The VAR Guy

Setting the stage for this week’s Cisco Partner Summit 2009 in Boston, Channel Chief Keith Goodwin (pictured) blogged a bit about his thoughts on Microsoft’s expanded Unified Communications relationship with Hewlett-Packard. Goodwin’s blog had a few interesting items … including a prominent mention of Apple. Hmmm.

Sure, Cisco Systems’ Unified Computing System and new servers will likely take center stage at the Cisco Partner Summit 2009 (June 2-4) in Boston. But The VAR Guy will also be checking out two other major themes. One involves Cisco’s rumored interest in a small telepresence company. The other involves Cisco’s plans for the Flip video camera (pictured).

Rumor has it that Microsoft has arbitrarily limited its definition of “netbook” to machines with screens smaller than 10.2 inches.  This move is presumably intended to force more consumers to pay for the full version of Windows 7, rather than buying the less expensive (and less usable) “Starter” or “Home Basic” editions.  But this strategy could backfire by driving sales of Linux-based netbooks, leaving Microsoft out in the cold.

Hewlett-Packard and Cast Iron Systems are partnering on so-called cloud integration services for small and midsize businesses. The strategy aims to promote HP’s hardware, and includes the company’s 25,000 VARs across the United States. Still, HP needs to connect the dots between SaaS and managed services for channel partners. Here are some quick observations.

The VAR Guy has not used WiFi or Ethernet for the past four days. Yet, he remains online — Blogging, Tweeting and chatting with readers. How is that possible?

The Wall Street Journal today (May 28, 2009) published a review of multiple Linux netbooks running Ubuntu, Mi and Moblin Linux. Overall, I think the review offers fair, balanced coverage of what’s right — and wrong — with the Linux netbook market today. But there was one line in the review that I found completely misleading and shortsighted.

ZaReason is preparing to expand its portfolio of Ubuntu systems — including a new server and netbook, according to CEO Cathy Malmrose. But that’s not all. US-based ZaReason also continues its push deeper into the European computer market.

Canonical, as expected, has introduced training for Ubuntu Server Edition. I asked Billy Cina, Canonical’s Training Programmes Manager, for an update on the effort. Here are her thoughts.

When the Cisco Systems Partner Summit 2009 kicks off June 2 in Boston, a key Oracle channel representative will be present. The VAR Guy isn’t predicting big Oracle-Cisco news, but Oracle’s presence and interest in the Cisco event highlights how the worlds of networking and software continue to converge.

Give JetBlue credit: It strives to offer free WiFi service to travelers — in airports and in flight. But so far, those efforts haven’t really impressed The VAR Guy. And the latest effort is downright disappointing. Here’s why.

Tech Data, a $24 billion technology giant with deep Microsoft relationships, has developed a 24-month plan to emerge as “the voice for open source in distribution,” The VAR Guy has learned. The proposed strategy includes potential open source hardware solutions from Dell, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Fujitsu. And it has broad implications for the software industry and the global IT channel. Here’s the scoop.

The VAR Guy tried his best to fully unplug during the extended US holiday weekend. But his offline nap ended when two rumors landed in his inbox. The first involves a $20 billion Microsoft partner launching a major open source initiative, and the second involves a potential telepresence company acquisition. Here are the early details on both items.

Unlike proprietary platforms, Ubuntu allows end users to interact directly with developers through Launchpad’s bug-reporting system. In some cases, this approach allows bugs to be discovered and resolved quickly. In most situations, however, open bug tracking is a fiasco that Ubuntu would be better off without. Here’s why.

Despite new concerns about Salesforce.com’s growth rate, software as a service (SaaS) stocks are outperforming the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq so far this year, according to our SaaS 20 Stock Index. And a new relationship between IBM and Intuit shows where SaaS is heading next. Here’s a look at SaaS trends on Wall Street.

During the Ubuntu Developer Summit (May 25-29, Barcelona), Canonical’s Netbook team is set to show Google Android applications running on Ubuntu, according to sources that will attend the conference. Here’s why Canonical is so intrigued by Google’s mobile operating system.

Are they in denial or do they really have reason for hope? The Microsoft Response Point VAR Council was “encouraged” by a call with Microsoft to discuss Response Point, a small business VoIP system whose future direction remains uncertain. Here’s a recap of the call, plus The VAR Guy’s observations.

The VAR Guy would like to thank Everything Channel for the personal invite to the 2009 VAR500 Awards Gala on June 2. The email invite hit our resident blogger’s inbox about 20 minutes ago. Alas, The VAR Guy doesn’t have a tux handy to match his toupee. Plus, he’ll be at the Cisco Partner Summit 2009 in Boston, one of the biggest partner events of the year…

Cisco Systems is extracting revenge on The VAR Guy. Since around 2006, our resident blogger has asked Cisco channel insiders to join a range of social networks and collaboration sites. Some beta. Some real. Some successful. Some pitiful. Now, Cisco is turning the tables and pulling The VAR Guy into The Vibe — a social network built for Cisco Partner Summit 2009. Should The VAR Guy go into the light?

When Lenovo decided to push deeper into the consumer retail market in 2007, some pundits wondered how the corporate PC giant would master the retail computer industry. Hmmm. The VAR Guy has accidentally discovered a few answers to that question.

Welcome to the WorksWithU Vodcast, Episode II, produced by contributing bloggers Joshua Chase and Nick Ali. This week we cover…

Two key partners — IBM and Virtual Bridges — seem to be giving Canonical and Ubuntu a substantial lift. Specifically, IBM and Virtual Bridges have been lining up channel partners and customers that are embracing virtualized Ubuntu desktops.

Canonical’s fledgling channel partner program for Ubuntu just got a healthy assist from IBM and Virtual Bridges, two key partners that are promoting Ubuntu as a low-cost alternative to Microsoft desktops. Here’s the scoop.

The VAR Guy’s sister site, MSPmentor, has scheduled its next managed services webcast. The June 10 event will focus on Hardware at Your Service. We’ll welcome your managed services questions throughout the one-hour event. And we’ll focus on the following mix of Technology and Business topics.