The VAR Guy

Alfresco Software, which specializes in open source enterprise content management, says it more than doubled its partner network in 2009. But here’s the really interesting part: Alfresco partners are earning $10 to $15 worth of services for every dollar of Alfresco Enterprise subscriptions sold. Here are the details.

Red Hat already focuses on Linux, JBoss middleware and virtualization. But there are multiple signs the open source company will make a business intelligence move soon. And Red Hat’s move could involve either Jaspersoft or EnterpriseDB — or both. Here’s some analysis, some speculation and some potential implications for Red Hat’s channel partners.

Open source software companies continue to strengthen their channel partner programs. The latest example involves SugarCRM’s new Open+ Partner Program. But SugarCRM isn’t alone. The VAR Guy has a hunch that several open source partner program announcements will surface this week. Here are the details.

SCALE, the Southern California Linux Expo, kicks off today in Los Angeles. More than a Linux geek fest, there are signs that SCALE is starting to attract solutions providers that work with Red Hat, Novell, Canonical and other open source partner programs. Here’s a look at five key trends solutions providers should be watching at SCALE.

For the second time in recent weeks, an Alfresco veteran is making an open source career move. The latest news involves Andrew P. King jumping from Alfresco to rival Magnolia International as its new U.S. director of business development — essentially becoming Magnolia’s U.S. channel chief. Never heard of Magnolia? Year-over-year U.S. sales reportedly are surging 60 percent. Here’s a bit more about Magnolia, King and the company’s partner program.

Canonical’s channel partner program for Ubuntu, the fast-growing Linux distribution, took two promising steps forward this week. One step involves a vote of confidence from a key consulting company. The other step involves a key move in the government market. Here are the details.

DotNetNuke, which makes an open source content management system, seems to be gaining traction with channel partners. The company, which supports Microsoft .NET environments, has gone from zero to about 50 VARs and hosting providers in the past year, according to The VAR Guy’s ongoing Open Source 50 survey. Here are the details.

Open Tech, an open source partner program organized by Tech Data, has gained a new member. Specifically, KnowledgeTree, an enterprise content management company, has joined Open Tech. The VAR Guy welcomes the news but our resident blogger wonders: Are VARs starting to embrace Open Tech and the rival Open Source Channel Alliance? Here are some clues.

Vyatta, the open source networking company, has grown is channel partner network to more than 325 companies — up from about 180 companies in 2008. But are Vyatta’s partners generating sales? Apparently yes. Here are the details.

Here’s some short but sweet (and lucrative) news involving money in the open source industry. Opengear, provider of an open source console server, scored its first $1 million deal in December 2009. Next up, Opengear has won a deal involving Linode, a cloud and VPS (virtual private server) hosting company. Hmmm…. are solutions providers waking up to these niche open source opportunities?

At first glance, Red Hat’s biggest rival is Microsoft. But take a closer look and Red Hat seems to be equally concerned about two other fierce rivals. They are (1) Free Linux and (2) so-called low-cost Linux support offerings from Novell and Oracle. Here’s the story.

Alas, The VAR Guy abandoned his New Year’s resolutions this week. Our resident blogger is drinking Latte again. Lots of it. But all that extra caffeine didn’t help The VAR Guy to meet his daily deadlines. Here are six channel blog entries our resident blogger didn’t write for the week ending January 15, 2010.

Yahoo will announce the sale of Zimbra to VMware on January 12, according to All Things D. Why should solutions providers and VARs care? Here are five key points to consider.

Jaspersoft CEO Brian Gentile (pictured), like many of his open source peers, has some lofty goals for 2010. With the help of SaaS and on-premise channel partners, Gentile says Jaspersoft — which specializes in business intelligence software — can grow 50 percent and generate positive cash flow in 2010. Here’s the scoop, including a FastChat video with Gentile.

Likewise Software — an open source specialist that helps VARs integrate Linux, Unix and Mac systems with Active Directory — expects to double its revenue in 2010, according to CEO Barry Crist (pictured). Here’s the scoop and some analysis.

It’s time for Red Hat partners to look beyond Linux. That’s the key message for Red Hat’s channel in 2010. Sure, plenty of Red Hat resellers have also embraced Red Hat’s JBoss middleware. But now the open source company has something new cooking for partners: Hosted desktop virtualization. Here’s the update.

Alfresco Chief Marketing Officer Ian Howells is talking up a new cloud relationship with RightScale. But that’s not all. More than 1,000 customers now pay for Alfresco’s open source content management system. Next, Howells expects a winner-take-all scenario in the open source market. Should VARs care? You bet. Here’s why.

Digium is expanding its channel partner program — potentially engaging more resellers that want to embrace Asterisk, the open source IP PBX. Digium has been particularly active with channel partners in recent months. Here’s the scoop.

Digium — which promotes Asterisk, the open source IP PBX — is gathering data to help accelerate the company’s push into corporate enterprises. The effort includes a comprehensive survey, conducted with the 451 Group, about the potential financial benefits of open source. Here’s the scoop.

When the Open Source Channel Alliance — launched by Red Hat and Synnex — hosts its first conference for VARs and channel partners in late July, a surprise guest will be on hand: Hewlett-Packard. Here’s the scoop and the implications for channel partners.

They aren’t household names. But in the world of open source business intelligence (BI) software, Jaspersoft and Pentaho are trading some impressive blows and building out their partner programs. 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.

Which open source companies are truly committed to VARs, solutions providers and managed service providers? You’ll find out in December when The VAR Guy unveils The Open Source 50: the top companies — from across the world — building the open source channel. To potentially have your company listed in The Open Source 50 report, fill out this quick survey.