The VAR Guy

It’s amazing how much procrastination goes into something as simple as a printer driver or satellite dish driver update, but it happens every day. While uploading the new software to modern devices doesn’t take the same time it used to (30-minutes or more), the process is often delayed or never completed. People are reluctant to take time out of their busy schedules to update home technology that isn’t broken, or may take longer than anticipated. The same rule applies to critical business systems, though the delays can be longer and more disruptive.

In an effort to be more inclusive of all its security offerings to its channel partners, RSA has updated its SecurWorld Partner Program to focus more on specialties and solutions-specific training.

Intel, my hosts here at the SC ’11 conference in Seattle, used the first day of the event to make a pair of announcements that shows the chip giant is always looking to the future. First, Intel released the first details of Knights Corner, a 50-plus core chip that can deliver a consistent 1 teraflop of double-precision floating-point precision. And second, Intel released the details of a new line of Sandy Bridge-compatible motherboards designed for the reseller channel.

Day two of Synnex Varnex 2011 kicked off with an array of vendors discussing their market strategies within Synnex. But the highlights were Motorola and Microsoft, which should come at no surprise, since the cloud and mobile device management are at the forefront of many distribution strategies. Read on for a quick list of The VAR Guy’s highlights …

At Synnex Varnex 2011, The VAR Guy was once again privy to some one-on-one time with Synnex top brass. This time it was Rob Moyer, Synnex’s VP of Cloud Computing Programs, who gave The VAR Guy the lowdown on Synnex’s lofty direction into hosted solutions and a few words about the future of Synnex. Here’s the scoop …

A new report states former Apple CEO Steve Jobs spent two years looking for a way to build out an Apple-specific network for the iPhone. Jobs eventually gave up on the idea, but what can we learn from his vision, and what impact could that vision have on Apple’s future? Here’s my perspective …

If you’re on the road frequently and swapping business cards, sometimes it’s hard to keep track of all the people you’ve met. Manually entering information is a pain and holding on to those business cards isn’t exactly efficient, either. Enter CardMunch, which comes direct from none other than business social media site LinkedIn. Is it worth the download? Here’s the quick rundown …

When Dell announced Q3 2012 fiscal results today, The VAR Guy took a closer look to get a feel for how Dell’s server, storage, networking and cloud services businesses were evolving. Sure, The VAR Guy still cares about traditional PCs and server sales. But ultimately, acquired offerings like Boomi, Compellent, EqualLogic and Force10 Networks promise far more growth for Dell PartnerDirect channel partners. Here’s the update.

Like so many open source software companies, SugarCRM seems to be talking more about business growth and partner momentum, and less about open source technologies. The latest example: SugarCRM’s Q3 billings rose 69 percent vs. Q3 2010. Moreover, SugarCRM recruited 38 new partners during Q3, raising its worldwide partner engagements to 343 companies. Impressive. Here’s how SugarCRM has been evolving to deliver that type of growth.

Brocade’s channel partner program has received its annual program overhaul, with Brocade adding a slew of enhancements designed to further reward its existing partners and entice new partners to the networking vendor.

For almost two years, tablets have been pushed in our faces, like people showing off pictures of their own kids.  Yippee, another kid eating ice cream. Since the iPad was announced in April 2010, businesses have been trying to figure out a way to fit these devices into their environment.  Just about every company that has anything to do with technology says they have the “most compelling” tablet offering on the market.  It would probably be easier naming the companies that don’t make tablets, than to actually name the ones that do offer their variation.

You’re spending more and more time managing iPads, iPhones, Google Android, tablets and other mobile devices for your customers. But how can you develop you truly profit from mobile device management (MDM)? Moreover, how can you streamline your approach to MDM? Find the answers during our next webcast, this Wednesday (Nov. 16) at 2:00 p.m. eastern. Register now to join us.

The VAR Guy was given some one-on-one time with Synnex CEO and President Kevin Murai during the Synnex Varnex 2011 event in Las Vegas. Our resident blogger had just six questions for Murai, all of which received complex answers. The VAR guy has the scoop on Synnex’s future, SMB, the cloud and why Synnex doesn’t quite stick out like all those other big distribution companies.

Synnex is big on HP, The VAR Guy knows this. How so? Stephen DiFranco, SVP of HP’s Personal Systems Group, had his own keynote at Synnex Varnex 2011, during which he attempted to do damage control following HP’s turbulent year so far. The bottom line? Partners can trust HP and its product pipeline — PSG is not going anywhere, and HP is still one big, happy family. So what can partners expect from HP in 2012? Here’s what DiFranco laid out …

Apple Siri just keeps getting more interesting. Turns out, not only is Siri living inside Apple’s giant data centers, users don’t even need an Apple device to make Siri work. But shh! Don’t tell Apple. Here’s the details on the intriguing new hack and what fuels Apple’s magic …

Synnex CEO Kevin Murai and Senior VP of Marketing Robert Stegner kicked off Synnex Varnex 2011 with their keynote focusing on distribution as a driving force for the channel. So what do Murai and Stegner see for the future of Synnex partners? It’s all about enablement. The VAR Guy has the scoop right here …

Aruba Networks is pushing the support of the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend further downstream to assist enterprise branch offices and SME environments with the latest enhancements to its Aruba Instant portfolio.

For at least five years, Ubuntu has been the pre-eminent Linux distribution for desktop users. None of the other polished distros, such as Fedora or Debian, came close to capturing Canonical’s market share or mind share in the open source world. But writing on the wall is beginning to suggest that the Age of Ubuntu could be coming to an end, at least on the desktop. Here’s why.

The VAR Guy covers the POS scene from time to time, often noting how Apple devices are slowly supplanting Windows Mobile devices and other proprietary third-party units. But at The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas, The VAR Guy was treated to a unique experience: iPads as a permanent POS fixture.

Synnex’s Varnex 2011 event will be kicking off with a keynote by none other than Synnex’s own Kevin Murai, president and CEO. What can we expect from Murai’s keynote, and more importantly, what does The VAR Guy plan to ask him when he sits down for a one-on-one? It’s all coming up …

Is Lenovo looking to take the ultrabook and super-thin notebook world by storm? New leaked Lenovo roadmap pictures have come to light that suggest Lenovo may be building a line of notebooks that could seriously compete with the sexy and slim Apple MacBook Air and other ultrabooks. Is a new notebook trend coming ahead of Windows 8?

Well, it’s time for The VAR Guy to look into the mirror and confess the following: He’s a bad journalist. Week after week, our resident blogger drops the ball and fails to follow up on some juicy rumors and technology news tips. In fact, here are five hi-tech news tips The VAR Guy failed to pursue and confirm for the week ending November 11, 2011.

Please don’t touch The VAR Guy. It’s not that he doesn’t like to be touched, he’s just sore from thinking he’s a tough guy.