The VAR Guy

Bummer. Despite calls from users to bring back Windows Drive Extender to Microsoft’s new version of Windows Home Server, it looks as though  it’s not going to happen. Here’s the quick rundown …

HP is launching its Interactive Digital Learning Suite for the educational market, complete with a round of new software tools and solutions to help both students and teachers. What’s the scoop on this interactive learning, and can the HP channel partners capitalize with this package? Read on …

Security vendor Websense has brought to the table the “first and only” content unified threat manager (UTM), the TRITON Security Gateway Anywhere (SGA). Websense said it’s the end-all, be-all in your network center. But is it really? Read on for what the TRITON Security Gateway Anywhere (SGA) could do for channel partners …

AlgoSec focuses on network security policy management and seemingly has a passion for the channel. AlgoSec has expanded its channel partner program with enhanced program invites, new solutions for resellers and other little bonuses. But why AlgoSec? The company plans on moving from 90 percent channel-driven to 100 percent in 2011. Here are the details …

I was unhappy — appalled, even — when I read in Fall 2010 that Ubuntu 11.04 would be ditching GNOME in favor of the Unity desktop environment. But after testing the development version of the next Ubuntu release, I have to admit I’m growing less skeptical of Unity’s prospects. Why? Read on …

Are you an existing Verizon customer who can’t wait to get your hands on the iPhone? Well, good news if you don’t sleep: You can pre-order one of the iPhones the service provider has set aside for you, dear existing customer, and it can be had Feb. 3 at 3 a.m. Eastern. The rest of you plebians can read on to see when you can get your mitts on the near-mythical phone …

The latest big news out of the Linux world was the introduction of the AppStream project, which aims to make package management “suck less” (in the words of one contributor) by building a standardized application installer that will work across all Linux distributions. That’s cool, but will it really make the lives of end users that much easier? Here are some thoughts.

Much of the IT industry spent 2010 keeping afloat, but for unified threat management (UTM) specialist Astaro, 2010 was actually a year of growth — thanks to organic wins plus strategic acquisitions.  In fact, Astaro claims the the company grew more than 30 percent in 2010, and more than 50 percent in Q4 of 2010. And partners were key to that growth.

Kasperky Lab is hosting its annual Americas partner conference Feb. 3-6, 2011, in Riviera Maya, Mexico, and while the weather will be a welcome respite from the brutal winter here in the North East, it’s a safe bet partners actually will be more focused on what Kaspersky can do for them.

Triohm Medical Systems, which specializes in integrated electronic health record and practice management systems, is launching its enhanced channel program focused on end-to-end solutions. The program has been designed to provide new opportunities for VARs and MSPs that want to expand their reach into the booming healthcare vertical. But is it right for you? Here are the program details…

MSPmentor, The VAR Guy’s sister site, is set to unveil the fourth-annual MSPmentor 100 list and report during a webcast on February 16 at 2:00 p.m. eastern. During the webcast we’ll review the MSPmentor 100 global list, as well as regional MSP leadership lists for North America, Europe, Africa and Australia. But that’s not all…

Fresh from Siemens Enterprise come two new products designed to hit the mid-enterprise market and give VARs and partners a better collaboration tool to sell. Read on for the details about the company’s new voice solutions and a new UC communication server …

Here’s something to think about: What if Google Executive Chairman and soon-to-be former CEO Eric Schmidt became the next CEO of Apple? Don’t think about it too long, or blood may come out your ears, but it was actually suggested during an interview with Schmidt on CNBC. So what’s the deal? Read on …

Perhaps it’s time for The VAR Guy to buy a condo in Orlando, Fla. The move could help our resident blogger to save money as he travels to Orlando three times over the next few weeks — attending VMware Partner Exchange, IBM PartnerWorld and Parallels Summit. Naturally, The VAR Guy will arrive at each conference armed with plenty of questions. What’s on our resident blogger’s mind? Hmmm… let’s start with VMware Partner Exchange, which will attract anywhere from 4,000 to 6,000 partners, The VAR Guy hears. So, here are six key questions on The VAR Guy’s mind.

Digium Asterisk, the open source IP PBX, seems to be building momentum with some channel partners and customers. But can Asterisk become a mainstream IP telephony platform — much in the way that Linux became a mainstream server operating system? Hmmm… Perhaps The VAR Guy will find the answer to that question at this week’s Digium Asterisk World — part of the larger IT Expo East conference — in Miami Beach, Fla. Here’s the update.

On Jan. 31, 2011, Apple ceased shipping Xserves. Luckily for those users of Xserve technology, ActiveStorage has picked up where Xserve left off (as a metadata controller appliance) with its new ActiveStorage ActiveSAN. The VAR Guy knows not whether Apple provided any direction on the shiny new appliance, but it looks eerily like — and has many of the same features as — its fallen Apple counterpart. Read on for the details.

Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald recently printed an unusual interview with Netgear CEO and global chairman Patrick Lo (pictured). A heavy amount of criticism came from Lo regarding Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ position on Flash and on closed systems in general, but what was more surprising was his backhanded comments regarding Jobs’ future at the helm of the company. Read on for the details …

Xiotech, which is known for its Intelligent Storage Element (ISE) storage platform, is building on its past innovations by providing a new Hybrid ISE appliance. Designed to merge the benefits of both traditional hard disks and solid state disks, Hybrid ISE has the potential to be a high-performance and high-density storage pool. Here are the details …