The VAR Guy

Despite the challenging U.S. economy, Red Hat sure sounds optimistic. The open source company plans to hire roughly 1,000 people in 2012. And this isn’t a pure Linux strategy. Red Hat also continues to invest in virtualization, storage, middleware and cloud computing. Here’s where channel partners fit into the strategy.

The VAR Guy expects Roger Egan, Red Hat‘s North America channel chief, to surface at CompTIA Breakaway (Aug. 1-4, Washington, D.C.). With a little luck and some cell phone speed dialing, The VAR Guy expects to grab Egan for some coffee and conversation about Red Hat’s partner program. In between sips of Latte, here are five questions The VAR Guy plans to raise with Egan.

Eucalyptus Systems has hired Red Hat veteran Said Ziouani to serve as senior VP of worldwide sales, bringing his open source experience to the private cloud platform company. This is the second noteworthy Red Hat veteran to join another open source company in recent weeks. Ironically, Ziouani’s move comes as Eucalyptus strives to fend off open source cloud moves by Red Hat and RackSpace. Here’s how Ziouani could help Eucalyptus reach new markets.

Magento, an open source e-commerce platform provider, seems to be attracting well-known channel and open source talent into its employee ranks. The two latest examples: Jary Carter (former Alfresco Americas channel director) and Michael Goossens (former VP of JBoss EMEA for Red Hat) have joined Magento as part of a rapid staff expansion. Here’s a closer look at Magento’s growth and potential implications for channel partners.

Rumors are swirling that SAP may acquire Red Hat. But does it make sense for SAP — the German software giant — to open its wallet and buy Red Hat, which is pushing beyond Linux to promote open source middleware and virtualization? The VAR Guy’s answer: A potential SAP-Red Hat combo makes sense. Here’s why.

When it comes to building partner communities, Red Hat seems to be on a roll. First came Red Hat’s successful ISV (independent software vendor) push for Linux. Then, Red Hat successfully built OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) relationships with folks like Dell, Hewlett-Packard and IBM. Now, Red Hat apparently has a hit on its hands with the JBoss middleware partner efforts. Here’s the update.

Tech Data, a $24 billion technology giant with deep Microsoft relationships, has developed a 24-month plan to emerge as “the voice for open source in distribution,” The VAR Guy has learned. The proposed strategy includes potential open source hardware solutions from Dell, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Fujitsu. And it has broad implications for the software industry and the global IT channel. Here’s the scoop.

The delicate dance between Red Hat Enterprise Linux and open source application providers continues. The latest example: Red Hat is among the latest investors in Jaspersoft, which specializes in open source business intelligence. Here’s the scoop, from The VAR Guy:

Repeat after The VAR Guy: Old software strategies — developed in the 1980s and 1990s — DO work in the emerging IT channel for open source solutions. Skeptical? Here are 250 ways Red Hat successfully pushed beyond Linux to promote open source middleware to customers.

So, how high will Red Hat’s partner sales climb this year? The VAR Guy spoke with Red Hat VP Mark Enzweiler on June 9, noted some facts and figures, and then did some quick math. Take a look at the results.

Red Hat will need to walk a fine line in the middleware market. Even as the open source company continues to build its channel, Red Hat today opened its wallet to acquire a middleware consulting firm that specializes in JBoss applications.