CRN’s 2021 Tech Midyear In Review

2021 Year So Far

2021 is halfway over and it’s been an eventful six months in the technology world and in the channel, with the COVID-19 pandemic still front and center. From the hottest startups to the coolest products, join CRN as we look at the biggest stories impacting the channel in the first six months of 2021.

THE BIGGEST NEWS STORIES OF 2021 (SO FAR)

The 10 Biggest News Stories Of 2021 (So Far)
While the COVID-19 pandemic and its repercussions have continued into 2021, the biggest news stories this year include major cybersecurity attacks, leadership changes at major IT vendors, and accelerating industry trends such as as-a-service and cloud market adoption.

The 10 Biggest Tech M&A Deals Of 2021 (So Far)
Here’s a look at the biggest tech mergers and acquisitions that have been announced, completed or are still in the works in 2021 (so far).

The 10 Biggest Data Breaches Of 2021 (So Far)
More than 98.2 million individuals were impacted by the 10 biggest data breaches in the first half of 2021, with three of the 10 largest breaches occurring at technology companies.

The 10 Biggest Apple News Stories Of 2021 (So Far)
From Apple’s product updates and business momentum to the increase in antitrust and regulatory pressure, here are the top Apple news stories we’ve been tracking so far this year.

The 10 Biggest 5G News Stories Of 2021 (So Far)
With 5G-capable devices hitting the market, partnerships between technology and service providers emerging, and carriers aggressively covering the nation with their 5G footprints, 2021 has been the year that 5G has gone from buzzword, to mainstream.

The 10 Biggest Cloud Computing News Stories Of 2021 (So Far)
CRN breaks down the top cloud computing news midway through the year, from a new Amazon Web Services CEO, a channel chief change for Microsoft and the resignation of IBM’s president, to the U.S. Department of Defense’s JEDI contract cancellation, spin-off plans by Dell Technologies and a key HPE acquisition.

The 10 Biggest Nvidia News Stories Of 2021 (So Far)
It’s only halfway through 2021, and it’s already been a blockbuster year for Nvidia, which is increasingly becoming a bigger player in the world of computing with new enterprise software, programs and GPUs as well as data processing units and eventually CPUs.

The 10 Biggest Semiconductor News Stories Of 2021 (So Far)
The global chip shortage is easily the biggest story of the semiconductor industry this year, but there have been plenty of other major developments, including new product reveals, market share shakeups, mergers and acquisitions, new strategies, reorganizations and a new CEO for one of the most critical semiconductor companies in the industry.

The 10 Biggest Salesforce News Stories Of 2021 (So Far)
Salesforce continued to make headlines in the first half of 2021, with the company’s $27.7 billion Slack acquisition and record earnings topping the list of the biggest stories so far this year.

The 10 Biggest Oracle News Stories Of 2021 (So Far)
CRN takes a look at some of the biggest stories involving Oracle this year so far. One executive at an Oracle partner says the company‘s aggressive push into cloud services across public, private and edge has made the tech giant “an increasingly popular choice” for its hybrid cloud users.

The 10 Biggest IoT News Stories Of 2021 (So Far)
Acquisitions in the IoT security space, major IoT product launches and a big partnership for Intel were among the top news stories in the IoT market for the year so far.

The Top 10 VMware News Stories Of 2021 (So Far)
From soaring sales and acquisitions to major executive departures and a new CEO, here are the top ten biggest VMware news stories of 2021.

The 10 Biggest Data Breaches Of 2021 (So Far)
More than 98.2 million individuals were impacted by the 10 biggest data breaches in the first half of 2021, with three of the 10 largest breaches occurring at technology companies.

The 10 Biggest Intel News Stories Of 2021 (So Far)
A look at the 10 biggest news stories that have helped define 2021 so far for Intel, from a big product delay to several substantial changes enacted by new CEO Pat Gelsinger.

The 10 Biggest Cybersecurity Acquisitions Of 2021 (So Far)
Private equity goliaths, SPACs, and pure-play security mainstays spent nearly $31 billion on the year‘s top cybersecurity acquisitions, placing big bets on securing networks and endpoints as well as managing employee and customer access.

The 10 Biggest AMD News Stories Of 2021 (So Far)
From new CPU launches to big wins in cloud and high-performance computing, AMD has already had a really big year that continues to put Intel under pressure. CRN reviews the 10 biggest AMD news stories that have happened in 2021 so far.

The Best Tech Stocks – And The Worst – In 2021 (So Far)
Here is a look at the 10 tech company stocks that recorded the biggest gains in the first half of 2021 – and the eight companies that saw stock price declines.

The Top 10 Telecom Mergers And Acquisitions Of 2021 (So Far)
From the country’s largest carriers, to the regional players, service providers are prioritizing their core telecom businesses through fiber and infrastructure buys, and divestitures of assets unrelated to connectivity. Here’s 10 of the biggest telecom deals we’ve seen so far this year.

The 10 Biggest Cisco News Stories Of 2021 (So Far)
From seismic shifts in IT selling motions, to the biggest channel program changes in more than a decade and some M&A activity along the way, check out how tech behemoth Cisco has spent the first half of the year.

The 10 Biggest Cloud Outages Of 2021 (So Far)
‘Outages can mean the end for companies, depending on their choices in design and deployment, or they can be complete non-events,’ Miles Ward, chief technology officer at Los Angeles-based Google partner SADA Systems, tells CRN. ‘Cloud has changed the nature of outages.’

The 10 Top Dell Technologies News Stories Of 2021 (So Far)
From CEO Michael Dell spreading his entrepreneurial wings to Apex and Dell’s spin-off of VMware, here are the top 10 Dell Technologies news stories of 2021.

THE HOTTEST PRODUCTS OF 2021 (SO FAR)

The 10 Coolest New Dell Products Of 2021 (So Far)
From new Latitude laptops and webcams to PowerEdge servers and PowerStore, here are the ten hottest new Dell Technologies products that hit the market in 2021.

The 10 Hottest SSD And Flash Storage Products Of 2021 (So Far)
Flash storage continues to mature as vendors including Dell EMC, IBM, Infinidat, and Pure Storage adopt the latest technologies, including NVMe, aimed at either fostering increased performance or increased security.

The 10 Coolest 5G Devices Of 2021 (So Far)
IT vendors this year began flooding the market with 5G-capable smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Check out ten of the coolest 5G devices you can find today.

The 6 Coolest Laptop CPUs Of 2021 (So Far)
A look at the coolest CPUs that are pushing the limit for laptops with faster clock speeds, bigger caches and other features for consumer, commercial, workstation and gaming segments.

The 10 Coolest Machine Learning Tools Of 2021 (So Far)
Developing and deploying machine learning models can be a complex chore. Here are 10 cool machine learning software tools that have caught our attention this year.

The 10 Coolest AI Chips Of 2021 (So Far)
Nvidia may hold the crown in the AI chip market right now, but there are many companies hoping to outgun the GPU juggernaut with new, unique processor architectures. CRN takes a look at the coolest AI chips this year so far, from vendors both small and large.

The 10 Hottest Google Cloud Tools Of 2021 (So Far)
CRN highlights some of the top new Google Cloud products and services to watch this year.

The 10 Hottest Collaboration Tools Of 2021 (So Far)
After nearly a year and a half that showed the world just how crucial collaboration tools are, market leaders and specialists have been bringing their A games to the table in the form of UCaaS and video solutions packed full of features that users want.

The 10 Coolest Enterprise AI Platforms Of 2021 (So Far)
As demand surges for enterprise AI software, we’ve rounded some of the top platforms from vendors including AWS, DataRobot, Google Cloud, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM and Microsoft.

The 10 Coolest Business Analytics Tools Of 2021 (So Far)
The ability to analyze ever-growing volumes of data – data that’s increasingly spread across hybrid-cloud and multi-cloud systems – is critical for businesses to remain competitive today. Here are 10 business analytics tools that caught our attention in 2021 to help meet those challenges.

The 10 Coolest New Phones Of 2021 (So Far)
Top new phones for 2021 so far include devices in Samsung’s Galaxy S21 series and Galaxy A series, as well as the OnePlus 9 series.

The 10 Hottest Smart Home Gadgets Of 2021 (So Far)
CRN looks at the hottest smart home gadgets of this year so far, including a new home health lab that provides health recommendations and a device that helps people make better sourdough starters.

The 10 Coolest New AWS Tools Of 2021 (So Far)
CRN highlights some of the top new Amazon Web Services products and services to watch this year.

The 10 Coolest Open-Source Software Tools Of 2021 (So Far)
CRN’s list of 10 coolest open-source tools in 2021 so far include python-based restore tooling from Aiven and cloud-use cost visibility from Stackwatch.

The 10 Coolest IoT Devices And Products Of 2021 (So Far)
CRN looks at some of the coolest IoT devices and products that were released or introduced this year so far, ranging from consumer devices to industrial IoT platforms.

The 10 Coolest New Networking Products Of 2021 (So Far)
The pandemic prompted a slew of new networking offerings to come to market that embraced emerging trends, such as multi-cloud, AI, edge networking and automation. Here’s 10 new networking products that solution providers should know about.

The 10 Coolest Big Data Tools Of 2021 (So Far)
Managing ever-growing volumes of data continues to be a challenge for business and organizations. Here are 10 cool big data management tools and platforms that have caught our attention.

The 10 Coolest DevOps Tools Of 2021 (So Far)
CRN takes a look at a sampling of some of the coolest DevOps tools so far this year.

The 10 Coolest Cloud Security Tools Of 2021 (So Far)
The 10 coolest cloud security tools to hit the market in 2021 (so far) can discover critical data located in the public cloud, centrally manage Amazon Web Services EC2 instances in real-time, and visualize and prioritize cloud security risks.

The 10 Coolest Enterprise Servers Of 2021 (So Far)
Here are the coolest enterprise servers launched in 2021 that you need to know about.

The 10 Coolest Wearable Tech Gadgets Of 2021 (So Far)
Our picks for the top smart wearable gadgets of the year so far include devices from Amazon, Beats, Google, Samsung and Lenovo.

The 10 Hottest Hyperconverged Infrastructure Systems Of 2021 (So Far)
From Nutanix and VMware to Dell Technologies and Lenovo, here’s the 10 hottest hyperconverged infrastructure systems of 2021 so far.

The 10 Hottest New Cybersecurity Tools And Products Of 2021 (So Far)
The 10 cybersecurity tools and products making noise in the market have emphasized extended detection and response, multi-cloud visibility, passwordless authentication and risk management services.

THE HOTTEST STARTUPS OF 2021 (SO FAR)

The 10 Hottest Tech Startups Of 2021 (So Far)
From cloud and edge to networking and security, here are CRN’s picks for the top tech startups that solution providers should know about right now.

The 10 Hottest Kubernetes Startups Of 2021 (So Far)
Here are 10 Kubernetes startups that have made headlines as they came out of stealth or unveiled their first Kubernetes-focused management, storage and Kubernetes-as-a-service offering.

The 10 Hottest Cloud Computing Startups Of 2021 (So Far)
The cloud computing startups, all of which recently landed venture capital funding, range from an MLOps company that emerged from stealth mode in April to an IoT cloud platform provider for hardware developers to a cloud cost management software company.

The 10 Hottest Data Storage Startups Of 2021 (So Far)
CRN’s list of 10 data storage startups that made recent headlines as they came out of stealth or unveiled their first cloud storage, disaster recovery, and other innovations includes companies that story and protect data, manage it, or make it useful.

The 10 Hottest Data Science And Machine Learning Startups of 2021 (So Far)
Businesses looking to bring the rewards of big data analysis to everyday users need ways to prepare and organize data and develop machine learning models for analyzing it. Here’s a look at 10 hot startups developing leading-edge data science and machine learning technologies that help them do that.

The 10 Coolest Robotics Startups Of 2021 (So Far)
Makers of robots for construction, landscaping, e-commerce fulfillment and pizza-making are featured on our list of notable startups in the sector.

The 10 Hottest SaaS Startups Of 2021 (So Far)
CRN gives a rundown of the 10 hottest software-as-a-service startups so far this year: from CodeSignal, whose software helps recruiters test software development job candidates, to Zuper, the maker of field services deployment software.

The 10 Hottest IoT Startups Of 2021 (So Far)
These IoT startups are gaining momentum for solutions that range from advanced analytics and industrial data management to agentless device security and asset monitoring.

The 10 Hottest DevOps Startups Of 2021 (So Far)
Here are 10 hot DevOps startups on the market today that are aiding the collaboration between developers and operators.

The 10 Hottest Mobile Startups Of 2021 (So Far)
Startups with new approaches to mobile messaging and collaboration, security, productivity and device management are included on our list of 2021’s most notable mobile tech startups so far.

The 10 Hottest AI Startups Of 2021 (So Far)
Aisera, the producer of conversational AI and RPA tools. Eightfold.AI, which offers a way to manage the talent and skills of employees. And Soul Machines, creator of lifelike digital avatars. See who else made CRN’s annual list of the hottest AI startups of 2021 so far.

The 10 Hottest Big Data Startups Of 2021 (So Far)
Businesses are looking to next-generation databases, data management tools and big data analytics software to help them leverage huge volumes to gain a competitive edge. Here’s a look at 10 hot startups developing leading-edge technologies that help solution providers and customers meet their big data challenges.

The 10 Hottest Semiconductor Startups Of 2021 (So Far)
These startups are taking on semiconductor heavyweights like Intel and Nvidia with new kinds of silicon solutions for compute, storage and networking, many of which are headed for the data center.

The 10 Hottest Cloud Security Startups Of 2021 (So Far)
The 10 hottest cloud security startups include companies providing centralized insights, anomaly detection and compliance across multi-cloud environments, and protecting AWS, Azure and GCP workloads.

The 10 Hottest Networking Startups Of 2021 (So Far)
With hybrid cloud and edge networking top of mind, here are 10 enterprise networking upstarts MSPs should know about that are making their mark on 2021 so far.

The 10 Hottest Cybersecurity Startups Of 2021 (So Far)
The 10 hottest cybersecurity startups include companies thwarting vulnerabilities early in the development life cycle, protecting SaaS applications regardless of device or location, and managing and securing identities, access and privileges.

The 10 Hottest Edge Computing Startups Of 2021 (So Far)
From SASE and AI to semiconductors and edge data centers, here are ten of the hottest edge computing startups in 2021 that you should know about.