The VAR Guy

Long term, Channel Chief Jon Roskill wants Microsoft to release SaaS and on-premises software upgrades at the same time. But short term, Microsoft is still working to roll-out SaaS versions of Exchange 2010 and SharePoint 2010, which are widely available as on-premise solutions. Here’s an update on the efforts.

Sponsored Video: Oracle is offering special incentives to its Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) Specialized solutions providers. What are the incentives? And what types of partners are marching forward with Oracle? Here are the answers.

Google Apps users get a handy new feature in the form of “Apps Search,” a new entrant to Google Labs that lets you find keywords in Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Sites. But is it too little, too late?

Sometimes the walled garden isn’t such a bad idea. It can take forever for an App to get through the Apple red-tape, but you can feel comfortable knowing that there’s more than a good chance the app is nice and squeaky clean. You might want to be a bit more wary downloading apps on Google Android, however. A prime example: Symantec has identified a trojan in the game “Tapsnake” (which runs on Android). Here are the potential implications.

If you’re an Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) cloud administrator and you’re ready for more commitment than the standard pay-as-you-go model, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is now offering Reserved Database Instances, giving the option to pre-pay for the server time you (or your customers) plan to use.

Executive coaching within the IT channel has been a hot-button topic lately. But do VARs and MSPs really need coaches? Or is coaching a waste of time and money for small business solutions providers? Before you answer consider these insights from Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

When Nine Lives Media Inc. launched The VAR Guy’s website in January 2008, most staff members were running Mac OS as their primary operating environment. But the times they are a changin’. The VAR Guy just received word that Nine Lives Media Inc. CEO and Co-founder Amy Katz appears to be making the move from Mac OS X to Windows 7. But here’s the twist: Getting from Mac to Windows may involve a wild ride on a Harley Davidson. Here’s the story — as only The VAR Guy can present it.

Sponsored Video: As Oracle digests Sun Microsystems, Avnet’s Mike Hurst is calling on partners to focus on key Oracle opportunities such as CMT (chip multithreading) servers and Exadata storage. But how can legacy Sun partners shine in an Oracle universe? Hurst provides some clues in a FastChat video interview.

The next MSPmentor Live webcast is today (Wednesday, Aug. 18) at 2:00 p.m. eastern. If you’re trying to expand your recurring managed security revenues then join us for today’s discussion. We’ll take your questions throughout the webcast. Here’s a closer look at today’s guest speakers.

RightScale says its flagship Cloud Management Platform product now supports Microsoft Windows-based applications running in the cloud. That means Windows administrators and channel partners can deploy and manage cloud applications, configuring servers and managing software updates. Here’s the scoop.

PEER 1 Hosting and VMware have partnered to offer customers hosted private cloud solutions monitored by the vSphere hypervisor. Here’s some details.

Hewlett-Packard is pushing deeper into the security market, acquiring Fortify Software for an undisclosed sum. In theory, the move will allow HP partners to more effectively test software for cloud-specific vulnerabilities and other potential security issues.

It looks like Tim Curran was more than right. Tech Data is jumping on the ever increasing momentum of consumer electronics, pro-sumer trends and audio-video products. 3D TV’s and consumer laptops like the Lenovo IdeaPad are now under Tech Data’s wing. Here’s the scoop…

Vyatta, the company that bills itself as the open source alternative to Cisco Systems, has completed their Phase-2 Certification of IPv6. Translation: Vyatta’s NetworkOS software can now support the continuing growth of new protocols. Here are the quick details…

Can Microsoft blur the lines between Windows Small Business Server and cloud computing? The answer is beginning to emerge as the software giant launches a Windows Small Business Server (SBS) Aurora beta test. In somewhat related news Microsoft also is testing a new Windows Home Server, code-named Vail. Here’s a closer look at both efforts, and the potential implications for VARs and MSPs.

Can the Dell Streak handheld mobile device catch on with end users? I have my doubts. Not too long ago, I speculated that the Streak would find it difficult to integrate into the real world of mobile devices since its shape, usefulness — and now we know price — could be barriers to acceptance. But the biggest question mark is the Streak’s operating system: It currently runs the antiquated Google Android 1.6 operating system rather than Google’s latest offering. Here’s the update.

Intel and Nokia, partners on the MeeGo operating system, made bold statements at LinuxCon that seem to implicate their desire to counter Google in the mobile market. There weren’t any fighting words, but the stage is set for a showdown. Here are some perspectives..

Whether you believe the iPad hype or not, it’s clear that touchscreen devices represent an important emerging hardware niche. Canonical responded to that reality recently with the release of uTouch 1.0, a software stack designed to ensure solid multi-touch and gesture support on Ubuntu.  Here are the details, along with some thoughts.

In a detailed memo that came to our attention by way of developer Steven Stallion’s blog, Oracle has revealed that it’s closing the Sun-founded OpenSolaris open source enterprise operating system project in favor of focusing on the upcoming release of the commercial Solaris 11. Oracle says the move will protect its own revenue streams and intellectual property, but some open source advocates see it as what Stallion described as a “perversion of the open source spirit.” Meanwhile, there are signs that Oracle will continue to promote MySQL to channel partners. Here are some insights.

As the IT industry prepares for VMworld (San Francisco, Aug. 30-Sept. 2), major technology companies continue to pump money into virtualization-related efforts. The latest example: Dell has acquired 3PAR for $1.15 billion in order to gain “Virtualization-Optimized Storage” capabilities with an eye on capitalizing on reducing data management costs. Here’s the details…

An Ubuntu Linux veteran has joined Dell as part of the PC giant’s effort to focus on systems management. Ken Drachnik, a former manager at Canonical (promoter of Ubuntu) has joined Dell as director of product marketing for KACE, The VAR Guy has confirmed. Here are the details and the implications for Dell’s systems management strategy.

The VAR Guy visited Cisco Senior VP Jim Sherriff (pictured) last week. As Cisco’s new head of U.S. and Canada channels, Sherriff says he’ll focus on three core priorities over the next few months. What are they? Hmmm… No doubt, commercial and SMB channel opportunities rank near the top of the list. But that’s not all…

During my 20+ years as the founder and CEO of a successful IT solutions company, I saw first-hand the importance of evolving our business models to meet the needs and capabilities of our clients and our own companies.  And, as I work with our customers and countless others in the channel now, I see that the more things change, the more they stay the same.