The VAR Guy

Apple iOS 5 has finally hit the general public, so iPhone owners can now upgrade to the latest and greatest iOS version. But along with iOS 5, Apple has launched a few extra goodies. Here’s the scoop on some sweet tidbits along with a few sour grapes …

In a world where print media is dying a slow and painful death, HP is joining forces with Conde Nast to bring print media on demand to you from your printer. Read on for the interesting proposition.

Sources told The Wall Street Journal that Hewlett-Packard is rethinking a potential plan to spin off HP PSG, the $40 billion PC business. The sources indicate that spinning off the PC business will hurt HP’s supply chain. Ironically, Dell CEO Michael Dell made that very statement about HP during last week’s Oracle OpenWorld. Here’s the recap.

Is Cisco Systems committed to VCE (the Virtual Computing Environment Company)? The answer appears to be “absolutely yes,” based on a recent Cisco SEC filing plus chatter from Cisco Global Channel Chief Edison Peres. Here’s the update.

Symantec CEO Enrique Salem is set to keynote Symantec Partner Engage tomorrow (Oct. 13, Chandler, Ariz.). The VAR Guy expects an update on Symantec.cloud, Symantec O3 and plenty more from Salem, Channel Chief Randy Cochran and the Symantec partner team. In fact, here are four themes that will surely emerge at Symantec Partner Engage.

Microsoft has confirmed SQL Server 2012, formerly code-named Denali, is on track to debut in the first half of 2012. For channel partners, SQL Server 2012 will blend new business intelligence, data warehousing and cloud computing capabilities. The VAR Guy’s key question: Will SQL Server 2012 really gain ground on Oracle’s scalability and Big Data capabilities?

Preliminary benchmarks of the iPhone 4S are showing impressive figures that are kicking the butt of many smartphones already in the arena. I’m starting to rework my initial thoughts of the iPhone 4S. Here’s the lowdown on the benchmark uptick …

Recently we took a quick look at the ViewSonic Windows/Android tablet, which turned out to be a Windows machine running a layer of software that allow Android applications to run. Now that software has gone mainstream. BlueStacks has unleashed an alpha version of the Android emulation platform that promises to bring the joy of Android to Windows desktops everywhere. Read on for the details …

HP remains steadfast in supporting its partners, even as its future is uncertain. The company is bringing a smattering of enhancements to its PartnerOne program designed to make it easier for partners to work with HP, sell new IT products and “fuel profitability,” while focusing on “predictability” in the channel. The VAR Guy has all the details coming right up …

Dell seems to taking every opportunity to take advantage of the fear, uncertainty and doubt that has arisen regarding the state of HP’s expected PSG spinoff. Results of a Dell survey have been released that asked HP customers with at least 500 employees where they’d turn should their HP products fail them. The verdict? Read on.

Michael Dell is set to keynote Dell World on October 13 in Austin, Texas. So what message will Michael Dell deliver to Dell’s customers and channel partners? Hmmm… Chances are, Michael Dell will describe how the PC giant remains committed to hardware even as it pushes into cloud services, managed services, IT consulting, networking and more. Here’s an educated guess on what Dell will say…

Is the Motorola Xoom – a Google Android-powered tablet – ready for business users and channel partners? David Courbanou, my peer here at The VAR Guy, wasn’t all that impressed with early Xoom  2 chatter. But I’ve spent recent days using the original Xoom. iPad lovers cover your ears: I believe the Xoom tablet has something to offer the business world.

BYOD (bring your own device) to work is an undeniable trend. Consumers are racing to pre-order the iPhone 4s. Employees are carrying their own devices – iPad 2, Galaxy Tablet, Motorola Xoom, etc. — into the office. What’s the net effect for VARs and MSPs everywhere? The answer: Customers have a desperate need for mobile device management (MDM). That’s where you enter the picture.

In May 2011 we wrote about Polycom’s partnership with Motorola to offer its video collaboration software on the Xoom tablet. Now the company is expanding its tablet base and has put a name to the offering: Polycom RealPresence Mobile.

Ingram Micro continues to expand its technology partner base. This time the wholesale provider of technology products has signed a distribution partnership with Next Level Security Systems (NLSS), a physical security firm that also offers unified network security technologies to  the retail, commercial and government markets, among others.

It’s no secret that competitive VARs should constantly tweak their operations in reaction to shifting demands in the market. But few companies have exhibited such adeptness in reinventing themselves as Likewise, which in the last year has drastically redirected its focus and, most recently, signed on to an innovative partnership with Microsoft. Here’s the scoop on the deal, and where it fits in to the larger picture.

It’s Columbus Day here in the U.S., which means many businesses are closed for the holiday. But The VAR Guy is plugging away and in catch-up mode. In fact, here are six pieces of high-tech news for channel partners that The VAR Guy didn’t have time to write for the week ending Oct. 7, 2011.

ShoreTel recognizes one glaring byproduct of the consumerization of IT and the bring your own device (BYOD) movement is the need by companies to support a mishmash of devices and OSes. That’s why the company has upgraded ShoreTel Mobility to support the three major mobility platforms and an expanded number of devices.

From the Active Response features of the OSSEC intrusion-detection system to tools such as Ubuntu’s ubuntu-vm-builder, the open source channel is full of software designed to perform tasks so that humans don’t have to — which is, after all, the point of computers in the first place. On Oct. 5, 2011, OpenGear introduced the latest addition to this field, announcing new “automated remediation” functionality for its console and remote-management products. Read on for details.

Somehow The VAR Guy let this distribution news slip out of his lasso last week. Westcon Group has deepened its relationship with networking company Brocade to put Brocade’s virtualization networking solutions into Westcon’s LEAP Centers. What does that mean for VARs working with Brocade and Westcon? For starters, training just got easier …

That was fast. Just last week we covered how Android Ice Cream Sandwich was likely slated for an Oct. 11, 2011, release, according to the YouTube Android Developer account. Now Samsung has released an official statement telling us to hold our horses. Android dessert is coming soon, but not quite yet …

Is this the first of many post-Jobsian era changes we’ll be seeing? Not likely, but thanks to Android development company Myriad, Alien Davik 2.0 has been ported to the iPad. Translation? Android applications now can run inside a mini virtual machine on your iPad (or presumably, any other iOS device). Read on for some mobile perspective and how this could affect the channel …

HP is pushing out yet another thin client. This time it’s the all-new t200 zero client, specifically designed for the SMB market. What can it bring to your virtualization portfolio? Tech specs and details follow …