The Channel's Leading WomenVARBusiness has chosen their 50 Most Powerful Women of the Channel, a feature that now anchors our ongoing Women In The Channel home page. Each has a unique story to tell about how they rose to the top in tech. Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:59 AM, July 30, 2007 LightScribe Your CDs and DVDsAppearance, as your parents might correctly remind you, matters. It's also good business. When delivering software, data and backup disks to clients, or even for your own internal purposes, professional-looking CDs and DVDs can provide tangible and intangible benefits. The newest TechBuilder Recipe, Champagne Disc Labels on a Beer Budget demonstrates LightScribe, a new technology to laser etch your disc media while it's still in the drive, avoiding paper labels and sloppy felt-tip markers completely. Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:23 AM, July 30, 2007 Gambling A Bad Bet In Second LifeIs this week's ban on gambling in Second Life a harbinger of doom for the virtual world, or a necessary step in it's growth? At InformationWeek, Mitch Wagner puts the move into perspective: "The gambling decision is the latest in a series of steps Linden Lab has taken to crack down on adult entertainment in Second Life, driven, at least in part, by the law in the nations in which it operates." He also talks to a casino owner burned by the decision, who claimed, "This will be the start of the end for Second Life." At the Virtually Blind blog, covering virtual world legal issues, intellectual property attorney Benjamin Duranske says the move was badly needed: "Now the grid is a more certain place. That’s good for business, good for citizens, and overall, good for the future of Second Life." At Forbes.com, David Ewalt sees the move as evidence that there's just not much to really do in Second Life, particularly for the companies that have made big investments there: "Now that all of Second Life's overly credulous, jump-on-the-bandwagon corporate sponsors are finally wising up to the virtual world's uselessness, they're running out of ways to make money." Though most of his commentors seem to disagree... Finally, it's probably just a coincidence, but this week also brings news of another organization planning their move to Second Life. The Jesuits, the Catholic religious order long known for bringing the Word to dangerous places, are on their way. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:42 AM, July 27, 2007 The Power of SAP, And More On EmploymentSome recent updates from the high-tech hiring scene: Half Of Tech Employers Looking To Fill Jobs By End Of 2007: "According to a new survey... Twenty-eight percent of IT employers said they plan to increase hiring in the second half of the year, and 40% say they're planning to hire about the same number of employees in the second half as they did in the first six months of the year." Want To Keep Your Job Safe? Beef Up Your Soft Skills: "Project planning, functional-area process knowledge, and company-specific knowledge were the top three skill sets [CIOs] identified last year as mostly likely to be kept in-house at their companies for the next few years." Most Tech Executives Are Unhappy With Their Jobs "Nearly 60% of IT executives say they're not satisfied or somewhat unsatisfied by their jobs, according to a survey of 2,149 executives by ExecuNet, an executive career networking firm. My somewhat cynical take: it's not supposed to be fun. That's why they pay you. Speaking of which... "While recent surveys showed tech professionals less confident about jobs, Yoh [a U.S. job placement firm] was seeing a "good, steady pace for hiring professionals with high-level skills and deep-rooted industry experience," Jim Lanzalotto, VP of strategy and marketing for the firm, said in a statement. 'We should keep an eye out for more competitive wages to come during the remainder of 2007, and into 2008 as the marketplace continues to heat up.'" For more on the Yoh report, see their blog: The Recruiter: "SAP Technical Consultants and Hardware Designers continue to be among the jobs in greatest demand. They also reported the highest hourly wages at $85.53 and $65.63, respectively." I gotta learn some SAP... Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:01 AM, July 26, 2007 Ten Great B-2-B Web Sites (Cough, cough)B2B's Media Business magazine just selected 10 Great Media Web Sites that serve the business community. Winners included The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. Hey--Look at that! ChannelWeb is also one of the ten. "ChannelWeb is designed to distinguish itself in the marketplace by delivering software applications customized for its audience of solution providers--as well as tools other CMP IT audiences can use to get closer to these influential value-added resellers." Thanks, B2B, we appreciate the honor. And thanks to our readers, for keeping us on our toes. Though we're prone to letting these things go to our heads, we'll try and concentrate on some of the great content and tools we've got in the works. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:22 AM, July 24, 2007 iPhones For Business: A CRN ShowdownCRN's Frank Ohlhorst says The iPhone Has No Business In Business: "There are limited opportunities to develop applications to integrate the [iPhone] into the enterprise. That makes the iPhone little more than a nifty toy, at least when it comes to business use... However, CRN's Ed Moltzen disagrees: "In business, it can do between 80 percent and 100 percent of what you need a BlackBerry or Treo to do. But outside of work, the BlackBerry and Treo simply can't touch the iPhone. People mix their work time and their personal time constantly. The iPhone addresses this. And, yes, the iPhone is expensive for a phone. But it's inexpensive for an ultra-portable computer with WiFi and EDGE web access." Ed winds up with an "It's here, get used to it," argument that I suspect will carry the day. But what are you seeing? For more iPhone coverage, don't miss:
Posted by Joe Caponi at 03:10 PM, July 23, 2007 No Static At All: High-Resolution PC Audio IssuesSystem builders targeting the home entertainment market have run into a wall--PC hardware hasn't kept up with DVD and HDTV audio requirements. In our latest TechBuilder Recipe, Ed Tittel outlines just where the problem lies: "So the best audio that most PC-based HDMI connections can deliver for playback involves using "old-school" compressed Dolby Digital or the DTS formats. These have been used for multi-channel surround sound on DVDs since the 1990s." Solutions may be some time out, so it's wise to understand the problem. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:59 AM, July 23, 2007 Women In The Channel ForumSenior Editor Shelley Solheim launches our new Women In the Channel discussion forum: "I’m heading up this year’s VARBusiness Most Powerful Women of the Channel awards program. In response to the huge interest this program has generated throughout the channel, we’ve decided to start a forum solely dedicated to the topic. Watch for much more in the coming weeks. Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:52 AM, July 20, 2007 Gazing Into The Silicon BallIn Launching Pad, we preview some of the major product release due in the second half of 2007, including chips from AMD and Intel and software from Lotus, Symantec, and Oracle. Regarding the chips: "For a manufacturer of high-performance systems like Boxx Technologies, which specializes in systems for visual effects artists and architectural design firms, the quad-core releases can be huge." Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:58 AM, July 19, 2007 Dell Quiets Its CriticsEd Moltzen says Michael Dell's efforts at creating a "New Dell" have been showing some results: "Dell has been working hard to fix service issues that hurt it mightily a couple of years ago, it's adding to its brand lineup for small business and it's now touting its plans for working with the channel. Beyond that, the company has also managed to quell very vocal critics... Dell may or may not be hip, but it's certainly the flavor of the month" But he says Dell is "still looking over it's shoulder" at other issues, particularly two federal financial investigations. Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:32 AM, July 18, 2007 Is LinkedIn Out?My LinkedIn account is finally rocking. After a few years of slowly adding 'connections' from various colleagues here and there, I suddenly have 55, and I can feel the power. Need an "In" in New Zealand? No problem. With NASA? Done. My 55 connections (people I actually know) lead directly to over 4,000 more. So what could be wrong? According to some, LinkedIn is 'over.' Continue reading "Is LinkedIn Out?" Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:17 AM, July 17, 2007 Crack The Home Market With Personal Video RecordersCRN reports that the home digital convergence market has fallen short of expectations, but there's still opportunity in the wired home. Our latest TechBuilder recipe describes building one compelling appliance: the personal video recorder, as the core of a home-entertainment setup. (Think of a TiVo with all the functionality of a PC).TechBuilder's Andy McDonough uses iMedia MythTV to provide the smarts. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:04 AM, July 17, 2007 Faletra's Rules For Growing SalesRobert Faletra provides a five step plan to grow your solution provider business: "Step one is you have to decide that revenue growth is your priority. Capturing new revenue rapidly doesn't necessarily result in better margins. It doesn't mean that this growth is unprofitable, but if margins slip a bit as revenue accelerates, it's not a bad thing. Anytime you are acquiring new customers, you are building a stronger business for the long haul." Read on for the next four. They get harder. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:29 AM, July 16, 2007 Whose Lunch Is Dell Eyeing?Our parent group, (now simply called CMP Channel) has been researching how Dell's foray into channel sales may affect current channel vendors. Robert DeMarzo has news for Viewsonic, Acer, Lexmark and HP. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:04 AM, July 16, 2007 Introducing Solutions Inc.At ChannelWeb, we're digging deeper into what's involved in partnering with the largest vendors. In Solutions Inc., we focus on Microsoft. Eighty percent of solution providers have some relationship with the software giant, and, of course, just about everyone encounters Windows, among many other Microsoft technologies, every day. Frank Ohlhorst cites key opportunities detailed in the initial Solutions Inc. coverage: "...two areas that are potential gold mines for solution providers: building appliances and providing business continuity" Our ongoing coverage of the Microsoft ecosystem can be found at the Solutions Inc. home page. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:56 AM, July 12, 2007 Talk Talk... Begins With MicrosoftThis week we welcome ChannelWeb editor Larry Hooper to our crew of bloggers. The first entries in Talk Talk put the doings at Microsoft's Partner Conference into perspective: "I keep thinking that with RIM and its BlackBerry not exactly channel-centric, and now Apple and the iPhone jumping in, the mobile space just became a lot less channel-friendly. Microsoft Mobile seems like the channel's biggest chance in the mobile space." Keep an eye out all week for updates... Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:59 PM, July 11, 2007 Intel Xeon and AMD Opteron In A Server Show DownIn this week's TechBuilder recipe, David Gilbert sizes up which dual-core server processor works best for system builders. He takes into account prices, clock speeds, and related hardware costs, and looks at at which applications will best use each of the competitor's capabilities. There's a winner, but I won't spoil the surprise. "But this is a game of high-tech leap-frog. Both companies have already introduced quad-core server chips..." Posted by Joe Caponi at 07:33 AM, July 10, 2007 Rip and Replace Vista?Ed Moltzen and Steven Burke report that many system builders and solution providers are refusing to ship out Vista-loaded PCs: "'We are ripping it off systems 99 percent of the time,' said Jay Tipton, vice president of Technology Specialists, a Fort Wayne, Ind., Microsoft Gold partner. 'There are too many issues, especially in the medical vertical market. It hasn't been tested with any of the medical software out there. I'm not willing to make my client a beta site to find Microsoft bugs.'" These things will happen with any major upgrade. Still, if the security features were more secure, VARs would find a way to make it work. Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:09 AM, July 9, 2007 The 2007 Fast Growth 100In business, growth is the ultimate validation that you're doing something right. CRN's 2007 Fast Growth 100, online now, looks at what it takes to achieve dramatic, even startling levels of growth, in today's economy. We've included a full listing of the organizations that have ballooned their solution provider revenue over the last two years; a slide show along with more detailed profiles of some of the hottest companies, and a search engine to help you spot potential partners (and competitors) within the list. Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:00 AM, July 9, 2007 CA Takes Another Swing At The ChannelRobert DeMarzo thinks CA may finally have the commitment to building a true channel program: "It's got the executives, it's got the products, and it's got channel partners who, despite all the past insanity, still believe they can make money selling CA products... But what it does not have yet is a message for the channel. " Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:00 AM, July 6, 2007 Today In A NutshellJust a unique description of today, from blogger James Lileks "Nothing like a mid-week holiday to demolish your enthusiasm for Thursday, eh? Yesterday felt like some strange out-of-place Sunday that got lost and showed up looking for directions; now we’re back to normal, but it feels like a pretend weekday." Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:40 PM, July 5, 2007 Franchised IT: Beat Em Or Join Em?CRN looks at the new wave of franchised IT service operations gunning for a piece of the MSP market. For better or worse, they're everywhere: "MSP franchisors are sprouting up like mushrooms in the IT world. Established franchise companies like 1 800 905 GEEK, Computer Renaissance, Fast-Teks, Data Doctors, CMIT Solutions, RescueCom and Computer Troubleshooters are stacking managed services onto their break-fix offerings. Upstarts like the Utility Company, Concerto Networks and Team Logic IT have entered the market in the past few years with MSP strategies firmly in hand. Those 10 companies boast 1,138 North American franchisees between them." How do you compete with the marketing muscle and commoditized services from operations like this? Or are you thinking of throwing your lot in with them? (In which case, you'll need to review our directory of franchise providers.) Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:53 AM, July 3, 2007 Call Up Our Smart Phone SiteWe're testing out a new version of ChannelWeb for smart phone users. To call up our latest headlines anytime, point your phone to http://wap.crn.com. Let me know how it works for you, and what we can do to improve the service. Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:17 PM, July 2, 2007 Linux VideoconferencingTechBuilder's A. Lizard pops open some terminal windows and winds up getting videoconferencing running on his Debian Linux PC (though the instructions should work on Ubuntu as well...). Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:34 AM, July 2, 2007 |
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