Solution Provider Strategy ArchiveFederal CIO Chosen, CTO Still To Come
We reported yesterday that President Obama named Washington D.C. CTO Vivek Kundra to the newly created post of federal chief information officer: "Kundra's CIO role, according to the Washington Post, will be to oversee all federal technology spending and also manage how government agencies purchase and use IT. " Over at Information Week, they're on the story, as well. Rob Preston likes the focus that Obama has set for Kundra -- leaving broad policy issues for a still-unnamed CTO, while giving Kundra the power to both launch and shut down government IT systems. Bob Evans asks 10 Questions Our New Federal CIO Needs To Answer, and Alex Wolfe has video of Kundra championing the use of Google Apps for the D.C. Fire Department and other agencies. Meanwhile the CTO spot remains unfilled, while Cisco CTO Padmasree Warrior continues to be considered a top candidate. Last month, we looked at the emerging vision of the national CTO's role, Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:56 AM, March 6, 2009 Hunt The Wild Boar of Success
Reluctant to get pulled into off-site, all-weekend, team building exercises? Who can blame you? Aiming to confront partner's trepidations head-on, Microsoft's U.K. branch reached out to Rebel Virals to produce Camp Network, a spoof of hyper-active partner engagement. You'll be H.A.P.P.Y. you watched! For the record, our events are almost completely unlike Camp Network. Posted by Joe Caponi at 02:17 PM, March 5, 2009 Our Virtual Trade Show -- Opening Now!
We've just opened the doors on our first Virtual Trade Show of the Year: Finding the Growth in Security and Storage. For the next seven hours, solution providers, vendors and Everything Channel editors will be examining opportunities for growth in practical solutions for businesses large and small. And you can participate right from your desktop, for free. Highlights include Robert Faletra's panel, 'Finding the Growth in Security in 2009' (starting now) and Robert DeMarzo's 2:30 ET panel: 'Growing Your Storage Practice in Challenging Times.' The day also includes sessions from Platinum sponsors Sonicwall, Symnatec and CA, and a live exhibit hall and lounge featuring additional sponsor information and business networking opportunities. Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:09 AM, February 25, 2009 In Search Of Lost (Small Business) Time
SmallBizResource's Gayle Kesten is back from the Small Business Summit 2009 with insight into how small businesses can leverage Web 2.0 tools "to find and keep customers for life:" "The good news is that no one had to be sold on the merits of blogging, using Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn, and having a Web site. Everyone understood the importance of becoming a thought leader, and how technology enables it at little, or no, cost. Recently, our Steven Burke highlighted timesaving the key proposition for VARs to take to small business owners. "Focus squarely on the time savings that come with helping business owners get rid of that big IT headache." Posted by Joe Caponi at 01:07 PM, February 5, 2009 Creating Growth Opportunities In 2009
Robert DeMarzo on the (significant) proportion of solution providers who are aiming at substantial growth this year: "These businesses' No. 1 priority from a go-to-market perspective is to target new markets with their existing solutions or expertise; second is to focus on new customer segments... The economy is going to force a great deal of M&A activity this year while opening the door for new solution providers who want to get into the business." That wass one highlight from this month's VARBusiness magazine, which includes our quarterly report The State of Technology, this time focused on peripherals sales; previews of the storage and chip businesses for this year, and a close-up look at CA, a vendor that's renewing its commitment to the channel with new software offerings. Posted by Joe Caponi at 02:44 PM, January 23, 2009 Our 'Best of 2008' and 2009 Preview Slide Shows
In the last few weeks we've posted a broad array of slide shows looking back at the best (and worst) of 2008, and anticipating what's to come this year. They include: 2008 News In Review The Top 25 Executives The 10 Funniest IT Industry Episodes The Top 10 Tech CEO Departures The 15 Key Channel Chief Departures The 10 Biggest Chip Stories 10 Biggest Networking Stories The 10 Biggest Storage Stories The 10 Biggest Security Stories Top 10 Tech Turkeys Top 10 Malware Attacks The 10 Most Memorable Tech Exec Statements The 10 Biggest Apple Stories The 10 Biggest Cisco Stories The 10 Biggest IBM Stories The 10 Biggest Dell Stories The 10 Biggest HP Stories The 10 Biggest Microsoft Stories Top Products The Most Innovative Products The 10 Coolest PC Components The 10 Coolest Open Source Products The 10 Coolest Netbooks The 10 Coolest Notebooks The 10 Coolest Smartphones The Top 10 iPhone Apps 20 Terrible Tech Holiday Gifts 12 Recommended Displays From 2008 Top Channel Books Predictions For 2009 10 Security Predictions For 2009 10 Storage Predictions For 2009 10 Chip Predictions For 2009 10 Microsoft Predictions For 2009 10 Networking Predictions For 2009 And a big thanks to our Caitlin Moriarty, who put most of these together. Enjoy! Posted by Joe Caponi at 05:21 PM, January 5, 2009 Selling Into The SMB Market -- Our Virtual Trade Show, Opens Tomorrow
Our Virtual Trade Shows have made their mark this year, giving solution providers access to industry leaders, potential vendor partners, and other solution providers in a convenient and free experience. Tomorrow, our next Virtual Trade Show, Selling Into The SMB Market opens its doors, examining solution provider opportunities in the small and mid-sized business segments. To join us, register now, check out the events schedule and stop in tommorow. And if you see me, say hi! Posted by Joe Caponi at 02:38 PM, December 2, 2008 Happy Thanksgiving From ChannelWeb
We'll have news updates throughout the weekend, but we're also looking forward to spending some quieter time with our families. Over on Information Week, Bob Evans has unearthed a letter that conveys the real spirit of Thanksiving: "It surely is certain that in your past, someone, somewhere endured sacrifice, pain, and risk with the courage to make a better life for themselves, directly leading to your well-being this very day. Happy Thanksgiving! Okay, one more link: my News Quiz for November just went up. Have fun! Posted by Joe Caponi at 01:55 PM, November 26, 2008 An Rx For Healthcare Opportunity
As we prepare for our Healthcare IT Summit next week, Chad Berndtson takes a look at solution providers expectations for the coming year: "[C.J. Ezell] converted The ASI Group from primarily a break-fix business to specializing entirely in health care, and he's since seen steady growth... Ezell has a particular focus on dental office clients, which he suggested represent one of the most untapped potential business opportunities for solution providers out there." Other opportunities identified included wireless networking, unified communications, and electronic medical records (EMR). "'If you're not into EMR within the next two to three years, you're really going to be too late. Take the plunge and get into it.'" Just today, Perot Systems (#35 on the VARBusiness 500) announced it was acquiring Tellurian Networks specifically to beef up their medical practice. Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:21 AM, November 14, 2008 California ShakeOut Preps For Disaster
Today, possibly millions of southern Californians will participate in the Great Southern California ShakeOut, part of a weeklong disaster preparedness exercise. The Los Angeles Times reports: "After today's 'Duck, Cover and Hold On' drill, nearly 4,000 people from 100 local, state and federal agencies, including the military, in 12 counties in Southern and Central California will rehearse their emergency responses." It's not a bad time to review your own emergency planning, both for yourself and your family, as well as your business. In September, Scott Campbell examined how New Orleans VARs prepared for Hurricane Gustav, based on what they learned from Hurricane Katrina: "One of the big lessons from Katrina, said Bill Long, president of Integrated Network Systems, a Metairie, La.-based solution provider, was that customers who backed up their data locally couldn't get to it or lost it after that 2005 storm. Customers kept tape drives in bank faults or on local off-site servers, thinking that even if the power went out, they could get to the office to retrieve them. Of course, in many cases that couldn't happen as parts of the city were shut down weeks and even months. " Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:00 AM, November 13, 2008 Tactics And Strategies For Tough Times
With lessons learned from Y2K and the dot-com crash, solution providers are in the perfect spot to advice clients about the credit crunch, our Craig Zarley advises: "The time is now for the trusted solution provider to advise his or her customers on their IT and business future. Solution providers I've spoken to in recent weeks are doing just that. They are sitting down and having frank discussion with each and every one of their customers. And because of the scope and the depth of the economic crisis the discussions aren't confined to just IT." Meanwhile, Steven Burke has some more day-to-day advice on getting through this rough patch, including: "Embrace Leasing/MSP Monthly Billing: Clients want a single monthly bill for all their technology services from broadband to mobile devices to SANs. Solution providers that give them that will win. " At a more strategic level, now's a good time to begin developing your next high-end specialty. Information Week's Alex Wolfe has been talking to tech executives about their plans going forth. He's hearing about needs in data-center consolidation, virtualization, SaaS and PaaS (Platform as a Service), and cloud/utility computing. Taken together, it's what he describes as an inherent unraveling of complexity: "None of these things are in and of themselves simple. Which may be precisely the benefit. Because what they allow you to do is to move all the nitty-gritty crapwork and complexity away from your local developers and admins. Which allows them to focus on applications you need to run -- and add efficiencies to -- your business." Finally, out where nuts-and-bolts meet blue sky thinking, CSC (Computer Sciences Corporation) identifies Seven Disruptive Technologies that will change business in the 21st century, including: "Platform Makeover: virtualization and cloud computing are changing today’s computing model, enabling anytime, anywhere accessibility for users and applications. Nanotechnology, molecular computing, quantum computing and optical computing will take us beyond silicon, providing greatly increased speed and bringing new applications, opportunities and challenges." Other 'disruptions' includg: New Media, Living in a New Reality, Social Power, Information Transparency, New Wave of Waves, and a Smart(er) World. Having made it to Number 4 on this year's VARBusiness 500, CSC knows something about anticipating high-end technology needs. Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:23 PM, November 7, 2008 What Will Come From The Cisco Case?
So Cisco loses a $6 million judgement to a small VAR that accused it of violating it's reseller agreement. To make matters worse, though, the judge rules elements of Cisco's Indirect Channel Partner Agreement are 'Unconscionable,' a legal term for "forget it." So what happens next? Jennifer Follett reports that Cisco's keeping quiet: "'We're still trying to understand exactly what happened there, so to be honest with you, I'm not sure we're ready to put out an official position from a channel perspective [on] what the implications are going to be for us yet. It's still too early,' said Edison Peres, senior vice president of Worldwide Channels Go-to-Market for Cisco... 'We're still trying to get an understanding and get our arms around what it actually means.' ' Now is no time to hang out in court with your own partners. As Oscar Rogers declares on Saturday Night Live, Cisco needs to Fix It!, and fix it fast. UPDATE: Cisco's thought about it. They're not ready to fix it. Posted by Joe Caponi at 02:50 PM, October 30, 2008 State of Technology: Security
Four times a year, the VARBusiness State of Technology report examines how solution providers are finding opportunities in key technology specialties. In the latest installment, Security Stays Strong, more than half the solution providers we spoke to expect IT spending on security solutions to contine to grow in the next 12 months: "A number of factors are spurring sales of high-end solutions, said solution providers, including customers' desire to avoid data breaches and malware attacks, and regulatory compliance requirements." Other opportunities profiled include access control, perimeter security and managed security services. One slide show breaks out the key research findings; while a second identifies the 10 Biggest Security Threats Of The Future. Posted by Joe Caponi at 01:08 PM, September 26, 2008 Plan Ahead To Walk Away
Ready to give up the rat race? (Who likes racing rats, anyway?) If you own your solution provider business, have you planned for the possibility of giving it up? What if an offer arrives unexpectedly--will you know what you need to do? At a panel at last week's XChange '08, experts offered advice on valuing and selling your business: "One area where owners tend to make the biggest mistakes is in the valuation of their businesses, said Frank Helstab, managing director of The Institute for Corporate Planning & Finance. Don't leave it up to your accountant, Helstab said. His or her job is to make your business look as small as possible for tax purposes. It's a different game when you're trying to assess to true worth of your business to a potential buyer." Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:59 AM, August 27, 2008 Forget Price. Sell Solutions.
At this week's XChange '08 conference, Everything Channel CEO Robert Faletra advised solution providers on how to increase their margins: "'If you position yourself in the market properly you will get premium prices,' he told solution providers. 'Being able to define a business solution is where the profit lies.' Successful solution providers are structured around practice areas that can be either technology based such as virtualization and storage, or vertical markets such as healthcare or financial..." The funniest response came from Delta Max President Robert Swanson, who was heard saying, "Technology is so last decade." For more of Robert Faletra's advice on positioning your solution provider organization, see We Need To Talk Less--And Do More--About IT: "In the early days of the market, customers were willing to pay more for faster and better technology. Now they want the solutions and leverage that the legacy infrastructure offers." Posted by Joe Caponi at 03:47 PM, August 20, 2008 Reaching Out To New Customers
How many new customers do you need to nurture each year to keep your organization growing? Reaching out to new, growing clients is critical, especially as many existing customers limit their spending, but it's a practice that solution providers frequently avoid. This week's VARBusiness cover story, How To Find New Customers presents an array of actionable ideas solution providers can implement now. "There are plenty of steps VARs and solution providers can take to drum up new business among small, midmarket and large companies. Many of these efforts can apply to all the market segments, and all are worth considering at a time when finding new customers is so critical to business success." Can state, local and education (SLED) markets be one of those growth opportunities? Tax revenues are down, but many states are increasing their investments in public safety and outsourcing, according to a GovernmentVAR report: "State CIOs... indicated that spending on records management and security remains a top priority... strong interest... on the part of state CIOs confirms the significant impact states see from loss of essential records and their willingness to address the security and preservation of that critical data." Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:49 AM, August 20, 2008 Look Up For Success
Knowing what you do - and what you don't do - is key to establishing and growing any business, but particularly so for solution providers. Steven Burke profiles The ASI Group, which turned its back on its traditional business model to become a vertical specialist: "[President C. J. Ezell] made an all-out commitment to increase recurring revenue and brand his own company as the trusted source of all information technology for his health-care clients. That means white labeling products and services and putting his own brand in front of the client... It has paid huge dividends..." Posted by Joe Caponi at 01:50 PM, August 12, 2008 The HP-CDW Deal Under The Microscope
Robert DeMarzo calls news of HP's deal with CDW the "Channel's Summer Blockbuster: "HP [will] co-fund 110 new HP-only salespeople inside CDW who will wake up every day with one goal--to sell HP products to businesses that employ 500 or fewer workers. By the way, there will be no shortage of accounts to target because HP is going to supply 500,000 net new customer leads for CDW to chase." DeMarzo sees the glass as half-full for SMB solution providers, though. "There are going to be many vendors scrambling to find a way to compete against HP in the SMB market, and they just might be willing to invest more in your organization." But rank-and-file VARs are wary about the deal's implications: "'There are a lot of dealers like us that are doing our best to cover that area. If CDW wants to compete, then they should do it at their own expense. HP should not be subsidizing them to compete with their other dealers,' said Mark Singh, president of ValCom Computer Center, an HP solution provider in Midland, Texas." While Craig Zarley says the deal's big loser may be HP itself: "What HP is betting with the CDW deal is that it can sell more products to small businesses using one large telesales organization than it can by better supporting thousands of local solution providers. It's lost that bet before." Posted by Joe Caponi at 02:56 PM, August 11, 2008 San Francisco's Childs: Still Employed, Still in Jail
Not much has changed since our last update on San Francisco network admin Terry Childs. Childs, who remains in jail on $5 million bail, is charged with computer tampering, and locking his superiors out of the city network he managed (he's since handed over the passwords). Though in jail, Childs remains employed. The Examiner reports: "Though city officials would not comment specifically on the Childs case because it is a personnel matter, Matt Dorsey, spokesman for the City Attorney, said he “would not dispute” that it could take longer than a year to discharge him." While the San Francisco Chronicle profiles Childs and provides contrasting portraits of him: as "a reliable, self-made professional who overcame a troubled childhood," but also as someone who "went overboard, turning the city's computer system into his own 'private network' after lying about his violent past to get his job." IDG's Paul Venezia has been covering the story in detail, providing both an in depth analysis Sorting Facts from Fiction in the Terry Childs Case, and the quicker Primer on the Terry Childs case for the non-technical: "Essentially what Childs' did was build a car, give the city the keys to start the engine and drive the car normally, but he locked the hood so nobody else could work on the car." Finally, the prosecution of Childs is not off to a good start: DA Admits Error In Exposing SF Passwords: "Including a list of more than 100 sensitive IP subnet addresses and virtual private network (VPN) passwords in public court filings for the Terry Childs case was a mistake, the San Francisco District Attorney's Office said over the weekend." The sensible move might be for San Francisco to cut a deal and put this behind them, though I wouldn't bet that's what will happen. Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:41 AM, August 7, 2008 Lighting The Torch With Atos Origin
When I first saw this year's VARBusiness 500 top 10 list I read nine familiar names - the giants of the solution provider industry - and one that was new to me: Atos Origin. Who? Over at Information Week, Bob Violino takes a look at Atos and it's work in support of this year's Olympic Games: "The company has been the IT partner for the International Organizing Committee since 2002, and has provided technology for the Games since 1992. Atos Origin has designed and built a number of critical applications specific to the Olympics, and those will be on display at the Beijing Games. Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:26 AM, August 1, 2008 Can You Live On SaaS?
While major vendors from Microsoft to Salesforce.com push partners to embrace Software as a Service (SaaS) methods for delivering solutions, VARs are evaluating whether those plans are really in their best interest. To help, VARBusiness identifies SaaS: Five Challenges For The Channel as well as guidelines on How To Build A Business Around SaaS: "What everyone seems to agree on is this: There's no upside to waiting around. Now is the time to figure out your SaaS strategy. Here are some of the important issues solution providers must grapple with as they develop their response to SaaS." Our Larry Hooper, for one, has been looking at Microsoft -- and other vendor's -- SaaS plans, and says the declining margin on software could actually be good for the channel: "So as we all look toward a day when we can count on virtually no margins from products, where does that leave solution providers? In my mind, it leaves them in charge. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:46 AM, July 25, 2008 Vendors Aid VAR Partnering
Smart VARs have always been alert for partnering opportunities that can help grow their businesses. Rick Whiting reports that the big vendors have caught on: "Some of the largest vendors, including IBM, Microsoft, and SAP, have figured out that there's a lot to be gained by managing their solution provider partnerships as a networked system rather a set of discrete relationships, according to a report from International Data Corp. Microsoft helps foster partner-to-partner relationships through its Partner Channel Builder initiative, a P2P resource on the vendor's partner portal. IBM does likewise through its Value Nets program, as does SAP with its PartnerEdge P2P Network." Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:19 PM, July 7, 2008 Independence Links
I'll be away a few days, but here's a head's up on the best of ChannelWeb: This week we've launched the latest edition of our quarterly State of Technology report, this time examining opportunities in networking. Networking: Growth In VoIP, Video, includes details on our research into VARs networking choices, as well as a look at the 20 Most Strategic Networking Vendors. This week will be remembered as Bill Gates last as a full-time Microsoft employee. End. Of. An. Era. Don't miss our 10 Examples Of Bill Gates Telling It Like It Is, and Information Week's Peek Inside Bill Gates' Head. Enjoy your summer, Bill! Coming up next week, watch for CRN's Emerging Vendors Special Report. Many solution providers find they can enjoy better margins, offer unique solutions, and avoid channel conflict by choosing lesser-known hardware and software partners. We'll run down the pros and cons of that approach, and toss in a databank of almost 200 small, but growing vendors in a variety of tech categories. Next week is also the last to apply for our Executive of the Year award and our Fast Growth/Retail directory. Happy Birthday, America! And you too, Canada!
Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:15 PM, June 27, 2008 Summer Solstice Linkfest
Tonight, at 8:00 EDT, our sun reaches it's highest point as seen in the northern hemisphere, we enjoy our longest day*, and summer begins. In honor of the sun, some links: Continue reading "Summer Solstice Linkfest" Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:37 PM, June 20, 2008 Hot Topics Feedback
Last month, I posted 20 Great-Looking Solution Provider Websites, a slide show highlighting some of the most creative work on display in our business. Derive Technologies, one of the sites I mentioned, not only trumpeted their achievement on their website; but their design firm, Mitra Creative did as well. They deserved to. I also heard from Kristine Buyers, director of Marketing Communication at Dewpoint, who shared the news that the company has since launched a redesign of their site. My initial take on it is that they've definitely made the site even more professional-appearing, and have kept a bit of the cheerful yellow color from their logo, though I do miss the playfulness of the old look a bit. Two months ago, I blogged about the trouble at British Airways Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport outside London. I'm happy to say things are going better now, but not before we heard from a number of ChannelWeb members actually caught up in the Terminals' numerous opening-month problems, including one reader who notes: "This has actually happened on the same scale with every single major airport that has opened in the last 15 years or so, including Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Bangkok, Thailand. I think you guys should do an in depth piece on how solution providers could be used to help gauge the capacity requirements and anticipate the contengenices that invariably crop up with projects of this scale!" Some recommendations from the vendor community: In response to my post on the launch of Acrobat.com, Michele Wyman of Box.net emailed about her company's services, "a SaaS file system which offers robust online file storage and sharing tools, and also features a collaboration platform." There's a free offering, as well as subscription models for businesses. Are you and your customers embracing 'cloud computing' solutions? In addition, in repsonse to my post "Virtualization Eases Desktop Woes", Angela Jamison pinged me from Jumpbox, "an innovative provider of virtual appliances." JumpBoxes are: "A virtual appliance for an Open Source application that is focused on a single task (or single application) and is carefully crafted to capture the best practices for how the application should be implemented... The JumpBox Open Collection is full of JumpBoxes for the most powerful apps available.." Entry-level business pricing looks very reasonable. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:40 AM, June 17, 2008 Seizing Midmarket Opportunities
We discuss midmarket customers quite a bit on ChannelWeb, and for good reason--it's the sweet for solution providers looking to grow their businesses. This week's CRN takes an in-depth look: VARs Race To The Midmarket. Craig Zarley says the midmarket has held strong in the face of rough economic winds: "The recession everyone has feared simply isn't showing up in the burgeoning midmarket. As a result, solution providers once focused on the enterprise and those catering to small business are now adjusting their business models in a race to the middle." The cover story also includes a look at how VARs can build up midmarket relations; a slide show on Also in today's CRN: Apple's MobileMe Will Crush Microsoft and Google (If it Works): Ed Moltzen says that Steve Jobs has done: "what Google and Microsoft have tried but have failed to do: Define the cloud, and turn it into a broad-based, software-as-a-service offering for anyone." Lessons Of A Lifetime: a profile of VARBusiness 500 Lifetime Achievement Award winner Bruce Geier, CEO of Technology Integration Group. Dell, The Innovator?: The direct giant has lined up some channel partners for its resurgent notebook lineup. EMC's New Juggling Act With The Channel: EMC is another formerly direct vendor reaching out to the channel, according to Robert Faletra: "It wasn't that long ago that EMC couldn't spell "channel program." Now it finds itself building out a channel that's not only comprised of high-end enterprise VARs, but with Iomega and other acquired products is focusing on the need to have a retail and small-business channel as well." And Robert Demarzo evaluates Oracle's claim that "Two Heads Are Better Than One". Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:09 PM, June 16, 2008 Virtual Trade Show--Opening Shortly!
Our virtual trade show, World Without Wires examines solution provider opportunities in wireless solutions, and begins in a few minutes at 11:00 ET. Register now! Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:49 AM, June 12, 2008 Coming Thursday: Our Wireless (Virtual) Trade Show
One bright spot in the current economy is that the market for wireless solutions remains robust and margins are healthy. Our next Virtual Trade show, "World Without Wires," conming Thursday, dives deep into solution provider wireless opportunities. The exhibit hall will feature products and program information from the top wireless vendors. Meanwhile, education sessions will feature: our Test Center editors; Intel's Steve Dallman; executives from ScanSource, Net@Work, Future Tech, and ePlus; and Everything Channel President Robert Faletra. Like any show, there'll also be networking, giveaways, live chats and more. Sign up now, and stop in anytime Thursday, 11 - 5, Eastern time.
Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:56 AM, June 9, 2008 Memorial Day 2008 Linkfest
Here we are once again at the edge of a big weekend! But what to read? Some ideas: Continue reading "Memorial Day 2008 Linkfest" Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:06 PM, May 23, 2008 High Tech, The Candidates, And The Public Sector
In today's CRN, Robert Faletra asks the question "Which Presidential Candidate Would Be Best For High Tech?", but eventually concludes that none of the big three has yet addressed our most important technology challenge: "The biggest issue we face as an industry is education and graduating more engineers, and I haven't heard any of the candidates give me an answer as to what they would do about that." Meanwhile, over on Small Business Resource, Gayle Kesten compiles a few guides (including ours) to the candidates's positions on high-tech issues. Among small business managers, the most critical issue she's seeing is dealing with health care costs. Of course, the government isn't only a source of policy opportunities/challenges. It's also a big IT buyer, and Robert DeMarzo says it's a great hedge against a downturn in the business sector, if you know how to play it: "The VARs who stuck with it and spent time securing contracts or serving as subs to the large prime contractors built a steady, profitable business that, in many cases, is growing faster than their commercial side while guaranteeing a predictable rate of return."
Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:36 PM, May 12, 2008 Quote Smarter: Product Pricing and Availability
We want to change the way you build quotes for clients. Our newest tool offers real-time pricing, availability, and research on thousands of IT products, to help you get the best solutions into your customers hands, at the best prices. Most significantly for solution providers, it's possible to enter your reseller ID with D&H, Ingram Micro, Synnex or Tech Data, to determine your specific partner pricing from any of those distributors. Along with our partner, VARStreet, we're eager to see how this helps you operate your business, and how we can continue to improve it.
Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:52 AM, May 8, 2008 Swainson Charts A New Course At CA
Robert DeMarzo has been behind the scenes at CA a few times lately, and thinks CEO John Swainson is building the company into a reliable channel partner: "Many solution providers suffered (aka got burned) from not only CA's financial traumas but also from its fickleness in the channel. One day it wanted to embrace the channel and the very next day it was kicking the channel in the teeth. That went on for years under old regimes. But is it time to put all of that behind you and give CA another look?... Perhaps it is." Our Scott Campbell took a detailed look at CA partners this past December, and found them please with the company's improvements. Robert DeMarzo also profiled CA's channel chief, Bill Lipsin, last summer. Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:19 PM, April 21, 2008 When In Rome, Know Your Markets
At our IT ChannelVision event taking place this week in Rome, Everything Channel President Robert Faletra advised vendors and solution providers to learn which business models worked best in which global markets: "Faletra said North American partners have moved well beyond the infrastructure buildup phase where the reseller model once worked. At the same time, that reseller approach is applicable in China where there is a huge infrastructure buildup taking place, he said." In other news from Rome, Steven Burke reports that Partners Forecast Robust 2008 Sales Growth: "Europe's top solution providers aren't feeling the ill-effects of an economic downturn. Solution providers... said hot products like notebooks for gamers and services muscle are fueling robust sales growth this year." In addition, Intel is on hand to launch its new program for European systems integrators while Microsoft is urging system builders to enhance their services business models. Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:25 PM, April 10, 2008 IT Nightmares: British Airways Terminal 5
Well, things could be going better at British Airway's brand-new $8 billion Terminal 5 at London's Heathrow airport. Since it's opening just last Thursday, cancelled flights (by the hundreds) and lost luggage (by the tens of thousands) have crushed British Airway's hopes of a spectacular opening. "Willie Walsh, BA’s chief executive, said yesterday that the number of [missing] bags was 19,000. Mr Walsh admitted that Terminal 5’s opening day had been a 'disaster' telling Sky News: 'It is a fantastic facility, we can make it work. But we got it completely wrong on day one.' " You'll not be surprised to hear that much of the trouble is IT-related: "British Airways said it planned to operate 80% of scheduled flights, including all long-haul routes, from Terminal 5 on Friday, after canceling dozens of flights Thursday... Much of the trouble stemmed from problems with the terminal's new computerized baggage-handling system. London's Daily Mail newspaper reported that baggage handlers were not able to log in to the system. As a result, British Airways said passengers could only board flights if they left checked luggage behind." At the Software Testing & Quality Blog, Randy Rice notes that the situation has eerie similarities to United Airlines ill-fated baggage handling system at Denver International Airport. "The new automated baggage system which has 10 miles of conveyor belts, 140 computers, designed to process 12,000 bags per hour had never been tested in a live terminal. That would be quite a load test, but still...there were many things both manual and automated that failed that such a test might have found." And as one commenter on Information Week noted: "As an IT developer the most golden rule we have and respect is: Once you have written something TEST IT, and when you are done testing it TEST IT AGAIN. AND AGAIN. If you do not, T5 is the result." There's nothing like being 'live' to show you the kinks in your system. But it's better to find out when a hundred people are on line, rather than a stadium-full. They will work out the issues, but this is the kind of black eye we'd all be wise to avoid. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:53 AM, April 1, 2008 VAR's Son An American Idol Favorite
David Archuleta, a top contender in the current American Idol, has some strong solution provider roots. His dad, Jeff Archuleta, is owner of Arch Consulting Group, a Salt Lake City hardware VAR. Larry Hooper has more: "As long as David Archuleta remains in the competition, Jeff Archuleta will stay with him in Los Angeles and stay in touch with his employees via phone and email... He has turned the day-to-day operations over to staff." I can think of some vendors that might benefit from some feedback from Simon, now that I think of it. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:00 AM, March 27, 2008 Hurd 'Walks The Walk' At HP's Partner Conference
Craig Zarley reports that HP CEO Mark Hurd is doing all the right things to gain the support of his solution provider parthers: "No one was friendlier at HP's Americas Partner Conference in Las Vegas than Hurd. He met publicly with solution providers. He met privately with solution providers. He showed up at Caesars Palace Monday for his keynote and stayed until singer Sheryl Crow had rocked the crowd Wednesday night... Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:46 AM, March 18, 2008 Today's Virtual Trade Show
Our Virtual Trade Show: Securing and Storing Customer Data, opens online in less that an hour. In fact, here's today's complete schedule: Continue reading "Today's Virtual Trade Show" Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:18 AM, March 12, 2008 Spitzer, And Things That VARs Won't Do
Information Week reports that the "Emperor's Club," the alleged call-girl operation linked to New York Governor Elliot Spitzer, masqueraded as a web design consultancy: "According to its Web site, QAT Consulting provides 'online advertising and promotion services,' including strategic planning, concept development, design and copyrighting and 'results analysis'... Prosecutors allege that QAT Consulting provided a front through which payments to the Emperors Club's $5,000 per hour hookers were funneled." Most solution providers do exhibit a passion for their clients, but that's where the similarities end... Posted by Joe Caponi at 01:35 PM, March 11, 2008 CeBIT Memories
The giant European IT show has closed up shop for this year, and while most of the attention went to a police raid in search of patent-infringing products, there was also more immediately useful news for the channel. Catch the highlights in our slide shows on the Big Names At CeBIT; how Security Vendors Shone; and at some Bizarre Scenes. CeBIT also provided a specific opportunity for some Microsoft execs to appeal to an international audience. CEO Steve Ballmer looked at the "Next Computing Revolution": "Microsoft has for years been focused on the development of natural user interface technology, and those efforts are finally poised to bear fruit, Ballmer said. 'Today we have applications that can identify spoken and written words with greater accuracy, and we're starting to see the emergence of interfaces that are driven by touch and gestures,' said Ballmer. 'Over time, interacting with computers will be just like interacting with people.'" While COO Kevin Turner focused on Microsoft's virtualization plans: "Microsoft will offer virtualization at two-thirds the cost of its competitors, but the real differentiator, according to Turner, is that Microsoft is taking a cross platform approach. 'We're going to be the first virtualization technology that allows you to manage other vendors' virtualization solutions,' said Turner." Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:37 AM, March 10, 2008 A SaaS-y XChange Anticipates Our Virtual Trade Show
This week in Los Angeles, our Solution Provider XChange event has brought together soluion providers and some of the top channel vendors to network, evaluate industry trends, and hunt for opportuity. Tops among those opportunities are those related to delivering software-as-a-service (SaaS). VMware was actively soliciting VAR partners for their virtualization solutions, while Microsoft reiterated their commitment to partnering with VARs in their small-business SaaS initiatives. In other news, Ricoh and CA reached out to VARs with new product and program offerings, while D&H was showing the money to solution providers, promising an additional $10 million in credit to their VAR partners. Not one to be outspent, HP also promised major increases in their channel investments. "'Channel investments are key,' said Adrian Jones, HP's vice president and general manager, Americas Solution Partners Organization. 'Last year we paid over $350 million in PartnerOne rebates and we plan to do more in 2008.' Jones promised too, that HP would pay more MDF and spend more on channel demand generation and training this year." If you missed this XChange, don't fear. Additional XChange events are coming up. But first, we've got an exciting opportunity everyone can participate in. Our next Virtual Trade Show opens next Wednesday, March 12, online at 11:00 Eastern, Daylight Saving time. The 'eVent' will focus on "Securing and Storing Customer Data" and feature presentations from RSA Security, IBM, Symantec, Websense, and our own Everything Channel CEO, Robert Faletra. See you there!
Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:06 AM, March 7, 2008 Hurd Raises Expectations For HP Partners
HP 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 The Vision Thing
Announced 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 Middle
It'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 Linkfest
As 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 It's Just Their Nature
Great 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 Be A Giant
Congratulations 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 Federal Cyber Security Plan Is Big, Secret
The Wall Street Journal reported this week that President Bush will propose a major increase in federal cyber security spending, in an effort to safeguard public and private comptuer networks: Continue reading "Federal Cyber Security Plan Is Big, Secret " Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:05 AM, January 31, 2008 You. In 25 Words Or Less
Robert DeMarzo is back from the Raymond James & Associates investor conference, and has some new insight into how some of the biggest names in the channel identify their organizations' unique positions. He suggests that it's an effort that the average VAR would be wise to emulate: "Generally speaking, VARs do not spend nearly enough time on the subtleties of their position. Some of that comes from the fact that VARs and integrators are poor marketers. They are terrific at selling technology, but marketing comes about as naturally to a VAR as golf does to Charles Barkley." Good advice, not only for companies, but for individuals. What do you do that's unique, valuable and future-facing? Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:14 AM, January 22, 2008 Rating E-Health Promises
At InformationWeek, Marianne McGee looks at the presidential candidate's promises of healthcare infrastructure investments, particularly on Barack Obama's $50 billion electronic health records promise: "Wow. $50 billion? To date, federal government spending on e-health initiatives has been in the millions of dollars, not billions. Most government money so far has been in the form of grants and demo projects... If you can think of two more challenging markets to enter than healthcare and the feds, I'd like to hear about it. But they sure provide a lot of solution provider opportunity. Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:08 PM, January 17, 2008 How To Score With The Channel, 2008
Yesterday's CRN issue features three looks at the problems facing vendors and solution providers in the new year: Loyalty. It's such a lonely word. Robert Faletra outlines five key elements for vendors seeing the loyalty of their channel partners: "Thinking through partner programs with a mind-set centered on maximizing partner profitability is important. This often isn't as easy as it sounds given the many different partner models out there. The first action is to truly understand how and what drives partner profitability." Key to building a healthy channel program is selecting the right channel chief. Steven Burke says it's a challenge many organizations are botching: "At the end of the day, what all this turnover madness comes down to is a serious disregard for just how important a channel chief is in driving sales and brand influence among the channel sales force in the field." One company that's looking to get it's channel engine running again is IBM. Robert DeMarzo examines their latest efforts: "IBM's plan boils down to focusing marketing dollars and inside salespeople on generating leads for partners or working with them to help close sales. For the most part, IBM will no longer sell directly to SMB customers. However, the missing piece is an expansion of IBM's product portfolio for midmarket and small-business customers." Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:06 AM, January 15, 2008 Making Social Networks Work
On bMighty Naomi Grossman rounds up some coverage suggesting opportunities are developing for small business to take real advantage of social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook: "One of the objections many of us have heard over and over: 'So much of what's discussed online is meaningless. These forms of communication are shallow and make us dumber. We have real work to do!' The response could make a smaller business reconsider: 'If learning how the market feels about your organization, engaging with your customers and driving traffic to your web work - all very realistic goals for social media engagement - aren't work, then I don't know what is.'" Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:43 AM, January 11, 2008 Big News For SmallBiz
My old friend and colleague Gayle Kesten is now blogging over at Small Biz Resource, one of our sister sites at CMP Technology. If your customers are small business owners, (or if you're a small business owner) a visit is well worth your time. Tell her I sent you... Posted by Joe Caponi at 02:08 PM, January 4, 2008 Holidays '07 Linkfest
I'm out early to get a jump on Christmas, but I've left behind a bunch of links for your Holiday reading: Robert DeMarzo looks at Dell's new channel program and asks, "Where's The Beef?:" "If you look under the hood, Dell's got all the typical goodies: two tiers, certifications, credit terms and deal registration. It's a great start but nowhere near as innovative as it could have been." While Robert Faletra says, "Dell's Program Has Three Problems, All Fixable:" "But to really push the company into this indirect business, [Dell channel chief Greg] Davis has to convince Michael Dell that direct-sales reps should be compensated more for pushing business through the channel than they will be if they take the business direct. Do that and we will see an accelerated indirect business and an acceptance on the part of the channel that Michael Dell is very, very serious about this move." Earlier this week, I spoke with the new U.S. channel chief of FCS, an Irish email compliance vendor, about FCS's expansion plans. Their appliance stores all an organization's email, potentially forever. If you've got to do it, you might as well do it right. The Test Center wrapped up it's World Series of Linux and crowned a champion. Readers have been weighing in, too. Finally, we've been putting together a series of looks at the year past and the year to come. They include: 10 Technologies To Watch In 2008 10 Predictions For Microsoft In 2008 10 Predictions For 2008 From VARBusiness 500 Execs 5 Wireless Trends To Watch In 2008 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:24 PM, December 19, 2007 Rewinding The Channel Year
Robert DeMarzo looks at The Year's Biggest Channel Stories, including changes at HP, IBM, Microsoft, and, especially, Dell: "Someone pinch me because I may still be dreaming. One of the biggest stories of the year was Michael Dell's disclosure that the company generates $9 billion in worldwide revenue from VARs, has a loose collection of 15,000 partners and is serious about launching a channel program." Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:18 PM, December 10, 2007 To-Do List for Dell
In the wake of this week's channel program launch from Dell, Steven Burke identifies 5 Steps Dell Needs To Take To Be A Channel Leader, including: "A formal pledge of channel commitment and loyalty by CEO Michael Dell that includes a pledge not to compete with partners, to have best-in-class reseller margins and to affirm that Dell's view of partners is as trusted technology advisers for SMB accounts." Meanwhile, Ed Moltzen surveys some solution provider reaction. You'll find plenty more in our forums. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:37 AM, December 7, 2007 Will Vendors Fumble Their SaaS Channel Plans?
Steven Burke previews our 2008 State of the Market research report, and finds that it's the vendors that need to learn some old lessons in the new Software-as-a-Service age: "Ultimately, what the State of the Market SaaS research shows is that vendors are more interested in competing against VARs in this burgeoning market than leveraging the channel to win market share. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:17 AM, December 5, 2007 Waiting On Dell To Change
As we await Dell's channel announcements tomorrow, Robert Faletra is reserving judgement until he hears all the details, but he's "not expecting too much": "You have to give Michael Dell credit in that he fully understands his problem and the fact that the channel is a huge piece of the fix. But Dell has missed so many opportunities to build channel acumen since its announcement it would enter the indirect world, that it is proving the point I made at that time. Meanwhile, Larry Hooper says any news may be good news: "I think another player in the channel PC space is a good thing for VARs, even if all Dell does is make HP or Lenovo more responsive to partners. Competition for VAR business is good for VARs." Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:55 AM, December 4, 2007 Dell's Looking For You
In comments on an analyst call Thursday, Michael Dell positioned his company as a terrific alternative to channel leader HP: "Many [solution providers] are quite excited to have the only full-line alternative to our major competitor out there." We're anticipating some major channel announcements next week from Dell (the company). Stay tuned. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:17 AM, November 30, 2007 AMD, IBM Deals Good News For Channel
Robert DeMarzo finds good news in AMD's recent cash infusion and, in particular, with IBM's pending acquisition of Cognos: "Cognos was adept at partnering... with large global integrators like Accenture and Deloitte, but was not as successful with the mainstream channel. Once IBM gets its hands on Cognos, you can bet it will bring more solution providers into the fold as it grows sales to midsize customers. "
Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:55 PM, November 26, 2007 Benchmark Your Account Growth
Solution providers know it's critical to continue developing new customers. But how many should you have, and at what rate should you be bringing in new clients to ensure healthy operations in the years to come? Robert DeMarzo has been looking at the State of the Market data, and has some answers: "If you fell short of an 11 percent year-over-year increase [in new accounts], you're clearly underperforming. Half the VARs we surveyed grew their customer base by 24 percent." Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:16 AM, November 15, 2007 Apple, Google, and Linux Blogs, Plus One
We've launched four new blogs here at ChannelWeb. The Apple Channel, the Linux Channel, and the Google Channel cover solution provider issues specific to those topics, while The Channel Wire will keep an eye on broader issues affecting the entire channel. All four will enjoy contributions from all our CMP Channel editors. Among the initial posts, Damon Poerter provides a sneak peek of AMD's Phenom Quad-Core systems, due soon; Jennifer Lawinski looks at discussions between Apple and Salesforce.com; and Scott Campbell previews the Google Phone. As with any of our other articles, your comments are most welcome! Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:10 AM, November 5, 2007 Microsoft Phones The Channel For VoIP Players
Microsoft's VoIP announcements from last week have struck a chord among industry watchers. Our Robert DeMarzo and Larry Hooper were both impressed by the significance of Microsoft's move to enter the unified communications space, and to bring Microsoft VARs along with them. Hooper says some may smirk at Redmond's track record on new products, but forsees that Microsoft may have the last laugh: "The scale of Microsoft's VoIP and unified communications launch here in San Francisco made one thing clear: This is not a me-too game for Microsoft. When it comes to VoIP and unified communications, at least, Microsoft is jumping in to change, and yes, dominate, the market." While DeMarzo says Microsoft has a chance to remake itself into the new Ma Bell: "Microsoft clearly has an opportunity to leverage the channel to deliver on its vision for unified communications. Microsoft needs a clear channel strategy for its voice products for all of its partners. Even more important, it needs [Microsoft exec Jeff] Raikes -- or someone at his level -- to serve as the channel evangelist for unified communications." If you're younger than me, you may not know that 'Ma Bell' refers to the big old AT&T, in the days when every dial tone in America came from the same place... Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:41 AM, October 29, 2007 Put Your Video On ChannelWeb
If you've been aching to make an internet video (a clean one), the time is now. CMP Channel's own Dan Neel is looking for home videos from solution providers on how they use ChannelWeb and the other tools from CMP Channel. Send us a link, and there's an iPod in it for the best one, along with fame on ChannelWeb. Meanwhile, at Who Are You?, the newest site from our colleagues over at TechWeb, the secret lives of the technology crowd are being made public. Executive Producer Fritz Nelson (an old boss of mine) calls it "a place to understand who we are when we step out of the work place and into our lives." Whether you photograph sea birds, or blast cans across a lake (to name two early entries), or do something even more interesting--if you have a video camera, they want to hear from you. Of course, I wouldn't ask you to do something I wouldn't do myself. I just had a chance to sit in and host the latest report from the Channel Test Center on some Panasonic Toughbooks we put to the spill test. For a first effort, I think it came out all right. But I bet you can top it. Posted by Joe Caponi at 03:33 PM, October 23, 2007 Underwhelmed By Gore
If Al Gore can win Nobel Price harranguing people about global warming, shouldn't Bob Faletra have one too? "Over the past two decades, I've sat with virtually every significant CEO in this industry and talked turkey about why they need to invest in you, my brethren and audience. I went toe to toe with Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer in the early days and they came around. I single-handedly convinced John Chambers at Cisco to drop his direct efforts and move it all through the channel. I stood former Compaq CEO Eckard Pfeiffer down when he tried to buy Gateway and forced him to give up. I called Carly Fiorina to task for chasing the direct business... Since Gore's never put a dime in my pocket, I'm voting for Bob! Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:54 AM, October 15, 2007 Fighting Spam With Fire (Well, Moderation)
As you may have noticed, from time to time our ChannelWeb forums fill up with some pretty undesirable spam posts. People try and take advantage of our site's reputation to post links to their advertisements -- for products ranging from pharmecuticals to porn to, well, just about anything else. We're partly successful in blocking spam posts before they go online, but not completely. We delete spam posts that make it through ruthlessly, but having such posts live, even for a short time, is deeply aggravating here, and detracts from the professional environment you expect. So we're trying something new, starting today. Any user's first post in the community will need to be approved by our moderators before appearing on site. If you make it past that, subsequent posts will show right up, as they do now. We'll be inconveniencing people joining the discussions for the first time, but we think we'll be able to block just about 100% of spam posts before they get on site. Let us know how you think it's working -- it's very much a work in progress. If you're a regular participant, you shouldn't notice any difference at all. If you're posting for the first time, we'll try and get your legitimate posts live as quickly as possible.
Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:29 AM, October 11, 2007 Ideas About Clients and Creativity
Recently, Adaptive Path posted some advice on excelling in modern business. The tips apply well to anyone doing creative work with extended client engagements--people like solution providers! Here's one I like that's very happy and sunny: "Aim beyond what you think you can achieve: Most of us are content to compete locally, with our neighbors. Change your scale of thinking and compete with the world’s best." Oh yeah! This one, I'm not nearly as crazy about: "It’s all my fault... If you have touched something, accept total responsibility for that piece of work." Ouch. I was recently slightly involved in a major project abandoned by a departing colleague. Should I have jumped in the driver's seat or run away? I ended up trying to split the difference, which wound up being most of the work with none of the glory. What would you do? Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:23 AM, October 5, 2007 The World Is Your House
For solution providers of almost any size, working with customers, suppliers and competitors across time zones and in different languages is increasingly the new normal. To help keep an eye on worldwide solution provider news and trends, we've launched our International News Archive page. You'll find ChannelWeb's own coverage of overseas news, along with feeds of local news from our partners in India, Germany and Australia (with more to come). There's opportunity over the horizon. We'll help you find it. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:55 AM, October 4, 2007 Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
Larry Hooper says that's a question you're staff are likely asking themselves. Frequently, money is neither the problem, or the solution. What is? "A little bit of attention, your employees could become much more dedicated to your business. Even if you don't want to pay any more, laying out clear career paths for your employees not only will help keep them, but will also help recruit new ones." Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:09 PM, October 3, 2007 TaaS Mania
Steven Burke has a new acronym for you to chew on: TaaS. That's Technology as a Service, and it's something you need to get familiar with quickly: "It means acting as a virtual, end-to-end, any-and-all technology provider for your clients. The aim with the next-generation TaaS business model is to cover everything from A to Z for a business from technology consulting to procurement and management of everything from systems to printers to phones to firewalls. It's all about taking control of the IT budget for a business and being the one throat to choke for any and all technology that needs to be managed for the client. At the heart of the TaaS model is a deeper and more intimate knowledge of the client's business." Don't think you can do it all? Burke says companies like Dell, Google and Microsoft do, and they won't be shy about talking to your customers. Posted by Joe Caponi at 01:28 PM, October 1, 2007 Valtech's Onshore Approach
Price. Speed. Quality. VARs are used to explaining the tradeoffs to customers. VARBusiness 500 solution provider Valtech is differentiating itself by focusing on speed. Brad Murphy, Valtech Senior VP, explains how they've found their niche: "Clients don't think in terms of big projects, but rather as a stream of incremental but strategic changes. It's not a neat, tidy project. How do you outsource that?... Posted by Joe Caponi at 01:57 PM, September 28, 2007 Be Like The Fast Growth VARs
What makes a 'Fast-Growth VAR'? It's a topic we've talked about before, but Bob DeMarzo has been hanging out with a bunch of them, and has compiled a list of ten traits they have in common: "While the previous generation of VAR was an accidental business person because he was a tech-geek first, fast-growth execs are savvy business professionals first, and technologists second. They understand technology better than most, but have a strong vision of where they want to take their organizations." Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:10 AM, September 27, 2007 Should VARs Provide Customer Financing?
This question came in last week from a systems integrator. Certainly distributors have made financing a part of their offerings for quite a while, but is it a worthwhile service for VARs to offer to end-user customers? "I'm looking for information or data demonstrating the effectiveness of SI's or VAR's offering financing. Is there evidence which suggest companies offering financing alternatives as part of the sales process generate more revenue, or are more profitable? I'm trying to build a case for my company to take a more "Financing" friendly view of the sales and marketing process." What do you think? Post your opinion in our comments section, below. Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:26 AM, September 24, 2007 Sourcing 2007
Distributors are still the key source of products for solution providers, even as alternative sources multiply and the roles of distributors change. In our new Channel Sourcing Study, we asked VARs where they're sourcing product from, and what makes a good sourcing partner. The right product, at the right price, goes a long way... "Solution providers buying from broadline distributors, specialty suppliers and alternative sources were in agreement: Pricing and availability is more influential than ease of doing business, product knowledge, breadth of product line and even relationships with sales reps." Editor Scott Campbell also looks at the tricky issue of using charge cards for VAR product purchases, and at upcoming technologies where VARs are looking to distribution for products and support. A slide show provides all the research highlights of our sourcing study, in bite-sized form. Posted by Joe Caponi at 01:44 PM, September 18, 2007 Chip And PC Powerhouses Battle For The Channel
Today's CRN includes takes on two major markets where tough competition is bringing prices down and generating new technology and business opportunities for channel players. Robert Faletra looks at the competition between Intel and AMD in the chip market, and loves what he sees: "The fact is that the resurrected and more interesting AMD of the past few years has forced Intel to behave differently in the market. Both companies have very astute managers and, as such, we can expect to see lots of innovation in product, pricing and programs in the coming months." Meanwhile, Larry Hooper examines the dizzying array of PC and OS options out there, and is pleased to report that "PCs Are Cool Again": "VARs are seeing good service revenues from replacing Vista on business machines with Windows XP. But as XP is phased out, Vista will no doubt lead to a rash of system upgrades. Keep a close eye on your vendors, present and future... Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:47 AM, September 17, 2007 Our Virtual Trade Show, Coming November 8
Mark your calendar: Eight weeks from today, I hope you'll join me at our Virtual Trade Show, online, everywhere. If you've ever wanted to see what an XChange event was like, but couldn't get away, here's your chance. Our big boss, Robert Faletra will host a live Q&A on mid-market solution provider opportunities, and you'll be able to chat in real time with channel vendors and other solution providers. Ted Hunter, general manager of Champion Networks, thinks it'll be especially valuable for the technical folks that may not get out much: "Technical people are every VAR's first and last line of defense in the technology world, and companies can use virtual trade shows to bring them back into the evaluation process... There'll be much more information as we get closer to the date. I hope to see you there! Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:45 AM, September 13, 2007 On The Trail Of The Hyper-Growth VAR
Our Business Growth Survey, featured in this month's VARBusiness looks at what it takes to kick your business into hyper-growth mode. "Nearly 12 percent of VARs surveyed said they expect growth rates of 30 percent or more above the market in 2007. In addition, more than 22 percent said they plan to grow 15 percent to 29 percent greater than the market this year... The feature also examines the strategies VARs are using to find and keep new customers. Robert Faletra looks at the difference between "lifestyle VARs" and "growth VARs" and concludes that vendors need to stay alert to the differing behaviors of both groups: "No vendor should realistically expect all of its partners to be in hyper-growth mode. In the same respect, if too much of the base is lifestyle-oriented, it's a problem as well." Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:07 PM, September 12, 2007 Labor Day Links
No matter what you'll be doing, enjoy the three day weekend! Some links to take away with you: VARBusines reports on the top technologies where small businesses are looking for VAR's help. According to our CMP Channel Quarterly Business Spending Survey: "The respondents highlighted five technology categories where they have sought or received help the most from solution providers: Network security, archiving and backup, client and desktop security, network infrastructure, and accounting and supply-chain applications." The biggest story of the week? Kevin McLaughlin's Partners to Microsoft: Don't Make Us Licensing Police: "Several sources told CMP Channel that Microsoft sometimes expects partners to act as foot soldiers in its ongoing campaign against so-called 'unintentional' software piracy by reporting organizations that aren't in compliance, which is threatening their role as trusted advisors to their clients." Our forums have been really hopping lately. In particular, see the threads on Fakes: Can You Tell The Difference?; Dell's Chief Challenges; and VARs Ripping And Replacing Vista For XP At Breakneck Pace. And don't miss this quote from bhancockcpr at the thread Dell is Stealing Customers From Partners: "Having just witnessed a Dell representative calling a customer and telling them (We put them on speaker phone) they should be buying direct because they could beat the partners' price... I was appalled." Next week is the last week to apply for Tech Innovators! If your organization has discovered a game-changing channel product (or if your organization sells a game-changing channel product) let us know, and you could be collecting a major award in October. GovernmentVAR is hosting State and Local Roadshows in Sacramento, Austin and Chicago this fall. If you're looking for insight into these markets, this is the place to start. In other news, Barry Ritholtz has a comparison of the recent market volatility with what real bear markets look like. It's not reassuring. The folks at Adaptive Path write that you can learn alot about attracting customers from "The Pick-Up Artist". And David Ewalt pens a homage to an expansion pack that's strangely moving. Posted by Joe Caponi at 02:44 PM, August 31, 2007 Wait--Now Hardware's A Service?
So it is. Scott Campbell reports that savvy MSPs are already eyeing a changing marketplace where customers can effectively 'lease' hardware along with services and support: "Gavin Garbutt, president and CEO of N-Able Technologies, an Ottawa-based MSP platform vendor, says within three years many end users will buy laptops for $170 a year, a price that includes the hardware, software, support and management. It's a price more affordable now than buying a laptop up front and allows customers to better budget their IT needs. 'You'll get the security system, support and at the end of three years, you'll get a new one.'" And yes, this will be a challenge to many VARs current offerings, and soon. Ingram Micro, for one, is turning this into a business today: "[Ingram's] Seismic Solution Financing allows customers to finance hardware along with Seismic managed service offerings into one bill to the customer. The program allows solution providers to be paid up front for the hardware but accrue monthly recurring revenue for the services portion of the deal.
Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:29 AM, August 27, 2007 And I Would Post 500 Posts
The Moveable Type page where I post new Hot Topics items informs me this is the 500th entry. I think you'll find these links worthy of both my modest blog and your valuable time: It's a story we've been hearing for awhile now--Solution Providers Experience Hiring Headaches: "A third of solution providers say hiring and retaining sales and technical staff is their biggest pain point, said Carolyn April, principal analyst with CMP Channel's Institute for Partner Education & Development, in a session at XChange '07 Sunday. 'The biggest challenge for solution providers is the lack of qualified applicants, in sales in particular.'" Jennifer Bosavage looks at The New World Order: Offshoring Today: "Companies are viewing China and Latin America as expansions of their customer base, not just a way of getting product made inexpensively for export back to the United States. The ready-and-willing workforces in these countries are also the consumers." Steven Burke finds four answers to the question, Why Is HP Winning?: "HP is by no means perfect. There are still a lot of solution provider complaints, including frequent HP program compliance audits that raise sales costs and take away from time that could be better spent selling. But no major vendor right now is more aggressively attacking problems. And no one has more channel momentum." And HP, along with the other key vendors, will need to keep that channel momentum. Robert Faletra says that new research backs up his instinct that Solution Provider Shifts Will Change The Game: "My take on this... is that the solution providers that are driving the bulk of the business for vendors today are going to change and change rapidly. Many of you are going to drop the vendors you now view as strategic as you shift your business." Finally, Larry Hooper looks at the man with one of the toughest jobs in technology--Dell's new channel chief, Greg Davis "The fact that he is a Dell insider with no recent channel credentials sets a stage for conflict. If Dell truly intends to become a major channel player that can compete with HP or even Lenovo, Mr. Davis has his work cut out for him. First, he has to change an internal culture built on decades of experience as a channel-bashing direct-only company. Then, he needs to hire some people who know a thing or two about the channel." It's been a privilege! Dare I sing, And I would post 500 more... Posted by Joe Caponi at 03:35 PM, August 23, 2007 Making Sense of IBM
Last week's CRN took a long look at some of the recent changes at IBM, particularly in terms of their small and mid-sized business offerings: "The cost of doing business with IBM is going up as sales are going down, and the vendor, once the partner of choice and a clear channel leader, simply doesn't matter anymore [to many solution providers]." Steven Burke has been speaking to many IBM VARs and hears much the same story: "VARs tell me HP's PartnerOne program is driving more profitable sales in every market segment. These VARs, which once coveted their IBM partnership, say [IBM's] channel programs have become less lucrative. HP's SMB sales coverage model also is outpacing IBM's and has gotten a lot clearer. IBM's SMB sales coverage model has gotten more confusing and costly." And Robert DeMarzo says VARs are wise to look elsewhere: "If you're running a VAR organization today, you should take a hard look at IBM's product portfolio and how it fits into your business. The organizational changes are irrelevant, but the field coverage is extremely important." Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:16 PM, August 13, 2007 Data Held Hostage, Company Alleges
Now this customer-outsourcer relationship has gone very bad: "A provider of spend management services says one of India's largest outsourcers is holding its data hostage at an offshore location and is refusing to return the information unless legal claims against it are dropped." Though it may provide a marketing opportunity to the competitors...of both companies... Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:17 AM, August 7, 2007 The Channel's Leading Women
VARBusiness 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 Dell Quiets Its Critics
Ed 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 Faletra's Rules For Growing Sales
Robert 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 Microsoft
This 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 CA Takes Another Swing At The Channel
Robert 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 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 When Your Project Is Doomed
Were you ever sure a project you were working on was destined to fail? Were you afraid to share that information with your boss? According to VitalSmarts, a corporate training company, if you answered 'yes' to either, you're in a very big crowd: "Among the project managers polled, 92 percent said they currently work on projects that are unlikely to be successful, and 81 percent have already concluded that they won't be able to convince key decision-makers to take the steps required to bring their projects back on course. More than three-quarters of the project managers admit they won't even try to convince those decision-makers." It's quite a wake up call. The article includes tips for both project managers and senior executives to take to avert project failures and build an environment more suited for success. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:55 AM, June 28, 2007 Private Equity Makes Its Channel Mark
Lawrence Walsh says "Private equity is washing over the channel, and that's good news: "Private equity, CEOs say, provides funding for acquisitions and expansion, as well as management experience and leadership for business growth.... Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:40 AM, June 7, 2007 903 E-Mails
That's the project for this morning, now that I'm back from a terrific week's vacation. Thanks to Gayle Kesten for filling in at Hot Topics! Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:26 AM, May 21, 2007 Dell Sees the Channel Light
Call it our scoop du jour: Huge kudos to CRN's Ed Moltzen, who caught up with Michael Dell for an exclusive interview that reveals his company's plan to embrace the channel in what's nothing less than a major strategy shift: "We're going to work on a number of different program elements and reach out to these partners because, actually, this part of our business has been growing faster than the overall category," Dell told Ed. "We take that as a positive affirmation that there is a great interest here. We're going to ramp it up quickly." BTW, Dell's just the latest hard-to-get, big-name exec we've scored. In recent weeks, VARBusiness also spoke to IBM CEO Sam Palmisano and Microsoft channel chief Allison Watson. Posted by Gayle Kesten at 10:40 AM, May 16, 2007 So, What Is Your Job?
Adaptive Path (an interface design consultancy) struggles with the issue of explaining what it is they actually do. It's a topic familiar to VARs, and one I've discussed before. But they've come to realize that difficulty is a strength, not a weakness: "Most organizations are stuck in classic mid-19th to 20th century thinking, borne of a manufacturing economy, where optimization arose when people were as interchangeable as the parts of the machines they built. Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:22 AM, May 10, 2007 Tuesday. Second Life. Be There
Looking for a reason to dip your toe in Second Life? Next Tuesday, VARBusiness editor Lawrence Walsh goes virtual, hosting a Channel 2.0 town hall in Cisco's Virtual Campus' Bandwidth Amphitheater, in Second Life. He knows you're sceptical, (Shadowram certainly is) but Larry's confident: "Vendors leading the charge into Second Life say this is very different from the conventional conference call, Web site or Webex meeting. Participants can interact with the presentation and each other in real time. It's not uncommon for people attending Second Life events to spin off into a private meeting to discuss mutual challenges, exchange ideas and forge partnerships." Meanwhile, Jill Aitoro reports that Second Life might just be the place to track down your next government contract, as well: "The opportunity to get in front of government customers in Second Life is huge, and programs like Safecom that require collaboration will be more apt to accept pitches in the virtual world than via telephone, e-mail or in-person meetings. It's a safe harbor, in a sense, for solution providers to approach government with ideas without necessarily having an initial in, or struggling through the red tape to get a formal bid submitted." Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:15 PM, May 9, 2007 Sun Puts Out Channel Fire
It must have seemed like a great idea. Last week Sun launched its 25 Anniversary Sale, offering direct pricing on some products at half the partner cost. Sun partners were stunned, and responded, in part, by venting their displeasure in our forums. Within three days, Sun had relented and opened the sale up to channel partners. Steven Burke says it's better late than never: "Ultimately, the sales promotion is a Harvard Business School case study on corporate marketing run amok. Sun pulled back and did the right thing. But why did it have to reach a breaking point?" Posted by Joe Caponi at 02:02 PM, April 30, 2007 New Blogs On Tech and Government
At long last, we've moved Jill Aitoro's Public Eye blog out of it's cramped apartment in Columns and into a shiny new space all her own. She'll continue to look at issues critical to public-sector VARs, including recent posts on E-Filing, the changing role of distributors in the public sector, and possible technology responses to sudden emergencies such as the Virginia Tech shooting: "Plenty of audio systems, including a couple offered by Sarasota, Fla.-based MadahCom, are capable of broadcasting safety sirens, live and recorded voice messages, and visual alerts via secure networks. An emergency notification system automatically contacts people by phone, pager, fax and e-mail, and delivers incident-specific information and instruction." Meanwhile, VARBusiness executive editor Carolyn April has launched Channel Surfing, a new blog focused on technology issues and opportunities in the channel. Early posts include looks at IT Staffing, the growing complexity of channel IT solutions, and an MSP horror story: "Grocery chains open for the day, employees there boot up the inventory-control software being provided as a service by their MSP and, well, system crashes ensue. The MSP then spends two days putting out fires and placating angry customers whose systems were offline... Try them both out. Of course, you can track both blogs via our expanded RSS Feeds service, as well. Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:00 AM, April 24, 2007 A New King of the VARBusiness 500
Can the VARBusiness 500 get more VAR-focused? Hard to believe, but yes. This year's listing will move the top vendor-services divisions to a separate list, including perennial VAR 500 leader IBM Global Services, ensuring this year's top company will be a full time VAR. Lawrence Walsh has all the details: "More than 50 companies will move to our new top Vendor Services list. Additionally, we are a lot clearer on the difference between a pure-play IT vendor and an independent software vendor. Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:08 AM, April 23, 2007 What's Infor's Game?
This move by Infor is just stunning: "A few weeks ago, partners received new contracts and were given 10 days -- until April 13 -- to sign. Those failing to do so would be docked a point of margin per day of delay, starting April 16, according to Infor partners with the documents. And should a partner still not sign, Infor would take the maintenance and support business of the partner's customers direct." It's rarely a good move to put all your eggs in somebody else's basket, and it's hard to see this as sound strategy for Infor's partners to follow. At the Channel Mavens blog, they're speculating it may be a psychological game on Infor's part: "We wouldn't begin to suggest that Infor's (or any other vendor's) relationship with its channel partners replicates the ultimatum game, but we're thankful for the opportunity to consider how they might be connected." Or, they suggest, maybe just too much testosterone. And at the ERP Graveyard game, they're simply calling it a 'loyalty oath', that's... "really putting the screws to its partners." Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:44 AM, April 19, 2007 State of Technology--Storage
VARBusiness has a harsh message for storage solution providers--wake up! In the latest State of Technology report, VARBusiness finds that most solution providers are missing out on robust growth opportunities: "Storage solution providers of all sizes generated an average of only 18 percent of total revenue from storage-related solutions and services." But it's not only storage solution providers who are missing the boat. The vendors have work to do, too. Robert DeMarzo surveys the scene: "Seagate and Western Digital are front and center in the storage vendor ranks--primarily because of their high-end products and history with the channel. But if you ask me, neither company has really seized the opportunity to move upstream against the likes of EMC, Hewlett-Packard and IBM. They're not crafting a channel story around storage services and higher-margin solutions. It seems like a rather obvious opportunity, don't you think?" As with all State of Technology reports, this one includes exclusive research on solution provider business and technology plans, gleaned from interviews with hundreds of solution providers of all sizes. Topics include: Check out the complete report. Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:40 PM, April 17, 2007 Getting Started In Managed Services
Lawrence Walsh lays out the hows and the whys of adding managed services to your business portfolio. The why is to build a recurring revenue stream. The how part is trickier: "Those who go the partnering path can graduate to be standalone managed services providers. Those who refer business can always invest in the services infrastructure. And those who build can always look to their peers for technical and sales support." In the comments, ChannelWeb member frankk asks who the best vendors are to align with. "this can be a 'bet the firm' decision and I would like some independent collaboration." The CRN Test Center evaluated some of the contenders in January. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:31 AM, April 12, 2007 Taking The MSP Plunge: Prepare For Cold Water
Lawrence Walsh talks to one VAR that turned his business upside down to achieve success in managed services: "Scaling is just one lesson Shulman has learned through his metamorphosis. The larger lesson is about business. He's no shrinking violet and readily voices his opinions. One that he vehemently pronounces is the need for solution providers to become better businesspeople." Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:40 AM, April 2, 2007 CRNTech Caught Live
Stacy Cowley reports from the first CRNTech Live, held today in New York: "Vendors, solution providers and CRN editors gathered to kick the tires of new products and chat about evolving business areas, like the growing market for disaster recovery and business continuity services." Future CRNTech Live events will be held in California and Texas, and registration is free for solution providers. Register now! Posted by Joe Caponi at 08:21 PM, March 28, 2007 The Next Step In Security: Reputational Analysis
Lawrence Walsh sits down with Trend Micro CEO Eva Chen and examines the company's vision for the future of internet security: "The next stage in the antivirus evolution, according to Chen, is "reputational analysis." The newly released OfficeScan 8.0 will include endpoint security features that will block access to Web sites that have a reputation as sources for malicious activity... It's security software that will automagically tell you that you're in a bad neighborhood of the Internet." There are plenty of potential problems (particularly if you run a web site that you think's been unfairly blacklisted) but the approach could provde a way to get out in front of hackers, rather than waiting for an attack. Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:13 PM, March 26, 2007 Google Looks To VARs To Open Federal Doors
Over on Public Eye, Jill Aitoro has word on Google's recent sales meeting with 200 federal contractors: "The size cand omplexity of the government market alone could lead Google to solution providers and systems integrators. Perhaps Google will take its cue from Dell, limiting support of the channel in the commercial space, but engaging partners in its efforts to win government contracts. Or, perhaps channel support in the government market will trickle into its commercial strategy." Posted by Joe Caponi at 08:50 PM, March 14, 2007 Channel Chatter: The New Forums
As I've mentioned, our upgraded Forums are one of my favorite elements of the site redesign. At the beginning of this week, though, they did feature mostly our own test postings and a couple spam messages. But now, real readers are weighing in on real issues. Check out threads on: "It's great to see the box vendors giving pre-installed GNU+Linux another try after some early false starts. Vista's created an opportunity there, but the window won't be open for long." 10 Things Partners Are Saying About Cisco: "Cisco acted like they were trying to help us with pricing, etc. then came in at the last minute and undercut us, selling directly to the customer at a huge discount." Microsoft: Influencer Program Coming This Month: "The Influencer program is a very significant step in the evolution of the Microsoft Partner Program." HP's Booth: Resignation Not Tied To Sales Results: "You seldom find senior executives that give so much consistently and are even wiling to help the little guys in the industry." Join in and let us know what you think! Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:18 PM, March 8, 2007 Putting Some Numbers Behind SaaS
Network Computing just released a lengthy evaluation of the costs of buying and running either Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 Professional or Oracle Siebel CRM Pro vs. using Salesforce.com Professional's software as a service (SaaS). "Our scenario demonstrates that SaaS will save $95,000 to $135,000 over a licensed package over three years. This is a significant sum, especially for SMBs." They go on to note that most SMBs are unlikely to be able to build out the redundant architecture of Salesforce.com, either. Posted by Joe Caponi at 03:27 PM, March 7, 2007 New ChannelWeb: Here
As you may have noticed, last night we launched the new site. Please make yourself at home! In particular, try out our new forums, my favorite change! (followed by our reviews search tool) "The new ChannelWeb.com is a result of one of the CMP Channel Group's most extensive reader research projects ever. In that research, readers told us that they expect different things of a magazine and a Web site. Some of the findings resulted in the new look, feel and size of CRN. It also led to our new online strategy and the new ChannelWeb.com. Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:38 AM, March 5, 2007 New ChannelWeb, Nearly Here
Monday's the day the new ChannelWeb launches. We've brought together the best content and sections from ChannelWeb, CRN and VARBusiness, and added new tools, including a reviews search, a 'rate this article' tool, and a much needed upgrade to our forums software. I'll miss these creaky old sites, but I think you'll find quite a bit to enjoy in the new one. Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:45 PM, March 2, 2007 Run Schools Like Businesses, Says Jobs
Over on Public Eye, her new blog, GovernmentVAR editor Jill Aitoro quotes some provocative comments from Apple's Steve Jobs on improving K-12 education, made at a recent summit that also featured Michael Dell: "The water-cooler conversations that followed likely focused on Jobs, who made surprising comments against teachers' unions. "This unionization and lifetime employment of K-12 teachers is off-the-charts crazy," he said, among other things." I wonder if he's shared those thoughts with fellow Apple board member Al Gore... Posted by Joe Caponi at 05:04 PM, February 26, 2007 ERP Problems For Microsoft
Barbara Darrow has been documenting growing unrest among some of Microsoft's partners, "fed up" with the Vista hype: "Three Microsoft Business Solutions partners in the past day alone said they are actively looking at alternative ERP suites for the first time. One has already designated SAP Business One as her lead product, after more than 11 years in the Great Plains (now Dynamics GP) camp." Posted by Joe Caponi at 03:26 PM, February 26, 2007 A Rising Tide For The Channel
Robert Faletra says savvy vendors have given up on their efforts to sidestep the channel, and that we're in for some good sailing ahead: "I believe we are now in an extended period during which the economics and desire to drive worldwide market expansion make the channel the best route and most cost-effective method to achieve this." Posted by Joe Caponi at 08:09 PM, February 19, 2007 IBM Feasts On Federal VARs
Over at GovernmentVAR, Jill Aitoro has taken notice a "flurry of purchases by IBM of small IT companies around the Beltway," and sees the makings of an even bigger trend. "All of the buyouts are software companies. Large federal integrators frequently gobble up solution providers to bolster resources, but growing a portfolio through acquisition rather than reinventing the wheel is a strategy that has become more popular recently." Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:17 PM, February 14, 2007 The VAR Scene In Budapest
Robert Faletra is back from our first XChange Eastern Europe, held last week in Budapest, Hungary. He heard from VARs from thoughout eastern Europe and found many of the same concerns VARs have here: "Many of them are looking to partner with other VARs to deliver results to their customers or drive into new markets. One Hungarian VAR I had lunch with was thrilled with the conference because it allowed him to find potential partners in neighboring countries." Posted by Joe Caponi at 08:04 AM, February 12, 2007 IBM, EMC and Symantec's Channel Encounters
In colums today, our editors spotlight three major vendors, each struggling with obstacles in serving their channel partners. Robert Faletra looks at EMC's channel overhaul and, by and large, likes what he sees: "You've heard me say before that the way a vendor's direct sales force's compensation is structured as it relates to the channel is absolutely critical to its success in the indirect world. EMC seems to be putting all the key components in place." Meahwhile, Steven Burke talks to a solution provider who was "Snubbed By Symantec" and hears a different tale: "[VAR Tyler Dikman] said the Symantec rep noted that given his size, he would not get a dedicated account rep. Dikman promptly began moving his business and said since moving to the bulletproof Secure Resolutions product, he has doubled his profits on every license sale and received priority technical support." To get the full flavor of Steve's passion for the channel, thought, you must see his Rants and Raves segments on CRN TV. Finally, Robert DeMarzo looks back at Sam Palmisano's first five years as CEO of IBM. DeMarzo credits Palmisano for his success at transforming and growing the tech giant, but notes one unfinished task: "What about the solution providers that sell IBM's goods? Turns out that they're not so upbeat... If there's one area Palmisano must focus on in his next five years, it's fulfilling the software giant's promise for the greater solution-provider community--not just the upper echelons of the IBM channel." Posted by Joe Caponi at 02:26 PM, February 5, 2007 Countdown
You may have noticed that countdown graphic--currently at 31 days--in the headers of the ChannelWeb, CRN and VARBusiness web sites. Oh yes, we're in redesign mode, with a launch scheduled for Monday, March 5. We're aiming to create one destination with all the content, tools and community features of CRN, VARBusiness, GovernmentVAR and ChannelWeb, and add in some additional dramatic improvements: Take a brief peek at what we've got in store. If you'd like to see more, or talk with us about what works for you and what doesn't on ChannelWeb, e-mail me at jcaponi@cmp.com and we'll make it happen. For more of what we have in store, see New ChannelWeb Adds Tools For VARs and VARBusiness, CRN Team For New ChannelWeb, from this week's news. Posted by Joe Caponi at 03:17 PM, February 2, 2007 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 Don't Be So Hard On Yourself
From 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 Consulting Sparks IBM Earnings
Lawrence 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 Top Stories of 2006
CRN 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 Predictions and Pledges
Heather 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 A New Year Columns Linkfest
Jill Aitoro looks at the completely new slate of Senate and House committee chairs and how the Democratic victories in November will play out for public-sector VARs. Steven Burke reviews "When IT Hits The Fan", a "fictionalized account of an automotive air-filter manufacturer that experiences an IT meltdown." Consider yourself warned. Heather Clancy reads a new report from McAfee on the seemingly endlessly growing cyber-crime menace. Barbara Darrow reports on the consumer launch of Vista, as well as the Free Software Foundation's anti-Vista campaign. Robert Faletra says channel consolidation will pick up steam in the new year. (It's not a prediction, he says. It's a statement.) And Robert DeMarzo pens a poem in honor of the year gone by. Best wishes, and Happy New Year! Posted by Joe Caponi at 02:26 PM, December 29, 2006 Competition Is Everywhere
So says Lawrence Walsh, surveying the business scene: "The future of the IT industry and channel may have to cope with myriad challenges --from freelance labor forces to multinational integrators to offshore solution developers to new product and services delivery models. Of course, competition can pay off nicely, too: Poll Shows Strong Job Market In 2007. Posted by Joe Caponi at 03:20 PM, December 27, 2006 VARs Pass On Vendor Exclusivity
From a vendor's perspective, locking in your solution providers to exclusive relationships is a great idea. For the solution provider, that's not the case. Barbara Darrow talks to a wide range of VARs dealing with vendor relationships and comes to the conclusion that Exclusivity doesn't pay. "In theory, [Jim Ethell, president of Level Eight Systems] believes it can make sense to be exclusive if there is a good and stable customer base and if the product in question remains a priority for the vendor. In a world of mergers and acquisitions running amok, however, many of these products get lost in the shuffle." A conclusion not unlike Steven Burke's point earlier this month. Posted by Joe Caponi at 02:01 PM, December 18, 2006 Nominate Your Top Channel Exec
Has a vendor executive made a difference to your business this year? Upgraded their partner program, spurred demand, or introduced you to a new business or technolgoy opportunity? Let us know! Nominations are now open for VARBusiness' Top Channel Executives guide, to be published in March 2007. The deadline for entries is January 15, 2007. In the meantime, take a look at last year's winners. Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:34 AM, December 13, 2006 Finding Vista Opportunities In Jersey
Heather Clancy spoke with VARs last week and came away with three important Vista opportunities for the channel: SharePoint, training and BPO (business process outsourcing, of course...) "You can't simply throw this stuff at people or teams and expect them magically to become productive. Over the past several years, training of all sorts has really gotten short shrift, but I think businesses are ready to spend here again... Along those lines, IDC (in a Microsoft-sponsored report) projects $70 billion in Vista-related sales in 2007, with the lion's share going to partners. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:20 AM, December 11, 2006 Burke On 'The Verizon Lesson'
Steven Burke isn't happy about the way Verizon has treated it's MCI partners and he says there's a bigger lesson here for any solution provider: "It's foolish for VARs to put all their eggs in one vendor's basket. The bigger trend reshaping the channel right now is that VARs are establishing tighter bonds with their customers as MSPs and calling the shots on the entire IT budget. If you're not taking that strategic approach, you are vulnerable." Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:38 AM, December 7, 2006 Go Harvey!
Cristina McEachern relates some terrific news from Sirius Computer Solutions CEO Harvey Najim, who was the winner of this year's VARBusiness Lifetime Achievement Award: "Najim explains he is using the majority of his proceeds [from a recapitalization of Sirius Computer] to set up the Harvey Najim Foundation to support children and education in the greater San Antonio area. Congrats and best of luck! Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:48 PM, December 6, 2006 Frank Talk From Seagate CEO
Over at CNNMoney, there's a remarkable interview with Seagate CEO Bill Watkins. Starting out as a preview of a number of Seagate announcements planned for the upcoming CES show, Watkins goes on to toss verbal barbs at Dell, other CEO's, the tech industry, and even his own board of directors: "When I ask if anyone really cared about [the HP pretexting scandal] story outside of the media, Watkins shakes his head. "Wall Street certainly didn't. I saw it and thought, it's good to know there's a board of directors more dysfunctional than mine."" He does like Apple, though. Posted by Joe Caponi at 01:42 PM, December 4, 2006 Stay Alert To Cyber Threats
There's news of a new cyber threat warning today, but Larry Walsh says it's something solution providers should be able to take in stride: "Reality check: If we've done our jobs -- erecting synergistic security and storage systems and established policies and procedures for recovery from attacks and malware infections -- there really isn't too much of a worry about cyberattacks by any source. Yes, hackers and terrorists can cause disruptions, but the recovery shouldn't be too difficult or lengthy. Again, if we've done our jobs right." Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:00 AM, December 1, 2006 A New Look For CRN TV
We've upgraded the player for CRN TV to give you a bigger picture, more frequently updated content and immediate access to our recent CRN TV and GovernmentVAR TV episodes. This week's shows include profiles of our newest CRN Hall of Fame Inductees. Today: Intel's Craig Barrett. Tune in and let us know what you think. Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:28 AM, November 27, 2006 Palmasino Vists Second Life
If you're not up-to-speed on online role playing games, it's time to get caught up. My kids play in Club Penguin and they're eager to get into ToonTown; World of Warcraft is the largest, at least according to MMOGChart.com; but it's Second Life, with it's realistic characters and rich economic and social features, that has rated having a Reuters news bureau. With Sam Palmisano running around in there, it's no surprise. Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:02 PM, November 20, 2006 VARBusiness 2007 State of the Market
Want to know what your partners, your competitors, are really planning for 2007? We've got it. Posted by Joe Caponi at 05:46 PM, November 15, 2006 Work In A Time Of War
CRN's Scott Campbell travelled last year to post-Katrina New Orleans to cover VARs struggling to keep their business operating and serve their customers in the flooded city. Now he has an even more remarkable story to tell. In Survival Of A Solution Provider, Campbell goes to Beruit, Lebanon to speak to the people of BMB Group, a Cisco and Microsoft partner, facing similar issues in the wake of the month-long Hezbollah-Israel war this year: "War was a part of their lives again. The solution provider's managers met to strategize and prepare multiple scenarios as the war raged on. First, Samia offered all 40 employees in Beirut jobs in BMB offices in Algeria or Egypt if they wanted to leave. That soothed concerns about job security... Read it all. And don't miss Campbell's slide show of images from Beruit. Posted by Joe Caponi at 06:15 PM, November 14, 2006 A Links Catch-Up
Yep, I've been travelling for the past week, getting a jump on the holidays and visiting family. But things weren't slow around ChannelWeb -- here are some of the best reads from the past last week: CRN names the Top 25 Most Influential Executives Of 2006, complete with slide show. The CRN Test Center puts three channel-friendly Linux desktop distributions (Linspire, SUSE and Xandros) to the test. Good to its word, Sun moves more of the Java code base to the open-source General Public License. Speaking of Java, Stacy Cowley looks at how Eclipse has become the "de-facto industry standard" for Java development. Robert Faletra has advice for solution providers eyeing the managed services market: Go for it: "In this early stage of market development, sales cycles are long, success rates are low and profitable pricing models are unclear. The advantage of being in the market at this stage—if you can afford it—is that the expertise and knowledge that's gained accelerates your business in stage two, where most profits will be made."
"Auerbach was maniacal in his pursuit of victory. He always had a plan. He was always three or four steps ahead of his opponents... In the VARBusiness 2007 State of the Market survey, leadership factors heavily in the success of a business. More so than any other method, establishing and managing goals, having management focus on sales and formalizing a sales plan are what it takes to grow a reseller business. You can see Auerbach in these characteristics." And a well-earned thanks to VARBusiness' Gayle Kesten, who filled in here at ChannelWeb and deployed our Executive Briefing and Web Services newsletters. Posted by Joe Caponi at 03:48 PM, November 13, 2006 Your Product Mix Is Out of Whack
Particularly if you're relying on 'traditional' vendors. Robert Faletra says "You need to look beyond the traditional vendor set, and that takes work." "The profitability that generally comes with newer products or vendors used to be because there was lots of mystery around the product set. Today that's less true, and in fact, the better margins tend to be because the product set is more competitive and just does more at a lower price." Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:48 AM, November 2, 2006 Channel M&A On The Rise
Heather Clancy says the channel merger-and-acquisition boomlet has a ways to go: "We haven't seen so much channel consolidation since the post-bubble days from 2001 to 2002." Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:45 AM, October 26, 2006 Remote Server Management Opportunities
Today's TechBuilder recipe finds that remote server management isn't just for enterprises: "Leveraging the Internet for seamless connectivity regardless of location, even if the system administrator is away from the server room, can be a valuable—and yes, billable—service for system builders to offer. System builders can now take on the duties of a remote sys admin for their SMB customers." Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:08 AM, October 23, 2006 Convergence At Tech Innovator
Jeff O'Heir reports from our XChange Tech Innovator conference this week, on for what technologies are grabbing the attention of innovative solution providers. "What we quickly learned is that innovative solutions can be as simple as providing clients with what they need but don't have, to something as sophisticated as quadruple play convergence solutions. In between those, there's a hell of a lot of talk about VoIP and advanced managed services." Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:03 AM, October 23, 2006 Five Steps To Fast Growth
Robert Faletra is back from CRN's Fasth Growth event, and he's boiled down growing your business into five easy steps: "Once you have answered those basic questions and determined first that, yes, you want to grow, and second, that you want to grow rapidly, I believe there are a few basic practices you can adopt to set you on the right course. To me, there are five critical steps you must take " Okay, they're easy to say. It'll take a little more work to do. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:45 AM, October 16, 2006 Annual Report Card 2006
VARBusiness' Annual Report Card special report for 2006 is online now. In this annual survey, hardware and software vendors are rated by the people that know them best--their own solution provider partners. It takes top technology and solid partner programs to win. This year's hightest scorers: SonicWall, for security appliances, and Intel, for processors. But there were 19 technology categories and dozens of vendors and programs rated. Review each report card and check out the complete package. See how your vendors scored and who you might want to consider as an alternative. Posted by Joe Caponi at 03:01 PM, October 13, 2006 Big Government VARs Revealed!
The new Fedspending.org website puts a searchable database of federal contracts online. Ed Moltzen looks up some names you'll know: "IBM did $943,896,510 worth of business with Uncle Sam, including $276,748,609 in contracts where there was an open competition but only one bid; There's more on CDW, GTSI, HP and others. Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:03 AM, October 11, 2006 Lawsuits Involving VARs
A reader emails: "I would like to know if there is any information regarding cases in which VARs were sued for errors or omissions, in their failure to provide services to end user clients." I don't have a current example of such a situation that we've covered in VARBusiness or CRN. It seems to me more likely the VAR will end up suing when the customer witholds payment. Have you been in court over a dispute with a client - let me know. Comments can be anonymous! Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:42 PM, October 3, 2006 In The War Zone
Think your job's tough? Lawrence Walsh talks to Nizar Ghannam, a Cisco and Laserfiche VAR in Beiruit. ""It was difficult to get to the office during the war," relates Ghannam, the regional manager of BMB Group's document-management division. "I would have to travel one or two hours because the bridges were down. It was very dangerous." Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:39 AM, October 2, 2006 Top Distributors '06
Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:16 AM, September 27, 2006 Apply Now For VAR of the Year
VARBusiness is looking for a few good VARs... those that go above and beyond in terms of delivering services and solutions to customers. These are the VARs that could win VARBusiness' annual VAR of the Year Award. Last year's winners varied from small to large, but had a passion for excellence. Are you one of those VARs? Posted by Joe Caponi at 03:08 PM, September 26, 2006 High Noon At HP
What the heck is going on at HP? With the Washington Post now reporting that CEO Mark Hurd was involved in a 'sting' on reporters the company will hold a news conference this afternoon to address the widening scandal. HP's chair, Patricia Dunn, has already to announced she will step aside this coming January in the wake of a revalation that she ordered an investigation into internal board of directors leaks that led her investigators to illegally access private phone records . "By trying to contain bad news rather than getting out in front of it, HP and companies like it exacerbate their positions. Read the news accounts about the unraveling HP scandal, and you have to hunt for the reason behind the investigation. The story now and will continue to be how HP possibly broke the law, spied on nine journalists and, ultimately, violated the trust of its own leaders and unaffiliated third parties" Stay tuned... UPDATE: Board of Directors chair Patricia Dunn won't leave in January --she already has. Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:09 AM, September 22, 2006 Smart Buildings: A Smart VAR Opportunity
Michelle Pepe looks at IP integration on a grand scale: "Think about an office building. You've got networked computers, servers, printers," says Jim Young, co-founder and producer at Realcomm, a San Diego-based trade group for the commercial real-estate industry. "Now look around. Look at the lights, the doors, the locks, the [emergency] sprinklers. Imagine the opportunity that comes with networking all of that. Where you had 20 or so IP addresses before, you now have thousands of them." Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:40 PM, September 20, 2006 The 2006 CRN Sourcing Study
This year's CRN Sourcing Study notes a surprising new trend: increasingly, VARs are buying products from other VARs. Trusted relationships, the opportunities for better margins, and dissatisfaction with major vendor programs are among the reasons. Craig Zarley says vendors should take note: "Vendors would do well to study and emulate some of the VAR-to-VAR strategies in their own channel programs. The messages that come across loud and clear: Keep programs simple, and don't betray a trust by competing against your partner. Most VARs learned those lessons long ago, but many vendors can't seem to grasp them." The study includes a directory of the top channel suppliers, including broadline and speciality distributors, component manufacturers and mass marketers. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:28 AM, September 20, 2006 VAR Wires Up 'Extreme Makeover' Home
Heather Clancy's been following the work of Silicon East, a New Jersey-based VAR that provided accessibility technology for the family featured in this week's "Extreme Makeover" tv episode. "Guen Llanes, the oldest of the three Llanes children and a sophomore at a nearby community college, told me that the portable "reading" devices included as part of the makeover have profoundly changed how she views the outside world. " Look for an upcoming feature with all the details. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:06 AM, September 19, 2006 Build An Innovation Culture
Lawrence Walsh sings the praises of solution providers who make innovation a priority: "Solution providers not only need to create systems that meet customers' needs, but they must create systems that anticipate the future needs of new opportunities. And this means providing the support for fanatical staffers who will pursue ideas even when there's little support, resources or budget." Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:09 AM, September 18, 2006 The Road From 9/11
Working in Boston that morning, Lawrence Walsh remembers the morning of Sept. 11, 2001: "It wasn't until I was clear of the concrete awning that I learned of the horrible events unraveling in New York -- from the Howard Stern radio show... A day would pass before I learned that the terrorists who hijacked the two flights out of Boston stayed at the very hotel in which I met with Symantec." Also, five years ago, VARBusiness publisher Bob DeMarzo posted this column on the afternoon of the attack. "I was trying to contact a friend who worked in the World Financial Center that is adjacent to the Trade Center. He had witnessed the plane striking one of the towers while the other burned. He was evacuated and was on the run." Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:10 AM, September 11, 2006 Businesses Still Feel Behind On E-Business
Heather Clancy looks at a new survey on corporate e-business planning: "The even better news for solution providers, I believe, is the fact that only 30 percent of the surveyed companies felt that they were ahead of their rivals with their e-business initiatives -- suggesting that solution providers could have an opportunity to help make over their prospects' e-business profiles." Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:07 AM, September 7, 2006 Eleven Things We Can Do Without
If Pluto can get booted off the list of planets, Robert Faletra asks if we can boot out channel practices that no longer make sense (if they ever did). At least two, (PowerPoint and Instant Messaging) should probably be retired from the entire American economy, if you ask me. Some more examples: "Channel-neutral compensation is on the top of my list. Why is it so hard to make a decision that you either want the channel to sell your product or not? To me, channel-neutral compensation inside a vendor organization is a signal that the vendor is hedging its bet. Read it all. Posted by Joe Caponi at 01:14 PM, August 28, 2006 Solution Provider Marketing Tips
There aren't many businesses harder to explain to the public--or even customers--than solution provider ones. Think Dilbert: "Hey, if you don't want your resources integrated, just say so!" So smart marketing is crucial to grow your business. Heather Clancy looks a one program to do just that. "The buzz on marketing is pretty loud right now. Several times during my IPED experience, the solution providers literally shouted ideas across the room. And, to a person, these executives were interested in raising the profile for their total solutions and not simply some random, albeit vitally important product." Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:05 AM, August 24, 2006 MSP Madness
Larry Hooper is back from XChange and says that VARs are right to be excited about managed services opportunities: "In a spirited standing-room-only session, Ryan Morris of the Institute for Partner Education & Development, a sister group of CRN, said the managed services business could very well turn out to be the savior of the VAR channel, and thus, everything it is hyped to be. And he had the data to prove it. His main proof point: Customers want managed services. Posted by Joe Caponi at 02:04 PM, August 21, 2006 Defining Managed Services
Lawrence Walsh talks to a half-dozen MSPs to sort out what it is they actually do: "Solution providers getting into the game have all kinds of definitions for what constitutes a managed service. In fact, some even say myriad definitions are causing confusion in the marketplace, making it difficult to succeed." Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:53 AM, August 9, 2006 Fast Growth 100
CRN identifies the fastest growing solution providers of the year. How have they managed such a feat in today's tight business climate? "When you look under the hood of any of these top companies, what you find most responsible for their galloping growth is their unique value proposition: Time and time again, it's their ingenuity and the investments they make in their people, their infrastructure and their customer relationships that earned them a place on the list of top performers." Full listing here, along with further details about each of these high-flyers. Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:52 PM, July 24, 2006 |
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It's not the biggest online role-playing game, but it's the one that's getting all the attention lately. Second Life was the 'location' where IBM CEO Sam Palmasino last week 
VARBusiness' annual 
