PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
Five for Friday is a weekly feature to give a brief roundup of our top five stories from the week that you might have missed. Think we left anything out? Let us know your favourite stories of the week by pinging us a tweet @pcr_online.
Intel, Google and Qualcomm boosted by court’s decision on antitrust ruling
Intel was given a boost when Europe’s top court sent the EU’s antitrust regulators case against the US chipmaker back to court for an appeal. In a rare blow for the regulators, the ramifications could set a president for similar cases against Qualcomm and Google.
The EU Court of Justice (ECJ) said that the court which upheld a €1 billion fine against Intel must re-examine the company’s appeal.
Who’s responsible for cybersecurity?
In the wake of the WannaCry and ‘NotPetya’ attacks, Rob Horgan asks the Channel if cyber security experts can get ahead of the hackers
Prevention or cure? It is an age-old question, but has never been so relevant to the technology sector as it is right now. It has already been proven that the WannaCry ransomware attack that hit systems around the world was not a one off. Just weeks later the ‘NotPetya’ virus infected systems in Russia, Europe, the US (and everywhere in between), leading IT security experts to signal the dawn of a new era.
WhatsApp opens new retail channel with business accounts
WhatsApp, the Facebook-owned instant messaging service, yesterday announced that it is to create verified business accounts, making official – and monetised – a practice that has long been employed by all manner of businesses.
In a blog post, WhatsApp explains that of its one billion daily users, "more people are using the app to communicate with businesses they care about". The post gives examples of "shopkeepers who use WhatsApp to stay in touch with hundreds of customers from a single smartphone" and shoppers "placing an order with a local bakery or looking at new styles from a clothing store". However, it’s also noted that without a way of verifying contacts, customers are left unsure about whether or not the business is authentic.
IT companies Firstnet and Select Data Centres complete merger
Putting the Yorkshire-Lancashire rivalry to oneside, Leeds-based Firstnet and Manchester-based Select Data Centres have joined forces. The two IT companies will now operate under the name of Firstnet Group.
The deal combines Select’s specialist expertise in data centre design and construction with Firstnet’s service expertise in connectivity, networks, managed IT, cloud platforms, system co-location and disaster recovery. The new company is based at Firstnet’s HQ in Leeds which includes a 20,000 sq ft data centre and workplace recovery facility designed and built by Select.
Ingram Micro launches new HP as a Service platform
Ingram Micro on Wednesday announced the launch of the new ‘HP as a Service’ platform in collaboration with HP.
The programme is a self-service platform for resellers to provide an end user quotation, for an end to end solution on HP products and Ingram services with competitive leasing rates. It enables resellers to obtain a quick, accurate quotation without the need to contact the supplier’s various platforms, as the Ingram HPaaS platform is fully integrated into Ingram’s and leasing providers ERP systems.
