The VAR Guy

For the last decade, IT organizations have spent 70 percent or 80 percent of their budgets on maintenance costs while business demands are growing faster than ever. The result is that many requests for new projects have to be turned down and more and more business opportunities are missed. But Cisco channel partners have found a way to drive customer innovation.

D-Link’s VIP Partner Program now stands for more more than “Value in Partnership,” as D-Link has overhauled the program and upgraded it to VIP+ status. With it comes a new partner portal, new training and streamlined operations with D-Link. I spoke to Steve Ryan, D-Link’s director of North American Channel Programs, about the big changes. Read on for the details …

VMTurbo has gone from startup to big-time virtualization player over the last year, and now the company has launched VMTurbo Operations Manager 3.0, representing a maturation of its flagship product with enhanced operational features. The VAR Guy spoke to Derek Slayton, VP of marketing, and Bernie Hannon, director of channel sales, about the new announcement. Here’s what VARs should know …

The next big Apple book is the tell-all exposé “Inside Apple,” in which author Adam Lashinsky gives a detailed account about the way Apple’s corporate and employee infrastructure works. In a recent interview with LinkedIn, Lashinsky unveiled some interesting tidbits about Apple, including its propensity for assigning engineers to fake projects …

Microsoft Office 15, otherwise known as Microsoft Office 2012, will be arriving soon, but it’s still not quite ready for prime time. That’s why Microsoft has launched what it termed “an important development milestone,” the “technical preview” of Office 15. Here’s what we expect …

In today’s highly competitive and fast paced channel partner environment, collaboration and facilitation with other partners has taken on a much greater importance. Megavendor ecosystems are growing at a rapid pace and becoming more diverse than ever before, while movement into the cloud and into social communities has encouraged partner relationships on many levels. Partner-to-partner collaboration (or P2P collaboration), is the combining of two or more partner groups, by leveraging both partner strengths and working together to solve complex customer problems. Here’s how to get started.

We often look at Ubuntu, Unity and GNOME, but what about KDE? KDE has not only been a constant companion and competitor to other Linux window management systems, but a KDE tablet offshoot is building a presence on to the open source scene. If you’re looking to support KDE, while also looking to buy a 7-inch tablet, the Spark tablet could be perfect for you. Read on for the details …

While the mobile world was caught up with what RIM’s new CEO wasn’t doing, Motorola published its Q4 2011 financial results. Although most numbers were positive, Motorola did post mobile losses ahead of its impending acquisition by Google. Here’s a quick look …

When it comes to branding, the open source world is rarely at the front of the pack. Free software hackers tend to be much better at writing code than they are at designing logos, inventing names and developing elegant color schemes. But Canonical has long stood out as an exception, and its latest stride — a new website devoted to helping the community adhere to Ubuntu branding conventions — is no exception. Here’s a look.

RADVISION pinged our radar with its latest announcement that its technology has Microsoft’s unified communications (UC) qualification for Lync and Office Communications Server. UC VARs looking to expand their playbook with a Microsoft-compatible portfolio should read on for the details …

The VAR Guy just got a call from HR double-checking a help-wanted ad for a freelance website manager. Yes indeed, our resident blogger’s alleged media empire needs to find additional talent to fuel more growth. But even before more help arrives, web traffic continues to grow. Here are the nine most read technology news and channel partner stories from our blog network — The VAR Guy, MSPmentor and Talkin’ Cloud — for the week ending Jan. 27, 2012.

VMware has released its vCenter Operations Management Suite, designed to make cloud and virtualization maintenance easy and automated. We’ve got the perks and the feature list you care about …

Tech Data has joined VCE to deepen its relationship with cloud and virtualization technology and on behalf of its reseller customers. Read on for a quick refresher on the VCE and how Tech Data partners can benefit …

As Apple continues to grow at lightning speed, its technology is becoming more and more ubiquitous in the enterprise. The latest report from Forrester says Apple now owns a chunk of the enterprise IT pie, with 1 in 5 workers using an Apple device at their job. If you’re thinking mobile device management (MDM) opportunities, you’d be right …

Once synonymous with the word “buffering,” RealNetworks, the company known best for its media player technology,  has been approached by Intel for the purchase of its patents, patent applications and more. What is Intel’s end game, and where is this headed? Likely, something very cool …

Just when I thought Ubuntu developers were going to take a break from reinventing the user interface to focus on other pursuits, such as Ubuntu TV, Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth announced a new endeavor, the Head-Up Display, designed to replace window menus. Here’s a look at the plans and what they could mean for the Linux world.

HP has unveiled its roadmap to bring webOS to the open source community, with the whole process expected to be complete by September 2012. What’s in store for webOS as it makes this transition? Here’s the rundown …

PC Wholesale, a division of Synnex, has expanded its relationship with HP to give Synnex resellers access to HP’s Renew Program, which provides resellers with the opportunity to sell officially refurbished and certified HP equipment. Here’s what VARs should know …

Jenne Inc., the VAD that keeps on giving, is now adding LifeSize’s portfolio of solutions to its Jenne Solution Design tool online design portal. Here’s the quick rundown on what that means for partners working with Jenne …

In 2011, Apple offset its iPhone launch cycle by pushing it into the fall rather than its traditional summer cycle, which coincides with Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference. Initial rumors suggested Apple would continue to host its launch events for the iPhone later in the year, but now rumors suggest Apple is going back to a summer launch. So what’s going on?

Lenovo is quietly planning to accelerate its server initiatives in 2012. But first, the PC giant is focusing like a laser on a four-screen initiative — smart phones, tablets, PCs and smart TVs. To execute on all fronts, Lenovo will need more channel partners. But will Lenovo’s channel become saturated with partners along the way? Lenovo North America Channel Chief Chris Frey (pictured) says absolutely not. Here’s why.

The VAR Guy is suffering from a case of virtualization deja vu. Or is it double-vision? The symptoms: VMware today launched the VMware Solution Exchange, a virtualization and cloud solutions marketplace. It’s designed to help customers, partners and developers to more easily find and select VMware-certified solutions. Now, the twist…

F5 Networks is known for its BIG-IP technology covering a range of data center needs. But that’s not enough, because now F5 Networks is bringing ICSA Labs-certified firewall solutions to its portfolio. I spoke with F5 Network’s Director of Product Management for Security Solutions Mark Vodemkamp and VP of Worldwide Channel Sales Dean Darwin about the launch. Here’s what VARs should know …