Darrow: Microsoft Consulting, Office, OrigamiBarbara Darrow has some news on Microsoft's consulting plans, and casts an eye on the multitude of Office SKUs. UPDATE: Techweb has more on Origami. "Microsoft Corp. on Monday confirmed that it is working with manufacturers on the concept for a new personalized handheld device under the name Origami Project." Posted by Joe Caponi at 08:15 AM, February 28, 2006 Where's Sam? Not At PartnerWorldWord is IBM chairman and CEO Sam Palmisano will skip this year's PartnerWorld event in Las Vegas, just as he did last year. Robert Faletra doesn't like it one bit. "His decision to skip out for a second straight year is disheartening not only to the partners but to those inside the IBM channel organization who work extremely hard at making the IBM channel work. IBM spends millions of dollars pulling off the PartnerWorld event each year. If it’s worth that kind of time, money and effort on the part of the organization to hold it, then it’s worth a day of the CEO’s time to fly to Las Vegas, give a speech and meet with some very important customers." Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:20 AM, February 27, 2006 The Top 50 Channel ChiefsCRN's cover story today features the Top 50 Channel Chiefs -- vendor executives at the leading firms "keeping alive the flame of channel innovation." But there's much more. Start with Carrying The Channel Torch, which examines how vendors are putting more partner services online for partners, and what that means for the one-on-one interaction so common in the channel. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:00 AM, February 27, 2006 Calling Government Channel ExecsWhy should system builders have all the fun? GovernmentVAR is now taking applications for 2006 Public Sector Channel Executive of the Year, to be awarded in May. If you know someone making a mark in the government channel (or if you are someone making a mark in the government channel), apply now! Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:44 AM, February 24, 2006 Fast-Growth System BuildersCRN will be ranking the fastest growing system builder organizations (by revenue) in a May issue. If you think you might be one, sign up here. Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:20 AM, February 23, 2006 Office Live Beta ReviewsMicrosoft's Office Live, available in beta form now, gets a tryout from both the CRN Test Center and the folks over at Small Business Pipeline. Both agree that the tool delivers a basic web site quickly and efficiently, and, at least with the Office Live Essentials package, provides an easy interface for building some collaborative site applications. "Microsoft’s Windows Live and Office Live campaigns only brings confusion to the channel at the moment, and could theoretically cut VARs out of the SMB software market. Microsoft has yet to determine if custom application delivery will be feasible for partners and how partnerships with VARs will be built." Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:39 AM, February 23, 2006 Three Holes In The AppleCRN editors unpeel a trio of Apple issues: Ed Moltzen has some reports from VARs trying out the newest Intel-based-iMacs: "Are Intel-based Macs all they've been cracked up to be? Well, maybe not yet...Applications like iTunes run well... but non-native applications like those from Adobe appear to hit some speed bumps." Heather Clancy finds what could potentially be an even more serious problem: "I hate to say it, but have you noticed the dramatic rise in security-related Mac news of late? As I predicted earlier this year, the rise in stature that the Apple system line has enjoyed as a result of its Intel relationship has put it in the sights of the weirdos out there that get off on using their brains for nefarious purposes."
"The tools now exist for anyone to plug an iPod into a corporate PC and steal gigabytes of data in mere moments." Of course, Apple's issues could spell opportunity for a savvy VAR. It wouldn't be the first time. Posted by Joe Caponi at 05:09 PM, February 22, 2006 What's An Open-Source Programmer To Do?In light of Oracle's acquisition of Sleepycat, Barbara Darrow thinks of the programmers: "You gotta wonder at this point, if you haven't already, how the open source faithful feel about contributing their hard-earned work and sweat equity into code that will now flow out of such non-philanthropic entities as Oracle and IBM." Well? Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:17 AM, February 16, 2006 The Quest For The Digital HubWhere will the digital hub of tomorrow's home wind up? Will it be in a set-top-box or broadband gateway? Will it be embedded in a tv or run off of a PC? Most important, who will sell, install and maintain them? Over on Digital Connect, Michael Gros looks at the possibilities: "As manufacturers beef up the features and capabilities of [set-top boxes], many expect them to become central pieces of integrators' offerings. However some in the industry are predicting they will disappear all together." Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:50 AM, February 16, 2006 VARBusiness 500 Entries -- Not YetSince I had five emails overnight on this... the VARBusiness 500, VAR's annual ranking of the top solution providers in North America, is not yet taking applications, but will be within about a month. Keep an eye on VARBusiness, and right here, and you'll know. Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:26 PM, February 15, 2006 E-Mail MisunderstandingsWired reports on just how bad people are at interpreting the tone of e-mail messages, and how frequently serious misunderstandings result. According to a recent study: "Those who sent the messages predicted that nearly 80 percent of the time their partners would correctly interpret the tone (serious or sarcastic). In fact the recipients got it right just over 50 percent of the time." Takeaway: be careful what you write. Hat Tip: Slashdot Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:55 AM, February 14, 2006 The Smart Money Was On GoliathSure, lots of people root for the 'little guy,' but are you willing to put your money where your mouth is? VARBusiness special report on Alternative Vendors finds plenty of opportunity in selling solutions featuring non-market leading products. Inside, you'll find exclusive research on how solution providers select and sell alternative vendors, and an exhaustive list of exactly who's the leader and who are the alternatives in each of eight market segments. Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:13 AM, February 14, 2006 Sign Up For the Fast Growth 100One question I frequently get is how solution providers can get their stories out. One of the best ways is to earn some industry recognition via CRN's Fast Growth 100 listing. CRN is looking for the fastest growing solution providers, as measured by "total growth of net sales revenue between 2003 and 2005." If you're keeping track, this is the third survey we've got in the field right now. Digital Connect's DigiConn awards (for systems builders) are still soliciting nominations, as is VARBusiness for it's Top Channel Executives (for vendor execs) survey. Top Channel Execs, in particular, is closing quickly, so sign up now! Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:00 PM, February 13, 2006 System Builders: Apply For The DigiConn AwardsBuilding custom systems, or home or commercial integration solutions? What better way to stand out from the competition than to snag one of Digital Connect's DigiConn awards, to be presented in May? Categories include: Media-centric PC Builder, Wireless System Award, Home Office Award, and Digital Health Care Award. You'll find all the information and an application at http://www.digitalconnectmag.com/digiconn/. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:17 AM, February 10, 2006 Oracle's Ups And DownsBarbara Darrow has some inside information on what drove the big price break for Oracle on UltraSPARC IV. Despite the deal, Oracle will still be cutting staff in the wake of it's integration of Siebel Systems, and it's efforts to focus on development of it's new Fusion middleware platform.
Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:06 AM, February 10, 2006 Moltzen On The '07 Federal BudgetOver at The Chart, Ed Moltzen is looking at the IT implications of the Bush administration's proposed 2007 bugdet. "In short, the federal government seems even pickier than a Fortune 500 CIO in demanding return on investment... The Bush Administration is also trying to do what many corporate CIOs are now trying to do: save money by upgrading and consolidating its technology." Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:17 AM, February 7, 2006 Network Computing RedesignMy friends over at Network Computing (where I got my start on this internet thing) have just launched a redesign of networkcomputing.com. If you're into the technical side of things, it's definitely worth a look. Posted by Joe Caponi at 03:45 PM, February 6, 2006 Job Market Promises Staffing ShakeupsAre your employees planning their job exits? Are you? If not, you may be in the minority. A ComTIA survey found nearly half of IT pros actively looking for a new job. And it's a good time to do so, too. According to a report from the Association of Executive Search Consultants, "The IT market has come back with a vengeance this year," says Allison Cheston, chief marketing officer of AESC. "Two years ago, these jobs were very hard to come by." Little wonder that Heather Clancy suggests you reevaluate your organization. "It’s a good time to reassess whether you’re grooming someone to take over for you or your key personnel." Of course, as I often say, it's always good to know people can still get jobs in this business... Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:30 AM, February 6, 2006 An Apple For BreakfastHeather Clancy visits an Apple Store opening and experiences the unique loyalty Apple customers, and employees, have for the company. "Did you know it’s tougher to score a job with Apple (in any capacity) than it is to get into Stanford University? Felcher, a former Brookstone employee who has been with Apple about five years, said only 1 percent of those who apply wind up with an Apple badge." Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:23 AM, February 6, 2006 Super Bowl Security via HolographicsAt tomorrow's Super Bowl, the Department of Homeland Security will be trying out holographic visualization technology to protect the audience. Even the technology's manufacturer, Intrepid Defense & Security Systems, isn't exactly sure how DHS will be using it though... Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:17 AM, February 4, 2006 So Far, So Good With KSLimited Kama Sutra damage reported in Europe as the day goes on. We'll see what happens here. UPDATE 2:20 PM ET : damage remains scattered, though it's still difficult to get a complete picture. "An accurate picture of Kama Sutra's damage -- which wasn't expected to be huge -- may not be possible until early next week, said security experts, since home and small business users would be the most likely to have missed the many alerts." Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:25 AM, February 3, 2006 A Kama Sutra Coffee Pot......was one of the items offered in The Tubes' epic song "What Do You Want From Life?" But VARs may not want a Kama Sutra anything after tomorrow, when the Kama Sutra worm is expected to activate, potentially deleting document files on affected PCs. We look at: Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:49 AM, February 2, 2006 February CalendarFive NetSeminars this month, starting today, with Steven Burke discussing building architectures that support Information On Demand. On Thursday, February 9, Luc Hatlestad talks about how to choose and deploy Managed Services to benefit customers and create ongoing revenue streams. Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:22 AM, February 1, 2006 |
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