The VAR Guy

The VAR Guy was on the outside looking in when NetSuite launched its initial public offering a few days ago. Too bad. Netsuite’s stock skyrocketed as investors went crazy for the software-as-a-service (SaaS) specialist. So, which company will cash in next on the SaaS craze? The VAR Guy has a surprising answer…

The VAR Guy spent most of 2007 blogging about open source start-ups and open source business models. As he looks ahead to 2008, The VAR Guy knows hundreds of open source software providers are seeking to catch on in the corporate market. Here are the top 10 open source providers and platforms that are set to succeed in 2008.

Name three things that Elvis and OS/2 have in common. Don’t rush your answer. Think about it for a minute or two. OK, ready? Here’s the answer…

Time for The VAR Guy to stir up a little controversy, this time in the Linux desktop market. He thinks a small desktop setback at Red Hat could lead to more PC momentum for Ubuntu Linux. Here’s the scoop.

What if you could buy a Cadillac for the price of a Chevy? That’s the basic approach to business at Adtran, which is gaining momentum as a low-cost/high-quality alternative to Cisco network solutions. Sure, The VAR Guy spends most of his networking energy blogging about Cisco. But Adtran has a bit of buzz in the market.

CompUSA is imploding. Independent PC stores have died. Yet 1,600 people waited online — correction, in line — for the opening of Apple’s new retail store in New York. Here are five reasons why Apple’s retail strategy is crushing the competition this holiday season, according to The VAR Guy.

The VAR Guy isn’t much for predictions. He knows bloggers use them to help gain eyeballs and web traffic. Still, the managed services market is pretty interesting. And our sister Web site, MSPmentor.net, has some unique views on where the MSP industry is heading. Check out the site’s 10 MSP predictions for 2008.

The VAR Guy received a rude greeting when he returned home from a business trip last night. His Ubuntu PC from Dell was dead. Fried. Done. Well, not entirely. But things were bad. The PC was displaying a bunch of errors and never fully booted up. But this sad story has a happy ending for The VAR Guy and Ubuntu.

Today was a big day for Dell’s channel effort. As expected, the company announced an aggressive strategy to engage and reward channel partners. But The VAR Guy is distracted by another report, claiming that Dell may be interested in buying Motorola’s handset business. Memo to Michael: Don’t do that. Here’s why.