Five Companies That Came To Win This Week

Microsoft Gets Windows Phone 7 'Mango' Out The Door

Microsoft this week released its "Mango" Windows Phone 7 update to manufacturers, adding multitasking, an improved Web browser and better support for HTML 5. The Windows Phone 7 Mango update puts Microsoft on a more equal footing with the iPhone and Android devices, and despite having run into problems with updates in the past, Microsoft deserves kudos for getting this one out on time.

The Mango update for current Windows Phone handset owners will be ready this fall, the same time it begins appearing pre-installed on new handsets.

Juniper Snags Former Microsoft Server Chief Bob Muglia

Juniper added another top Microsoft executive to its ranks this week with the hiring of Bob Muglia, the former Microsoft Server & Tools chief who was ousted in a management shakeup earlier this year. At Juniper, Muglia will serve as executive vice president of the Software Solutions Division and report to his former colleague, CEO Kevin Johnson.

Juniper has been looking to expand its expertise in software and bringing in Muglia, who guided one of Microsoft's most profitable business units, will help it to achieve this goal.

"We are excited to have a leader of Bob's caliber coming on board to lead Juniper's software initiatives, and I'm confident that his vision, management savvy and technical expertise will bring tremendous value to our organization," said Juniper CEO Johnson in a statement.

Cloud Sherpas Snaps Up WaveAdept, Third Acquisition In Six Weeks

In a bold move aimed at capturing a larger share of the Asia-Pacific cloud computing market, cloud solution provider Cloud Sherpas acquired WaveAdept, a New Zealand-based cloud service provider. Terms of the deal weren't released, but Cloud Sherpas founder and marketing vice president Michael Cohn said WaveAdept gives Cloud Sherpas a local and connected talent pool and an enthusiastic group of Google Apps Certified Deployment Specialists and customers leveraging Google's cloud platform.

It's the third acquisition in the past six weeks for Cloud Sherpas, whose push into the Asia-Pacific cloud market reflects its desire to become a top global cloud solution provider, according to Cohn.

Sprint Nextel Wins $9 Billion Contract For LightSquared 4G LTE

Sprint reported a Q2 loss of $847 million this week, but that bad news was tempered in a big way by its new 15-year, $9 billion contract with LightSquared, in which Sprint will built out the broadband and satellite network provider's nationwide 4G network. For a carrier that's been fading into the background, this is the type of deal that can make industry watchers stand up and take notice.

Webroot Inks Distribution Deal With Tech Data

Webroot is looking to move out the secondary tiers of the security market and this week the company inked a deal with Tech Data to help expand its global distribution footprint.

The deal gives Broomfield, Colo.-based Webroot exposure to Tech Data's 125,000 channel partners in 100 countries around the world. David Bennett, Webroot senior director of global sales, described the deal as "fantastic news."

"This is an area where Webroot has not been in from a distribution perspective. It gives us significant scope and leverage and the ability to grow the Webroot brand," Bennett told CRN this week. "This gives us the ability to market, and position and train a greater number of resellers than we ever would have."