The VAR Guy

Red Hat grew up on Linux, but the company’s next generation of growth will involve JBoss middleware, cloud computing and virtualization. That’s the message Red Hat intends to deliver to European, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) partners in May 2010.  And again to global partners in June 2010. 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.

Canonical wants Ubuntu Linux to run on a range of devices — from mobile Internet devices all the way up to high-end servers and cloud systems. But there are two markets where Canonical has no plans to push Ubuntu. Here they are.

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.

You already know IBM is pursuing Sun Microsystems’ customer base. But here’s a twist: Red Hat and its channel partners seem to be helping IBM pursue Sun’s customers. It’s all part of a fierce, sometimes emotional battle between Red Hat and the Oracle-Sun camp. Here’s the scoop, from The VAR Guy.

A few days ago, The VAR Guy openly wondered how CloudLinux OS — a new Linux distribution designed for hosting providers — hopes to stand out in a market dominated by Red Hat, Novell and several other emerging options. Today, The VAR Guy got some answers from Igor Seletskiy, founder and CEO of Cloud Linux Inc. Here’s what he had to say.

Red Hat leads the Linux-driven server market — mostly because of Red Hat’s ability to work closely with Independent Software Vendors (ISVs). But two recent moves by Canonical and Novell, respectively, show promise on the Ubuntu and SUSE Linux ISV fronts. Here are the details.

Each day, the drumbeat for Ubuntu Server Edition is getting slightly louder. In recent weeks, a growing list of ISVs (independent software vendors) has vowed to support Canonical’s Linux server operating system. The latest example involves Mailspect launching antispam and email archiving solutions for Ubuntu Server.

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.

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 Software, which positions itself as an open source alternative to Microsoft SharePoint, may have found a new door into U.S. federal agencies. Here’s the scoop, along with the implications for solutions providers serving the government vertical.

Red Hat is starting to evangelize its Enterprise Virtualization Platform to VARs, managed service providers and other channel partners. Here’s some perspective on Red Hat’s continuing efforts to diversify beyond Linux.

Hate is a strong word … especially when you’re in love. Consider the situation between Red Hat and Microsoft. During the Red Hat Summit in September, the open source company warned customers and channel partners not to get locked into Microsoft’s Windows Azure cloud strategy. Fast forward to the present, and Red Hat and Microsoft are locked in a virtual hug. Here’s the scoop.

From August 27 through September 4, The VAR Guy will pay particularly close attention to Novell and Red Hat. That nine-day period will provide a healthy reality check for the Linux market — and it may also reveal how open source initiatives are shaping up across the IT channel. Here’s why.

Red Hat continues to stretch beyond its Linux and JBoss middleware heritage to focus on virtualization. The latest evidence: Red Hat has launched an  enhanced Partner Program that has three specializations. (1) Linux infrastructure, (2) middleware and (3) … wait for it… virtualization. Here’s the scoop and the implications for channel partners.

Red Hat within the next few weeks — and possibly before Red Hat Summit (Sept. 1-4, Chicago) — plans to make major enhancements to the company’s channel partner program. Heading up to the announcement, Red Hat continues to work more closely with the Open Source Channel Alliance. Here’s the scoop from The VAR Guy.

Alas, Red Hat is the only publicly held open source company that’s consistently profitable. Finding privately held, profitable open source companies is like searching for the proverbial needle in the… well, you get the picture. But during a July 7 conference call, The VAR Guy stumbled onto a profitable, channel-driven open source company that’s making the leap from Europe to North America. Here’s the scoop.

Linux put Red Hat on the map. But growing sales of JBoss open source middleware should make Red Hat a $1 billion company within the next few years. With that goal in mind, Red Hat is launching “partner-only” JBoss roadmap briefings the week of July 20. Here’s the scoop from The VAR Guy.

Few people realize it, but a certain software company has generated $136 million in Linux-oriented sales during the past four quarters. Plus, the mystery company’s Linux sales essentially doubled in 2Q 2009 vs. 2Q 2007. Impressive. So why isn’t this mystery company a Wall Street darling? Here’s the scoop from The VAR Guy.

The VAR Guy enjoys Barron’s and The Motley Fool — two fantastic financial websites. But when it comes to rumors about Red Hat’s future, The VAR Guy has to side with irreverent Fools rather than the traditional Barron’s. Here’s why.

Red Hat is hitting the road and shaking hands with channel partners. In fact, the Linux and open source middleware provider is launching a training road show for Red Hat Advanced Business Partners. But that’s not all. The VAR Guy thinks Red Hat’s annual channel revenues will potentially top $600 million within five years, up from about $326 million today. Here’s the math.

Quick: Name the biggest reseller of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The answer very likely is Dell. Now, the PC giant is striving to become the largest reseller of Red Hat’s JBoss open source middleware. Here’s how.

Unison Communications — which develops unified communications software on Centos, Ubuntu and Red Hat Linux — is preparing to launch a partner program within the next few weeks, The VAR Guy learned during VoiceCon. Here are the early details.