The VAR Guy

As Windows 8 buzz grows louder, Microsoft is working overtime to ensure OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and partners continue to focus on Windows 7 sales. Indeed, Peter Han (pictured), GM of Microsoft’s U.S. OEM group, spent an hour with The VAR Guy in Manhattan this week. The discussion focused around the ongoing Windows 7 upgrade opportunity, and first-time server opportunities.

The VAR Guy is here to let you know Microsoft SQL Server 2012 has been released to manufacturing, and with it, a plethora of new features designed to handle the growing needs of the database world. If you’re looking for a quick dip into what SQL Sever 2012 can do for you, read on. No fluff, just facts …

Remember the hype over the invitation to Microsoft’s Windows 8 Consumer Preview? Microsoft has finally unleashed the beast at Mobile World Congress 2012. But what’s so different from this preview vs. the Windows 8 developer preview in September 2011? Read on for all the details you need to know …

At the Dell Enterprise Spring 2012 event yesterday, CEO Michael Dell himself took the stage to announce that thanks to his company’s 12 acquisitions over the last year, the tech titan is now a a complete IT solutions provider. To that end, Dell announced a line of new enterprise data center infrastructure solutions — headlined by the unveiling of the 12th generation (G12) Dell PowerEdge servers. Here’s the scoop.

The plot thickens on the existence of Microsoft Office for iPad . The ‘iPad-only’ newspaper The Daily alleges it has scored some elusive hands-on time with Microsoft Office running on Apple’s iPad. But is it really true? And more importantly, if it is, could the launch of Office for iPad help fuel mobile device management demands? Let’s take a look…

Microsoft and GE Healthcare have joined forces on a new joint venture for 2012 called Caradigm. What is Caradigm, and how will it shape the healthcare industry? VARs focused on the healthcare vertical should definitely give this soon-to-be born company a look over …

Mozilla, the company behind the popular Firefox web browser, has outlined its plans to develop a Windows 8 Metro-style browser for the impending Windows 8 tablet phenomena. Can ISVs in the channel get ideas for developing Windows 8 Metro apps based on Mozilla’s initial development progress?

The Building Windows 8 blog has given us another insightful look into the building of an operating system. This time, the focus is on how Microsoft has built out Windows 8 for use on ARM-based tablets and technology. It may sound boring on the surface, but the Windows experience on ARM could very well be Microsoft’s best move yet. Here’s why …

When you think Barcelona, Spain, you’re either thinking killer vacation or Mobile World Congress. But surprisingly, The VAR Guy is thinking about Windows 8, too. Microsoft has sent an official invitation to certain members of the press to come check out the Windows 8 Consumer Preview at special event during Mobile World Congress. Our resident blogger is intrigued, but will he be packing his bags? Read on …

F5 Networks continues to build out its virtualization prowess — fresh on the heels of its video tutorial portal for VMware View news, the company announced its BIG-IP products now support a wide swath of existing VDI infrastructure technology. Can you say “optimization”?

The mobile world is dominating every nook and cranny of the rest of the IT world. Another shining example: Microsoft has announced that Microsoft Dynamics CRM will be coming to a tablet near you, sometime in Q2 2012. If analyzing your business analytics on the go is a priority, then get excited for this …

Microsoft Office 15, otherwise known as Microsoft Office 2012, will be arriving soon, but it’s still not quite ready for prime time. That’s why Microsoft has launched what it termed “an important development milestone,” the “technical preview” of Office 15. Here’s what we expect …

The Building Windows 8 blog claims Windows 8 to be the friendliest version of Windows yet, and the latest improvement is a complete overhaul to the Windows 8 wireless experience. If Wi-Fi and mobile broadband connections once stressed you out, Windows 8 promises it won’t any longer. Read on for the details …

More than a year ago users lamented at the loss of the Windows Home Server Drive Extender feature, which allowed users to continually add drives to a singular storage pool to virtually create one giant drive. Now, Windows 8 is bringing it back with a vengeance. Dubbed Storage Spaces, the new feature in Windows 8 will give everybody room to grow …

Data mobility software provider AutoVirt has gone out of business just months after the company launched its channel partner program for value-added resellers (VARs), original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and system integrators (SIs).

If you’re like me, you spend a considerable amount of time fixing Windows PCs and convincing family and friends to make their next computer a Mac. And if you’re like me, most family and friends don’t listen. But Windows 8 is looking to turn those hours of troubleshooting into a few short minutes of “refreshing” your PC, which may make my argument moot. Here’s how it works …

It’s a new year, and LibreOffice — the office productivity suite forked from OpenOffice.org  — is the new face of open source productivity software. Or is it? And more importantly, will it remain so as OpenOffice is reborn under the Apache Foundation? Here are some thoughts on what to expect on this front in 2012.

Welcome to 2012. The first IT trend of the New Year:  Many high-tech companies enter 2012 with new or recently named CEOs (examples include AMD, Apple, Google, Hewlett-Packard and IBM). Plus, a lengthy list of prominent CEOs (representing Cisco Systems, Dell, Microsoft, Oracle and Research in Motion) are under pressure to boost sales, profits and channel partner success. Here’s what channel partners should expect.

Of all the arguments that surface during holiday gatherings, the last one I expected to become wrapped up in this season was over whether dual computer monitors are a worthwhile investment. But that was indeed what my geeky family members and I fought over the other day. And since no one agreed with me that they’re not worthy of the investment, I’d like to take this opportunity to make my case to a broader, more enlightened audience, namely The VAR Guy’s readers.

Microsoft is calling it quits at CES. After the January 2012 event, Microsoft announced it no longer will be a major player in the annual consumer electronics show. Why is Microsoft is pulling out, and more importantly, does it matter? Here’s the rundown …

AMD has been having performance issues with its new Bulldozer CPUs, and a fix by Microsoft had to be abandoned before it could do any good. What’s the story? Read on and find out.

Microsoft is taking the model learned from the successes and mistakes of app stores of past (including the Windows Phone Marketplace) and applying them to the brand new Windows 8 Windows Store. It’s a little something borrowed, a little something new, and it has a lot of potential to shake up the tablet space. Here’s the scoop …

It’s not quite on the order of Microsoft Office, but Microsoft has been releasing a variety of applications in an effort to appeal to the iOS crowd. We’ve already covered the vendor’s efforts with Bing, and more recently Microsoft released OneNote for the iPad. Now from Microsoft is a version of SkyDrive for the iPhone. What does that mean for the mobile world as a whole? Good things …