The VAR Guy

Cloud-based protection company Panda Security has launched Panda Virtual GateDefender Performa, a cloud-based virtualized perimeter protection solution. Although the title is a mouthful, the product is easy to swallow, giving Panda’s partners a new way to approach customers in the virtualization space. Read on …

F5 Networks understands the key to a successful dynamic computing environment is flexibility. However, the application delivery controllers that offer the flexibility to support multiple user profiles, or to service virtual environments, traditionally were too large to work with enterprise-size architectures. But F5 is changing that with its VIPRION 2400 ADC and complimentary Virtual Clustered Multiprocessing (vCMP) technology.

The VAR Guy is watching and listening closely for potential Google Chrome OS launch news. Chrome OS, a lightweight Web operating system for netbooks and notebooks, may grab the spotlight at this week’s Google I/O 2011 conference in San Francisco. There’s speculation Samsung may unveil a Chrome OS netbook at the conference. But here’s the big question: Can Chrome OS revive the struggling netbook market or will Google simply evangelize Chrome OS for notebooks? Either way, there could be hardware as a service (HaaS) opportunities for VARs and MSPs. Here’s why.

When it comes to running a small business, some VAR challenges never change. Chief among them: Finding potential financial partners that can assist with leasing, lines of credit, SMB financing, hardware as a service (HaaS) and other financial needs. Need help finding potential partners? Check out The VAR Guy’s Channel Finance 25, a new report that allows VARs and MSPs to quickly track down potential financial assistance across the channel.

MuleSoft’s Tcat server has been a popular item as of late, if the partnerships formed surrounding it are any indication. Following news in March 2011 of a partnership between OpenLogic and MuleSoft centered on Tcat, Liferay recently announced a similar initiative. Here are the details, and what they mean for the channel.

Siemens Enterprise Communications is breaking the tradition of selling third-party session border controller technology for its OpenScape Voice offering by developing its own SBC technology.

Hewlett-Packard is being very hush-hush about what it plans to announce at Interop, but The VAR Guy knows who’ll be giving the keynote on day one. Dave Donatelli, HP’s executive vice president and general manager for Enterprise Server Storage and Networking, and Marius Haas, HP’s Enterprise Business senior vice president and general manager, are slated to kick off the day. What will they talk about? Read on for a little speculation …

Tech Data is on a mobility kick, as proven by its recent announcement of TDMobility and ActivateIT. Now, the distributor has taken on Cisco’s Android-based telepresence tablet, CIUS, for distribution to Cisco’s Advanced UC partners come the end of May 2011. Read on for some channel perspective …

The VAR Guy is packing his bags this evening for a trip to San Francisco. But before he embarks on this latest road trip here are six channel partner blogs The VAR Guy didn’t write for the week ending May 6, 2011.

Despite his many annual trips to Las Vegas, The VAR Guy’s no gambler. However, he knows a sure thing when he sees one, and based on the amount of noise coming from Interop 2011, our resident blogger is willing to bet this year’s event is gonna be big.

Symantec has finally released the public beta of Symantec Endpoint Protection 12, with Symantec Protection Center 2.0. Promised back in February for an April 2011 release, the new solution set is optimized to help deal with the constant onslaught of threats in cyberspace. It’s being designed as a one-two knockout for malware and coordinated “multi-pronged” attacks. Read on for the new details …

Network equipment provider ZyXEL has formed a strategic agreement with PowerCloud for cloud-based networking solutions that are aimed at the service provider and SMB market. PowerCloud has been focused on cloud-software for OEMs, so the partnership seems like a good fit, especially for the SMB space. Read on for the details …

Sometime later this year, The VAR Guy suspects, Cisco Systems will announce a more aggressive ISV (independent software vendor) partner initiative. Among the key potential partners: Microsoft. Indeed, there are signs the two tech titans plan to work more closely together on a range of fronts — especially within corporate data centers leveraging the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS). Here’s the update.

As promised, Brocade made several technology announcements earlier this week at the Brocade Technology Summit 2011 in Silicon Valley. The company’s newest technologies — which center on cloud optimization, Ethernet enhancement and increased Fibre Channel capacity — present a great opportunity for Brocade’s VARs to expand their client bases and better serve the needs of current customers. I was able to catch up with Brocade Vice President of Worldwide Channels Barbara Spicek to find out what Brocade expects from its channel partners as a result of the company’s most recent innovations, and what Brocade will do to help its partners maximize their sales potential.

UC and communications technology vendor Mitel has shown a whole lot of love for the mobility space, as proven by its recently announced Android OS support. The company is going even further, adding the new BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to its list of supported UC devices. Unified Communicator Advanced, built on the Mitel Freedom architecture, is coming to the 7-inch tablet.

The Google I/O 2011 conference (May 10-11, San Francisco) is designed mainly for software developers. But The VAR Guy has a hunch Google will discuss some key channel moves that could have implications for VARs and MSPs. In fact, Google’s Jeff Ragusa (pictured) will specifically address channel partners during the conference. Here are five potential channel trends and developments worth watching at Google I/O.

Enterasys Networks is urging its channel partners to expand on their success by focusing on three areas of opportunity ripe for its networking wares: data center, wireless and physical surveillance.

At Cisco Partner Summit 2011, we introduced a new Cloud Partner Program to help partners choose their role in the cloud and evolve their business models to capitalize on the multi-billion cloud market opportunity. As we move towards launching the program in June, I wanted to take a moment to discuss the three new partner models within the program framework: Cloud Builder, Cloud Provider and Cloud Services Reseller. Here’s an overview.

Moving downstream to provide SMBs and smaller enterprises with high-performance switching capabilities right-sized for their needs, Enterasys Networks has announced two new offerings to its modular switching solutions.

Riverbed Technology is coming off a stellar Q1 by announcing improvements to its Cascade network performance management product line, providing increased visibility into the network and enabling users to find issues through a top-down approach.

High-traffic networks, such as those in the service provider or telco space, long have had their own unique requirements due to the sheer amount of bandwidth they run. The “4” in 4G is the result of millions of dollars spent by service providers to upgrade their network in support of the heavier workloads brought on by our increasingly robust mobile devices.

Brocade, long a player in the data center infrastructure space, is releasing its tether through a line of cloud-optimized networking solutions to advance public and private clouds.

The VAR Guy is learning at the Managed Print Services Conference that MPS knows no boundaries. Take the business model of Auxilio, which focuses entirely on the healthcare vertical by acting as a MPS provider to hospitals. CEO Joseph Flynn sat down with The VAR Guy to offer a deep dive into MPS and share some advice on the space. The VAR Guy loves hearing things straight from the horse’s mouth, so read on for some interesting perspective.