The VAR Guy

Ouch. Painful headline. But The VAR Guy is growing tired of social media “experts” trying to make a buck off of small businesses that are desperate to bolster their online identities. So, how can you tell a true social media expert from a pretender? Here are seven clues.

The Oracle vs. SAP battle has spilled over into social media, where the two software giants are taking decidedly different approaches to engaging channel partners. Here’s a look at each strategy and key milestones so far.

Microsoft shipped Exchange 2010 for on-premises customers in 2009. But if you check Microsoft’s SaaS platform — called Business Productivity Online Suite — you’ll notice that BPOS/Exchange Online still leverages Exchange 2007. The big questions: Why do Microsoft’s SaaS application releases lag their on-premises alternatives? And when can customers and partners expect BPOS/Exchange Online to run Exchange 2010? The VAR Guy found some potential answers. Here they are.

Oh the Tablet buzz never ends. As we all know Apple’s iPad won’t support Flash anytime soon, but the HP Tablet (or Slate) will support Flash, naturally, because it’s running Windows 7. HP and Adobe intend to capitalize on that fact. In fact, Adobe showcased Flash on the HP tablet with it running AIR applications as well, and that got people thinking…

With spring around the corner in North America, it seemed like the right time for SpringSource to ’spring’ into action make their big announcement. SpringSource is unleashing SpringSource Server Spring Edition as “the best place to build and run Spring applications.” There’s a free promotion involved. Plus, this is the first time SpringSource will be offered through the VMware channel. Here’s the skinny…

We knew Google had been making nice with software developers – and now we know why. The Google Apps Marketplace has just launched, giving ISVs a way to integrate their products with Google Apps and sell them to a huge-and-growing customer base. Intrigued?

Friday announcements always tend to get smothered by the weekend. On March 5th 2010 Engadget reported some interesting new details and exclusive pictures about Microsoft’s dual-screen tablet, dubbed Courier. It’s got a lot of work-horse potential and productivity power. Here’s the scoop…

Yesterday was Day 4 of the RSA Security Conference in San Francisco, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano stole the show by challenging the private sector and individuals alike to come up with a way to educate the public on the necessity of cybersecurity. Some details, and the rest of the fourth-day highlights behind the jump.

Your friendly neighborhood distribution giant has just put a little more solution in your solutions. Avnet has launched SolutionsPath Advisor, which is designed to help VARs and resellers develop more specialization. Distribution prowess and an education? Tell me more…

Arrow Electronics ECS has launched a new professional services business unit. Translation: Arrow ECS now provides technical, education, and other support across their products. Here’s the quick details on this announcement…

Recently, I sat down and had a chat with Zyxel’s Shawn Roger, product marketing manager and Jake Sailana, marcomm manager. The pitch? Have you considered ZyXel for your healthcare needs? Here’s what they want you to know…

On March 2nd 2010, Apple filed a suit against mobile phone maker HTC for patent infringement. HTC, who notably supports Android and the Google Nexus One is fighting back. What’s more, Google is backing HTC. Is this just another court-spat between companies, or the start of the oncoming mobile wars and Steve Jobs’ increasing hostility towards Google…?

Second verse, same as the first: cloud security continued to be a major theme at the second day of the RSA  Conference in San Francisco. Here are the highlights…

ViewSonic, that gaggle of birds that adorns at least one of your monitors, is rolling out a new digital signage reseller and partner program. The goal? Streamlined and easy access to a variety of products and digital signage solutions. Here’s the quick rundown.

Attention all those holding stock with Apple Inc., don’t expect any sort of dividend or buyback. Steve Jobs doesn’t plan on it. All the cash Apple has is staying in the bank, and that’s final. Is that a smart idea for Apple? For Jobs’ persona? Here’s the deal…

Miami Beach, New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco and San Jose. How many places can The VAR Guy really be at once? You’ll find out over the next few days. In the meantime, here are six channel partner blog entries The VAR Guy didn’t have time to write for the week ending Feb. 26, 2010.

Tech Data puts another notch in their belt as the first distributor in the Americas to ship the Cisco Service Provider Video Technology Group portfolio of solutions. They call it the SPVTG for short, and we think VARs in any sort of video-related niche (or even digital signage) might want to take a look…

FalconStor, which has been working more closely with MSPs like nScaled Inc. (formerly LegalCloud) in recent months, is now getting cozy with Tech Data, the big distributor. Specifically, Tech Data is now distributing FalconStor Software data protection storage solutions. Here are some particulars for channel partners.

Tech Data has enhanced their Advanced Infrastructure Solutions (AIS) Division, beefing up their data center solutions for VARs with four new solutions groups. Here are some quick specifics.

The Google Apps Reseller team is out in full force at this week’s Parallels Summit in Miami. The conference, which has attracted several hundred SaaS and cloud experts from across the globe, seems to be a gathering place for solutions providers and service providers focused on recurring revenue opportunities. Here’s the scoop, along with an update on the Google Apps reseller program.

Let’s be honest, here. The VAR Guy and friends mainly focus on VARs and MSPs in the traditional IT industry. But there are some hidden opportunities in the Automatic Data Collection (ADC) industry. That’s the message from Intermec’s Scott Anderson, global channels manager and Jim McDonnell, senior VP of global sales. Here’s what they had to say.

Just when you thought the tablet rumors were over, they’re back. The latest is that February 25 will launch the pre-orders for the iPad. But here’s a twist: rumor has it there are a few extra features that weren’t discussed at the media launch. Read on…

The VAR Guy had his hands full this week. Everyone, it seems, has a channel partner story to share. Alas, there aren’t enough hours in the day for The VAR Guy to cover all the channel chatter. So here are six channel partner blog entries The VAR Guy didn’t get to write for the week ending Feb. 19, 2010.