5 Companies That Came To Win This Week

For the week ending Aug. 7, CRN takes a look at the companies that brought their ‘A’ game to the channel.

The Week Ending Aug. 7

Topping this week’s Came to Win list are Intel and VMware for their collaborative effort to develop the vRAN platform to accelerate LTE and 5G installations.

Also making the list are solution provider powerhouse Presidio for an acquisition that expands its cloud consulting expertise; networking equipment maker Uplevel Systems for providing customers with more equipment purchase options; solution provider Vistex for receiving a capital investment from software giant SAP; and data center service provider Equinix for achieving a higher-level partner status with Google Cloud.

Intel, VMware Seek To Accelerate 5G With New vRAN Platform

Intel and VMware this week debuted a new integrated software platform for virtualized Radio Access Networks with an eye toward helping communications service providers accelerate the rollout of LTE and 5G cellular networks.

The two companies collaborated to develop vRAN, saying that software-defined, virtualized infrastructure will help service providers lower operational costs and launch next-generation networks more quickly.

As part of the new alliance, Intel and VMware are also working together to build programmable open interfaces that use Intel’s FlexRAN software reference architecture and VMware’s RAN Intelligent Controller. The goal is to help service providers address such use cases as real-time resource management, traffic steering and dynamic slicing.

Presidio Acquires Coda Global To Boost Cloud Consulting Biz

Solution provider powerhouse Presidio made a savvy acquisition this week that will take the company’s cloud consulting business to the next level.

Presidio acquired Dallas-based Coda Global, which provides customers with expertise needed to accelerate their cloud transformation initiatives—including migrating legacy applications to the cloud and custom application development—using its DevOptimized approach.

Coda Global partners with Amazon Web Services, IBM, Red Hat, Microsoft and Google. Presidio, a top Cisco Systems partner, touted the strategic advantage it will gain by combining Coda Global’s skills with its own solutions portfolio in cloud, security and digital infrastructure.

Uplevel Systems Offers New IT Buying Model That Gives MSP Customers Opex, Capex Options

Networking startup Uplevel Systems, a provider of as-a-service IT solutions through the channel, wins applause for its new purchasing model that helps MSPs provide their customers with more buying options.

Uplevel Systems launched the Equipment Purchase Program that gives customers the new option of buying hardware up front, in addition to the current option of paying for equipment via monthly subscription.

Uplevel Systems, which does all of its business through MSP partners, said the goal of the Equipment Purchase Program is to provide customers with options and flexibility.

The Equipment Purchase Program is designed to provide an additional equipment acquisition option for companies with different business models and cash-flow situations—especially those that prefer to reduce ongoing expenses through capital purchases. The plan is expected to particularly appeal to businesses and organizations that need to procure much-needed IT products for distributed offices or work-from-home employees.

SAP Invests In Vistex, Providing ISV Partner With Additional Capital

Vistex, an independent software vendor that develops software that works with SAP’s core ERP applications, won the ultimate endorsement this week when SAP acquired a minority stake in the company.

Vistex already holds the elite rank of Solution Extensions Partner within SAP’s partner ecosystem and its applications are sold by SAP on its own price list, as well as being available through the SAP App Center. An SAP partner for 16 years, Vistex won SAP’s 2020 Pinnacle Award for SAP Solution Extensions Partner of the Year–Customer Experience.

But SAP went even further this week when it acquired a minority stake of undisclosed value in the Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based partner. That provides Vistex with additional capital the company plans to use for expanded research and development and accelerated sales and marketing efforts as the company extends its products to the cloud.

Data Center Giant Equinix Achieves Google Cloud Premier Partner Status

And speaking of taking vendor-partner relationships to the next level, data center service provider Equinix has stepped up its partnership with Google Cloud, this week earning Premier Partner status with the cloud platform vendor in a development that will benefit Equinix’s own partners.

Equinix, a Redwood City, Calif.-based data center colocation and interconnection provider, currently hosts 35 percent of the world’s on-ramps to Google Cloud. The company has been a Google Cloud Partner since 2014 and is part of Google Cloud’s Partner Interconnect initiative.

Equinix’s new status signals a higher level of investment in its Google Cloud practice. Google Cloud Premier Partners demonstrate the top levels of technical expertise and impact with Google Cloud and receive extended benefits and enjoy access to higher levels of support and services.