The VAR Guy

Even if you’re a small managed service provider or VAR, you still need effective PR strategies. At least, that’s the stance from PR expert Cheryl Snapp Conner. In the May 15, 2008 podcast on MSPmentor, Conner describes some simple ways to launch and measure your viral PR campaigns.

On June 12, executives representing managed service providers will gather for a Webcast aptly named MSPmentor Live: CEO Exchange. During the fast-moving online event, MSPs will be able to ask peers and experts their most pressing questions about pricing and service level agreement strategies.

Better late than never. Symantec, nearly three years after acquiring Veritas, appears to be hitting its stride. At least that’s the spin Symantec gave after announcing surprisingly strong earnings on April 30.

Dell will host a webinar for its managed service provider partners on May 1. The VAR Guy spotted some early details about the Dell webinar over on his sister site, MSPmentor.

The VAR Guy is watching Interop Las Vegas from the comfort of his home office this year. The Interop news wire appears a bit lighter than previous years. And the keynote speaker lineup — while impressive — lacks Cisco CEO John Chambers and other industry titans. Is Interop still popular? Sure. But competition from a different type of event may be stealing some of Interop’s thunder. Here’s the scoop.

PC makers and their customers continue to push back against Windows Vista. Software as a service (SaaS) and open source are giving Microsoft fits. Yet, it’s far too early to bury Microsoft. Here are seven reasons why the software giant’s empire won’t completely fall anytime soon.

When Symantec announces quarterly results on April 30, The VAR Guy will be listening closely. Our resident blogger was a big advocate of the 2005 Symantec-Veritas business combo. But so far, that merger has yielded mixed results. Here is one key piece of info The VAR Guy will be digging for as he looks through Symantec’s financial results.

The VAR Guy couldn’t make it to Hawaii for Cisco’s recent partner summit. But now he hears that Cisco demonstrated Apple’s iPhone working on a unified communications network. Sweet. Some of the details about the demonstration surface in this April 24 Podcast on MSPmentor.net, The VAR Guy’s sister site.

Dell today sent a letter to managed service providers. The dispatch provides MSPs with an update on Dell’s partner strategy. Give it a read by visiting our sister site, MSPmentor.

One of The VAR Guy’s favorite web sites is IdeaStorm, a Dell-run forum where readers share business and technology ideas, vote for their favorite reader concepts, and interact with Dell. IdeaStorm has been a huge hit with Dell customers and critics alike. Now, Dell may build a similar site for partners, solutions providers and managed service providers, The VAR Guy has learned.