9. SAP Cloud Computing Strategy: SAP’s Greg Tomb made some lofty cloud strategy claims to contributing blogger Nicholas Mukhar. Catch up on the conversation here.

8. VMware Opens Up Cloud Foundry:  This VMware move could have key implications in the PaaS (platform as a service) market, according to contributing blogger Matt Weinberger.

7. Five Cloud Computing Experts to Watch: Our weekly update to the Talkin’ Cloud 200 — which tracks the top cloud computing experts in the IT channel — continues to build a loyal readership.

6. End of the World As We Know It: This catchy guest blog from PacketTrap MSP caught reader eyeballs on MSPmentor.

5. Apple OS X Errors: The Apple Mac OS X Lion 10.7.3 build, released February 1, caused more headaches than it fixed. Contributing blogger David Courbanou gave readers the details.

4. Big Move: Rackspace is planning to get into the remote monitoring business. Initial details surfaced at the CA MSP Symposium in Miami, Fla., this week.

3. What’s the Price Tag?: When MSPmentor explained why VARs and MSPs need sales proposal and quoting software, readers tuned in.

2. Microsoft’s Next Office: David Courbanou tracks Microsoft’s plans for Office 2012, and the implications for channel partners.

1. Google’s Plans for Motorola Mobility: The next step could involve a Google senior VP becoming CEO of Motorola Mobility.

Those are the top-read blogs for this week. But stick around. You never know when a few addition news surprises will surface on The VAR Guy.

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9. What’s In Store for Virtualization: VMware, like Red Hat, has now launched a virtualization marketplace for partners and customers. Here’s what’s at stake, reports The VAR Guy.

8. Cloud Services — Who You Gotta Know: Each week, Talkin’ Cloud pinpoints five cloud computing experts you need to know. It’s part of our ongoing Talkin’ Cloud 200 report. And it’s catching on with readers. Take a look.

7. Real Magic or Total Illusion?: MSPmentor explains why the Gartner Magic Quadrant may sometimes miss the mark — especially in the managed services market.

6. Branching Out: Level Platforms, as expected, has launched help desk and NOC (network operations center) services — setting up a potential showdown with Continuum (formerly Zenith RMM) and the NetEnrich/N-able relationship.

5. Cloud Partner Count: Microsoft has 42,000 cloud partners but it’s difficult for Talkin’ Cloud to pin down how many of those cloud partners are actually engaged with Office 365 and other Microsoft cloud services. Here’s the analysis.

4. IBM Counters Google Docs: Yes, IBM is preparing a so-called IBM Docs to counter Microsoft Office 365 and Google Docs. But IBM will likely focus on a much more targeted opportunities. Here’s why, according to Talkin’ Cloud.

3. Why Mobile Device Management Is So Darn Hot: To get the answer, just look at Apple’s latest sales data for iPads and iPhones, suggested MSPmentor.

2. Now This Is a Jailbreak: The VAR Guy’s David Courbanou describes how jailbreak hackers continue to up their gain in the world of Apple iOS.

1. Dell’s Overlooked Move: When Dell announced a closer SUSE Linux partnership, most pundits overlooked the most interesting part of the deal. It involves SUSE Studio, which channel partners can use to rapidly build software appliances atop Dell servers and Linux. Here’s the story.

That’s all for now. Time for The VAR Guy to disappear for the weekend — unless some good rumors float into his inbox…

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Transparency, automation and simplicity — they sum up what vCenter Operations Management Suite is all about. If you’re managing service level agreements (IT as a service) or just managing a big data center, vCenter Operations Management Suite now can provide application awareness, configuration management and streamlined organization of your virtualization resources and their intricacies relative to your infrastructure.

VMware believes VARs and service providers that can manage their system better from a single management console will be able to really hit the high notes for their customers, while maintaining a tight control over their operational resources. Some of the key features of vCenter Operations Management Suite highlighted by VMware:

• Tighter integration of performance, capacity and configuration management [which] helps customers to identify emerging problems …
• New dashboard and smart alerts for quicker, more effective health analysis [which] provide[s] more comprehensive views into health, risk and efficient of cloud infrastructure [with] smart alerts …
• “Application Awareness” optimizes infrastructure for business-critical applications [which] can automatically discover and map the relationships and dependencies between applications and the infrastructure components.

Pricing starts at $50 per virtual machine. There are four versions of vCenter Operations Management Suite available depending on your needs. If you’re ready ready to rock the virtualization channel, head on over and check out VMware’s new management console for yourself.

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9. Unified Communications in the Cloud: BT has launched a pilot program that involves hosted Microsoft Lync, Contributing Blogger Matt Weinberger reported. We’ve told readers multiple times that Lync is Microsoft’s next multi-billion-dollar software business. Apparently, BT sees the opportunity as well.

8. Don’t Panic, Do Learn: If you look back on 2011, you’ll find at least three reminders of why we all need business continuity, according to guest blogger Curtis James, VP of marketing at StorageCraft.

7. You Never Forget A First Impression: Guest blogger Shannon Kohn, marketing and channel relations director at Datto, reminds MSPs why they need to make a great first impression.

6. Ask the Experts: At the SCALE 10X conference in Los Angeles, Talkin’ Cloud previews the “Build an Open Source Cloud” day. Cloud services providers jumped in and read along.

5. Timely Advice: How can IT service providers overcome SMB customers’ cloud objections? Guest blogger Justin Moore, CEO of Axcient, offered his advice.

4. Another Big Deal: This time the M&A chatter involved a managed services provider and a cloud services providers. The duo: OutsourceIT and GoBeyondIT. Plus, outsourceIT CEO Craig Guice said his company is considering two more acquisitions…

3. Familiar Theme: CompTIA is pushing more channel partner education into vertical markets. Contributing blogger Nicholas Mukhar offered analysis — and readers tuned in.

2. Desktop Innovation: The VAR Guy’s David Courbanou openly wonders if the Belkin Thunderbolt Dock can reinvent the desktop.

1. Making His Move: Former MSP Dave Sobel is jumping over to Level Platforms as director of community. It’s part of a larger Level Platforms strategy that also includes some key technology enhancements.

Thanks for tuning in. The VAR Guy appreciates your attention…

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Dell is expected to announce quarterly results February 21, according to EarningsWhispers.com. Right now, must pundits tracking Dell are focused on the company’s tablet strategy — which is emerging at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. But The VAR Guy prefers to focus on Dell’s recent acquisitions — and their potential implications for channel partners.

The latest scorecard:

• Storage: By most accounts the Compellent and EqualLogic acquisitions have empowered storage partners with a broader portfolio of Dell options that customers want.
• Networking: The Force10 Networks acquisition has little to do with commodity networking, and instead focuses on data center networking.
• Cloud Integration: Dell Boomi allows cloud integrators to connect numerous SaaS and on-premise applications to one another with no appliances and no extra coding, the company claims. Multiple channel sources tell The VAR Guy that Boomi is the real deal.
• SaaS Security: Here, Dell positions SecureWorks as a managed security service for end-customers and MSPs.
• Managed Services: Here Dell KACE fits into the conversation.

Sure, Dell still loves hardware. But during the Oracle OpenWorld conference back in October 2011, Michael Dell began to connect the dots between each of Dell’s acquisitions. It was a compelling story — which will come into focus in 2012, The VAR Guy believes.

Still, Dell faces challenges. It sounds like overall PC industry sales in Q4 2011 were weaker than most pundits predicted. And Dell is nowhere to be seen in the hot consumer markets for tablets and smart phones. Ouch. Plus, there’s always a portion of the channel that questions Dell’s partner commitment — though Dell has largely mitigated such concerns in recent years.

Admittedly, Dell’s acquisition strategy hasn’t always hit the mark. Buyouts like Everdream and Silverback Technologies about four years ago were supposed to give Dell a leg up in the MSP partner market. But both of those deals ultimately had niche appeal and never gained a mass audience.

Fast forward to the present and sources keep telling The VAR Guy that Dell’s current spending spree (involving Boomi, Compellent, EqualLogic, Force10 Networks and SecureWorks) is right on target.

The VAR Guy is starting to believe his sources. But can all of those Dell acquisitions offset continued challenges in the PC market? Hmmm…

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9. Happy Birthday. ConnectWise Capital, the investment arm of ConnectWise, turns two years old this month. But what motivated the ConnectWise Capital investments and how are they performing for ConnectWise? And more importantly: Are VARs and MSPs seeing upside? Some analysis.

8. New Year, New CEOs: The VAR Guy takes a look at new or recently installed CEOs at AMD, Apple, IBM, Google and Hewlett-Packard. Oh my.

7. Making Her Mark. New IBM CEO Virginia Rometty hits the ground running at Big Blue.

6. The First MSP Acquisition of 2012. Who was involved? Network Depot buying Evolve Technologies. Here are the details.

5. An AMD Turnaround at CES? A look at AMD CEO Rory Read, and a potential turnaround strategy at the struggling chip company.

4. An SMB Alternative. Can Zentyal’s Linux-based small business server score with channel partners? The VAR Guy was skeptical but reader comments sure said yes.

3. A True Microsoft Office Alternative? LibreOffice is a promising offshoot of OpenOffice. But it comes with plenty of question marks, notes Contributing Blogger Christopher Tozzi.

2. Microsoft’s Surprise Guest. Linux could be coming to the Windows Azure cloud. But there’s a catch involved for customers and partners.

1. The SOPA Controversy. Imagine the web without Google, FaceBook, Twitter and all of your favorite destinations. Contributing Blogger Matt Weinberger offers this analysis. Special thanks to Scott Simko of VirtaCore Systems. His cross-link to Talkin’ Cloud drove a ton of readers our way.

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In a January 3 blog post, Reaves wrote:

“Today I announced my resignation from Computer Troubleshooters Global & CTUSA. It’s definitely an interesting time, with mixed emotions all around, but I’m convinced that now is the right time for me to do something new. (Not entirely sure what that something will be, but I’m looking forward to finding out!).”

John Davies, Merrymeeting’s CEO, will lead Computer Troubleshooters for 2012 and possibly beyond, according Reaves’  blog. Additionally, Kim Weinberger joins the Computer Troubleshooters corporate management team full-time; Weinberger has “many years of experience as a CT franchise owner and Assistant National Director,” Reaves added.

From Computer Troubleshooters to Bigger Brains

Reaves will exit the company on March 2 but will offer consulting services to Computer Troubleshooters for several additional months. Longer term, Reaves will focus more of his time on a local franchise, Computer Troubleshooters of Anderson, which he owns with his wife and  local partners. Plus, Reaves will focus on a new venture called Bigger Brains.

Reaves wrote:

“I’ll likely do some coaching & consulting on an interim basis as well while I work on a new project I’m very passionate about, tentatively called Bigger Brains (www.bigger-brains.com). I’m hoping that the Bigger Brains project will be an opportunity that can benefit your Computer Troubleshooters franchise as well, similar to Fonality or OWN, and I’ll provide more details this summer as the project develops (or doesn’t!), so “stay tuned”.

Yes indeed, The VAR Guy will surely stay tuned. Please keep The VAR Guy updated, Chip.

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The VAR Guy this month is looking at multiple high-tech CEOs, some of whom are new to the CEO post while others could be on a CEO hot seat.

First up is the CEO transition at IBM. Under former CEO Palmisano, who remains chairman, IBM spent a decade focusing on Four Key Questions, according to The New York Times:

• “Why would someone spend their money with you — so what is unique about you?”
• “Why would somebody work for you?”
• “Why would society allow you to operate in their defined geography — their country?”
• “And why would somebody invest their money with you?”

Winning Formula

It’s hard to argue with the results. During Palmisano’s tenure, IBM says, Big Blue “increased EPS [earnings per share] by almost five times, generated over $100 billion in free cash flow, and invested more than $50 billion in research and development—creating over $100 billion of shareholder value since 2002 through an increase in market capitalization and dividends paid.”

Meanwhile, IBM’s closest rival — Hewlett-Packard — over the past decade has stumbled badly amid multiple CEO changes and strategic missteps.

But here’s the challenge for new IBM CEO Virginia Rometty: IBM’s Q3 earnings, announced in October 2011, triggered some concern about slowing growth. The VAR Guy wonders: Is Rometty stepping into the CEO seat just as Big Blue begins to face a new round of business challenges? Hmmm…

Rometty’s Strategy

Pundits expect Rometty to continue IBM’s big bet on business analytics and business intelligence software — which help companies to manage their data. Moreover, there are signs that Rometty helped Palmisano to craft Big Blue’s services and cloud strategies — so don’t expect big changes there.

Still, IBM’s business analytics push has narrow appeal to channel partners. Sure, some partners have bet their companies on business intelligence, database management and information management. But the vast majority of IBM’s channel partners more likely focus on bread-and-butter offerings like IBM servers.

As customers shift their server hardware budgets to cloud services, IBM partner strategies will need to change.

During IBM PartnerWorld 2011, Palmisano told partners to focus on four areas:

1. Invest in skills and focus on customer outcomes.
2. Embrace IBM’s growing software portfolio.
3. Understand the importance of applications and workloads.
4. Expand your services capabilities.

No doubt, Rometty will reinforce those themes in 2012. But partners should also keep a close eye on Channel Chief Rich Hume and Andy Monshaw, general manager of IBM’s global and medium sized businesses. Monshaw seems to be developing an IBM strategy that more closely aligns with managed services providers, MSPmentor has reported.

Rometty helped to build IBM Global Services into a worldwide powerhouse. Will she share some secrets to success with MSPs and other IT services providers? The VAR Guy is watching.

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Sundaram summed up the situation thusly: “Services are the key differentiator for profitability for our partners,” and Cisco wants to try and push that even further. So enter those rules of engagement. “This is how we want to engage in all customer segments. Cisco doesn’t exclude partners from any part of the market. [Cisco is saying,] ‘Here’s how we want to partner so we can — together — sell the experience.’”

Sundaram noted that four years ago services were roughly 20 percent of partners’ business, and that number has jumped to between 40 percent and 50 percent in 2011. “We’d like to see more of that,” he said. The solution? ‘Smart’ services, partner initiatives and a rebuilt go-to-market strategy.

“For every dollar the partner spends on collaborative services, the partner will be able to upsell their service to the tune of $5, which pulls through $9 of technology. That’s what we’re seeing [with] the engagement,” he said.

So what are those new rules of engagement? Sundaram’s blog outlines the idea of the new rules, and includes a video by Keith Goodwin, SVP of the Worldwide Partner Organization, and Bob Singleton, SVP of the Worldwide Services Partner Organization, that explains the new go-to-market model for services and ways Cisco believes partners will benefit. The blog also includes links to Cisco’s Partner Central, where the new rules are located, and a PDF explaining the ins and outs of the new stuff.

It’s clear Cisco sees services making up a larger slice of the partner pie, especially as networking chatter shifts to outfitting the data center to handle cloud computing, virtualization and other emerging technologies. The VAR Guy will continue to keep tabs on the ongoing developments out of Cisco and how it’s rolling with the changes.

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In his guest blog, Yuen said since companies finally understand the cloud, they’re becoming more eager to implement it. Making that journey to the cloud, however, should be a careful process that covers all the bases. Yuen offered an outline on the VMware Blog, which includes the following tenets:

• Plan first, deploy after: Companies need to plan out their use of cloud technology carefully to get the most out of their technology investment, Yuen said, adding too often, companies deploy a technology (he references virtualization) and later figure out how to build onto it. But for a full-blown private or hybrid cloud, Yuen suggested companies carefully choose the technology they need. This seems like some basic common sense, but in reality, our resident blogger believes this is likely where many VARs can add value, offer a service and turn a larger profit than just reselling cloud. VARs can command the “trusted adviser” status and take the guesswork out of a company’s already overloaded and underbudgeted IT department.
• Focus on “the value of management”: Another brilliant dash of common sense, Yuen said once a company has its cloud up and running, it will need to manage and maintain it, so companies should plan accordingly based on their upfront needs and eventual evolution. Whether a company is running VMs or provisioning applications out to its network, there needs to be a giant lasso to rein in the technology and keep it under control. Again, this is a spot where VARs can capitalize.
• Ensure your cloud saves you money: Detecting a trend here? Yup, it’s more common sense. Businesses should be doing cost analysis ASAP, Yuen said. In lockstep, VARs could offer pre-packaged and customizable deployment solutions with preliminary cost analysis and deep consultation services, our resident blogger believes. The longterm view is important, especially when looking at the bottom line.

Even though 2012 should be the year in which people take a cloud and pin it down — so to speak — companies shouldn’t rush to the cloud if they’re not ready, Yuen said. Rather, they should be actively plotting a course to get there.

The VAR Guy finds it interesting that Microsoft would be offering vendor-neutral advice on VMware’s blog, but perhaps the real pull is that both VMware and Microsoft win via exposure, despite offering competing and interoperable virtualization technology. Meanwhile, our resident blogger believes Yuen’s approach (with The VAR Guy’s notes, of course) also easily could be applied in the MDM world, which, as everyone knows, is heating up as hot as the sun. Stay tuned to find out if 2012 will really be the first year when the cloud becomes ‘real.’

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H3′s Mobile Entree allows businesses to access tools and/or information from SharePoint to any smartphone or tablet, anywhere in the world. The goal of the solution is to help customers avoid bottlenecks and delays in their day-to-day workflow, and to help optimize companies’ investments in their SharePoint servers.

The partnership looks to be a big win for both H3 Solutions and OBS. For H3, the benefit is fairly obvious: The company is now able to sell its signature solution to an entirely new market region. Plus, the partnership adds significant value to OBS, which is widely considered one of Australia’s most reputable IT service providers. OBS has been in business for 11 years and serves more than 300 Australian government, private and public sector organizations, including about 5 percent of the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) 200. OBS’s main focus is helping its customers improve their business efficiency using different Microsoft technologies, including SharePoint. So offering H3′s Mobile Entree as a way to access SharePoint tools and info will certainly bode well for OBS during future meetings with potential customers.

Keep in mind that H3 Solutions isn’t the only player in this game — Colligo Networks also has developed a series of Microsoft SharePoint document services solutions. We’ll see if Colligo has any response to the H3 news.

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• Related posts are coming soon