The VAR Guy

Nine Lives Media Inc., parent of The VAR Guy, today launched Talkin’ Cloud — the first video blog and forum for cloud computing in the IT channel. Once you read the official news release you’ll understand how Talkin’ Cloud complements our existing brands (The VAR Guy and MSPmentor). Here are some quick thoughts on the topic.

As the cloud computing noise grows louder, some MSPs are starting to wonder how they’ll maintain SMB account control. We’ll share some answers during our final MSPmentor Live Webcast of 2010, scheduled for this Wednesday, December 8 at 2:00 p.m. eastern. I hope you’ll join us. Here are some details about our guest speakers and the topics we’ll cover.

I didn’t think there was anything left for cloud infrastructure megalith Amazon Web Services (AWS) to give away once it opened its free tier. But now users will be able to leverage Amazon CloudWatch to keep tabs on their Amazon EC2 cloud computing instances without spending a dime. Here’s a quick overview.

Tech Data is expanding its digital signage portfolio offerings with onsite installation services. Resellers now can now leverage iTeam Inc., which lives in the Digital Signage and Projectors business unit, to fast-track digital signage implementation. Read on for some detail and perspective.

It’s called the VDI Coalition and its tagline is: “Accelerating the Effective Deployment of Virtual Desktops.” Xiotech Corp. is spearheading the group, whose ranks also include Silver Peak Systems, GlassHouse Technologies, Virsto Software and Pano Logic. The VDI Coalition’s purpose is to provide customers with more effective means of deploying virtual desktops. How feasible is that? Let’s take a look.

F5 Networks has done much to improve the storage game for data centers through its ARX technology, which features intelligent tiering to reduce the time and costs associated with regular backups, especially for large, data-intensive companies. Now the company is extending that functionality to support cloud-based storage.

You’re allegedly looking at the keyboard of a Google Chrome netbook, according to Engadget. Notice anything different? It might be hard to see from this photo, but the caps lock key has been replaced with the search logo. Google is planning to unveil something new on December 7, so is this what the fuss is about? The answer could involve Google Chrome OS. Read on for rumor and details …

At last week’s FireStarter event, Microsoft finally unveiled the new version of Silverlight, its online application platform. A beta version is slated for early 2011, at which time developers will be able to explore the improvements to Silverlight’s media delivery and application coding environment, but in the meantime, here are some highlights of Microsoft Silverlight 5.

The VAR Guy and his team have been busy with some R&D projects in recent weeks. Plenty of new developments to potentially share soon. But in the meantime, here are six blogs The VAR Guy didn’t have a chance to write for the week ending Dec. 3, 2010.

The VAR Guy recently blogged about ADTRAN’s success secrets, but an important ingredient in the company’s ‘secret sauce’ is its VARs. During the ADTRAN Connect 2010 press and analyst event, Ted Cole, ADTRAN’s channel chief, offered up a quick yet informative deep dive into what makes ADTRAN and its VARs good for each other.

CloudShare, which provides the channel with unique tools for throwing existing infrastructure into the cloud for training and demonstration purposes, has been free for all users under an open beta. But now CloudShare’s flagship Pro product is coming out of beta just in time for a paid ProPlus tier to launch – giving SMBs more flexibility and more licensed Microsoft applications for their cloud instances at a fixed price point. Here are some details.

The VAR Guy already pointed out that cloud was barely present at ADTRAN Connect 2010. So The VAR Guy got 15 minutes with ADTRAN’s VP of Global Marketing Gary Bolton and asked him to expand a little on where he sees the cloud as it pertains to ADTRAN’s strategy. Here’s what he said:

SPONSORED VIDEO: Oracle CEO Larry Ellison spent much of today evangelizing new developments on the Solaris and SPARC fronts, but Oracle certainly continues to bang the drum for its core E-Business Suite (EBS) and CRM On Demand software application offerings. In fact, partners are starting to embrace Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) specializations that focus on EBS and CRM On Demand. Tyler Prince (pictured), group VP, North America Sales, Applications and Public Sector Alliances and Channel, offers an update in this FastChat Video series.

ADTRAN Connect 2010 attendees received a candid company update by key executives including CEO Tom Stanton, VP of Carrier Networks Jay Wilson and Senior VP of Enterprise Networks Rick Schansman. No surprises here: ADTRAN had a stellar year, and the company is looking to continue the momentum. Read on for the deep-dive…

If you’ve used a computer anytime in the last 30 years, chances are good you’ve misplaced a file once or twice. If GNOME developers have their way, however, such frustrations will become a thing of the past, thanks to the Zeitgeist project. Here’s a look at this radically new approach to file management and where it might end up in the future.

How much data do you use in a day? It’s a good bet it’s not nearly as much as the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. The facility racks up to 100TB  of data per week doing its main business of DNA sequencing. During a dinner held at the facility’s Jackson Conference Center, ADTRAN Connect 2010 attendees were treated to HudsonAlpha’s perspective on data, networking and innovation — which also served as a wake-up call for any sleepy storage VARs who haven’t gotten the message yet …

It’s chilly in Hunstville, Ala. But the ADTRAN Connect conference heated up quickly with an opening presentation from Gary Bolton, VP of global marketing, who talked about the company’s positioning around so-called “inflection points” — game-changing key points in the industry.

Storage system specialist Nexsan has announced that 25-year industry veteran Victoria Grey will be taking over as VP of Marketing, putting her in charge of global corporate and channel marketing efforts. Here are some quick details:

Aiming to move further into the cloud infrastructure arena, Cisco is buying LineSider Technologies, which markets network management software to securely create and deploy cloud computing infrastructure.

When Attachmate disclosed plans to buy Novell in November, The VAR Guy had plenty of questions: Did any other companies bid on Novell? Will Novell Channel Chief John Dragoon (pictured) join Attachmate? What will become of Novell’s relationship with VMware? And will new products such as Novell Cloud Security Service and Novell Vibe continue forward under Attachmate ownership? The VAR Guy found some — but not all — of the answers he was seeking during a call with Dragoon on Nov. 30. Here’s the update.

Siemens Enterprise Communications has come out with a unified communications suite so easy to use it’s like magic, at least according to Ross Sedgewick, the company’s senior director of marketing for Large Enterprise Solutions.

It’s only the first day at ADTRAN’s Connect 2010 press and analyst event, but talk about ADTRAN’s plan in the channel and its overall play in the industry floats around fast. Read on for some key trends that The VAR Guy happened to come across: here’s a hint — ADTRAN no longer is positioning itself to play second fiddle to Cisco …

One might think The VAR Guy’s team would stop being surprised at how far Microsoft is willing to go to take potshots at its cloud rivals over at Google. But in a Q&A with Computerworld, Senior Director of Microsoft Online Services Tom Rizzo had some fighting words for Google, saying the company is “failing” at understanding the needs of the enterprise. Needless to say, his comments have the IT world abuzz. Here’s the scoop: