The VAR Guy

As Sun Microsystems partners gather for this week’s Avnet Compass 2009 conference in Denver, many VARs are looking ahead to Oracle’s anticipated buyout of Sun; the pending deal could gain regulatory approval by the end of August. In the meantime, cue Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers:  “The Waiting is the Hardest Part.” Here’s why.

As Oracle prepares to consume Sun Microsystems  (and the open source MySQL database), The VAR Guy wonders: What does the future hold for MySQL’s channel partner strategy? Hmmm. An August 2009 Sun partner conference, called Avnet Compass, could provide some chatter on the topic.

Hey Monty, who made key channel partner program deals for the week ending July 17, 2009? Here’s a look at new alliances, reseller agreements and partner program initiatives, as tracked by The VAR Guy.

Hey Monty, who made key channel partner program deals for the week ending July 3? Here’s a look at new alliances, reseller agreements and partner program initiatives, as tracked by The VAR Guy.

Just a quick-hit item from Avnet Technology Solutions (ATS). The distributor has launched SecurePath, which helps resellers and channel partners to target the IT security market. Here are some quick details.

In separate but similar initiatives, Avnet Technology Solutions (the value-added distributor) and CompTIA (the Computing Technology Industry Association) are striving to connect solutions providers with IT projects fueled by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which totals nearly $800 billion. Here’s a look at the Avnet and CompTIA efforts.

One month after sitting next to The VAR Guy at a luncheon, Avnet Technology Solutions (ATS) Global President John Paget (pictured) is stepping down from the global distributor. Was it something The VAR Guy said? Kidding aside, our resident blogger was surprised by the change. Here’s why.

Novell is generating buzz this week with the December 18 launch of OpenSUSE 11.1. But The VAR Guy is looking at Novell from a slightly different perspective. The far bigger news involves senior VP Roger Levy (pictured) — who may bring order to Novell’s product lines. Here’s the scoop, from The VAR Guy.

During the Avnet Analyst Day in New York, Avnet Technology Solutions described its fastest growing business opportunities for VARs. But the more intriguing discussion occurred over lunch. That’s when John Paget, president of Avnet Technology Solutions, answered questions about possible hosting partnerships involving Cisco Systems Inc. Unified Communications and Microsoft Office Communications Server. Here’s the scoop.

The VAR Guy’s sister site — MSPmentor — offers non-stop coverage of the managed services market, where more and more VARs are generating recurring monthly revenue from customers. Here’s a look at the top 10 stories making headlines on MSPmentor this week.

When Sun Microsystems announced its so-called Open Storage Appliances (code-named Amber Road) today, The VAR Guy noticed an interesting trend: Open source companies from A to Z (Alfresco to Zmanda) lined up to endorse the product family. Hmmm. Sun hasn’t exactly set the world on fire lately. But Amber Road shows partner promise. Here’s why.

As Sun Microsystems polishes its channel strategy for MySQL and open source, Avnet Technology Solutions (ATS) is evaluating ways to work more closely with Sun and its partners on the open source initiatives. Here’s the scoop, only from The VAR Guy.

The VAR Guy couldn’t make the trip to Avnet Technology Solutions’ New Frontiers Conference this week in Boulder Springs, Colorado. But he is monitoring the conference — which serves Sun Microsystems partners — from after. Here are four key trends for VARs at the event.

The VAR Guy isn’t making any guarantees, but he hopes Sun Microsystems articulates its MySQL partner strategy next week at the Avnet New Frontiers Conference in Colorado. Here’s why.

Don’t let slowing growth at VMware fool ya. The virtualization market remains a fast-growth opportunity — though competition between vendors (Microsoft, Citrix and VMware) is intensifying. In order to help VARs navigate virtualization opportunities, Avnet Technology Solutions has launched VirtualPath University.

Avnet Technology Solutions (ATS) is turning to an old pro to generate new growth at the organization, naming Jeff Bawol as president. It’s an intriguing move. Here’s why.