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.

Gas is expensive … inflation is rising … yada, yada, yada… where should solutions providers focus their efforts amid the economic turmoil? Finally, some answers from OnForce, the online marketplace for IT service providers. OnForce has analyzed recent trends within its marketplace, and spotted some key areas of opportunity for solutions providers.

The VAR Guy hears OnForce will give away Nintendo Wiis at CompTIA Breakaway next week. Our mystery blogger by day (and video game addict by night) will stop by the OnForce booth — with open arms and empty hands — to say hi. (Are wii clear?) Kidding aside, here are five things The VAR Guy wants to hear from OnForce at Breakaway.

PartnerPedia — a new social network for solutions providers and VARs — is set to launch in July, though an official launch date is yet to be announced. The VAR Guy got a preview on June 26. Here’s his take on the social networking site, with a few hints on who it compares to OnForce, LinkedIn and other options.

Okay, so the headline is a bit of an exaggeration. But here’s the upshot: FedEx — a major economic bellwether — just delivered horrible financial results, and nearly one-third of CEOs expect to make job cuts over the next few months. But OnForce, the online marketplace for IT service providers, is feeling pretty upbeat about business in North America. Here’s why.