An 'Amazon' For Channel Partners?Lawrence Walsh says that soon, smaller VARs may find themselves using vendor portals that provide a rich array of self-service tools and have the smarts to offer the VAR targeted incentives and bundles. "Imagine going to a "partner e-commerce portal" looking for a quote on a server, and automagically being presented with options for bundling that server with management software and discount incentives if you bought three today -- all based on your continuously updated profile." But will they provide VARs with the kinds of support they really need to get business done? Walsh says problems will remain. Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:39 PM, January 31, 2007 Vista Adoption: The Customer SideNetwork Computing's newsletter this morning (can't find a web link) opened with this anecdote from the pub's recent Network Access Control Forum: "Last week, over 100 IT execs in a room at NWC's NAC Forum were asked about their Microsoft Vista deployment plans. Within the next six months? No hands went up. Within the next 12 months? Just a few. Within the next 18 months? Now the hands started to go up. "After the first service pack," someone volunteered from the audience." Stacy Cowley covers yesterday's Vista launch, along with a slide show of new Vista products. For all our news on Vista, don't miss our Windows News Center. Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:25 PM, January 31, 2007 Firewalls 101, With LabSome days it hardly seems worth connecting to the Internet. But still... The latest TechBuilder recipe reviews what you need to know about hardware and software-based firewalls, and then explains step-by-step how to build a secure firewall for yourself or your customers using a standard PC and the open-source SmoothWall Express product. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:57 AM, January 29, 2007 iPhone LinkfestBy now, we've had time to digest the news of Apple's upcoming iPhone, as have solution providers, IT departments and consumers worldwide. Some analysis from a channel perspective: To begin with, it sure makes a heck of good first impression. See CRN's iPhone slide show. The giant Comsumer Electronics show in Las Vegas was instantly relegated to second place status. According to Larry Hooper: "Apple gets "it." Jobs and his marketing crew understand that technology doesn't sell, so they've created "it" products that aren't about technology. They're about self-image, coolness, lifestyle." At The Big Picture, Barry Ritholtz called the iPhone Drool Worthy, and at Network Computing, Art Whittman says chalk one up for Mr. Jobs: "Essentially, I want one thing in my pocket, and the more it can do, the happier I'll be."
But of course, the details are critical. The first important one: there already is an iPhone, but it belongs to Cisco's, and Cisco definitely noticed. They tried to make a deal with Apple, but according to Robert Faletra, Apple didn't want to hear about it: "In a nutshell, Cisco wants to make its product compatible with Apple's, and Steve Jobs is dead set against it. Is anyone surprised? I'm not." On the technology side, David Greenfield at Network Computing identified the Top 10 iPhone gaffes, including: "The iPhone is crying out for built-in video calling, but it's not possible, at least in the first model. The camera is on the wrong side." Another detractor was, surprise, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer: "In an interview with InformationWeek, the Microsoft CEO bemoaned the phone's $499 price tag, lack of a keyboard and the hype factor that comes solely because of its brand, while noting that many other vendors are doing similar things for less." And many IT departments look to be slow to adopt the new device. Information Week: "One of the iPhone's main strengths--a design that emphasizes music and video--may work against it on the job. "Providing a device like the iPhone to business users is like giving them a PlayStation," says Justin Hectus, director of information at Keesal, Young & Logan, who outfits the law firm with Treos." And even for more adventurous IT departments, the iPhone may be a tough fit: "Apple is locking down the device, meaning that only applications Apple approves can be installed. That means no enterprise apps for now, and Jobs didn't mention data encryption, remote wiping, or enterprise policy enforcement in his keynote." New technology, new issues. Isn't that what the channel is for, though?
Posted by Joe Caponi at 03:10 PM, January 28, 2007 Don't Be So Hard On YourselfFrom time to time we get requests to unsubscribe from our newsletters (and of course, we honor them). But I think this e-mailer is just being too self-critical: "Please don't send me more, I'm not interesting" Posted by Joe Caponi at 03:52 PM, January 26, 2007 HP In The Driver's SeatTwo features this week show how HP is out-maneuvering it's competitors: in HP-Lenovo Face-Off, Steve Burke looks at how the little things are turning a big VAR towards HP; while in How HP Caught Up To Dell, Jeff Schwartz identifies how everything from design to channel programs helped HP pull into the number one spot for PC sales: "HP and Dell have achieved pricing parity in the market, and newly designed notebooks with consistent perhipheral interfaces have broadened HP's appeal. Most notably HP has made major changes to its channel program, making it more appealing for solution providers to sell PCs again." Posted by Joe Caponi at 05:01 PM, January 25, 2007 Consulting Sparks IBM EarningsLawrence Walsh examines IBM's earnings report and sees something many VARs know well: "Services and software are continuing to make major strides in place of the evaporated hardware margins. IBM recognized long ago that professional services have sustainable, recurring revenue streams where hardware -- and even software -- will eventually commoditize." Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:49 AM, January 24, 2007 Server Virtualization for System BuildersToday's TechBuilder recipe is one I've been looking forward to for a month - David Gilbert provides step-by-step instructions for using Microsoft's Virtual Server 2005 to run multiple instances of Windows and Linux on the same machine. The benefits are many, including: "Virtualized servers can save customers a lot of money, and system builders can take credit for streamlining their customers' IT infrastructure. This should win more business opportunities in the long run. It should also reduce potential service calls by putting less hardware into the field to run the same applications." There are pitfalls too, though, for the unwary. Gilbert steers you in the right direction. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:31 AM, January 22, 2007 PPG and Top Execs: Last Day to Apply!Today's VARBusiness Insider leads with the alert that it's the final day to sign up your vendor company for this year's Partner Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:39 AM, January 18, 2007 Introducing Channel 2.0Larry Walsh has been thinking big for the VARBusiness Channel 2.0 project, an ambitious attempt to predict the future shape of this industry: "A working group of vendors, solution providers, distributors, end users and market analysts will spend the next year divining the form, function and operating environment of the channel in 2013. How will vendors structure their channel programs? How will solution providers structure their businesses? What role will distributors serve? Who will control the relationships with end users? And what will support--presales, postsales, technical and marketing--mean to solution providers and vendors?" The first installment looks at globalization, changing solution provider business models, and the evolution of the partner program. Much more to come. Posted by Joe Caponi at 05:39 PM, January 17, 2007 Three Non-MiceControlling an on-screen cursor is key in every modern OS, but is the mouse the best way to do so? Naah, says our latest TechBuilder Recipe, which tries out three alternative pointing devices: "By offering your clients alternative mice you can enhance their satisfaction by helping them fight the repetitive stress plague. And let's not forget that alternative mice are not low-margin commodities, but up-scale after-market accessories." If you're a believer in keeping your hands on the keyboard for maximum efficiency, you'll like these... Posted by Joe Caponi at 05:28 PM, January 17, 2007 VAR Life Imitates "The Office"If you watch the TV series "The Office" (and here at Hot Topics, we do) you know that the show's fictional office supply company, Dunder-Mifflin, is in fierce competition with the very real office supply superchain, Staples. Now VARs can feel that same joy: Staples Buys MSP Thrive Networks. "Staples' push into managed services makes sense, since the market for SMB IT services is huge, according to Jon Whitlock, vice president of marketing development at CBE Technologies, an MSP and Reliable IT customer in Boston." While the big box tech stores have been moving into services for some time, (think Best Buy's Geek Squad) this move may represent some of the most sophisticated services available from a major retailer. Posted by Joe Caponi at 05:19 PM, January 12, 2007 New Year, New MagazinesWith their first issues of the year, both VARBusiness and CRN have gone through a variety of changes. On CRN, the most obvious change is to the publication's size--now in magazine, rather than tabloid, format. But there's more inside. Heather Clancy has the details. Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:59 PM, January 12, 2007 ChannelWeb Events CalendarI knew there was something I had to do in January! The ChannelWeb Events Calendar is updated. Posted by Joe Caponi at 03:50 PM, January 10, 2007 Chill Those ServersOverheating-related failures are one of the most common, expensive and avoidable causes of server problems. Our latest TechBuilder recipe examines designing server systems for optimal cooling and airflow: "The forced-convection cooling system uses air as its heat-transfer medium. All you need to focus on is moving the heat out of the system by exchanging the air inside the computer (the hot air) with the air outside the computer (the cool air)... The more air you can move across those system boundaries, the cooler you can keep the computer." Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:12 PM, January 8, 2007 Embracing TransformationYou've just got to do it, Robert DeMarzo explains: "Start thinking seriously about business transformations and decide two things: What do you stand for as a leader? And what breakthrough do you need to accomplish this year?" The Channel Man may have been channeling a bit of the Bard: "We know what we are, but know not what we may be." Posted by Joe Caponi at 05:31 PM, January 5, 2007 Top Stories of 2006CRN recaps the top ten channel news stories of last year, including trouble at HP and Dell, Vista vs. Linux, and more. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:27 AM, January 5, 2007 Our New CES BlogI've joined the crew at CRN for a blog on next week's Consumer Electronics (CES) Show. To begin with, I've highlighted some show previews from around the internet, and Steve Burke has listed his "Must See" and "Must Miss" events at the show. Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:50 PM, January 4, 2007 Dell and Apple In The MediaFormer Micrososft exec Robert Scoble wonders why Apple seems to get such an easy time from the press, compared to Dell. Ed Moltzen responds: "Dell and Apple have both just finished years in which each had to grapple with a massive notebook battery recall and each had to grapple with investigations into finances. But the similarities tend to end there." UPDATE: Dell responds, saying in effect: Bring it on, we can take it. Posted by Joe Caponi at 08:00 AM, January 3, 2007 Migrate Your Apps and Data to VistaI recently purchased a new Mac Mini, and the setup process seamlessly stepped me though plugging in my old iBook, and transferred my data, settings and applications from the old system to the new one. When upgrading to Microsoft Vista, it won't be that easy. "Data migration is a voodoo science. Ask 10 system builders how they transfer their clients' data, and you'll probably get at least five different answers... But with only one exception, most PC file-transfer applications neglect one of the most important considerations of any old-new migration: the ability to transfer entire applications from an old system to a new one." Posted by Joe Caponi at 01:54 PM, January 2, 2007 Predictions and PledgesHeather Clancy has five predictions for the high-tech industry, including: "Networked video is going to be big starting in late 2007. No, really. Not only are more solution providers across the board talking about applications involving IP surveillance technology" Also, she sends out three pledges for CRN in the new year. UPDATE: Some more: Five Disruptive Technologies from David Strom; Seven Business and Tech Trends from Intelligent Enterprise magazine. Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:58 AM, January 2, 2007 |
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