24 months.
However, even at a time like this, there is a lot of business being done
as companies strive to make the best of a bad situation.
I cannot speak about November 2008 without mentioning Barack Obama, the first ever black
president of the United States of America. I am not only proud of Obama because, like him, I
am a black man, but also because he is the first president I know of that maximised the
potential of information and communication technology (ICT) to win an election.
It might be a long shot, but I believe that the fact that he has said on
numerous occasions that ICT is an undeniable asset in an effective
campaign, especially one that targets the large youth component, will
bring back some confidence in the ICT space.
So, if ICT can help win a very strongly contested election, I am sure it
can also work wonders for business.
In addition to this, one hopes that the policies that the Obama
administration puts in place will speed up the recovery of the US
economy and that they will soon have a ripple effect on the economies
of developing nations.
In the mean time, I guess we will have to work with the saying: When
the going gets tough, the tough gets going.
10 – Hi Five
CRN Contacts: 18 – Cover story: Mimecast helps resellers build robust revenue
Editor: streams. By Kaunda Chama
Kaunda Chama
21 – SITA launches NOC. By Dudu Shaba
kaundac@systems.co.za
22 – HP enhances virtual environments. By Dominic Khuzwayo
Journalists:
Features
Portia Shaba 23 – Anti-Spam: In today’s rapidly developing malicious environment,
portias@systems.co.za
the one fifth of the globe’s population that is connected to the Internet 10
has to cope with approximately 2 000 new and mutated
viruses a day, almost 50 000 phishing attempts a month
Dominic Khuzwayo and more than one million hijacked computers that spread
bots, rootkits, Trojans and other malware during one year.
dominick@systems.co.za
By Dudu Shaba
COMINGS
SAP appoints John Papandrea
SAP AG has appointed John Papandrea Senior
& GOINGS
and revenue growth in the EMEA region; as
well as extending its market leadership; driving
Vice President of the Healthcare industry effective go-to-market activities; and delivering
business unit. superior customer service.
Papandrea joins SAP from Deloitte He will also oversee sales of HP’s Business
Consulting where he advised large healthcare Technology Optimisation (BTO) software,
organisations on information technology Information Management software, Business
strategy, the effective use of technology and Intelligence solutions and Media solutions.
technology innovation. Previously Papandrea Steen Lomholt-Thomsen Lomholt-Thomsen joins HP from IBM where he
John Papandrea worked with Capgemini and Ernst & Young spent the past 10 years in the software division.
advising clients on the value of information
technology in healthcare, particularly in the clinical arena. New LG MD
Bob Stutz, Head of Industries Solutions and Corporate Officer LG Electronics SA has appointed the first non-
for SAP says: “Mr Papandrea will be a tremendous asset to SAP Korean MD of an LG subsidiary in the world.
and will add value to our customers in the healthcare sector.” Peet van Rooyen succeeds ST Tae and his
appointment is inline with LG’s global strategy
HP software boss takes reigns for local leadership with relevant market knowl-
Steen Lomholt-Thomsen is the new Vice President and General edge in regions.
Peet van Rooyen
Manager of HP Software for Europe, Middle East and Africa According to van Rooyen there are opportu-
(EMEA) region. nities for growth in exports into sub-Saharan Africa while the retail
Lomholt-Thomsen is tasked with maximising HP Software’s profit market is under pressure globally and on a local level.
Motorola completes AirDefense acquisition designed to offer small offices and home users high-speed wireless con-
Motorola has acquired AirDefense, a leading wireless LAN (WLAN) nectivity to withstand high demand on bandwidth-thirsty applications.
security provider. Paul Luff, Country Manager, SMC Networks SA says: “We are very
The definitive agreement to acquire privately-held AirDefense to make pleased to bring this latest offering which stems from a close, industry-
a wholly owned subsidiary of Motorola integrated into Motorola’s driven alliance between SMC Networks and Panda Security.”
Enterprise Mobility business.
Kathy Paladino, President of Motorola’s Enterprise Mobility Business,
says that the acquisition of AirDefense was the logical next step to a Duxbury boasts local HP
very successful three-year OEM partnership. Procurve Masters
“Together with AirDefense, Motorola will secure enterprise networks Duxbury Networking is the only distributor in
with a common platform solution providing superior indoor and outdoor South Africa to boast three technical engineers in
wireless protection for users operating in a variety of settings including its team that have achieved HP ProCurve Master
corporate headquarters, manufacturing and distribution plants and Accredited Systems Engineer (MASE) status.
remote branch offices,” she says. Armand Steffens, Andre Kannemeyer and
Martin Mohr join an exclusive world-wide club of
Graham Duxbury specialists. They are able to design, implement
Panda Internet security on and support HP ProCurve solutions for complex,
market heterogeneous, enterprise environments, which include voice and
SMC Networks, global providers of LAN hard- multimedia applications.
ware and broadband connectivity devices, Graham Duxbury, Duxbury Networking CEO, says:
announce the availability of the Panda Internet “ProCurve integration certifications follow the successful outcome
Security bundle. of comprehensive, hands-on examinations. Our team’s success
The bundle includes a Wireless N Router and clearly demonstrates the high skills levels inherent in the Duxbury
a Wireless N USB 2.0 Adapter and the device is Paul Luff Networking organisation.”
HP to buy lefthand
HP has signed an agreement to acquire LeftHand Networks, providers of
storage virtualisation and iSCSI storage area network (SAN) solutions for
$360 million. With the addition of LeftHand Networks, HP will add
midrange offerings to its suite of iSCSI solutions. “The acquisition of and any corporate environment that requires security delivering the
LeftHand Networks significantly expands our storage portfolio, enabling convenience and quality that digital image, storage and retrieval offers,”
HP to deliver customers an expanded suite of storage functionality,” says says, Jacques van Zijl Overland Storage product specialist, DCC.
Dave Roberson, senior vice president and general manager,
StorageWorks Division, HP. Altitude Software partners with Ocular
Technologies
Comztek awarded SA Microsoft’s rights Global independent contact centre solutions vendor, Altitude Software
Technology distributor Comztek has been awarded the Microsoft distribu- has partnered with Ocular Technologies. This partnership will see both
tion rights. The deal allows Comztek to distribute finished goods in companies provide the growing South African BPO industry with customer
Southern African countries Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Namibia and interaction management software solutions. According to Pommie
Zambia. David Caygill, Software Infrastructure Director, Comztek, says Lutchman, Ocular managing director, this will expand the company’s
that the South African distribution rights remain unaffected and that the customer interaction management solutions and enable it to cater suffi-
Comztek’s Microsoft distribution rights for finished goods and OEM in ciently for contact centres of all sizes. “We are confident that this partner-
East Africa, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Ethiopia, Eritrea ship will contribute to both Ocular and Altitude gaining new successes in
and Rwanda, have been renewed. Caygill says that Microsoft’s aim to this market.” Shlomo Harari, Altitude Software president – APAC says:
successfully promote its products into the rest of Africa dovetails with “Ocular Technologies is a prominent player in the contact centre space
Comztek’s strategy to build on its current African footprint. and we are thrilled about working with its team of contact centre experts.”
BY DOMINIC KHUZWAYO
around the globe.” – Deon Robertson, Integr8 IS. “Preserv8 resides on tier one internet
backbone in secure data centres around the
globe, and protects, captures, sanitises,
brands and archives all your inbound and
communications, so the company decided to Deon Robertson, CEO, Integr8 IS says outbound email while in transit,” he says.
search for a new solution. that this solution meets all the necessary cri- “We are pleased to have in place an
“We thoroughly investigated the various teria as laid down by Akura Engineering and extremely solid partnership with Akura
offerings in the market and found that most they can now fully manage their entire email Engineering that are widely respected and
products masquerading as Unified Email function via the unified messaging platform. acknowledged for their technical capability
Management (UEM) platforms were either “Our clients are in the market for a solu- and acumen, as well as their ability to lever-
built on open source technologies or were tion that does not represent a myriad of age off the most robust, reliable and proven
simply commoditised solutions,” says Anton architectures and is engineered from the bot- systems,” says Robertson.
du Toit, General Manager, Akura Engineering. tom up. Preserv8 is only product to carry the In addition Robertson says that Integr8 IS
“We strongly believe that for a solution to Microsoft S+S ISV certification and is deliv- has a solid pipeline of potential customers in
be effective, efficient, robust and scalable, it ered through high capacity carrier grade SA and the UK (the Nordicks countries) and
needs to compact and simple in design. architecture in multiple top tier secure data they are currently investigating additional
Simplicity without the loss of functionality centres across the globe,” says Robertson ‘cloud computing’ offerings.
remains the hallmark of a well thought out Robertson adds that this solution provides
solution,” adds du Toit. an innovative dimension to unified email If you have any demand generator stories
According to Du Toit the open source management and gives companies opti- to share with us please email Dominic at
offerings appear to contain large portions of mised services. Dominick@systems.co.za.
is paid as a closing reward. “The program is training and respective qualification tests he said. Two SMEs, NutriLida Healthcare
easily accessible and only requires a one- successfully within three months of the date and Pilot Crushtec, won listings on the
time online registration. Once registered, your organisation signs the collaboration JSE’s AltX Exchange in the 2008
members can securely enter the program agreement. Your organisation will be Go4Growth competition.
through a dedicated referral member portal given limited access to the SAP Channel Seven additional companies, LPM
where they can quickly access program infor- Partner Portal site only to be able to Reinforcing, Electrosense, Forge Business
mation, register opportunities and access reg- complete the required training Web-based Online, (TBC), Renasa Insurance Company
ular status updates on the referred lead. qualification tests. Limited, Bloodhound Technologies, Fraxion
The SAP Referral Program portal provides “This has given us a good opportunity to and Umlimi Holdings, have won millions of
exclusive sales material on the complete port- interact with our end-users and SAP is grow- rands worth of SAP business software, poten-
folio of SAP solutions for small business and ing its business by one customer everyday,” tial venture capital funding from Hasso
midsize companies, along with opportunity Vermaak said. Plattner Ventures and business advisory assis-
qualification tools and e-learning sessions. A tance from Deloitte advisory services.
clear set of eligibility rules form the basis of Success story Global SAP SME president and CEO,
the SAP Referral Program in order to ensure David Borchart, SAP sales and consulting, BPS, Hans-Peter Klaey said SMEs are the growth
transparency and compliance with legal a company providing a SAP All-In-One engines of the economy. “The Go4Growth
requirements and business ethics,” she said. Solution for the engineering and construction competition is the only one of its kind world-
industry, said the company’s attendance at the wide. It’s an innovative way to build optimism
SAP Extended Business Program world tour has assisted it to get free advertising. and energy in a very exciting market,” he said.
Another program introduced to SMEs was the “We are working directly with SAP and this The two AltX winning companies were
SAP Extended Business Program that supports is a good platform for us to grow and to help judged the most growth-oriented SMEs
the role of organisations in promoting and people understand what our company from a shortlist of 10 finalists, selected
implementing SAP solutions in partnership offers,” he said. from a total of 320 entries in the
with channel partners who are authorised Go4Growth competition.
value-added resellers. Partnership Wessel van der Merwe, JSE-approved
Paul Vermaak, head, SAP Business One, Michelle Beetar, MD, Novell, a vendor that is executive of Vunani Corporate Finance, an
SAP, said under the Extended Business doing joint work with SAP in terms of active designated adviser to a number of
Program, organisations can be granted the addressing the needs of SMEs, said SMEs are AltX-listed companies, says the top five com-
appropriate access to SAP systems, resources still faced with a lot of challenges and their panies were all strong contenders in the com-
and training to support their business rela- long-term relationship with SAP will lower petition and suitable for listing. “We selected
tionship with their VARs. the barriers. two companies we felt were most likely to
To become members of the program, “SMEs understand what they need in their sustain their growth and benefit from a list-
Vermaak explains that organisations must businesses and the most important thing they ing,” he said.
meet requirements such as the following: are looking for is support. Cash flow is also Derek Kudsee, SAP SME Director, Africa,
SAP and VAR Sponsorship – local SAP chan- not easy for them to manage, but, as Novell, said LPM Reinforcing, ElectroSense and Forge
nel and one value–added reseller must for- we believe that bringing our brands together Business Online won SAP’s Business One
mally recommend the program member addresses the biggest challenges faced by software aimed specifically at small business-
Signed Collaboration agreement – each SMEs today,” she said. “Our customers as es and Renasa Insurance Company Limited
applicant must sign the SAP Extended well as SAP’s partners have also started work- won SAP’s Business All-in-One software for
Business program collaboration agreement. ing together and this is really for the benefit medium-sized businesses.
Business Cooperation agreement between of the customers,” she added. “Deciding on both small and medium-sized
VAR and Program member – in addition to enterprises as the winners in the competition
a signed collaboration agreement you must Go for Growth allowed SAP to offer software to more than
provide written confirmation of existing coop- Recently, SAP held a Go for Growth competi- one category of winner.
eration between your organisation and SAP. tion at the Johannesburg Securities Exchange “These companies will hopefully benefit
Program membership – to become a mem- aimed at encouraging customers to use SAP from the competition in terms of value and
ber of the program, your organisation must software to further grow their businesses. growth, which is after all what Go4Growth is
have selected employees complete the Serima said that SMEs want to ensure that all about,” said Kudsee.
required Web-based qualification test. their businesses are run effectively and one of Klaey said the response to the SAP world
Business Plan – your organisation should the aims of this competition is to encourage tour was very good and SAP has succeeded
establish a business plan with your VAR part- businesses to use SAP solutions for their in strengthening its relationship with SMEs.
ner that outlines specific goals, including rev- best advantage. “SAP is looking forward to another world tour
enue and staffing plans. “The competition is about SAP taking an next year and we want to continue creating
Membership – selected members from your interest in the growth of businesses that we synergies between SAP and its partners,”
organisation need to complete the required run and encouraging them to be better run,” he concluded.
Mimeca
While other vendors are withdrawing
renewal business from the channel,
Mimecast has made it clear that
channel partnerships will be
maximised in this new model
and remunerated over the
customer lifetime.
BY KAUNDA CHAMA
He says that Mimecast’s software as a programme; with this programme, if is the right time for such an initiative. We
service is an annual subscription where both Mimecast closes a direct deal, it will place have key references in every vertical; at the
the partner and Mimecast are intrinsically the amount of money it would have paid to moment we see the biggest potential for
bound to the customer for the lifetime of the the reseller into a dividend account, then at sales in the medium-sized business space.
email archive. the end of a financial year, the money sitting The benefit for our resellers is also that the
“As more people work from home and on in that account will be shared among the sales cycle for our solution is very short and
weekends, e-mail continuity becomes more resellers according to their contribution to a sale can be concluded within 24 hours.”
of a must have and our solution even the business in the respective period. He comments that where most technology
provides security from malware and other Partners that join the programme and are companies are seeing gloomy days ahead
issues as well as data leaks,” says Wittles. Microsoft certified will get a free Mimecast because of the global economic downturn,
“Bottomless email” is another addition to account because it plugs seamlessly into any the state of the markets has actually created
the Mimecast offering as it helps companies Microsoft solution. great scope for businesses such as Mimecast
because its solution goes a long way in
helping businesses save time and money by
“We have spent a good number of years on key refer- going the SaaS route.
Commenting specifically on why SaaS is
ence accounts and we feel than now is the right time for the next big opportunity for the channel,
Mowbray explains that partners are by
such an initiative. We have key references in every verti- design involved in the company’s SaaS
cal; at the moment we see the biggest potential for sales platform and throughout the customer
lifecycle, not just the initial transaction.
in the medium-sized business space.” “As a SaaS provider, we are looking for a
lifetime relationship with the customer and
partner. For example, partners are part of the
that need to store large amounts of “I strongly believe that revenue on-boarding process of connecting their
corporate data for legislative and corporate opportunities for our partners will be almost customer’s in-house email system to our
governance reasons. instantaneous and, in addition, a typical cloud-based service,” he says.
In addition to this, the solution has an mimecast customer stays for no less than five While other vendors are withdrawing
E-Discovery high performance search tool. It years, and all of them have between 50 and renewal business from the channel,
also includes corporate identity management 100 users. With this in mind, I think there is Mimecast has made it clear that channel
capability. potential for immediate profit generation,” partnerships will be maximised in this
The company’s partner programme has says Wittles. new model and remunerated over the
two tiers, the first being the business partner Meanwhile, the company currently has customer lifetime.
and the second the certified partner, both of 16 reseller partners and, through the Mowbray adds: “There are unique levels
which are based on annuity margins. programme, is expecting to attract many of protection on renewals; quite simply, any
The business partner will engage with more in SA and the rest of the continent. non-incumbent partner trying to poach
Mimecast and its customers and will simply “We do no have a specific number that renewals will have their margin reduced dra-
act as a reseller of the company’s service. we are expecting to get but with over matically. Our primary goal is to work with
The certified partner will have a more 4 000 or so Microsoft certified resellers, partners to grow the market.”
proactive role in that it will be a strategic there is huge potential for business in the Long-time channel partner Think IT
business partner to both Mimecast and the region. We see even SA as being virtually Solutions director Louis Botha comments:
end customer; it will have a more proactive untapped,” he says. “Without a doubt, cloud-based services
sales team and will also have certain targets He adds that Mimecast intends making it are going to become a common option
to meet. as easy as possible for resellers to fully for customers given the current economic
Both partner tiers will have access to a understand and resell its solution. It will climate.
number of tools that will help smooth their provide them with free training, onsite or We have seen a rapid uptake by cus-
business practices; the first is presentation over the Internet, and they are free to repeat tomers opting for Mimecast’s innovative
interactive marketing tools (PIMS), which the training as many times as they wish. SaaS email management offering because it
enable resellers to send marketing information “We believe that investing in our partners delivers more value for less and they can
to potential customers. will be mutually beneficial,” he notes. quickly connect their existing in-house email
In addition, Mimecast will provide resellers When asked why his company chose to systems to the online service.”
with a portal that can be used for both launch the programme now, Wittles says: With SaaS receiving so much hype, this
marketing and order placements. “We have spent a good number of years on will be a space well worth watching, now
Mimecast has also set up a dividend key reference accounts and we feel than now and in the next three to five-years.
BY DUDU SHABA
T
he State Information Technology Agency
(SITA) launched its Network Operations
Centre (NOC) last month, aimed at enabling
converged communications to minimise
“The primary focus of the NOC is on pro-
active monitoring, speedy incident resolution,
SLA management, capacity management,
change management and configuration
in social services on social services payout
day. This would have an extremely negative
impact on citizens. The situation would be
exacerbated in areas where limited communi-
network and security-related network down- management to ensure improved service cation infrastructure is available to report the
time as well as protecting SITA customers’ delivery to clients. incident to SITA immediately.
data traffic from manipulation. Through the NOC, SITA will have a one- The establishment of the NOC will result in
According to Femke Pienaar, acting CEO, stop view of the entire NGN. This will ensure automatic detection of such a failure without
SITA, the NOC is proof of SITA’s commitment better management and improved control of the client having to report it. The NOC is
to using its ICT expertise as a strategic the facilities that house the NGN and switch- built on sound processes and procedures and
resource to improve government’s service ing centres countrywide. Access to these cen- has been automated as far as possible
delivery and to meet the challenges faced by
a developmental state.
He says the investment in the centre is set
at R55 million of which R40 million was “The primary goal of the Network Operations Centre is
spent on the network management software,
adding that the additional R15 million was the business assurance for SITA and its clients, and also
used to establish the actual centre, which
to enable business processes and prevent disruptions.” –
also incorporates a Security Operation
Centre (SOC). Femke Pienaar- SITA.
“In the SITA journey and evolution to
improve service delivery we recently estab-
lished the world-class Next Generation
Network (NGN) carrier infrastructure which tres, for example, will only be obtained Pienaar also highlighted that the primary
replaced the outdated Government Common through the NOC which will monitor and goal of the NOC is business assurance for
Core Network (GCCN). control them,” he comments. SITA and its clients and also to enable busi-
This NGN network offers one of the most Pienaar highlights that the biggest chal- ness processes and prevent disruptions.
advanced multi-function suites with network lenge for SITA was the lack of a comprehen- “Our research has shown that this goal
services that include different classes of VPNs, sive management service which emphasised cannot be achieved with network and security
Voice over IP (VoIP) services and video proactive data monitoring. He explains that operations working in silos. Therefore SITA’s
streaming,” he says. all security- or WAN-related incidents were unified NOC and Security Operations Centre
Pienaar explains that the primary function handled separately and the previous system will determine the root cause of an incident.
of the operations centre is to support the was largely reactive. It is also flexible enough to reclassify the
newly established NGN and the products and Also, provincial government departments problem and resolve it by applying the
solutions SITA sells such as VPN services, VoIP have different capacities and their ability to necessary security, system and network skills,”
and other network products and solutions. detect problems with the network differs. he comments.
He further states that the NOC will support With the NOC in operation, he says that all “We believe that the NOC is further
Converged Communications (CONCOM) networks will be monitored centrally and evidence of SITA’s drive to find innovative
services and products and is driven by a clients will be alerted pro-actively. IT solutions that compare with
deep-seated belief in consistently improving “A hypothetical example is that a site international trends and developments,”
SITA’s service delivery and products. could be down due to a data line failure he concludes.
HP
Enhancing virtual environments.
cuts costs
BY DOMINIC KHUZWAYO
I
T giant HP recently launched a breakthrough 55 per cent on network equipment costs. Simple, cost-effective storage expansion
networking, storage and server technology In addition, Virtual Connect Flex-10 can for HP BladeSystem customers
that reduces costs, the HP Virtual Connect save 240 watts of power per HP HP’s new direct connect storage bundle
Flex-10 Ethernet module. BladeSystem enclosure – or 3 150 kilowatt for HP BladeSystem includes two HP
It is also set to increase bandwidth flexibili- hours per year – compared to existing net- StorageWorks 3Gb serial attached SCSI
ty and improve overall performance of virtual working technologies. (SAS) BL switches and an MSA2000sa stor-
server environments. Rory Green, ISS product manager, HP age array.
The HP Virtual Connect Flex-10 Ethernet TSG SA says, “These technologies break Traditionally, BladeSystem server adminis-
module, a direct connect storage bundle for down the barriers of virtualised networks, trators have had limited direct-attach or
HP BladeSystem, and the HP ProLiant DL385 giving customers the greatest return on their shared storage options and have had to rely
G5p server are among HP’s offerings that investments. on personnel with specialised knowledge to
are helping customers to deploy their virtu- “Customers looking to eliminate the com- build a storage area network (SAN) based
alised infrastructures efficiently. mon obstacles of networking costs and band- solution. This new low-cost, reliable storage
While a growing number of companies width flexibility should look no further than HP.” option allows server administrators to deploy
scalable shared SAS storage without the
“These technologies break down the barriers of virtu- costs and complexity SANs require. By simply
purchasing additional MSA2000sa arrays,
alised networks, giving customers the greatest return on customers can deploy up to 192 terabytes of
external shared storage directly connected to
their investments.” – Rory Green, HP TSG SA.
an HP BladeSystem enclosure.
The combination of the HP ProLiant
deploy server virtualisation to gain opera- Industry-leading cost benefits and four-to- BL495c virtualisation blade server, Virtual
tional savings from their technology infra- one network consolidation Connect Flex-10 modules and the shared
structures, the cost of networking virtual HP Virtual Connect Flex-10 distributes the SAS storage bundle reduces the cost per vir-
servers continues to climb. For example, a capacity of a 10Gb Ethernet port into four tual machine by more than 50 per cent
typical server that hosts virtual machines connections enabling customers to assign dif- when compared to competitive solutions.
requires six network connections. ferent bandwidth requirements to each con- HP has enhanced its Virtual Connect 4Gb
To reap the benefits of their virtualised envi- nection. Optimising bandwidth based on Fibre Channel module to allocate storage
ronment, companies are finding it necessary application workload requirements enables resources on a per virtual machine basis.
to invest in additional networking equipment, customers to leverage their 10Gb investments This further simplifies storage and virtualisa-
including network expansion cards, switches across multiple connections, and support vir- tion deployments for fibre channel storage
and cables. As an example, customers must tual machine environments and other network customers. Customers can assign up to 128
purchase expensive network switches in either intensive applications. This reduces overall separate SAN volumes per server blade for
one Gb or 10Gb increments to meet the network costs and power usage by provision- greater performance and flexibility.
increased bandwidth required for additional ing network bandwidth more efficiently. Innovative server design removes bottle-
virtual server workloads. The recently announced HP ProLiant necks to virtual server performance
HP’s new Virtual Connect Flex-10 Ethernet BL495c virtualisation blade includes built-in The new HP ProLiant DL385 G5p is a
module is one of the industry’s first intercon- Virtual Connect Flex-10 functionality that rack-based server optimised for virtualisation.
nect technologies that can allocate the enables it to support up to 24 NIC connec- It offers up to 6 terabytes of internal storage
bandwidth of a 10Gb Ethernet network port tions. With increased network bandwidth and as well as double the memory and 67-per
across four network interface card (NIC) memory capacity, the BL495c can accommo- cent improvement in energy efficiency when
connections. This increase in bandwidth flexi- date more virtual servers than other competi- compared to previous generations.
bility eliminates the need for additional net- tive blade server offerings on the market. Based on the new AMD Opteron 2300
work hardware. As a result, customers Existing HP ProLiant c-Class blade customers Series Quad-Core processor, the DL385
deploying virtual machines and using Virtual can upgrade to Virtual Connect Flex-10 with G5p improves application performance and
Connect Flex-10 can realise savings of up to the new HP NC532m Flex-10 expansion card. expands support.
I
n today’s rapidly developing malicious envi-
ronment, the one fifth of the globe’s popula-
“Many users who are getting addicted to these types of
tion that is connected to the Internet has to applications, such as Facebook, lower their suspicions
cope with approximately 2 000 new and
mutated viruses a day, almost 50 000 phish- with regard to possible malware infections and
ing attempts a month and more than one phishing attacks as they feel comfortable in a familiar
million hijacked computers that spread bots,
rootkits, Trojans and other malware during environment.” – Riaan Otto, 10Net
one year.
This is according to Sally Strugnell, sales
manager, Holton and Associates, she says selling medicines, replica watches, software,
the reason behind most e-crime-related diplomas, requiring accounts details to empty
activities in 2008 revolve around profit, online banking accounts or to get access to
mainly financial. gaming accounts or appealing to the undy-
“To ensure considerable gains, cybercrimi- ing wish of getting rich quickly through
nals need a way to compromise a large Nigerian scams, gambling or lottery tickets,” Riaan Otto,
number of systems to deploy as many bots as Strugnell adds. 10Net
possible as well as adware and spyware with
little or no cost at all. The most difficult prob- Latest attacks
lem is not the malware’s and spam’s dissemi- According to Strugnell,
nation, but the system’s infiltration and expo- BitDefender’s latest E-Threat
sure to other threats. Chart reveals that in September,
“This explains both the automation of the first 10 positions were
spreading processes as well as e-threats’ occupied by Trojans, rogue,
heavy mass production in past months. If we adware and spyware.
glance at the current spam waves and classi- “It seems that Web-based
fy them with regard to their impact, we can e-threats are the new mass
determine at least two types of targets, the mailers in terms of preva-
computers and the users,” she explains. lence and the infection
“The spam messages that focus on attack- strategies that are used,”
ing the computers are characterised by the she comments.
fact that they carry an adware, malware or in Haydn Pinnel, MD,
most cases a Trojan. The attackers use vari- Gallium, an EOH company
ous motivational pitches to achieve their pur- and certified HP platinum
pose, from pornographic content, various partner, says that unlike
advertising offers, details regarding nonexis- certain worms and viruses
tent accounts and e-cards to breaking news that exploit network security
headlines. weaknesses, Web application
“The unsolicited messages which address attacks go after flaws in the
the user belong to different categories application itself. He comments
depending on their final purpose such as that organisations must adopt a
ANTI-SPAM / ANTI VIRUS
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
proactive approach in protecting their critical cooperate to curb spam and phishing main concerns of computer users:
Web applications and understand how attacks with international legislation enforced When respondents were asked about their
important application security is in the to control the attacks and clamp down on biggest PC security concerns, the Global
software development cycle. the criminals.” Security Survey findings indicated the following:
Pinnell says that one way to achieve However, action must also be taken to
sustainable Web application security is to start closing down botnets. This is the most Viruses>>>>>>>>>>>>>36%
incorporate application vulnerability testing urgent issue since 65 per cent of spam is Privacy>>>>>>>>>>>>>20%
into each phase of an application’s lifecycle, sent from botnets that spammers rent to use, Malware>>>>>>>>>>>>15%
from development to quality assurance to according to research by the Multi-State Hackers>>>>>>>>>>>> 11%
deployment and continually during operation. Information Sharing and Analysis Center in Cyber-criminals>>>>>>>>>8%
“Since all Web applications need to meet the US. Phishing attacks>>>>>>>>>4%
Have no concerns>>>>>>>>2%
Other>>>>>>>>>>>>>>4%
“The reason behind most e-crime-related activities in Also, the survey found that in comparison
2008 revolves around profit, mainly financial.” – Sally to last year, respondents are apprehensive
about the state of security especially with
Strugnell, Holton and Associates. regard to online banking, shopping, Web
search and personal e-mail.
“The survey findings highlight an interest-
functional and performance standards to be Instant messaging is also being targeted ing connection between how much people
of business value, it makes good sense to by spammers and VXers to infiltrate users’ understand about IT security and their
incorporate security and application vulnera- computers as its use has increased concern for the security of their PCs,” says
bility testing as part of existing function and dramatically. Bogdan Dumitru, BitDefender CTO.
performance testing. Unless you test for “Spam over Internet telephony (SPIT) is “With more understanding about the state
security at every phase of each application’s also becoming a real nuisance; voicemail of IT security, the less worried users are
lifecycle, your data is probably vulnerable,” boxes can be a potential denial-of-service about their PC and the more faith they have
he says. hazard as disk space and networks are filled in their security solution. BitDefender strives
Riaan Otto, GM, 10Net believes that the with thousands of calls from malicious to provide users with solutions offering
current trend of emerging Web 2.0 applica- callers who have automated callouts,” he complete protection for their PCs,” he says.
tions is continuing and will be increasingly comments.
used to deliver malware to collect personal What’s hot in the security
details for financial gain. IT security concerns software and hardware space?
“Many users who are getting addicted to According to the BitDefender Global Andrea van der Westhuizen, McAfee
these types of applications, such as Security Survey 2008, 68 per cent of product manager at Workgroup says
Facebook, lower their suspicions with regard respondents are more knowledgeable Anti-Theft can safeguard users against
to possible malware infections and phishing about IT security than last year, only identity and PC thieves, hackers and others
attacks as they feel comfortable in a familiar 8 per cent say they are less knowledgeable by enabling them to lock their important
environment. and 24 per cent are about the same. The files, such as bank statements, tax returns,
Web-based software services, like Google report also states that this increase in business documents and even photos in a
Apps, are becoming common targets and knowledge may also play a part in how digital vault.
are attacked on a regular basis. much computer users plan on investing this “Consumers and small business owners
More targeted spam and phishing attacks year, as 46 per cent plan to increase their IT have more digital information on their PCs
are emerging that target specific personnel security spending. than ever before. McAfee research shows
in organisations to gain access to IP or com- The BitDefender survey also found that that nine out of ten consumers now keep
mercial espionage data,” he remarks. the less knowledgeable are more concerned personal information such as wills, financial
Otto goes on to say that spammers are about IT security and consider their security documents, identity numbers and passwords
unfortunately a problem that won’t simply go solutions to be less effective. On the other on their PCs, and more than 50 per cent
away as they generate huge revenues from hand, the results also show that the more would not want other people to see certain
their operations. knowledgeable the user, the less concerned documents and files.
“There will be advances in blocking spam they are about IT security and these respon- “With two million laptops stolen every
in the future, but there will also be advances dents found their security solutions more year and someone’s identity stolen every two
in spamming technology. effective than last year. seconds, consumers and small businesses
“The international community will have to BitDefender also reveals the following can now protect their sensitive information,”
he says. Van der Westhuizen says McAfee Application Security Centre software offers In addition to that, Pinnell mentions that
Anti-Theft was designed to enable con- highly advanced common components and the BitDefender distributor in the local
sumers and small businesses to use the assessment technology which gets to the core market, Holton & Associates, is continuously
product regardless of what security software of service-to-customer applications, quality focusing on channel distribution through
they already have installed. performance and security,” Pinnell says. training and special offers.
“McAfee has combined ease of use with He goes on to say that the assessment “Recurrently Holton & Associates are
data and information security to make it technology includes pre-built security poli- offering cross-grade pricing with the
simple for everyone in the family or small cies for more than 20 laws, regulations and BitDefender solutions and offers for licensing
business to secure personal and sensitive best practices and checks for vulnerabilities on a determined period,” he explains.
information quickly,” he says. like log injection, cross-site request forgery,
“Modifying malware to evade detection is session strength, secure socket layer certifi- Predictions
easy when dealing with an antivirus product cate issues, spam gateway detection and Otto predicts that there will be more
that relies exclusively on signatures. There brute force authentication attacks. complex blended attacks using e-mail,
have been a great deal of cases where mal- “Companies invest significantly in develop- websites, instant messaging and call centres
ware creators used automated tools to alter ing high-performance Web applications to fool users into revealing personal
the code responsible for the virus’ signature. which enable their customers to do business information or to install compromising
Bagle, Peed or Zbot are a few examples whenever and wherever they choose. While software on their computers.
where the malware or one of its components convenient, this 24/7 access has a critical “Because the main reason behind
suffered frequent alterations that allowed the drawback – it’s inherently insecure and easily e-threats is profit,” says Strugnell. There will
Trojan or virus to dodge signature-based compromised. The only way to win the war probably be a proliferation of malware
products. against attacks is to build safe and sustain- seeking to exploit systems’ vulnerabilities in
“As a countermeasure, security companies able applications from the start,” Pinnell says. terms of data protection. She says predicts
introduced heuristics and behaviour-based that Trojans, downloaders, key loggers as
technologies that made malware writers’ Security training and certification well as other types of spyware are most likely
job more difficult. Thus, a new or mutated Through its powerful regional customer sup- to dominate the threat landscape in the
breed of malware can be detected and port network, Strugnell says BitDefender months to come.
annihilated based on architectural or responds to various training needs from its “In terms of spam and phishing, in the
behavioural pattern rather than using a list customers and is always available to offer current context of the world economic crisis,
of known e-threats. This led to a drastic assistance. we expect to see a migration from targeting
decrease in the time lapse between the “In addition, through its network of tech- customers of large banks towards those
launching of malware and the issuing of an nology partners, the cost-effective working with smaller financial institutions as
antimalware signature update, also known BitDefender scanning engines are easily inte- well as increased targeting of users of
as window of exposure. BitDefender’s grated and deployed over numerous plat- e-commerce sites. Social networking
B-HAVE heuristics, for instance, detect 63
per cent of e-threats without needing a sig-
nature,” Strugnell says.
Pinnell says the HP Application Security “It seems that Web-based e-threats are the new mass
Centre delivers exceptional benefits in sup- mailers in terms of prevalence and the infection
porting the entire Web application lifecycle
from development to ongoing operations strategies that are used.” – Sally Strugnell, Holton
management and auditing.
According to him, such security products
and Associates.
identify vulnerabilities early in the software
lifecycle and help prevent new vulnerabilities
from being introduced throughout the life of forms and applications. Our experienced websites will also probably be heavily
the application. The software includes Development and Integration team can exploited as reputation theft or attack
advanced compliance reporting and testing assist and advise an organisation during the becomes a significant trend.
tools which support major laws, regulations implementation process by offering: minimal As for the other types of spam, we believe
and best practices. effort/resources for the integration through that in the near future we will see an
“While traditional application security API, detailed documentation of the API and increase in number, and variation in
scanners do well to find vulnerabilities in source code exemplification, the highest structure and approach of all types of spam:
some of the more mature Web technologies level of technical expertise and assistance, selling medicines, replica watches,
they lack the intelligence required to scan disinfection modules as well as an extensive diplomas, dating, software and many more,”
emerging Web 2.0 technologies. The HP archive support,” he says. Strugnell concludes.
BY DUDU SHABA
W
ith DDR3 technology prices expected to
drop, DDR is still the way to go as it is not
proprietary and leads on price/performance
and performance/power ratios. The fully
buffered DIMM (FB-DIMM), a proprietary
memory technology, is still too expensive,
generates too much heat and we expect it to
remain this way due to its inherent architec-
ture design. On the graphics side, GDDR is
pushing the envelope in terms of processing
and speed.
This is according to Imi Mosaheb, AMD
country general manager, South Africa.
Mosaheb says AMD has launched 45nm
in the server space and will soon be doing
the same in client products.
“AMD still leads in the processor space
with the integrated memory controller and
Direct Connect Architecture that allows us to
have a single-die, multi-core processor for
servers, desktops and notebooks,” he com-
ments.
He adds that virtualisation is driving high
memory density
“DIMM support with our integrated mem-
ory controller. AMD also leads in this seg-
ment in Rapid Virtual Indexing due to its inte-
grated memory controller,” he says.
Meanwhile, Intel has announced that it
has introduced its most advanced desktop
processor ever, the Intel Core i7 processor.
The Core i7 processor is the first member of Imi Mosaheb, AMD
a new family of Nehalem processor designs
and is the most sophisticated ever built, with “AMD still leads in the processor space with the
new technologies that boost performance on
demand and maximise data throughput. The integrated memory controller and Direct Connect
Core i7 processor speeds video editing, Architecture that allows us to have a single-die,
immersive games and other popular Internet
and computer activities by up to 40 per cent multi-core processor for servers, desktops and note-
without increasing power consumption.
books.” – Imi Mosaheb, AMD.
Broadly heralded by the computing indus-
BY DUDU SHABA
Frequency Identification (RFID) may think level tracking which should revolutionise
they will capitalise on others’ research, but SCM practices, introducing another level of
could instead find themselves struggling efficiencies never seen before. Through RFID
through hurried implementations at top rate technology companies can improve efficien-
because of time constraints and aggressive cy and visibility, cut costs, better use their
competition. assets, produce higher quality goods, reduce
She says that much of this predicted shrinkage or counterfeiting and increase
growth has been allocated to the retail sec- sales by reducing out-of-stocks,” she says.
tor, where RFID tags are replacing bar Thomson adds that RFID’s shortcomings
codes. Thomson explains that RFID technol- are steadily being resolved as the industry’s
ogy is based on a simple concept. vendors join together to make the technolo-
“RFID chips are radio devices that emit a gy more attractive. She says that costs are
unique ID when scanned at close range; gradually coming down as the technology
these chips are inserted into tags that can be matures and frequency conflicts are also
attached to almost anything. The appropri- becoming less of an issue as vendors and
ate scanner then reads large numbers of government agencies work together to
these tags simultaneously. Shopping smooth out global differences.
becomes quicker and easier as entire trolleys “Although item-level use is currently
can be scanned at once instead of individu- expensive, the tagging of returnable trans-
ally scanning each product, bringing a port items, like pallets and crates, is now
reduction in costs for the retailer and economically viable. Widespread use of
increasing convenience for the consumer,” RFID thus only awaits the emergence of
she says. common standards and readability,”
she says.
“Since RFID will have a great impact
on the processes and IT systems of
“Since RFID will have a great impact on the processes companies, it is necessary that they prepare
themselves. Educating retailers about the
and IT systems of companies, it is necessary that they benefits and potential of the technology is
prepare themselves. Educating retailers about the bene- also important as well as ironing out issues
like standardisation.”
fits and potential of the technology is also important as Mark Kelly, MD, Motorola, SA, says that
well as ironing out issues like standardisation.” while there is little doubt that SA’s leading
retailers will adopt RFID technology, many of
them are looking at it but at this stage price
is still a consideration.
There certainly are pros and cons at this “UHF frequencies were approved only in
stage of the game though. Thomson out- July this year for SA, and it is still too early to
lines some of these: see any adoption in the retail market. Also,
RFID pros: there are still challenges around the costs of
No line-of-sight scanning. the tags and complexity of the technology,”
Reduction in labour. he says.
Enhanced visibility.
Improved inventory management. Opportunities
RFID cons: As POS gets to the next level, Kelly, says
A costly solution which lacks standardi- that the shopping experience, sales
sation. associate VOIP communication devices
A small number of suppliers are cur- for in-store and store to store communica-
rently developing end-to-end solutions. tions, micro information kiosks for customer-
Adverse deployment issues. facing applications for price look ups,
Privacy concerns. product information and in store helpdesks,
portable personal shopping for self-
“Irrespective of these factors, the ultimate scanning, self-checkout and gift registry will
aim of RFID in supply chain management result in solution providers offering a more
(SCM) is to see the establishment of item- complete solution.
BY DUDU SHABA
O
ne of the major forces behind the demand
for drives for servers is the need for more
storage. In the past, servers had only a
“Exchange server growth doubles each year as a result
of increases in use of e-mail and e-commerce.” –
limited expansion capacity for internal Kobus Kitshoff, Comztek
drives, which forced companies to upgrade
more frequently.
Newer applications use a lot more space
and generate larger documents, according
to Kobus Kitshoff, channel manager at
Comztek. He says the continuous demand
for better GUI has resulted in servers with
more processing power and memory.
“Typically, exchange server growth doubles
each year as a result of increases in use of
e-mail and e-commerce,” he says.
Greg Pothitos, GM, HP ESG, Tarsus
Technologies says despite the serious
economic slowdown SA is presently facing,
the higher performing hardware technologies
and dramatic price drops are generating a
great deal of excitement.
“It now makes more sense for an SME to
invest in a fully fledged server rather than
repurposing a high-end desktop for server-
centric tasks,” he says.
He adds that hardware developments such
as Intel’s six-core Nehalem-based processor
are also driving interest.
“For starters, these processors are far
more power efficient than their predecessors,”
he says.
“With electricity costs rising, companies
realise there’s more to choosing a server
technology than its upfront acquisition cost
and accompanying performance.
Furthermore, with virtualisation becoming
such a hot-button for SMEs and larger
customers alike, the demand for more
processor cores is definitely on the increase. Kobus Kitshoff, Comztek
M
icrosoft recently started selling some of its
products to US customers through an online
storefront for the first time in its history. While
most channel partners don’t see this as a
economy,” he says. Representatives from
distributors D&H and Tech Data couldn’t be
reached for comment.
Windows Server 2008 and System Center
solution provider ITSynergy. “I have no doubt
that companies like us add value to the
transaction by helping the customer to
navigate that maze.”
threat to their businesses, some speculate that Essentials are the only products currently But despite Microsoft’s channel-friendly
distributors might view things differently. listed in the Business section of Microsoft’s track record, some partners see the Microsoft
The Microsoft Store lets customers buy and Online Store, but on the purchasing options Store as a definitive step on Microsoft’s part
download products via Electronic Software Web page for Small Business Server, toward establishing a more direct relationship
Distribution (ESD) and also get direct Microsoft indicates that Small Business Server with consumers. “Do you think that bankruptcy
shipments. Microsoft says the store will help will be available for online purchase some- of Circuit City and CompUSA had anything
customers save on shipping costs and time in the future. to do with the idea that Microsoft needs to go
alleviate their fears of not having the software If the Microsoft Store is successful, “there’s at it alone to reach the end customer?” wrote
on physical media to reinstall at a later time.
Partners can now buy all server and related
licences from Microsoft directly for customers
that have an existing licence and need to “Going down this path, as companies like Dell and
move to another SKU, says Mark Crall,
president of Charlotte Tech Care Team, a
Symantec have recently proven, is a potentially
Microsoft partner. slippery slope that can cause an irreversible
Crall doesn’t think Microsoft’s goal is to
cut out distributors or partners, and says the backlash from channel partners.” – Mark Crall,
Microsoft Store makes sense if it can simplify
Charlotte Tech Care Team
the process of choosing and acquiring the
right licences for customers, and deliver them
at a lower cost.
“When Microsoft can provide the value- really no reason for Microsoft not to start Vlad Mazek, a Microsoft Exchange MVP and
added service that a distributor – or even a offering the higher end products,” Rue says. CEO of Own Web Now, an Orlando,
partner – uses to justify their margins, then Some VARs see the Microsoft store as wel- Florida-based solution provider, in a recent
why wouldn’t they?” Crall asks. come relief from licensing complexity woes. blog post.
Chris Rue, CEO of Black Warrior Jim Liska, sales manager at Orlantech, an “Microsoft has effectively shot the middle-
Technology, a Northport, Ala-based solution Orlando, Florida-based solution provider and man that stood in the way of its direct
provider and Microsoft partner, says any Microsoft Gold partner, says the Microsoft relationship with the user – if you are that
conflict will likely be confined to the big-box Store will help him save time by eliminating middleman, your days are unfortunately
retail channel and office supply stores. “All the need to navigate Microsoft’s Byzantine numbered,” Mazek wrote.
the stuff available from the Microsoft Store licensing programs. If Microsoft does attempt to fill the shoes of
right now is the same stuff you see in the “After a decade of selling Microsoft its channel partners, the company had better
aisles of those types of stores,” Rue says. products, I still have trouble with licensing include potential collateral damage in its ROI
However, Rue says there are “deep-rang- issues, and my customers would prefer to calculations, according to Crall.
ing effects” associated with the Microsoft leave that to someone else,” Liska says. “Going down this path, as companies like
Store, which could potentially reach down to “The number of different choices Dell and Symantec have recently proven, is a
distributor level. “I’m not sure this is the type customers have when shopping for software potentially slippery slope that can cause an
of news anyone selling Microsoft products in is mind-boggling,” agrees Michael irreversible backlash from channel partners,”
any quantity wants to see in the current Cocanower, president of Phoenix-based Crall says.
As the number of iPods increases, so does the number of speaker Logitech’s reputation and track record when it comes to sound, but
options available for the mobile digital music players. after the quick set up I quickly remembered why I like the brand
Some speaker options tend to be a little complicated as if the so much.
designers forgot the concept of plug and play, but speakers such as The Pure-Fi Express Plus omnidirectional speaker delivers great
Logitech’s Pure-Fi Express Plus live up to that concept. sound that can fill a reasonably sized room and is compatible with
Even with the simplicity with which it was designed, the speakers all iPods as well as the first-generation iPhone and new 3G iPhones.
offer omnidirectional acoustics. The Pure-Fi Express Plus’ omnidirectional acoustics is a technolo-
It is so portable that it can be taken almost anywhere even on a gy that was previously only found in expensive home-theatre sys-
summer holiday or can simply be put on a nightstand. tems. Omnidirectional acoustics transmit sound evenly in all direc-
This device is simple to use, because it only has speaker function- tions.
ality, a clock and a very basic remote control that controls the This speaker dock is perfect for music lovers who charge and lis-
decked device be it an iPod or iPhone (play, stop, forward, back ten to their iPod or iPhone when they are at home, at work, or even
and volume). in their backyards. The Pure-Fi Express Plus allows users to enjoy
The wireless remote control has a range of up to 10 metres and rich, articulate sound and minimal distortion indoors or outdoors.
lets users instantly adjust volume, play, pause, fast forward, rewind, For ease of use, the Pure-Fi Express Plus can run on AC or bat-
as well as offering Shuffle and Repeat buttons. tery power and includes an integrated handle, making it easy for
At first I was deceived by the size and almost forgot about users to shift their listening from room to room.