The VAR Guy

The VAR Guy had a bit of an attitude this week. Spam. Meetings. Bad fast food. Hmmm… the distractions, the phone calls and the heart burn never seemed to stop. Alas, here are six channel party blog entries that The VAR Guy was too busy — or too lazy — to write for the week ending March 19, 2010.

And so it begins. As Canonical puts the finishing touches on Ubuntu 10.04 — a long term support (LTS) release — the company also is reaching out to potential Linux server and desktop software partners. In fact, Canonical says there are at least 10 reasons why ISVs should embrace Ubuntu Desktop Edition, and nine reasons why developers should embrace Ubuntu Server Edition. Will partners embrace Canonical’s Ubuntu pitch? Here are some thoughts.

In separate moves, Canonical and Novell are taking steps to bolster their respective Linux training and certification efforts. Here’s a look at the moves, and the implications for channel partners.

Novell turned some heads in 2009 with SUSE Studio — a tool for building SUSE Linux application appliances. Now, Novell is back for an encore — this time with SUSE Appliance Toolkit, which is designed to help ease the development, deployment and management of software appliances. Here are the implications for solutions providers.

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.

A quick heads up: F5 Networks has tapped Gary Abad as VP of North America Channel Sales. He reports to global channel chief Dean Darwin. Here are some fast details about the news.

It has been roughly a month since Tech Data launched Open Tech — an open source channel partner initiative. Why is the big distributor interested in the open source market? And how is Open Tech performing so far? I caught up with Tech Data VP Stacy Nethercoat for answers.

 

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The VAR Guy is feeling a little run down this week. Lack of Latte will do that to you… If our resident blogger had more energy he would have written the following six blog entries for the week ending Dec. 4, 2009.

Tech Data, as The VAR Guy expected, is the latest distributor to launch an open source channel initiative. Tech Data’s effort (called Open Tech) follows a Synnex-Red Hat initiative called the Open Source Channel Alliance. But are distributors really ready to support open source in the IT channel? Yes and no. Here’s why.

It has been a few months since Novell launched the SUSE Appliance program. So we checked in with Novell to see how the effort was going so far. Matt Richards, director, emerging technologies, and Steve Hale, VP and worldwide data center channel lead, offered me a few updates on Oct. 30. Here’s a recap of my conversation.

When Sun Microsystems announced financial results this week, The VAR Guy had a moment of clarity: Sun is looking more and more like a larger version of Novell. And The VAR Guy means that in a complimentary way. Here’s why.

Dean Darwin knows how to play an encore. Back at F5 Networks for the second time as channel chief, Darwin today described an expanded F5 relationship with Hewlett-Packard’s ProCurve ONE team. Here’s the scoop from The VAR Guy.

When it comes to Linux, most U.S. headlines involve Canonical, Novell or Red Hat. But another Linux distribution — from Mandriva S.A. of Paris, France — is making a name for itself in the global IT channel. Consider this: More than 2,000 IT partners have lined up to back Mandriva, up from about 1,200 in 2007, The VAR Guy has learned. Here’s the scoop.

The VAR Guy is hearing rumblings from Novell about potential virtualization news at this week’s Microsoft GetVirtualNow event or the upcoming VMworld, scheduled for Sept. 15-18 in Las Vegas. The news will likely involve bi-directional virtualization efforts with Microsoft, according to our resident blogger. Here’s the scoop.

Novell expects to name a new channel chief by the end of this week or sometime next week, according to Senior VP and Chief Marketing Officer John Dragoon. There’s also some good news on the SUSE Linux front. Here’s the scoop, from The VAR Guy.

The VAR Guy landed in Boston Tuesday night, and will spend Wednesday meeting with Novell and OnForce, among other companies. No taxis. No limos. No rental cars. Instead, our resident blogger will depend on a few trusted local friends to get him around town. He’ll be back later today with a recap of his meetings.

Open source companies are finally getting on their feet in the IT channel, The VAR Guy believes. In fact, companies like Digium, GroundWork Open Source, Openbravo and Untangle are following Red Hat and Novell into the IT channel — on a global basis. Here’s a look at their progress.

Two small Linux companies are merging. What does it mean to Linux market leaders like Red Hat, Novell and Ubuntu — and Linux customers? Here are some clues from The VAR Guy.

Okay, the headline is a bit over the top. But fans of The VAR Guy have come to expect some pumped-up drama on this site. So here we go. A few days ago, The VAR Guy openly wondered if Novell (based in Waltham, Mass.) would have any marketing surprises in store for Red Hat Summit, which runs June 18-20 in Boston. Well, The VAR Guy finally has some answers.

Imagine if the Los Angeles Lakers held a fan rally in Boston, right in the Celtics’ back yard. That’s the situation facing the open source industry, where the Red Hat Summit starts June 18 right in Boston — roughly 15 miles from Novell’s corporate headquarters. So, should Novell defend its home turf and march on Red Hat’s parade? The VAR Guy certainly would. Here’s how.

Openbravo, maker of open source ERP (enterprise resource planning) and POS (point of sale) platforms, has landed $12 million in new funding. Openbravo’s new funding reinforces growing interest in open, easily customized alternatives to entrenched giants like Oracle and SAP. The VAR Guy traded email with Manel Sarasa, CEO of Openbravo, for his thoughts on the funding. Here’s a look at the email exchange.

The VAR Guy admits it: He left Novell for dead last year. But recent conversations with the company forced him to rethink all of those negative notions. In a few markets, Novell may actually thrive. And in one particular market, Novell could give Microsoft a run for its money.

In an interview with Reuters, Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth confirmed what The VAR Guy already knew: Sun Microsystems is increasing its bets on Ubuntu Linux. Here’s the scoop.