The VAR Guy

Lenovo’s ThinkPad Tablet press event Aug. 30, 2011, took place at The W Hotel in New York City, which was a perfect compliment to the Lenovo’s ThinkPad Tablet style. Sophisticated yet austere, Lenovo has made sure this isn’t just another Android tablet. But is it enough? Here’s what the channel should know about Lenovo’s latest tablet efforts …

Vertical markets are hot right now, and likely none are hotter than the ever-booming healthcare vertical. Ingram Micro wants to take advantage of those opportunities and extend them to its partners. Enter: The Ingram Micro Healthcare Partner Network. VARs and MSPs looking to build on this vertical should read on …

VMware View 5 has officially hit the scene at VMworld 2011, and every virtualization VAR should know what VMware is bringing in this latest update. If VDI is your No. 1 priority, VMware View 5 could provide an ideal new platform to make cloud-based desktop infrastructure easier to manage with happier end users to boot. Read on for the details …

Reuters is reporting that webOS may not be dead, yet. In an interview, the head of HP’s PSG group Todd Bradley hinted HP may not be done with the webOS or tablet. So what does HP have up its sleeve? Bradley was elusive, but here are my top three ideas for what the PSG spinoff could do, along with some channel implications …

Riverbed Technology is jumping further upstream in the virtualization space with its Steelhead appliances, announcing optimization of vSphere replication traffic effective immediately. The announcement was made at VMworld 2011.

At first glance, today is like any other day for The VAR Guy. Our anonymous blogger is seated at Starbucks, sipping a Venti Mocha Latte, and tapping into free WiFi. But if you check the news wires you’ll notice one big difference today: Nine Lives Media Inc., the company behind The VAR Guy, has been acquired by Penton Media. So, how will the deal impact The VAR Guy’s unique voice? In short, The VAR Guy’s voice is about to grow even louder. A lot louder. Here’s why.

At VMworld 2011, HP is proving it still has some muscle. Despite the uncertain fate of HP’s PSG, HP is completely ramping up its virtualized networking and management efforts. I spoke to HP’s director of marketing Mike Nielsen about the new FlexNetwork architecture and how the channel fits in …

Wyse, the thin client company, is looking to steal the limelight at VMworld with an interesting list of announcements. The company is offering a unique approach to mobile virtualization along with a new thin client series. I spoke to Wyse’s chief marketing and strategy officer, Jeff McNaught, about the news and how it plays into the channel for virtualization VARs …

A near direct response to VMworld 2011, Microsoft has unveiled “Cloud CRM for Less,” a program to coax SAP, SalesForce and Oracle customers to  convert and migrate to Microsoft’s own Dynamics CRM Online. What’s the incentive? Dollar bills. Read on for the deets …

My favorite dubious rumors site DigiTimes.com has suggested Samsung is looking into buying HP’s webOS division in an effort to combat Apple and gain a few useful Palm patents. My opinion? Sounds like a good idea for Samsung. Here’s why …

You may remember in July we reported Lenovo unveiled a trio of tablets: two Android tablets and one Windows-based tablet. I’ve been tapped to review two of those tablets, The IdeaPad K1 (for an extended period) and the ThinkPad Tablet (at a special Lenovo event Aug. 30, 2011). Here’s what I’ll be looking for to find out if the tablets are a winner for you, the channel, or the SMB …

We’re expecting plenty of news from this week’s VMworld conference (Aug. 29-Sept. 1, Las Vegas). Among the first thing we’ve heard: VMTurbo, which develops virtualization management software, has launched an appliance update that seeks to improve Application Performance Management. Here are the potential implications for virtualization VARs.

Yes, Steve Jobs has built or reinvented a long list of industries — everything from PCs to music distribution. But Jobs, who recently resigned as Apple’s CEO, has also influenced markets far beyond Apple’s core focus. A case in point: Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff (pictured) has openly thanked Jobs for influencing his company’s direction. Apparently, Jobs played a key role in the current cloud apps boom. Here’s why.

Hurricane Irene knocked out The VAR Guy’s electricity and flooded our resident blogger’s basement. Roughly 400,000 customers are without electricity today on Long Island. But overall, the Nine Lives Media Inc. team is up-and-running today. Check out The VAR Guy’s latest FastChat Video for a look at some of the storm damage and recovery process on Long Island, which The VAR Guy calls home.

Dear Irene: You can huff, and you can puff… but you can’t blow The VAR Guy’s data away. The VAR Guy isn’t the sharpest dude in the channel. But he was smart enough to back up his data into the cloud earlier today. Now, our resident blogger is reviewing this emergency preparations check list. Then, The VAR Guy plans to unplug this weekend, watch the storm, and ponder six unsolved riddles. They include…

Turn the wayback machine to January 2011, and you’ll remember I discussed at length that a post-Jobsian world wouldn’t be a big issue. Now, with Jobs officially stepping down as CEO, that world has officially come to pass — or has it? Even though Jobs isn’t CEO, that doesn’t mean his invisible hand won’t touch every magical new product that comes out of Cupertino …

Xiotech, the storage company that has been hitting the channel with its ISE storage solutions, is reshaping itself. I spoke to Alan Atkinson, president and CEO of Xiotech about the changes, the first of which is a new name. Xiotech will now be known as XIO Storage, with a new device at the helm, the Hyper ISE. Here’s the quick scoop …

Recently, we covered value-added distributor Jenne’s streamlined training and distribution lineup for VARs working with Avaya technology. Now Jenne is looking to give a similar level of intimacy to VARs working with LifeSize video conferencing solutions. Read on for the perks and incentives if you play on team Jenne …

On the heels of FalconStor’s Version 7 upgrade announcement and just ahead of VMware VMworld 2011, FalconStor announced certification as VMware Ready for vSphere 5 and VAAI (vStorage APIs for Array Integration). Read on for the quick rundown on FalconStor’s new virtualization deployment opportunities …

New AMD CEO Rory Read carries one heck of a crystal ball. To wit, Read seems to have predicted — three months ago — that Hewlett-Packard may exit the PC industry. Skeptical? Take a look at this exclusive FastChat video from The VAR Guy, filmed in May 2011. Right around the 2 minute and 18 second mark, Read — a Lenovo executive at the time — seems to predict Hewlett-Packard will eventually exit the PC industry.

Yes, The VAR Guy can be a name dropper from time to time. A case in point: The VAR Guy knows new AMD CEO Rory Read (pictured). And Read — formerly Lenovo‘s president and chief operating officer — is a channel-friendly guy. In fact, Read is as channel-friendly as they come.

FalconStor has launched the latest update to its data protection portfolio, simply named Version 7. The latest iteration is an upgrade that adds “next-generation” features for backup and recovery solutions. I spoke to Mike DiMeglio, director of product marketing at FalconStor, about the new enhancements and what it means for FalconStor channel partners …

Back in May 2011, Dell created some ripples in the channel with its new PartnerDirect 2.0 launch, bringing new partner tiers, incentives and deal registration opportunities, among other perks. One such perk was the Dell Demo Center, which was initially designated as a “enhanced incentive” for truly dedicated partners doing frequent training. But it looks like Dell has had a change of heart …