5 Companies That Came To Win This Week

The Week Ended April 11

This week's roundup of companies that came to win includes Google's efforts to capture Windows XP refugees, a new software partner program from Hewlett-Packard, a significant Microsoft win from European Union regulators, Motorola Mobility's appointment of a key executive, and a savvy security acquisition by a leading MSP.

Google Seeks Converts To Chromebook Among Windows XP Refugees

With Windows XP support ending this week, Google went on the offensive by teaming up with VMware and Citrix to convince Windows XP customers to skip PC upgrades and buy business-focused Chromebooks instead.

Under the promotions unveiled this week, customers who buy a Google business Chromebook between now and June 30 will get a $100 discount for every managed device they buy. If they sign up for VMware's desktop-as-a-service subscription they can get a $200 discount on the Chromebook purchase. And customers who buy Citrix's XenApp Platinum Edition get a 25 percent discount off the Chromebook price tag.

HP Launches Enterprise Mobile Software Partner Program

Mobile software is shaping up to be one of the next big battlegrounds in the IT industry. This week Hewlett-Packard, in a bid to build up its partner ecosystem around its mobile software offerings, launched a partner program focused on its HP Anywhere and HP Access Catalog enterprise mobile software products.

The HP Anywhere Partner program offers training, certification, sales and marketing tools, and other resources to partners who work with the vendor's enterprise mobility software. The HP Anywhere product line of cross-platform development and testing tools includes the recently acquired Shunra tools for testing on 3G and 4G networks.

EU Privacy Authorities Give Microsoft's Cloud Contracts A Stamp Of Approval

Microsoft's relationship with the European Union has never been easy. Witness the yearslong antitrust battle over Microsoft's bundling of its Internet Explorer browser with Windows. That makes this week's news that European Union data protection authorities ruled that Microsoft's cloud service contracts meet EU privacy laws all the more surprising.

The decision means that customers using Microsoft's Azure, Office 365, Dynamics CRM and Intune cloud services can move data freely through the cloud from Europe to the rest of the world, according to a blog post by Brad Smith, Microsoft's general counsel. Smith said Microsoft is the first company to receive such approval.

Motorola Mobility Assures Partners With New President Appointment

Motorola Mobility, which Google is in the process of selling to Lenovo for $2.9 billion, this week named company veteran Rick Osterloh as its new president and COO. The move, according to Motorola and Lenovo partners, sets the stage for a strong transition while the deal is completed later this year, and assures partners of leadership continuity.

The IT industry is rife with cases of acquiring companies failing to leverage the full potential of their acquisitions because of poor planning or weak leadership during the transition. Osterloh's appointment is a big step to ensure Lenovo, Motorola and their channel partners profit from the acquisition.

MSP Masergy Expands Security Offerings With Acquisition

Managed network and cloud services provider Masergy Communications significantly bolstered its managed security services portfolio this week when it acquired network analysis and security player Global DataGuard for an undisclosed sum.

Businesses increasingly are looking for help and expertise in combating the more sophisticated and persistent security threats they face today. The Global DataGuard acquisition is a win for Masergy and its 100 global channel partners.