The VAR Guy

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.

Intel and Nokia have merged their respective technologies: Moblin and Maemo, to create “MeeGo.” Simply put, it’s a Linux-based platform claiming support of hardware architectures from something as simple as a mobile hand-held device to in-dash car-computers and everything in between. Is this a Google Android alternative or wishful thinking on the part of two big-name companies?

Here’s a quick little snippet of information for those who haven’t been paying attention to recent chip moves. Intel’s latest and greatest processors aren’t Pentium processors, and they’re not the Core 2 brand either. Intel’s latest chip-line is the ‘Core i’ brand. Here’s an overview for system builders and solutions providers.

Whether Apple’s iPad will be a hit or miss for business is yet to be decided. But one thing is for sure: Apple’s iPad A4 chip is turning heads in the IT world. If you’re a mobile VAR with ties to Apple, Intel or Qualcomm, you should pay particularly close attention. Here’s why.

If you thought the market wasn’t crowed enough with Linux netbooks, here comes another contender: MSI is launching the first netbook to be shipped with Novell’s SUSE’s Moblin operating system. Moblin is designed to deliver a mobile computing experience that’s easier to use, and suitable for smaller screens. Here’s the deal.

Amid an ocean of unified computing options, Liquid Computing is looking for a little respect. No surprise, CEO Vikram Desai wants VARs to look beyond VBlock (the Cisco, EMC and VMware data center initiative) media coverage. Especially since his company is set to launch a formal partner program in 2010. Here’s why VARs might want to pay attention.

The VAR Guy looks scared today. Sure, he’s optimistic about his own media site and the long-term benefits of IT. But short term, the economy is going from bad to worse. Intel today said it expects Q4 revenue to drop 23% year over year. And something is up over at Lenovo, where trading in company shares were halted today.

(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.

The VAR Guy is locked in a hotel room tonight in Atlanta. The business coverage on CNBC is depressing. Inflation. Rising consumer prices. Rising energy prices. Is there any good news out there? Actually, yes. We all owe Intel a big thank you today. Here’s why.

A tiny but strategic Silicon Valley company is helping Microsoft to certify open source applications for Windows Server 2008. It’s a super-smart move by Microsoft, The VAR Guy believes, as the software giant strives to compete effectively with Linux and ensure Windows Server remains popular in the age of open source.