The VAR Guy

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is finally conceding that the company needs to shake up its Windows Vista efforts. The Wall Street Journal reports that Windows’ top marketing exec is leaving the company. So, what does Microsoft need to do to address Vista’s shortcomings? Here are 20 quick thoughts from The VAR Guy.

High-end TelePresence systems allow executives scattered across the world to feel as if they’re sitting across from each other in a single, virtual boardroom. But what if this next-generation video conferencing technology could be scaled down for use in your living room? Apparently, Apple is quite interested in making that dream a reality. If true, they should give Cisco Systems call.

The VAR Guy expects plenty of readers to flame him for the headline. Sure, Steve Jobs has owned the innovation spotlight in recent years. And Dell Inc. has never been known as a resource and development (R&D) center. But instead of making the easy moves, Michael Dell is making some challenging ones — pushing deep into the managed services and software-as-a-service (SaaS) industries. With a little luck and a lot of execution, The VAR Guy expects those moves to pay off handsomely by 2009 or so. Here’s why.

Some critics dismiss Asterisk as a “toy.” The open source VoIP platform, skeptics say, lacks a service and support network for big enterprise and university deployments. Apparently, the folks at Digium are aware of their critics. The Asterisk market leader has launched a new warranty program that could give skeptical partners and customers more faith in the open source PBX.

The Ubuntu wave seems to be growing by the day. Cnet has a great blog entry describing how Ubuntu and Red Hat Linux are pulling away from the pack. Here’s the scoop from Cnet.

Extreme Networks isn’t a networking giant. Instead, the company quietly focuses on four core vertical markets: Higher education, government, health care and hospitality. Think about that for a minute… At a time when everybody is concerned about an IT spending slowdown, three of Extreme’s four target markets are somewhat insulated from economic turbulence. That’s a pretty compelling message for partners seeking to maintain healthy revenue pipelines.

The VAR Guy has never been a big proponent of Microsoft Small Business Server. Older releases were difficult to reconfigure as a business grew. Still, solutions providers are finding creative ways to communicate the value of SBS to their customers. One case in point: Check out this nifty piece of viral marketing from Resolve Technology, a solutions provider in New Hampshire.

The IT market is growing — but not as fast as initially expected, according to Forrester Research. That’s a nice way of saying things ain’t so hot in corporate IT right now, according to The VAR Guy.

Whether you attended this weekend’s Southern California Linux Expo (SCALE) or another recent open source event, one trend is clear: Linux advocates certainly love their Apple MacBooks.

Whether you attended this weekend’s Southern California Linux Expo (SCALE) or another recent open source event, one trend is clear: Linux advocates certainly love their Apple MacBooks.

The VAR Guy, our mystery guest blogger from www.thevarguy.com, will be all ears when Canonical’s Jono Bacon (pictured) delivers his keynote today at the Southern California Linux Expo here in Los Angeles. Bacon will discuss the future of Linux on the desktop.

The VAR Guy will be all ears when Canonical’s Jono Bacon (pictured) delivers his keynote today at the Southern California Linux Expo here in Los Angeles. Bacon will discuss the future of Linux on the desktop. If you’re not here at the event, you can watch his 10 a.m. Pacific keynote online. Here’s how.

Works With U is growing. Fast. And we need help. We’re seeking talented bloggers who can write about Canonical, Ubuntu desktop, Ubuntu mobile, Ubuntu for servers. Candidates should be able to focus on the business value of Ubuntu — how does it benefit consumers, small and midsize businesses, K-12 schools, universities, government organizations, large enterprises?

The VAR Guy, our guest blogger from www.thevarguy.com, 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.

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.

Accenture generated nearly $6.7 billion in system integration services during 2006, making the company second-to-none in the SI services business, according to IDC. The VAR Guy only trails Accenture by about $6,699,950,000 in annual system integration services revenue. He’s hoping to further close the gap this year.

Ring, ring. Opportunity is calling again for unified communications experts. This time around, The VAR Guy notes, there’s a new way to integrate Microsoft Dynamics CRM with voice-over-IP systems.

As The VAR Guy somewhat expected, Cisco CEO John Chambers today made cautious statements about the economy and IT spending in selected markets across the U.S. and Europe. The current economic turbulence should not be confused with the dot-com bubble bursting in 2001, but many signs indicate that we are now witnessing an IT spending slowdown.

Yes, Sun is acquiring MySQL for $1 billion. But Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz isn’t done modernizing his company. Not by a long shot. The VAR Guy isn’t ready to predict which company Sun will acquire next, but he has noticed Schwartz getting pretty darn cozy with two fast-growing open source businesses.

Investors and partners are holding their breath as Cisco Systems prepares to announce quarterly results on February 6. Cisco CEO John Chambers (pictured) spooked investors during the company’s previous quarterly earnings call, when he said enterprise sales felt a bit “lumpy.” The VAR Guy spoke with several Cisco partners ahead of the latest earnings release to gather their expectations.

The VAR Guy has made harsh comments about Windows Vista over the past year. But he has a far higher opinion of Microsoft’s server strategy. In fact, the imminent release of Windows Server 2008 is good news for just about everyone in the channel — even open source application developers. Here are five ways partners will likely cash in on Windows Server 2008 .

When Yahoo acquired Zimbra in September 2007, some Zimbra backers worried Yahoo would mismanage the open source email asset. Fast forward to the present, and some Zimbra proponents have gone from concern to outright panic over Microsoft’s bid to acquire Yahoo (and, by attachment, Zimbra).

The VAR Guy spends ample time bashing a few Microsoft offerings (chiefly Windows Vista). But in this blog entry, he needs to tip his hat to the software giant. A small announcement between Microsoft and ShoreTel provides some big ideas for partners moving into the unified communications market. Here’s why.