Our list of the most innovative executives of the year spotlights the people that are pushing the envelope with new products and channel programs to bring solution providers to new heights.
Find out which executives made the grade and held their own, despite the great IT downturn of 2009.
Most everyone loves Thanksgiving turkeys. But IT industry turkeys? Not so much. We look at 10 examples of 'turkeys' that have disappointed the tech industry this year.
Inside This Issue: March 19, 2007
Cover Story
It's Channel Time For Linux
A new wave of emerging Linux application providers are doubling and even tripling their channel investments this year as they move to take Linux from a cult status relegated to business niches to a mainstream end-to-end solution stack.
New Open-Source Channel Programs You Should Know About
There's an open-source channel offensive under way as a new wave of emerging Linux application providers make serious channel investments in 2007. Here are the high points of some of these new vendor programs.
Tech Focus
Channel Makes Its De-Dupe Pitch
De-duplication solutions are playing into the hands of the channel because the technology requires a lot of VAR evangelizing.
May The GeForce 8800 Be With You
More and more businesses are looking to benefit from high-performance graphics cards. And Nvidia is stepping up to the plate with its most powerful card yet, the GeForce 8800 GTX.
Snap-In Hard Drive Enables Dual Personalities
Changing a hard drive usually requires a lot of tools and a lot of time. But with Addonics Technologies’ Snap-In SATA Mobile Rack, swapping hard drives takes mere seconds.
Market Focus: Midmarket
Avnet Demo Tool Spurs VAR Sales
A growing number of Avnet partners are realizing they don’t have to lug around hardware or bring customers to tech labs to showcase midmarket solutions, thanks to the distributor's ITDemoCentral tool.
Demand Generation
CompuCom Not Leaving Business On The Table
CompuCom Systems CEO Jim Dixon gave some sage advice to the solution provider's sales staff: Don’t chase new accounts; just go after the business you’re leaving on the table.
Specialist Focus
VoIP Phones Home
After 130 years, the home phone is getting yet another makeover -- and being taken in directions Alexander Graham Bell could never have dreamed of -- as wireless networking vendors roll out new SOHO-focused VoIP handsets.
Upstarts & Startups
LeftHand Gives High-Five To Channel
iSCSI SAN vendor LeftHand Networks is rising in a fast-growing market by sticking to channel-only sales formula.
ShadowRAM: Rumors, Truth & Innuendo
IBM's Palmisano gets a big pay day, Avnet's Cuen recalls meeting with comedian Richard Jeni, Microsoft's Burgum gets invite to partner bash.
These articles were mentioned in this issue of CRN.
• Slide Show: End Of The Home Phone As We Know It
• Red Hat Updates Program, Linux
• Microsoft Weighs Pros & Cons Of Hosting ERP
• Tellme More About Deal
• Gold Turns To Silver For Some Symantec VARs
• N-able Introduces Add-Ons To MSP Platform
• Oki Data Readies New Channel Program
• Pumped-Up Apple TV
• McAfee Patches ePolicy Orchestrator
• All Dunn: Ex-HP Chair's Case Dismissed
• New Open-Source Channel Programs You Should Know About
• Make Preloaded Linux Easier For OEMs
• OpenOffice To Dell: Preload Us, You'll Like Us
• DST Snafu Irks Channel
• Channel Best-Sellers
• HP Sees Huge Linux Desktop Deals
COLUMNISTS
Robert Faletra:
Steven Burke:
Larry Hooper:
Heather Clancy:
Real Values
Does Your Company Have What It Takes?
In my many travels and phone calls, one of the most frequent requests I get is this: Publish more stories about what my solution provider peers are doing right -- and wrong.
On The Record
Use Your Opportunity To Ask A Question
While you’re making the partner event rounds this spring, ask the tough questions about why things don’t run as smoothly in the field as you would like.
The Final Cut
Best Buy = Bad Deal
One golden rule every VAR and vendor on the planet should remember: Those who live by the price sword die by the price sword. Just look at the market troubles experienced by the likes of Best Buy, CompUSA and Dell.
Under The Radar
How To Retain Staff?
CRN’s "When I Grow Up" video (see link inside story) had everybody chuckling at the Channel Champs awards at XChange Solution Provider. But it raised a serious question: Who is the future of the IT channel business?
