The VAR Guy

While Linux users may suffer the stereotype of being cheap, that isn’t stopping open source OEMs from courting customers willing to pay premium prices for premium PCs. Case in point: eRacks recently introduced a new line of high-end desktops, and System76 followed suit with the debut of the Gazelle Professional Laptop, which, for all its power, actually prices out quite competitively with PCs subject to the “Windows tax.”

Hard disk drive and storage solutions provider Seagate (NASDAQ: STX) evidently wants to add some panache to its storage offerings, snapping up the stylish consumer storage specialist LaCie for about $186 million.

Visual communications specialist ViewSonic rolled out four HD displays featuring low power consumption and attractive price points for businesses looking to add some pop to their lobby or other commercial installation. Listen up, digital signage VARs.

Thin is always in, especially when it comes to all-in-one (AIO) computing, and Lenovo’s IdeaCentre A720 is no exception — the company is billing it as the world’s slimmest AIO, with a hinged screen that enables users to lay the display completely flat.

Gamers are not exactly the first group that comes to mind when one thinks of Linux users.  Yet eRacks, a PC vendor specialized in open source systems, recently launched a new line of high end desktops, called AresPro, aimed at gamers and other customers with specific needs for powerful computers.  Here’s the scoop, and its meaning for the open source channel.

As a business owner, especially a first-time business owner, we make lots of decisions without a lot of knowledge. The concept of making decisions and making them often is something that I learned early on. I was told that “the best leaders are the ones who make quick decisions and make corrections as they go” vs not making decisions at all and never moving forward. The problem is that some of those decisions were poor choices!

A survey commissioned by Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) indicates SMBs are gaining significant IT security advantages from cloud computing, with 35 percent of U.S. companies surveyed experiencing “noticeably higher” levels of security since moving to the cloud.

Videoconferencing specialist Blue Jeans Network announced integration with Microsoft Outlook in an effort to extend its cloud-based videoconferencing platform to a wider audience of desktop business users. Blue Jeans joins an increasingly crowded field of videoconferencing solution specialists trying to reduce the complexity of unified communications (UC) and support the widest array of devices possible.

Talk about a familiar theme. Last week, Kaspersky Lab talked about dominating the SMB security software market. This week, McAfee is making SMB security software claims. Next week, Sophos will step into that spotlight — perhaps sharing details about Sophos Unified Threat Management (UTM). Here’s why.

McAfee, an Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) security business, continues to accelerate its SMB push with channel partners, according to Senior VP of Worldwide Channels Gavin Struthers. But what exactly is McAfee doing in the SMB market with partners? Struthers, McAfee’s channel chief for about four months now, offered The VAR Guy some updates.

Technology giant Hewlett-Packard (HP) (NYSE: HPQ) continues to expand its partner programs, this time focusing on the PartnerONE program by adding new features to its Marketing Depot resource that enable partners to customize HP demand-generation tools to boost their marketing firepower.

With mobile-based and Web-based payments on the rise, the PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) is reaching out to systems integrators and resellers with a training program for secure installation and maintenance of validated Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS) applications into customer environments to support Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance.

On the back of an underwhelming quarterly financial report and the divestment of its enterprise wireless voice solutions business, unified communications specialist Polycom has updated its RealPresence video content management platform for Google Android and Apple iOS mobile devices. The Video Content Management solution will be available worldwide July 2012.

As small to medium-size businesses (SMBs) feel the squeeze in data storage capacity, Dell’s Financial Services (DFS) division is reaching out to its channel partners with a zero percent financing program for the company’s EqualLogic storage systems.

Ubuntu’s greatest successes are arguably among home PC users and developers who use it in test environments. But there can be little doubt that Canonical remains committed to making Ubuntu the open source desktop of choice for businesses as well. Its latest move in this vein was the recent release of an updated version of Ubuntu Business Desktop Remix. Read on for details, and what they reveal about Canonical’s long-term strategy in the world of the enterprise.

Security specialist Norton, a subsidiary of Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC), announced the availability of Norton 360 Everywhere, a security solution aimed at protecting multiple devices and platforms including PCs, Macs and Google Android-based phones and tablets.

Energy management specialist Schneider Electric has launched InfraStruxure for Small IT, the company’s first physical IT infrastructure offering, which integrates power, cooling, racks, security and management components plus services.

Network Hardware Resale (NHR) is expanding its NetSure Maintenance Program to include a global four-hour hardware replacement service to help businesses avoid losing critical time in case of a network failure.

 Computer maker Lenovo launched a slew of ThinkCentre M and Edge Series desktops and all-in-ones (AIOs) sporting third-generation Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) Core vPro processors, including the super thin ThinkCentre Edge 92z with a 21.5-inch high-definition display.

Virtualization management specialist Reflex Systems’ latest version of its Virtualization Management Center (VMC) suite includes features that address the growing needs of Big Data management, including streaming data analysis and customizable analytics.

Adoption of cloud services and use of virtualization continues to grow among SMBs, suggesting resellers should be focusing their attention on these areas, according to the latest IT SMB survey by social business specialist Spiceworks.

Small to medium-size businesses (SMBs) are looking to electronic retail and office products stores to obtain Ultrabooks, high-performance, and compact Intel-branded notebooks, according to a report from IT market research firm Techaisle.

Networking specialist Netgear’s (NASDAQ: NTGR) latest wireless router for the small-business and home-office market, the R6300 dual-band Gigabit Wi-Fi router, is designed with speed in mind. VARs serving the SMB space may want to take a look, especially as the mobile revolution rages on.