The VAR Guy

How’s this for ironic: Microsoft is actually spending some sponsorship dollars here at OSCON (Open Source Conference) 2008, but Apple is stealing the show — without spending a dime. Here’s how.

The VAR Guy smiled a bit when he read Matt Asay’s blog entry about media folks who pretend they’re unbiased. Asay says he prefers media and blogs that disclose their biases about tech products, companies, investments, etc. The VAR Guy certainly agrees. So here are some of his biases.

The VAR Guy spotted this rather interesting blog entry from the Microsoft Exchange Server team. The blog shows what the iPhone looks like from an Exchange administrator’s perspective. Take a look.

Microsoft’s stock dropped sharply today because the company’s latest quarterly profits didn’t quite meet Wall Street’s expectations. Meanwhile, The VAR Guy and other open source bloggers continue to hype Red Hat and Linux as growing threats to Microsoft. But before you suggest open source will destroy Microsoft’s profits, take a look at these stagging financial figures.

Too little too late? Or right on time? Microsoft has launched the Windows Vista Small Business Assurance program — which aims to help partners (and their customers) “Move to Windows Vista with Confidence.” Shockingly, The VAR Guy actually likes the idea. Here’s why.

The VAR Guy isn’t going to make many friends with this blog post. He thinks Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS) is past its prime. Even as Microsoft gears up this November to ship SBS 2008 and Windows Essential Business Server 2008, our resident blogger wonders: Do small businesses really want on-site servers with all that software?

Is the party over at VMware and the virtualization market? Yes and no. In a surprise move, former Microsoft executive Paul Maritz has been named president and CEO of VMware, replacing ousted co-founder Diane Greene.

At Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference in Houston, most folks are focused on Microsoft’s Software as a Service (SaaS) strategy. But here’s a quick fact from the event that caught The VAR Guy’s ear: More than 2,500 Microsoft partners have achieved the “Unified Communications Solutions” competency. Should Cisco Systems be worried?

On the eve of Microsoft’s major partner summit in Houston, TechTarget is speculating that Microsoft may one day want to acquire Nortel Networks. Hogwash. The VAR Guy knows at least four reasons why such a deal will never happen.

Microsoft is scheduled to bury Windows XP today — basically forcing Windows customers to buy Vista instead. Yet, Dell’s channel blog actually has the guts to show VARs how to continue offering XP to customers. Don’t underestimate the significance of Dell’s move.