ZyXEL has christened the new program the ZyXEL Channel Incentive Program, or CIP for short. CIP plans on bringing “increased benefits” to U.S. and Canadian ZyXEL partners by giving them an American Express reloadable funds card. Partners leveraging CIP now have access to money and rewards faster than before. But how does a partner track said rewards? That’s where ZyXEL’s new cloud portal comes into play: The revamped, web-based dashboard will give ZyXEL partners a birds-eye view to track all current promotions, incentives and more.

ZyXEL’s press release was a little light on any extended incentive details, but ZyXEL noted that partners in CIP also will have access to beta testing programs, discounts, training, certification and many other web portal goodies.

Worth noting: These moves are eerily similar to the improvements D-Link has made with its own partner program. It’s quite possible that this signals a level of competition between D-Link and ZyXEL in the channel.

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Whitman is scheduled to address the HP Global Partner Conference audience in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Rumor has it The VAR Guy will be in the house for the HP event — one of the Top 100 Channel Partner Conferences of 2012. The VAR Guy will be listening closely for updates on HP’s channel partner strategy. But our resident blogger also wants big-picture updates from Whitman. Among the elephants in the room from 2011 that Whitman must restore partner faith in…

1. HP Leadership: Former HP CEO Leo Apotheker was in place only from November 2010 to September 2011. HP’s board ousted Apotheker after the company’s WebOS strategy imploded and HP’s commitment to the PC market came into question. Apotheker’s tenure was the latest in a long list of CEO hirings and firings in the past decade.

Whitman arrived in September 2011 to restore HP’s credibility with Wall Street, customers and partners. But can she prove to partners that she’s made a long-term commitment to getting HP back on track?

2. HP Hardware: For several weeks in 2011, HP considered spinning off  its PC business (the HP Personal Systems Group). The debate was leaked to the media during former CEO Apotheker’s tenure.

• On one side of the debate, many partners wanted HP to retain its PC business to offer customers total IT solutions.
• On the other side of the debate, some investors wanted HP to shed its PC business in order to improve margins and to focus on growth markets.

HP ultimately decided to hold onto its PC business. Now, Whitman must prove that the hardware debate has ended — explaining why PCs remain core to the HP portfolio.

3. HP Software: Hewlett-Packard has never been a software powerhouse. The much-hyped WebOS strategy was supposed to help HP compete with Apple iOS and Google Android. Former CEO Leo Apotheker promised to make WebOS run on all HP devices — tablets, smartphones, PCs, printers, etc. Instead, HP pushed Apotheker out the door and pulled the plug on WebOS hardware. These days, WebOS is shifting to the world of open source but there are no guarantees for success.

After HP’s WebOS debacle, Whitman must prove to partners that HP’s recent buyout of Autonomy — for $10 billion — was worth the price and offers partner opportunities.

4. The Cloud: At the 2011 HP Americas Partner Conference (HP APC), former CEO Apotheker made rambling statements about HP’s cloud strategy — claiming the company was preparing to compete with Apple iTunes, Amazon Web Services and other big cloud services. Apotheker failed to offer any real details … and he didn’t say how channel partners would fit into the HP cloud strategy.

Whitman has an opportunity to right those wrongs. The VAR Guy will listen closely to determine if Whitman delivers the goods.

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The SAP HANA announcement is actually twofold: First, SAP HANA analytics now will be infused into the SMB Business One platform. Small businesses now can get “best-in-class operational reporting with SAP Crystal Reports software,” according to the company. SAP believes bringing these advanced data analytics to the SMB can help provide SMBs with the same level of operational agility larger companies enjoy, without breaking the bank. More technically, SAP HANA for Business One “is in-memory data management software on SAP partner hardware,” which means it’s exclusively available inside the channel on hardware the VAR (or customer) prefers.

SAP HANA Edge edition, also exclusive through the channel, is targeted at the higher end with the SME in mind. SAP HANA Edge edition is software that is best linked up the SAP Business All-in-One solution, but also plays nice with SAP BusinessObjects. The technology is essentially the same, but the software is more uniquely suited for real-time analysis of data.

SAP has made a considerable push for SAP HANA, including developing a set of SAP Rapid Deployment solutions that are prepackaged and preconfigured for a smooth rollout. According to SAP, small businesses (and VARs) now have a new opportunity “to bring together structured and unstructured data analysis from any source, as well as transactional applications and analytics, in a single highly scalable, elastic infrastructure for true real-time computing.” If you want to form your own analysis about SAP HANA, visit SAP’s product page, or get a good look at SAP’s partners and partner programs here.

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The Logitech for Business program encompasses not just VARs but also direct market resellers and even “office-supply superstores.” But the joining of more than 120 VARs since the program’s inception in April 2011 represents an considerable uptick in the “PC attach” marketplace, most specifically, the UC marketplace, according to Logitech. Many companies are looking to expand their UC capabilities, but often don’t have the peripherals to take advantage of advanced audio and video communications. Logitech is looking to capitalize on that need as much as possible, especially as UC demands grow. And that demand is growing so much that “… resellers have told us they didn’t need to think twice before joining our program … [they] are eager to put Logitech products in the hands of users,” said Ken Oberman, VP of Business Sales at Logitech.

Because of popular demand and an expanded footprint thanks to Jenne Inc., Logitech booted up a Canadian version of the Logitech for Business in January 2012. And European partners will eventually have a program to call their own by the end of 2012, according to the company.

UC VARs who want to get in on the action should check out either the Jenne-Logitec bundle program or suit up solo with Logitech at at the Logitech for Business portal. As the trend continues to make UC voice and video collaboration platform-agnostic, Logitech’s peripherals should have no problem playing nice with all major UC vendor technologies.

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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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What’s the reason for the sudden outpouring of free support? Dot Hill’s VP of Channel Sales Brad Painter said it better then I could: “We want our channel partners and end-user customers to know that ‘Assured’ is not just the name of our SAN solutions, but also how we want them to feel when they turn to Dot Hill products to manage and protect their critical data assets.”

Now, when a customer buys an AssuredSAN storage system, an entire year of free, on-site support will come with it, direct from Dot Hill. The company believes this will give its end users “unparalleled technical support and greater peace of mind,” which Dot Hill believes can naturally roll over into greater product proliferation in the channel.

As it stands now, Dot Hill AssuredSAN products already come with a three-year warranty when purchased, but to be eligible for the year of free on-site support, you’ll have to register first at Dot Hill’s site. But wait, there’s more! If you decide you like that support so much, you can actually buy a three-year, on-site protection plan an “an attractive price,” so long as you buy it within 30 days of activating your first free year. You may want to act fast, since Dot Hill has added the disclaimer that it “may modify or discontinue program offerings, such as free support, in the future with or without notice.”

Since Dot Hill is offering this service direct, we reached out to Dot Hill to find out if channel partners can have the opportunity to provide these on-site services through Dot Hill. The official statement received came from Dot Hill’s channel marketing manager, Kara Montgomery, who said Dot Hill will maintain control over this program right now, but “as partners come on board that can offer support through their organization, Dot Hill expects to build out a program for resellers to take level 1 and level 2 support.”

We’ll keep tabs on Dot Hill and be sure to let you know if and when channel partners can be part of Dot Hill’s AssuredSAN on-site assurance program.

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Syncsort, as a reminder, focuses on data integration protection solutions. When we last checked in with Syncsort it had partnered with NetApp for NetApp Syncsort Backup offering. Now, it’s the company’s partners that are in the spotlight, earning accolades for aligning themselves with all that Syncsort has to offer, including training, certification and more, according to Syncsort.

Those winners are as follows:

Data Integration

• Global Systems Integrator Partner of the Year: Cognizant
• ISV Partner of the Year: Clerity Solutions
• Reseller Partner of the Year: Amdocs

Data Protection

• Channel Partner of the Year: SwishData
• Channel Partner Rookie of the Year: Zumasys
• NSB Technical Innovator Award: Voyant Strategies

“All of the winners really stood out for possessing a strong commitment to customer success and representing the same core values that guide Syncsort’s participation in the marketplace,” so noted Josh Rogers, Syncsort’s VP of worldwide sales.

You might be asking our resident blogger, “What do Syncsort’s partner awards have to do with the rest of the channel?” The VAR Guy thinks it’s an important reminder that while specialization and differentiation are keys to building success, ensuring customer satisfaction is also part of driving continued business growth and existing business stickiness.

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The inaugural Oracle Partner Executive Summit is expected to focus on Oracle’s extensive hardware and software portfolio. Althoff is the official host… but President Mark Hurd is expected to share his vision as well, The VAR Guy has heard.

It sounds like there will be a special emphasis on the Oracle Exadata database machine as well as the Oracle Database Appliance. In fact, there’s chatter that some Oracle Exadata partners from outside North America could also be on hand for the event.

The event’s lineup apparently includes:

• Amit Zavery, VP of Fusion Middleware product management, covering cloud growth opportunities.
• John Fowler, executive VP of systems, offering hardware roadmaps.
• Robert Shrimp, group VP product marketing, covering Oracle Big Data Appliance and Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c.
• Ted Bereswill, senior VP of North America alliances and channels, covering recent partner wins involving BIAS Corp., Cintra and MapleSoft Group. It’s safe to expect Oracle Database Appliance perspectives from Bereswill and the partners, The VAR Guy believes.

Oracle Partner Solutions

Meanwhile, Oracle continues to build and expand the company’s Oracle PartnerNetwork Solutions Catalog. The web destination includes nearly 21,000 partner solutions for end-customers to explore, according to Lydia Smyers, Oracle VP of worldwide alliances and channel programs and communications.

Sure, most vendors offer websites that allow customers to search for partners. Yawn… Many of those web sites are nothing more than Google maps and partner URLs. In stark contrast, the Oracle PartnerNetwork Solutions Catalog goes the extra mile; the site is loaded with dynamic content that refreshes with partner-centric news, depending on which page or solution a customer researches.

Hardware Growth?

Shifting gears, Oracle’s next quarterly earnings report is still several weeks away. EarningsWhispers.com says Oracle will likely announce its Q3 results on March 20, 2012. At that time, investors and partners will be watching to see if Oracle has jump-started hardware sales.

Distributors have told The VAR Guy that the Oracle Database Appliance, introduced in 2011, is off to a good start. But Oracle’s most recent quarterly results, announced in December 2011, included hardware and software sales figures that disappointed Wall Street.

Still, Oracle continues to bang a steady drum with its channel partners. Oracle put a brighter spotlight on its OPN Specialized partners during the 2011 Oracle OpenWorld conference. And this week, Oracle is set to host the inaugural Oracle Partner Executive Summit.

Memo to Oracle partners who are flocking to Redwood Shores this week: If you’re in the mood to leak information about the meeting, The VAR Guy (thevarguy [at] NineLivesMediaInc [dot] com) is all ears.

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Ryan called the changes to the VIP Partner Program “major enhancements,” and it’s a fair assessment. D-Link’s first improvement was ensuring partners get at D-Link’s portfolio as quickly and easily as possible. That’s why the partner portal was completely redesigned for a more streamlined, almost “shopping-like” experience. The redesign, he said, allows VARs “access to what they need in one or two clicks, making sure they can get in and out … and do it in a more visually appealing way.”

Also, he said, D-Link “changed out the back-end,” and added a new easy claims process. All a VAR needs to do is punch in an invoice number, add the product and quantity of each item sold, and D-Link’s system will automatically link the claim. Partners also now receive reloadable Visa cards for rebates, rewards and more.

In addition, partners gain access to a new campaign tool designed to help VARs build out customized marketing campaign materials that can include the partner’s logo. There’s also a CRM tool available for partners. And, Ryan said, all of it is free of charge.

The whole thing launches Feb. 7, 2012, but the program overhaul has been in the works for a while. “We’ve been working on it since about June 2011, with most of the work done in October. [Now] we’re building it out and having it ready [for the launch],” which in Europe will be about three weeks after the North American launch, Ryan said.

Ryan also spoke about the partner program in general, including D-Link’s promise to offer margin-rich technology “with lots of profitability built-in.” He also mentioned D-Link’s bounty program. which he explained thusly:

“When partners register a deal with D-Link, if they lose the deal to a competitor, we’ll still pay them up to 3 percent of the MSRP value of the deal, though there’s some conditions. If they bring us into a deal early, [we're confident] we’ll win it together. It’s something no other networking manufacturer does [and] we’re proud of it.”

Bottom line for D-Link and Ryan? “We’re very much focusing on the ease of doing business. We’re going to continue to talk to our partners, gather feedback and prioritize based on what partners are telling us.” He added that D-Link is looking to “continually evolve” as channel partners needs change over time.

Ready to sign up? Check out D-Link’s partner portal here.

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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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As a quick reminder, the Virtual Computing Environment or VCE, is a partnership of interoperability built out by VMware, Cisco Systems and EMC. Now that Tech Data has joined up with VCE, resellers will have access to a portfolio of vetted infrastructure technology that stretches across the storage, networking and virtualization spaces. The VCE Vblock Infrastructure Platform allows a VAR to build out cloud or virtualization packages with guaranteed interoperability, reducing the the overall cost and time to market for such a solution.

So why VCE and why now? Chuck Bartlett, vice president and general manager of Tech Data’s Advance Infrastructure Solutions, said Tech Data has noticed “… a large demand in the market for fully virtualized ‘plug-and-play’ cloud solutions,” and VCE is giving resellers exactly that. VARs working with Tech Data obviously have yet another tool at their disposal, and those who have been apprehensive about launching wide-scale cloud and virtualization solutions now have something of guidebook to make things easier.

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If you’re wary about reselling refurbished equipment through the PC Wholesale HP Renew Program, HP is looking to ease your fears. According to the release, “HP only includes products that have completed HP’s rigorous refurbishment process; The vast majority of products are sourced from HP Demo Program equipment or from channel and customer returns, and are typically less than 12 months old.” VARs will have access to HP ProLiant servers, along with networking and storage appliances. These refurbished parts also provide PartnerOne Credit “for authorized partners,” and all of the products come with a “same as new” warranty from HP.

Synnex VARs working with the HP Renew Program aren’t restricted just to selling refurbished products. All HP products can be had through Synnex, but the added benefit of mixing and matching refurbished items can help a VAR meet customer needs at a lower cost, making customers happy. VARs with customers just climbing out of the recession might find this a lucrative proposition.

Ready to sign up? Check it out here.

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