The VAR Guy

The VAR Guy has to tip his hat (and he doesn’t do that often). Dell insiders say the company plans to launch its channel blog on May 16. Smart move. Here’s why.

Okay, The VAR Guy concedes that the headline is a little misleading. You can’t completely “stop” identity theft. But you can mitigate some risks. Here are 10 ways to reduce the risk of somebody stealing your identity. Oh, and full disclosure: The tips were offered up by Identity Finder (a software company), but The VAR Guy added his own spin to each of them.

The VAR Guy loves JetBlue. And he’s willing to put up with their flight delays out of JetBlue’s terminal at JFK International Airport. But the “free” WiFi networks within JetBlue’s terminals are beyond bad. They’ve been pathetic for more than a year. Now, it’s time for JetBlue to change course.
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When Dell launched its own small business blog earlier this week, the PC giant had a golden opportunity to capture the attention of channel partners. Instead, Dell’s initial blog posts marketed directly to small business owners and their employees — and ignored the partner community. That was foolish. But Dell also made a very smart move.

The VAR Guy just got off the phone with Dell Channel Chief Greg Davis. Our resident blogger and Dell’s top partner executive discussed the company’s partner program, which launched in December 2007. So, how are things going so far? Here are some quick clues.

When Yahoo acquired Zimbra in September 2007, some Zimbra backers worried Yahoo would mismanage the open source email asset. Fast forward to the present, and some Zimbra proponents have gone from concern to outright panic over Microsoft’s bid to acquire Yahoo (and, by attachment, Zimbra).

Is it possible to compete below Cisco’s radar in the unified communications market? Before you answer, check out the buzz over at LifeSize Communications — which specializes in HD video conferencing technology. LifeSize appears to be carving out a healthy niche for itself as a true TelePresence alternative to Cisco Systems. Here’s how.

The party is over — at least for the short-term — at VMware. Share’s in the company fell 26 percent amid an earnings shortfall and slowing growth rates. Fortunately, The VAR Guy didn’t have any money tied up in VMware. Nor did he write any crazy blog entries predicting that virtualization is the way to ride out an economic slowdown. Besides. he thinks the hot story in virtualization going forward is Parallels Server.

Yes, you can purchase a $200 Linux PC from Wal-Mart this holiday season. That’s great news for consumers and the open source movement. But a lot of bloggers, including The VAR Guy, need to remind readers that it might be wiser to look elsewhere for affordable, reliable Linux PCs. One prime stop should be ZaReason.com. Here’s why.

The iPhone remains The VAR Guy’s favorite digital device. But Flip, a $150 video camera from Pure Digital Technologies, has just made his favorites list as well. It’s a slick, simple device for solutions providers that want to make quick Web videos without spending a fortune doing so.