Cross Channel: Public Cloud Growth And Extreme Networks Purchase

Welcome to Cross Channel, a weekly round up of the most pertinent stories from our sister site ChannelBiz, where you can find out all the latest developments, views and strategies from the world of the channel.

Gartner: Public cloud market to hit £157bn in 2016

Public cloud services are expected to surge in growth by 17.2 percent in 2016, to create a market worth a hefty $208.6 billion (£157.23bn), according to analyst house Gartner.

IT modernisation will be the driver behind this growth, followed by the need for more technology innovation, agility and cost savings motivating organisations to adopt the public cloud.

“Growth of public cloud is supported by the fact that organisations are saving 14 percent of their budgets as an outcome of public cloud adoption,” said Sid Nag, research director at Gartner.

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Extreme Networks buys Zebras Wi-Fi business for £42m

Extreme Networks has acquired Zebra’s wireless LAN business in an all-cash transaction of $55 million (£42.58m) in a deal that will reduce the latter’s debt. Extreme predicts the assets will generate more than $115m a year – more than double what it is paid.

Zebra will now focus on mobile computers, scanners and printers, RFID systems, and software and services for identifying, tracking and managing critical assets, people and transactions.

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OpenText buys Dell’s content division for £1.22bn

OpenText is acquiring Dell Technologies’ enterprise content division (ECD), including the Documentum business for $1.62 billion (£1.22bn).

The move can be seen as Dell continuing to raise funds to pay for its mammoth $60 billion takeover of EMC, just completed, by offloading non-core businesses, and enterprise information management (EIM) company OpenText expanding into new markets.

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HPE gets new UK MD as it revamps partner programme

HPE has appointed a new managing director for the UK and Ireland and made further changes to its channel partner programme.

The company has made Marc Waters UK&I MD and VP, Enterprise Group UK&I. Waters had been acting UK&I MD for a short while following Andy Isherwood’s promotion to MD for Hewlett Packard Enterprise in EMEA. The change is effective immediately.

HPE has also unveiled a series of Partner Ready programme updates and expansions that will help partners “achieve the accelerated growth and business opportunities they’re looking for,” HPE said.

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