The VAR Guy

As packaged software goes the way of the dodo bird, what does this mean to VARs? To measure up in today’s anything-as-a-service business environment, where pay-as-you-go data center processing is becoming the norm, you must be able to deliver services more transparently than your competitors. You must provide a single view of business services. And last, but certainly not least, you must become the easiest vendor to work with. In other words, you must be able to monitor, measure and report on workloads—and use this information to benefit both you and your customers. Here’s how.

Apple’s government sales have jumped 200% according to an Needham and Company research report. But that’s not all. Sales to the education vertical and traditional enterprises businesses also surged. Is this a short-term trend for Apple, or are we looking at accelerated vertical market growth of Apple products worldwide? Here are details.

The VAR Guy wouldn’t exactly call it “long-anticipated,” but Microsoft has released the Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system to phone manufacturing, meaning we’re that much closer to being able to buy a Windows Phone 7 handset. Here’s the story.

A slightly belated “happy second anniversary” to the Google Chrome web browser, which debuted September 2, 2008. And Google’s marked the occasion with the launch of a Chrome 6.0. Here’s a quick look back at the birthday browser, and Chrome’s growing popularity with The VAR Guy’s readership.

Microsoft has done a lot right with its All In cloud computing strategy over the past few months. But The VAR Guy raised an eyebrow today when he noticed a big, bold pricing calculator on Microsoft’s BPOS Web site. On the one hand, the calculator makes a lot of sense as Microsoft wages a cloud war against Google Apps. But on the other hand, will Microsoft partners grimace as price becomes the default discussion point with end-customers? Here are The VAR Guy’s perspectives.

Magento, an open source e-commerce platform provider, seems to be attracting well-known channel and open source talent into its employee ranks. The two latest examples: Jary Carter (former Alfresco Americas channel director) and Michael Goossens (former VP of JBoss EMEA for Red Hat) have joined Magento as part of a rapid staff expansion. Here’s a closer look at Magento’s growth and potential implications for channel partners.

When October 15, 2010 arrives, Sun’s Partner Advantage program will end. Some partners worry Oracle will take Sun support renewal contracts direct, which means partners could lose a lucrative annuity stream. Is there an alternative way for Sun partners to continue to profit from Sun’s installed base while maintaining close customer relationships? Absolutely yes. Here’s how.

Microsoft Exchange alternative Open-Xchange has launched a new tool to help VARs migrate user data off Outlook and into the open source messaging server. Here’s the scoop.

When Apple’s Fall media event kicked off September 1, I was there. Not physically, but Apple — for the first time ever — provided a live stream of the event, no longer requiring me to get all my news 2nd hand. Huzzah! Read on for a very quick (I promise) rundown of what was announced and why (I think) you should care…

Xiotech is showing off at VMworld 2010, demonstrating a 1,000 user VDI (virtual desktop integration) deployment on a single storage blade. The company claims the VDI set-up can cost as little as $25 per user per year. Here are some details plus some potential implications for the VDI market.

F5 Networks has caught the WMworld bug, offering a new “Application Ready Solution” for VMware View 4.5. Read on for the highlights, details and feature set…

I don’t have to tell any vendor how hot Apple iPhone apps are right now. Enter Rhomobile, which is launching the new version of its RhoSync SaaS open source offering, enabling developers to keep enterprise application data synced to smartphones in real time. Here’s the scoop.

The VAR Guy and his team look a little tired. Time to bring in some reinforcements. We’re currently seeking a senior contributing editor to handle Webcast content development, speaker recruitment, slide and powerpoint preparation and potential event moderation. But that’s not all… Here are the details.

The sky is falling. A double-dip recession is here. And PC sales are slowing. At first glance, the IT channel should be worried by PC sales projections. But take a closer look and you’ll discover that PC sales aren’t slowing. Not at all. In fact, they’re generating double-digit growth. Here are the details.

At first glance, VMware dominates the virtualization market. But Microsoft’s David Greschler, attending this week’s VMworld conference, doesn’t sound worried. Greschler, director of Microsoft’s integrated virtualization strategy, says savvy channel partners are taking a look at Microsoft Hyper-V and cross-platform management tools like Microsoft System Center. Here’s why.

ConnectWise, which provides a professional services automation (PSA) platform for VARs, MSPs, and IT service providers, has announced the launch of native mobile applications for the Apple iPhone, Google Android, and Microsoft Windows Mobile platforms. Here’s the skinny.

EnterpriseDB, which provides enterprise-level open source PostgreSQL database services, has announced its completed a round of funding, adding KT (formerly Korea Telecom) and TransLink Capital to its list of investors. Here’s the story.

Virtual Computer, which focuses on distributed desktop management, has launched NxTop 3.0 at VMworld, offering — you guess it — new features and better compatibility. Read on for the details…