We Hope To Mind Your Business Even Better in '04

perform their competitors' and command extraordinarily high multiples on the stock market. Each day, I find myself engaging readers to discover what types of stories they most desire and how their informational needs are changing. Naturally, you never want to be too far ahead of your readership for fear you will lose their interest, but you do want to be slightly in front of the next major trend that will impact the professionals who choose to read this publication. And I use the word "choose" because the editors of this magazine know full well that you have many choices. That's why we take seriously the responsibility of earning your loyalty issue after issue.

So let me offer some insight into what we have in store for you this year. Please let me know whether we are on the mark or you think something is missing.

• First and foremost, this magazine will remain steadfastly focused on providing objective, hard-hitting business reporting. You don't hear these words much nowadays, but what matters most to VARBusiness' editors is our quality of journalism. This issue provides a good example of the depth we hope to provide you on an ongoing basis. In addition to our annual Partner Programs Guide (to be published in March), expect ongoing program reviews throughout the year with the goal of identifying which vendor programs are a notch above the rest, and how you can measure the effectiveness of your partners.
• Speaking of reviews, we will continue to provide you with technology reviews under the capable supervision of our technology editor, David Strom. In the coming year, you will see comparative reviews of products Strom has tested, along with reviews supplied by alliance partners Doculabs, KeyLabs, News IQ, Tom's Hardware and some new additions we will unveil in the coming months.
• What's more, a new breed of reviews will soon be featured in the Systems Building section of VARBusiness, thanks to our close working relationship with TechBuilder.org, which is operated by VARBusiness' umbrella group, the Technology Solutions Group. What you will see is what we've branded as "Recipes",solutions our editors themselves have assembled and tested.
• Our research team will also help us define the market for custom systems with an in-depth systems-builder study, scheduled to debut in the second half of this year. In fact, you will see major enhancements to all eight of our major research-based issues,which include Enterprise IT Spending, VARBusiness 500, Annual Report Card and App Development Trends,as we strive to keep them fresh and relevant to your business.
• In addition, we are working closely with the Wendover Group, which maintains one of the largest databases of midsize and large customers looking for IT solutions. Wendover will be providing a quarterly index of customer activity and interest by vertical industry. We will also be working closely with the Global Technology Distribution Council to gain a deeper understanding of the major trends sweeping through the distribution sector. We plan to publish a State of Distribution issue in May.
• GovernmentVAR, our first vertically oriented spin-off, will focus even more on the needs of integrators that serve state and local governments and education institutions. To be published 10 times this year, the supplement will also receive a major face-lift. To enhance our coverage, we will work jointly with Input, the leading researcher in the government space.
• You will also see a new emphasis on "How-To" stories, particularly those focused on business management. The one thing we have heard loud and clear is that you want more information about how to run a business technology-integration firm better with thoughtful tips on how to boost profitability.
• We believe we can take our coverage of the VARBusiness 500 to a new level this year with more profiles, research and insight from today's largest VARs. Look for more VARBusiness 500 interviews in our feature well and in our Strategy section.
• You will also see our Web site evolve. There will be new search tools and services that will make it easier for you to find leading-edge research from our vast database. In addition, after the recent launch of our NetSeminar program, with the help of MailFrontier and Symantec, we will roll out a host of new NetSeminars built around our major research projects.
• We hope these enhancements will help VARBusiness retain its position as the most strategic publication in the market. As always, let me know your thoughts at [email protected].