The VAR Guy

The VAR Guy is skipping Disneyland this weekend and keeping a close eye on the Southern California Linux Expo (SCALE), which runs February 8-10 at the Westin Los Angeles. Here are five trends and themes The VAR Guy will be tracking at the event.

5. Ubuntu for Servers: Yes, you know The VAR Guy already runs Ubuntu on one of his desktops. And Jono Bacon, Canonical’s Ubuntu Community Manager, will offer a keynote focused on Linux desktops. But listen closely, folks. Much of the buzz around Ubuntu is now expanding to the server. Dell, for one, is certifying its servers to run Ubuntu. Watch for Canonical to increasingly promote Ubuntu as a server platform for LAMP-oriented solutions.

4. Closing the Door On HP OpenView: Sorry to pick on a legacy software platform. OpenView still has plenty of loyal followers. But much of the growth in the IT management industry revolves around open source solutions — such as GroundWork Open Source. In an interesting twist, GroundWork’s momentum is not based on traditional open source fanatics. Rather, the company has captured the attention of traditional network managers and several OpenView partners that want less expensive, more flexible options.

3. Opening Up With Managed Services: As more companies embrace open-source administration platforms, they will increasingly managed services. One prime example: At least 60 managed service providers (MSPs) have signed up to offer Untangle’s security solutions, which feature an open source foundation. The MSPs, in turn, offer Untangle’s security solutions for a monthly fee–similar to a software-as-a-service business model.

2. Women in Open Source: You may not know The VAR Guy’s name, but you can safely guess his gender. And you can bet that most attendees are males at the event. However, let’s hear it for the ladies. In particular, Ingres veteran Emma McGrattan will describe how she climbed the executive ladder only to discover that she preferred writing code and evangelizing open source software. This abstract about her presentation promises some great surprises.

1. Going Vertical: The open source industry missed a huge opportunity to target big retail customers during an event in New York a few weeks ago. This time around, the industry should have great success discussing open source solutions for the health care industry.

For more information, check out www.socallinuxexpo.org.