5 Companies That Came To Win This Week

The Week Ending July 7

Topping this week's roundup of companies that came to win is DXC Technology, which took a major step into the realm of cloud ERP application services this week with its deal to acquire solution provider Tribridge.

Also making the list are AT&T for its planned $200 million investment in SDN startups, Symantec for its strategic acquisition of a security threat isolation technology developer, Velostrata for launching its first channel program, and Samsung for its impressive second-quarter financial results.

Not everyone in the IT industry was making smart moves this week, of course. For a rundown of companies that were unfortunate, unsuccessful or just didn't make good decisions, check out this week's 5 Companies That Had A Rough Week roundup.

DXC Technology Buys Microsoft Dynamics 365 Powerhouse Tribridge

DXC Technology is betting heavily on Microsoft's cloud ERP applications, acquiring Microsoft Dynamics 365 solution provider Tribridge and its managed cloud business, Concerto Cloud Services.

Customer adoption of cloud ERP software from Microsoft, NetSuite (now owned by Oracle) and SAP, among others, is generally in its early stages and could be a huge opportunity for the channel going forward. Microsoft unveiled its Dynamics 365 cloud ERP application set in July 2016 and made it generally available in November.

Tribridge is a Microsoft master VAR and was the winner of this year's Microsoft Dynamics Industry Partner of the Year Award. It holds a key position in the cloud ERP market and acquiring it is a savvy move by DXC.

AT&T To Invest $200 Million In SDN And IoT-Focused Startups

Telecom giant AT&T said this week that it's putting up $200 million to support startups focused on software-defined network technology, the Internet of Things and connected services.

Word of the investment signals that AT&T wants to accelerate the pace at which it brings SDN innovations to market. Partners say that as networks become more complex and handle more traffic from connected and IoT devices, SDN will be critical.

AT&T will work with the Coral Group, a Minnesota-based venture capital firm, to identify startups to invest in.

Symantec Moves To Add New Threat Isolation Capabilities With Fireglass Acquisition

Symantec made a significant move to build on its security platform strategy this week when it struck a deal to acquire threat isolation technology startup Fireglass.

Fireglass, launched from stealth early last year, develops enterprise network security technology that isolates web activity from a corporate network, protecting against potential attacks from outside emails and documents, and web and endpoint applications.

The acquisition shows that Symantec is continuing to add to the capabilities of its Integrated Cyber Defense Platform. The addition of Fireglass will expand in a big way Symantec's presence in the market for threat isolation technology.

Velostrata Launches Formal Channel Program To Drive Partner Enablement

Cloud startup Velostrata wins kudos this week for launching its first official channel program in a move the company said would formalize relationships with a base of more than 30 partners who are already using the company's tools to deliver cloud resources to customers.

The Velostrata WAN optimization technology helps customers take advantage of cloud computing resources while keeping their data on premise.

The new program is focused on partner enablement and certification, helping partners add Velostrata's tools into their practices and business models. Solution providers joining the program can be strictly services partners or have a reseller relationship with the vendor.

Velostrata's increased emphasis on the channel is a win for the company and for partners. The vendor's technology provides partners with a way to sell additional services to customers once they begin "consuming" cloud services.

Samsung Reports Best Quarterly Operating Profit

Samsung reported Friday that operating profit reached 14 trillion Korean won (about $12 billion) in its second quarter, according to a Bloomberg report. That not only exceeds analysts' expectations, but it could be bigger – for the first time – than the $10.5 billion operating profit analysts are expecting from rival Apple, according to a CNBC report.

The results mark quite a turnaround for Samsung, which suffered big losses and damage to its reputation last year because of the fire-prone Galaxy Note 7 smartphone.

Samsung's stellar second-quarter results are due, in part, to sales of its well-received Galaxy S8 smartphone.