The VAR Guy

Cloud migration specialist Binary Tree is no stranger to Microsoft’s BPOS SaaS productivity platform, with a stated focus of moving customers from legacy messaging systems to Exchange Online. And now Binary Tree has signed a strategic partnership for Microsoft to use their software tools when migrating customers from the IBM Lotus Notes to BPOS. Here’s the story.

Warning: This blog entry is filled with unconfirmed rumors — but the rumors are strategic nonetheless. Steve Jobs has confirmed that Apple killed Xserve because almost nobody was buying them. So we can kiss that Apple hardware goodbye. But here’s an interesting twist: According to Virtulization.Info, new versions of VMware’s vSphere may allow Mac OS X to run virtualized on non-Apple servers. That’s potentially big news for VARs and MSPs that want to support multi-platform environments. Here’s the gossip.

When TechEd Europe 2010 started on November 8, Microsoft focused on one big priority: Rallying customers and partners around Hyper-V Cloud — an effort to promote the software company’s virtualization strategy across private and public clouds. Here’s the update.

It’s still early in the cloud computing game. And most distributors are still sorting out their strategies. But The VAR Guy has spent plenty of time this year speaking with most of the major distributors about their cloud and SaaS plans. The VAR Guy’s opinion: Ingram Micro seems to be spending more time, money and energy on the cloud effort than its rivals. But will Ingram’s investments pay dividends? Hmmm… Here are the facts and insights that shaped The VAR Guy’s opinion.

Apple is saying “goodbye” to their 1U rack-mounted server, otherwise known as Xserve. Since 2002 Apple has provided a sexy aluminum pizza box for all those who wanted it, but now, after 8 years, Apple thinks enough is enough. January 2011 is your last chance to buy one. Then, If you want a Mac server, Apple is offering the low-end MacMini Server, and now, the new Server-configuration of the MacPro. For some perspective on where Apple is headed with this, read on…

In case you didn’t notice, last week was the Symantec Partner Engage 2010 conference in Las Vegas. But  Symantec wasn’t (and isn’t) the only security game in town. Here are three quick security developments that are worth a look, featuring Sophos, Panda Security and PacketMotion…

M7 Global Partners Inc. has agreed to distribute AppSense’s services to M7′s existing customer base. AppSense is known for their “user virtualization technology” for a more streamlined non-profiled approach to personalized desktops, while M7 calls itself a “consortium” of IT consultants who specialize in virtualization and data centers. Read on on for the quick details on how this joint-venture works…

While I try to blog away my jet lag, let your humble correspondent tell you a little bit about my travels in Cologne, Germany for the Open-Xchange Partner Summit. Specifically, here’s the scoop on how a strategic combination of Google cloud services,  Apple iPhone 4, and the Amazon Kindle 2 made me a savvy wayfarer in a far-off land without breaking the bank.

The seeds for my 10-minute conversation with Open-Xchange CEO Rafael Laguna (pictured left) were sown in his keynote address at the company’s recent partner summit (and subsequent unveiling of Web Desktop). So before I jump into this blog entry I suggest you check out the links above. Still with us? Read on for more insights from Laguna on the big announcements of the Open-Xchange Partner Summit.

Close on the heels of the controversial announcement two weeks ago that Unity would replace GNOME as the default desktop interface in the next version of Ubuntu, Canonical’s independent streak continued recently with news that it plans to move Ubuntu away from its dependence on X.org.  Here are the details, and what this means to Canonical’s larger plans.

The Open-Xchange Partner Summit 2010 wrapped up last week. Company executives and OX partners alike got to take the stage and talk about what they bring to the open source messaging and groupware platform. While CEO Rafael Laguna’s keynote laid out most of the ideas we would hear repeated over the course of the day, your humble correspondent still heard some interesting tidbits. Here are a few.

Lenovo has selected Dot Hill 3000 Series Storage Arrays for their expanding line of server solutions, specifically the SureServer line. The move comes as Lenovo also positions itself as the world’s fastest-growing major PC maker. Read on for details…

Techaisle has reported some interesting results of a new survey that shows 2 million iPads have been bought specifically by small businesses in the United States. What does that mean about the future of small businesses and tablets in general? Read on…

The VAR Guy hung out with several hundred of his closest friends over the weekend. The location: The Off the Grid Party, hosted at the ConnectWise IT Nation conference in Orlando. Nobody was allowed to blog, tweet or photograph the party. But The VAR Guy has good ear and an even better memory. So here are six blogs from the conference (and the weekend bash) The VAR Guy didn’t get a chance to write.

And now for something completely different. The ConnectWise IT Nation keynote speaker this morning is not a famous entrepreneur. Rudy… Rudy… It’s not a famous CEO. Rudy… Rudy. And it’s not a rock star. It is Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger — the famed five-foot-nothing “athlete” who turned one tackle on the Notre Dame football field into a moving story for generations to come. So, what can Rudy possibly tell VARs and MSPs about life, work and the pursuit of happiness? Here are eight highlights.

So, you’re worried about cloud computing solutions moving into the SMB market. Will VARs and MSPs remain relevant? Absolutely yes, according to ConnectWise CEO Arnie Bellini. During a keynote at the ConnectWise IT Nation conference this morning, Bellini described 19 areas where VARs and MSPs can generate revenues and profits even if cloud computing moves into the SMB market. Take a look.

At the Symantec Partner Engage 2010 event in Las Vegas, I came equipped only with my iPad and a Bluetooth keyboard. The experiment was to see how much of my work could be done easily, quickly and more simply using a device that was dedicated to only really doing one thing at a time. Ostensibly, with only 16GB of storage on this iPad, I tried to live almost exclusively in the cloud. Did the experiment pay off? Read on…

When Open-Xchange CEO Rafael Laguna began his live demo at the company’s partner summit here in Germany, I sank into my seat a little. Single sign-on and a revamped interface are nice for Open-Xchange (OX) open source email users, but it’s not the kind of thing to energize a room full of channel and SaaS partners. But then Laguna got to a live demo of the work-in-progress version of the Open-Xchange Web Desktop, an interface designed to bring any SaaS application into an environment eerily reminiscent of Apple iOS. Here are some details.

In a perfect world, open-source development would always be done for free.  And in an even more perfect world, Adobe would not have a monopoly on a technology as ubiquitous as Flash.  But because utopia, alas, remains elusive, supporters of the Gnash project recently announced a contest — complete with a cash prize — to encourage contributions to the open-source Flash decoder.  Here’s the scoop, and why it matters even if you’re not an open-source geek.

During a Symantec Partner Engage breakout session, plenty of channel partners were talking about cloud computing. That’s hardly surprising. But instead of hyping the cloud, the partners were discussing gradual transitions driven by specific business needs. Here’s a recap of the Symantec partner chatter.

Something new? Check out this video…

The keynote was called “The Sky is the Limit – How to grow your SaaS and On-Premises Business.” But Open-Xchange CEO Rafael Laguna had his head in the cloud when he kicked off the open-source messaging and groupware provider’s second-ever partner summit here in Cologne, Germany. His speech covered a lot of ground in a very short time, but the core message to VARs was constant: Microsoft and Google aren’t the final word in the channel, especially as you head to the cloud. Here are 15 key takeaways for VARs and solutions providers.

After announcing strong quarterly results last week, Symantec CEO Enrique Salem is offering some positive perspectives at this week’s Symantec Partner Engage 2010 conference in Las Vegas. What type of company is Symantec, and how is the organization evolving for new opportunities that go beyond the cloud? Here are some clues from Salem himself.