Cross Channel: GDPR Complacency And Windows XP Popularity

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.

UK Businesses Passing The Buck When It Comes To GDPR

UK businesses are falling into traps of complacency when it comes to preparing for the upcoming Global Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), according to new research.

A report by NTT Security, the security division of NTT Group, claims UK firms are still unsure on what to do to ensure full compliance ahead of the May 25, 2018 deadline. While some have proactively implemented programmes, gaps still exist, leaving them vulnerable to fines of up to €20 million or four percent of their annual global turnover, whichever is higher.

“Complacency could well become an organisation’s new enemy,” said Rob Bickmore, principal security consultant at NTT Security. “Businesses know that GDPR is fast approaching, but there is uncertainty as to what specifically is required and where the focus needs to be.”

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HPE Unveils Changes to Channel Partner Compensation in EMEA

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) changed its compensation system with a new programme based on rebates calculated at net price. The programme is part of the vendor’s EMEA Partner Ready programme

“Partners are looking to earn more, protect their investments and increase their value to their customers,” said Carlo Giorgi, vice president channel, Service Providers & SMB, Enterprise Group, HPE EMEA.

“Our Partner Ready programme increases our partners’ profitability and makes it easy to do business with us. The new compensation programme combined with the latest training into our key innovations and partnerships underlines our leadership position in the IT channel.”

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Half of Businesses Still Running Unsupported Windows XP

More than half of businesses worldwide are still running Windows XP – and nearly ten percent are running Windows Vista.

Research by Spiceworks reveals that despite many organisations upgrading their PCs to newer operating systems like Windows 10, some are still running outdated systems that can leave their corporate networks more vulnerable to security threats, with support for Windows XP ending in April 2014, and support for Windows Vista ending on April 11, 2017.

Peter Tsai, senior technology analyst at Spiceworks said: “Although some IT departments aren’t able to upgrade on time due to a lack of time or budget, it’s critical for IT professionals to make a business case for more resources, given the security risks of running operating systems with unpatched vulnerabilities.”

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