The VAR Guy

Microsoft has finally confirmed plans for the first Windows Vista Service Pack in 1Q 2008. That’s nice. But The VAR Guy isn’t going to take the Vista bait anytime soon. Here’s why.

It’s still a niche technology, but The VAR Guy expects TelePresence to generate healthy margins for years to come. A few dozen U.S. VARs already specialize in TelePresence — the next-generation video conferencing technology — but more VARs will likely take the plunge as more vendors focus on the market. A case in point: A TelePresence showdown between Hewlett-Packard and Cisco appears to be looming.

Well, yet another company (Hewlett-Packard) is rallying around the “2.0″ brand. HP today launched a massive “Print 2.0″ marketing campaign. Seems like everybody wants a piece of the 2.0 action — Cisco insiders are chatting about Wireless Mesh 2.0; Autotask’s CEO is evangelizing Managed Services 2.0. And there’s more to come…

In the shortest phone briefing ever, Ingram Micro just spent about five minutes telling The VAR Guy about a new leasing program. The program should allow solutions providers to more easily offer hardware as a service (HaaS) to their customers.

Avnet is speaking The VAR Guy’s language. The distributor has launched a blog for Hewlett-Packard partners. The blog, apparently in beta mode, could provide a quick, easy way for Avnet to interact more closely with HP VARs. Curious? You can find the blog here.

OK, folks. The VAR Guy has been spending a ton of time writing about SugarCRM, the open source application provider. And for good reason: Annual revenue will hit $15 million this year, cash flow is now positive and company insiders are focused on a longer-term plan, The VAR Guy hears.

The VAR Guy blogged about Cisco Systems’ secret rival back in November 2006. Nearly a year later, that not-so-secret rival is growing up fast.

The VAR Guy hears Acer plans to acquire Gateway. Hmmm. Acer enjoys considerable momentum worldwide, but Gateway hasn’t been a channel force since … um…

Boy, sometimes The VAR Guy is ahead of his time. During a conference in Colorado Springs earlier this week, The VAR Guy asked Sun officials when the company was going to dump its current ticker symbol (“SUNW”). Workstations (the “W”) haven’t been Sun’s primary focus for more than a decade. The VAR Guy figured a change was in order. How right he was. Sun today announced plans to change its stock symbol to “JAVA” on August 27. Smart move. Or was it?

It’s nice to partner with one rich uncle. But two rich uncles? OnForce pulled off that rare feat this week, launching a new learning and certification initiative with Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard. The effort will initially focus on Windows Vista and small business solutions.

Still skeptical about Dell’s commitment to the channel? Well, now you’ll have the opportunity to hear directly from Dell’s channel chief — Greg Davis, VP, Americas Channel Business. Davis is scheduled to speak at a channel event in Chicago this September.

The VAR Guy spent August 22 and 23 in Colorado Springs at the Avnet New Frontiers conference. He wasn’t alone. Roughly 250 Sun partners converged on the event to discuss key opportunities across several vertical markets. So, what are Avnet Technology Solutions’ key messages to Sun partners? Here’s a look.

Ever hear of Angry Trout? Neither had The VAR Guy until last night. While dining with Avnet representatives and members of the media in Colorado Springs, The VAR Guy spotted Angry Trout on the menu. It sounded interesting … but dangerous. The VAR Guy was curious but he wasn’t ready to bite. So he dared an International Data Corp. analyst to give it a try…

Profitable growth. Those two words sum up Sun Microsystems’ goals for the next two years. The company — which recently began its fiscal year 2008 — is striving to more than double its Americas channel sales to $7 billion by 2010, according to Tom Wagner, VP for partner sales, Americas at Sun.

The VAR Guy has spent considerable time discussing voice-over-IP this week during conferences in New York and Colorado Springs. Here are five key moves VoIP solution providers need to make, based on separate chats with executives from Avnet, SugarCRM and Sun Microsystems, among other companies.

Talk about smart product placement. Sun Microsystems has donated a few dozen Sun Ray 270 thin clients for attendees to use at a major Avnet partner conference in Colorado Springs. The VAR Guy took one of the thin clients for a spin this morning. Not bad.

Seinfeld succeeded with a show about nothing. Now, Avaya wants to reward VARs with a partner program about nothing (well, almost nothing). Confused? Don’t be. Avaya has an intriguing program that pays “sales influencers” a 5 percent commission even if they don’t actually sell Avaya products. Here’s how it works.

Sun Microsystems is falling for CNBC’s Jim Cramer. During a conference in Colorado Springs today, Sun noted that the press is beginning to write positive stories about the company. So, where’s all that positive coverage? A glowing cover story in Fortune? Nope. A nice interview in BusinessWeek? Not quite. Instead, Sun points to Jim Cramer’s blog. So much for old media, folks.

After spending recent years opening up its software and embracing x86 hardware, Sun executives say the company is back. The VAR Guy remains skeptical, but here are five reasons why the company could attract stronger interest from partners and customers.

After several flight delays, The VAR Guy has finally arrived in Colorado Springs for a conference hosted by Avnet. Key companies here include Sun Microsystems, Symantec and Avaya. But before we get to the work at hand, check out the view from The VAR Guy’s room at the Broadmoor. Sweet. Too bad The VAR Guy doesn’t golf. Lots of event coverage to follow later today.

The SugarCRM summit in Manhattan continues to deliver surprises. The latest example: A major integrator and distributor from Moscow is attending, seeking potential solutions in the CRM space.

The VAR Guy is heading to Colorado later today, attending an Avnet conference for Sun Microsystems partners. It should be a lively event. Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz has stabilized the company. And his focus on open source applications for Solaris has impressed The VAR Guy.

This may be the most shameless blog post The VAR Guy has ever submitted. In fact, he didn’t even write it. He lifted the words directly from someone who’s attending Cisco’s Global Sales Meeting in Las Vegas.