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March 11, 2013

News for the IT Industry

Today's Tech Buzz

How to make hybrid pricing work with IT services deals
Traditional pricing strategies for IT services aren't working well for customers or resellers, especially in light of cloud-based options. So both sides are beginning to embrace more hybrid pricing approaches, though some challenges come with the move. Tech firms need to make sure their pricing aligns with customers' needed services, experts say. CIO.com (3/8)

Technology & Trends

How MSPs can succeed in the disaster-recovery market
Managed-services providers in the disaster-recovery and backup business can't stay idle, says James Watson, CEO of BlackPoint IT Services, who argues that flexibility is key. "We customize for each customer and it ranges from 100% on-site to 100% in the cloud and everything in between," Watson says. MSP Mentor (3/8)

Fujifilm may be an ally in Microsoft's touch strategy
Fujifilm Holdings' touch-screen display innovations may help Microsoft and PCs that run Windows 8 because of the lower price points, Ian King writes. "The entire industry has been looking for a replacement for [indium tin oxide] for years," Williams Financial Group analyst Cody Acree says. Bloomberg Businessweek (3/11)

IT Channel

Patience, persistence are seen as key to prospecting
Seeking sales prospects is a challenging but crucial part of the job for resellers, Kendra Lee writes. Resellers must realize the need to customize the sales pitch and to nurture the customer relationship, Lee writes. The VAR Guy (3/8)

IT Workforce

Hyatt Hotels IT exec talks creativity
Hyatt Hotels IT executive Armand Rabinowitz says his job demands innovative thinking and requires him to facilitate solutions to business problems. "Really what I do is IT innovation," Rabinowitz says. Computerworld (3/11)

Undergraduates continue to flock to computer science
More undergraduates are enrolling in computer science programs, according to the Computing Research Association, which reports a 29% increase in new enrollments this year compared with last year, the fifth consecutive year of enrollment gains. Computerworld (3/8)

Policy Watch

China: New rules are needed to combat cyberattacks
China's leaders say they want global rules and collaborative action to combat cyberattacks, and that claims that China is responsible for hacking and espionage incidents against the U.S. aren't true. "Cyberspace needs not war, but rules and cooperation. We oppose cyberspace becoming a new battlefield and ... using the Internet as a new tool to interfere in another country's internal affairs," said Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (3/10), CIO.com/IDG News Service (3/11)

U.S. expands cybersecurity information sharing under executive order
Defense contractors Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have joined a Department of Homeland Security information sharing program formed by President Barack Obama's executive order on cybersecurity, which will give the companies access to classified data needed to prevent cyberattacks. AT&T and CenturyLink are also taking part in the initiative. Participants in the DHS Enhanced Cybersecurity Services program will receive information such as coding and timestamps utilized in attacks, which they can use to bolster their cybersecurity offerings. Bloomberg (3/11)

CompTIA News

CompTIA unveils new name for IT Channel's premier event
CompTIA has unveiled CompTIA ChannelCon as the new name and identity for its premier annual event. The inaugural CompTIA ChannelCon is scheduled for July 29 to 31 at the Peabody Orlando Hotel in Orlando, Fla. "Our premier event, known for many years as Breakaway, now has a name that truly reflects its scope," said Kelly Ricker, senior vice president, events and education, CompTIA. "The quality of the meetings, partnership opportunities, hot topic sessions and channel-neutral training make ChannelCon an unparalleled experience in the IT industry." Read on.

Yahoo bans telecommuting ahead of Telework Week
The trending workplace story late last month was Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer's decision to discontinue the company's telecommuting option. The news was oddly timed, as last week was Telework Week, an annual initiative -- endorsed by Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md., author of the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 -- that encourages government agencies, businesses and individuals to pledge to telework. Click here to read more about how telecommuting continues to be more widely adapted even as some such as Mayer question its value.

CompTIA's IT Hall of Fame inducts three new members
Technology innovators who helped make wireless computing and database management possible and a pioneer in franchising for the computer reseller market are the newest members of CompTIA's IT Hall of Fame. This year's inductees are Victor Hayes, the "father of WiFi," dBase designer C. Wayne Ratliff and Jim Ciccarelli, who helped transform the IT reseller franchise model. Read their stories.

CompTIA IT SmartStat: March 11, 2013
57% of companies say that creating an ability to reach employees at any time has been a benefit of adopting mobility solutions. CompTIA IT SmartStat

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