Leap Day LinksIt's been a busy day, what with changing companies and all, but if I don't get this Link Day Linkfest up I'll have to wait four years... Continue reading "Leap Day Links" Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:33 PM, February 29, 2008 Everything ChannelBig doings with the company (and parent company). Robert Faletra explains: "Today is the start of a new era. We've been a companion to the Channel for 25 years and I am very excited to introduce you to our new company -- Everything Channel. Whether you know us as CMPChannel, CRN, VARBusiness, ChannelWeb or through our events, services, tools, research or education today we have become an independent Channel focused company." More on what's up with the rest of the 'classic' CMP Technology. UPDATE: An outside take, here. Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:59 AM, February 29, 2008 FAQ: How Do I Get My Company Covered?Pardon this post if you're a tech media civilian, but this common question comes in a variety of forms, so it's worth discussing a bit here. Continue reading "FAQ: How Do I Get My Company Covered?" Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:56 AM, February 28, 2008 Outworking A RecessionWith economic predictions growing increasingly dire, smart companies and smart individuals are hard at work on potential fixes. We've already looked at some ideas--bMighty's Fred Paul looks at a US News and World reprort feature and pulls out some ideas for different types of workers and companies. "If you're new to the company: Come in early. Stay late. Don't take long breaks. Be the workhorse, the person who doesn't complain, the employee who gets loads of work done and doesn't have conflicts with other employees. Hard work may not always save you, but it's good training for the next opportunity... Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:07 AM, February 27, 2008 FAQ: Upcoming ChannelWeb Directories and AwardsAs we head through the year, keep an eye out for these opportunities to gain visibility for your company (or yourself) in ChannelWeb's directories and awards programs. (For each project below, links go to last year's special report.) Continue reading "FAQ: Upcoming ChannelWeb Directories and Awards" Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:41 AM, February 26, 2008 Channel Chiefs: It Starts With TrustRobert Faletra looks at the most important characteristics of top channel chiefs: "The No. 1 trait is trust. If you can't trust the person heading up the channel program at a supplier, it becomes very difficult to invest too much of your business in that vendor." Are you tracking the channel chiefs at your top vendors? In today's Channel Chiefs feature, we talk to solution providers about what they watch for. To get to know the channel chiefs at your vendors, head on over to our A-Z listing.
Posted by Joe Caponi at 02:45 PM, February 25, 2008 Hurd Raises Expectations For HP PartnersHP solution providers gathered at this week's HP's Americas Partner Conference have much to be happy about. In three years, CEO Mark Hurd has revived the company and made it the biggest player in technology. And he's brought thousands of channel partners along for the ride. As Steven Burke notes: "Hurd took a long, hard look at the businesses and then bet big on the channel." But Hurd is demanding increasing loyalty from partners looking to keep up with HP. Today's CRN cover story examines the pluses and minuses channel partners are encountering: "Some exclusive partners complain that HP's flagship PartnerOne rebate program is fraught with sales data reporting errors, making rebate payments unpredictable at best. And with a growing portion of the rebate money tied to hitting aggressive growth goals, some of these partners say their rebate money is declining even as their overall HP business grows." Hurd himself sat down with us to take on these issues, in an exclusive question-and-answer session: "We're all under economic pressures here. Nobody calls me up and says here's an extra bag of money for doing the same thing you've always done. What we're looking for are partners that want to come up with new, innovative, exciting things to go do." Keep an eye on ChannelWeb for more news from the HP Partner Conference all week. Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:24 PM, February 25, 2008 Fortune's 50 Years Of Market SwingsA terrific dynamic graphic at Fortune of the ups and downs of the stock market, through recessions and recoveries, and 11 presidents. Two quick takeaways: Hat Tip: The Big Picture Posted by Joe Caponi at 05:24 PM, February 22, 2008 Snow Day Links: Channel Chiefs and Alternative VendorsI'm a big fan of snow. Much of the rest of the country has had more than enough, but here on Long Island it's been a little tough to come by. Until today.
Wherever you find yourself, we've got two major features this week to keep you up to date. Today we've launched our directory of over 100 Channel Chiefs, from vendors large and small serving the channel. You'll find the lists broken down by product categories, along with a full databank where each chief discusses what they think are the key components of their programs, where they're heading, and how they see their partner relationships, along with some more personal insight into their most important influences. Also this week, VARBusiness launched its annual look at Alternative Vendors. For many VARs, avoiding the market share leaders gives them access to leading technology, and a way to differentiate themselves in the marketplace. We highlight fourteen product areas where alternative vendors offer real opportunity, including VoIP, network storage, displays and server virtualization. And don't miss our slide show on 26 Alternative Products VARs Should Know. Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:40 AM, February 22, 2008 The Vision ThingAnnounced this morning: CMP Channel (ChannelWeb's parent) has acquired Vision Events from Gartner Inc. Details to come, but we'll enjoy many more opportunities to bring together solution providers, top channel vendors and our own editors to chart the future of the channel. Posted by Joe Caponi at 08:59 AM, February 21, 2008 For Opportunity, Head For The MiddleIt's classic political advice for presidential candidates, but CEOs are listening too. In the latest VARBusiness, Robert DeMarzo shines a light on the importance of the midmarket (organizations that employ between 100 and 1,000 workers) to high-tech CEOs facing an economic downturn. Their route to the midmarket: you. "The top executives of companies like IBM, Oracle, Cisco, CA and many others are paying closer attention to hundreds of thousands of companies in the midmarket than ever before and, in doing so, solution providers that serve those customers are becoming valuable commodities." Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:40 AM, February 20, 2008 President's Day LinkfestAs we head off into the long weekend, some business and technology links to keep you on top of the channel: Continue reading "President's Day Linkfest" Posted by Joe Caponi at 03:59 PM, February 15, 2008 Recession? Quit Worrying. Take ActionThe signs of a tech slowdown are everywhere: VARs are 'bracing for a spending lull'; IT pros are worried about their prospects; even the stock market bulls are ducking for cover. But chaotic conditions can offer opportunity for the observant and adaptible--and nobody does that better than solution providers. Continue reading "Recession? Quit Worrying. Take Action" Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:52 PM, February 14, 2008 It's Just Their NatureGreat comment from a reader email today: "As far as Dell entering the channel, they have a tremendous amount of bridge building to perform. Too many channel companies have tried in the past to work with Dell only to discover that the account was taken direct behind their backs. Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:20 PM, February 13, 2008 Yahoo: It's An Offer We Can RefuseYahoo says, "No thank you," Microsoft says, "We'll see about that." Some perspectives on the potential deal-of-the-year: Continue reading "Yahoo: It's An Offer We Can Refuse" Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:04 PM, February 12, 2008 Storm: Friends In High PlacesThe Storm Worm is notable for it's perniciousness and adaptability, not only in cyberspace, but in the real world as well. The Washington Post reports: "Federal law enforcement officials who need to know have already learned the identities of those responsible for running the Storm worm network, but that U.S. authorities have thus far been prevented from bringing those responsible to justice due to a lack of cooperation from officials in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the Storm worm authors are thought to reside." That report comes to us via Information Week's George Hulme, who concludes:: "It's no doubt a profitable business model, as attackers get paid for sending out the spam, as well as a cut of the profits generated by the spam. That conclusion was also reached by our Ed Moltzen, who recently noted:: "Would Storm come to halt if its creators were further pursued by international law enforcement agencies? UPDATE: At TechRadar ,they're sceptical that Storm is making 'millions of dollars a day.' Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:45 AM, February 11, 2008 Apply For The 2008 VARBusiness 500For solution providers, this is the big one--the VARBusiness 500, our annual ranking of the top solution providers, VARs and technology integrators in North America. While applications are only open for the next two weeks, the joy of making the list could be yours forever. Inclusion on the list establishes you as one of the elite technology organizations, and provides valuable exposure for any company--see last year's 500. Apply now, at crn.com/vb500. Applications are free, and the deadline is February 19. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:57 AM, February 6, 2008 Bush Budget Big On IT Security, E-Government, Electronic HealthAt this point, we still don't know much more about the federal cyber security plans, but with this week's release of President Bush's proposed federal budget for fiscal 2009, many other details came into focus. Information Week has the highlights: "President Bush's $3.1 trillion federal budget proposed for fiscal 2009 includes $71.1 billion for government IT initiatives. Meanwhile, Washington Technology reports that some e-government cost-saving initiatives are already paying off: "The Office of Management and Budget also for the first time is providing Congress with cost savings of more than $508 million from the 25 e-government and nine Lines of Business initiatives for 2007." HealthCare IT News is covering the budget plans for electronic health records: "President Bush announced his fiscal year 2009 spending proposal today, calling for $66 million for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, a $6 million increase over last year's request. The president's budget report said the increase in spending for ONC would be used to support the administration's policy to advance electronic health records by 2014 for all Americans." Not all IT proposals are eyeing increases, though. T.H.E. Journal, focused on primary and secondary-level education technologists, reports: "The Enhancing Education Through Technology program (EETT) was listed among the programs recommended for zero funding. EETT is part of Title II D of the No Child Left Behind Act, designed to support the deployment and integration of educational technology into classroom instruction." All numbers are subject to change as the process unfolds, of course. Posted by Joe Caponi at 02:00 PM, February 5, 2008 RSS Feeds UpdateWell, this has been a long time coming. As you can see at our RSS Feeds page, we've added a ChannelWeb Complete Site Feed at http://www.crn.com/cwb/globalcontent/cweball/index.xml. This feed contains all the new articles on the site: news, reviews, slide shows, and articles from the print magazines. The ChannelWeb Breaking News Feed remains at http://www.crn.com/cwb/globalcontent/cwebnews/index.xml, and includes all our breaking news and blog postings*. Looking for a Feed Reader? Check out my Best RSS Feed Readers slide show. *Well, except for me. Hot Topics is on a different blog system (just hedging our bets). The feed for this blog is http://www.crn.com/blog/hottopics/movabletype/index.xml. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:04 AM, February 5, 2008 Be A GiantCongratulations to the New York Giants on their sensational win in last night's Super Bowl. Though this may be a bit of a comeuppance to a certain trash-talking New England-based publishing president I could mention, it does reinforce many lessons solution providers have come to know: Never give up. Don't panic. Don't let somebody else define you. Make your own luck. Go Big Blue! Posted by Joe Caponi at 08:06 AM, February 4, 2008 Some Perspectives On Microsoft/YahooCRN: Microsoft Bids $44.6 Billion for Yahoo "While an acquisition of Yahoo would immediately strengthen Microsoft's competitive position against Google, the buyout attempt may not be without peril. Microsoft has often been a magnet for scrutiny by anti-trust regulators." Continue reading "Some Perspectives On Microsoft/Yahoo" Posted by Joe Caponi at 02:54 PM, February 1, 2008 |
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