The VAR Guy

It’s hard to blame Tim Curran (pictured) for sounding optimistic. As CEO of the Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC), Curran keeps a close eye on IT sales trends. And the latest trends look pretty darn good to Curran. During a phone call with me, he shared the following perspectives.

A large number of corporations seem ready to show Windows 7 some love. But here’s the twist: Many of those same corporations say they’ve increased spending with Apple, according to a recent Goldman Sachs survey of Fortune 1000 IT executives. Here are some quick details.

The VAR Guy has spent the last two years evangelizing software as a service (SaaS) and open source as a killer combination that VARs need to master. But now Trip Chowdhry from Global Equities Research says SaaS and open source companies will suffer greatly amid the economic turmoil. Here are Chowdhry’s perspectives and The VAR Guy’s observations.

During the dot-com implosion, The VAR Guy visited F***edcompany.com to see which businesses were collapsing. Fast forward to the current economic crisis, and TechCrunch has launched a Layoff Tracker. The VAR Guy would pause to offer a moment of silent depression if he wasn’t so darn busy blogging.

It’s official. Even CNBC says the Wall Street meltdown has spilled over into Main Street USA. Credit is getting tighter. It’s going to be difficult for entrepreneurs to make deeper investments in their own business. But don’t panic, folks. Here are five steps every VAR and managed service provider should take — right now — to generate more recurring revenue during the economic turmoil.

During this weak economy, lots of folks are writing articles describing how you can keep your job. The VAR Guy thinks it would be wiser for you to read articles on how to find a new job. Here’s why.

(Note: I wrote the following blog for our sister site, MSPmentor, this morning. It certainly applies to VARs as well.) Pick up today’s paper and you’ll see a stunning contrast between Intel and the broader economy. As economic indicators continue to weaken, Intel has announced record quarterly revenue — providing some welcome news to managed service providers and other IT-centric businesses.

It happened again: Another IT-related article declaring a specific technology industry segment “recession proof.” That’s a dangerous, misleading claim, The VAR Guy believes. Here’s why.

Ouch. The VAR Guy spotted some troubling news about tech spending within the retail vertical. ScanSource, which distributes point of sale and barcode technology, released disappointing quarterly estimates this morning. For VARs serving the retail vertical, this could be a major warning sign.

There is no secret sauce to help you thrive in uncertain economic times. But IT professionals can follow nine simple and effective principles — which will serve you well regardless of the economy around you.